Volume 1, Chapter 39: Facing the Mu Family Army

Yu Yansui closed the tablet and changed the subject, "We've won. What are the rules for the first round?"

[ (Admin) Evening Breeze: Play to your strengths, total votes. ]
[ (Admin) Jiuli: Total votes. ]
[ (Admin) Alan: Total votes. ]

Yu Yansui turned on her microphone. "We're going with total votes for this round, no cap."

Mu Zhaoyao hadn't expected Yu Yansui to go straight for total votes; he had assumed she would aim for a leaderboard spot. He gave a scornful laugh. "Don't come crying to me, little sister, when you lose this total vote battle."

The PK countdown reset to 15 minutes. This was the longest PK session Yu Yansui had held since she started streaming.

Fearing their tactics would be leaked to the opposition, her three top supporters were coordinating via voice chat in a private group.

As soon as the PK began, high-level accounts on Mu Zhaoyao's side sent dozens of "Carnival" gifts. Yu Yansui’s side, currently relying on small donations from fans, saw their health bar crushed to the bottom immediately.

The three men remained calm, chatting in their private group with unusual composure.

Li Suzhi: "Let the sweetie gather some small votes first. Don't rush; this is the perfect time to build fan cohesion."
Yan Huaifeng: "Agreed. No need to rush the process; let's build that cohesion first."
Alan: "Understood."

Seeing Yu Yansui pinned down, Mu Zhaoyao felt triumphant. His tone was dripping with disdain. "I told you, little sister, you can't outplay me. Why haven't your three max-level accounts shown up yet? Did they ditch you and run?"

The constant "little sister" comments made Yu Yansui feel nauseous, but after a few days of streaming, she had grown bolder. Remembering the sharp-tongued insults Zong Qiaoqiao used while gaming, she replied, "You keep forcing me to respond. Why don't you go to the Honor of Kings shop and buy a 'Echoing Staff'? I’ll be the echo, and you can be the staff—after all, lingering thoughts always get an echo."

"Arrogant! Keep being arrogant. Don't cry when you can't even hit 100,000 points; that would be truly pathetic."

While mocking her, he played intense background music. He stood in the middle of a group of his lackeys and began clapping loudly and rhythmically. His followers joined in, creating a deafening, percussive sound in the stream.

After a moment, he clasped his hands in a prayer-like gesture. "All Mu Army members, stand up! Families, this is it! Let that girl across the screen see the power of the Mu Army. I’m counting down from ten—I want to see our score hit two million!"

The lackeys behind him shouted, "Two million! Two million!"

"Come on! Families, ten, nine..."

The lackeys echoed every number, creating an atmosphere that was, if nothing else, quite intense. When he reached one, Mu Zhaoyao threw his arms open, as if awaiting a baptism of gifts.

Large gifts poured onto the screen one after another, and the score actually hit two million.

Looking at the two-million-point mark, Mu Zhaoyao smiled with satisfaction. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, looking incredibly sleazy. "Little sister~ just admit defeat~ I’m not a man who lacks compassion; I won't bully you. You just need to be a good girl and perform a 'Big Wrecking Ball' dance, and follow the penalty I set earlier."

His tone carried the implication that he was a benevolent victor who was letting her off easy.

Yu Yansui frowned, genuinely unable to comprehend who the target audience for this kind of content was. It was so absurd.

"It's only been five minutes. Why are you so certain I'll lose?"

Mu Zhaoyao scoffed, "Isn't your health bar proof enough? You must be panicking inside, little sister~"

Yu Yansui shook her head. She wasn't panicked at all and asked sincerely, "Are you going to send more?"

Mu Zhaoyao felt like he’d punched a cotton ball. Even after he’d pushed her this far, she hadn't broken. He couldn't tell if she had nerves of steel or if she was just an idiot.

Her indifferent demeanor finally triggered him. The fat on his face twitched. "You just wait!"

Mu Zhaoyao began jumping around the room like a madman, landing precisely each time, his hair bobbing with the motion. He gave a crude international gesture, turned up the volume of the intense music, and began soliciting votes at a frenzied pace.

"Brothers! Look at the dead-fish eyes on the streamer across from us. She’s clearly provoking us. Can we tolerate this?"

The crowd of lackeys shouted, "No! Strike back!"

A group of lackeys in black suits swarmed the frame, saluting and staring at the screen with intense, sincere focus.

Whenever someone sent a gift worth over a thousand, he would shout his thanks, and his lackeys would chime in unison, "Thanks to Brother A for sending a Sexy Year! May Brother A get rich!"

The lackeys: "Brother A gets rich! Get! Rich!"

Yu Yansui watched this performance with a grin, her white teeth showing. Her own fans were laughing uncontrollably. The opposition's tactics were endless, and she couldn't bring herself to mute the microphone.

[666, this is insane.]
[That voice, truly something else.]
[It’s so catchy, guys.]
[(Panda head pouting.jpg) I'm speechless.]
[I think I know why Seven Meow headhunted him now.]
[How should I put this? Different trades have different rules. I wish him success, truly.]
[What exactly is that guy on the other side aiming for? I'm going crazy.]
[Wait, I'm curious—how much do those lackeys get paid? It looks pretty easy, I want to join.]

Seeing that only five minutes remained—enough time for two more bonus rounds—Li Suzhi and the others finally made their move. "Time to strike. Don't drop the ball."

Following Li Suzhi's words, a series of large gift animations flooded Yu Yansui’s screen, quickly catching up to Mu Zhaoyao’s score.

[ 'Jiuli' gifted the streamer 'Critical Strike Card' x3 ]
Announcement: 1.5x critical strike, 3x bonus in effect.
[ 'Evening Breeze' gifted the streamer 'Dazzling Galaxy' x30 ] (29,999 Cat Coins)
[ 'Jiuli' gifted the streamer 'Eternal Diamond' x30 ] (30,000 Cat Coins)
[ 'Alan' gifted the streamer 'Nebula Duke' x30 ] (30,000 Cat Coins)

With the multipliers, Yu Yansui’s score soared into the tens of millions. Her fans cheered.

Mu Zhaoyao’s eyes widened. His vote-begging voice cut off, stunned for a moment before he regained his composure.

This time, he switched to an even more grandiose, intense soundtrack. His lackeys brought out a large gong, and Mu Zhaoyao took the mallet, striking it perfectly on the beat. The lackeys stomped and clapped, the sound like thunder.

"Brothers, the streamer across from us has some power, but so what if it's ten million? It’s not like our family hasn't handled that before. Come on! Who is going to step up for their brother? I’ll lead the entire Mu Army in a kowtow for our brothers and sisters!"

"They’re throwing cards, brothers, we can throw critical strike cards too! If we're lucky, we might hit the 10x max multiplier. Don't be timid, all in!"

"Families, please send your gifts to your heart's content. The bigger the gift, the more it cleanses your sins in this mortal world."

As a streamer poached from a major platform, his top supporters and guild were quite generous, and they quickly countered with several cards.

Once the score surpassed the opponent's, Mu Zhaoyao actually led his lackeys in a half-kneeling kowtow on camera.

Yu Yansui: ...

She remembered that Seven Meow had said not to be too attention-seeking; surely this was considered low-brow? And why did his final sales pitch sound so much like a cult leader? Wouldn't he get banned for that?

Seeing he had pulled ahead, Mu Zhaoyao breathed a sigh of relief. He had his three lackeys carry over a large bucket of water, from which he took a massive gulp. The scene was chaotic, with water spilling all over the floor; it was unclear how much he actually swallowed.

It was too bizarre. Perhaps this was just his "streaming style." She didn't understand it, but she chose to respect it.