Chapter 9

Pei Ran had never hired a gaming companion, but his roommate had.

His roommate had hired a female companion with a sweet voice who kept calling him "big brother." Pei Ran had heard every word through the external speakers.

The female companion seemed to play only support. Throughout the entire match, she followed his roommate around, constantly saying, "Save me, big brother," "Don't die, big brother," and "You're amazing, big brother." The words "big brother" had circled in Pei Ran's head all night.

Just as he thought of this, Yan Zhun vaulted through the window beside him. A clunk followed, and a gun and two first aid kits appeared on the ground.

"Pick them up."

Pei Ran asked, "Then what will you use?"

"Yours. Just give me any gun."

Then Yan Zhun took the Vector submachine gun Pei Ran had just dropped and vaulted back out the window.

Yan Zhun had taken Pei Ran to an outlying loot spot. He was on his high-ranked main account, and the teammates they matched with were skilled. They had been clamoring to drop at the shipping containers and fight ever since the waiting lobby.

Yan Zhun remained unmoved. Only when the plane was nearing the end of its route did he leisurely mark a spot on the map and say, "Jump."

With their team split up, their teammates died within minutes of landing. People generally weren't in the best frame of mind at night. Neither of these two left after dying; instead, they stayed in team voice chat making snide comments.

"I'm on my main account, right? Why am I still getting people who won't even drop with their teammates?"

"Kings of the boonies. They'll hide till the end, steal a kill, and get a Chicken Dinner."

"So annoying. Bro, want to team up next round?"

"Sure. I'll leave once I see these two turn into loot crates."

Things went much as they expected. Their teammates really were kings of the boonies, and they really did hide their way into the second-to-last circle with zero kills.

But it wasn't quite the same.

Because their teammate with the ID "111GOD" turned into a goddamn war god in the second-to-last circle, slaughtering everyone with a Vector. First, he flanked a full squad and wiped them out cleanly, then precisely finished off a nearby lone player with a grenade.

Uncultured as they were, once the grenade kill popped up, all their random teammates could say was, "Holy shit."

"Bro, bro, this guy's got an M416 in his crate. Swap out your Vector." Their teammate sounded much friendlier now.

Pei Ran carefully crawled forward and opened the enemy's crate. There really was an M4 inside, fully kitted out at that. "Want to switch guns?"

"No," Yan Zhun said. "I'm sticking with the Vector."

Teammate number one said, "Right. That's how the pros play."

Teammate number two said, "You're right. Go get them, bro."

The circle favored them this round, so getting a Chicken Dinner wasn't difficult. When only one enemy remained, the two teammates asked Yan Zhun if he wanted to play together.

Yan Zhun said, "Ask number three."

Pei Ran glanced at the bottom left corner... He was indeed number three.

"You two queued together?" their teammate asked. "Number three, want to team up?"

Pei Ran said, "No, thanks."

After killing the last player, Yan Zhun stayed on the Chicken Dinner screen for a moment, lowering his eyes as he picked up the cigarette pack beside his keyboard.

"Number four is a paid gaming companion," Pei Ran continued. "If you want him to carry you, you'll have to pay."

Holding the cigarette pack, Yan Zhun couldn't help letting out a very quiet laugh.

Pei Ran's tone hadn't changed. He was quite seriously drumming up business for him. "On the XX app. It's not expensive. There's a grand opening special, but the price will go up if you wait. His name is..."

The teammates listened in a daze and said, "Okay," a few times.

As soon as Yan Zhun returned to the lobby, his phone screen lit up. He unlocked it and took a look. Someone had placed an order, probably one of their teammates just now.

He put the cigarettes back and declined the order.

Pei Ran returned after making a cup of coffee. He had added milk, and the color gradually lightened as he stirred.

"Did they place an order?"

Yan Zhun said regretfully, "No."

They entered another match. Before Pei Ran had even loaded into the map, an unfamiliar male voice came through his headphones-

"111, what a coincidence."

"You guys don't know 111? He's the guy who shot up the Asia server rankings a while back."

"111, you there? Remember me? We're on each other's friends lists."

Yan Zhun glanced at his ID, xktv197. Judging by the name, he was probably a streamer.

But he had added too many streamers to remember exactly who this was.

Yan Zhun gave a hum of acknowledgment.

This 197 was clearly streaming, constantly interacting with his viewers. Once they were on the plane, 197 asked, "111, where are we dropping? I'll follow you."

The moment he finished speaking, a bright yellow marker appeared over a little outlying loot spot on the far right of the map.

197: "?"

197: "Did your hand slip?"

Yan Zhun said, "I'm queued with someone."

197 checked their teammates' IDs and understood. "Number three? Ranbaobei? Oh... playing with your girlfriend?"

Luo Qingshan had created Pei Ran's account for him and chosen the ID too, making it a matching couple ID with his own.

Pei Ran had also thought the ID was too feminine at first, but switching accounts was such a hassle that he had left it alone. Only now, hearing someone say it aloud, did he feel a little embarrassed.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me." Pei Ran turned on his mic. "Just play your own game."

Hearing a male voice, 197 froze for a moment before saying, "A beginner? Okay, we'll drop somewhere remote. This map's tiny anyway. We'll run into people soon enough."

Yan Zhun had selected random mode, and this round they were playing on the small Rainforest map.

Before long, Yan Zhun came over to him again with a fully kitted M4.

Pei Ran looked at the gun on the ground and said, "No need. There are plenty of guns on this map. I've got an M4 too."

Yan Zhun said nothing. He stood there for ages without leaving, and the gun stayed on the ground.

In the end, Pei Ran crouched down and dropped his own attachment-free M4. Yan Zhun swiftly picked it up, opened the door, and left.

Pei Ran: "..."

197 saw the whole thing and teased, "111, what are you doing? Does Ran Baby's gun give you a buff?"

Yan Zhun hummed. "Using my boss's gun doubles my fighting power."

Understanding dawned on 197. "You've gotten into the paid companion business too?"

Yan Zhun said, "More or less."

197 was right. This little map was crawling with people. They had only finished looting two small outlying areas when gunfire sounded nearby.

"East," 197 said, glancing at the map. "Holy shit, 111, where are you going?"

Pei Ran glanced at the person following right behind him. "...We're coming over now."

By the time they arrived, their teammates had already engaged the group. It was four against two, and their teammates had taken quite a beating. Their other random teammate had already become a loot crate, while 197, with a sliver of health left, hid behind a rock, repeatedly crouching and standing as he healed, panicking like mad.

Out of the corner of his eye, Pei Ran spotted an enemy aiming at someone with his back to him. He instinctively fired. Fortunately, his aim held steady, and he successfully knocked the enemy down.

Pei Ran rarely got kills in this game. Even one kill in a match was a lot for him. Only when the enemy fell did he realize how fast his heart was beating.

"Great job." Yan Zhun's voice mingled with the gunfire.

As if a teacher had praised him in elementary school, Pei Ran's cheeks inexplicably began to warm. He reloaded behind a tree.

197 used a first aid kit and quickly called out the enemies' positions. Yan Zhun took some painkillers. "I'll throw grenades. Flank from the left. I'll take the front."

The two charged in with their guns. Yan Zhun downed two people with two bursts, while 197 successfully picked off another over on his side.

"They're all dead. Mine died outright. We can loot now." 197 lay prone in the grass. "Nice work, bro."

Yan Zhun said nothing. A muffled, suppressed sniper shot came from the distance. He moved right and scoped in for a look.

But before he could find anyone, several shots rang out behind him.

197: "Fuck! Someone's flanking us! Fuck, another squad..."

Before he finished speaking, two notifications popped up in the top right. Both 197 and Pei Ran had been knocked down.

Yan Zhun reacted extremely quickly, turning and immediately scoping in to spray down an enemy. Before falling, the enemy shot him twice, instantly turning Yan Zhun's health bar pink.

Yan Zhun had excellent positioning. 197's heart was in his throat. "One more. Don't rush, don't rush. Heal first. Looks like he's gone to finish Ran Baby..."

Before he finished, Yan Zhun canceled his healing animation and charged forward with his gun.

197: "???"

Pei Ran had barely formed the word "Don't" when Yan Zhun charged into his field of view.

During the few seconds Yan Zhun traded shots with the enemy, Pei Ran felt as though his chest would explode.

When Yan Zhun secured the kill with a sliver of health left, Pei Ran let out a heavy breath and couldn't help leaning back. Only after releasing the mouse did he realize his palm was covered in sweat.

...That was too intense.

"Holy fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Bro, other people play games. You play with heart attacks." 197 crawled laboriously over to Yan Zhun. He had taken another two shots after being knocked down, and his health bar was nearly empty now. "Bro, revive me, quick."

The moment he finished speaking, 197 watched helplessly as Yan Zhun left him and headed straight behind the slope toward Ran Baby, who still had more than half his health left.

"Got meds?" Yan Zhun asked.

Pei Ran came back to his senses. "Yes."

"Good. Go loot. They're all up there."

197 wailed, "It's over, it's over, it's over. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead..."

Fortunately, Yan Zhun wasn't completely heartless. When 197 had only one last sliver of red health left, he began reviving him.

"Bro, you scared me to death." 197 sounded aggrieved. "I crawled right up beside you and you didn't revive me. What were you thinking, bro?"

Yan Zhun said, "About my boss."

Pei Ran: "..."

197: "Your boss still had more than half his health!"

"That guy still has teammates. What if they finished him off?" Yan Zhun loaded his 98K. "If you died, I could still try to carry you to a Chicken Dinner."

197: "?"

"If he died, I'd have to blow myself up with a grenade."

197 fell silent for a moment. "Fine... People who know would call you a top-tier gaming companion. People who don't would think you two were gay for each other."

Yan Zhun watched the person ahead come to an abrupt halt.

A few seconds later, ranbaobei continued running forward, and the microphone beside his ID flickered. "Yes, a gaming companion this good only costs twenty yuan an hour. On the XX platform..."

Yan Zhun laughed despite himself and couldn't stop himself from clicking his mouse. His running character swung a heavy punch at empty air.

The two played until four in the morning.

Pei Ran was so absorbed that he hadn't noticed the time at all. Only when Yan Zhun suggested taking a break did he realize how late it was.

Pei Ran had just lain down in bed when his phone chimed.

[Yan Zhun: Was my service good?]

[Pei Ran: Very good]

Feeling that sounded perfunctory, Pei Ran added another line.

[Pei Ran: Really]

[Yan Zhun: Yeah, it's my first time doing this. No experience]

[Pei Ran: Have you gotten any new orders?]

When Pei Ran's message arrived, Yan Zhun had just opened the gaming companion app's dashboard.

Over the course of the night, he had received more than forty orders.

Remembering Pei Ran's earnest tone while advertising for him, Yan Zhun covered his face with a hand and couldn't help laughing.

[Yan Zhun: No. I don't seem to be very popular]

Holding his phone, Pei Ran thought for a while before awkwardly typing, "Keep it up."

Before he could send it, another message arrived.

[Yan Zhun: You really think I played well?]

[Pei Ran: Really.]

[Yan Zhun: Then want to book me for a little longer?]

Pei Ran paused.

[Yan Zhun: Grand opening special. Book a little more, and I'm yours for the whole break]

[Yan Zhun: Okay?]

[Yan Zhun: Boss Pei]