Am I the only one streaming Sword Art Online on the entire internet?

Mo Yulan was thinking this to himself when he noticed that the tightly closed door had suddenly opened a crack. A silver-white figure emerged from the crack. He looked closely and saw that it was a girl who was about the same height as him, with almost the same hair and eye color, and a similar appearance.

This gave him the illusion that he was looking in a mirror, which confused him greatly. The girl's blue-purple eyes were slightly narrowed, as if she hadn't woken up yet, but she suddenly perked up the moment she saw him.

"Who is it? I don't think I had any appointments today... but it seems like there really is one."

Rebecca said this casually, then looked at Sinon first, before turning her gaze to Mo Yulan and Yuuna.

“I am this child’s therapist, Rebecca Vertanen. I’m here to meet with the person who was involved in the incident and to complete some follow-up therapy. Please come with me, we’ll talk in detail inside.”

Sinon looked at Rebecca in surprise, but Rebecca only glanced at Sinon. Although she was indeed filled with longing for her beloved child, she didn't seem to intend to reveal her identity at this time.

Or perhaps she had some other intention, but in any case, she didn't say it now, so Shino didn't bother to remind Mo Yulan of this.

“Well, Miss Rebecca, you really do look young…” Mo Yulan followed Rebecca into the bedroom where Shino had entered during her full infiltration, and then turned her gaze, which was a mixture of doubt and curiosity, to her. “Is there anything you want to ask? I still remember it quite well, after all, there were bank robberies in 2020… That was quite an eye-opener.”

He kept his doubts to himself. At least for now, it seemed that Shino had only lured him here to get a favor from him—or so he thought. Of course, he still had one question in his mind: when he had discussed the incident with Gustav, Gustav had said that they hadn't provided Shino with the weapon, so where she got her R700 was still a question.

Upon hearing his formulaic reply, Rebecca gave a brief, bitter smile before quickly returning to normal. Mo Yulan noticed this change in expression but said nothing more.

But what happened next left him feeling quite confused. Rebecca simply asked him to recount the events again, things he had already told Sinon. This was what puzzled him, but since he wasn't very familiar with the diagnostic process of a psychiatrist, he didn't question Rebecca at that moment.

"That concludes our meeting for today. Thank you very much for your cooperation... Oh, and take this; there might be something you're interested in inside."

Rebecca concluded the entire meeting with these words. She saw Mo Yulan off at her villa, watched the group walk away, then closed the door and leaned close to it.

"So in the end it's still the same... But at least I saw Xiaolan. You can see, right, Secretary, I'm starting to think about abandoning this mission..."

A summary of the paper at the end, if possible, within 1,000 words.

This volume can be considered a typical correction book for me. I originally intended to use a movie-like approach to develop the whole story while digging some plot holes to lay the groundwork for later events, but in the middle and later stages of writing, it deviated somewhat from my planned trajectory.

This might also be due to my insufficient writing skills. I can tell from the subscription numbers in the backend that this volume is actually quite a failure. It's a classic case of a wild idea outweighing the writing ability, leading to a mess. The more I wrote, the more difficult it became. It's not that I wanted to slack off, but sometimes when I sit in front of the computer, I just don't know how to write anymore. I sit for more than three hours, typing and deleting, and then I find that I've written more than a thousand words. This is why recently I often can only update once or twice, or even not write a single word all day.

Perhaps the biggest wake-up call for me came from the advice of some friends. Originally, I only intended to write a relatively simple swordplay fanfic, but after adding too many elements, the story became less appealing. Maybe I'm just not suited to writing scripts with large-scale scenes, multiple storylines, and various overt and covert conflicts…

Fortunately, this volume has resolved all the foreshadowing that needed to be laid. It can be seen as a preview that in the Underworld volume, all the foreshadowing from the beginning of the book will be revealed, and the scale will definitely be even bigger than this volume. This is something I can't avoid; I can only say prepare in advance, conceive many scenes, and write a good outline (because I've been creating outlines in my head so far) to avoid the awkward situation of this volume…

The next two volumes will be two relatively straightforward stories, which is something I'm good at. I hope I can use these two volumes to get back into shape (and improve the readers' experience) as soon as possible.

That's all for now, there will be more updates later.

281. Suolin, five-man team, daily free wins.

This wasn't actually a particularly important event in the timeline. I'm only recording it because the story brought me joy. Of course, chronologically speaking, I should have stopped here. In fact, this happened in the spring of 2025, after the Death Gun incident.

Without further ado, let's get back to the main topic.

------

Radiant: Sniper, Ember Spirit, Tidehunter, Clockwerk, Vengeful Spirit

Dire: Lifestealer, Rubick, Spirit Breaker, Prophet, Dazzle

The deafening shouts of battle echoed across the battlefield. Soldiers with green and dark brown skin clashed fiercely in the narrow fighting area, but the dark brown soldiers clearly outnumbered the green-skinned ones. They hacked and slashed at the green-skinned soldiers before charging up a high tower that shimmered with a bright blue light, perched atop a slope.

However, the soldiers failed to notice a semi-transparent red shadow in front of the tower, resembling a samurai wearing a straw hat and wielding two swords. Just as they climbed the slope, bells suddenly rang out from around the red shadow, and then a samurai resembling the shadow, wreathed in flames and wielding two golden swords, flew out from behind the soldiers.

"Sparks reignite... Blazing fire protects you!"

The samurai's figure and shadow merged, bursting into bright, dazzling flames upon landing. Then, he moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of red light that weaved through the soldiers. His lightning-fast slashes, crackling with azure lightning, felled them all, leaving only the red-clad samurai wielding twin swords on the high ground.

This is the Dota 2 remastered version released by Valve on the AmuSphere platform in early 2025. The game was also given a rather distinctive name: Dota 3. As a loyal Dota player, Solin immediately teamed up with Sinon and Kirito when Dota 3 was released, along with Yuna (currently on winter break) and Ivy, who usually stays home, to form a perfect five-man premade team.

Kirito naturally couldn't refuse Sorin's invitation, while Sinon explained that her viewers were getting a bit tired of her constantly dominating CS:GO and wanted to try streaming a MOBA game, so she accepted the invitation as well. Of course, in this five-man team, Kirito and Sinon were the kind of players who were just there to make up the numbers.

Firstly, Kirito, as a player who has played various MMORPGs for many years, has not had much experience with MOBAs, so he is relatively weak in both operation and strategy. As for Sinon, although she plays fairly well, she usually only chooses the sniper hero, and she is almost always the first to pick it, so she is often caught by the opponent's counter lineup and loses every game.

That's pretty much how it went. While Sinon was farming jungle camps, the opposing team's White Bull and Dog ganked and killed Sinon's Musketeer, then took down Yuna who came to support, and then all five of them gathered and pushed up the mid-lane high ground. Seeing this, Sorin, who was pushing the top lane, had no choice but to fly back to defend.

"With Sinon dead, how are we going to defend this high ground?" Sorin had just returned from his teleportation and used his Shadowless Fist to clear the minion wave that had just reached the high ground. Then he looked at the four people lurking below the high ground and suddenly felt a headache coming on. "And Yuna, you just sold Sinon out and ran away. Now there are only three of us... Is this game that hard?"

[This monkey is dead, how are we going to defend this high ground? .jpg]

But I can't stand it, I can't stand it!

So, Sinon gave it away for free again?

[Can we call what Brother Legend did for free?]

"It's okay, Sorin. Yuna and I both have buyouts. If they come up, I can buy out and fight."

Shino responded from the spring, but as soon as she finished speaking, the enemy army pressed forward again with the minion line, and this time it was definitely not as simple as just forcing Sorin back from the outside.

"Buy them all quickly!" Solin shouted urgently. "Yuna, just bring that Rubick in and kill him right away. That guy's reaction speed is terrifying. Don't let him pull off another upset."

The sniper bought back!

[Vengeance Spirit has been bought back!]

Two phantom teleport scrolls instantly appeared behind the turret, and Sorin, who had been keeping a close eye on the enemy's Soulbreaker, shouted out as he aimed at Sinon, who had just teleported to the ground, and started Shadow Dash.

"Kirito! Jump!"

"understood!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a huge green watermelon flashed into the enemy's group. Then, rings of thick tentacles rose from the ground, knocking away the enemy Prophet and Dazzle, and also knocking down the Soul Splitter who was still charging forward. At the same moment Kirito jumped out, Sorin also appeared as a wisp of flame beside Rubick, and then quickly rushed over.

However, Rubick's reaction was much faster than he had expected. The moment Sorin released his lingering flame, Rubick stole the arcane aura from him, then placed his own lingering flame beside Kirito, transforming into a bright ball of flame and flying incredibly fast to Kirito's side, dodging Sorin's charge at the same time.

He waved his staff, lifting Kirito, who had just summoned tentacles, into the air, then slammed him down beside him. He immediately became transparent and disappeared into the crowd. That spot was where Sorin's second lingering flame would land, and when Sorin saw Kirito about to be slammed into that area, he immediately unleashed his Shadowless Fist in mid-air to avoid being stunned there.

But such a delay was already fatal enough. Rubick manifested again, extending his nimble hands towards Kirito and stealing a skill from him. Kirito had just activated Destruction when Rubick lifted him up, taking all his skills without missing a beat, so what Rubick could steal from Kirito now was naturally Tidehunter's ultimate skill—

"destroy!"

Giant tentacles, resembling green cubes, suddenly appeared, blasting everyone except Sorin, who had activated his Black King Bar (BKB) in time, into the air. Although Sorin dodged the destruction, the enemy's Soul Reaver, now recovered from its stun, charged towards Yuna and Sinon with a powerful Lifestealer attack. After Dazzle unleashed a combo that significantly reduced their armor, the Soul Reaver and the Devourer from the underworld instantly tore Sinon and Yuna to shreds, sending them back to the fountain. Even with Sorin's ferocious maneuvers, he couldn't pull off a 1v5, trading kills with Rubick and Prophet before being caught by Lifestealer and killed with auto-attacks.

"GG, another day of easy wins. By the way, that Rubick on the other side is really good. Could he be a pro smurf? I've never seen that ID before."

Solin casually grumbled this over the voice message, then silently noted down the other person's ID: "Yuuki".

"Could this be a witch doctor from Yiwu? It doesn't seem like it..."

282. Returning to a Peaceful Daily Life

“Early spring in Tokyo isn’t very cold, but it’s a different story in Harbin. Besides, I didn’t bring any winter clothes when I came here last year, so I need to buy some beforehand.”

Mo Yulan sat at the table, letting neat and elegant Chinese characters flow from his pen onto the white paper. Even with smartphones and more high-tech information recording methods like Augma, Mo Yulan still preferred this traditional way of recording. You Na nestled beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder, watching him diligently taking notes, and suddenly pecked him on the cheek.

She had expected to see Mo Yulan suddenly blush from her cheeks to her neck, and then tease her a bit. However, Mo Yulan put down the pen in her hand, hugged her tightly from the side, and then kissed her lips without hesitation.

This is already considered their daily routine of living together during the holidays, and because the little angel Aivisin has been going to comic conventions recently, this daily interaction has become much more frequent than usual.

Of course, although Mo Yulan had taken the initiative this time, his skills were still clumsy after so many attempts. He was quickly overwhelmed by You Na's change of tactics and was instantly brought back to reality. After You Na finally left Mo Yulan's lips with a mixture of satisfaction and reluctance, he still felt his cheeks burning red and his whole body weak. He lay limply on You Na's lap.

"So what was Lan writing just now?" Yu Na gently stroked Mo Yu Lan's silver hair again and again, then played with the long, thin braid at the back of his head. "Although I can understand Chinese, there are still many things you wrote that I can't understand."

"It's just some New Year's goods to prepare for the Spring Festival. If you do the math, New Year's Eve is on the 28th, and school starts in early March, so we can still play in Harbin for a month... Just kidding, I've never understood what's so fun about that place. I'll book the tickets in advance and take you to a few more places."

Mo Yulan narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly enjoying You Na's caresses. He had a very relaxed expression on his face as he spoke, as if he had been too stressed in the past few days and now that he finally had a break, he wanted to make up for it.

“Okay, you said you’d take me on a trip to lots of fun places, but I’m still stuck in Tokyo.” Yuna’s voice carried a hint of complaint, but it quickly turned into anticipation. “Speaking of which, I really want to experience what it’s like to celebrate Chinese New Year. It should be really lively.”

"On the contrary, it's not lively at all, at least that's the case at my house. For the past few years, I've been spending the New Year alone at home. Sometimes I would play cards with my friends at the card shop to celebrate the New Year. Now, including my dad who suddenly came back to life, you, and the little angel, there are only four of us."

Mo Yulan shook his head, then sat up again and continued writing his list. Actually, the list didn't contain much; he spent most of his time thinking.

"Speaking of which, do you remember that Rubick with the ID Yuuki when we were playing together that day?" He put down his pen, folded the list inside his clothes, and suddenly asked.

"I remember, I heard you say he was really good at it, and then?" You Na seemed a little confused. She didn't understand why Mo Yulan would suddenly bring this up. "There aren't many really good players, but it's normal to see one once in a while. Maybe it's some pro player using a smurf account to play in a low-skill game?"

"However, I did some research that day and found out that wasn't the case. After I went out, I contacted YYF and asked him to inquire for me. But it seems that this person only appeared recently. He only plays ranked games and Warriors League, and his teammates have always been the same."

Mo Yulan sighed, sat up from the chair, and then swayed as he walked to the balcony. He rested his hands on the window frame, gazing at a few small trees covered in snow in the distance, and gently blew out a puff of white breath. You Na followed him, gently wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, and also looked out the window.

"You know what, Yuna, meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me, without a doubt. I used to crave a more exciting and extraordinary life, but now I just want my daily life to be peaceful, just you and me... and the little angel."

"Like now, I also hope that those chaotic things can stay away from my Arashi. Although he always seems very tough, Arashi can only relax at times like this. If Arashi wants a peaceful life, then he shouldn't think about so many things all the time. He's just a guy who's good at playing Rubick, so he shouldn't have to take it so seriously."

"I just find it strange. Normally, if someone in Dota 2 did something like stealing a Soul, then instantly teleporting it to dodge the Destroyer, then stealing the Destroyer again and using their ultimate, I would definitely suspect it's a script. The problem is, there are no scripts in this fully stealth-based Dota. This means that the player's skill and awareness are professional-level, even among the top tier of professionals, like Sumail back in the day... Okay, I'm not going to dwell on this anymore. Shall we go for a walk? I've made plans with a friend to go to a comic convention."

Mo Yulan sighed again. He felt that what You Na said made some sense, so he decided to do something else to distract himself. He took You Na's hands, which were on his waist, and raised them above his head. Then he circled around them, freeing himself from You Na's embrace. Their arms were intertwined, like they were dancing.

"You've already entered the mindset of a middle-aged man hiding away from his children and enjoying his time with his wife, Lan." You Na teased from the side. She let go of his hands, took down the cotton coat with white fur trim on the collar that was hanging on the coat rack, and draped it over Mo Yu Lan's shoulders. Then she stood aside and looked him over. "I still think Lan looks especially cute in my clothes."

"No, please don't do that. At least let me save face in public." Mo Yulan smiled wryly, took off the pure white cotton coat she was wearing and handed it back to You Na, then picked up another dark red cotton coat and put it on. "By the way, I heard that Andrew is having another party tonight. I'll go and check it out."

"Anyway, as long as I'm with Lan, that's fine. As for where we go... that's a pretty flexible thing to do."

283. "Hyperdimensional Illusion"?

The coffee shop was as noisy as ever, with many people waiting for the evening's party to officially begin. Kirito was still sitting with a group of girls, while Andrew was still drinking with Klein and Ya-Oh. More than half a year had passed since the last party, but the atmosphere was still as lively as the first one.

"What's Andrew been up to lately? I haven't been really into any of these games lately, and I'm losing interest in the World of Warcraft Classic too." Ya Wang downed the rest of his beer in one gulp, then asked in his usual Guanzhong dialect, "If you know anything fun, tell me about it."

“I haven’t been playing much lately. I think you can find out about this when Solin gets here later,” Andrew shook his head and replied. “Although I think he’s probably playing some hardcore stuff these days, which probably isn’t really suitable for you.”

"I've been watching him stream Dota 3 lately, and it seems like a pretty entertaining game. At least his commentary gives me a whole night of laughs," Klein chimed in. "Honestly, you could try it, if you've played Dota before. If not, that's another story; it's not very beginner-friendly. Actually, I'd suggest you try Warframe. Aside from being a bit grindy, it's perfect. The graphics and combat are great. If you like sci-fi, it's the best choice for you."

"Forget it, I'm not interested in that sci-fi stuff. As for Dota 3... I'll just watch the streams. I was a semi-retired, casual Dota 2 player back then, and now... as they say on the Chinese side, I'm totally a casual viewer." Ya Wang shook his head, then looked down and picked up his phone, as if he had received a notification. "Hey Agil, look at this. It looks pretty interesting."

Agil took the phone from the King of Fang. It displayed a large promotional image: a warrior wielding a black sword and dressed in white armor leaping into the air, his enemy a golden dragon with curved horns, surrounded by various figures wielding bows or staffs. Below the image was text describing the expansion as "The Newest Expansion to Hyperdimensional Fantasy World."

"This game... it seems to be Capcom's new title. I heard it took a long time to develop, and it only went into open beta last month. How come there's already an expansion pack?" Andrew looked at the promotional page and the name "Hyperdimensional Fantasy World," and suddenly recalled, explaining, "This is actually quite good. Back when all the other companies were busy porting their games to the AmuSphere platform, only Capcom announced that they were remaking such a big title. Now it seems that the quality and reputation are quite good."

As a hardcore gamer, Andrew's assessment, while not entirely accurate, can at least serve as a reference for many. Hearing his high praise for the game, Klein curiously leaned over to examine the page displayed on Tooth King's phone.

"This looks like it's an MMORPG, is there anything particularly interesting about it?" he asked.

“I heard it’s a groundbreaking mode where players can freely create their skill trees within certain intensity limits. This means that theoretically, each player will use different skills. Of course, this design… well, some will be strong and some will be weak. Because this game has a built-in balancing system, only ingenious designs will make your skills more powerful. It takes some effort to develop such a design.” Andrew thought for a moment, then explained to Klein and Fang Wang in a relatively simple way. “And in a sense, this game is quite similar to SAO from back then.”

"What the heck? Brother Agil, don't tell me that dying in this game can lead to real-world death... That's unrealistic." Fang Wang was startled by Andrew's words and then guessed. However, although he didn't explicitly show it, Andrew and Klein beside him were clearly looking at Fang Wang with expressions of pity for someone mentally challenged.