Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

Whether it was out of genuine disgust or an attempt to force Jiang Xianwu to release the guide at a low price...

There would always be people who joined in the rhythm.

And no matter how obvious the baiting was, even if some people knew it was baiting, they would willingly take the bait.

This malicious speculation quickly led to content detrimental to Zhou Baiyu appearing on the Voice of Pioneers forum.

Many posts began to question why Jiang Xianwu chose to block the voyeurs.

"To my knowledge, blocking oneself from being perceived by the voyeurs costs quite a bit of pioneer points, and you claim to want to protect the Snow Demon. Why, isn't it better to save your pioneer points to add an item for the Snow Demon?"

This question was very pointed.

But Zhou Baiyu wasn't flustered at all; he had seen plenty of malice in the world:

"Let me ask everyone a question, please answer with your conscience, what is the survival rate in Blood Hunting Mode?"

"What is the survival rate on the Night of Haunting at the Gu Tower? Combine the two, what is the survival rate then?"

Inside the Voice of Pioneers, Zhou Baiyu methodically put forth one statement after another.

Soon, the forum grew quieter.

The Orator trait, although it required Zhou Baiyu to provide a voice, did not mean that Zhou Baiyu's written words lacked Infectious Power.

"Under those circumstances, I considered myself definitely dead; I suppose the senior voyeurs who spied on the Snow Demon also felt the desperation there time and again, right?"

"In that situation, where everyone thought I had no chance of survival, didn't I realize it myself? Did I really have the arrogance to believe that I could make it out alive?"

"In fact, the likelihood of both the Snow Demon and myself surviving was practically zero."

"I chose to protect the Snow Demon before entering Blood Hunting Mode, to ease my conscience; I couldn't accept a girl dying in front of me."

"And the choice to block, speaking crudely, even if you gave me ten times the pioneer points and armed me to the teeth, it wouldn't have made any difference in the Gu Tower."

"So I was very clear that I was most likely going to die; I was just a bit more optimistic than you, not giving up hope of survival, but that doesn't mean I was unaware of the objective dangers there."

"I'm just an ordinary person; I want a bit of decency and dignity. I don't want the voyeurs to witness how miserable my death would be. I hold onto hope, but I also feel despair..."

"I'm very aware that my first success was down to chance, and the second time I might not be so lucky. In this situation, I just want to die out of view and not let anyone see the plight of my last moments... Is that wrong?"

Each and every word was filled with sincere conviction. It was as if his statements were heartfelt.

It was just that he couldn't use his voice to utilize the Orator trait; otherwise, Zhou Baiyu was certain he could make those fault-finders weep in repentance.

Such is human nature; we innately sympathize with the underdog.

When Zhou Baiyu appeared as a "villain who maliciously blocked the voyeurs to sell his guide," people condemned him in their speeches and writings.

But when he presented himself as a "humble man clinging to a meager hope, just wanting to die with dignity," he instantly gained sympathy.

It was like the sudden reversal of online cyberbullying; the roles of victim and aggressor could be swapped in an instant, and many people didn't consider the truthfulness.

And then, in the next second, the direction of the wind changed completely.

Jiang Xianwu was making sense in every sentence; at that time, not just ordinary people, but even the Sky Eye wouldn't have thought that Jiang Xianwu could survive.

One could say that within the Voice of Pioneers, only Guang Tongchen, the gambler, believed that Jiang Xianwu could live.

In such a case, it was perfectly reasonable for Jiang Xianwu to not be confident in his own survival...

The few who were nitpicking now seemed overly vicious.

Protecting a companion, being humble, showing responsibility, and pioneering a rescue operation...

All these factors were deepening the public's favorable impression of Jiang Xianwu.

And Jiang Xianwu's display of weakness further strengthened this positive perception.

Of course, there were countless Pioneers experiencing trials in the version world or waiting for their countdown in the original world...

Zhou Baiyu couldn't attend to these people; however, he had already greatly minimized the impact brought by the "God of Difference and Chaos's temperament."

"Moving forward, thanks to their word of mouth, the negative effects brought by the trait will most likely be further reduced."

This was Zhou Baiyu's plan, to make Jiang Xianwu win public favor.

In the end, he had to explain the issue with the strategy guide.

Then, Zhou Baiyu dropped the final bombshell:

"As for the strategy guide, I won't publish one, and I've never thought about making money from it. But... please understand, seniors, even if I did make money from a strategy guide, it would be well-deserved."

"But I simply won't do that, because the version 1.44 of the 'Night of Horror in the Gu Tower' experience will never appear again."

"An area that doesn't exist anymore, what's there to need a strategy guide for?"

After sending the post, Zhou Baiyu closed his eyes and patiently waited for the information to ferment.

At first, some people on the forum did not understand his remark.

After all, for most people, reaching an A-rating in clearing the game was already quite an achievement. The vast majority were at C or D level.

So, there were quite a few different walkers who, even with seniority surpassing that of Jiang Xianwu, were still unaware of the claim that an "SSS" rating could permanently erase a region.

But Zhou Baiyu was not the only person to have achieved such a rating.

The president of the BaiChuan Sanctuary Brotherhood and Guang Tongchen had achieved this rating and obtained the precious sword that everyone coveted.

It was precisely because of the SSS rating that the sword was truly unique in the world, and the owner believed that only that sword was worthy of their title.

"So you achieved an SSS rating...remarkable, truly remarkable!"

The speaker was still the Sky Eye Prophet from the Future Gate.

This immediately set the forum ablaze again.

Many had doubted whether Jiang Xianwu had cleared the challenge through skill or luck.

But could a stroke of luck really lead to such a high evaluation?

That feeling of profound respect returned once more.

"Let me give you a free lesson. An SSS rating can cause a region in a version to never appear again!"

"Do you mean to say that, thanks to Brother Jiang's efforts...no newcomer will ever be summoned to that accursed place again?"

"That's wonderful news!"

"Has anyone counted just how many newcomers have died in that region? This counts as a consolation for their brave souls, doesn't it?"

"My friend died in the Gu Tower... But shamefully, although I had the desire to explore, I was no longer a newcomer. Thank you, truly, thank you!"

The last bombshell further elevated Zhou Baiyu's image in everyone's eyes.

Even Sister Lin stretched lazily and praised:

"Aside from single and double summons, there are also large-scale mass summons."

"Actually, in terms of difficulty, single summons are harder, but mass summons often put human nature to the test. Setting up a reputation as a good person really does save a lot of trouble. Well done, killing several birds with one stone."

Sister Lin was now even more optimistic about Zhou Baiyu and even a bit curious about how far this little brother could go.

It had been a long time since a different walker like her, a Mutated Demon Master, had appeared. Could Zhou Baiyu... reach where she had?

On the forum of the Pioneers' Voice, all kinds of praises actually contradicted Zhou Baiyu's low-profile approach.

But for the matter of the strategy guide, he had to give a convincing explanation to the crowd.

Luckily, a good reputation could further offset the negative effects of certain characteristics.

Moreover, on the Pioneers' Voice, a new topic soon emerged, bringing Zhou Baiyu into the next phase.

Zhang Laoxi, president of the BaiChuan Sanctuary Brotherhood, didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"Brother Jiang, based on past experience, you will soon face a mass regional call-up. A reliable guild can greatly increase your survival rate.

No matter how legendary your start, but different walkers have a cautionary saying—never underestimate the next call-up!

Brother, come join our BaiChuan Sanctuary Brotherhood!"