Deng Libuduo Turns Dark

[Deng Libuduo] posted the incomplete poems Lin Bai had written. His literary skills were limited; on his own, he would never be able to complete the fill-in-the-blanks Lin Bai had given him.

If he wanted answers quickly, he could only rely on the all-powerful netizens.

Lin Bai had caused too much of a stir. All [Deng Libuduo] could do was seize the initiative during the closed beta, before everyone else caught on.

With so many people camping out on the game forum, the moment [Deng Libuduo] posted, a crowd swarmed in:

"First."

"If life were only as when we first met—what a beautiful line. Borrowing that."

"I prefer 'hard it is to meet, and hard to part...'"

"OP, post the whole poem when you copy it, or may your whole family have no wee-wees."

"You blind? OP already said the poems came from the Heavenly Fragment Collection. They were incomplete to begin with."

"If these poems were written by intelligent AI, I suspect the Game Company developed this game to rule the world. You ignorant humans are simply helping the Game Company complete its final tests. For the sake of all humanity, I request that the government immediately investigate the Game Company and destroy every destabilizing factor..."

"Idiot detected above. Diagnosis confirmed."

"'If the love between two hearts' what? Can the game writers please reveal the answer? Releasing verses like this is pure torture for a literature lover like me."

"If the love between two hearts is a sordid fling, there's bound to be some ooh-ooh, ah-ah."

"Get lost, you. This is obviously part of the game's plot. The writers won't reveal the answers."

"Where are the literary giants? The classical literature experts? The modern poets? Come finish these poems! Intelligent AI has thrown down a cross-disciplinary challenge. Humanity must not lose."

After browsing the thread for a while, [Deng Libuduo] shook his head and closed it. Among all those replies, not one contained a serious answer. All the literary experts seemed to have vanished without a trace; none had even poked their heads out. Apparently, the NPC's poems really did have some merit.

[Deng Libuduo] was about to close the forum and return to the game for more fun when, just before he exited, a highlighted thread caught his eye.

"Devilishly catchy song echoes through another world: marketing guru pioneers a new way to play."

An ominous premonition rose in [Deng Libuduo]'s heart. Trembling, he clicked the thread.

Sure enough.

The first thing that popped up was a short video of him singing and dancing outside the Chef God Restaurant.

In the video.

The name above his head was clearly visible.

The expert who posted it had even thoughtfully added musical accompaniment to the song.

And then.

The devilishly catchy song became even more addictive.

The instant he saw the thread, [Deng Libuduo]'s head buzzed and his heart missed half a beat. His face darkened. "Fuck!"

Although the short video showed his game character, with a game this popular, he would probably earn himself a spot in its hall of fame.

Just thinking about what might happen when he met other players in the game from now on.

Made [Deng Libuduo] want to delete his character.

It was too embarrassing!

He continued reading.

Unexpectedly, the post was praising him:

"Is fighting and killing the only fun to be had in Immortal World?

Are lifestyle players limited to growing flowers, tending plants, and fishing?

No.

You can also do business in the Game World.

While most people are still scraping together the copper coins needed to change classes, the great Deng Libuduo has already pioneered a new way to play. Using modern marketing methods to rake in NPC money, he mobilized an entire city's resources as soon as the game began, starting right at the pinnacle of life.

The facts prove that, with enough guts and flashy moves, you can skip the beginner phase right from the start..."

"All hail the master."

"+1."

"You're fucking awesome!"

"I'm hooked. The great Deng Libuduo is a songwriting genius. My head's filled with the melody of 'you love me, I love you, the Chef God Restaurant welcomes you.'"

"Stop it. I'm already singing along."

"A broken sign, uneven couplets, and a devilishly catchy earworm. This marketing campaign could rake in a fortune in real life, but the master used it to play a game. The rich really do whatever they please."

"I'm from @#R Advertising. Great Deng Libuduo, please DM me. Email:

￥@qq.c... Our company guarantees you an annual salary of one million."

"I can't wait to enter the game. On my knees begging for the open beta."

"Great Deng Libuduo, wait for me. Once I've saved enough money, I'll come find you in Jiamao City..."

"I'm going to play games and write novels in the Game World, then publish them in the Real World. My readers will never have to worry about missed updates again!"

"Dream bigger, guy above. I'd open a tutoring center in the Game World so my students could study while they sleep. Guaranteed admission to top universities for every one of them."

"I'm going into the Game World to harness the NPCs' brains and conquer the Nobel Prize."

"I'm really doomed this time!"

As he browsed the thread, [Deng Libuduo]'s mouth went dry and his breathing quickened. His embarrassment knew no bounds.

He hadn't expected his wild boasts to get exposed too.

Who was such a damned busybody?

In any other game, this would have been no big deal.

But in this game, each NPC was smarter than the last. How could someone as shrewd as Lin Bai let another person steal his credit?

He wanted to explain things on the forum, but [Deng Libuduo] couldn't bear to do it. Reading those worshipful replies, he felt embarrassed, yet secretly delighted. It was a feeling he had never experienced before...

But [Deng Libuduo] knew even better that once players discovered he had claimed an NPC's ideas as his own, his future notoriety would match his current popularity...

Should he delete his character or not?

If he didn't, he would face the embarrassment of potential social death at any moment—a player stealing an NPC's glory...

Deleting his character meant rebuilding the relationship he had worked so hard to establish with Lin Bai. Who knew whether Lin Bai would still accept him as an apprentice with a different face?

This was a super NPC!

Once he passed this village, there would be no other shop like it.

"What possessed me? Why did I have to steal an NPC's credit?" [Deng Libuduo] finally sighed. "I'll take a gamble! The Chef God Restaurant's marketing methods are entirely modern. Lin Bai is an ancient-world guy. Even if he speaks up, people might not believe him. Surely nobody's so bored their balls ache that they'd go believing an NPC!"

In the end, wishful thinking won out.

Not just because Lin Bai was such a powerful backer to cling to.

But also because he couldn't bear to abandon [Deng Libuduo], an account rising to gaming stardom.

He had played plenty of games. Naturally, he knew how much real-world profit he could earn by making a name for himself in a game destined to become a sensation...

Still.

Thinking of Lin Bai's many peculiar ideas and unpredictable actions.

[Deng Libuduo] felt it wasn't safe enough.

After all,

Among all the NPCs, Lin Bai shone like a bright moon. He couldn't guarantee that Lin Bai would interact with him alone, and players were capable of asking absolutely anything.

Suddenly.

A flash of inspiration crossed [Deng Libuduo]'s mind. "Wait, there is a way to solve this. For realism's sake, NPCs only get one life. If I kill an NPC in the game, nobody should investigate why. Strictly speaking, Lin Bai isn't much of a good guy either. Killing him would count as ridding the people of a menace."

Once the idea emerged in [Deng Libuduo]'s mind, he could no longer shake it.

Kill Lin Bai.

That was the only way to keep his reputation without deleting his character.

"Damn this realism. It almost made me forget this is just a game. Who hasn't killed someone in a game? Why feel so guilty? I've really lost my mind. There are evil-path players in the game too. Don't they kill people?

Killing someone is bound to happen sooner or later. Think of the shooters I've played, think of those strategy games. Even that plumber has lost so many lives, one after another! Why agonize so much over a game character? I didn't feel this guilty when I betrayed Blacksmith..."

[Deng Libuduo] used every sort of excuse to persuade himself. Finally, he relaxed completely and murmured, "If we can get along happily, we'll get along happily. If there's a risk of the truth leaking, I'll kill my own master. Worst case, I'll take the evil path. However shrewd Lin Bai is, he won't be on guard against his own apprentice, will he? But first, I need to wring all his skills out of him."

Having made up his mind, [Deng Libuduo] logged back in. He jogged all the way to the Chef God Restaurant and greeted Lin Bai enthusiastically from a distance. "Master, I'm back."

After all the time he had spent on the forum, it was now completely dark.

[Resentment from Deng Libuduo; +1+1+1+1...]

While [Deng Libuduo] was still far away, a string of notifications appeared in Lin Bai's mind. He looked curiously at [Deng Libuduo] as he ran over.

What the hell?

He logged out once and came back hating me!

What set this guy off?