Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Yu Fei was initially delighted by his two uncles' arrival. Though they, too, were likely drawn by Ying Yuanxing, they were stronger than him and his brothers, offering an added layer of protection.

However, he hadn't expected that the moment his uncles arrived, they would forbid him from eating the pasture. No matter how he tried to explain, they dismissed his words as an addict's delusions, refusing him even a single bite.

Had Yu Fei not argued that if the grass truly was addictive, they should investigate it for potential solutions, his uncles would have destroyed all of it instead of merely putting it away.

Ying Yuanxing, busy with his work, only glanced occasionally at the fish tank. Seeing the grass disappear, he simply assumed they'd eaten it quickly and didn't give it much thought.

Yu Fei knew he wouldn’t get any grass from his uncles, but watching the fish in the main pond happily munching away made his mouth water. If Ying Yuanxing hadn’t been on the farm, he might have tried to "rob" those fish.

Moreover, he again caught the scent of seeds—what kind of seeds were these, so incredibly fragrant? Yu Fei gazed longingly at Ying Yuanxing.

Yu Laoer and Yu Laosan also smelled the aroma. Even they couldn't help but salivate. The seeds were irresistibly fragrant, but the stronger the scent, the more they sensed danger.

Over the next few days, Ying Yuanxing remained busy: rising early to feed the fish, watering plants, harvesting weeds for seeds, cutting some grass, and then wandering around the village to fish. His life was both structured and demanding.

Every time he passed the empty general store and fishing gear shop in the village, he couldn’t help but sigh. If the fishing gear shop were still open, he could sell the fish he caught by the river immediately. Now, he had to go to the market, which cost him extra time.

Looking at the two vacant shops, he had an idea. Even if the stores were closed, they could be reopened. If others weren’t running them, why couldn’t he? At least, it would make selling goods much more convenient.

Ying Yuanxing knew that while he might only be selling fish now—and not in large quantities—once his farm expanded, he'd inevitably have more products to sell.

Being just a supplier of agricultural products might still earn him a decent income, but having his sales channels controlled by others, especially in such a dark world, left him wary.

If he could open his own shop and build it gradually, it would be far better than relying on others.

Most importantly, Ying Yuanxing wished for a livelier village. Right now, walking through the streets felt strangely deserted. Even though there were plenty of people around, they all seemed to prefer staying indoors rather than going out.

He had wanted to hang out with Yuan Xiu, but the Yuan family had taken on a job and left the village, with Yuan Xiu accompanying them. Since he didn't know anyone else well, he often visited the village chief’s house. However, the chief had been busy lately and had no time to entertain him, so Ying Yuanxing didn't press the matter.

…

Ying Yuanxing’s busy yet leisurely rural life soothed viewers in the livestream. Even when the village chief exuded a terrifying aura, they remained at ease, unlike before when they had been perpetually anxious.

Even if some viewers were still worried, they no longer showed it. After all, reacting nervously once or twice was understandable, but doing so repeatedly would make them seem too jumpy.

Of course, the main reason was that Ying Yuanxing gave them an unexplainable sense of security.

Though it might have been a false sense of safety, they were willing to enjoy the comfort it brought—at least until the bubble burst. After all, in the real world, little else gave them such comfort anymore.

Over the past four years, some of them might never have encountered a Weird Anomaly in person, but no one knew when they might face one. This growing unease weighed heavily on them.

Even if many didn’t show it outwardly, the pressure in their hearts only intensified with each passing day. Watching top players easily handle certain Weird Anomalies did little to ease their tension.

Ying Yuanxing’s livestream, however, offered them a temporary respite.

“Honestly, if I could live like this in the Weird world, I’d want to join the Weird game too,” someone mused.

“Me too.”

“This reminds me of my childhood in the village—so peaceful. I always dreamed of saving enough to retire in the countryside, farming, raising chickens, and fishing when bored. But now…”

“I didn’t grow up in a village, but I’ve always loved countryside views. I wanted to save up and live in one for a while. Now, that’s impossible.”

The chat exploded with lively conversation, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Occasionally, new viewers who stumbled into the livestream would glance at the peaceful fishing footage and the comments, almost mistaking it for an outdoor fishing broadcast. Only after exiting and double-checking would they realize it was a Weird game livestream—and then they’d stay to watch.

But soon, the peaceful atmosphere was intentionally ruined.

A swarm of trolls poured into the chat, leaving behind mocking, belittling remarks before quickly disappearing.

“This player is utterly terrible. He has no vision, only caring about his own survival. He wasted a great opportunity—a tragedy for Xia State.”

“Poor Xia State. Finally gets a good chance, and it’s handed to a coward. Pathetic.”

“Has he even considered what he missed out on?”

“Coward! If you hadn’t left, we’d still have a choice!”

…

Though the comments scrolled by rapidly, and each person only left a single remark, the sheer number of them overwhelmed the regulars. Some regulars quickly noticed something was off.

Why were so many people suddenly raiding the chat to mock Ying Yuanxing for leaving Hongxing Corporation? If these comments had appeared right after his resignation, it might have made sense—but it had been days since then. Most netizens wouldn’t react this slowly.

Even if these comments had a strong machine-translated tone, as if they were from foreigners, was overseas internet this slow?

Some viewers exited the livestream and discovered that while they had been engrossed in Ying Yuanxing’s farming and fishing, big news had surfaced abroad. A foreign player had accidentally helped Hongxing Corporation secure a rare treasure, landing them a permanent job as an employee. Coincidentally, this player was now on break and had exited the Weird game.

Though they hadn’t yet leveraged their new status for benefits, the news had already set the world abuzz. Some smaller nations had even reached out, hoping to secure Weird Anomalies in advance.

Ying Yuanxing should have received similar treatment, but as a newcomer, word of his employment at Hongxing Corporation had spread too slowly. By the time it gained traction, he had already resigned. No matter how valuable he had been before, quitting rendered him irrelevant in their eyes.

The situation might have ended there, but during a media interview, a reporter brought up Ying Yuanxing, calling him the second player to become a formal employee of Hongxing Corporation. This displeased the foreign player, who then proceeded to trash-talk Ying Yuanxing.

Previously unknown, Ying Yuanxing now found himself notorious globally. The hateful comments in the livestream were just the beginning—many didn’t even bother entering the stream, instead flooding social media with insults. The backlash even extended to Xia State itself.

Criticism ranged from Xia State’s inadequate training for players to its handling of Weird Anomalies, and even accusations of selfishness for not contributing more to the world. Some called for sanctions.

As for what those sanctions should be, the “Pigeon Project” was brought up again—but with Xia State excluded. If Xia State wanted to join, it would have to make concessions.

“Damn it, these bastards just want to rob us,” Lu Ning fumed after reading the online analysis, pounding his keyboard.

Since the emergence of Weird Anomalies, Xia State’s national power had grown steadily each year. Other nations, while keeping up appearances as great powers, were clearly deteriorating internally.

The arrival of Weird Anomalies had severely disrupted the existing global order. Facing such creatures, no country had prior experience in dealing with them.

Many foreign nations chose to prioritize the strong while abandoning the weak, leading to a cycle where the powerful grew even stronger while ordinary people suffered heavy casualties.

Xia State, however, took a different approach. It focused not only on nurturing strong players but also on researching ways to combat Weird Anomalies and ensuring ordinary citizens had some means of self-defense—at least enough to hold out until help arrived. This consumed vast resources, putting Xia State at a disadvantage compared to other nations in terms of Weird game combat strength.

But Xia State’s investments weren’t in vain. Most of its citizens remained safe, and some research was beginning to yield results. Meanwhile, the dog-eat-dog approach employed abroad had initially seemed to lighten their burdens, but now the consequences were becoming apparent.

Now, these nations were spouting noble-sounding words to criticize Xia State, but their true motive was to seize benefits—and Ying Yuanxing had become their excuse.

Though Lu Ning hadn’t been watching Ying Yuanxing’s livestream from the start, he had grown fond of him over time. Seeing the vile comments in the chat, he couldn’t help but clap back fiercely while reporting the offenders.

At the same time, the Dawn Bureau was working tirelessly to moderate the chat. The livestream was managed by the Salvation Game system, so they couldn’t directly ban users. However, if enough reports were submitted to the main system, offenders could be muted or even barred from watching the stream.

Long-time viewers didn’t blame Ying Yuanxing, and the Dawn Bureau, understanding his situation, didn’t hold it against him either. But as the news spread, some uninformed people began to criticize him. Even if others argued that Ying Yuanxing was merely a pretext, some insisted that if he hadn’t resigned, this excuse wouldn’t exist.

Moreover, if Ying Yuanxing had stayed at Hongxing Corporation, perhaps it would have been Xia State receiving favors from other nations instead.

“Director, what should we do?” a staff member asked. How should they handle the online backlash—let it run its course, or…?

“Mute those who need muting and guide the discourse. This is a burden the nation must bear—we can’t let an ordinary player shoulder it,” the director of the Dawn Bureau said firmly.

Despite their efforts, the once-harmonious atmosphere in Ying Yuanxing’s livestream was gone. Fortunately, Ying Yuanxing himself remained unaware of it all.

Even if he had seen the comments, he wouldn’t have cared much. His choices were his own, and he refused to let others influence him.