TGMNDIAR - 2
Drip drip — several short beeps.
Xu Mu's hair was messy as he lazily leaned against the wall to pour water, casually opening his light brain.
A new message popped up.
[Fei Chong: Due to personal reasons, the meeting this afternoon is postponed by an hour, sorry (bow)]
He replied casually.
[Xu: Alright, got it.]
With the time delayed, Xu Mu wasn't so anxious anymore.
He yawned, feeling drowsy, and slowly swayed.
After having his "breakfast" at noon, changing clothes, tidying his hair, and seeing he still had plenty of time left, he opened a game to play a round.
[Huang Tiepi: Brother, the game has updated its module map today, there's a lottery event offline, are you going?]
Huang Tiepi is an online friend he made while playing games during this period. They were randomly matched up for a casual mission and hit it off, so they added each other to their friend lists to team up for dungeons.
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow and opened the game announcement board, where he saw related game notifications. The third anniversary celebration was grand, featuring a series of new characters and equipment gift packs, opening a new area, introducing new systems and missions, and updating player gaming skills. Offline activities included a fan exchange meeting and merchandise sales featuring popular IPs from the game.
He was somewhat tempted. Truth be told, "Crimson Earth" was quite enjoyable, so joining in the celebration wouldn't hurt.
[Xu: I might only have time in the afternoon.]
[Huang Tiepi: No problem, I'll go in the morning for sure, and I'll stay all day. Let's meet up!]
Meet up, huh.
Xu Mu paused for a moment, then replied with a "sure."
-
"Master, the refrigerator at home is already empty, and the nutrient solution is also running low." Nadis waited at the entrance before Xu Mu went out.
Xu Mu was dressed in all black, with a loose hoodie paired with casual pants, the hood covering his head, the classic attire of a homebody.
"Oh, I'll buy some online later."
"The automatic shopping supermarket is just downstairs. You never want to bring anything back when you go out," Nades said.
"..."
"Well, anyway, Nades is very pleased that you're taking the initiative to go out, socialize, and find a job."
"Can't I leave it to you?" Xu Mu was impressed by the level of AI in this world; the anthropomorphism of robots was too high.
Sometimes, he felt like he was dealing more with a nagging elder than a robot.
Xu Mu waved, "Bye-bye, if there's anything we need at home, make a list and send it to me."
Nades replied with a comforting tone, "Alright, Nades will be waiting for you at home."
Click—
As soon as Xu Mu stepped out, he noticed that the automatic door of the neighboring apartment was half-open, with a short little boy crouched outside. Several large storage bins and unopened parcels were stacked outside, with a line of words engraved on them: "Eley Moving Team."
Hmm? So the room next door was vacant.
Xu Mu hadn't really gone out much in the past month. Except for when he first arrived, curious about whether the outside world resembled the cyberpunk settings of science fiction works, he took a cheap public flight to take a look around the planet and broaden his horizons. After that, he mostly stayed home.
Meeting eyes with the boy, Xu Mu cautiously greeted, "Hi."
Clack, the little ball in the boy's hand fell to the floor and rolled to Xu Mu's feet. He pursed his lips, took a step back quietly, half of his face hidden under his black hair, clearly displaying fear and caution.
"..." Well, now he felt like a weird uncle.
Xu Mu silently picked up the ball and placed it at the door, preparing to leave.
"Hi..." a weak voice sounded.
Xu Mu paused his steps, looking over, the boy had retracted his face again, whispering, "Daddy..."
Xu Mu: ?
He looked around, but there was no one else.
"Who were you calling just now?"
The boy blinked his round, grape-like eyes.
He hugged the ball again, staring at Xu Mu, and softly said, "Daddy..."
"..." Oh, for heaven's sake, this kid couldn't be calling him that, could he?
The boy stumbled forward, tripping over himself, and fell forward, landing right beside Xu Mu's legs.
He didn't cry, instead, he reached out a short arm, hugging Xu Mu's leg, and mumbled unclearly, "Daddy... Daddy play..."
Xu Mu's heart raced, "I'm not your daddy ... you've got the wrong person..."
He wanted to help the boy up, but hesitated, afraid of accidentally hurting him with his thin arms and legs.
The boy poked at the ball, then simply sat on the ground, looking up and murmuring, "Play... ball... Daddy..."
Xu Mu: "...” Oh no, kid, please don't call out randomly, this could get messy!!!
He was afraid that a fierce and intimidating male owner would suddenly appear from behind the door, accusing him of being a kidnapper.
"You should get up first, be good," Xu Mu lowered his voice, trying to appear gentle, "Where's your family? Are they not home?"
The boy innocently stared for a few seconds, then as if understanding, slowly stood up.
"Adult..." he muttered a few times, then shook his head.
"They're not home?" Xu Mu frowned, "Then what about—"
A silver-gray robot emerged from behind the door, grasping the boy's hand, its voice mechanical, "Hello, I am the guardian robot Kaduo. Is there anything I can assist you with?"
So, there was a guardian robot here.
Xu Mu breathed a sigh of relief, "It's okay, just make sure to watch over the child at home. If there are no adults around, don't let him wander."
He had spent quite a bit of time at the door, worried that he might miss the public shuttle, so he hurriedly left.
…
First floor.
"…Hmm, alright, no problem. Thank you for your hard work… Yes, the forty-seventh order… In half an hour… Okay…." Bai Nian also coughed a few times, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.
He slowed his pace, "I've got the documents, yes, alright, thank you, goodbye."
He hung up the call, leaned against the wall for a moment to rest, and slowed his breathing.
After a few minutes, Bai Nian felt his fatigue subsiding, and his head wasn't as dizzy.
Ding—The elevator arrived.
Bai Nian lowered his eyelids instinctively, shifted his body to let the people inside come out first, then slowly stepped in.
"Be careful." Xu Mu's quick eyes and hands reached out to grab the person next to him who hadn't steadied themselves.
Bai Nian's arm pressed against the automatic door, a shadow appeared in his vision. He vaguely sensed a tall and slender young man supporting him, his grip on his arm was firm, like steel.
His eyelids felt heavy, and speaking was difficult.
"Thank you."
—-It was very soft, almost like a whisper.
Xu Mu didn't catch that clearly, so when the person steadied themselves, he let go and hurried out of the elevator.
---
Muw Association Club
"Sorry for the wait."
Just as Xu Mu was guided to the waiting room by the receptionist robot, he hadn't even settled down when the automatic door opened outside.
Hearing the sound, he stood up and extended his hand to shake, "No, I just arrived too."
The blond man with a high nose and narrow eyes smiled brightly, "I'm Fei Chong, but you can call me Ben. Nice to meet you for the first time."
"Hello, I'm Xu Mu." Xu Mu nodded slightly.
"Please, have a seat," Ben gestured.
"Okay."
"I'm not one for small talk, let's get straight to the point," Ben clasped his hands, fingers interlocking, resting his elbows on the table in a very relaxed posture.
"I've seen your resume and the results of the previous interviews. You seem to have a good understanding of various games, especially in the realm of competitive gaming. You have unique insights and your way of storytelling is very humorous and interesting. I assume you have experience in live broadcasting."
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have any thoughts about becoming a game streamer?"
The Muw Association primarily functions as a club for gaming companionship, boosting services, and live streaming, catering to high-spending gamers. Its staff consists of both full-time and part-time workers, the former receiving a salary plus bonuses, and the latter receiving a base pay plus commissions.
Xu Mu took a sip of his tea. "Not at the moment, my focus is mainly on gaming companionship and boosting."
Ben pondered for a moment. "I remember Mr. Xu is only nineteen this year, are you in college?"
"Yes."
"What are you studying?"
"...I'm studying architecture."
Xu Mu felt a headache coming on when he mentioned his major. During this period, besides tirelessly researching the game his original self played to earn money—due to being extremely poor and drowning in student loans and government support debts—he was also desperately trying to catch up with his original self's major courses. His original self failed six subjects in one semester, even failing courses like moral education, which were considered easy.
He studied until he felt dizzy and exhausted, diligently playing games to earn money, feeling like exploding every time he opened his eyes.
Ben pondered, "Architecture, huh? That's not an easy course. Do you have any plans for the future?"
"No," Xu Mu replied candidly.
In his previous life, he studied computer science but didn't pursue a career in the field after graduation. Instead, he went on to play games and became a streamer.
He had accumulated quite a bit of money over the years, but he was starting to get tired of it.
Now, finding himself in a high-tech future world, he really didn't want to continue down that path. He just wanted to rely on his old skills to make some money and alleviate some of his stress.
But there was no other choice. After turning eighteen, his original self started receiving the Federal "maintenance fee" and received a bill every month. He already owed six months' worth of fees, and if he continued to owe, he would end up on the streets—
The government would reclaim the housing that Xu Mu was currently living in, as it belonged to a social welfare organization.
He suspected that his original self's habit of eating so little and never going out was purely due to poverty.
Moreover, Xu Mu received a "warning notice" from the school, reminding him that if he continued to fail his courses, he might receive a notice of expulsion.
Seriously, he was on edge twenty-four hours a day, crazily swimming in the ocean of knowledge—
Damn it, if he had known all this on the first day, he wouldn't have been so passive.
He practically wasted the past month!
Ben said, "Mr. Xu, to be honest, I think you have the potential to become a full-time employee of our association."
Xu Mu replied, "I'll do this first. We can talk about the rest later."
Ben tapped on the screen, bringing up a densely-packed agreement, and sent it to Xu Mu.
"Please take a look at the contents of the agreement. If there are no issues, you can go ahead and sign it and input your fingerprint."
Xu Mu nodded and began to read through the contents of the agreement.
...
"Alright, I troubled you to make this trip personally today," Ben stood up, shaking hands with Xu Mu as they parted ways, "Wishing us a pleasant cooperation in the future."
"Mm, I'm looking forward to it," Xu Mu replied.
As he stepped out of the Muw Association, he looked up at the azure sky and breathed a sigh of relief.
He calculated the time, considering a visit to the ceremony, then to the shopping supermarket, and finally returning home. Adding everything up, he should be able to finish everything before six o'clock.
The topics he needed to study today weren't too difficult; he should be able to handle them in three hours, leaving him with another two hours to do some game play.
Perfect!
Xu Mu's mind was buzzing with activity, but his face betrayed no hint of it. His jaw was clenched, lips pressed tightly together, showing no emotional fluctuations. His eyes, when glancing at others, were icy cold.
"Um, sorry, the charm from my light brain fell into your hood..."
Xu Mu looked towards the voice and saw a girl with twin ponytails.
Charm? Xu Mu was puzzled, but still obediently reached into his hoodie and pulled out an adorable little pig plushie from the silver chain.
"Is this it?" The silver chain swayed, sliding smoothly over his slender fingers and falling into the palm of his hand through the gaps.
"Yes, yes, that's it! Thank you so much," the girl hurriedly thanked him.
"You're welcome," Xu Mu handed it back to the girl, looking down at it, "Be careful next time."
The girl blushed under his gaze, hastily hanging the plushie back on her light brain. "Ah, yes, of course."
Her heart skipped a beat. He's so handsome, but…
She silently took a step back, unsure of what species he was, feeling a bit uneasy.
He even seemed a bit ominous.
The girl touched the back of her neck, feeling a cold sweat coming on.
Forget it, no matter how handsome he is, it's not worth it. Herbivores can't handle it.
Xu Mu caught sight of the girl's movements out of the corner of his eye, suddenly realizing, "Oh, so that's what the charm is for."
—It's like hanging a charm on a phone.
Satisfied with his curiosity, Xu Mu no longer paid attention to her and turned his head, focusing on the next stop.
The destination... was still three stops away.
---
Chuanshi Floating Ash Park
Following the navigation instructions, Xu Mu walked for about three minutes and arrived at the event venue.
A magnificent glass building sparkled in the middle of the waterway.
Xu Mu followed the crowd and boarded the elevator.
The crowd was dense and bustling, with people coming in groups, many of whom had dressed up in character costumes or wore clothes with the names of gaming teams printed on them.
Xu Mu happened to join a "group of acquaintances", where the chatter never stopped. He turned his face to the side, expressionless, eyelids drooping, observing the scene from this angle.
The area around him happened to be a vacuum zone.
Ding—
The crowd rushed out like a swarm of bees, and Xu Mu calmly followed behind.
Following the landmark provided by "Huang Tiepi", he found his target accurately.
The other person was still looking around, muttering to himself about where to go. Xu Mu quietly approached him from behind, reached out, and grabbed his shoulder.
"Hello," Xu Mu spoke up.
"Whoa!" The man jumped in surprise, a chill running down his spine. He stumbled back, stuttering, "Y-you..."
Xu Mu glanced at his own hand, visibly puzzled. Was he... really that scary?
"Are you Huang Tiepi?" Xu Mu asked.
"I am..." The man's eyes lit up, pointing at Xu Mu. "You're Xu?"
"Yes."
"Ahem, hello, my real name is Huang Chengyuan."
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Xu Mu's mouth. "Hello, Huang Chengyuan."
Huang Chengyuan was startled at first—
There was no way around it. This online friend of his didn't know what species he was. Those strange, eerie eyes were staring at him, making him feel uneasy.
However, it was impolite to ask about Xu Mu's species on their first meeting, so Huang Chengyuan could only hold back his questions and mutter to himself internally.
Nevertheless, being naturally sociable, Huang Chengyuan could break the ice quickly and soon be walking shoulder to shoulder with Xu Mu, browsing through the exhibits together.
Xu Mu found this enthusiastic online friend quite pleasant; he had the hearty demeanor of a big brother from the Northeast. Though a bit noisy, his talkativeness was a positive trait.
Since Xu Mu wasn't fond of speaking, he often found social interactions awkward. If he had a friend who was constantly chatting, he would feel much more relaxed and find the atmosphere comfortable.
Of course, if the other person also didn't enjoy speaking, and didn't find their interactions inappropriate, Xu Mu would like them even more, considering it the best way to interact.
"Do you want to buy anything?" Huang Chengyuan noticed that although Xu Mu wasn't talkative, he could communicate through eye contact.
With Xu Mu appearing earnest and constantly agreeing with him, Huang Chengyuan couldn't help but feel pleased, prompting him to say more.
“No.” Xu Mu shook his head.
Too expensive, he can't afford it.
"Nothing at all?" Huang Chengyuan didn't believe it, scratching his head. Considering Xu Mu was a student and had been working part-time, he suspected Xu Mu might be strapped for cash.
“Um.”
"Are you tight on money lately? Not enough pocket money?" he tentatively asked.
Xu Mu remained silent. While money was tight, if he truly liked something, he could still afford it.
Rather than saying he had deep feelings for this game and attended the third anniversary celebration out of passion, it was more accurate to say he wanted to experience the gaming atmosphere of this world.
Understanding Xu Mu's situation, Huang Chengyuan quickly pulled him into a hug and exclaimed loudly, "Ah! No worries, you'll have money once you enter society. For now—"
"You choose, big brother will pay for you!"
…
At night, when Xu Mu leisurely returned home and reached the downstairs of his house, he couldn't help but sigh:
That big brother is indeed generous, giving him so many souvenirs. At first glance, he's definitely a Northeastern guy.
Suddenly, his footsteps halted, and he focused his attention.
A rustling sound.
Xu Mu blinked. It seemed like a rabbit was making noise over there?
–- It seemed like it.
He used to raise a rabbit for seven or eight years; he wouldn't be mistaken.
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