Public Enemy Number One [Virtual Reality]

Yu Xinze was born frail and sickly, unable to walk. He usually passed the time with Battle Merit and livestreams. However, half a year ago, his condition worsened, and the dexterity in his hands steadily declined. After careful consideration, he decided to retire his character, Vivant, at the height of his career. Battle Merit's full-dive version happened to launch, so Yu Xinze decided to enter the virtual world to relieve his boredom and experience what it felt like to be out of his wheelchair. This time, though, he only wanted to be an ordinary player. The day before entering the game, he opened the forums and searched: "How do I become a happy ordinary player?" Top answer 1: Follow your heart, settle scores, and cut down anyone who annoys you. Don't hold back. Happiness comes first. Top answer 2: Keep a bounty on your head and ambush and taunt players on the enemy faction's trade routes every day. If the bounty doesn't go away by the end of the day, I'll be over the moon. Top answer 3: Cause trouble, cause trouble, then cause more trouble. Yu Xinze thought they made sense. So he decided to put their advice into practice and do his best to become a happy ordinary player in Battle Merit's full-dive version. He came up with a three-step plan for the game. Step one: Find someone to teach him how to walk. Step two: Find someone to rob trade caravans with. Step three: Become a happy ordinary player. Later... A formation mage became a notorious enemy of the entire server in Battle Merit's international full-dive version. Players turned pale at the mention of him and ran whenever they saw him. After the entire player base had united against him for who knew how many times, Yu Xinze exclaimed with delight, "This game... is so much fun!" Qi Rui, captain of the Blade Edge team, champions of Battle Merit's World Championship 5v5 team tournament, had a public secret known to all his fans. He was the number-one superfan of Vivant, the best player in the game. He never missed a day in Vivant's livestream or a single match. If anyone dared say a bad word about Vivant, he'd personally argue with them for the next ten years. Then, one day, Vivant won the solo championship and announced his retirement. Qi Rui sat stunned for a day, cried for six days as if he'd been dumped, then announced his own retirement, handed off his team, and entered Battle Merit's full-dive version to get his head straight and move on. There, he met someone. A formation mage who couldn't walk steadily, but whose technique was flawless and masterful. With a few words and a smile, he could lock down an opponent from start to finish. The formation mage spotted him and smiled. "Want to go ambush some caravans on the enemy faction's trade route?" The other player's face and voice were System-generated, but his eyes and brows were gentle in every way. Qi Rui couldn't help thinking of the idol he'd just lost. Sorrow welled up inside him, and his urge to vent by becoming a notorious caravan robber swelled without limit. So he said, "Sure." The formation mage was kind and capable. The only problem was that whenever Qi Rui saw him, he couldn't help thinking of Vivant. Then sadness and gloom would take hold of him. So much for coming into the game to get his head straight and move on... He hadn't managed to do either! Later... When Qi Rui discovered that the little medicine jar who'd been right beside him, causing trouble on the front lines all along, was actually Vivant... Qi Rui: ... Could he still stop being himself and rebuild his image now? 2023.08.17 Theme: Keep your heart turned toward the light.