Chapter 129: Weight Loss Live Stream (I)

Chapter 129: Weight Loss Live Stream (I)

Hearing his own name, Wang Dongsheng paused, blurting out, "How do you know my name?"

Having said that, he finally lifted his eyelids for the first time to carefully scrutinize the person before him.

... too glaring.

Underneath the fluorescent green glow, Wang Dongsheng squinted, finally getting a clear view of his face.

He hasn't seen this person before either!

With this guy's face and attire, if he had encountered him before, he would have recognized him instantly.

Had he suddenly become famous?

Of course, whether he was famous or not didn't matter; one glance at Jie Fangcheng carrying that sword, and it was clear he was not an easy person to deal with.

After asking a question and not receiving a response for a long while, Jie Fangcheng advanced a few threatening steps forward: "Come on, tell me about this instance how..."

Before Jie Fangcheng could finish, Wang Dongsheng screamed and scurried out of the room in a frantic roll-and-crawl manner.

Jie Fangcheng quickly followed suit, and upon opening the door, he uttered a "huh".

Outside the room was a corridor, constructed of transparent glass that offered a sweeping view of the stunning starry sky and enormous wing-like structures beyond.

They were navigating through the cosmos.

In the moment he was dumbstruck, Wang Dongsheng's figure had disappeared, leaving Jie Fangcheng with no choice but to turn back.

Although Aunt Li was in her current state, she couldn't help but show a smile on her withered face after Jie Fangcheng chased Wang Dongsheng away.

Jie Fangcheng exchanged for a bottle of system elixir and handed it to her while asking, "What's the situation with this instance?"

However, Aunt Li merely looked at the elixir before her, weakly shaking her head and briefly stating, "Pounds."

Jie Fangcheng was not foolish and quickly realized she was referring to the conditions for clearing this instance.

Have a weight lower than the average or receive 10,000 "Beauty Slim Points" from the audience.

Clearly, for Aunt Li, acquiring 10,000 "Beauty Slim Points" from the audience seemed more difficult; although he wasn't sure what it was, it seemed similar to receiving gifts from viewers during a live broadcast.

But looking at Aunt Li's current condition, surely her weight wouldn't be above the average? She had slimmed down to the point of being unrecognizable.

Since she refused to drink, Jie Fangcheng was at a loss for what to do.

Hence, at this idle moment, Manager Jie vaguely recalled that he seemed to have promised something.

He suddenly came to his senses and hastily used the summoning item. In a flash of white light, Zhang Dao'an appeared before him.

After landing, Zhang Dao'an looked around and remarked, "An interstellar setting?"

The furnishings in the room were brimming with a futuristic technological ambiance, clearly indicating that the scenario was set in a more advanced era of interstellar civilization.

Aunt Li naturally had a deep impression of him, and she nodded at him weakly and without much strength.

Observing her state, then glancing at Jie Fangcheng standing nearby, and recalling the conditions to clear the instance, Zhang Dao'an quickly understood the situation.

He walked over to Aunt Li and squatted down, also exchanging for a bottle of system potion.

"If any situation requires physical intervention, given your current condition, you can only await death."

Aunt Li looked at him, her seemingly stiffened mind seemed to rotate slowly, processing his words.

She recalled how the two of them had maneuvered in the "Fortunate Guest Inn" instance before. Clearly, they were not players who would progress through stages methodically.

At this moment, looking at the system potion in front of her, Aunt Li finally took it hesitantly and drank it in one gulp.

The potion produced by the system worked incredibly fast. Aunt Li's originally shriveled body seemed to inflate like it was being blown up, quickly reverting to its original state.

As the lost elements returned, the previously debilitating feeling of being on the brink of death also alleviated, and Aunt Li felt her strength returning.

Only at this moment did she find the strength to express her gratitude to Jie Fangcheng and Zhang Dao'an.

"Thank you."

Nie Shuangshuang had prepared summoning items for her, allowing her to summon herself within the instance, indicating the close relationship between Nie Shuangshuang and her.

But Jie Fangcheng was different. They had only cleared an instance together once, sharing only a couple of pancakes.

Now that he truly appeared, Aunt Li felt a lump in her throat.

Such a stranger was willing to help her, but her own son...

Jie Fangcheng's inquiry interrupted Aunt Li's train of thought.

"What's the deal with this instance?"

Aunt Li gave a bitter smile, pointed in the air, and soon, a projection appeared on the wall.

The screen displayed numerous small windows, similar to many live streaming apps.

Currently, some windows were black, indicating that the broadcaster was offline.

Some were still on, but at first glance, they appeared extremely similar, with analogous backgrounds and even the broadcasters looked alike.

They were all emaciated bald figures.

Aunt Li casually opened one of the live streams, explaining, "Players usually broadcast in the evening, the ones broadcasting now are NPCs. This is the most popular room among the audience in the current live streaming competition."

As soon as she clicked it, a grand BGM reverberated throughout the room.

"Dear viewers, hit the follow button to stay connected! I am the master of weight loss, the adorable Little Beauty Sheep, hoping to share this 'slim vibe' with everyone in front of the screen!"

In contrast to Aunt Li who seemed unable to move, the "master of weight loss, Little Beauty Sheep" in the livestream, despite her hollow cheeks and skin and bones appearance, seemed full of vitality, as if there was not a hint of flesh left on her, yet she looked radiantly lively.

In the bottom left corner of the live stream room, barrages of comments continuously fluttered by, at first glance, it seemed like any other live stream room, complete with numerous banners of gifts and rewards.

"Some friends are asking about my current weight, let me show you real-time!"

Saying this, she pressed a button, and soon, her weight was announced in the room.

“24.72KG。”

Nearly 25KG, it's hard to imagine this being the weight of an adult woman.

But "Little Beauty Sheep" froze for a moment after hearing this number. Before she could speak, the barrage in the live room surged rapidly.

"You gained 0.2KG! What happened? Weren't you supposed to keep getting thinner? Your body management is slack!"

"This is too much, you're sharing 'slim vibes' while gaining weight yourself, bad luck, isn't it?"

"The broadcaster has really been slacking off recently. She even ate some cookies during the broadcast yesterday..."

"Cookies? My God, people are still consuming carbohydrates in this

era?

Don't they care about their figures anymore? Aren't they afraid of getting fat? Carbohydrates are the enemy for life!!"

The broadcaster regained her composure and quickly explained, "A fan sent me a box of cookies yesterday. As everyone knows, we've been off carbohydrates for many years. I haven't eaten them since birth and don't know what they taste like, so I just took a tiny sip, but I induced vomiting right after! I hope everyone can discuss this rationally. My hair has grown a bit today, which might have added to the weight. Once I shave it off, I will return to being the constantly slim 'Little Beauty Sheep' you all love!"

This explanation clearly didn't pacify the audience. Soon, under the watchful eyes of Jie Fangcheng and the others, the viewer count for the broadcaster plummeted rapidly, with many leaving a comment saying "this broadcaster is not thin enough" before exiting.

"Little Beauty Sheep" sat in front of the screen, stunned. Not long after, the screen went black - the broadcaster had logged off.

Aunt Li's voice came at the right moment.

"People of this era have a fanatic obsession with weight loss, no matter how light, even at 25KG, the pursuit to be slimmer continues. Everyone idolizes thinness as beauty, and public opinion channels are constantly propagating that the thinner the better, and that only skeletal beauty is true beauty... In fact, due to this clearance condition, we also tried broadcasting other content to earn beauty slim points, but the audience wasn't interested; they only wanted to watch weight loss content."

Players realized the problem as soon as they entered.

In this era, there is a pathological pursuit of thinness, with anyone weighing over 100 jin receiving odd glances from others.

Various weight loss live streaming rooms have emerged accordingly. To put it more accurately, the entire live streaming industry is now focused solely on the "weight loss" niche, with virtually no audience for other content.

But for the players... the downside of the game is that their appearance doesn't change after entering it. Even if you become as thin as a lightning bolt in the instance, everything resets once you exit the instance.

The players retain the physique they had before death. Among the sixteen players who entered the instance, even the thinnest one weighs over 100 jin, including two nearly two-hundred jin robust men who are about 1.9 meters tall.

But now, the weight of the surviving players is generally below 176 pounds.

Like Aunt Li, she currently weighs only about 136 pounds.

It's noteworthy that it has been less than ten days since this instance began, and her weight loss has been rapid.

Without her saying it, it was clear to Zhong Daoan that with her already being this thin, her weight couldn't possibly be below the average. Moreover, if the condition for clearing the level is based on one's own weight loss, what use is it to summon Jie Fangcheng? He can't assist Aunt Li in losing weight.

"The 'below average weight' mentioned in the clearance conditions refers to whom? Whose average weight?"

Finally regaining some strength, Aunt Li gradually regained her composure and explained, "Once we entered the instance, we were divided into groups, initially consisting of over ten people each, but now only about half remain. There are seven people in my group, including two NPCs and five players. The 'weight' refers to the average weight of our entire group, which will be compared with the averages of all other groups."

"So, we just need to be below the average weight of all groups?"

Aunt Li nodded, and then shook her head, "It's challenging. There are six groups in total; two have players and the remaining four are all NPCs. These NPCs started with a lower baseline weight than us, making it difficult for us to catch up with them."

Zhong Daoan repeated, "Difficult to catch up? Why do you say that?"

Aunt Li sighed deeply.

"People in this world have gone mad in their pursuit of thinness. Their medical system is highly advanced, with most individuals undergoing stomach removal surgery as their first operation once they reach adulthood... a complete gastrectomy. They receive nutrients through direct injections of nutrient fluids. Many even have the lower two ribs removed to appear thinner. Liposuction can be done at any clinic on the street. When we entered this instance, these NPCs had already undergone numerous organ removal surgeries, bringing their average weight below 154 pounds, with many now around 132 pounds."

"On the other hand, the two groups of us players are all average individuals. Forget 132 pounds, even entering this instance, our group, which is one of the lighter ones, had an average weight exceeding 264 pounds. Therefore, to lose weight quickly after entering, we had to undergo various surgeries just like the NPCs, but these surgeries required 'beauty slim points' for payment. Our physique is not at all appealing to the audience of this world. It took us three days after entering the instance to accumulate enough points for a complete gastrectomy."

And this surgery was just the beginning, signaling that players can no longer rely on system potions to recover their bodies.

Accumulating beauty slim points, undergoing surgeries, and losing weight.

These have become the utmost priorities for all players.

But weight loss is not as simple as wanting to shed the pounds, especially for the two hefty men weighing about 440 pounds.

These two underwent a gastrectomy, followed by liposuction with the help of other players.

The medical technology of this interstellar world far surpasses that of the real world, and given the obsession with weight loss here, procedures like liposuction are incredibly proficient, allowing for unlimited fat removal without risking life-threatening consequences.

But even with unlimited subcutaneous fat removal, what about the fats in other parts of the body? And the critical muscles that support bodily functions?

After the liposuction, both hefty men still weighed over 264 pounds. Seeing no further weight reduction, on the fifth day, their group members ejected them from the spaceship.

These were the first players to be "eliminated."

Everyone quickly realized that the players generally had high weights, and it was genuinely challenging to lose weight even after various surgeries, unlike the NPCs.

These NPCs had an edge in this competition, having already been skin and bones upon arrival, yet they could continue to lose weight.

Thus, the fewer the players in a group, the lower the group's average weight.

Once such a notion takes hold, it's hard to break away from it.

Players began to distrust and suspect each other, all wanting to push the others to their demise. Yet, given their current weakened states — with the rapid loss of fat and stomach — their abilities had significantly diminished. Some players couldn't even use their skills anymore.

Consequently, amidst mutual suspicion and distrust, the players had no choice but to embark on a second path: fervently working towards weight loss, both individually and as a team.

The weight loss competition had rules in place to promote the concept of healthy weight loss, prohibiting the removal of limbs or any other parts that would significantly alter one's appearance.

In other words, as long as the alterations were not visible externally, the players were at liberty to remove anything else, thus leading them to contemplate the removal of internal organs.

Take Aunt Li, for instance, only a short segment of her intestines remained inside her now, and the situation was similar for the others.

By hollowing out their abdominal areas to reduce weight, their team was gradually nearing the average weight threshold.

But... they couldn't shed any more weight.

Aunt Li could clearly feel that they had already reached their limits.

With empty abdomens and no other places left to cut, and their "Beauty Slim Points" insufficient, the audience had lost interest in their languid and emaciated faces. What the viewers sought were individuals who, despite being skin and bones, still radiated a sort of luminous beauty.

Achieving this kind of thinness seemed theoretically impossible, but as they saw with a certain streamer earlier, the Merely Corporation's new product "Merely Yeast" had made it possible.

This product, priced exorbitantly, was out of reach for the players to redeem.

Yet the NPCs with a substantial audience could afford it.

"It is said that this product is the latest generation of miracle weight loss drugs, which upon consumption, burns all the fat and muscle in the body without causing any harm," sounded like a fairy tale, but witnessing the streamers who had taken this drug, genuinely losing weight and looking vibrant and glossy, told a different story.

This wasn't going to work.

Aunt Li realized swiftly that relying on the current players to clear this dungeon would lead to a dead end.

What she could perceive, the other players in the group could perceive as well.

What if... one person was sacrificed?

Not all organs in the abdominal area had been fully extracted, after all.

The players had already transcended the boundaries of regular humans. Surviving for a couple of days even with a shattered heart or the absence of vital organs wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Consequently, at the "choice" of the fellow group members, Aunt Li was coerced into "voluntarily" becoming the guinea pig for experimentation.

She had no option; to survive, she needed to call for external assistance.

With the arrival of external help at this moment, Aunt Li could finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"We have reached a dead-end," she murmured, eyeing several small screens, some of which would never light up again.

The most terrifying aspect was not venturing into a dead-end, but the utter lack of strategy to successfully navigate through this dungeon, even after deep contemplation by Aunt Li.

If they didn't lose weight swiftly, their physiques simply wouldn't attract any viewers in these live streaming rooms.

And the only quick solution for weight loss was undergoing surgery.

However, undergoing surgery would entail a reduction in combat prowess, rendering resistance futile. One would then only be able to proceed step by step, like a regular NPC, conforming to a script devised by others.

Eventually, it would become apparent that following a path previously treaded by others would never allow one to catch up with those ahead.

A road to demise.

Regardless of the strategies and considerations, this dungeon seems impassable.

The historical highest record attests to this.

A clearance rate of 1%, which translates to a historical maximum of only two players successfully navigating through this level.

Considering the players were divided into two groups, does this imply that these two individuals managed to eliminate all the other players?

Some players are already hesitating at this stage... but what use is hesitation? No one dares to consume the system's potion to restore their fat and strength.

Zhang Dao'an pondered briefly, muttering, "I see."

He didn't elaborate, but the two individuals who had previously cleared dungeons with him somehow understood instinctively - he must have devised a plan in his mind.

"How can we clear the level?" Xie Fangcheng inquired directly.

Zhang Dao'an posed a question, "Is the average lifespan of the original inhabitants of this world high?"

"Huh?" Aunt Li was caught off guard.

This question seemed rather off-topic, as all they had been considering since entering the dungeon was how to successfully complete it; who would bother pondering over the circumstances of the NPCs?

Nonetheless, the question wasn't difficult to answer.

Aunt Li activated her AI assistant.

Numbers rapidly appeared on the assistant's screen.

Forty-seven years.

This figure was alarmingly low!

Aunt Li immediately sensed something amiss.

The average lifespan of a society's residents is very likely tied to the medical conditions available. With the level of technological advancement in the real world, the average lifespan exceeds seventy years. Given the advanced state of this interstellar world and its high level of medical expertise, the population's average lifespan should ostensibly be even higher.

"Excessive obesity and over-slenderizing are both detrimental to one's health, a characteristic determined by the genetics of carbon-based life forms," Zhang Dao'an remarked before suddenly inquiring, "So, what has been the longest lifespan recorded in this world over the past decade?"

The AI assistant responded promptly.

As Aunt Li gazed upon the answer, a vague realization began to dawn in her heart.

"One hundred and fifty-seven years..."

The individual in the photograph appeared thin as well, yet there was a peculiar quality to their thinness that seemed somewhat odd.

It's as if the thinness had been photoshopped, not a natural state.

After reviewing the individual's personal profile, Zhang Dao'an proceeded to research the ten longest-lived people, quickly stumbling upon a new discovery.

"These ten individuals are all wealthy, and eight of them have connections with the Mei Lei company."

"Ah..."

Zhang Dao'an demonstrated an adept learning capability. After observing Aunt Li use it once, he began utilizing the interstellar era's search engine himself, swiftly tracing the matter to its source.

"The 'Beauty in Thinness' concept was propagated by the Mei Lei company. Moreover, every generation of successors and their relatives in the company live exceptionally long lives - a fact they prominently advertise, claiming it to be a result of using their products, which purportedly promote thinness and health."

By the time Zhang Dao'an got to this point, Xie Fangcheng had caught on: "In reality, excessive thinness is harmful, something the executives at Mei Lei are aware of. Yet, to market their new products, they've been the clandestine force steering this trend?"

"Exactly," Zhang Dao'an concluded his search, his lips curling slightly, albeit devoid of any genuine mirth. "In such an advanced interstellar age... not a single person has raised the point that excessive thinness is unhealthy. All research and papers are solely focused on the dangers of obesity."

Why had it come to this?

Everyone had a hunch regarding the answer.

To sell products, to generate profit, hence "thinness" became a prevailing trend, influencing the masses.

"So what should we do? Would storming into the Mei Lei company and decapitating the person in charge be effective?"

Xie Fangcheng asked.

Such an absurd query almost made Aunt Li burst into laughter, yet to her astonishment, the usually stern Professor Zhang seemed to emphatically agree, nodding his head affirmatively.

"I believe that's a viable solution."

"How do we get there, though? Can you pilot a spacecraft?"

"I can't, but there seem to be tutorials online on how to operate a spaceship. Learning it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Sounds reliable!"

Aunt Li couldn't help herself: "Wait a minute!"

She was somewhat baffled: "Why are we targeting the head of Mei Lei company? How does this relate to us clearing the dungeon?"

This time, Xie Fangcheng provided the answer.

"It does."

"What's the connection?" Aunt Li was clearly confused.

Xie Fangcheng reiterated the criteria for clearing the dungeon: "Maintaining a weight below the average?"

"Correct."

"If we cannot lower our average, why not increase others' average instead?"

Jie Fangcheng asked nonchalantly.

Humanity has always gravitated towards benefit and avoided harm. Previously, the detrimental side effects of losing weight were unknown, thus the NPCs of this world have been fervently pursuing weight loss.

But, if they were to realize that losing weight can be detrimental to their health, would these NPCs still be as enthusiastic about it as they are now?