Chapter 85 – The Difficult Decision

The idea of scaling up operations had crossed Fang Zheng’s mind before, but it was ultimately shelved due to the overwhelming burden of doing it alone. Who would have thought that two partners would come knocking on his door later? What was this called? Fate.

But…

Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon of grand ventures, but not everyone can pull it off.

“How much can you two put in, and how much more is needed?”

“Milk Mom, you’re definitely a pro!” Fifth Brother clearly appreciated the commander’s straightforwardness. “We’ve done the math. Renting a place for six months is 12,000, buying four sets of equipment is another 12,000, hiring four employees at 1,500 a month with room and board included, totaling 36,000 for half a year. Of course, we’ll be operating at a loss in the short term, so we’ll need an extra 20,000 for living expenses. The total comes to 80,000. Diamond and I can each put in 25,000, so we’re short by 30,000.”

The commander listened attentively while jotting everything down in a small notebook. After some thought, he spotted the key issue: “May I ask which small—town’s cost of living your budget is based on?”

A suite that can house four employees for 2,000 a month?

A salary of 1,500 for grinding and leveling nonstop?

Before even becoming a capitalist, Fang Zheng was already feeling the guilt of the exploiting class >_<

“Not exactly a small—town, per se,” Diamond mimicked Fang Zheng’s drawn-out tone, flashing a radiant smile. “We’ve got a hidden dragon like you, after all~~~~~~~~~~”

“Diamond’s in Beijing, I’m in Shanghai—setting up shop there would be too expensive. You’re in the boonies, so the startup costs are the lowest!”

Thanks for the backhanded compliment, Fifth Brother =_=

Starting a business, especially a partnership, is like getting married—it requires extensive preliminary research, careful analysis, and, if necessary, a feasibility report. So Fang Zheng didn’t give them an answer right away. Instead, he said he needed a couple of days to think it over and requested that, regardless of the outcome, no fourth person should know about it. Fifth Brother and Diamond understood perfectly—games are games, business is business. In the game, you’re still the commander; outside of it, we’re just potential partners. Like life and work, they don’t interfere with each other. Naturally, there’s no need to broadcast it either.

Once the discussion ended, Fang Zheng left the private room and returned to the main YY channel, only to find Birdy’s username still hanging there. Who knew how long he’d been there?

Swallowing nervously, the guilty commander greeted awkwardly, “Ahem, hey~~”

Diamond and Fifth Brother had exited YY directly, while 438 and the others hadn’t even joined the channel, leaving only the two commanders inside.

The deputy commander cut straight to the chase: “What shady business were you up to in that private room?”

The commander took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if smoking an invisible cigarette: “I was… contemplating life.”

The deputy commander’s tone remained unchanged: “And what epiphanies did you have?”

If a man can’t start a family, he might as well start a career.

But this wasn’t something he could just blurt out, especially not to Birdy. Since nothing was set in stone yet, if he told others and it fell through, he’d only feel slightly embarrassed. But if it were Birdy, he’d be mortified.

Honestly, he still didn’t understand why Birdy liked him. Birdy had mentioned something about it, but it was mostly vague—things like “I feel happy whenever I see you.” Who could control such bizarre emotions? They came and went as they pleased. Before, Fang Zheng had assumed Birdy was either a loafer who frequented internet cafes or unemployed. He’d even considered that if their relationship ever became real, having Birdy move to him or vice versa wouldn’t be an issue—they’d work hard together. But ever since learning from Lu Yue that Birdy was the second boss of an internet cafe, Fang Zheng had lost all confidence. The guy had looks, a great figure, a solid career, and even outplayed him in the game. Damn it, as a fat guy, he had zero advantage! No matter how he looked at it, getting dumped seemed like the only logical outcome.

But how could he let go of someone he liked who just so happened to inexplicably like him back?

So why was he so easily swayed by Diamond and Fifth Brother? One major reason—he wanted to become someone worthy of Birdy.

For the first time, Fang Zheng stopped wallowing in self-pity and seriously considered making changes.

“Fell asleep?” Birdy ventured the most likely guess after the prolonged silence.

The commander thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly: “Yep.”

Deputy commander: “Had a dream?”

Commander: “Yep.”

Deputy commander: “What about?”

Commander: “You.”

The deputy commander stopped asking.

The overwhelming bashfulness didn’t hinder the deputy commander’s gameplay. In the Golden Monkey Reserve, the three-man squad was grinding mobs enthusiastically.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Dude, you’ve gotten so much better! We’ve been grinding for so long, and my HP hasn’t dropped at all!

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Not bad. Mostly because I used to suck.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: No, even Your Uncle’s way better than before. Your training really worked! Was it Audition Online or O2Jam? I should practice too!

[Party] Polly: Your APM and awareness aren’t the issue.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Deputy, I’m not that perfect… [shy]

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: You’re nowhere near perfect, thanks. Your problem is lack of focus. And it’s a big problem!

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: …That bad?

[Party] Polly: Even Your Sister noticed.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Fine.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But it’s not entirely my fault. The game devs are the ones with issues. I can tolerate them scattering materials and herbs in open-world maps, but even in dungeons? That’s just asking players to get distracted and gather stuff >_<

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Only you would stop mid-dungeon to gather materials!

438 pouted and was about to type a rebuttal when he suddenly noticed a Fire Sprite pet that didn’t belong to him appearing beside his Demon Refiner. He zoomed in with his mouse, but before he could get a clear look, the pet unleashed a powerful skill that wiped out a third of his HP!

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Assassins!

Your Sister voiced his inner monologue, typing without missing a beat as she healed 438. After topping up his HP, she quickly put a safe distance of over ten meters between herself and the frontline.

APM was a gift. Both were ranged players, but while 438 stood there marveling and frantically summoning his own pet, Birdy was already locked in combat with the enemy by the time 110 appeared on the screen.

There were four ambushers, all sporting the same legion tag—Burn Books and Bury Scholars.

Of course, the name could also be interpreted more plainly—Die, academia.

In the current Huaxia Summit, legions were sprouting like mushrooms after rain, and leveling zones were battlegrounds of chaos—stealing mobs, sniping bosses, and ganking were all par for the course. These four had likely been leveling as a group when they spotted Birdy’s trio and decided to take advantage.

Though Birdy’s frequency of ganking others had dropped drastically since joining the Ghost Server, it hadn’t changed his traditional philosophy—I gank, therefore I’m happy. Thus, he fully understood Burn Books and Bury Scholars’ approach and was more than happy to oblige.

The enemy team consisted of two melee fighters, one ranged DPS, and one healer. The healer, like Your Sister, stood at a distance, but the two melee fighters charged straight at her! Cutting off the healer was like pulling the rug from under the enemy’s feet—it was the foundation of any team. So Birdy did his best to block their path to Your Sister. Fighting two-on-one, Birdy wasn’t exactly winning, but he was faring better than 438, who had just summoned 110 when a Cactusfication turned him into a swaying cactus. The enemy then deftly dodged 110 and made quick work of the helpless plant, draining his HP in seconds.

Two against four—even if Birdy was a pro gamer and Your Sister had improved, they were still hopelessly outnumbered. Eventually, Your Sister fell too. Birdy initially tried to flee but was hit with Sleep before he could escape, reuniting with his comrades at the respawn point.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Commander! I memorized their names! I want revenge!!

[Party] Polly: Those who live by the sword die by the sword. It happens.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But I can’t just let it go TAT

[Party] Polly: Then hone your skills. The world’s small—we’ll cross paths again.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Deputy, you’re so chill [admiration]

[Party] Polly: Heh.

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Deputy, where’s that shiny necklace you always wear?

The deputy commander paused, quickly opening Little Zombie’s equipment slots to check.

The slot that once held the Sparkling Heavenly Lake Tear was empty.

……

Two minutes of silence later.

……

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, deputy, getting PK’d and losing gear is unlucky, sure, but it’s part of the game. Didn’t you say it yourself—those who live by the sword die by the sword.

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: And it’s just an accessory. If you’ve been wearing it since level 50-something, it’s probably low-level anyway. Perfect chance to upgrade.

[Party] Polly: What were their names?

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Huh?

[Party] Polly: 438, didn’t you say you memorized their names?

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: Right. Hell Emissary, Love Trade, Papaya Papaya, Toy Boy. I remember them all.

[Party] Polly: Let’s go. Back to the reserve to find them.

[Party] Drink Your Sister 3X: Now?

[Party] Polly: Yep.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: But you said the world’s small.

[Party] Polly: Too slow.

[Party] Refined Into a Demon 715: And once we find them?

[Party] Polly: The weather’s cold. Let’s kill them all……

While the deputy commander embarked on his killing spree, the commander was staring blankly at the bank card he’d just dug out.

His mother had forced this card into his hands two years ago when he’d gone home for New Year’s, only to be kicked out after an argument. Her parting words were, “You’re still a living being, after all. Don’t actually freeze to death on the streets.”

When his mom wanted to roast someone, she could make them want to leave Earth and immigrate to Mars. So Fang Zheng had defiantly tossed the card back, saying, “Don’t worry, your son won’t starve.” Only after checking into a motel did he realize she’d slipped it back into his belongings—a feat of sleight of hand he still couldn’t figure out.

Four years since coming out, two visits home—one lasting two days, the other half a day. His parents were angry, but more than that, they were disappointed, looking at him like he was a failed project. No matter how thick-skinned Fang Zheng was, it hurt. They were his flesh and blood, after all. So even though his career was going nowhere, he’d managed to support himself, never touching the money in that card.

As if that somehow meant he wasn’t a complete failure.