Chapter 19

The Cloud Platform Network Park's address is undisclosed, with heavy security both inside and outside, making it a solid and eternal cage for the artificial human broadcasters.

Xi Yu hadn't had the chance to see the whole picture yet. He followed the security staff's instructions, quickly changed in the communal bathroom, then received his essential supplies in a ration pack. He was assigned to a very small single dorm room.

The journey was mainly through sealed, monotonous corridors, and the few broadcasters he encountered were just as helpless as him, so there was no communication between them.

In addition, the frequent appearance of iron gates and electronic locks added to the oppressive atmosphere.

As the dormitory was about to close, Xi Yu finally couldn't help but speak up: "Excuse me, what time can we go out, and what will we do tomorrow?"

The security staff impatiently pointed to the bedside: "Ask the Cloud Platform manager."

With that, he quickly locked the electronic door.

Xi Yu stood in the dark with his supply pack, dazed for a moment, before using his fingerprint to turn on the light.

Though he didn't know much yet, it was clear that the broadcaster levels here were very strict.

The more popular and experienced one was, the better the living conditions?

Xi Yu didn't really care about this; he had just understood that he was at the bottom of the hierarchy: the dormitory was also a completely sealed, techy white space, with a single bed in the narrow room. There was a small LCD screen flashing on the bedside table, and in the corner, a tiny partitioned bathroom with just a toilet and sink—utterly impoverished.

He smiled helplessly, sitting on the bed and opening the package he'd just received: two sets of pajamas and work clothes, to be replaced daily by a cleaning staff; a portable water filter bottle and compressed biscuits, enough to provide basic nutrition; a set of basic toiletries, and... a roll of toilet paper?

Xi Yu shook the bag, confirming there was nothing else inside. Finally, feeling exhausted, he lay down and tapped the small LCD screen flashing with blue light.

The screen scanned his face and immediately spoke: "Host 00777, this is the Cloud Platform manager. How can I assist you?"

... Another indifferent AI.

Xi Yu asked, "What is the schedule?"

The screen responded with a male voice: "You are currently a junior broadcaster, pending assessment. After passing the assessment, you must live-stream at least twice a month. On live-streaming days, you will stay in the nutrition warehouse for the entire day. On non-live-streaming days, breakfast is at 7:00 AM, lunch at 12:00 PM, and dinner at 7:00 PM in the junior cafeteria. The rest of the time is self-arranged, and you must sleep by 9:00 PM."

Xi Yu raised an eyebrow: "How many levels are there for broadcasters? How do I level up?"

The screen replied: "There are five levels: junior, intermediate, senior, veteran, and expert. You level up based on your game scores, but 'expert' refers to the top 50 broadcasters in the company. For detailed information, you must go to the electronic reading room."

Xi Yu tiredly rested his hand on his forehead: "So, what about the training for new broadcasters that was mentioned earlier?"The LCD screen responded: "Since you are a newly reset player, starting tomorrow, you will undergo three days of training. After three days, you will face a final assessment live broadcast. The elimination rate is fifty percent. Once you pass, you will receive your broadcaster qualification certificate and officially start your professional journey."

Xi Yu widened his eyes: "Only three days? And half of the people will be eliminated? What happens if an artificial human can never pass the assessment..."

The LCD screen coldly replied: "You do not have the authority to inquire about this information."

... Alright then.

Xi Yu shut his mouth, threw the LCD screen aside, changed into his pajamas, and forced himself to rest.

Although his brain had fallen into a state of dormancy several times in the nutrition warehouse, his body was still extremely exhausted after leaving. Now, with his status as insignificant as dust, he still faced challenges he couldn't avoid. He had to pull himself together!

However, before falling asleep, Xi Yu couldn't help but wonder: ... Have the memories I lost during the reset really disappeared? Or is there still a chance waiting ahead? Am I the same person as the one before the reset?

In this windowless, enclosed bedroom, there was no sound, and naturally, no answers.

But Xi Yu wasn't afraid. He even inexplicably believed in himself: He would find a way to solve the countless puzzles in his heart.

The next day, at 6:30 AM.

Xi Yu, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.

He hadn't heard any sound, but he felt a faint, stinging sensation in his ears, and the sleepiness immediately vanished. He had to rub his neck and sit up.

The LCD screen, lying on the pillow, emotionlessly notified: "The manager has executed the secondary wave wake-up function. Breakfast will be available in half an hour. You need to gather in classroom E-701 at 8:00 AM."

Xi Yu smiled helplessly, changed his clothes, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then put on his identity bracelet and walked out the door.

The broadcasters' lifestyle consumes resources that affect the company's operational costs, which isn't hard to understand.

So it's only natural that the living conditions for the majority of junior broadcasters are not great.

Xi Yu wandered through the monotonous hallway, finding no special rooms, so he followed the flashing signs toward the cafeteria.

He noticed that most of the people he passed by were young and lacked energy, with many of them having tear-streaked eyes, likely suffering from the harsh reality?

It was no wonder, after learning about their hopeless fate, suicide wouldn't be surprising.

In contrast, Xi Yu remained calm and composed, keeping a gentle expression as he entered the so-called junior cafeteria. He was pleasantly surprised to find the space wide open before him: Unlike the previous rooms and hallways, which had no windows and no view of the outside, this large space, which could accommodate hundreds of people, had two large, clean floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Through them, everyone could see the rising sun and the lush grassy fields outside, which was exceptionally refreshing.While Xi Yu was admiring the scene, Wu Zhi, the careless guy, came over and mumbled, "Good morning, you should go eat something!"

Xi Yu reluctantly snapped out of his thoughts, seeing Wu Zhi's cheeks puffed up, and couldn't help but smile. "Alright, I'll go get it."

"We'll sit over there, remember to come over," Wu Zhi pointed to a spot not far away.

Xi Yu raised his eyes and saw Tang Yanyan and Fang Hao also looking at him from their seats. He immediately nodded politely and turned around to grab a tray to get his food.

The cafeteria's selection wasn’t abundant, but the quantity was enough to satisfy Xi Yu, who wasn’t picky.

He quickly picked some porridge, eggs, and an apple, then quietly sat next to Wu Zhi, staying silent just like he did in the game.

Wu Zhi couldn't help but ask, "How come you're so calm? What should we do now? Should we go back into the dungeon for another assessment? Can we still be together?"

Xi Yu shook his head. "I don’t know either."

Tang Yanyan carefully looked at him. "I'm sorry... In the end, I betrayed you and caused trouble for all of you."

Actually, Xi Yu didn’t know much about what had happened in the game after his death. He had only realized the situation when he revived and picked up the knife to deal with Sun Xiuyue. So, he said, "It’s alright, I was already out of the game at that point. What happened later has nothing to do with me."

Wu Zhi quickly swallowed his bun and excitedly started talking about how Luo Xi had forced Fang Hao to kill Tang Yanyan, then forced Fang Hao to take poison and commit suicide, arranging all kinds of tricks. He finally sighed, "I really have to thank that old rascal, or we'd all be cold bodies in the warehouse right now!"

The truth was always hard to hear, and he blurted it out, which naturally caused discomfort among the people around them.

Xi Yu raised his eyes. "Eat. Don’t talk while eating, don’t speak while sleeping."

Wu Zhi was choked by the porridge, then shrank his neck under Xi Yu’s serious gaze. "Oh."

Xi Yu focused back on his food, quietly thinking about what to do next.

However, a few minutes later, the atmosphere in the dim cafeteria suddenly stirred.

Everyone looked in the direction of the noise and saw more than ten tall and beautiful men and women walking into this shabby place. They spoke softly to each other as if they were familiar, then naturally went to choose their breakfast. Their relaxed and carefree atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the exhausted junior broadcasters around them.

Wu Zhi pointed at a familiar-looking man surrounded by a man and a woman, exclaiming, "Hey, isn’t that Luo Xi?"

Xi Yu, who had been uninterested, glanced over and, sure enough, it was him.

Luo Xi's group of broadcasters were also dressed uniformly, but their outfits looked much more advanced than the junior broadcasters, and Xi Yu wondered where they came from.Tang Yanyan whispered, "They... are expert-level broadcasters. A girl told me when I was taking a shower. For every quality inspection dungeon, more experienced broadcasters are assigned to adjust the situation to ensure the quality of the live broadcast, but they don’t take up any of the qualifying spots. Then, the best of them, the experts, will continue to be instructors for the new players' training."

Luo Xi, seasoned and aloof, did not surprise Xi Yu with this fact. He nodded, accepting the truth readily.

It was Wu Zhi, the guy who couldn't keep secrets, who exclaimed in awe, "I didn’t expect that old rascal to be so powerful. We only won because we were holding on to his leg..."

While the people around were discussing, Luo Xi suddenly strode over toward their table.

Wu Zhi, frightened, lost his appetite and nervously said, "Let’s hurry and leave, he’s hard to deal with."

Xi Yu almost had his bowl knocked over by Wu Zhi's tug.

Fortunately, Luo Xi was heading toward the table behind them.

The person sitting all alone at that table was none other than Sun Xiuyue, expressionless and unknown when she had appeared.

Life and death, victory and defeat, were not easy things to come to terms with. In addition, with this despairing life before her, Sun Xiuyue, having seized an opportunity, was far from happy.

She hesitated as Luo Xi approached, softly asking, "...What do you want?"

Luo Xi: "Do you know why I saved you?"

Sun Xiuyue: "Because I meet the requirements, but I've just been unlucky, either running into teammates who are useless or fence-sitters."

Her voice was too loud, causing Tang Yanyan to immediately lower his head, feeling guilty.

Luo Xi laughed heartily, then said, "Exactly. It’s a pity you’re getting reset, but you're probably the best one to play the game among the black side."

Sun Xiuyue thought for a moment, continuing to eat her bun in silence.

"Do you know why all the winning side players are qualified? It actually seems a bit unfair, doesn’t it?" Luo Xi asked again.

Sun Xiuyue frowned, her eyes showing anger.

Luo Xi smirked: "Because luck is also an important talent. The audience always likes to watch lucky players and doesn't sympathize with the unlucky ones."

Sun Xiuyue: "..."

Luo Xi: "I saved you this time, but it’s only this time. If you run into the same situation next time, don’t think of yourself as unlucky.""I know," Sun Xiuyue replied with difficulty.

Luo Xi stood up and glanced at Wu Zhi, who was secretly watching him, then looked over at the white side who were huddled together. "Also, I want to advise you all: once a dungeon is finished, forget about it. In this round, you may be friends, but next round, you might be enemies. There’s no need to bring too much personal emotion into Yuntai, or it will only cause you to lose miserably."

This statement naturally caused a slight ripple among the confused and uneasy junior broadcasters.

However, Xi Yu, who hadn’t stopped eating, didn’t pay attention. He actually stood up inopportunely, collected his tray, and prepared to leave.

Luo Xi furrowed his brows. "Hey."

Xi Yu turned back, confused.

Luo Xi always found him interesting and suddenly smiled. "What, did I say something wrong?"

Xi Yu didn’t answer directly but replied, "You’re just an instructor, not a life coach. There’s no need to impose your views on others."

This remark made two expert-level broadcasters, who were watching from nearby, laugh. One of them, a female broadcaster, was well-endowed, with strikingly beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and she was as tall as Xi Yu. She had a head of attention-grabbing white-gray long hair, drawing the attention of almost all the males around.

Xi Yu winked at her and, noticing her name tag read "Xu Tu," found it quite cute. He couldn’t help but smile before handing his tray back and walking away.

Xu Tu rubbed her chin. "No wonder this is the company’s year of revival. The quality of new broadcasters is impressive."

Luo Xi snorted. "What, silly rabbit? You two have the same fur color and now you’re getting along?"

The man next to Xu Tu, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, snorted coldly. "Wake up, that guy’s not a little rabbit, he’s an old fox."

Luo Xi raised an eyebrow.

The man glanced around at the other expert broadcasters, then asked in confusion, "Don’t you all know Xi Yu? Two years ago, he was Yuntai’s top star. I didn’t expect that his identity would be preserved after the reset. Looks like the company wants to nurture a few more money trees."

This remark immediately caused a stir in the cafeteria.

Luo Xi was slightly surprised. He then turned to observe the direction in which Xi Yu had left and suddenly said, "You all eat first, I’m not hungry anymore."