As full-dive online games take off, Zuo Xingran is one of the game's bottom-tier characters. He's terribly envious of his coworkers who have players willing to spend money on them. Unfortunately, his character model is lacking, and his stats are laughably low. Standing beside his powerful, imposing coworkers, he has no competitive edge at all.
Facing the terrifying prospect of soon being unable to pay his data fees, Zuo Xingran knows he must take a despicable step: trick players into spending money.
Step one: disguise himself.
If his character model is bad, he can wear a mask and ride the popularity of masked characters. If his stats are low, he can claim he's a growth-type character.
Step two: choose the right targets.
Knowing full well that he can't compete with his powerful coworkers, he decides to start at the bottom and work his way up.
He sets his sights on a man who keeps to himself like a lone wolf. In a world where every player is surrounded by crowds and powerful coworkers, this guy is completely alone! What a lucky find!
One rainy evening, Zuo Xingran edges up beside the lone wolf and asks timidly, "Um, do you need a combat assistant?"
The bizarre, twisted contaminants gather together and place bets behind their backs: when will Little Star come running back in tears?
Zuo Xingran has no idea that no one goes near Lone Wolf because, according to the shared urban legends of players and contaminants, he's a legendary cheapskate and shut-in. He's broke, has a severe gaming addiction, and makes money from gaming purely because he's good at it. He uses a black-and-white avatar and a voice changer to pretend to be a dreamy online heartthrob, but in real life he's an absolute loser who won't spend a single cent, not even on the game's cheapest first-time purchase.
Zuo Xingran won't just fail to get him to spend money. This tasteless cheapskate will probably make him cry, too.
Zhai Qingkong knows what people say about him. He doesn't care. In the game, he's the top player on the server, and in real life, he's a winner, too.
He's handsome and rich. If capitalists were to be strung up from lampposts, he'd walk up with his head held high and volunteer to be the first.
But compared to his vast fortune, his everyday hobbies are remarkably modest. Unlike other rich people, he doesn't chase thrills. He has no interest in wasting money on beautiful people or indulging in luxury goods. What a joke. He's the one who makes money off other people. No one gets to make money off him.
Until one day, he passes through a well-known slum in the game. It's raining at dusk, and the streetlights illuminate only a small patch of ground. If the other person hadn't spoken, he wouldn't even have noticed someone hiding in the dark corner.
That somewhat famous "bottom-tier character" is huddled beneath a low roof, shivering as he asks quietly, "Hello. Do you need a combat assistant? I'm, I'm really good. I'm a growth-type character."
The rain has soaked his eyelashes and hair, making him look all soft and fuzzy. So pitiful...
In that instant, Lone Wolf, the super-capitalist, finally awakens to the power of spending money in-game.
The bottom-tier character's stats are low? The resources in my storage are no joke.
The bottom-tier character's gear is lousy and his weapons are trash? Spending money is just what I do.
The bottom-tier character's mechanics are bad? I've spent years mastering my controls just for this. I'll take my wife to the top of the rankings.
Theme: Love life
