Chapter 167 – City of Lei Feng (Part 1)

Spring Field Blossom bravely stuck his head out, only to have his points instantly zeroed out, inevitably drawing a wave of malicious ridicule.

[Casino City] Wandering Miracle Doctor: Hahahahaha I can’t stop laughing!

[Casino City] Shovel Roams the World: Gaming comes with risks, choose your friends carefully [candle]

[Casino City] Dead Demon Refiner: [candle]

[Casino City] White Rhino: [candle]

[Casino City] Lonely Alien: [candle]

[Casino City] Eight Hundred Miles Express: [candle]

[Casino City] Qiao Feng: [candle]

[Casino City] …

When Spring Field Blossom returned to his computer with a cup of hot tea, he was greeted by this spectacular candle spam.

He sat down, took a sip of tea, feeling the agitation in his body gradually settle. At this moment, the computer was no longer just a computer but the mountains opposite him, his bedroom no longer just a bedroom but a vast expanse of heaven and earth. He was no longer a player with zero points but an ancient man sitting opposite towering peaks, gazing at the majestic mountains, savoring the free and distant artistic conception amidst nature’s divine craftsmanship…

[Casino City] Spring Field Blossom: Fuck you all, I’m happy with this!!!

Teasing a dead grasshopper is boring—it’s only fun when the grasshopper is lively. Thus, another wave of spam ensued.

Spring Field Blossom’s lips twitched, but he knew arguing was pointless. When a pack of mad dogs surrounds you, swinging a stick to vent is enough—you can’t bite each one back.

But comrade Lucky Charm, isn’t your silence a bit too prolonged?

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: What’s up?

…No response.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Poke.

…Dead silence.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: After playing me down to zero points, are you planning to abandon me now?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: No!

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Finally alive. What, feeling guilty and wallowing in self-reflection?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Nope.

Did you have to answer so quickly? =_=

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: I’m afraid if I speak, I’ll explode.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: [facepalm]

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: I’m the one who got reset to zero overnight, and I haven’t exploded. What’s your deal? =_=

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Sorry…

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: It’s fine. I didn’t tell you about Li Sky’s thing right away, so the heavens punished me ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Not the heavens—it was me.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: No need to keep emphasizing that!

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: But can I ask, is this god-tier skill of yours innate or trained? It defies materialism, okay!

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: [rage][rage][rage][rage]

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Alright, stop sulking. You already wrecked the Big or Small table—consider it revenge.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Also, don’t get mad at me for saying this, but seeking profit and avoiding harm is human nature. If I met a human compass like you at the gambling table, I’d use you too—why not? Li Sky was shady, but the others? Meh, not worth dying over.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: I know. I’m the unlucky one, I deserve it. Others take advantage of me, but I cursed them back—we’re even.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Exactly.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: But they laughed at you.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Huh?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Because you’re my friend, they mocked you! Treated you like an idiot! [rage][rage][rage][rage]

Spring Field Blossom froze, swallowing hard. Suddenly, his heart felt warm.

He had thought of Little Lucky Charm as just a chance encounter in Las Vegas, a twist of fate. He gave a few words of advice out of guilt, and once they entered Lover’s Constellation, they’d go their separate ways… He assumed Little Lucky Charm felt the same.

Playing alone for so long in a half-dead server like Dragon Soars Tiger Roars had blurred the line between passing players and the NPCs wandering around. At least with NPCs, he could still have conversations during quests.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Hey.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Hmm? TAT

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Didn’t you say you have a legion of comrades?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Yeah, yeah! I wasn’t lying—our legion is amazing! Full of integrity, wisdom, PvP skills, divine beasts, and wealth!!

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Has anyone ever called them stupid?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: How could they? They’d be tortured to death by our Commander in minutes! >_<

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Do I count as your comrade now?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Of course.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Then what do you think will happen if they call me stupid?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: …

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: I get it.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Blossom, just wait!

Wait—wait for what?! What the hell did you get?! I was trying to make you believe I could handle these jerks, why the hell are you sprinting off into the distance?! Murder is illegal, you know?!!!!

…

[Casino City] A lump of bird poop fell from the sky and hit Dead Demon Refiner, losing 4 chips.

[Casino City] A hailstone fell from the sky and hit Shovel Roams the World, losing 27 chips.

[Casino City] A thunderbolt fell from the sky and hit Qiao Feng, losing 188 chips.

[Casino City] A meteor fell from the sky and hit Frost Blade in the Mist, losing 296 chips.

[Casino City] A kitchen knife fell from the sky and hit Wandering Miracle Doctor, losing 444 chips.

[Casino City] …

…

Somewhere outside the casino ship’s railing.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Feel better?

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: More like you feel better, no? =_=

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Damn, I avenged you, bro.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Yeah, yeah, I appreciate it.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Hehehe.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: You really didn’t hack?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Fuck!

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Fine, I believe you. Believing in you brings eternal life.

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Haha, my legion says the same—that I’m a weapon of mass destruction.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: Your legion is full of legends.

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: World Chat’s blowing up again. You really want the whole world to know how low-key you are?

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: Let them rage. Our Commander says to build happiness on others’ meltdowns~~~

[Whisper] Spring Field Blossom: [worship]

[Whisper] Little Lucky Charm: But speaking of which, isn’t leaning against this railing a bit dangerous? Sure, it looks cool composition-wise, but we should probably climb back in. If the wind picks up, who knows if this is just a decorative map boundary or actual ocean below. If it’s real…

[System] Spring Field Blossom has died, losing 20 chips.

[System] Little Lucky Charm has died, losing 20 chips.

A mahjong table in the northeast of the casino ship.

[Party] Marilyn MengPing: Shouldn’t we step in?

[Party] Suave Not Sleazy: You think he needs it?

[Party] Marilyn MengPing: I meant those foolish earthlings.

[Party] Suave Not Sleazy: …

[Party] Suave Not Sleazy: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Party] Suave Not Sleazy: Keep pretending we’re invisible.

[Party] Marilyn MengPing: Fine.

[Party] Suave Not Sleazy: Follow my lead. Repeat after me: Our mahjong table is actually set in the scenic, perpetually spring-like Vanilla Forest, where the air is fresh, birds sing, and flowers bloom.

[Party] Marilyn MengPing: …

[Party] War-God’s Follower: Damn, can’t even play mahjong in peace. Those idiots in World Chat won’t shut up. Now they’re whining after getting what they deserved.

[Local] Fog City Ghost: Suave, your turn. What are you thinking about?

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: Oh, right.

[Local] Fog City Ghost: Huh? Just noticed you three are all from Huaxia Summit. Do you know that… whatever-his-name-is guy?

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: We’re not close!

[Local] Marilyn MengPing: And please don’t say his name out loud!

[Local] Fog City Ghost: WTF, how is hacking like that allowed? Does he have connections?

[Local] Suave Not Sleazy: He’s not hacking.

[Local] Fog City Ghost: Yeah right, who are you fooling? Is he the reincarnation of Paul the Octopus?

[Local] War-God’s Follower: Heh.

Despite carrying a debt of -1 point and 500 chips, Your Uncle logged off with some solace, knowing the villains had gotten their due. The only guilt he felt was toward Spring Field Blossom, so he promised to use his own jinxed luck to win back Blossom’s chips the next night!

Spring Field Blossom appreciated the sentiment, but after experiencing lightning strikes and drowning, he decided to seriously analyze the feasibility of entering Lover’s Constellation early to minimize his losses.

Compared to the previous night, Your Uncle slept a few more hours this time. Having vented his anger, he was in high spirits all day at work. At lunch, he even managed to buy food for his colleagues without a single mistake, earning his boss’s astonishment. After a nap, he was energized all afternoon, breezing through tasks.

This good mood lasted until 7 PM, when Your Uncle booted up his computer and logged in.

Since gaming was always the last priority among his must-open software, YY and QQ notifications flashed first. The little fox and penguin icons crowded the bottom-right corner of his screen, blinking and beeping incessantly, grating on his nerves.

Your Uncle opened them all at once—surprisingly, all the messages were from Your Sister.

The young girl had sent him a link, her tone urgent. The gist was that someone had reported him, risking a ban, and he needed to check it immediately. Whether it was a misunderstanding or required an appeal, he had to take it seriously—Huaxia’s bans were permanent, with no expiration.

The idyllic mood of herding sheep with a whip while humming folk songs under blue skies and white clouds came to an abrupt halt.

Your Uncle clicked the link immediately. The webpage prompted him to log in, but the logo and URL made it clear—this was the Huaxia Forum. He entered his username and password, hit enter, and the page redirected to a post:

[Report Section]

Poster: Shi Wenming

Title: Reporting a hacker in the Las Vegas section!

Content: Reported Player: Little Lucky Charm; Report Reason: Using hacks in the Las Vegas section to manipulate Big or Small games and system-randomized rewards/punishments; Attachments [image][video][image]

1#

Reply by: Report Section Moderator

Content: Please follow the posting format—reported player + reported content + screenshot evidence.

2#

Reply by: Shi Wenming

Content: Format corrected.

3#

Reply by: Report Section Moderator

Content: Relevant materials have been forwarded to the technical department. Investigation results and actions will be announced within 24 hours.

4#

Reply by: Fat Leopard

Content: I can confirm—I was in the Las Vegas section last night. Little Lucky Charm was godlike, definitely hacking!

5#

Reply by: Azure Sky Waves

Content: OP’s screenshots are incomplete—here are two more! Attachments [image][image]

6#

Reply by: Yu Xinshui

Content: Damn, ban him! If this isn’t bannable, what is?

7#

Reply by: Lonely Void

Content: From Huaxia Summit? So much for a “god-tier server”—just full of trash.

8#

Reply by: Young Master Xue

Content: But is this guy stupid? If you’re hacking, at least keep it low-key. He’s so blatant the whole world knows, lol.

9#

Reply by: Glucose

Content: As a bystander, I can confirm—he really is that shameless ╮(╯_╰)╭

10#

Reply by: …

Content: …

The post was made at 3 AM last night—sixteen hours had passed since then.

In those sixteen hours, the thread had exploded past a hundred pages. Your Uncle gritted his teeth and scrolled to page fifty before giving up.

A lump lodged in his throat; a fire burned in his chest. He suddenly understood why people tore at their hair or clawed at walls when overwhelmed—there was no other way to vent.

Yesterday, he’d been angry when Li Sky tricked him, but not this devastated. He’d been frustrated when countless others took advantage of him, but not this crushed. Later, when World Chat flamed him to “GTFO,” he’d even found it amusing—he’d gotten revenge on the unscrupulous, so their resentment was natural, perfectly logical.

But in this thread, the poster was someone he didn’t know. He could swear he’d never crossed paths with “Shi Wenming.” The commenters were strangers too, especially those claiming, “I was there, I can testify” or “Here’s more evidence”—he’d never even seen their IDs before. Only around page thirty did familiar names like Wandering Miracle Doctor, Shovel Roams the World, and Dead Demon Refiner appear, seemingly rallying to support the post. But even they were soon drowned out by the tide of unknown usernames.

What kind of mentality drove so many people to harbor such malice toward a stranger?

Your Uncle couldn’t comprehend it.

Every time he accidentally caused someone misfortune with his words, he’d agonize over it, riddled with guilt. Yet here, page after page, every comment was meticulously crafted to ensure his permanent ban.

Closing the webpage, Your Uncle typed a message to Your Sister on QQ: “It’s fine, don’t worry.”

No reply—maybe she wasn’t online or was busy in-game.

He logged out of QQ, closed YY, and the world fell silent. Your Uncle launched Huaxia, entered his credentials, and watched the loading bar crawl forward…