After the acid rain, the streets were desolate and dilapidated, and the walls of the buildings on both sides were mottled.
The billboards were smashed down, the roadside trees were reduced to just trunks, and the cars and electric vehicles on the roadside were covered in rust, some even reduced to just frames.
Most shops are closed, and very few are still open.
Jiang Ying led Shi Feizhai through two streets before finding an open restaurant. "This is the closest shop around here. All the other shops are closed. How about this one?"
Shi Feizhai's mind was entirely on Jiang Ying, and he didn't care about the restaurant at all. He nodded hurriedly, "Okay, great!"
"System, is the 'Unwavering Devotion' skill still active? She smiled so beautifully at me."
The "Devoted Love" skill in the dating system only lasts for one day, so it's definitely expired now.
"So she was captivated by my personal charm. I knew it; there are still sunny people in this world."
The dating system glanced at his profile picture, remained silent, and silently observed the female security officer.
After observing for a while, it didn't find any flaws. Maybe the beauty's aesthetic sense is just that unique?
Realizing that time was running out, it immediately assigned a task to Shi Feizhai.
"The newbie task is to hold the target's hand, say affectionately that you look beautiful today, and receive their approval and praise. The reward is a newbie gift pack."
Shi Feizhai immediately tensed up.
He sat up straight, rubbing the chopsticks in his hand against the plate, his eyes darting around, and he kept swallowing.
Jiang Ying looked at him warily and asked gently, "What's wrong?"
Shi Feizhai took a deep breath and reached out to hold Jiang Ying's hand on the table. "You look beautiful today."
Jiang Ying!!!
Her whole body was on edge, and the fat hand floating on the back of her hand was covered in sweat. It took all her willpower to keep from shaking it off.
She smiled awkwardly, withdrew her hand demurely, took a sip of water, and said, "Um, thank you."
Shi Feizhai was getting a little anxious. Why aren't you praising him? Quickly, praise him!
Jiang Ying didn't quite understand what he meant, so she could only laugh awkwardly.
The phone case on the table was flashy, with a tiny camera hidden inside emitting a faint glow.
Outside the restaurant, in an unassuming little truck, Peng Lan watched Shi Feizhai on the screen, who was making small, anxious gestures. "Jiang Ying, keep going with what he's saying, don't let the conversation fall flat."
Jiang Ying had an invisible earphone in her ear. After hearing Peng Lan's words, she thought hard for a moment and said shyly, "I don't usually dress like this. I always wear a uniform. Does this really look good?"
Shi Feizhai hurriedly said, "Yes, it really looks good." He stammered, "Then what do you think of me?"
Jiang Ying was conflicted; she couldn't tell the truth, but she hadn't figured out how to make up a lie.
Peng Lan praised him.
Jiang Ying could only lie through her teeth, trying to sound as sincere as possible, "You too, um... have a lot of class, you look like a very thoughtful person."
Shi Feizhai hurriedly said to the system, "Look, look, she praised me. Is the task complete?"
Dating system...
It's hard to evaluate a dating system.
It couldn't sense any affection Jiang Ying had for the host, and the praise was quite subtle, but... it was definitely a compliment, wasn't it?
Alright, let's give the host a little treat first. The "Newbie Task Completed, Newbie Gift Pack Delivered" system says.
Shi Feizhai was immediately excited and grinned widely.
Jiang Ying... Help! He believed it! He actually believed it!
After spending three days in the detention center, his clothes were wrinkled, his hair was greasy, his face was covered in acne scars, and his teeth were yellow from not washing them. When I told him he had class, he actually believed me!
Jiang Ying thought that if there were a general talent competition, this guy could get into the top three.
Jiang Ying touched her forehead with her hand to hide her overly fake smile.
Shi Feizhai couldn't wait to see his newbie gift pack. He looked around and then stood up. "Um, I need to go to the restroom."
Peng Lan on the truck: "Prepare the men's restroom!"
The restaurant was swarming with their people, inside and out. Because they didn't know what secrets Shi Feizhai had, they didn't dare to set up too many cameras, but they had people stationed at every place Shi Feizhai might go.
The men's restroom is definitely a key point.
Shi Feizhai rushed into the restroom, his little feet almost flying, but he wasn't completely stupid; he knew to find a stall and go in.
In the restroom, one person is adjusting their collar in front of a mirror, while another is pretending to squat in a stall.
There were only three cubicles in total. He was in the middle one, and the door wasn't even closed properly. He was scrolling through short videos with the sound playing out loud.
The two exchanged a glance through the crack in the door; by conventional means, they couldn't see anything.
So the person adjusting their collar took out their wallet, but they didn't hold it properly, and the coins inside spilled all over the floor.
"Ouch!" He quickly went to pick up the coins.
A coin fell in front of the person squatting in the toilet, and he bent down to pick it up.
The person squatting in the toilet yelled, "Holy crap, you're a pervert! You were peeping at me!"
The person who picked up the money was furious, yelling, "Who's peeking at you! What's so interesting about you?"
"You weren't spying on me, you deliberately dropped the money here!"
"It rolled over by itself, what could I do? You're the weirdo, taking a dump with the door open and playing videos on speakerphone. Do you think the toilet is your home?!"
"I can do whatever I want, it's none of your business."
During their argument, the two bumped into each other on the partition, and coins, glasses, cell phones, and other items fell to the floor of the cubicle.
Through the specially treated glossy surface, one can see the situation inside Shi Feizhai's cubicle.
Shi Feizhai was happily taking the gift pack out of the system when he saw the big red box in front of him. He was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. Then, a quarrel broke out next door.
He held the gift bag, too afraid to move.
But the argument outside didn't seem to reach him; in fact, the noise actually provided cover for him.
He then continued to quietly open the gift box.
With a "poof," the gift box vanished, transforming into a protective suit.
Hats, clothes, gloves, boots, breathing masks...
One by one, they floated in front of Shi Feizhai, like game props.
He reached out and grabbed the hat, which suddenly enlarged, and he put it on his head; it fit perfectly.
The system said, "This is an acid rain protection suit. Even if it rains aqua regia, you don't have to worry at all as long as you wear this."
Shi Feizhai almost burst out laughing, but quickly covered his mouth.
"So I won't have to worry about acid rain anymore?"
The system says, "This is just a small reward. Your goal is to build an acid-resistant city and become its lord. As long as you complete the task, you will receive the city-building materials."
Shi Feizhai immediately exclaimed with boundless pride, "City Lord! City Lord! Hahaha, I'm here!"
"Next mission: Get intimate with a beautiful woman. Mission reward: 100 acid-resistant building bricks."
"Only 100 yuan?"
"The task is simple, so the reward is small. But there are other rewards later, such as acid-resistant coatings, acid-resistant glass, basic ranches, water plants, and super city acid shields."
Shi Feizhai heard his breathing quicken and put the protective suit back into the system.
Personalized sets are nothing; this is just the beginning.
A burning ambition blazed in his eyes as he strode out with a triumphant air.
As I passed by the mirror, the system said, "Your acne scars have faded, and your belly has slimmed down. This is one of the rewards."
Shi Feizhai looked at himself in the mirror. The acne scars on his face had faded several shades, and his belly, which had been stretched out by his clothes, had also been tucked in.
He looks several times better now.
Shi Feizhai stroked his chin, making a greasy gesture, "My handsomeness is finally about to be revealed!"
System... I give up, you ordinary guy.
After he left, the people picking up coins and those squatting in the toilet also stopped.
Did you see that just now?
"I'm not blind."
"He actually conjured things out of thin air! This world is getting more and more magical."
"I just took a picture with my phone, quickly send it to Captain Peng!"
As Jiang Ying sat at the dining table, she noticed that Shi Feizhai seemed like a completely different person. What was with this air of confidence and greasiness emanating from him? Did he win the lottery while going to the restroom?
When Peng Lan, who was in the truck, received the video taken from a low angle, her pupils contracted.
While having Jiang Ying keep Shi Feizhai calm, he rushed back to attend a meeting.
"What is certain now is that Shi Feizhai can conjure objects out of thin air. What he conjured was an acid rain protection suit, which he eagerly produced after receiving praise from Jiang Ying. He did not possess this item before that."
Only a handful of people attended the meeting; they were the few who currently held authority in City A.
Peng Lan said, "Besides that, he also talked to himself, as if he was conversing with something we couldn't see. I guess Shi Feizhai has something that he can get as a reward when he does certain things to women and meets certain conditions."
"For example, this protective suit was a reward he received after shaking Jiang Ying's hand and receiving her praise. And the future acid-resistant city will probably be accumulated little by little through this method."
One of the people present nodded in agreement, "Shi Feizhai not only received material rewards, but his face and physique also improved. I'm afraid the more rewards he receives, the more outstanding his appearance will become. This explains why the statues in the acid-resistant city are getting thinner and taller."
The others agreed, "So that's how it happened. No wonder Tianmu looked down on him so much. When someone like that suddenly rises to prominence, it's like a poor person suddenly becoming rich, or a petty person getting their way. With Anti-Acid City in his hands, I'm afraid there won't be any good atmosphere. Tianmu said it will become a new hell, and I imagine the situation will be terrible in the end."
"Damn it, what right does this person have to get such a good thing!"
Peng Lan looked at the highest-ranking leader in City A and asked, "Please give us your instructions on what our next step should be?"
Everyone looked toward the top leader.
The leader pondered for a moment, "Since Tianmu has made it clear that this acid-resistant city is our only hope, for the people, for the country, and for the future, we must hold this in our own hands. Peng Lan, do you think it's possible?"
Peng Lan pondered for a moment, "What we can be sure of now is that Shi Feizhai himself has no strengths. If we just stay behind the scenes and let him develop on his own while we just pick up the pieces, the best outcome will be nothing more than building one or two acid-resistant cities, and everything that Tianmu showed will still happen."
This means that the vast majority of people will still die.
This is clearly unacceptable to everyone.
Peng Lan said, "To gain the greatest benefit, first, we need to figure out what that thing is and how it works; second, we need to have absolute control over it."
Instead of using Shi Feizhai as an intermediary, we spoke directly with that thing.
The leader nodded. "Okay, Peng Lan, you'll organize it. You can mobilize all the manpower and resources in the city. Go ahead and do it."
After the meeting ended, Peng Lan immediately inquired about the situation at the restaurant.
"That Shi Feizhai is incredibly lewd. He keeps trying to grope Jiang Ying and even hints that she should go to his house."
They're all men, so who can't see what Shi Feizhai is up to?
It's unclear whether this was Shi Feizhai's idea or the idea of the thing behind him.
Peng Lan's gaze behind her glasses was icy. Behind that acid-resistant city, who knows how many innocent women have suffered humiliation and sacrifice?
For a moment, he even wondered if such a place full of sin and exploitation, such a twisted thing, really needed to exist.
If the world needs to be saved through this means, to what extent will the future be distorted?
He looked up at the sky, where the heavens seemed to support them in their attempt to seize that thing; perhaps the situation wasn't so bad after all.
If we could communicate with the celestial canopy, we would know more about the situation.
...
Wei Yuexin lay on the cot reading a novel, holding her nose as she read.
She wanted to see if there was any content in this book, "Acid Rain Apocalypse," that could be made into a video.
In the end, it was all the same old pickup line and pushy tactics.
A kiss on the cheek earns you an acid-resistant brick; a hug earns you acid-resistant paint; peeping at you showering earns you acid-resistant glass; living together earns you an air purifier.
The deeper the level of intimacy and the greater the scale of the activities, the better the woman's conditions and the higher her status, the greater the reward.
He would push every woman he saw, enjoying himself while taking advantage of her – it couldn't be more wonderful.
In the end, the harem expanded to the point that every pretty woman in the entire Anti-Acid City had been seduced by the male protagonist, and the entire Anti-Acid City was essentially supported by these women.
He wasn't even satisfied with just one acid-resistant city; he also developed smaller acid-resistant cities in other places, gathering survivors and then selecting attractive women from them, much like choosing concubines...
Wei Yuexin couldn't bear to watch any longer; she felt bloated and uncomfortable.
She fast-forwarded to the last chapter. Oh, the male protagonist had had enough of being a local tyrant and was tired of his current life. Just then, the system upgraded, so the system took the male protagonist and these two bastards with them and left this world to conquer new stars and seas.
Wei Yuexin?
There wasn't a single useful piece of material, and I was incredibly frustrated.
What a ridiculous piece of crap!
She got up to pour herself some water, trying to calm her agitated mood, and also checked the data from the second video.
455+ views!
67+ likes!
88+ dislikes!
36+ flowers sent!
puff!
She almost spat out her water.
The number of views and dislikes dropped a little, but the number of likes and virtual gifts increased significantly!
Looking at the backend data, this video can bring her over five thousand yuan in income!
"Holy crap!"
In the dim light, Wei Yuexin clenched her fist with excitement, her eyes shining brightly.
Okay, she'll stop cursing that lousy book. That's a real lucky charm!
[Dear Wei Zi, your videos have been well-received by viewers. Your backend has been upgraded, and you can now receive and reply to private messages from viewers who like and send flowers to all your videos.]
Wei Yuexin found it strange to receive such a text message from the platform. Did Douyin have such a rule? Did she need to like and send flowers to all the videos before she could send a private message to the video creator?
On second thought, could this be a rule from reality game shows?
She glanced at her private messages and saw that no one had sent her anything yet, so she decided to leave it at that.
Just as I was thinking this, a private message suddenly came in.
Who exactly are you?