Chapter Fifty: Guaranteed Satisfaction

The other party’s reaction took Chen Hao completely by surprise. In his mind, there were only two possible responses at a moment like this: either desperate resistance or nervous panic. Yet the GM’s response was neither—she actually laughed! Not just a chuckle, but a full-throated laugh.

The way she laughed sent a chill down Chen Hao’s spine. How could he describe this feeling? It was as if he were a kidnapper holding a hostage at gunpoint, demanding ransom, only for the hostage to suddenly strike up an excited conversation with him, acting as though the entire ordeal were nothing more than a trivial matter.

Logically, such a reaction from a hostage could only mean one of two things: either the hostage was insane, or she was terminally ill and had already lost the will to live, lacking only the courage to end it herself. Such an opportunity would be a relief.

But this GM clearly didn’t fit either description. After all, this was just a game! First, a lunatic wouldn’t be hired as a GM. As for being terminally ill... even if that were true in reality, this was a virtual world! Even if he killed her, it would be meaningless—characters in the game could simply respawn.

Wait a minute! Respawn!

“Damn it!” Chen Hao cursed inwardly, suddenly realizing that her unusual reaction was, in fact, the most natural one possible. This was a game world! Death here meant nothing, let alone being held hostage. What could he do to her, really?

His simple little trick was completely useless—in fact, it had backfired. Chen Hao knew that, in the game, both player characters and GMs shared a certain skill: self-destruction. This ability was generally reserved as a last resort, a final move to take down an enemy with you. Players almost never used it unless absolutely necessary, and as for NPCs, there were rarely any circumstances forcing them to resort to it.

It was precisely because it was so rarely used that Chen Hao had forgotten GMs even had such a trump card. For a GM, self-destruction didn’t carry the penalties of lost experience or currency that players faced. If the situation called for it, there was no reason for them to hesitate.

Now would be the perfect time to use it. If she took Chen Hao down with her, capturing Vivienne would be a trivial matter for a GM. The only reason she was hesitating now was because Chen Hao himself piqued her curiosity.

She was eager to figure out how Chen Hao had entered the game at all, especially since it hadn’t officially launched and regular players couldn’t access it. And why did his character lack a level and equipment display? These were matters worth investigating.

It concerned the game’s future operation—if someone like Chen Hao, a walking bug, really existed, it could have a huge impact.

Yet, for now, the GM wasn’t planning to report Chen Hao to the company. The five programmers who first encountered him weren’t even human, but rather AI-driven digital entities. After discovering Chen Hao’s presence, they relayed the information solely to the GM. As things stood, no humans or other AI agents knew about him.

As for the monster-race leader, though he was aware of Chen Hao, he was just a digital program and couldn’t report to the company’s higher-ups. Besides, the GM had already eliminated him, precisely to prevent any news about Chen Hao from spreading.

While the GM’s motives remained unclear, it was likely related to her personal interest in Chen Hao.

When Chen Hao realized her intentions, regret washed over him and he resolved to release her and get as far away as possible. If she really did self-destruct, who knew what might happen to him? Even if he was booted back to reality as before, Vivienne would still be in grave danger.

Until he was sure Vivienne was safe, there was no way he could just leave the game world behind.

But by now it was too late. Chen Hao was about to let the GM go, but she wouldn’t allow it.

“Hey! Don’t you think it’s a little late to let go now?” the GM said with a bright smile. “Chen Hao! Let’s meet again next time!”

With those words, a powerful energy surged from her body. Chen Hao could clearly feel the heat radiating off her, so intense it was almost scalding. This was a digital world—there shouldn’t even be temperature—but the sensation was unmistakable. Before he could react, the explosion occurred.

In his final conscious moment, Chen Hao’s gaze locked on Vivienne and he shouted, “Vivienne, run! If I can, I’ll come back for you—just stay alive, no matter what!”

A blinding white light flashed before his eyes, gradually bleeding into green, until everything faded away...

Another dizzying whirl of confusion ensued, though Chen Hao had almost grown accustomed to the sensation by now. But this time, something was different—why did he still feel so hot? The explosion should have been over, and he was in a logged-out state. Why did he still feel heat?

Sensing heat was strange enough, and even stranger now that he was supposedly out of the game. Yet the warmth was different from the scalding blast—more like standing under the noon sun in midsummer, on a sixty-degree asphalt road, still bundled up in winter clothes.

Perplexed, Chen Hao opened his eyes. Sure enough, he was slumped over his familiar desk in the study. But... what was this heavy quilt draped over him? He distinctly remembered falling asleep without covering himself.

It had to be those two girls—probably worried he’d catch a chill. But it was only early autumn; there was no need for a quilt. And to top it off, they’d turned on the air conditioner, and even placed a heater beside him! Did they want to roast him alive? Were they insane?

Chen Hao couldn’t help but wonder if Gu Mengyan and Fan Yirou were genuinely concerned, or just playing a prank—he was certain it was the latter.

Tossing aside the quilt, he switched off the heater and air conditioner, then stormed into his bedroom. As soon as he knocked, the door swung open with a push.

Seriously! These two girls didn’t even bother to lock the door when they slept! That might be fine at their own homes, but they were sleeping at a man’s place—didn’t they care about propriety?

Looking at the bed, the two girls were sprawled out, limbs entwined. Gu Mengyan’s arm was slung around Fan Yirou’s neck, while Fan Yirou’s arm served as Gu Mengyan’s pillow.

The covers had long since been kicked to the floor, and their nightgowns were rumpled, exposing their underwear—one pair dotted with strawberries in a cute style, the other plain black and more mature.

“You two!” Chen Hao cleared his throat and called out, “Get up, now!”

The girls instinctively shifted at the sound of his voice, smacking their lips and rolling over, only to lapse back into sleep.

Chen Hao, thoroughly exasperated, snatched up the quilt from the floor and tossed it over them. “You two sows! Get up! Who turned on the air conditioner in my room? Were you trying to cook me alive?”

With such a racket, the girls could no longer pretend to sleep. They opened bleary eyes to see Chen Hao’s scowling face.

Gu Mengyan was the first to speak. “Huh? Morning, Chen Hao! What time is it?”

“And you have the nerve to ask?” Chen Hao snorted, ignoring the question. Instead, he strode to his window and yanked open the curtains.

Sunlight flooded the room, making Gu Mengyan squint in pain. “Ah! Close it, close it!”

“Close it my foot! We’re late for work, you know that?” Chen Hao demanded. “Weren’t you supposed to wake me up today? Instead, you’re sleeping like a log!”

“Oh, come on! We’re quitting anyway, so being late isn’t such a big deal, right?” Gu Mengyan pouted indifferently.

“Hopeless!” Chen Hao picked up her dress and tossed it onto her face. “Get dressed and up, now! Just because you’re resigning doesn’t mean you get to be late. Move it! Once we’re done with the paperwork, we still need to get supplies for the trip.”

Fan Yirou had actually woken up during their exchange, but being fond of lazing around, she’d pretended to sleep. Hearing talk of travel, though, she perked up and sat bolt upright, her hair a wild mess, looking nothing like her usual refined self.

“When are we leaving?” Fan Yirou asked excitedly.

Chen Hao snorted. “You want to come? Fine. While Mengyan and I go to the office, you’ll stay here and clean my place. If you do a good enough job, I’ll take you along. If not... well, you’ll see.”

Fan Yirou put on a coquettish face. “Sir, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied!”

...