Chapter 42: Damn, There's Someone in My Car! (Third Update)

As fans of Lin Zijin, who wouldn't want to play games with their idol? Even Chang Yuan, who has already become a professional gamer, is no exception. However, very few people ever get such a chance. Apart from Lin Zijin's former teammates and Ling Xue'er and her friends, perhaps no one else has had the opportunity. Now, of course, Yang Hao must be added to that list.

When everyone heard that Yang Hao was about to invite more people, they went wild with excitement. Yet Yang Hao wasn't even looking at the barrage of messages flooding the live stream. At that moment, he had already sent team invitations to two people on his friend list in the game.

Soon enough, two players joined the team. When the viewers saw that Yang Hao had finished inviting people, many faces showed disappointment. But as soon as they caught sight of the IDs of the newcomers in the stream, laughter broke out.

"Lost Pig, bro, is your surname Zhu by any chance?"

"Pfft! Cannon Yao, just how big is your cannon?"

"What is this? Why didn't Brother Bluff invite me? My sniper skills are sick!"

"Yeah, I could shoot down care packages with my gun!"

"I'm born for the safe zone!"

A wave of comments swept through the live chat, while Yang Hao and his team had already entered the staging area.

"Old Zhu, how come you have time to play today?" Yang Hao spoke, standing with the other two in the game.

"Heh, Pighead was dragged here by me," replied the other teammate.

Yang Hao chuckled at the words, saying, "Old Yao, if you do this, Pighead's going to get beaten up tonight."

"It's fine, she wouldn't dare say anything!" At this, Yang Hao smiled knowingly.

The voices belonged to the two players Yang Hao had just invited. Like Zhang Tian, they were his die-hard friends from university, comrades for four years. During their college days, when Yang Hao would sneak away to watch Lin Zijin's matches, these three always covered for him.

Thanks to Yang Hao's influence, all three became Lin Zijin's staunch fans, loyal foot soldiers ready to follow his lead. "Cannon Yao" was the nickname for Yao Cheng, whose real name was Yao Cheng. A native of Tianhai City, after graduation, Yao Cheng entered a government institution. While such jobs no longer guarantee lifetime employment, they're still highly sought after. With two apartments in Tianhai, Yao Cheng had no worries about housing, enjoying a leisurely life with daily clock-ins.

"Lost Pig" was Zhu Ziyuan, nicknamed Pighead. In truth, Zhu Ziyuan was the most impressive among the four. Before finishing university—while everyone else was busy with internships and graduate exams—he had already qualified for direct admission to a doctoral program at Tianhai University. Direct PhD admission was something many had never even heard of.

Among the trio besides Yang Hao, Zhu Ziyuan was also the only one with a girlfriend. Speaking of his girlfriend, she deserved a mention. Her name was Xie Qingzhu—the most renowned beauty in their department and their senior, currently pursuing a PhD in Economics at Tianhai University. No one expected that the goddess admired and pursued by so many would choose the unassuming Zhu Ziyuan.

They shared a common trait: both were academic stars. Every semester, if not for Zhu Ziyuan helping the three academic slackers with exam predictions and revision, they might never have graduated smoothly, possibly accumulating a mountain of retakes.

If Yang Hao was famously devoted to his wife, then Zhu Ziyuan was a classic henpecked husband. His slightly awkward personality was thoroughly subdued by the assertive Senior Xie Qingzhu. According to Zhang Tian and Yao Cheng, if Lin Zijin was Yang Hao's destined match, then Xie Qingzhu was Zhu Ziyuan's irresistible fate.

Yang Hao had been surprised by Zhu Ziyuan's appearance because he knew that recently, both Zhu Ziyuan and Xie Qingzhu were involved in the same research project under a professor—a significant undertaking that kept them constantly busy. Yang Hao hadn't seen Zhu Ziyuan online for ages.

Moreover, though Xie Qingzhu didn't oppose Zhu Ziyuan playing games, she didn't really like it either. When Zhu Ziyuan registered his PUBG account, she gave him the somewhat silly and cute ID, "Lost Pig." Considering Zhu Ziyuan's surname, her intention was clear: whenever Zhu Ziyuan sneaked off to play games, it was as if he'd "lost the pig." This became a frequent source of jokes for Yang Hao and Zhang Tian.

The little details between couples can be quite amusing when shared. After graduating, the four rarely met, but now, all were in Tianhai City. Yang Hao had already seen Zhang Tian, and now, Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan had reunited in the game.

Lin Zijin naturally knew Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan, but since they were live streaming, everyone exchanged greetings with a tacit understanding. The viewers had no idea about the relationships among the four, thinking Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan were simply Yang Hao's friends.

Yang Hao and Yao Cheng had just exchanged a few words when the waiting time for the flight ended, and everyone appeared on the plane. Looking at the flight path, they agreed to land, find a car, and head to G Harbor for loot. Lin Zijin remained silent, implicitly agreeing.

They parachuted to the marked spot to maximize their chances of finding a vehicle fast. Yang Hao and Lin Zijin landed together, while Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan split up to search more efficiently.

Upon landing, Yang Hao scanned the usual vehicle spawn points but saw none, causing him to frown.

"Haha, I found a car!" Yao Cheng's delighted voice rang in his ears.

Hearing this, Yang Hao felt a surge of relief and quickly said, "Come pick us up!"

"Damn, someone's in my car!" Yao Cheng's tone turned anxious as Yang Hao spoke.

"Bring it over, we'll gang up on him! Pighead, you come too, quick!" Knowing someone else was in Yao Cheng's car, Yang Hao furrowed his brow but kept his voice calm, directing Yao Cheng and urging Zhu Ziyuan to hurry.

Moments later, the sound of a car approached.

A vehicle sped towards them.

As Yang Hao watched it come closer, he sensed something was amiss.

"Damn..." When the car got near, Yang Hao couldn't help but curse aloud.