Chapter 14: Is That Even Possible?

Originally, this was nothing of consequence. But when Brother Cheng spoke, Lin Zijin didn’t react at all, and Brother Cheng began to feel a little displeased. He was well aware of Lin Zijin’s high standing and overwhelming fame in the professional scene—even eclipsing his own—but nonetheless, he, too, was one of Tomato TV’s top streamers. What’s more, Lin Zijin was currently streaming on Tomato TV as well. As fellow hosts on the same platform, shouldn’t she at least grant him a little courtesy?

Yet Lin Zijin didn’t. Her indifference left Brother Cheng feeling embarrassed—especially with so many fans watching in the live chat. A sense of dissatisfaction welled up inside him. Just then, as Brother Cheng was about to speak again, Yang Hao suddenly popped up. Brother Cheng’s mood soured further. He immediately recognized Yang Hao as the audience member who often teamed up with Lin Zijin. If Lin Zijin ignored him, Brother Cheng could still accept it—after all, she was a celebrated beauty whose status and popularity far surpassed his own. But who was Yang Hao? At best, just another lucky fan. In Brother Cheng’s eyes, there were plenty of fans like Yang Hao—what made him special? Compared to himself, Yang Hao was not even worth mentioning.

Brother Cheng’s thoughts were one thing; his fans were no better. As his loyal followers, they were naturally eager to see their idol team up with the legendary goddess Lin Zijin, which would not only make for hot topics but also exciting content. Many fans flocked to Lin Zijin’s stream to stir things up. However, their efforts achieved the exact opposite of what they’d hoped.

If it were any other female streamer, faced with such an overwhelming wave of comments—and with the person wanting to team up being a top streamer like Brother Cheng—she might have agreed right away. But Lin Zijin was different. Not only did she rarely pay attention to the barrage of chat messages, but even if she did, she wouldn’t be swayed by them. As for Lin Zijin’s fans, they were even more formidable.

Did these interlopers even know whose turf they were on? Yang Hao—well, Yang Hao was the instigator here, and the crowd he brought along was hardly angelic. The moment they saw Brother Cheng’s fans causing trouble in their territory, they drew their metaphorical forty-meter-long blades, itching for battle. They sharpened their weapons and launched a crushing counterattack on the intruding “outsiders.”

Lin Zijin’s fanbase was several times larger than Brother Cheng’s, and this was her home ground. In no time at all, the unruly fans were routed, fleeing in disarray, helmets and shields abandoned. When the dust settled and the stream grew quiet, Brother Cheng’s supporters had vanished without a trace.

It was terrifying. Anyone who lingered a moment too long amid that tidal wave of comments risked being torn apart. Brother Cheng’s fans couldn’t help but shudder at the memory.

But the counterattack wasn’t over yet. Many of Lin Zijin’s fans, acting on their own, charged over to Brother Cheng’s stream, swords still drawn. At first, Brother Cheng was puzzled but delighted to see a sudden spike in viewers. But as he watched the flood of gleaming, white-hot comments sweep in, he was dumbfounded.

They were all here to insult him? And not just insult him—their words contained no profanity or repetition. Worse still, they berated him while simultaneously calling for peace and civility. Anyone with sense could tell this was an organized group. Just imagine the spectacle.

Brother Cheng’s face turned green. Confronted with this onslaught, he was powerless to resist. His own fans, too, were demoralized, unable to fight back even on their home turf. There is nothing more frightening than a cultured rogue—except, perhaps, a cultured rogue with no scruples. It was terrifying.

After venting their anger, the crowd left as suddenly as they had come. As his stream rapidly emptied, Brother Cheng’s face darkened further. Meanwhile, in the game, all players had already boarded the plane.

A mischievous, endlessly looping tune began to play in the cabin:

“Our ordinary folks are truly happy today,
Our ordinary folks are truly happy today,
Our ordinary folks, today is a day of joy,
Our ordinary folks, oh hey, today is a day to be glad...”

The moment Brother Cheng heard this music, he felt an urge to cough up blood. The others erupted into curses.

“Damn, which idiot played this song? It’s too catchy...”
“Why can’t I help but want to dance to it?”
“Hey, whoever’s playing that, put your magic away!”
“Please, I beg you, turn it off—if you don’t, I’ll jump out of the plane!”

Of course, only Yang Hao could pull off something like this. Why play this song? Yang Hao would never admit that his only goal was to disgust a certain someone. His official explanation was that the song perfectly expressed his mood at the moment.

Although Yang Hao hadn’t participated in the earlier fan skirmish, he’d watched on the sly. While he didn’t approve of such uncivilized methods, he had to admit it was highly entertaining.

As the song echoed in the stream, and the audience realized it was Yang Hao behind it, they burst into uncontrollable laughter. They’d seen people annoy others before, but never to this extent. Still, they enjoyed it.

In the training room, Ling Xue’er and Lu Ziqi were dumbstruck when they heard Yang Hao’s song and his cheerful humming. At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Brother Cheng. Of all people, why provoke this guy? To try and chat up Sister Zijin in public—especially in front of Yang Hao—was nothing short of courting disaster.

“I can’t take it anymore, I’m jumping!”
“This song is too addictive, I’m jumping too!”
“Dude, were you sent by a cult to brainwash us?”
“Enough, I can’t bear it—farewell!”

As Ling Xue’er and the others struggled to find words for Yang Hao’s infernal music, the players in the cabin finally reached their limit and began leaping out of the plane. The number of people in the cabin plummeted in an instant.

“Wow, you can do that?”
“I’m taking notes—this is crucial.”
“The power of a single song—truly terrifying!”
“Terrifying indeed!”
“I shivered from head to toe!”

Watching the flood of players parachuting and the reactions in chat, the viewers were stunned. This move was truly impressive—a brainwashing song so powerful it forced people to jump from the plane. Now that was something worth remembering.