This was the first time Hu Xiao had ever seen fake reviewers blend into ordinary comment sections this way-it was seamless.

  Hu Xiao had wanted to refund the game at first, but the intense argument online was confusing him once again. He was starting to get curious.

  The officials had obviously made the game so difficult on purpose.

  The tone of this Weibo post was clear; they were establishing the upper hand against players. Apart from sounding more tactful, the message was no different from the six-syllable mantra.

  But why?

  Were they offending players on purpose?

  That did not make sense!

  Why would a game merchant offend players on purpose? Wouldn’t they be more interested in earning money?

  More and more questions filled Hu Xiao’s head. He planned to research more on the game’s strategy. For all he knew, he would be able to find some clues.

  He accessed the game’s forum and browsed it quickly.

  The posts on the forum were similar to the comments section on the Weibo post and the game’s page-everyone seemed to be arguing.

  The fake reviewers had also added fuel to this fire, but Hu Xiao still could not tell fake reviewers from genuinely angry gamers.

  In the midst of these angry posts, Hu Xiao found a few posts about others’ experiences in the game.

  One of the more popular posts was titled ‘An Elite Action-Based Gamer Updates His Progress in the Game in Real-Time’.

  “In the beginning, I was miserably tortured by the game as well. However, after some observation, I realized that the game is not as difficult as people say it is. People have demonized its difficulty.

  “The monsters can kill people with only two blows, but you can easily get rid of those monsters with four or five attacks. You just have to be careful not to make any errors, and you would be able to progress in the game.

  “This game reminds me of extremely difficult platform games that I used to play when I was younger. For some reason, it ignites anger inside me, hahaha.

  “I want to curse and swear as well. Each time I die, the monsters would revive. I feel freaking helpless.”


  “…I’ve made it past a small setting.”


  “The elite monsters here have already killed me five or six times. I’m fighting to pass through them.”


  Many netizens commented on these posts.

  “Holy sh*t, brother! You’re an expert in action-based games!”


  “…I’m still fighting with the little beasts at the entrance, and yet you’ve progressed so

  far?”


  “Boss, you must remember to record your progress. Upload it on Aili Island, and we’ll all watch it!”


  “Can you live-stream on ZZ? I want to learn from you!”


  At that time, livestreams were still on the rise. Although there were livestream platforms and people were getting the hang of live-streaming techniques, investors had not yet caught on to the investment opportunity. Thus, most people instinctively recorded themselves playing games. Only a small portion of gamers would mention livestreaming

  The original poster obviously had not thought about livestreaming as well. He only uploaded two screenshots every now and then, with short captions to explain his own view and understanding of the game.

  Soon, people began uploading simple videos on Aili Island as well.

  Some were tortured by the monsters for a long time, and others defeated them on their first try. There were all sorts of videos of various styles being uploaded.

  Hu Xiao could not help but feel moved. This ‘monkey see, monkey do’ method is really unique.

  Hu Xiao watched several videos in which gamers displayed their skills. The monsters could not even touch them. Instead, they attacked the monsters’ back and dealt with them deftly.

  After watching these videos, Hu Xiao began questioning himself.

  Could I have been playing the game wrongly?

  Why don’t other players experience the same problems as I do?

  It looks like as long as I can grasp the technique, it wouldn’t be that difficult!

  With renewed confidence, Hu Xiao returned to the game. There was still a long time before the five hours would be up and he would not be able to refund the game. Hu Xiao felt safe.

  “Hehe.”


  “Hehe.”


  “Hehe.”


  An hour later, Hu Xiao fell silent in front of his computer once more.

  Indeed, it was an illusion.

  This game is not for humans to play!

  Hu Xiao was speechless. This time, he decided not to hesitate any further. He would refund the game and uninstall it!

  This wretched game was being sold for 128 yuan. It was ridiculous!

  I don’t want this game to remain on my computer for another minute! I’m going to spam the comments section with criticism!

  Hu Xiao was infuriated. He had been wrong from the beginning.

  Why did he have to test the game out? He had been torturing himself!

  Hu Xiao found it hard to calm himself down. He glanced at the time and realized that there was still a couple of hours before his five hours would be up. Unable to wait any longer, he rushed to the comments section to post his complaints and look for like-minded friends.

  The enraged Hu Xiao wrote a post of his own. “This game is rubbish! The officials mindlessly increased the monsters’ attack power. They’re grossing us out on purpose!

  “Refund the game as soon as you can. If you haven’t bought it, don’t bother. It’s a waste of your life. You would be spending money to be tortured!”


  Less than two minutes later, Hu Xiao refreshed his post and saw a new comment.

  “Hehe, another piece of trash who could not defeat the monsters.”


  “This game is really not for lousy players. The officials extended the refund allowance period to take care of old people like you.

  “You’re quitting after meeting such minor setbacks? You’re probably the kind of person who would have sold our country out during wars, right? Hehe.”


  After reading this, Hu Xiao felt even more furious!

  With a short temper like mine, how could I take this lying down?!

  Hu Xiao was used to battling with others online. How could he suffer in silence? He sucked in a deep breath and immediately began typing away on his keyboard, cursing and swearing

  In the end, the other party refused to give way as well. A heated argument ensued.

  They began talking about each other’s bodies and health and then moved the argument to each other’s loved ones. At last, they focused on each other’s lives and the source of humanity.

  As he argued, Hu Xiao suddenly realized that something was amiss.

  Why did this feel so familiar?

  Hu Xiao rarely met a worthy opponent. After all, most people had real jobs to do. Few people had as much time on their hands as Hu Xiao did and were able to spend that much time on a forum.

  Not only did this opponent have a wide vocabulary, but he was also very mystifying. Within a short time, he managed to type long, good-quality replies. Confused, Hu Xiao copied the link to his own post and pasted it into the group chat.

  “Are any of you looking at this post?”


  Soon, someone replied.

  Jaiedg_0 said, “Don’t worry, Brother Hu. I’m talking to this retarded poster. I can finish my assignment and disgust this lousy newbie. Hehe.”


  Hu Xiao was so angry that his hands were trembling. F*ck, it was my own brother!

  No wonder I found his typing so familiar.

  However, precisely because the man was a brother from his own chat, Hu Xiao could not do anything. After all, it was a misunderstanding. If he kicked the man out of the group, he might turn others away from him.

  He could only ban the man for 24 hours and deal with the hatred in his heart.

  Muddle-headed, he had argued with his own brother for so long. Hu Xiao looked at the time and recalled that he had not exited the game. That meant he only had two hours left before he had to refund it.

  “Forget it, forget it. I’ll refund the game.”


  Hu Xiao looked at the ‘refund’ button and fell silent once again.

  Should I really refund it?

  Am I really going to give up just like that? Am I admitting that I’m a lousy gamer?

  No, I must try again!

  Hu Xiao felt indignant. If he gave up now, wouldn’t he be admitting that he was an incompetent, raging lunatic?

  He had to at least deal with the little monsters at the mass grave, right?

  Once again, Hu Xiao entered the game.

  After dying so many times before, Hu Xiao finally learned a few lessons. He had to lure the monsters away one by one. He had to attack them blow by blow. Once the monster raised its hand, he had to dodge and look for another opportunity to attack.

  All in all, he could not be greedy!

  Hu Xiao kept in mind the lessons he learned from the gaming god’s videos. Slowly and steadily, he defeated several little monsters in the mass grave, despite being attacked once. ‘Hehe’ did not appear on his screen.

  “I’m awesome!”


  After killing those little monsters, Hu Xiao felt his heart pound with excitement. His hands were shaking non-stop.

  So nervous! So exciting!

  Was this what an adrenaline rush felt like?

  The game was not as difficult as he had imagined. Hu Xiao was filled with renewed motivation as he steered his character forward.

  Three minutes later, a butcher with a large chopper appeared in front of Hu Xiao. This was the first elite monster in the game.

  “Hehe.”


  “Hehe.”


  “Hehe.”


  A long time later…


  Hu Xiao let go of his mouse and lit up a cigarette.

  Ah… What have I been doing today…? I’ve wasted so much time in a game like that.

  Hu Xiao began to doubt his own existence.

  He had died so many times that he had become numb to it. Now, he had no idea how much time had passed since he first started the game.

  He only had one feeling: emptiness.

  Vast, limitless emptiness!

  “Forget it, I’ll refund the game. There’s no need to waste so much time playing this.”


  Hu Xiao looked at the time. The refund allowance period was almost up. If he waited any longer, he would not be able to get his money back. He could only say that time flew by once he really focused on the game.

  Hu Xiao was just about to refund the game when a line of words appeared on his screen.

  “Refund it. Given your standard, you will never be able to complete the game. There’s no need to hang on for that long. There are many other things worth doing in life. Why waste your precious time and money on a game like that?”


  Hu Xiao, “???”


  Who the h*ll are you despising?

  Hu Xiao wanted to refund the game, but he changed his mind!

  The message on the screen sounded quite sincere, and it was true as well.

  Even after five hours, he still had not left the village he was placed in at the beginning. At this rate, the chances of him completing the game were negligible. Also, there were indeed many other things worth doing in life. There was no point in getting so angry and wasting so much money on a game that tortured him.

  To Pei Qian, these were wise words. Any gamer with a hint of intelligence would probably heed his advice.

  What’s more, he had kind intentions. He wanted to remind players that the refund allowance period was almost up, and they should refund the game as soon as possible.

  However, Hu Xiao understood the message very differently.

  ‘You will never be able to complete the game?’ I’ll do it just to show you!

  ‘Why waste your precious time and money on a game like that?’ I have plenty of time and money! Can you stop me from wasting it?

  I won’t refund the game!

  Hu Xiao’s temper was rising once again; not even nine bulls could hold him back. He would push through the game today!

  With rage, Hu Xiao resumed playing the game. “Wait. How much did the game cost?

  “Oh, 128.

  “So be it. I don’t care.”