After Yimo returned to bed, he put the matter of the SIM card out of his mind for the time being.
Whether it was true or not, he might as well assume that the damn app had made it disappear. Surely no beautiful girl would suddenly break into his home and do something to him while he was sick and asleep, right?
No way! No way!
Yimo was absolutely certain that wouldn't happen!
He had always been utterly alone—a perennial single loser.
Although he had tens of millions of fans online, in the end, he was just selling a persona. It was impossible for him to truly open his heart to anyone.
He posted an update on kaki.
Mizuhoshi: I was suddenly attacked by creatures from another star system! I got hit pretty badly—fever, a cold, and severe pharyngitis. I might not be able to livestream for a while~
But Mizuhoshi fans, don't worry. I wasn't kidnapped!!!
Mizuhoshi will be back soon and continue fighting alongside everyone, hey!
He added several Mizuhoshi reaction images between the messages. After posting it, Yimo stopped paying attention to it.
Most people would naturally feel sorry for and worry about Mizuhoshi, while a small portion of antis would gloat and mock him.
Yimo actually had incredibly thick skin. After being flamed by Mizuhoshi's antis for years, he had basically reached the point where he could stare at their insults without changing expression or feeling the slightest ripple in his heart, like an old monk deep in meditation. He even felt like replying to tell them to keep trying and come up with some new lines.
That's it? I'm sick of seeing the same thing!
After closing kaki, Yimo opened QQ and glanced at his little sister's profile picture. As usual, it was gray, with no sign of activity, so he was about to close it.
But just then, his QQ—which had been invisible and undisturbed for years—suddenly received a message.
Ding ding ding ding—ding ding ding ding—
The animated profile picture showed an exquisite image of Mizuhoshi in a bikini swimsuit from the summer. The username was "I Will Always Love Mizuhoshi."
I Will Always Love Mizuhoshi: Shui-shui, how are you feeling? Are you still sick?
Is it serious? I'm so worried!
Where do you live? I'll have my driver bring you medicine and take a doctor to see you!
Oh, right, you can't ask someone where they live!
Oh, right, I was too busy the day before yesterday and missed the livestream, but I watched the replay twice and am watching it for the third time!
Shui-shui, you're so handsome and cute!
It's a shame I couldn't get you onto the rankings by donating first!
Oh, right, you're sick now. Is it serious?
I'm really worried about you!!!
.
This was the only fan Yimo had ever added to his personal QQ account.
When he had just debuted, he had still been somewhat foolish. The first time someone tipped him a hundred thousand, that person asked to add him on QQ. Yimo hadn't even created a secondary account and had simply added them directly.
For a while, they chatted every day. But later, Yimo found that he really wasn't good at chatting, so it gradually became the other person's one-sided harassment.
Even so, that person continued following him and would recklessly shower him with donations during most of his livestreams.
They had already spent more than ten million yuan on him. It was simply terrifying.
Yimo assumed the other person was a wealthy businessman around retirement age, probably with a beer belly. They might even be bald. Otherwise, how could they have so much spare money to donate to a virtual streamer?
Besides, it was obvious that the other person's QQ was a secondary account.
Yimo thought for a moment, then replied.
Empty: I'm almost better, so don't worry. I'm going to rest now~
After sending it, he stopped looking at the other person's reply.
It wasn't that Yimo was too cold-hearted. The more the other person cared about him, the more indebted he felt. It was better to say less. Even so, he had never expected the other person to persist for four years.
The two of them had both grown accustomed to communicating this way.
After closing QQ, he began studying the "Become an Idol" app.
He opened the "Me" page. His original 349 points had now become 199.
Just as Qin Muse had said, 50 points were indeed deducted every day.
Yimo rubbed his brow. Although it was summer, he still felt a little cold. He poured himself a cup of boiled water, then wrapped himself in his blanket and continued studying.
The first thing he did was check the shop. There was no option to spend real money on purchases. Instead, every item could be exchanged for points.
The clearest way to grasp the value of the points was that one point could be exchanged for 200 yuan.
From toys and accessories to planes, tanks, and ships, everything could be exchanged. The points required were basically proportional to the price.
Of course, being able to buy those things wasn't anything special. What mattered was that the shop also offered items that couldn't be bought in reality, such as guns, grenades, and limited-edition collectible figures that had gone out of print years ago. It had everything!
Yimo's eyes practically blurred from looking at it all.
However, the shop was still different from the one he had seen upon entering the game. The items here were clearly more expensive.
The difference was that those purchases were one-time use only and could only be used in the game at that moment. If they couldn't be used in the game, the points would not be refunded.
As for the things Yiluo had read about in novels, such as bloodlines, various physical enhancements, futuristic weapons, and magical equipment, there were no such products.
The in-game shop seemed to have them, but he hadn't looked carefully at the time. Now that he was in the real world and browsing on his phone, they weren't available.
The more Yimo looked through the items, the more he felt that this damn app was hateful.
The daily deduction of 50 points was equivalent to losing ten thousand yuan every day, wasn't it?
He had plenty of savings, so he didn't care. But for those who had lost their lives inside, it was far too exploitative. It made human life seem worthless.
That wasn't even the worst part. According to Qin Muse, once the points ran out, one would be forced to enter the game. That was the real trap!
It was practically forcing everyone to participate in this absurd game!
"But... there's no way... to leave..."
Yimo frowned slightly and muttered.
He searched, but there was no customer service, feedback window, or anything else that could answer questions. In the end, he looked at his girlfriend group again.
"A girlfriend group? Isn't one crazy woman enough?"
Yimo looked at her final message.
He wasn't afraid of her coming to find him. After all, he had encountered plenty of crazy fans over the years, and none of them had ever actually come to his door.
But the thought of entering the game alongside her was somewhat frightening!
If she targeted him from the very beginning and grabbed him like a little chick, then with his physical condition, he really wouldn't be her match.
Yimo was already feeling rather miserable from his cold, fever, and pharyngitis. He simply thought,
"I have to participate anyway. Whether I die sooner or later, I'll still die! I might as well start a game on my own!"
Once Yimo had made up his mind, he acted immediately and returned to the game-category page.
After thinking it over, the category most suitable for him was indeed romance games. The risks should be somewhat lower, so he selected the romance-game category.
'Your level is insufficient.'
Yimo's face darkened. At the very least, couldn't it tell him what level he needed to select it?
Left with no choice, he selected the mystery-and-deduction category.
'Your level is insufficient.'
The music category!
'Your level is insufficient.'
Finally, after selecting every category, Yimo clenched his fists so tightly that he nearly fainted from anger.
There wasn't a single game category for which his level was high enough!
"Come on, hurry up and destroy everything!"
After changing into sweatpants, a short-sleeved shirt, and sneakers, Yimo said this expressionlessly and finally pressed the random-match button. The system at last responded.
'Current points remaining: 199.'
'Automatically matching a game.'
'Game type: Random.'
'Matching game... Countdown: 10, 9, 8...'
'...'
'Game matched successfully. We wish you an enjoyable game and success in staying alive.'
Before you continue