Chapter 144: Someone’s Asked Me to Chat with You

Chapter 144: Someone's Asked Me to Chat with You

As the saying goes, pressure breeds motivation. Under the looming threat of death, Xiao Zhao Lu unleashed an unprecedented level of efficiency. Seated before his computer, he hammered away at the keyboard so vigorously it was as if sparks were about to fly.

Have you ever seen someone chat with forty netizens simultaneously?

Certainly not Xiao Yan Lu.

Checking the time and finding it still early, he simply returned to his room to catch up on sleep. There was no other choice; there was only one computer in the house, so they had to divide the labor. Xiao Zhao Lu would handle the daytime chatting, while Xiao Yan Lu took over at night. They hoped that someday they'd encounter a generous soul who would buy all their fake watches.

As the soft clatter of the keyboard in the living room faded into the background, time slipped by unnoticed. Before long, it was evening, and Xiao Yan Lu was roused from his slumber by the system's notification sound.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've completed the watch-selling task within 24 hours. Your reward of five hundred points has been credited!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've completed Sub-Quest One. You've survived 24 hours under the attack of the Wandering Ones. Your ability has advanced!"

Xiao Yan Lu, still groggy, sat up in bed upon hearing this. He remembered accepting two sub-quests the previous day. Looking down at his right hand, three lightning bolts as thick as little fingers instantly appeared in his palm, intertwining like fish and illuminating half the room.

Initially delighted, Xiao Yan Lu's mood soured when he noticed that his life gauge had dwindled to just nineteen hours remaining. It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. "Do you have any more tasks that reward time?"

The system paused for a moment. "Yes, if you kill the female ghost from yesterday, you'll gain two hundred years of time."

"Get lost."

If Xiao Yan Lu wanted to kill her, he would have done so already. He didn't need the system's advice.

The system conceded defeat. "Then you should focus on selling more watches."

Just then, Xiao Zhao Lu stumbled in, dark circles under his eyes. Weakly, he said, "Brother, it's your turn now. I can't hold on any longer."

He collapsed onto the bed and was soon snoring tiredly. Xiao Yan Lu splashed some water on his face in the bathroom to wake himself up, then sat down at the computer to open the live-streaming app, ready to continue selling watches.

Ever since Xiao Yan Lu's last stream, where he unexpectedly encountered a Wandering One, his account had gained a small but significant following. His fan count had skyrocketed from a few to over a hundred thousand. However, because he hadn't continued streaming afterward, and due to the envy of some competitors who suspected self-promotion, the comment section had erupted in controversy.

It all started with a blogger seeking to ride the wave of popularity, known as "Hammer Brother." This individual had no other hobby than debunking fakes across the internet. He recorded Xiao Yan Lu's entire watch-selling stream from the previous day, analyzed it frame by frame, and ultimately concluded that Xiao Yan Lu had staged the ghost encounter for publicity. The video had already climbed to the top of the site's trending list.

Sitting in his chair, Xiao Yan Lu clicked on the video with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. On the screen, a skinny man with a small tuft of braids and a large gold tooth began speaking in a tone reminiscent of a stand-up comedian:

"Hey, I'm sure everyone saw the streamer who encountered a Wandering One attack at home yesterday, right? If you missed it, don't worry. Hammer Brother will break it down for you."

He played a clip of Xiao Yan Lu being warned by a netizen about a ghost behind him during the stream, causing him to flee frantically around the house before eventually fighting back with a kitchen knife. Then, he paused the video.

"Look at how thrilling that was. This guy is lucky to be alive. But many of us share the same questions. First, although Wandering Ones prefer to appear at night, they wouldn't randomly invade residential homes. At least, I've never heard of such a thing happening."

Xiao Yan Lu silently gave the screen the middle finger. Of course not, anyone who encountered them ended up dead. Where would he hear about it?

Hammer Brother continued, "Second, this guy is just an ordinary person. How could he chase after a Wandering One with just a kitchen knife? That's too unrealistic!"

In a sudden burst of emotion, Hammer Brother slammed the table, startling Xiao Yan Lu. "After tireless investigation, I've uncovered evidence of this streamer's deception! Look at the screen. During the chase, the skirt of this female ghost accidentally lifted, revealing a slightly protruding belly. She appears to be pregnant. How could a Wandering One be pregnant?"

He slowed down the video and enhanced the clarity. From the side view, the ghost's stomach was indeed bulging, looking roughly four to five months along, in stark contrast to her slender limbs.

Initially dismissing Hammer Brother's claims as nonsense, Xiao Yan Lu couldn't help but admire the man's sharp eyesight. However, before he could even feel impressed, Hammer Brother launched into a serious analysis:

"According to reliable sources, the female ghost in the video is actually the pregnant wife of this streamer, disguised to create special effects. All the scenes were computer-generated, solely for the purpose of attracting viewers and promoting products. I urge everyone to stay vigilant and not fall for this scam!"

At the end of the video, Hammer Brother winked at the screen, believing himself to be suave. "I'm Hammer Brother, exposing fakes left and right. If you like my content, give me a thumbs up and subscribe. The next video will be even better!"

Though his exposé contained several unconvincing elements, the way he presented it was compelling enough to sway many viewers. Numerous netizens believed his story and flooded Xiao Yan Lu's live stream, waiting for him to come online so they could berate him. Even the main page of the platform was abuzz with discussions about the incident.

"F*ck! That Lu streamer is shameless, using such a thing for attention. He has no morals. I was worried about him all night for nothing!"

"How could he make his pregnant wife dress up as a ghost and scare people? What if she gets hurt?"

"No wonder so many netizens asked him about the aftermath of the incident, and he kept dodging the question, urging us to buy watches instead. It was all for the sake of attracting traffic and selling products!"

"I was excited for nothing. I really thought an ordinary person could fight a Wandering One."

Comments like these were rampant, leaving Xiao Yan Lu stunned. Not only did they accuse him of faking the encounter, but somehow, he had also acquired a wife overnight. Were netizens truly this terrifying now?

Xiao Yan Lu sifted through nearly ten thousand comments before finally finding a handful of supporters:

"This Hammer Brother has been exposing fakes across the internet since his account was created, but none of it has been true. I'm standing with Little Lu on this one."

"I studied digital media. After analyzing the video, I found no signs of computer-generated effects. It just looks fake because the streamer's equipment is too low-quality."

Although the supportive comments were somewhat harsh, Xiao Yan Lu felt a slight sense of relief. Checking his backend records, he saw that all the watches he had sold the previous day were marked as returns, further plunging his already impoverished household into despair.

"…"

Xiao Yan Lu abandoned the idea of going online to stream, deciding to wait until the storm passed. Scrolling through his sparse friend list, he focused on an account with a black fox as its profile picture. The user went by the name Phantom.

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Yan Lu recalled that Phantom was a friend he had added in a chat group a couple of days ago. However, Phantom hadn't accepted the request at the time, so why did they suddenly approve it now?

Regardless, Phantom was the only unfamiliar friend on his list besides Xiao Zhao Lu. Who else was there to deceive?

Xiao Yan Lu lightly tapped the keyboard, sending a message, and then waited patiently for a response.

Meanwhile, Xing Yuan had just stepped out of the shower. Dressed in a black silk robe, his damp hair hung over his refined eyebrows, accentuating his pale and stern features. Hearing his phone vibrate, he casually picked it up and glanced at the screen, only to find a message from a stranger. Through the screen, he sensed an unusual seriousness in the sender's tone:

"Hello, someone's asked me to chat with you."

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Xiao Yan Lu intuitively felt that Phantom must have a high-cold personality, so he intentionally employed a playful tactic. Sitting calmly before the computer, he showed no sign of impatience. After more than half an hour, a reply finally came from the other side:

"Who?"

Indeed, very high-cold.

Lu Yan's gaze swept across the screen, and he didn't reply immediately. After about a minute, he sent a message:

"I can't tell you. My job is to chat with you for three hours, and once that's done, the person will pay me three hundred time points."

It had to be said that Xing Yuan was rather gullible in some aspects. His first reaction upon seeing the message was that Luoyang was up to something behind the scenes. He subconsciously furrowed his brows and replied coldly with just two words:

"No need."

The other side sent a pitiful kitten emoji:

"Please, I really need these time points. There's only two hours left until the three-hour mark. Can I chat with you until then?"

Playing the victim—this was what Lu Xiaozhao taught him. This guy would lie through his teeth online to gain sympathy, even going so far as to tell people that his own brother had died.

Xing Yuan raised an eyebrow indifferently. "How badly do you need it?"

Lu Yan didn't say anything but directly snapped a photo and sent it over.

In the picture, a right hand with distinct joints held a black mouse. The knuckles were clear, the skin fair, and under the glow of the computer screen, there was a hazy sensuality. However, what caught the eye most was the life value displayed on his wrist—

16 time points.

This number was so meager that one couldn't even buy a drink in Sky City, which also meant that the person on the other side of the screen wouldn't even live until dawn.

Oh… It seemed like they really did need it.

Xing Yuan wasn't a charitable person; after all, he wasn't even human. But the person on the other side did have nice hands, which made his heart itch. He tapped on the photo, long-pressed to save it, and looked at it again and again with his deep gaze.

In this world where life value served as currency, everyone's bank account numbers could be bound to their personal information. Although Xing Yuan liked the other party's hands, he indeed had no interest in chatting. He directly sent a red packet over.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yan was taken aback for a moment—a rare occurrence. He hadn't seen someone who didn't play by the rules before. After a moment of thought, he sent a question mark: "What does this mean?"

Even through the screen, one could sense Xing Yuan's indifferent tone: "I'm not interested in chatting. You can go ahead and finish your shift."

After saying this, it was as if he had logged off, and his avatar instantly turned gray.

Wow, how aloof.

Lu Yan loved people who threw money around without warning. Without much thought, he directly clicked on the red packet with his mouse. He originally assumed the other party would send dozens of time points, or perhaps generously send three hundred time points, but he never expected that Phantom would directly transfer three thousand time points over!!

Holy shit!

Lu Yan almost slipped off his chair in shock. He grabbed onto the table and struggled to get up, staring at the computer screen as he counted—

"One, ten, hundred, thousand… Holy shit, he really transferred three thousand over?!"

Lu Yan, this poor man, was utterly shocked. After all, he earned only seven hundred time points after working hard to kill a low-level wanderer. The other party casually tossed out three thousand time points, enough for him to sell five hundred gold watches!!

Happy, envious, and admiring…

Lu Yan shakily withdrew the three thousand time points into his life value. Witnessing his life value jump from double digits to four digits nearly moved him to tears. Damn it, why bother selling watches in the future? He could chat with this sugar daddy all night every day!!

Lu Yan specially set up his phone and took a photo with both hands forming a heart shape, sincerely typing out two words:

"Thank you!"

Damn it, this was the first time in his life he felt the urge to bare his heart and soul for a man!!

With the support of these three thousand time points, the sword of death hanging over Lu Yan's head was finally moved away. In the following days, he first transferred a thousand time points to Lu Xiaozhao, then paid six hundred time points to the landlord for utilities and rent. Finally, he spent two hundred time points downstairs at the steamed bun shop to buy a large pile of buns and flatbreads. After all, these items were durable and cheaper than instant noodles. Stocking up more would always be beneficial.

"Kid, you've struck it rich. Buying so many at once, I'll give you two more for free."

The landlord was quite surprised by Lu Yan's generosity. As he stuffed buns into the bag, he shook his head and sighed. "I thought you'd move after the incident next door, but you still dare to stay here."

Lu Yan casually took a bun and bit into it, mumbling, "It's alright. Anyway, it's the same wherever I move. People die everywhere in the world."

As he said this, he couldn't help but think of the female ghost. He paused while eating the bun. What was her identity?

Lu Yan asked seemingly nonchalantly, "By the way, I saw patrol team members come to carry away bodies that day. Why were there two women's bodies inside?"

The landlord had lived here for decades and vaguely remembered some past events. "They were sisters. The one who died earlier was the older sister. More than ten years ago, she suddenly disappeared for some reason. I thought she had been harmed by a wanderer, but I never expected that her husband was the one who harmed her."

"This beast, harming one wasn't enough. He even captured the younger sister and forced her to bear children for him. You didn't see it, but that entire wall full of glass jars…"

Lu Yan ignored the landlord's chatter, thinking that no wonder the female ghost seemed closely related to the dead woman. They were actually biological sisters. He carried the two large bags of buns upstairs and saw Lu Xiaozhao sitting in front of the computer, typing. He casually closed the door he had just fixed and said,

"Lu Xiaozhao, come eat dinner!"

But Lu Xiaozhao didn't look up. "Brother, wait a moment. I'm battling these trolls!"

Lu Yan asked in confusion, "What trolls?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaozhao spoke angrily. "Brother, you don't know. That Hammer Brother not only rode your coattails last time but also called for a voice confrontation with you. Those netizens saw that you weren't online and all ran to your live streaming account to cause trouble and report you. They almost got your account banned!"

Although Lu Yan hadn't told Lu Xiaozhao about encountering the wanderer at home, the other party often went online, and it was impossible to hide it from him. Not long after, he himself stumbled upon the recording of that day's live stream and learned the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. He thought that if he ignored it, the matter would soon blow over. He never expected it to escalate further: "Get up."

Lu Xiaozhao obediently stood up and gave up his seat to him.

Lu Yan sat down in front of the computer. The first thing he saw was Hammer Brother's arrogant and smug face. The other party was currently live streaming:

"This netizen with the ID '185... Shy and Innocent College Student' said I slandered this host surnamed Lu. I played several solid pieces of evidence in the video. The proof is indisputable. If it doesn't work, let him confront me via video. I have nothing to hide. I've never done anything to slander others."

"Your IDs are so similar. Could you be relatives or alternate accounts? Pass on a message to him. Everyone has moments of confusion. As long as he comes forward to apologize, it's fine. Don't hide and avoid people."

Hammer Brother almost posted a video exposing Lu Yan every day, gaining nearly 300,000 followers by riding on this incident. He clearly tasted the sweetness of it. Seeing that Lu Yan didn't come out to refute him, he became even more convinced that he had guessed the truth. His tone was filled with smugness, and even many netizens were swayed by him.

"It's probably an alternate account. Host Lu, log in with your main account and speak."

"I was worried that the streamer had gotten into trouble and spent the entire night in front of my computer, only to find out it was all a scam. I apologize for jumping to conclusions!!!"

"I bought a watch from him too, but once I knew it was a scam, I returned it. I'll be steering clear of him forever!"

"Come out and face me like a man, don't hide like a coward!"

Netizens, never ones to pass up a spectacle, hurled every insult imaginable. No wonder Lu Xiaozhao was so infuriated that he kept engaging them.

Lu Yan tapped his fingers on the keyboard and decided to log in with his main account. He replied to Brother Hammer's comment: "Alright, let's link up."

Lu Yan wasn't interested in recounting what happened that day, especially since it involved over a dozen lives lost. It shouldn't become fodder for netizens' idle chatter. But he realized that if he didn't respond, Brother Hammer would probably never stop, making it impossible for him to sell goods during his live streams in the future.

As soon as Lu Yan's message was posted, the comment section erupted in excitement. Over a hundred thousand people flooded into the live stream. Seeing this, Brother Hammer was overjoyed, his eyes disappearing behind his golden front teeth as he exclaimed, "Alright, alright, linking up! I'm sending you the request right now!"

Lu Yan adjusted the live stream camera to focus below his neck and lit a cigarette to calm himself before accepting the link-up. The computer screen split in two, with Brother Hammer on the left and Lu Yan on the right.

Now, nearly 600,000 netizens were watching the drama unfold in their live streams. The comments refreshed at a dizzying pace, pushing the stream to the top of the rankings.

Brother Hammer clearly had prepared well, holding a thick stack of papers as if he were a journalist conducting an interview. "Hello, Streamer Lu. I'm Brother Hammer, and I'm glad you're responding to this matter. Can you confirm whether the incident on the 16th, where you were attacked by a wanderer while streaming at home, is true or false?"

The audience could see only half of Lu Yan's frame, revealing a black T-shirt with a low neckline that showed off half his collarbone and his slender neck. His right hand held a cigarette, the smoke creating an atmosphere of decadent allure.

Lu Yan spoke coldly, "You've already labeled it as fake, so what's the point of asking?!"

Yes, the streamer's language wasn't the best, a bit crude.

Brother Hammer still smiled. "Don't be like that. If you disagree, you can refute me. Moving on to the next question, was the actress playing the female ghost in the video your pregnant wife? Would it be convenient for her to make an appearance?"

Lu Yan seemed to have linked up today just to curse someone out. He smoked expressionlessly and calmly said, "Show your mother's head!"

Brother Hammer's expression changed, and he slammed the table. "How can you be like this? I'm trying to have a civil conversation with you!"

Lu Yan continued to curse without emotion. "Have a civil conversation with your mother!"

Proving the truth of the matter wouldn't be difficult. He could casually reveal his abilities or even bring a low-level wanderer to the live stream for a live kill, which would silence Brother Hammer completely. But Lu Yan decided to vent his anger first.

Netizens saw the anticipated showdown and were ecstatic, the barrage of comments flying across the screen:

"He's losing it, he's losing it!"

"He's enraged by Brother Hammer's exposé. People like him have no manners."

"Ahh... I'm neutral. I was waiting for Streamer Lu to explain, but it seems the video was indeed faked. Disappointing."

"Just apologize to everyone. Focus on your live streams in the future and don't use deceitful tactics."

"Brother Hammer is amazing, the number one fraud-buster on the internet!"

Seeing the comments overwhelmingly in his favor, Brother Hammer's ugly expression improved slightly. He cleared his throat and lectured pretentiously, "Streamer Lu, I'm not deliberately opposing you. Live streaming should not deceive fans, nor should it take the wrong path. Especially since your wife is pregnant, how could you put her in such danger? What if something happens to her?"

His words received unanimous approval from the netizens, earning Lu Yan the title of "scumbag." Brother Hammer grew more and more agitated, spittle flying as he spoke, unaware of the dark mist that had appeared above the ceiling. A long-haired woman slowly descended behind him, upside-down.

Some netizens had already sensed something amiss and subconsciously stopped typing.

It was a face so pale that its features couldn't be discerned. Where her eyes should have been were now only two pitch-black holes. She stared at the back of Brother Hammer's head, slowly opening her mouth to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. Her face twisted in a way that sent shivers down one's spine. Without warning, a blood-red tongue lashed out, wrapping around his neck and biting down.

"Pfft—!"

A fountain of blood instantly sprayed out, splattering the ceiling. The chatty fat man finally fell silent, his headless body slumping onto the chair. Drops of blood fell from the chair, pooling into a small puddle on the ground.

The live stream was dead silent.

Even the dense barrage of comments paused, leaving large gaps on the screen.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

It was the sound of the female ghost slowly chewing on the head, the crunching of bones transmitted through the microphone, causing goosebumps to rise. Her empty, black eyes stared at the screen, as if selecting prey. Finally, she gave a terrifying smile to the camera, her mouth stuffed with bloody flesh, brain matter, and even Brother Hammer's two large gold teeth visible—

It was the same female ghost that had appeared in Lu Yan's live stream that day.

Upon seeing this, the netizens were instantly terrified, screaming through their screens, "F*ck, that wanderer was real all along!!!!!!!"

Lu Yan was also stunned: F*ck, does this female ghost make house calls?!