Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 46
Lin Qiao sniffled, feeling a softness in his heart as he said, “It’s not System Brother’s fault.”
At this point, complaining or crying wouldn’t solve any problems. Now wasn’t the time to figure out who was right or wrong.
Lin Qiao had to increase his affection value and enter the top thirty within three hours, which was no easy task. So far, Lin Qiao was still short of 50,000 affection values to reach the thirtieth place.
With all the other players doing their utmost, the gap between Lin Qiao and the top thirty was growing larger and larger.
Lin Qiao hesitated in his heart: “Do I really have to be in the top thirty?”
The system made a [hmm] sound and prompted: [The dungeon doesn’t specify the exact value of the passing line.]
So, even this ranking requirement was estimated by Lin Qiao’s system on its own. Other players could only receive a cold statement from the game system: “Wait for the announcement of the passing line.”
In other words, the horror game deliberately didn’t say what the passing line was, leaving each player in the dark and forcing them to desperately increase their affection values, for fear of failing.
Nelson, who hadn’t hung up the phone, noticed Lin Qiao’s silence and continued, “Has brother been scared to tears? I think I heard your sobbing.”
“How about I help you, brother? Players from the same faction can live-stream together. Let me help you.”
Lin Qiao forced himself to calm down and rejected Nelson’s proposal. He quickly organized the information he knew.
First, he was an illegal immigrant, both an NPC and a player. If he failed, his protection value might not disappear, but he definitely wouldn’t die.
After choosing the player faction and revealing to Nelson that he was a player, if he was eliminated and didn’t die from being devoured by evil spirits, he would need to explain himself.
The only reason that could convince Nelson to believe him was: he had many game items that could help him escape from death. But doing so carried great risks.
First, the reason could only be used once, and given Nelson’s intelligence and scheming nature, he would probably only believe it sixty percent. Second, he might attract the game’s attention because his protection value didn’t disappear or because he didn’t die.
Lin Qiao couldn’t take the risk; he had to enter the top thirty. Secondly, Lin Qiao entered this dungeon with the purpose of completing it.
He could choose to help players complete it or kill players to complete it. Lin Qiao chose the former, to help players. Lastly, this dungeon wouldn’t restart.
To support the system, Lin Qiao’s main task was not only to complete the dungeon but also to get as many affection and protection values as possible. He aimed to be the first among the five survivors, so that he could have enough points when the game ended.
Lin Qiao took a deep breath and turned on the live-stream. The audience poured in. This time, the malice from the audience was quite strong, as if they knew the players were facing difficulties.
[Chestnuts Flying All Over]: “Finally decided to live-stream. Today, you should show some sincerity, right?”
[:(Half-Retired)]: “Live-streaming, wailing, finally live-streaming, wailing. I’ve been waiting for you every day. I won’t let you go today, wailing.”
[A Woolen Coat]: “Who’s live-streaming? Oh, it’s the lovely Qiao. Qiao’s rank is so low now. He’s going to die, right? You don’t want to be eliminated and have your protection value cleared, to be dry-humped by us, do you?”
[ceil384]: “Qiao, Qiao, prprpr. Back in the day when the village suffered from a drought, it was Qiao and my water that saved the entire village.”
[Beast]: “To get a taste of the soft Qiao, everyone should withhold affection values from him, hehehe. Let him lose, let him lose.”
[Spicy Crab]: “Wait, is Qiao a sacrificial item too?”
[Night Wanderer]: “If he’s not a sacrificial item, why is he live-streaming now? Haven’t you noticed that non-sacrificial streamers are all slacking off?”
These evil spirits, having already determined that Lin Qiao was a player, were saying not to give him affection values.
However, the affection values in the live-stream room soared, which was quite interesting.
Whether it was “high affection values” attracting evil spirits or “disappearance of protection values” attracting evil spirits, both were dead ends.
In both cases, the evil spirits wouldn’t lose. But the easiest way was the latter, to let the player be eliminated and then be devoured by evil spirits.
So why were the live-stream viewers still so generous with affection values? Wasn’t this contradictory?
Lin Qiao propped his chin up and feigned composure as he asked, “Do you all really want to meet Qiao so much?”
“However, you’re right. When everyone is trying their best, just chatting won’t attract everyone’s attention.”
“So I’ve also prepared two secret weapons. Please wait a moment.”
Lin Qiao got up and left. He originally didn’t plan to bring this out, but now he didn’t have much time left.
Given that the live-stream viewers were evil spirits, wearing a priest’s outfit would indeed hit some of the evil spirits’ buttons, but don’t forget that this dungeon doesn’t have a priest.
The ones who play the role of deities in this world are “cats and dogs,” so the real taboo play should be…
When Lin Qiao reappeared in front of the live-stream, he had a pair of cat ears on his head, with soft, fluffy white fur. He said shyly, “Do you like this look? Or will it scare you?”
After Nelson entered the live-stream room, he saw such a scene: a shy and reserved cat-eared boy with red ears but pretending to be serious.
He was wearing a cat costume, with a bell around his neck and a fluffy fake tail at the back. Because of the need to have a tail, the costume had to be a dress.
The dress wasn’t overly revealing, but Lin Qiao was just too pretty, with a soft and vulnerable appearance.
Even Nelson, who had seen many beauties, couldn’t help but have his Adam’s apple move slightly.
He had seen cat-eared boys before, but none like Lin Qiao.
Lin Qiao exuded an aura of “forcing the innocent into prostitution.” How could he… so easily arouse people’s evil desires?
It made people want to tease him, make Lin Qiao cry from being bullied, and ideally tear apart that fragile sense of shame, turning him into a wanton little sprite immersed in desire and unable to extricate himself.
Nelson had to admit one thing: everyone has a destructive desire. Who could resist the feeling of corrupting innocence?
Lin Qiao must have been extremely embarrassed, with a face flushed red and speech becoming stammering: “N-no, I’m not scared.”
The chat flew by with the audience’s blunt words, and Lin Qiao didn’t even dare to look.
Spicy Crab: “Afraid? What are you thinking? How could I be afraid? I could handle five of your kind of little kittens with one hand.”
Flckle.R: “Hmm… Are you a little kitten? I don’t believe it. Meow a few times for everyone, and then I’ll believe you.”
Three-Headed Monster: “If all cats were like this, I’d say I could out-meow Qiao’s meows!”
Old SP Uninvited: “Is it a real cat? It is, isn’t it! Just thinking about those stinky cats live-streaming for me, hehehe, I can’t take it. Even the Happy Sè Sè Paper扎Shop next door won’t sell cat-eared human figures, but you, the streamer, are bold.”
ceil384: “The Best Streamer Competition is very strictly managed. Cats are absolutely not allowed to come and live-stream. To prove that you’re not a cat, Qiao has to turn around and show us your little butt to see if the tail is real.”
Nelson looked at the chat as if lost in thought. These messages were conveying some kind of message. Lin Qiao was already blushing furiously. Before he could bring out his other secret weapon, the audience was tipping him affection values to recite some embarrassing lines.
“Master, the kitty will be very well-behaved from now on.”
“Please, oh ghostly lord, spare me. The kitty will never dare again.”
“The kitty needs the ghost’s petting. Please, oh ghostly lord, hug the kitty.”
Lin Qiao also noticed that the audience was overly excited. His live-stream’s affection values had risen to around the fortieth place, attracting the attention of many streamers. Meanwhile, Lin Qiao’s phone buzzed with a message from Nelson: “Brother, I’m watching your live-stream.”
“Besides me, several other players are watching too.”
“Everyone is watching brother being teased by the ghosts in the live-stream, using a shameful expression to charm and please the ghosts.”
“Brother’s expression is so lewd. Why is the dress so short?”
“At first, the live-stream was so shy, but now are you selling your soul and body for affection values?”
“Brother is the most涩(player) of all. Other players must want to hug brother too.”
Lin Qiao instinctively covered his dress, feeling quite uncomfortable. He finally understood why the system was so generous with money. In the real world, if someone paid Lin Qiao to wear cat ears and live-stream, Lin Qiao would definitely have the dark figure break the person’s front teeth.
The intense sense of shame made Lin Qiao’s entire body blush pink, and he was somewhat dazed by Nelson’s verbal attack. Anyway, no one would remember after the dungeon ended!
Lin Qiao felt quite reckless and took out his final secret weapon: “It’s this, um, a spirit board.”
Whoa, the other players in Lin Qiao’s live-stream were stunned. This player named Lin Qiao was something else. It was unclear whether they should praise his cleverness or question his sanity.
Using a spirit board in a world full of ghosts was something other players would avoid at all costs. They were terrified of attracting strange entities that could lead to their death in the dungeon world. Yet, this player named Lin Qiao dared to use it openly. Was it because he had a high protection value, or was he just a pretty face with no brains?
Lin Qiao summoned the dark figure. He had many protection points and the dark figure, so he wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Lin Qiao shakily recited the “incantation,” and under the watchful eyes of all the viewers and some players, Lin Qiao’s live-stream camera suddenly moved. A dark figure appeared in the live-stream, standing right behind Lin Qiao.
Nelson prompted on his phone: “Brother, there’s someone behind you. Hurry up and let your dog come over!” But Lin Qiao didn’t have time to look at his phone before he was picked up by the dark figure behind him.
Lin Qiao: “?”
The dark figure lifted the blanket that was covering Lin Qiao’s lower half. Upon seeing the short dress with the cat tail, it directly placed its hand on it and began to rub it continuously. So Lin Qiao was spread-legged and hung on the dark figure, struggling and dodging desperately. His strength was no match for the dark figure’s, which easily bit Lin Qiao’s neck without much effort.
Lin Qiao pleaded, “Let go, or I’ll, I’ll…” The affection values in the live-stream soared crazily, already breaking into the top thirty and sprinting towards the top five.
Flckle.R: “Well done! I don’t know which gentleman was successfully summoned! Hurry up, continue, faster! Faster!”
Double Chin Is Not Cute: “I’d call this the strongest among this batch of sacrificial items. I’ve watched so many editions of the Best Streamer Competition, but this one is the most interesting.”
Crazy Sleepyhead: “Brother Dark Shadow, can you put in a bit more effort? Kiss him on the sofa! Grab his waist, grab his waist!”
Mountain Doesn’t See Orchid: “What are you waiting for? Hold him in front of the computer and face him towards us.”
Among the players watching Lin Qiao was Yatagarasu and two female players. The two female players were too scared to watch, thinking Lin Qiao would definitely be devoured.
One of the female players couldn’t help but peek, as the scene was somewhat provocative. She stole a glance through her fingers and found that the other female player was also watching.
The two female players exchanged awkward smiles. This kind of scene was indeed uncomfortable. It would be fine if it were just the two girls, but there was also a young boy next to them.
The two female players couldn’t help but look at Yatagarasu, only to find that he was staring intently at the live-stream interface, looking a bit bewildered and confused. The two female players felt a pang of sympathy.
The seemingly fierce and mature young player also had moments of panic and helplessness.
Over the past week, the two female players had cooperated well with Yatagarasu. Not only had their affection values increased, but they also didn’t have to worry about being killed by players from the opposing faction.
Although Yatagarasu forced them to live-stream, he didn’t do anything excessive and occasionally even ordered takeout for them.
However, soon Yatagarasu was drawn to the screen as if mesmerized, his face extremely close to the Lin Qiao in the live-stream.
The two female players: “……”
Yatagarasu suddenly said: “This is what you call edge-pushing. What you two usually live-stream is nothing.”
One of the female players blushed and whispered, “If you’re not interested in us, is it possible that you just don’t like us…”
Yatagarasu nodded: “Why would I like you?”
In fact, the two female players wanted to say that Yatagarasu didn’t like women, but seeing his unfriendly expression, they swallowed their words.
Lin Qiao was indeed being “eaten,” but it was just a kiss on the face from the dark figure. Lin Qiao cried out of fear. His attire had stimulated the dark figure.
The dark figure had dared to do such a thing to Lin Qiao in the first dungeon. Now, with Lin Qiao dressed like this and summoning it out, it was as if he was telling the dark figure: “Come and taste me!”
Lin Qiao hastily retracted the dark figure, landing heavily on the sofa, almost stunned by the impact. He lay there, motionless, embedded in the soft cushions. Just as the other players and the audience assumed that Lin Qiao had been bitten by a ghost and might already be dead, he shakily got up and turned off the live-stream. His failure to rise earlier was entirely due to… weak legs.
The previous scene had been a massive social death situation. For the first time, Lin Qiao inwardly thanked the game’s “forgetting” mechanism. He kept reassuring himself, “It’s okay, it’s okay, everyone will forget after the dungeon.”
Suddenly, a “meow” sounded in Lin Qiao’s ear. He looked up to see the black cat staring at him in shock. Was Lin Qiao so unbearable that even the cat felt ashamed for him? The black cat, however, had no such thoughts. It was simply astonished by Lin Qiao’s cat ears. The cat circled Lin Qiao several times before approaching to sniff his cheek. Seemingly detecting the scent of the terrifying dark figure, the black cat’s fur stood on end, and it began to lick Lin Qiao in an extremely domineering manner, trying to restore its own scent to Lin Qiao. Lin Qiao lay still, allowing the cat to lick him, and finally whispered, “Thank you,” as he held the black cat.
Lin Qiao’s ranking: fifth.
Time ticked by, and players with lower rankings, feeling desperate, attempted to increase their affection values in the same way as Lin Qiao. Unfortunately, some players missed the mark. Their performances, marred by nervousness and fear, lacked any aesthetic appeal. Others, due to the increasing number of edge-pushing players, failed to stand out. The result was that everyone’s efforts canceled each other out, and no one could pull ahead.
Just as everyone was at a loss, a player streamer named Izutsuro suddenly appeared. In the last hour, he managed to boost his affection value to the tenth place.
When facing the live-stream camera, Izutsuro avoided direct eye contact and even wore a mask and sunglasses. Surrounding him were various cats and dogs, mostly small breeds and young ones. Other players were curious as well. After all, a player could only choose one faction, meaning that the pets around them should either be cats or dogs. How did this man manage to have so many pets?
Izutsuro seemed to understand everyone’s confusion and explained, “You must be wondering why I have so many cats and dogs? I kidnapped them.”
Without looking at the camera, he continued as if talking to himself, “I usually like to catch small animals and turn them into gifts for the people I like.”
“If I don’t make a gift for a day, my hands start to itch. Everyone has noticed, haven’t they?”
“The audience in the live-stream are ghosts. What do ghosts like to see?”
Izutsuro picked up a kitten and, without hesitation, placed it on the chopping board, then raised his knife and struck down.
The live-stream room was filled with the heart-wrenching cries of the pets and the laughter of Izutsuro. Meanwhile, the affection value in Izutsuro’s live-stream room was soaring rapidly.
Some players thought Izutsuro had gone mad. Since he had already discovered that the audience in the live-stream room were all evil spirits, he should have also realized that without the protection value from pets, he would surely be killed by the ghosts with such a high affection value from the evil spirits!
Izutsuro wiped the blood from his mask and continued, “I’m not looking for death; I’m trying to help everyone.”
“I’ve discovered something quite interesting. When the dungeon announced the rules, it told us to collect the affection values from the audience and the emotional values from the pets.” “So why do the prompts on our phones all mention protection values? Why, why?”
Izutsuro’s somewhat abnormal muttering made him seem possessed. He then brought up a small dog.
The small dog whimpered and pleaded for mercy, and Izutsuro spoke up: “Because emotional value is not the same as protection value; protection value is just one type of emotional value.”
“This world is like amber, yes, amber. It looks crystal clear on the outside, but inside there are dead insects.”
“Give it a try. Kill a couple, and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.”
The audience watching the live-stream in front of the camera went into a frenzy, while the players were all shocked.
The evil spirits cheered: “Is it finally here? Have the sacrifices finally realized?”
“Hehehe, it’s finally my favorite part. The sacrifices never disappoint.”
The players, following the same line of thinking, also discovered the breakthrough. Especially those with lower affection values, watching the rapidly increasing numbers in Izutsuro’s live-stream, were envious to the point of almost bleeding.
Lin Qiao naturally saw what was happening on the live-stream website and recognized who Izutsuro was.
Lin Qiao hugged his cat tightly, and Izutsuro in the frame suddenly looked up and said: “Qiao, you’re watching, right?”
Then Izutsuro pressed his face against the camera: “I’ve sent you a gift.”
Lin Qiao immediately exited the other party’s live-stream room, got up, and began searching for the Doberman. He was restless and had to make sure his pet was safe. The Doberman was right at the entrance of the villa, unscathed. However, the Doberman was pacing back and forth at the door, extremely vigilant.
Lin Qiao, through the surveillance, noticed something outside the door—a cardboard box. Upon seeing the box, the blood drained from Lin Qiao’s face. He remembered that in the real world, there had been a similar box in front of his door, containing… the corpse of a small animal.
Lin Qiao’s hands trembled as he reached for the box, but the cat blocked his way, anxiously pacing back and forth. The Doberman, on the other hand, pressed close to Lin Qiao, offering comfort.
Lin Qiao whispered, “I’m okay. I know what’s inside. I just want to see it.” The pets in this world were very perceptive, and Lin Qiao’s eyes slowly filled with tears. The box was opened to reveal a small orange kitten, the one belonging to the breakfast shop owner. Lin Qiao had once petted it; the kitten’s fur was soft, and its meows were adorable. But now, the kitten lay motionless in the box, lifeless.
Lin Qiao’s tears fell to the ground with a “thud”: “Will the church handle this?” The church wouldn’t intervene. The NPCs and the church in this world couldn’t interfere with the actions of players in the Best Streamer Competition. The answer had been given on the first day when the player who abused the Shiba Inu appeared.
On the live-stream website, the players who dared to try finally understood what Izutsuro meant. Harming cats and dogs could also earn protection values, and a significant amount at that. One player exclaimed, “No wonder the game rules mention emotions. Since it’s about emotions, whether it’s happiness, fear, or terror, they all count.”
“Are the NPCs in this world foolish? If a few slaps can earn protection values, why bother being kind to these animals? It’s a waste of money and time.”
“It’s infuriating. I fed that dog well, played with it, and ran with it every day, only to receive 100 protection values. But after I hit it just now, I got 180.”
“Since the game requires the sum of protection values and affection values, it’s natural to choose the easier one to obtain. Instead of trying to please the evil spirits and going through the trouble of live-streaming, why not just catch a few cats and dogs off the street and beat them?”
“I also discovered a secret just now. The better you treat them, the more protection values you get when you abuse them later.”
The last player’s comment sent chills down the spines of the others. The NPCs who cherished their pets like treasures on the streets, combined with the secret that “the more you care for the pets, the higher the protection values you get when you abuse them later,” seemed to hint at something rotten hidden behind the warm and pleasant facade.
The dungeon world, like amber, appeared crystal clear on the outside, but inside it was filled with dead insects.
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