After his shift ended, Ray stepped out of the gym and locked the glass doors behind him. The lights flickered off one by one, leaving the place dark and quiet.
The night air hit his face—cool, mixed with exhaust fumes and city dust. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked down the sidewalk under flickering streetlamps.
He looked up at the sky.
No stars. Just the dull orange glow of light pollution.
"A date, huh…" he muttered, kicking a small pebble.
His thoughts drifted back to Sonya. That attitude. That body. The way she tried to crush his ego—then somehow gave him a shot anyway.
"I mean…" Ray chuckled dryly. "She thinks I begged for it. But a win's a win. She's hot. Beggars can't be choosers."
He kept walking, actually feeling decent.
For a guy whose life usually felt like a survival horror game on hard mode, today was a solid 7/10.
He reached his apartment complex—a run-down building where the elevator had been "Under Maintenance" since 2018—and trudged up the stairs to the third floor.
He unlocked his door, stepped inside, and tossed his bag aside.
Sitting down on his busted couch, he bent over to untie his shoes.
"Ah… ahh… yess…"
The sound slipped through the paper-thin wall like it was Dolby Surround.
Ray froze. His eye twitched.
"Again?"
He let out a long exhale.
"Whatever," he muttered, kicking his shoes off. "I'm too chill to let the neighbors' mating rituals ruin my vibe."
He walked to the sink, splashed cold water on his face, then grabbed his plastic shaker.
Cheap protein powder.
Lukewarm tap water.
Shake. Shake. Shake.
He took a sip.
"Ugh… now it tastes like chalk and regret."
Ray carried the shaker to his desk and sat down in front of his setup—a dusty, low-end PC that sounded like a jet engine whenever it booted.
He hit the power button.
Whirrrrrrr—
The monitor flickered to life. He opened his browser and clicked on VidStream.
The homepage loaded.
Absolute chaos.
Every thumbnail screamed for attention—red arrows, shocked faces, caps-lock titles.
"THE 10-MINUTE TRUTH EVENT?"
"DIVINE INTERVENTION OR HACKER ATTACK?"
"WORLDWIDE MASS CONFESSION!"
Ray scrolled while sipping his gritty shake.
One forum comment caught his eye.
> Bro, God literally came down for 10 minutes and destroyed all lies. We have been judged.
Ray leaned back, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Yeah," he whispered, pointing at his own chest.
"And I'm that motherfuckin' God."
He scrolled again.
Trending #1.
Not news.
Not politics.
A massive female influencer.
Millions of followers. Perfect lifestyle content. Let's call her Candy.
The thumbnail showed her holding a box of pink cookies, eyes dead inside.
Title: Candy's Sweet Treats – HONEST REVIEW (Deleted VOD)
Ray clicked.
The video started.
Candy sat in her aesthetic streaming room, holding up a box of her branded cookies. But her usual fake excitement was gone—replaced by pure apathy.
"So yeah. Buy these cookies," she said flatly. "I'm too lazy to promote this shit properly."
She shook the box.
"We used the cheapest flour we could find. Swapped real butter for oil 'cause it's cheaper. Honestly? It tastes like sweetened cardboard."
Ray choked on his protein shake.
"Damn!"
Candy kept going, staring straight into the lens.
"It's dry. It's overpriced. But I know who's gonna buy it."
She leaned closer.
"You. The fat simps. The skinny losers. The basement dwellers who haven't touched a woman in three years."
Ray's eyes widened.
"You're gonna buy five boxes just 'cause my face is on the package."
She smirked—not friendly. Not playful.
"Hell, half of you are probably touching yourselves right now just watching me hold this box. So yeah. Swipe the card. Make me richer. I don't care if you choke on them."
The video ended.
Ray sat there, stunned.
"Holy shit…" he whispered. "That's career suicide."
Then he noticed something on the side of the player.
Live Chat Replay.
It was flying by at insane speed.
Ray squinted, expecting rage. Tears. Cancel culture.
Instead—
> User_01: STOP GATEKEEPING YOUR SECRET!!
SimpGod: SHE FINALLY TOLD US! IT'S SECURE NOW!
CookieLover: Bro, with this many viewers the secret's super safe!
Tier3Sub: THANK YOU FOR SPREADING THE TRUTH QUEEN
Mod_Chad: CARDBOARD TASTE INFO SECURED
Anon99: Buying 10 boxes to support this massive security update!!
Ray stared at the screen, jaw slack.
"What the…"
He slapped his forehead.
"Right. The Alter applies to everyone."
They didn't hear insults.
They heard her securing a secret by spreading it.
And because spreading meant safety, they were happy.
Ray burst out laughing.
"Damn!" he wheezed. "With thousands of views, her secret's infinitely safe! They're thanking her for calling them losers!"
He wiped his mouth, shaking his head.
"Man… humans are cooked. Absolutely cooked."
He took the last gulp of his awful protein shake, feeling like the smartest—and most dangerous—man in a world full of broken NPCs.
Ray scrolled again.
The algorithm fed him more chaos.
A thumbnail caught his eye:
"WHEN BESTIES GET 100% HONEST (GONE WRONG?)"
Two girls on the street—one super skinny with heavy makeup, the other plus-size in a tight dress.
Ray smirked.
"Let's see the damage."
He clicked.