### Chapter 31: Good Brothers Don’t Betray Good Brothers
Time flowed slowly, and for several days, everything was calm.
The day after Xu Xiaofeng started streaming, Fiery Conflict Across the Sky and a couple of others had all leveled up to 8.
Xu Xiaofeng, who joined the ranks a little later, also leveled up to 8 automatically, temporarily sitting pretty in sixth place on the leaderboard.
Some folks, with too much free time and bellies full, discovered this relatively unfamiliar ID and started speculation on the forums, wondering if she had snatched the BOSS’s first k*ll.
But then some other players, even fuller and with more free time, jumped in to refute them.
These players monitored the leaderboard daily, so they were no strangers to this ID.
And as luck would have it, this ID had a pattern: it always leapt up the ranks in the dead of night when fewer players were online.
What does this indicate? It indicates that the person is a hardcore gamer! By day they can’t compete with the big spenders, but by night, they’re overtaking everyone on a bend!
Now that’s a true big shot, way different from those playing with their wallets!
Nobody thought about the possibility of cheating.
For this, Xu Xiaofeng silently gave those people a thumbs up.
First, eliminate the correct options, then analyze the remaining ones; this is the kind of talent our detective agency needs!
Three days later, Fiery Conflict Across the Sky and the others leveled up to 9.
Xu Xiaofeng had intended to join them at level 9, but his little sister booted him offline.
“Big Brother, how old are you now? School starts tomorrow, and do I need to tell you to go to bed?”
Xu Xiaofeng replied with mild annoyance, “How old…”
“Hmm?”
“Not… I mean… okay, I got it.”
Although he desperately wanted to argue that playing games didn’t affect his rest, saying that would sound just like someone who had a final exam the next day and was too busy gaming to study.
Well, it doesn’t really affect him—either way, he’d end up failing!
Reluctantly, Xu Xiaofeng logged off early to get some sleep.
The next day, he woke up early.
He prepared breakfast, organized his things, and freshened up his image.
After being a homebody for over a month, it was time to get his act together.
He stood in front of the mirror, checking himself out.
“My hair seems a bit long. When did that happen? I didn’t even notice. No wonder I got more attention last time I went out.”
He grabbed a rubber band and gave his hair a quick tie, then threw on a hat. After school registration, he planned to get a haircut.
Seeing that time was running short, he hurriedly called his sister to wake up before heading to school.
The sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could return; ideally, he’d just see the adviser, announce his presence, and avoid other encounters.
It wasn’t that he was socially anxious; it was just that meeting people meant trouble. Strangers might want his WeChat, and familiar faces would ask about games—awkward!
Then…
“Little Wind! Slow down! Why the rush? Why are you wearing a hat? I almost didn’t recognize you!”
Xu Xiaofeng sighed and turned to see who it was.
Wang Xinghao, his good buddy. They’d been in the same class since middle school, and somehow ended up in the same university.
Since Wang Xinghao was a bit on the hefty side, Xu Xiaofeng usually just called him Fat Wang.
They knew each other inside and out, perfectly matched in their stinky humor, always gaming together.
Xu Xiaofeng had a strong gaming talent and was often the one leading the group. Wang Xinghao, however, was a classic poor teammate—he could barely keep up even while holding onto the leg of a strong player.
And talk about being stubborn!
If I can’t carry you, how can you claim to be a big shot?
Since they were so familiar, Xu Xiaofeng could guess what Fat Wang wanted to say without him even opening his mouth. It was 99% likely to be about The Otherworld, and the remaining 1% was just a brain fart where he forgot about it.
He was also one of the people Xu Xiaofeng wanted to avoid the most.
So when he spotted Fat Wang at the school gate, Xu Xiaofeng ran for it. But thanks to some clumsy person getting in the way, he couldn’t escape.
“I’m not running! Just in a hurry to register!”
Xu Xiaofeng’s face didn’t flush nor did he gasp for air; he was telling a little fib effortlessly, thanks to all that practice in The Otherworld.
“Why the rush for registration? You have the whole day! It’s still early; look who’s here, Little Moon!”
“Mm, early.”
Xu Xiaoyue was familiar enough with them to offer a brief response. If she weren’t familiar, she’d just ignore them. She always maintained a cool demeanor in front of strangers.
“Speaking of which, why did you come so early?”
“Isn’t it to see you? I could hardly sleep last night, so I came to school early to check on you!”
“Alright, you’ve seen me, bye!”
Xu Xiaofeng turned on his heels to walk away.
“Hey! Brother Wind, don’t be in such a hurry! I still have a little something to say!”
Fat Wang grabbed Xu Xiaofeng by the arm, moving in closer like a sneaky raccoon.
“Brother Wind, have you played The Otherworld?”
“Nope.”
“Huh?” Fat Wang paused for a moment, staring at Xu Xiaofeng’s expression, then turned to ask Xu Xiaoyue, “Little Moon, your brother hasn’t played?”
Xu Xiaoyue shot a glance at her brother before replying, “I don’t know.”
“Uh… Brother Wind, why aren’t you playing?”
“Broke. Can’t afford it.”
“Then Little Moon, have you played?”
“Yep.”
“Why can your sister play while you can’t?”
“My sister’s got cash, and I’m poor. You know that.” Xu Xiaofeng pulled his arm away. “I get what you’re hinting at. You play games, and so does Xiao Yue. You two can play together.”
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyue immediately looked displeased.
Although her gaming talent wasn’t the best, she could still play. Fat Wang, however, played like he was in agony; he might be having the time of his life while everyone else was suffering.
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She glared at Xu Xiaofeng, piercing him with her eyes.
The meaning was clear: you deal with your friend; don’t throw him at me or I’ll spill all your secrets!
Xu Xiaofeng understood, thought for a second, and said to Fat Wang, “How about this: I’ll find a streamer for you to follow. Just stick to their path, and you won’t have any problems. I may not be good at the game, but I’ve watched a ton of streams.”
“Which streamer?”
“Fiery Conflict Across the Sky.”
“Pfft!” Xu Xiaoyue couldn’t help but let out a strange sound.
Oh boy, if you follow that person, it’s doom. You’ll be stepping right into a pitfall! Then you just tossed your friend over to me!
“That’s no good; following a streamer is lame! So many people are following the same path—I’ll just be another face in the crowd, trailing behind. I’m aiming to be the Number One Player!”
Listening to this, Xu Xiaofeng had the feeling he was getting shortchanged…
But hold on, who’s the current Number One Player? Fiery Conflict Across the Sky. No issues there!
“So, Brother Wind, why didn’t you tell me you’re broke? I can sponsor you!”
You got that right; Fat Wang’s family had money to burn. While not on the level of Fiery Conflict Across the Sky, throwing around tens of thousands wasn’t a big deal for him.
Not exactly a big fish, but not a tiny shrimp either.
“No way, I, Xu Xiaofeng, have principles. I can’t borrow that money!”
After all, you’ll end up spending it on me anyway.
Of course, Xu Xiaofeng would be generous with his friends. You get what you pay for; there’s no way I’d shortchange you.
As long as you come up with the funds, even if you’re Fat Wang, I’ll help you become a big shot!
“What then? Brother Wind, I heard whispers that this game is quite something; the country is investing big time in its development. I’m not lending you money, I’m investing in you.”
“Fine, let’s do that. I’ll find a way on my own and let you know once I’m in the game. Between us, there’s no way I’d scam you.”
Having said that, Xu Xiaofeng dragged his sister off to register.
He already had a ton of things to deal with in the game; bringing along a supreme burden would turn it into a disaster!
Forget about brothers not helping you; I’ve even pointed you in the right direction. Spending money on buddies has never been a loss!
