Chapter 516: Old Buddy, Give Six (Extra Update for the Clan Leader Shuaiyan)

Urban Novel

The dense forest was serene, its trees flourishing.

A giant mantis walked among the trees, shouldering a tall, anthropomorphic tree. This was an agent of the Deva Path, an insider and spy within the Beast Path, working for the Devas and barely surviving. It shrugged its shoulders. "This tree has clearly developed sentience," it thought, "and it's actually trembling?"

Its expression turned strange.

"It even vaguely resembled the aura of the Asura Path, as described by the Devas. But Asuras are said to live in groups, and this one was alone. Furthermore, they are an extremely fierce warrior race, yet this one was trembling. Another point: the tree people of the Asura Path are long-legged treants that can run, while this one was a traditional, very docile tree spirit..."

As it carried the tree along the path back, it mused, "The three conditions are completely inconsistent. I was overthinking it."

Meanwhile, carried on its back, Bai Xiaojun began his first-ever live stream.

Immediately, many viewers successively poured into the live stream, curiously observing everything.

"Is this a tropical rainforest environment from the Gourmet World?"

"The scenery looks nice, verdant and serene."

"I recognize quite a few species here; they were all evolved by previous players. I can't believe they've spread across the entire world—is the whole world our progeny?"

"The mantis carrying you looks like an intelligent life form! They're not taking it back to burn as firewood, are they?"

Some bystanders were frantically spamming comments, and Bai Xiaojun was exasperated. 'These guys are gloating over my misfortune!' he thought. 'Can't they see I'm about to die?' He couldn't help but feel angry. 'I haven't even faced my own doom yet, and it's your turn to celebrate?'

Lying on the mantis's back, he typed a reply:

"Guys, hit '6'! If you don't send donations, I'm ending the stream—it costs money to run!"

Everyone's faces instantly fell.

"Cute Naughty Kid donated a rocket!"

"Foot-picking Nuan Nuan donated a plane!"

Donations poured into the live stream, quickly propelling it to the top of the popularity charts, making it stand out from other novice streams. Other onlookers immediately flocked in; after all, heavy donations usually signaled something worth watching.

"What's happening here?"

"That's a huge mantis, so gross, it's too realistic."

"Wow, an intelligent species! Is this mantis speaking the game's language? I can't understand it; I guess I'll have to learn it. This game is too hardcore."

Comments on the bullet screen constantly refreshed.

Countless players debated. Other players were battling wild beasts in survival games, but how could that compare to this? In a traditional online game, this was clearly an encounter with a hidden quest!

Even though it looked like he was about to meet his end.

"Everyone, remember to tip," Bai Xiaojun murmured weakly from the mantis's back as they steadily moved on. He was carried to a wide grassy plain with a large wooden house in the center.

Inside the wooden house's main hall, several strange animals were surprisingly tied up: a large black horse with horns, a grimy, dark flower resembling a muddy blob, a large black fish like a loach, and an even more advanced tree spirit...

Next, Bai Xiaojun was also tied up like the other animals and thrown onto the ground.

The comments on the bullet screen started to flood again.

"What's this for? Caught so many—are they preparing a meal?"

"Except for that tree, remember to add more cumin."

The live stream viewers held their breath. They were going to be cooked!

To their surprise, it wasn't. The black mantis picked up the black horned horse, grabbed a special golden arrow, and opened an inner door, taking the horse inside. Soon after, strange sounds emanated from within.

Viewers blushed, their imaginations running wild.

Bai Xiaojun: ???

His mind went blank.

Wh-What was happening?

He couldn't help but quietly type a message to the live chat:

"Guys, we can see this animal being taken inside by the giant mantis. Perhaps there's some strange creature in that room performing an evil ritual, making terrible screams."

The live chat immediately erupted in disagreement.

"Evil ritual?"

"Why do I feel like something's off?"

"Don't try to fool me about those sounds; they clearly sound like..."

"Spring has arrived, and it's time for animals to... though you're a plant."

Bai Xiaojun also felt something was off, and his whole body began to tremble rapidly. He quickly retorted, "No way? There are both male and female animals here! For example, I'm a male tree."

Everyone scoffed.

"Trees have genders?"

"They can be male or female, or both!"

Next, they heard the sounds from inside begin to weaken. The bizarre mantis NPC then expertly picked up the next grimy, dark flower, carrying that 'light arrow' as it led it inside. Once again, strange sounds emerged.

"This..."

"Oh my goodness, what kind of perverted monster is in there?"

Bai Xiaojun was suddenly terrified, his skin crawling with goosebumps, and he felt utterly disgusted. He hadn't initially considered it that way, but with the live chat's frantic comments, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. 'This can't seriously be... Is it my turn next?' A powerful, immense, sinister chill surged up his spine. As he watched the animals being taken inside one by one, his heart grew increasingly uneasy.

Bai Xiaojun posted a comment: "Wuwuwu, brothers, help me think of something! It's going to be my turn soon!!"

The live chat was also dumbfounded.

"Is it this exciting on the very first day?! Such an explosive NPC encounter? This game is way too realistic!"

"Hahahaha! I can't stop, my stomach hurts from laughing! Brother, you've encountered an adventure quest. Although it's very difficult, the reward should be very generous!"

"Lol, congratulations, brother, you've unlocked a life achievement! You'll probably be 'pregnant' soon! Marrying an NPC in the game and having a baby with heaven-defying Level 1 talent, born with four skills and 'blood tank' aptitude—you'll instantly get rich!"

"If you're poor, can't you find happiness? If you're poor, can't you have a happy marriage?! I solemnly tell everyone, don't give up! Just three years ago, my girlfriend refused to marry me because the 300,000 dowry wasn't enough; she despised my poverty! But now, after a lot of hard work, I've still built a happy family—I'm already a mother of two!"

While Bai Xiaojun huddled in the corner, trembling, the large mantis took yet another creature inside.

Only Bai Xiaojun remained.

He, too, was utterly bewildered. 'Is there really such a monster?' he wondered. 'It's not picky about anything—plants, animals, anything goes, regardless of gender! This doesn't conform to natural laws!'

Swoosh!

A moment later, the large mantis emerged and grabbed the last one.

"It's my turn."

Bai Xiaojun's face contorted in despair.

He planned to end the live stream. This scene was unbearable to watch. Life was already so difficult; how could he let people watch this? He just couldn't do it.

Everyone was excited; they were just getting into it.

"No! My roommate wants to watch for ten more minutes before they die!"

"I have a friend who's very interested in this and says they're willing to send ten rockets!"

In an instant, rockets flooded the screen, completely filling it. The entire live stream was pinned to the top. Bai Xiaojun was dumbfounded, watching the overwhelming flood of gifts. He gritted his teeth and continued the broadcast.