6: Where does the money come from?

After Han Li finished the background story, he was about to say something more to set the mood when he noticed the barrage of comments on his phone screen had gone completely wild.

He brought the phone closer, and the comments from the Streamer's audience came into view one by one.

Han Li instinctively gasped, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Streamer! Just now! While you were talking! The second-floor window!"

"I screenshotted it! I really f***ing screenshotted it! A white shadow floated past!"

"It's not an illusion! Tens of thousands of us saw it! Run! Don't look back!"

"Replay! Streamer, quickly open the replay! It's definitely not a trick of the eye!"

Han Li's heart constricted sharply, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He forced himself to calm down, giving two dry laughs into the live stream: "Don't joke around, brothers, it's late at night, don't scare yourselves."

Even as he said this, his hands tremblingly clicked open the replay function of the streaming software.

He rewound the progress bar about ten seconds and then stared intently at the screen.

In the footage, he was standing with his back to the villa, gesticulating wildly as he told a ghost story.

Just as the camera panned over the broken window on the second floor—

A blurry, humanoid, white object indeed flashed past behind the window.

"Holy sh*t!"

Han Li blurted out a curse, his hand shaking, almost dropping his phone.

It's real!

There really was something!

Some of the audience in the live stream, who enjoyed a good spectacle, became even more excited when they saw the Streamer was truly scared.

"Scared? Streamer, aren't you a professional debunking fraud? Go inside and take a look!"

"Yeah, if you're a man, smash it! Maybe it's just the curtains blowing in the wind?"

"Exactly, you're already at the door, not going in isn't your style! Send gifts, embolden the Streamer!"

Immediately, various small gifts started flooding the screen.

Han Li looked at the screen, then turned to look at the villa, which lay dormant like a giant beast in the night, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He wanted to run.

But then he remembered the five thousand yuan he had just transferred out.

That was his living expense for the month!

For the sake of the live stream's effect, and to earn back those five thousand yuan, he had to explore this haunted house today!

"Damn it, I'll risk it!"

Han Li gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve.

"family members (audience), you're right! The end of science is metaphysics, and today I'm going to see what exactly this 'end' is!"

He pulled a powerful flashlight from his backpack and pushed open the rusty iron gate.

"Creak—"

The harsh friction sound was particularly eerie in the silent night.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, a cold gust of wind blew without warning.

Even though it was the scorching summer, the wind was bone-chilling, making him shiver uncontrollably.

"A bit spooky..." Han Li muttered softly, holding up his phone and sweeping the flashlight beam around the courtyard.

Overgrown with weeds, it was a mess.

He quickly noticed that the main door of the villa was ajar, revealing a dark, black gap.

"The door isn't locked, I'm going in, folks."

While interacting with the audience in the live stream to bolster his courage, he cautiously moved towards the door... Meanwhile.

In his rented room, Li Heng was sitting with his legs crossed, chatting on his computer with a newly added QQ friend.

This was a "fated person" he had randomly added from a mutual aid group for students who failed the college entrance exam.

【Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy: Li Heng】: Student, don't be too sad. It's just one exam; it doesn't determine a person's entire life.

【Qing Qing Zi Jin】: That's easy to say, but my parents are scolding me to death, saying I've shamed them.

【Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy: Li Heng】: Don't mind them, they don't understand. Life's journey is long, why dwell on temporary success or failure? I see you have great innate talent; would you consider our school?

Li Heng skillfully typed out this line, then copied and pasted a pre-prepared message.

【Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy: Li Heng】: I am the Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy, summoned by the Heavenly Dao to open the Immortal Dao for all beings. The academy is newly established and is currently crowdfunding. If you are interested, student, a crowdfunding contribution of five hundred will grant you priority admission, and Immortal Ascension in the future is promising!

Silence fell on the other end of the computer.

Li Heng wasn't in a hurry; he knew the other person probably thought he was a scammer.

As he was pondering how to continue his persuasion, the other party sent a message.

【Qing Qing Zi Jin】: You... also didn't do well on this college entrance exam and were stimulated?

Li Heng was taken aback.

【Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy: Li Heng】: No, I'm doing very well.

【Qing Qing Zi Jin】: Then how many points did you score?

Li Heng hesitated. He couldn't possibly say he scored 350, could he? That would be too much of a loss of Face.

Just as he was thinking about how to gloss over it, the other party sent another message.

【Qing Qing Zi Jin】: I scored 498, just 2 points short of the Tier 1 university cutoff. Because I had a high fever on the day of the exam, I wasn't in good condition... Sigh, never mind, it's all tears.

Li Heng looked at the number "498" on the screen and felt completely numb.

Four hundred ninety-eight?

That was over a hundred points higher than his own score!

He, a poor student, had just been earnestly comforting a top student who was almost at the Tier 1 university level?

And he even wanted to instigate the other party to crowdfund five hundred to build a school?

Li Heng suddenly felt like a clown; the words he had just typed now seemed so ridiculous and laughable.

He felt he had no right to comfort anyone anymore.

On the other end of the computer, the girl named Li Qingyuan looked at the other party's silence in the chat box and pretty much understood.

She felt that this netizen named Li Heng must also be a pitiful person, probably having scored even worse than herself, which led to such unrealistic fantasies.

She thought for a moment and, in turn, comforted him.

【Qing Qing Zi Jin】: It's okay, everything will get better. You need to be stronger, don't overthink things, and even more so, don't indulge in such illusory things.

Li Heng looked at the phrase "You need to be stronger" and was completely bewildered.

What's going on?

How did it turn into her comforting me?

He was about to reply, "I'm mentally fine, Immortal Cultivation is real," when an abrupt change occurred!

Ding!

His phone suddenly rang with a crisp notification sound.

【Alipay received 100 yuan.】

Immediately after, the System's voice also sounded in his mind.

【Crowdfunding funds detected, amount: 100 Dragon Kingdom Coins.】

Li Heng hadn't even reacted yet.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The phone's notification sounds went off like crazy, ringing non-stop!

【Alipay received 50 yuan.】

【Alipay received 88 yuan.】

【WeChat received 200 yuan.】

【Alipay received 666 yuan!】

In his mind, the System's broadcast also rattled off like a machine gun.

【Crowdfunding funds detected, amount: 50 Dragon Kingdom Coins.】

【Crowdfunding funds detected, amount: 88 Dragon Kingdom Coins.】

【Crowdfunding funds detected, amount: 200 Dragon Kingdom Coins.】

...The continuous stream of payment notifications rang for more than ten minutes before gradually subsiding.

Li Heng was completely dumbfounded, sitting motionless in front of the computer.

He felt like he was dreaming.

After more than ten minutes, the System's voice finally sounded again, with a hint of mechanical summary.

【Phase-wise statistics: A total of 3752 crowdfunding contributions were received this time, with a total amount of 3,215,600 yuan.】

"Three... three million?"

Li Heng was utterly confused, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

Where did this money come from?

Even robbing a bank wouldn't be this fast, would it?!?