Chapter 51: Zero-Wave Energy Fluctuations

[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x1!]
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x2!]
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x3!]
...
"Wow, the gorgeous expert doesn't want to take advantage for free, she's started gifting yachts!"
"I'm so excited, so many treasure chests are waving at me!"
"How many is she going to send? She's still going."
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x23!]
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x24!]
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x25!]
"This is explosive, this streaming room is always up to something, there hasn't been a quiet moment since the broadcast began."
"Another few tens of thousands of people have rushed in for the treasure chests. Damn, I really want to kick them all out."
"Same here, the more people, the harder it is to grab a chest. Streamer, do you need a moderator? I kick people fast!"
"Carrot Big Stick goes for three hundred thousand credit points on the black market; that's over two hundred yachts. Is this beauty really going to insist on gifting that many?"
"Why not just transfer the credits directly? So many points are going to the Starry Sky Live platform for nothing."
"You know nothing; the gifts aren't wasted. Can't you see how many brats are flooding in to snatch gifts?"
[Glittering Light Every Night has gifted the streamer a "Yacht" x26!]
"Enough, stop gifting!"
Huang Yunshuo called out. To claim he wasn't pleased with the yachts would be a lie; after all, each one meant hundreds of credits and an influx of untold popularity.
But Huang Yunshuo had made it clear—this round was a pure meteor lottery, not one padded with credit-point gifts.
Even as he accepted the gifts, he felt uneasy. This girl was taking things too seriously.
She felt guilty about getting thirty thousand credits' worth of benefits, but he hadn't asked her to gift anything. Otherwise, wouldn't Six Walnuts just have to send yachts as well?
At his shout, the yacht count stopped at twenty-six. Sure enough, no more were added.
Not only did Huang Yunshuo breathe a sigh of relief, but most of the audience did as well.
The sight of yachts being fired off in a frenzy was rare, but even rarer was this money-minded, seemingly foolish streamer actually asking someone to stop gifting. It changed their impression of him.
"I told you, it's a meteor lottery. Gifting yachts just ruins the fun."

Huang Yunshuo grumbled, displeased.
[Glittering Light Every Night has been appointed as moderator by the streamer Fool.]
[Dew in Morning Frost has been appointed as moderator by the streamer Fool.]
Two moderator appointment announcements appeared.
A veteran viewer called out, "Do you remember who the first mod in this room was? That night, that sea—should've been a girl too. All three mods here are girls. It's a conspiracy!"
"Conspiracy, my ass. They paid real money for their gifts."
"Bro, why not gift a round of Black Chrysanthemum and see if you can bag a mod? Then cover for us later!"
"Streamer, how much to buy mod status? I feel like being a mod here is prestigious. I want one!"
"Prestige, my foot. Whoever gifts this fool is a dog."
"Gift snatchers, get out!"
"No money for gifts, so you come for meteors? Get lost, get lost, get lost!"
"Don't fight us for treasure chests; get out of here!"
This time, Huang Yunshuo didn't even need to curse; the barrage was already full of people yelling for others to leave.
Newcomers were utterly bewildered.
This stream was really stirring things up—why was everyone so furious?
"Damn, these people are really..."
Huang Yunshuo didn't know what else to say; at least they were sensible. If they kept being this self-aware, he wouldn't have to waste his breath anymore.
Too lazy to bother with the chaotic chat, Huang Yunshuo took a deep breath. He sent (sold) the last nine Carrot Big Sticks and the beginner iron sword, completing today's mission, feeling content.
"The rules for the last nine carrots and iron sword are as follows," Huang Yunshuo explained.
"This time, change the gift—use Stardust! Stardust's effect is semi-transparent, so even if it covers the whole stream, you can still vaguely see the content."
"Same old rule, bouncing ball stops and screenshots—ten times, ten winners."
"But let me tell you fools in advance, these ten aren't freebies; they're for sale. Lucky winners can buy for one hundred thousand credits, keep for yourself, or resell for two or three hundred thousand."
"What about the iron sword?"
"Is the iron sword also one hundred thousand?"
Everyone asked eagerly. They liked the Stardust, since they'd seen enough meteor effects in Fool's stream to last them a week. Stardust was a welcome change!

Huang Yunshuo said, "All for one hundred thousand. As for who among the ten gets the iron sword, that's not up to me. I'll set up a voting system, and you vote live. Whoever gets the most votes earns the right to buy it."
"Damn, that's awesome! So each of us has a shot at buying the iron sword for one hundred thousand?"
"If you flip it, you could get at least five or six hundred thousand credits."
"Quit talking and get on with it. My fingers are itching to unleash their primal power."
"Bouncing ball, let's go."
After tossing the ball, Huang Yunshuo felt the urge to pee.
He put down the photon tablet and headed straight for the bathroom.
"Warning: Direction [East Wide Angle], nine light-minutes detected, zero-wave energy fluctuation. Please conceal yourself or evacuate immediately!"
Suddenly, a piercing alarm rang out aboard the Bright Mirror, the cold mechanical voice repeating over and over, making everyone spring to their feet.
Huang Yunshuo, in the middle of adjusting his pants, turned pale. He buckled his belt and rushed to the observation deck.
Li Nan, Chu Jun, and the others dashed for the deck, racing toward the first-floor cockpit, while those on the observation deck hurriedly operated the interfaces to check the relevant information.
"Which exact location is the East Wide Angle?"
Huang Yunshuo, sweating, asked Ye Piaoxue.
"A band-shaped asteroid belt—it looks like a Kuangsan reconnaissance ship just happened to jump over," Ye Piaoxue pointed at a spot on the star map.
Nine light-minutes means light travels nine minutes. To put it in perspective, one astronomical unit (the distance from Earth to Sun) is only eight minutes and eighteen seconds!
A Kuangsan reconnaissance ship suddenly appearing at such close range was extremely dangerous for the Bright Mirror, which was cruising through unshielded void.
"But don't worry, we're hovering right above a precious asteroid. While the Kuangsan ship is just finishing its jump, there's a window of chaos. We'll latch onto the asteroid, hide the ship behind it, and move away from this area. We should be safe," Yushi Yin said.
Huang Yunshuo nodded. By coincidence, the asteroid below was about a hundred meters in diameter. The Bright Mirror was forty meters long, twelve meters wide, and ten meters high.
Even if the ship turned sideways to hide behind the asteroid, it would be thoroughly concealed. By towing the asteroid toward the Cangdong direction, they could protect themselves from discovery and not lose the valuable asteroid—a win-win.
"We still need to confirm the Kuangsan ship's model. If it's not a reconnaissance ship but a mecha, we're in trouble," Huang Yunshuo said. Li Nan and the others were professionals; it wouldn't take long to clarify the situation.