Chapter 81 – The Beginning of First Love
by Salted FishFang Zheng felt inexplicably thirsty after being influenced by Birdy and went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of cold water. When he returned to his computer, he saw a new message in the chat channel.
[Whisper] Polly: Now it’s me.
Fang Zheng put down his cup with annoyance and spoke his mind.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Can I look down on you?
The Deputy didn’t type a response, but Lu Yue, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn’t hold back: “I want to look down on you too.”
Meng Chudong kicked him in annoyance: “Get lost.” Then he focused and began carefully browsing his encrypted online photo album.
Lu Yue, who hadn’t actually left, sighed lightly: “Brother, you only have three photos in there. Is it really that hard to choose? Why not just send them all? Give him a full 360-degree view…”
Fang Zheng didn’t get an answer from Birdy about whether he could be looked down upon, but he did receive a photo.
He had imagined Birdy in many forms—cool and aloof like Neo from The Matrix, invincible like Pegasus Seiya from Saint Seiya, wise like Detective Di Renjie, venomous-tongued like… well, that one couldn’t even be compared to a normal human being. But to be precise, none of the previous examples were normal humans either, because the Deputy was a god in Fang Zheng’s eyes—an invincible comrade in the 2D world, the most reliable wingman. Even though he knew the other’s real name, to Fang Zheng, “Meng Chudong” was no different from “Polly.” He had never imagined that one day that Little Zombie would jump out of the game and land in reality.
But the Deputy who landed in reality didn’t feel unfamiliar, because the guy in the photo was still playing games. =_=
It was a photo taken from the side and front. The boy in the photo sat upright in front of the computer, posture straight, expression intensely focused. His individual features were ordinary, but together they formed a rather handsome face—not just good-looking in a conventional sense, but Fang Zheng couldn’t quite describe it.
This was a stranger.
Yet also the most familiar person.
Seeing the photo didn’t bring the excitement he had imagined. Instead, it gave him a sense of peace.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: You’re absolutely playing games with your life…
[Whisper] Polly: Don’t have many photos. Make do with this.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: If this is ‘making do,’ you’re trying to drive me to jump into the moat, aren’t you?
[Whisper] Polly: You’re fine.
Awoo, Birdy-kun…
[Whisper] Polly: Except for being fat.
Go die!!
[Whisper] Polly: How much do you weigh now?
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Are you really asking such a brutal question under a sky full of pink bubbles?
[Whisper] Polly: You don’t have to answer. When you can climb five flights of stairs without panting, you’ll be fine.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: I don’t pant now! You think my morning runs are for nothing?!
[Whisper] Polly: Then you’re fine. Keep exercising. No need to diet.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Yeah right. After exercising, I eat a little and gain it all back. No diet, no weight loss!
[Whisper] Polly: No one said you had to lose weight.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Huh? What do you mean?
[Whisper] Polly: Staring at the computer all day, staying up all night—if you don’t exercise, how are you going to live to a hundred?
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Big bro, you stare at the computer all day and stay up all night too, okay?!
[Whisper] Polly: I drink more water than you. It detoxifies.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: ……You win!
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: But why do I have to live to a hundred?
[Whisper] Polly: Say that again.
Why did the Deputy, now a quasi-boyfriend, shed his venomous tongue only to become even scarier? TAT
After an intense internal struggle, the Commander decided to ignore the previous topic and change the subject.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: So… you don’t think I’m fat?
[Whisper] Polly: Let me admire the photo again.
[Whisper] Polly: Yeah, really good-looking.
Is it really okay to lie like this? Won’t karma get you? TAT
For the entire afternoon, Milk is Mom and Polly stood at the outskirts of the Bandit Hideout, quietly gazing at each other. And then… nothing else happened.
The War Banner team was wise—after spectating for half an hour, they couldn’t take it anymore.
[Party] War-Black Gold: Are they… lagging?
[Party] War-Sister Liuli: Probably whispering.
[Party] War-Sorrel: So they really got together…
[Party] War-Bodhi Patriarch: Is it appropriate for us to spectate their romance like this?
[Party] War-Six Souls: Commander, what do you think?
[Party] War-Snow Wolf: Pretend they don’t exist. Charge!
[Party] War-God’s Follower: Isn’t it too shameless to ambush people while they’re dating, Commander…
[Party] War-Snow Wolf: I meant charge at the bandits to complete the quest. Thanks.
The Ghost Server Legion Leader, outwardly composed, was inwardly galloping with a hundred alpacas—where was the teamwork?! Fucking teamwork, where was it?!
All seven members of the War Banner team charged forward, but in the end, only four barely escaped, while the other three died on the battlefield. Exploration missions always came with a cost, but the problem was that despite paying the price, the mission still failed. The task was unexpectedly difficult, and this was just the beginning—how much harder would it get when leveling up? It would be harder than ascending to heaven! This also explained why no player on any server had yet reached the max level of 70. It wasn’t that they weren’t trying hard enough or investing enough, but rather that they hadn’t found the right method or strategy, leaving them stuck at a certain point with no way forward.
A mountain that had yet to be conquered naturally had no guide.
Beijing time, 16:16, in a locked private room on Ghost Server’s YY channel—
Meng Chudong: “So he came looking for you?”
Fang Zheng: “Yeah, carrying a little suitcase like some big shot, but I think I scared him. We had a meal, and then he bolted.”
Meng Chudong: “You were planning to just roll over for him?”
Fang Zheng: “Believe it or not, I had some expectations, but I never actually thought about getting in bed with him.”
Meng Chudong: “…”
Fang Zheng: “Birdy?”
Meng Chudong: “Don’t meet just any random person in the future. If he came by train, he can damn well go back the same way. It’s not like he’s the fucking Emperor Kangxi traveling incognito.”
Fang Zheng grinned: “Got it.”
With his extremely simple history of being a homebody, otaku, and closet romantic, the Legion Leader had now laid bare his romantic past.
Now it was the Deputy’s turn.
Meng Chudong: “I have nothing to confess.”
Fang Zheng facepalmed: “Are you trying to say you’re as pure as a blank sheet of paper?”
Meng Chudong thought carefully: “Pretty much.”
So was Xuanyuan just a figment of Fang Zheng’s imagination? =_=
“There were some I liked, but I never pursued them.”
“Could you slow down with the responses…”
“No. You’re too prone to overthinking.”
As the sun set, the Legion Leader suddenly felt inexplicably drowsy. He suspected it was because he’d expended too much HP and MP in the afternoon and needed sleep to recover. The Deputy didn’t stop him and happily encouraged him to take a short nap, so the Legion Leader dozed off until 8:30 PM.
When he woke up, Fang Zheng was momentarily disoriented. In that haze, he suddenly couldn’t tell whether Birdy’s confession had really happened or if it was just a dream on an early autumn evening.
That panic only slowly dissipated after he dug through the in-game chat logs.
Fang Zheng knocked his own head and laughed at himself, thinking, Pathetic much? At the same time, he sent a whisper to Birdy—
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Laozi’s awake now.
[Whisper] Polly: Come to the Bandit Hideout.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: …
Fucking hell, would it kill you to be romantic for once?! Would it?!
Grumbling aside, the Legion Leader obediently headed to the coordinates, only to find all his Ghost Server comrades already there.
His comrades were thrilled to see the Legion Leader—
[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Commander, Commander, hurry up, we’ve been waiting forever. Between you and the Deputy, who’s the top and who’s the bottom?
[Local] Crossplayer’s Blessing: We’ve been betting for ages. We’re just waiting for you to reveal the answer.
[Local] Milk is Mom: What are you guys betting with…
[Local] Drink Your Sister 3X: Deputy, one cucumber.
[Local] Crossplayer’s Blessing: Deputy, one carrot.
[Local] Little Lucky Charm: Silently… Deputy, one eggplant…
[Local] 2B Fighter Jet: Parrot, one corn cob.
[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Deputy, one sugarcane.
[Local] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze: Deputy, one bankbook.
[Local] Milk is Mom: Sister Blood Bull, where’s your dignity?!
[Local] Blood Bulls Don’t Graze: Fed it to the dogs.
Teasing and ribbing, but all with an overwhelming sense of goodwill and acceptance. Fang Zheng suddenly felt incredibly happy.
It was as if everything had been predestined—Mirage Server was dead, he couldn’t find anyone to farm materials with, so he found Birdy, formed the Ghost Server Legion, then Mirage got merged, and they’d made it all the way here.
A chain of events—remove one link, and they wouldn’t be where they were today.
Fang Zheng took a deep breath and suddenly felt filled with fighting spirit. Forget just running dungeons or doing quests—if someone told him to take three riot police and flatten Tokyo right now, he might even roll up his sleeves and agree…
[Whisper] Mad Lad: What’s going on between you and the zombie?
The sudden whisper caught Fang Zheng off guard. Since Jiang Yang hadn’t said anything, he’d assumed he wasn’t around. But now, looking carefully, the little Assassin was indeed crowded among the lively Ghost Server comrades.
[Whisper] Mad Lad: If this is just a joke, it’s a bit much.
Fang Zheng was instantly furious—
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Who’s joking? What’s your problem? Can’t stand seeing other people happy?
Only after sending it did Fang Zheng realize how harsh his tone had been.
Turns out, he wasn’t as magnanimous as he’d thought. He resented Jiang Yang—just a little, but like a tiny, unnoticed pustule that, when pricked, oozed bitterness.
[Whisper] Mad Lad: Alright, alright, I was just asking. No need to get worked up.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Satisfied your curiosity now?
[Whisper] Mad Lad: Honestly? No.
[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Piss off.
[Whisper] Mad Lad: [grinning]
After shooing away Mad Lad, Fang Zheng fell into confusion. Everyone in the legion knew he was gay, but Birdy’s orientation wasn’t public knowledge. How had the whole legion’s acceptance skyrocketed in just an hour or two? How the hell had Birdy explained it to those guys? He was dying of curiosity TAT
On the other end of the computer, Jiang Yang hadn’t actually been shooed away. His mind was still stuck on the baffling question of how Fang Zheng and Birdy had gotten together.
But unless he asked the parties involved, this question would never have an answer. Yet Jiang Yang kept thinking—had Polly seen Fang Zheng’s photo? What did he even like about Fang Zheng? Over and over, like self-torture. Eventually, he started recalling Fang Zheng’s appearance, though his memory wasn’t very clear—just a vague, chubby outline. Digging deeper, it became the avatar of Milk is Mom, drinking and playing finger-guessing games with him, chatting freely, sincere and straightforward…
The feeling of shattered illusions from back then was still vivid, but aside from that, every remembered moment of their interactions was beautiful—and the more time passed, the more beautiful they became.
Better to miss than to meet.
But after missing for so long, he wanted to meet again.
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[Bonus Mini-Theater: Legion Members in Real Life]
(1)
Sister Blood Bull, as a highly educated intellectual, had a two-person dorm where her roommate was never around. She only ever used her laptop for gaming because desktops were too power-hungry. There were many legends about Sister Blood Bull in the graduate school—her brain was on par with Einstein’s, her character rivaled Marie Curie’s, she conducted experiments like Einstein, and ran like Usain Bolt. Truly, a woman who should only exist in the heavens, rarely seen in the mortal world. But no one is perfect—
Ex-boyfriend A: “Dating her required absolute loyalty. Cheat once—no, even just think about cheating—and not only would she see right through you, but she’d actually make your life a living hell!”
Ex-boyfriend B: “She always looked down on my favorite show, If You Are the One. Like, can’t I just enjoy a dating show?! Can’t I?!”
Ex-boyfriend C: “Faced with a woman who could change a giant cooler bottle by herself, I felt so useless TAT”
2B Fighter Jet: “Us? We haven’t even reached the real-life stage yet… [shy]”
(2)
Your Uncle had only entered the workforce last year. During his interview, the HR manager asked him what his aspirations were. He replied that he didn’t dare talk about aspirations yet—any job was a learning process for him. As long as the company would take him, he’d give 100% of his effort! For some inexplicable reason, the HR manager hired him, and true to his word, he did dedicate his efforts to the company—
Coworker A: “We planned a spring outing once, and he said, ‘It’s not going to rain, is it?’ And then… well, you know.”
Coworker B: “At lunch, I asked him to buy me sushi. He came back and said, ‘Don’t eat too much of this, you’ll get diarrhea.’ And then… yeah.”
Coworker C: “I thought the kid was nice and wanted to set him up with someone. I asked what kind of girl he liked, and he said, ‘Cute with a hint of sexiness, quiet with a hint of liveliness, emotional with a hint of rationality, delicate with a hint of strength.’ Later, I concluded he might not actually like girls…”
Coworker D: “But we love taking him to negotiations with clients. He’s great for psychological intimidation.”
(3)
Refined Into a Demon 715 was a good student—a chemistry major in his third year. If his class were to vote for the most helpful youth, he’d likely win by a landslide, with over 90% of the vote. Of course, there was that time he helped an old lady cross the street, only to discover she was a scammer; however, he’d prepared thoroughly and recorded the whole incident on his phone, so he walked away unscathed.
Professor Liu of the chemistry department adored him, praising his boldness, creativity, and passion for chemistry! However, Lab Director Wang wasn’t as fond, criticizing him for reckless experimentation and ignoring scientific principles! Naturally, this stern criticism was also fueled by the lab’s repeated explosions and partial destruction, resulting in financial losses.
Refined Into a Demon loved gaming, which was a headache for his advisor and roommates. The advisor’s concern was understandable—gaming meant neglecting studies, or at least showing signs of it, so it had to be curbed. The roommates’ grievances were more obscure—the sound of clicking a mouse in pitch darkness with only a cold light source was like a ghost chewing on children’s bones, goddammit!
—And who said chemistry majors weren’t romantic? Look at that imagination and scene-building.
“What do you want to do after graduation?” Advisors loved discussing this with students, but Refined Into a Demon felt it was too early for a junior to think about it. Compared to the distant future, short-term goals were more practical. Like, what reagent could effectively extend Bell Maiden’s Airborne skill duration?
(4)
2B Fighter Jet was the epitome of a 2B youth—carefree, eating and sleeping like an idiot.
He’d had two girlfriends, one for three years and another for one, dominating his youth.
Back in his mediocre university days, 2B was actually quite popular—funny, handsome, good at basketball, practically a campus heartthrob. His girlfriend was even the school belle, but after graduating, she realized good looks couldn’t pay the bills and quickly dumped him, heading south to Shenzhen in search of financial security. His second girlfriend was a colleague, but after a year, she determined he lacked long-term potential and jumped ship.
After that, 2B stopped fooling around and started working hard. Eventually, he bought a car and put a down payment on a three-bedroom apartment. Though he still had a mortgage, it wasn’t too brutal. The only thing missing was a girlfriend—or rather, he’d completely retreated into the 2D world. He’d rather flirt with virtual lolis online, calling every female avatar “wifey,” than go on a real-life blind date, even just for tea.
“Gamophobia1A fear of commitment or marriage.“—a term from the 2D world that described people like 2B.
But 2B disagreed. He just felt he’d seen through it all and didn’t want to keep circling that broken fence, tormenting himself. Life’s short—just live day by day. Running a dungeon and scoring some good loot is enough to give you sweet dreams. That’s happiness.
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