See, so impatient again.
Bai Luan leaned lazily back in his chair, his fingertips gliding across his phone's glowing screen. A new message from Silver Wolf made the corners of his mouth unconsciously turn up.
He knew Silver Wolf would react this way.
Bai Luan: You were the most urgent one at the beginning.
Bai Luan: Now you're the one who's unhappy.
Bai Luan: What a fickle woman.
Silver Wolf replied almost instantly.
Silver Wolf: Is this still my fault?
Silver Wolf: Do you realize what you've done?!
Silver Wolf: I seriously and honestly followed the requirements, clearing the MiSide without cheats.
Silver Wolf: Even when that crazy woman chased me with a chainsaw for two blocks, I didn't break the agreement!
Silver Wolf: And what I got in return was a huge blow?!
Silver Wolf: Whose main character team is left with only one and a half members?
Bai Luan chuckled softly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the phone screen:
Bai Luan: Look on the bright side.
Bai Luan: At least 'edgerunners' was very good.
Bai Luan: And it also broadened your horizons, didn't it?
Bai Luan: You can tell others in the future: I've watched an anime where the main character team almost got wiped out.
Silver Wolf: ...
Silver Wolf: I was really foolish, truly.
Silver Wolf: I knew from the ending of the original cyberpunk game that there wouldn't be a good ending, and that you wouldn't have good intentions...
Silver Wolf: But I still foolishly looked forward to the edgerunners anime.
Silver Wolf: I was really foolish, truly.
Watching the helpless resentment oozing from Silver Wolf's words, Bai Luan felt that he should say something to match the atmosphere at this moment.
He stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then slowly typed out two words and sent them.
Bai Luan: Indeed.
Silver Wolf: Bai Luan, you *Punklord native expletive*!
Bai Luan could almost imagine Silver Wolf stomping her feet in anger, her cheeks flushed red, through the screen.
Hmm... it doesn't seem quite right to keep teasing her like this.
What if he really pushes her too far and she stops playing with him in the future?
Wouldn't he lose an excellent source of joy then?
Bai Luan could still distinguish between temporary pleasure and long-term happiness.
So, Bai Luan decided to offer a carrot at the appropriate time.
Bai Luan: Let's not talk about these things for now.
Silver Wolf: Perfect!
Silver Wolf: I have nothing more to say to you!
Silver Wolf: Bl, you inherently evil game developer, I'm breaking all ties with you right now!
Silver Wolf: The next time we meet, let's interact as 'angry reader' and 'damn author'!
Oh? Such a firm attitude?
Bai Luan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He wanted to test how stable Silver Wolf's Heart truly was.
Bai Luan: Do you want the cyberpunk DLC?
Silver Wolf: ... (Silver Wolf recalled a message)
It seems Silver Wolf's isn't very stable after all.
Silver Wolf: What do you want me to do again?
Seeing Silver Wolf's reply, tinged with a hint of wariness but clearly wavering, Bai Luan nodded in satisfaction.
As expected of a top hacker, her mind works fast; she's even learned to answer preemptively now.
She's been tricked so many times... ahem, after so many pleasant collaborations, she has already gained experience.
Bai Luan: It's very simple, no difficulty for you at all.
Silver Wolf: Really?
Bai Luan: Really.
Bai Luan: Just watch edgerunners again, and then clear the MiSide once more.
Bai Luan: No fast-forwarding for edgerunners, and no cheats for the MiSide.
Look how simple this is.
It's almost like a second playthrough.
Presumably, with the experience from the first playthrough, Silver Wolf will have a very easy time, right?
Silver Wolf: *Punklord-style expletive*
Silver Wolf: Are you ever going to stop?
Silver Wolf: Killing someone and then attacking their heart?
Facing Silver Wolf's questioning, Bai Luan was completely unconcerned, responding very perfunctorily:
Bai Luan: Alright, alright, yes, yes, yes.
Bai Luan: Deal or no deal?
After the message was sent, Silver Wolf fell into a long silence.
The phone was quiet for a full three minutes before a new message finally popped up, every word exuding a gritting-teeth intensity.
Silver Wolf: Deal!
Silver Wolf: And...
Silver Wolf: I hate you!
Bai Luan: Don't be so quick to hate, I have some good news for you.
Bai Luan: I believe that replaying a game you've already cleared must be very boring for you.
Silver Wolf: I didn't say that!
Silver Wolf: Whatever crazy idea you have, whatever you're doing, stop!
Bai Luan: Oh.
Bai Luan: Then I'll rephrase it.
Bai Luan: Because I think that's how you feel.
Bai Luan: So, I added some 'Easter eggs' to your MiSide game. I believe you'll definitely 'howl' with delight as you play it again.
Bai Luan: Does that make you feel better?
Silver Wolf: *Hmm... anyway, it's a Punklord expletive*
Bai Luan: Bl → BD
Silver Wolf, on the other end of the screen, looked at this message and was already laughing in anger.
She felt that Bai Luan had reached a state of perfection in asking for a beating, unmatched by anyone.
Bai Luan: Don't be so sad.
Bai Luan: You can check the StarNet more often; seeing everyone else's wails just like yours will make you feel much better.
Bai Luan: Or, recommend this anime to unsuspecting people and tell them it's a good story.
Bai Luan: Trust me, that will make you feel a lot better.
...Looking at Bai Luan's
He's really bad, this person.
Why didn't Aha choose this guy to be the Emanator of Elation? Is there anyone in the whole world more suitable than him?
Bai Luan: You know, after finishing an anime like this, there are usually several stages.
Bai Luan: Stage one: The emptiness of finishing the anime and the lingering effects of the tragic ending hit at the same time.
Bai Luan: Closing your eyes, you can recall the scenes of characters dying, their stories constantly replaying in your mind, making it increasingly difficult to accept.
Bai Luan: The most common thought in this stage is, I'm going to find the author and then — 'Who told you to write the story like that! You bastard! I'm going to explode on you!'
Upon seeing this, a certain person whose psychological process was perfectly guessed paused their fingertips slightly, feeling a bit of cold sweat.
No, how does he know so much?!
Bai Luan: But this is only temporary. As time heals the grief of just finishing the anime, the appreciation for the story's brilliance itself will emerge.
Bai Luan: Then you will enter stage two: Understanding the Author.
Silver Wolf: Stop.
Silver Wolf: I don't understand you.
This message was sent by Silver Wolf almost instantly after Bai Luan sent his.
With a hint of stubbornness.
Bai Luan: So, you're still in stage one.
Silver Wolf: ...
Silver Wolf: No, why are we suddenly talking about this? What does this have to do with your suggestion?
Bai Luan: This is related to what I'm going to say next.
Bai Luan: After experiencing the above stages, stage three will begin.
Bai Luan: You'll really want to see how others react to key plot points, and then you'll enthusiastically trick others into watching it.
After reading, Silver Wolf silently opened her electronic notes and added a line of bold, italicized text to the pinned 'Important Notes' section:
Be extremely careful of Bai Luan.
After reaching a 'cooperation' with Silver Wolf, Bai Luan contentedly turned his attention to other matters.
He skillfully clicked on the 'I Really Want to Stay At Your House' video, which he had posted on the platform a long time ago, then opened the comment section and sorted it by time.
Looking at the fresh comments, filled with pain, wails, and emotional blows, Bai Luan leaned back comfortably in his chair, a joyful smile on his face.
This is stage four:
Are they really crying? Let me see!
Actually, after stage four, there's also stage five: writing fanfiction to change the ending.
However, it's clear that stage five won't appear now.
Currently, it's estimated that only Bai Luan has entered stage four across the entire StarNet, let alone stage five.
Hehe, happy hour begins.