2: Hey streamer, your background looks so fake!

Hell.

This word was like an icy hammer, slamming hard against Chen Xi's forehead.

His entire body froze in place, and even his breathing skipped a beat.

1937, Shanghai, Sihang Warehouse.

He knew what these words combined meant better than any viewer in the livestream spamming "666".

That wasn't a game dungeon; it was a meat grinder for an entire nation's flesh and blood.

"Damn it..." Chen Xi squeezed the words through his teeth, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back, sticking his clothes to his skin.

In that split second of distraction, a stray bullet flew in from nowhere, letting out a sharp whistle as it grazed his scalp.

The scorching air current from the bullet even singed a few strands of his hair, and the air filled with the stench of burnt protein.

The touch of death was so real, so brutal.

Chen Xi shuddered. The ease and laziness he had cultivated as a soldier in his past life and a streamer in this life vanished instantly under that shot. Relying almost entirely on muscle instinct, he suddenly ducked low, pressing himself tightly against the ground, moving as fast as a startled leopard.

The look in his eyes changed.

There wasn't a hint of playfulness or laziness left, only a wolf-like alertness and coldness. He quickly scanned his surroundings; every broken wall and pile of rubble rapidly transformed in his eyes into usable cover or potential sources of danger.

This fluid series of tactical movements was immediately noticed by some sharp-eyed viewers in the livestream.

[Holy crap! Master Xi's core strength is legit! That prone position just now was a standard tactical evasion, right?]

[Stop hyping it up, you guys. Master Xi used to be in 'Dragon Tooth.' These are just basic skills, forgot?]

[Don't act so cool, person above. What's Dragon Tooth? Isn't Master Xi a pro gamer?]

[You don't know Dragon Tooth? Go back and read more books! That's...]

Before this informative comment could finish, it was completely drowned out by a flood of funny comments. Most viewers were clearly still immersed in this "top-tier realistic" gaming experience.

[Hahaha, the streamer is scared shitless. Look, his face has gone pale!]

[Keep acting, keep acting! Oscar owes you a little gold man!]

[To be honest, the details in this game are insane. They even simulated the smell of burnt hair? Can you smell it, Master Xi?]

[Master Xi, your background is too fake! Look at that building behind you; the way it's burning looks fake. It's definitely just a modeled texture!]

"Texture my ass!"

Chen Xi couldn't help but curse as he looked at the comments.

He didn't have time to bullshit with these silly netizens right now.

He could feel danger approaching. That unique sense of pressure, as if being watched by countless pairs of eyes, made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He had to move.

He had to find an absolutely safe hiding spot, or... find a weapon.

But as far as he could see, there was nothing but rocks and mud; not even a decent iron bar.

He was currently an unarmed sitting duck.

Update

Just as Chen Xi's heart was sinking inch by inch and he was almost falling into despair, that cold mechanical voice rang out again.

"Ding—Detected that the host's survival environment is extremely harsh. Newbie Gift Pack has been issued."

"Please check and receive."

A soft white light appeared out of thin air in front of Chen Xi.

Within the light, a translucent, sci-fi-looking box slowly emerged, with the word "LUCK" written on it in a flashy pixel font.

Chen Xi's eyes lit up instantly.

It's here!

My cheat code!

The livestream also boiled over again because of this sudden "airdrop supply."

[Whoa! Newbie Gift Pack! It's here, it's here!]

[Open it, open it! Let me see what good stuff is inside! A Dragon Slaying Saber? Or an 8x scope 98K?]

[It's a casual game; I'm guessing it's a fishing rod or a hoe.]

[Get lost, person above! A fishing rod on Hell difficulty? Are you going to catch a shark to fight the invaders?]

[I bet fifty cents there's a Gatling gun with infinite ammo inside, and then Master Xi will carry it and mow down the whole Bund!]

Chen Xi took a deep breath, suppressing his pounding heart.

All his hopes were now in this box.

He reached out and carefully tapped the "OPEN" button on the box.

The box opened at his touch, and a brilliant light burst forth, making him almost unable to open his eyes.

Update

The light faded.

Chen Xi couldn't wait to look inside the box.

Then, the expectation on his face froze.

In the very center of the box lay a "weapon."

It was a sickle.

A sickle used for cutting grass—the most ordinary, common type of agricultural sickle.

The wooden handle was covered in cracks due to age, looking like it would fall apart at any moment.

The blade was even more rusted, with dark red rust mixed with black stains, and there were even several notches on the edge.

The entire sickle exuded a cheap aura of "I'm very fragile, don't touch me" from head to toe.

Chen Xi was dumbfounded.

The livestream went quiet for three seconds.

Then, overwhelming "hahahahaha"s and "???"s instantly flooded the screen.

[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!]

[Sorry, I couldn't hold it in. What the hell is this?]

[Starting on Hell difficulty and getting a rusty sickle? Did a donkey kick the game designer's head?]

[I declare this the funniest Newbie Gift Pack I've seen this year, bar none!]

[Master Xi, don't panic. Maybe this thing is a divine artifact? Look, although it's rusty and broken, it... sorry, I can't keep making this up, hahahaha!]

Chen Xi looked at the sickle expressionlessly, then at the screen full of mockery.

He felt his blood pressure skyrocketing at a very unhealthy rate.

He reached out and tremblingly took the sickle out of the box.

It felt exactly as it looked.

Very light, very brittle, as if it would break with just a little force.

"Casual game..."

Chen Xi gritted his teeth, squeezing out these words one by one.

"Casual my ass!"

Just as he was so furious he almost threw the crappy sickle away.

A faint item description box, looking like it might disappear at any moment, appeared above the sickle.

[weeding sickle]

[Quality: Worn-out]

[Description: An unremarkable sickle. Perhaps it could be useful when clearing weeds.]