[Acknowledged a Big Brother. Task completed. Reward: Qi Yun 1 (Already Issued).]
As the two acknowledged each other, a checkmark appeared in Lin Bai's mind for the Chief Supporting Role System's initial task.
It turns out forming a sworn bond isn't necessary? Is it really that casual? I didn't even tell him my name! Does everyone in this world only know the number one? Doesn't number two even deserve a name?
Lin Bai's eyelids twitched violently as he complained silently.
His Qi Yun increased by one, but he didn't feel any physical change. That makes sense. Qi Yun is such an illusory thing; if it manifested physically, it would be too fantastical. I can't possibly walk around everywhere with the Purple Qi Coming From the East effect, can I? On Earth, people like Zhu Yuanzhang, a founding emperor with great Qi Yun, probably followed paths to success no different from ordinary people. However, coincidences like turning misfortune into fortune and finding good luck in crises should definitely be more frequent for them.
[Daily Task: Being a Big Brother in obscurity is futile. Following a coward will lead nowhere. The higher your Big Brother soars, the greater your rewards. Do one thing to help your Big Brother gain Fame. Reward: Qi Yun 1.]
The newly popped-up task, one after another, made Lin Bai sneer. The initial task to acknowledge a Big Brother was completed so easily. This made me realize that the Systems in my mind aren't very strict in scrutinizing task results. Besides, I've found a shortcut to grind tasks, so I don't mind these seemingly nonsensical task notifications. Gain Fame? Too simple.
Lin Bai looked at this convenient Big Brother before him and said sincerely, "Big Brother, do you trust me?"
"Of course," Crispy Rice smiled, replying perfunctorily, "We're brothers, aren't we?"
"Good brothers, for life," Lin Bai nodded earnestly. "Big Brother, trust me, everything I do is for your own good. As the sage said, 'When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first visits his mind and will with suffering...'"
"Such literary talent!" Crispy Rice's eyes lit up, still reeling from the sage's words.
He hasn't even heard of Mencius's quotes? He's definitely not from Earth. My previous speculation was correct! Lin Bai suddenly stepped back, looked at the two in feigned surprise, and shouted, "What? You're planning a jailbreak?"
Crispy Rice was speechless.
Sticky Rice was also speechless.
"Are you in cahoots with that villain who was harassing women?" Lin Bai demanded, his voice stern, pointing at the two and displaying his anger vividly.
WHOOSH!
The onlookers' gazes immediately shot towards them.
OH CRAP!
Crispy Rice's smile froze. Sticky Rice's eyes widened in shock.
[Anger from Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice, +2]
What a fortunate coincidence! The System tasks can actually interact with each other!
Lin Bai's spirits lifted. With no time to overthink, he winked at Crispy Rice and whispered, "Run!"
What the hell kind of stunt is this? The two Players' minds were buzzing, nearly short-circuiting. Hearing Lin Bai's word, they instinctively turned and ran.
"Don't let them escape!" The moment they moved, Lin Bai's voice immediately followed, "They're in cahoots with that lecher!"
[Anger from Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice, +2]
The Players staggered. Crispy Rice shot Lin Bai a fierce glare over his shoulder, then they broke through the crowd and bolted.
Running makes us look guilty. But if we don't run and get caught, we won't be able to explain! The NPCs would never listen to our explanation, especially with another NPC framing us... The NPCs in this world are highly intelligent; we can't rely on previous game experience. This is still early in the beta test; we don't want to end up stuck in jail!
Jailbreaking was a capital crime. The constables were already at their wits' end dealing with the Players. The jail was full of troublemakers awaiting processing, and now, accomplices were attempting a jailbreak! It was like poking a tiger's whiskers.
"Liu Hu, Song Jin, take them down!"
At the command, two constables drew their blades and gave chase.
"Assist in catching the criminals! The City Lord offers a hefty reward!" Lin Bai, hidden in the crowd and eager to stir up trouble, shouted.
At his words, the commoners watching also joined the chase. After all, the two culprits looked weak and defenseless, without even a weapon in hand.
Behind the crowd, Jade Cat, heavily restrained, stared in stunned disbelief at the escaping Players. His face twitched violently. "Who the hell are these guys!? I just wanted a one-day tour of the jail! Who the hell is trying to break out? Are they trying to make me sit here until I wear through the jail floor?!"
After causing trouble for his newly acknowledged Big Brother, Lin Bai ran with the crowd for a while before finding an opportunity to slip away. I need to reassess this world and plan my future. If this world is a game, do NPCs respawn after death? Do game bugs get fixed? These are all questions I need to consider. After all, even though I'm a transmigrator with a System, I seem more like an NPC. If I die, will I respawn? If I do, will I retain my memories? Also, is the System I have part of the game's design, or is it an external element, like me? If it's external, will the GMs delete me if I'm discovered? Would death return me to my original world?
A series of questions weighed on Lin Bai's mind. His future was once again shrouded in mist. Without understanding the game's mechanics, I can't make further judgments. Compared to this entire world, I'm just a speck of dust right now. I hate this feeling of being swept along. "Stay alive!" This was the conclusion Lin Bai ultimately reached. Since I can't be sure what happens after death, I'll just live. Stay alive, no matter what. Even if this is a game world, living comfortably for eighty or a hundred years would make this life worthwhile.
Lin Bai walked down the street, lost in thought, observing the city and looking for other Players. He walked for a long time, but everyone around seemed to be ordinary people. It seems the number of beta testers isn't very large. Of course, it's also possible the Players caused too much trouble and were all arrested by the constables. As for tricking my new Big Brother, I don't really care. Was that even tricking? That was helping my Big Brother gain Fame... Just as Players explore a new game, tricking my Big Brother is also my way of testing the System's limits. It's common knowledge that few Big Brothers actually make it; most die prematurely. Didn't Lu Bu have three "fathers"? Even a top-tier supporting character has no reason to stick with one Big Brother until the very end. If the System rigidly requires loyalty to a single Big Brother, then I don't mind continuously tricking him. A Puppet Big Brother is still a Big Brother!
Chief Supporting Role System:
[Your Big Brother must be strong. Let your Big Brother learn a skill (Not Completed). Reward: Qi Yun 3.]
Emotional System:
[Collect ten instances of negative emotions directed at you (7/10). Reward: Spirit 3.]
The tasks for the Everything has shortcomings system and the Cooking God System showed no progress yet. So far, Lin Bai had gained 2 Qi Yun and 1 Spirit from completed tasks. He had experienced the benefits of Spirit, but Qi Yun had not yet manifested any tangible effects.
However, Lin Bai didn't expect the rewards from the initial tasks to make him an instant sage. Everything needs to progress step by step. I've completed several tasks neatly and efficiently; it's a good start.
As Lin Bai aimlessly walked down the street, the constables and enthusiastic citizens who had gone to catch Crispy Rice and Sticky Rice returned in small groups. They hadn't seen the two Players.
Lin Bai stopped someone and asked, "Did you catch them?"
"Don't even mention it. They vanished after turning a corner," the person replied regretfully. "A River and Sea Bandit must have special skills, or perhaps an accomplice. With a River and Sea Bandit infiltrating Jiamucheng, these times are far from peaceful!"
With that said, he shook his head, walked past Lin Bai, and continued on his way.
Lin Bai paused, then chuckled ruefully. They logged off! Although I don't know the mechanics behind logging off and on in this game, logging off is undoubtedly a lifesaver for Players to escape pursuit. It's not easy to truly catch a Player. I need to find out how Players log off, and soon!