“Live streaming?”
Lin Zhaoyang was slightly puzzled. The phone he used previously was a hand-me-down from Su Xiaonan, so please forgive him for genuinely having no idea what this was.
His brief student life certainly never taught him about such things; school only taught textbook knowledge, and real-world matters were things you usually only figured out once you stepped out into society.
“It means broadcasting what you’re doing in real time. As long as you stream for a full hour, you get 100 points. You can even leave the stream running while you sleep.”
If he could get viewers to send tips, earning points would be even easier, but without any talent performances, that was probably a bit difficult, which was why 999 had not brought it up.
No expectations meant no disappointment; besides, getting a guaranteed hundred points every day wasn’t bad at all.
“That’s awesome.”
“Wait, what’s the broadcast range roughly?”
Lin Zhaoyang suddenly thought of something and asked.
[On the small side, it can just frame your face; on the large side, it can capture your entire island. It depends on what you prefer. Our streaming equipment is very flexible.]
“Emmm, let’s stream when the weather gets better.”
Staring straight into the camera for an hour would be both boring and awkward. As for pointing it at the small wooden cabin…
Lin Zhaoyang knew his small wooden cabin was far too messy. He would rather go outside to stream when the weather cleared up, or tidy up the cabin tomorrow before starting one.
As for today, he still wanted to play that duo exploration game. After being all by himself for so long, it was finally time to meet someone other than himself. He was just going to slack off for the entire day as a reward for himself. (＞＜)
[Alright, you decide.]
The little avatar that 999 had turned into nodded with satisfaction, then sat cross-legged right on top of Lin Zhaoyang’s head.
Lin Zhaoyang opened the shop to buy his lunch for the day.
Aside from being able to do a duo exploration today, that backpack also allowed him to get some new things. Today was turning out to be a great day all around.
“The food I buy right now can be stored directly into the backpack, right? It won’t just randomly find a place to put it outside like before?”
Lin Zhaoyang confirmed it anxiously, as he didn’t want to buy a huge pile of food only to find that it had passed its expiration date, turning unpalatably bland or completely spoiled.
[Mm-hmm, the things you purchase will automatically go into your backpack and will stay in their best condition. Don’t worry.]
“That’s great. There’s a discounted fried chicken leg on sale here.”
Even though it still cost 10 points after a 50% discount, Lin Zhaoyang still felt it was quite expensive. However, today was his first day out of prison, so he wanted to treat himself.
The food in the shop didn’t just let you inspect its appearance in 360 degrees; you could even smell it.
Lin Zhaoyang had never eaten fried food before, and he would often repeatedly check out things in the shop that he couldn’t eat or had never tasted before.
He only knew about these things because he looked at those unlocked fried foods every single day.
He usually didn’t buy them; he would just occasionally open the chicken leg page, look at the golden, crispy chicken leg, smell its aroma, and then close the panel.
Lin Zhaoyang wasn’t a vegetarian; he just thought that meat was too expensive and couldn’t bear to spend points on it. Since it happened to be on sale today, he decided to buy one chicken leg for himself.
[Yep, there are random discounted items every day, with random quantities. Fifty percent off is already the lowest discount. I wouldn’t really recommend waiting for a 90% discount because that kind of thing doesn’t exist.]
999 had brought many hosts along in the past and had seen all sorts of people. There were often those who kept expecting the shop to give them a 90% discount.
“Alright, I get it.”
“QwQ, this chicken leg has been tempting me for ages, but it’s really so expensive. This is the first time I’ve seen it go on sale.”
Whenever Lin Zhaoyang bought things, he would check whether the discounted items were worth it. Even with a 50% discount, he still felt most things were expensive.
Today, his mood was genuinely good, so he also bought a can of cola for 3 points to go with it, a happy bottle of fat-water, though it didn’t relieve his thirst stat.
The reason this kind of beverage was cheaper than mineral water was that, aside from satisfying one’s cravings, it served zero purpose.
The game was like a constant reminder for players to drink more water; packaged drinks like this couldn’t quench your thirst. Once you finished the drink, you still had to drink water.
“Crunch.”
Sticking his upper body out of the window, Lin Zhaoyang looked at the continuous rainfall while crunching down on the chicken leg and taking a sip of cola.
This strange eating posture was mainly to avoid dropping crumbs inside the small wooden cabin. This floor wasn’t just any floor; it was better to keep it clean.
“Though it’s a bit pricey, it really is delicious.”
[Are you just eating a chicken leg? Do you want to drink some milk as well?]
“I already drank cola, and I’ll have to drink mineral water later. I really can’t fit any milk right now. I’ll drink it tonight.”
Lin Zhaoyang honestly felt like the food section of this game shop was run by 999. Every time, he recommended this and that to eat, and his top recommendation was always milk.
“Alright, I’m going to go back to playing duo exploration.”
[Stay safe and come back early.]
999 waved at Lin Zhaoyang and pulled a tub of ice cream out of his system space to eat.
999’s own life was relatively colorful and he lacked nothing; he just happened to be assigned to guide a host.
He could blink his eyes and help Lin Zhaoyang pay those hundred thousand plus points simply because he had saved up quite a lot.
Lin Zhaoyang was already the last host he would ever guide. In human terms, once he finished this task, he could retire, and that amount of money was nothing much to him.
Washing his hands with rainwater, Lin Zhaoyang prepared to continue his exploration journey. He had only cleared a beginner instance so far, and he hoped the second person he encountered would also be easy to talk to.
After entering the teleportation array, besides Silent Hill, there were also ten face-down cards. Right at the top, it read Level 20 and Below Duo Beginner Map. Judging by the appearance, it seemed to be drawn at random.
Lin Zhaoyang’s low stamina meant his level happened to match the number of days he’d been here, both at 11. With low level, low stamina, and having only cleared the beginner instance, the map reflected that.
(The drawn instance is Lucky Clover.)
Just like the weather cards, when this one flipped over, it also revealed a scene, a garden-like layout, but the plants were densely packed, endless fields of clover.
“So green.”
Lin Zhaoyang, who had clicked to start matching, couldn’t help muttering a word. With green filling his vision, it felt like his eyes had instantly become a bit brighter.
The scene before him shifted, and he suddenly appeared inside a room.
It was a room equipped with a scanning machine. Lin Zhaoyang and his unfamiliar teammate sat in chairs with a table separating them. On top of the table sat two transparent jars and a small booklet detailing the clearance conditions.
Lin Zhaoyang wanted to greet the other person, but that Silent Hill experience made him completely afraid to speak now, as he had no idea what the rules actually were. Instead, he just turned his head slightly to glance at his teammate.
“This instance is very simple. All you need to do later is find 10 four-leaf clovers out in the clover field, and once you find them, just hand them over to me. Both of us have to turn them in at the same time to clear the stage.”
Seeing Lin Zhaoyang look over, the other person greeted him with a smile and said those words.
“Then I’ll get going first.”
Lin Zhaoyang nodded blankly. The second player he encountered must be a good person too, very enthusiastic.
It was just that the person’s name was too bizarre, consisting of seven traditional Chinese characters strung together. Lin Zhaoyang honestly had no idea what he should call the other person for a moment, so he could only nod in a daze.