170: Chapter 170 Audience Favorite: Pay-to-Win Crusade

"Welcome to the 'Pay-to-Win Crushing' special live broadcast."

Lin Chen stood in the center of the newly constructed studio—this studio was temporarily built using the "Plane Stage Construction Module" just bought from the mall, costing three million dimension points. The effect was to give all viewers an immersive first-person perspective experience.

At this moment, the 220 billion viewers weren't seeing a normal broadcast screen.

They were seeing Lin Chen's field of vision.

They could feel the temperature of the air touched by Lin Chen's fingertips, hear the rhythm of his heartbeat, and even vaguely perceive the thoughts in his mind—of course, key thoughts were blocked by a memory firewall.

"The content of today's performance is very simple."

Lin Chen raised his hand and pulled up the backstage balance interface—180 million dimension points. The golden numbers were displayed simultaneously in the corner of every live room across the entire platform.

"Use money to solve all problems."

"The first case—"

He snapped his fingers.

Opposite the studio, a huge cage rose.

Inside the cage were over three hundred snarling "enemies"—all villains the Screenwriting Team had arranged for Lin Chen in the scripts over the past few months: there were Underworld traitors who had tried to usurp the throne, assassins sent from the abyss, and even two "unexpectedly resurrected" former gods.

They were currently being guarded by Scavenger 07 himself, their bodies wrapped in white chains of rules. They were unable to move, but their mouths could still speak.

"Lin Chen! You'll die a horrible death!"

"Wait until the Screenwriting Team changes the script next time; I'll make you kneel and beg for mercy!"

"You're just an actor! Do you really think you can control fate?!"

Lin Chen smiled as he listened to all the curses.

Then, he opened the mall and searched:

[Physical Law Modification Rights (Local Area)]

Price: 5 million dimension points per minute.

Usage range: Within a specified ten-kilometer radius.

"Buy ten minutes," he said.

[Purchase successful]

[Consumed 50 million dimension points]

[Remaining: 130 million]

A silver-white remote control appeared in Lin Chen's hand with only a single red button on it.

He walked to the front of the cage and smiled at the enemies who were still cursing.

He pressed the button.

Buzz—

The physical laws inside the cage were instantly rewritten!

The direction of gravity changed from downward to upward!

With a cry of "Ah!", all the enemies were thrown toward the top of the cage!

But this wasn't the end.

Lin Chen quickly adjusted the parameters:

[Coefficient of Friction: 0]

[Air Resistance: 0]

[Coefficient of Elasticity: 1000%]

Thus, the moment those enemies hit the top of the cage, they were bounced back to the floor, then bounced back to the top, then back again—

Like hundreds of bouncy balls, they bounced up and down frantically inside the cage!

"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"

The screams turned into comical, trilling "Ah~ ah~ ah~" sounds.

The bullet chat went wild with laughter:

[The physics teacher's coffin lid can't be held down anymore!]

[Newton's coffin lid is rattling too!]

[Tip! Add it to an hour for me!]

[User 'Source of Happiness' tipped 10 million dimension points!]

Lin Chen indeed bought another fifty minutes.

The enemies bounced even more joyfully.

Cliché Reversal:

Just as the audience was laughing so hard they could barely breathe—

The studio's ceiling suddenly cracked open!

It wasn't an attack, but the signal of another live broadcast forcibly breaking in!

The screen showed a handsome man wearing a Nine-Dragon Imperial Robe, stepping on auspicious clouds with nine immortal swords floating behind him. He was standing atop a towering immortal palace, smiling calmly at the camera.

It was the popularity king for twelve consecutive seasons—

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor.

His live broadcast title was written in bold:

[Peak of Cultivation: Today I Undergo Tribulation to Become a Saint, Witnessed by All Realms]

Online Viewers: 190 billion.

Even higher than Lin Chen.

"Fellow Daoist Lin." Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's voice was as gentle as jade, yet it clearly transmitted to Lin Chen's studio. "Thank you for the screenwriting rights you sent earlier; they helped me modify the difficulty of my heavenly tribulation."

"As a return gift, I'll give you a present."

He raised his hand and threw a jade slip.

The jade slip crossed the dimensional barriers and appeared in Lin Chen's hand.

The content of the jade slip was automatically projected:

["Popularity Duel Invitation"]

[Initiator: Long Aotian Immortal Emperor]

[Content: The theme of the next live broadcast is 'Protecting the Important Person.' You and I will each protect a 'key character' to see who can withstand the 'Screenwriting Team's Special Offensive' longer.]

[Stakes: The loser pays 100 million dimension points and permanently withdraws from the popularity rankings competition.]

[Accept/Reject]

The bullet chat instantly exploded:

[The Immortal Emperor is taking the initiative to challenge!]

[How exciting!]

[Boss Lin, take it!]

Before Lin Chen could speak—

Customer Service 007 suddenly sent an urgent message:

"Mr. Lin! Don't accept! It's a trap!"

"I just got internal info from Scavenger 07—Long Aotian Immortal Emperor is already a 'Secondary Shareholder'! He has a secret agreement with the Screenwriting Team: as long as he can force you out of the popularity rankings, the Screenwriting Team will help him be promoted to a 'Formal Shareholder'!"

"The 'Screenwriting Team's Special Offensive' for this duel has definitely been tampered with! You're bound to lose!"

Lin Chen looked at the invitation, then at Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's "I've got you" smile.

Then, he smiled.

"I accept."

He said.

"But the rules need to be changed a bit."

Lin Chen looked up at Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's screen:

"Since it's 'Protecting the Important Person'—"

"Why don't we play a bit bigger?"

"We will each designate the person the other has to protect."

"I'll protect your person, and you'll protect mine."

"Let's see who fails first."

As soon as he said this, the entire place fell silent.

Even the smile on Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's face froze for a moment.

After three seconds of blankness, the bullet chat went completely wild:

[Holy crap! Protecting each other's person?!]

[This way of playing is too ruthless!]

[Does the Immortal Emperor dare to accept?!]

[User 'Betting Pool' tipped 5 million dimension points: I bet the Immortal Emperor doesn't dare!]

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor was silent for a long time.

So long that his viewers started posting question marks.

Finally, he spoke slowly:

"Fine."

"But the person will be chosen by me."

"You will protect my 'childhood friend'—Liu Ruyan."

The screen switched, showing a peerlessly beautiful woman dressed in snow-white clothes with an ethereal temperament, playing the zither in the back garden of the immortal palace.

[Character: Liu Ruyan]

[Attributes: Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's first love. Zero combat power, weak personality, a classic 'hindrance-type' female lead.]

[Current Status: Marked by the Screenwriting Team as a 'Key Plot Tool.']

"And the person you designate for me to protect..." Long Aotian Immortal Emperor looked at Lin Chen, "is?"

Lin Chen didn't even think about it:

"My Chief Financial Officer, Michael."

The screen cut to the office of the Heaven branch.

Michael was buried in calculating reports, with over a dozen holographic ledgers floating above his head. His fingers were tapping out afterimages on a virtual keyboard.

[Character: Michael]

[Attributes: Former Finance Official, current Underworld Group CFO. Low combat power, but proficient in financial warfare and contract traps.]

[Current Status: Has worked for 72 consecutive hours, on the verge of death from overwork.]

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor looked at Michael's "workaholic" image, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

This choice... was beyond his expectations.

But he still nodded:

"Fine."

"Duel duration: 24 hours."

"Starting now—"

Before his voice even faded!

Warning pop-ups appeared on both live screens simultaneously:

[Screenwriting Team's Special Offensive · First Wave]

[Type: Unexpected Disaster]

[Countdown: 10 seconds]

Thrilling Sensation:

On Liu Ruyan's side—

The ground of the garden where she was playing the zither suddenly cracked open! Nine ancient venomous dragons, each ten thousand feet long, surged out from the cracks! Every single one had the combat power of an Immortal Emperor, and they all locked onto Liu Ruyan, opening their giant mouths to pounce!

This was a lineup that could insta-kill an Immortal Venerable! For a mortal woman, it was clearly overkill!

"Ruyan!" Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's expression changed, and he immediately made a move!

But he found that his attack was blocked by an invisible barrier!

A line of small text appeared on the barrier:

[Duel Rules: Protectors can only use 'non-combat means' to protect the target.]

[Violation will result in an immediate loss.]

"What?!" Long Aotian Immortal Emperor glared at Lin Chen. "You changed the rules?!"

"I didn't," Lin Chen shrugged. "This was set by the Screenwriting Team—since it's 'protecting,' then you can't use violence. You have to use wisdom, resources, and... money."

He paused and smiled:

"Just like I usually do."

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor gritted his teeth.

Seeing that the venomous dragons were about to swallow Liu Ruyan—

He suddenly opened his dimension mall and bought frantically:

[One-time Absolute Defense Barrier] × 9, unit price 2 million dimension points, totaling 18 million.

[Spatial Banishment Scroll] × 9, unit price 1.5 million dimension points, totaling 13.5 million.

[Time Pause Pocket Watch (3 seconds)] × 1, unit price 5 million dimension points.

In just three seconds, he burned through 36.5 million dimension points!

The nine barriers covered the nine venomous dragons, the scrolls forcibly threw them into the void turbulence, and the time pause bought time for the operations—

Liu Ruyan was safe.

But Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's backstage balance visibly shrunk by a large chunk.

Meanwhile, on Michael's side—

The ceiling of his office began to rain money.

It wasn't a metaphor.

It was a real rain of banknotes.

Moreover, it was currency from various planes and civilizations: nether talismans, immortal crystals, god coins, star yuan... They surged out from the void like a waterfall, instantly submerging the office!

Michael was buried in a mountain of money, with only his head showing.

But this was even more terrifying.

Because high-intensity karmic debt was attached to all that money!

Every single banknote represented a "karma" debt that needed to be repaid!

If Michael touched them, he would be pursued across dimensions by countless creditors, and his soul would be torn to shreds!

"Protector! Solve it quickly!" The bullet chat was frantic.

Lin Chen, however, wasn't worried at all.

He opened the mall and searched:

[Concept-Level Cash Register]

Price: 8 million dimension points.

Function: To suck in, decompose, and convert any form of "wealth concept" into pure energy.

"Buy it."

[Purchase successful]

The cash register appeared in Michael's office and began to suck in the money frantically!

All those banknotes, coins, and even the wealth concepts in the void were sucked in, turning into streams of golden energy that were injected into Michael's body—

Instead of harming him, it actually replenished the energy he had consumed from continuous work!

Michael's spirits were lifted, and he calculated the ledgers even faster.

Both sides had defended the first wave.

But Lin Chen had only spent 8 million.

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor had spent 36.5 million.

The bullet chat began to do the math:

[The Immortal Emperor lost big!]

[Boss Lin profited from this wave!]

[The key is that Michael even got healed, lol.]

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's expression was unsightly.

But before he could adjust—

The second wave of the offensive arrived.

This time, it was a double attack.

On Liu Ruyan's side, she was forcibly teleported to the core of a collapsing "small world." This world would explode in thirty seconds, with enough power to injure an Immortal Emperor.

On Michael's side, ten thousand commercial contracts from different planes suddenly popped up in front of him. Every single contract was a trap; signing even one incorrectly would lead to massive losses for the Underworld Group.

Countdown: 30 seconds.

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor gritted his teeth and opened the mall again—

But this time, Lin Chen moved first.

He bought two things:

[Small World Stability Anchor] × 1, price 12 million dimension points.

[Full-Auto Contract Audit AI] × 1, price 6 million dimension points.

Total: 18 million.

The Small World Stability Anchor was tossed to Liu Ruyan, instantly freezing the collapse process.

The contract audit AI connected to Michael's system, scanning all the contracts in one second and marking all the traps.

Both sides were resolved simultaneously.

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor had just finished buying the [World Transfer Talisman] (15 million) and the [God of Law Assistance Voucher] (10 million). Before he could even use them, he found that the crisis had already been resolved.

He had wasted 25 million dimension points for nothing!

The bullet chat was laughing hysterically:

[The Immortal Emperor was beaten to the punch again!]

[Boss Lin predicted your prediction!]

[This isn't a protection battle; it's a pay-to-win speed race!]

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's face turned completely black.

He realized where the problem lay—

Lin Chen's understanding of "pay-to-win" was much deeper than his.

Lin Chen knew what to buy, what not to buy, when to buy it, and how to combine purchases.

Whereas he only knew how to mindlessly pile up the most expensive items.

"The third wave..."

Long Aotian Immortal Emperor stared at Lin Chen, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes:

"I want you dead."

Hook:

Just as the third wave of the offensive was about to descend—

Customer Service 007 suddenly screamed in Lin Chen's mind:

"Mr. Lin! I just intercepted a secret communication between the Immortal Emperor and the Screenwriting Team!"

"They're going to tamper with the third wave—the offensive will attack Liu Ruyan and Michael simultaneously, but the intensities will be different!"

"On Liu Ruyan's side, it's just a 'performance-level' attack for show. On Michael's side... it's a guaranteed kill!"

"The Immortal Emperor plans to make you exhaust your dimension points to save Michael, and then he'll pretend to 'barely protect' Liu Ruyan to win the duel!"

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.

He looked at Long Aotian Immortal Emperor's "I'm ready" expression, then at his remaining 92 million dimension points.

Then, he smiled.

"Xiao Qi."

"Here!"

"Buy that thing for me."

"Which one?"

"The most expensive one."

"You mean... [Dimension-Level Plot Interference Rights]? That costs 50 million dimension points for a single use! And it only lasts for three seconds!"

"Buy it."

A cold light flashed in Lin Chen's eyes:

"Since they want to play dirty—"

"Then I'll teach them..."

"What it truly means to..."

"Crush with pay-to-win."