Chapter 72: Chapter 72
Ray stared at the system interface that just popped up. His eyes narrowed, scanning every line real careful.
[Ding!]
[Daily Mission – HARDCORE]
Objective:
Fuck up the world.
The host gotta do a live stream in a public spot.
Use Alter Building to mess with the common sense tied to normal body movements, like:
• How people walk when they’re in a rush
• Flipping the middle finger as a regular greeting or everyday gesture
• Any other body moves that’d usually be seen as totally normal
Target: At least 1000 views while the live’s going.
Special Condition: Host has to use Alter Building on the building and show the changes happening live to the whole world through the stream.
Reward:
+500 EXP
+500 Alter Points.
Failure:
Random common sensealterations will hit the Host every day for 7 days, each one lasting 10 minutes. (No controlling it, can pop up anywhere.)
Ray just stood there reading till the end. His right hand, still holding the damp towel, slowly clenched into a fist.
"Fuck..."
It came out almost like a whisper. He wanted to scream his lungs out, but all he could do was bite his lower lip till it stung. This shit was insane. The objective was straight-up batshit. Not only did he gotta freak people out with a live, but he had to slap Alter Building on a whole building full of folks, twist how they move their bodies like it’s normal, and broadcast every second of it live to the world. If he ate shit on this... seven full days of random common sense flips, ten minutes each, zero control. Could be him suddenly flipping off the neighbor lady in the elevator, or walking backwards while hopping on the sidewalk ’cause he’s late. No way to stop it.
He let out a long breath, then gave a bitter little chuckle.
"Whatever... I got picked. No choice."
Ray sat on the edge of the bed. The towel was still hanging loose around his waist, water dripping slow onto the floor. He opened the system app again, rereading the objective over and over while his brain worked overtime.
"Gotta drop the post around 8. People are chilling at home, scrolling their phones, watching lives together. Perfect time to get ’em all riled up at once."
He paused, thinking harder.
"Spot... The Glass House downtown. Fancy restaurant with full glass walls, people outside can peek right in. Big place, lots of tables, good lighting for the camera. Solid pick. If I sit by the glass, the camera can catch a ton of people at once."
Ray ran a hand through his wet hair, still dripping.
"Announcement on X... gotta make it seem spontaneous. So it looks legit, not planned days ahead. I should act like I’m just strolling around the park nearby, sit down, and then around 8 when it feels like ’the moment’s right’, post something sudden. Like ’Something weird’s going on at The Glass House all of a sudden... going live now’. Hit live right after. No long-ass teaser. Make people actually shocked."
He nodded to himself, agreeing with his own plan.
"Camera... I’ll just bring a small phone tripod. Use a stable live app. Battery full, power bank too. If I need to, I can set up OBS on my laptop, but phone’s easier, looks more natural."
Ray stood up, towel almost slipping off. He didn’t give a shit, just walked to the closet and started grabbing clothes. Plain black shirt that was kinda tight, dark jeans that looked decent. Not super formal, but enough to get into a fancy restaurant without raising eyebrows.
While getting dressed, he kept piecing the details together in his head.
"Get in the restaurant, snag a table by the glass. Activate Alter Building through the system. Then start the live in a way that gets people curious. ’Watch how the people around me are moving... something normal just flipped.’ Then show it while I’m outside. The folks inside are gonna be moving weird as hell, but they’ll think it’s totally normal. The live viewers are the ones who’ll lose their shit."
He pictured some of the alterations he’d use:
- People rushing to another table or the bathroom: instead of speed-walking or running, they’ll **walk while throwing both arms up like they just hit the jackpot**, and think that’s how you move when you’re in a hurry.
- When greeting a waiter or a friend: they’ll **flip the middle finger** with a friendly smile, like it’s just a normal hello.
- When standing up from a chair or about to sit: they’ll **do a little hop first** before sitting or standing, like some polite little ritual.
- Eating or drinking moves: use the left hand to grab the glass, but make the motion kinda "off" while still working, and they’ll think it’s normal.
Ray smirked a little while buttoning up his shirt.
"This is gonna make the world go fucking crazy... if it works."
But the smirk vanished quick. He remembered the penalty. His chest felt heavy.
"Can’t fail. Seriously can’t fuck this up."
He sat back down on the couch, phone in hand. Still hadn’t opened X. Still hadn’t left the apartment.
Still had time.
Ray stared up at the ceiling, his right hand tapping lightly on his thigh.
"Plan is: at 7:30 I head to the mall. Walk into The Glass House, snag a good table. Sit back, watch the vibe for a bit. Come 8, when it feels like the moment’s right... drop that sudden announcement on X. Go live right after. Fire up Alter Building once the stream’s rolling. Show the whole damn world what’s up."
He sighed again.
"Damn, why the hell is my life turning into some weird drama plot? This shit’s getting way too strange lately."
Ray sat there for a moment, then stood up and grabbed his small bag. Phone tripod, p
ower bank, earphones—he checked everything again. Not ’cause he was leaving right now, but ’cause he wanted it all ready before he stepped out.
He was still in the apartment. Still in planning mode.
But his eyes were already shifting. There was tension there, fear mixed with this insane level of excitement.
Tonight... he was gonna make the whole world lose its fucking mind.
----
Ray was still in the apartment, bag prepped on the couch. He dropped down onto it, leaned back, and let his mind wander for a bit. He pictured the chaos later — people inside The Glass House suddenly walking around with their arms flying up like they won the lottery, flipping each other off with big friendly smiles, doing little hops before sitting down. The chat exploding. Views climbing past a thousand. The whole internet losing its collective mind while he just sat there looking normal. He smirked to himself.
’This shit’s gonna be legendary if I pull it off.’
He was halfway through imagining some poor waiter doing the middle-finger greeting to a table full of confused customers when—
Ding-dong.
Ray’s head snapped toward the door. Eyebrows pulled together.
"What now?"
He stood up with a sigh, towel long gone, wearing just the black shirt and dark jeans. As he walked to the door he muttered under his breath, "Please don’t be Julia... please don’t be Julia..."
He opened it.
Not Julia.
Christy.
The cute, shy girl . She was standing there in a soft pastel hoodie, hands clasped in front of her, looking up at him with that same timid little smile she always had. Except something about it felt... off. Too bright. Too familiar.
"Ray!" she said, voice light and a little breathless. "You’re, like, super viral right now. I saw your last stream blowing up everywhere. I’m so happy I have a famous friend!"
Ray blinked.
Before he could answer, she tilted her head and added, "Oh, and my birthday’s coming up. You’re coming, right?"
He just nodded automatically. Didn’t feel like dealing with drama. "Yeah... sure."
Christy’s smile widened. Then, out of nowhere:
"So what do you do for work now, Ray? Your life looks like it’s going crazy fast lately. Back then... you were just the janitor at that gym, right? But you’re probably super smart and good at coding and stuff."
Ray froze.
’How the fuck does she know that?’
He swallowed hard, throat suddenly dry.
"...How do you know that?"
Christy giggled softly, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"You told me before, silly. Remember? That one time we talked for, like, forever after we... y’know." She did a little shy shoulder shrug, cheeks pink. "We had that long chat. You opened up a lot."
Ray’s stomach twisted.
They hadn’t talked for more than sixty seconds. And that sixty seconds had been after they both drunkenly grabbed each other’s asses in the elevator like total idiots. No deep conversation. No life stories. Nothing.
He swallowed again, harder this time.
Christy kept going, completely oblivious to the way his face had gone blank.
"Sorry if I’m bothering you, I just wanted to chat for a bit, hehe. Anyway, I should go. Don’t forget my birthday, okay? Text me!"
She gave him one last bright smile, turned, and walked down the hallway with a little wave.
Ray stood in the doorway for a long second after she left, staring at the empty corridor.
He slowly closed the door. Locked it.
Then he just stood there, staring at the wood.
He ran a hand down his face.
"Fuck..." he muttered. "What the hell was that?"
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