Lucas stood outside her house as the door slammed shut behind him.
She had really kicked him out after throwing that fake tantrum, all so she could keep the Karma Points for herself.
"That fucking bitch!" he cursed, clenching his fist.
'Who would've guessed that all these years I'd been living beside a fucking con artist?'
The fact that she could still pretend to be innocent when they both clearly knew what was going on only made it worse.
He knew he had to do something.
Now that she had Karma Points, she could access the system's Crosslink feature on her own, meaning he no longer had any leverage over her. Still, he couldn't just let it go.
"What am I thinking? I should go back in there and squeeze her neck until she gives me everything."
In a world without laws, what was the point of morals anymore?
If she could get ahead by scamming him, then he should be allowed to use violence to take back what was his. Fairness no longer mattered.
It didn't matter that she was a woman or smaller than him. The world had changed into something else entirely, and he had no intention of being left behind.
Just as he was about to bang on the door, he suddenly paused.
The rules of the world had changed.
The natural laws that governed everything no longer worked the same way. There was no guarantee he would be stronger than her simply because he was a man.
When that zombie had grabbed him earlier, he hadn't even been able to break free. Meanwhile, Carol had arrived and killed it with ease.
Now strength depended on Karma Points, not age, size, or gender.
He wasn't completely sure, but surviving in this new world meant being cautious.
He hadn't upgraded a single stat yet, while Stacy now had even more points to invest.
There was no way he could win against that.
So, in the end, he turned around and walked back home like a loser.
A complete loser.
Still, he chose not to dwell on it for long. He had always considered that his greatest strength—the ability to bounce back almost immediately after suffering a setback.
"We can't waste time sulking. We need a new plan."
Only one thing came to mind.
Streaming, just like Stacy.
"How hard could it even be?" he muttered.
"I might not have breasts or a pretty face like her, but I can definitely convince a few people to throw points at me. It can't be that difficult, right?"
…
[Red_ranger: What the fuck is this?]
[TheSmartOne: Where did the pretty girl go, and where did this loser come from?]
[ICEMAN21: heheheheee she was a man all along]
Lucas stared at the messages pouring in one after another. He took a moment to collect himself before speaking.
"H-Hey guys…" he tried his best to sound confident like Stacy, but his voice came out strangely feminine instead.
[Red_ranger: Bring back the girl before I come there and rip your head off]
[TheSmartOne: Yeah dude, no one wants to see your ugly face… no offense]
He hadn't even said a single word, and they were already attacking him.
"Sorry to disappoint you all," he forced out a dry chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. "This account actually belongs to me. Stacy was only borrowing it."
[Emerald_princess: He's right. This is my new account, so come join my stream. I'm live right now.]
The moment Lucas saw the message pop up, he immediately knew it was Stacy. She had come just to make sure he had no chance of succeeding on his own.
'I can't let her take my viewers!' Lucas thought, nearly biting his nail.
"Wait, don't go. I'll do anything!"
But his pleas fell on deaf ears. One by one, he watched his viewer count drop until only three remained.
[RichFarmer: Did you say anything?]
[TheSmartOne: I can think of a few things]
[Salvation_Father: Come join us, my child. The Salvation Army will protect you.]
He had already lost all hope, but those few messages were enough to restore a bit of it.
"Yes, just tell me anything. I'll do it," Lucas said desperately.
[RichFarmer: Go to the city's power plant and restart the generator. I'll give you 50KP.]
[TheSmartOne: Wow, that's just cruel.]
Lucas read the request carefully. The electricity had been out ever since the start of the apocalypse, and barely any part of the city still had power.
Even in his apartment building, there was no telling when the petrol would run out and plunge them back into total darkness.
Still, none of that was enough reason for Lucas to even consider leaving his room.
Especially when the outside world was crawling with unknown monsters.
[TheSmartOne: Do it, and I'll give you another 20KP. I want to know if you've got balls.]
That made a total of 70KP. Lucas couldn't turn down an offer like that so easily.
This was an opportunity to earn their attention, one that might never come again.
"I'll… I'll do it," he said with resolve.
This was his only way to get ahead, and even if he wasn't doing it for the KP, he still had to prove to Stacy that he could make it without her, one way or another.
'Even if that means getting mauled by monsters or turning into a zombie.'
[TheSmartOne: Are you seriously going to do it?]
"Yes. I made a promise, so I have to keep it. But I do have one request. To show a bit of goodwill, I'll need you guys to send part of what you promised first, so I know I'm not risking my life for nothing."
[TheSmartOne: Fair.]
[TheSmartOne has sent 10KP]
[RichFarmer has sent 25KP]
'They actually sent it… which means there's no backing out now.'