Chapter 92
For Lin Ran, this was truly the first time “Demon World” had given him such a prompt.
It was as if a player had come to him for physical affection, and he was actually the one responding to their interaction!
“[You can choose to accept or refuse, it is not a mandatory interaction!]”
As if sensing Lin Ran’s shock, “Demon World” hesitated for a moment and then issued this prompt.
Of course, it wasn’t making A-Ran work!
Besides, it was reasonable that there was a certain probability of being rejected when proposing an interaction with an NPC, right?
Lin Ran, coming back to his senses and looking at the new prompt from “Demon World,” felt that there was no need to refuse.
Probably because the little guy was really cute.
“Do you want a tail rub?”
So, Lin Ran patiently squatted down and looked at the small, fluffy cub, asking about its specific request.
“Awoo~”
The cub clearly became happy and excited, clumsily taking a few steps and turning around, wanting A-Ran to see its fluffy, big tail.
The little fox’s cry was also very cute, making Lin Ran subconsciously smile.
He reached out, stroked the little guy’s back all the way to its big tail, and gently rubbed it.
The chestnut-colored fur brushed against the human’s fair wrist, creating a unique sense of beauty.
The fox fur slightly sank where it was being rubbed, and after his fingers moved away, it bounced back due to its elasticity. Just looking at it, one could tell it must be very comfortable!
“[It’s over… Even just watching through the screen makes my tail feel so comfortable it’s bristling!]”
“[This is really strange, it’s strangely addictive to watch. Of course, it would be even better if it were me being petted, A-Ran, look at my fur TAT [Photo]]”
Countless demons quickly discovered that watching A-Ran petting cubs like this gave them a strange sense of happy satisfaction.
For a moment, even the barrage comments decreased, as everyone quietly savored this indescribable feeling.
“Awoo, awoo!”
The little guy cried out a few times, wagging its big tail and chasing A-Ran’s hand like a fluffy, automatic toy.
Ah, he was truly adorable.
He really wanted to take him home and show Yuanbao.
Thinking of this, Lin Ran couldn’t help but scoop him up and give him a good petting. The little guy didn’t struggle at all, even obediently looking at A-Ran with big, sparkling eyes.
A-Ran was handsome.
Although foxes usually looked better in human form, the little guy felt that A-Ran was the most handsome.
If only he could look a little more like A-Ran?
“Cheep, cheep!”
Sootball, watching from the side, noticed that the interaction card’s duration had expired! He couldn’t help but squeeze forward, wagging his Luna Clan triangular tail and chirping at the little fox who was trying to extend the time.
He wouldn’t let them tire A-Ran out! If every demon extended the time, how could A-Ran possibly pet them all?
“Awoo…”
The sand fox cub was clearly a little afraid of Sootball and ran away before Lin Ran could give chase, disappearing into the vast grassland.
“Sootball? Do you know that you scared him away?”
Lin Ran didn’t think that he had to strictly adhere to the time limit and was a little worried seeing the little guy disappear in a panic.
“Cheep.”
Sootball tucked his tail between his legs, not expecting the other party to be so easily frightened. He guiltily shrank back and looked at A-Ran innocently.
Lin Ran reached out and rubbed Sootball’s big head:
“Your eyes are big, so you’re right, huh?”
[Ding——You have successfully completed the D-rank interaction card! Reward: 1000 gold coins~]
To Lin Ran’s surprise, he actually received a reward for completing the interaction card.
Was this the salary and benefits of acting as an NPC?
“Demon World” seemed to have a conscience, often giving him upgrade gift packages or extra bonuses.
“Ya——!”
Ossi in the small bucket suddenly cried out nervously, trying to make A-Ran look behind him. This was probably a merman’s innate vigilance towards big cats.
The barrage comments also became lively.
[OMG, a large beast?!]
[Feels like a black panther, am I seeing things?!]
Louis had been quietly watching from afar since Lin Ran started petting the sand fox.
Lin Ran stood up and looked into the distance, seeing the charming and mysterious large black beast.
Its powerful, streamlined body, visible explosive power in its muscles, and the mystery of its black fur all made this large, fluffy creature fatally attractive!
But as Lin Ran’s eyes widened slightly, his first reaction was to subconsciously jump back onto the scooter and try to distance himself.
After all, encountering such a large beast in the wild was no joke. If it lost control, the consequences would be unpredictable.
However, seeing Lin Ran driving away, the black panther hesitated for a moment, then started running after him.
It looked even more handsome as it ran.
Lin Ran, gradually calming down, figured this black panther should still be quite young, perhaps not even fully grown yet. Maybe it was just very curious after seeing him?
Could it be a demon?
Remembering he could consult his notebook, Lin Ran flipped it open and discovered the black panther was indeed a demon.
[Ding——Rare Demon: Black Panther Louis!]
This guy was actually a rare demon?
Although it was true that most black panthers were solitary creatures and disliked living in groups.
Having just arrived at a water source, Lin Ran hesitated, wondering if he should refill his water bottle. He also didn’t know the black panther’s motive for following him.
But it didn’t seem aggressive?
Sure enough, after he parked, the black panther, realizing it had been discovered, stopped hiding.
Lin Ran watched as it approached and drank water from the source, waiting until the black panther was finished before softly asking,
“Why are you following me?”
If it was a young demon, theoretically, communication was possible.
After quenching its thirst, the black panther shook its ears and walked towards Lin Ran. To Lin Ran’s surprise, it simply flopped down on its belly, wagging its tail and looking at him.
After waiting for a while and seeing no reaction from A-Ran, the young black panther got up, let out a few more calls, and continued lying in the grass, wagging its tail.
“Could it want me to pet it?”
Lin Ran chuckled and asked the camera.
When a cat lay down in front of a human like that, its body language usually meant it wanted to be petted.
“But it’s also possible that it’s tired from running after the scooter.”
“[No, no, no—absolutely not! This guy doesn’t have an interaction card, it’s trying to force an interaction, A-Ran, don’t reward him—(Breakdown)]”
“[This guy is too scheming. It’s one thing for little cubs to act cute, but such a big demon dares to act cute too!?]”
“[That’s right, I can’t stand it anymore. How can it be so blatant just because it has a good figure!]”
In fact, the demons in the barrage comments had already seen through his “scheme” and were trying to collectively condemn this touch porcelain behavior.
It was clearly trying to attract A-Ran’s attention.
After studying for so long in the forum, many demons were certain that A-Ran was exceptionally fond of fluffy creatures.
This black panther was in his prime, and this handsome young man lying on the ground like this really did reek of a scheming panther deliberately trying to attract A-Ran’s attention.
“[I’m dying of anxiety, who snatched the comment limit this time? Big Shot Stone? Quickly remind A-Ran not to touch him]”
“[Stone: Not, me! I, this time, didn’t get it.]”
Stone, who was constantly being called out by countless demons, hurriedly explained that he wasn’t lucky enough to get the floating comment permission that A-Ran could see this time.
But the one who got it didn’t seem to have said anything.
“[Who is it!? Has this guy been muted? He hasn’t said anything at all??]”
The demons in the comment section were furious. If they didn’t cherish the opportunity, could they please not take it from others? What was the difference between that and occupying a toilet but not using it?
Just as public resentment was boiling, a barrage comment really did pop up under everyone’s watchful eyes.
“[Floating Barrage] [Admin Test Account: Don’t touch, has virus.]”
But the other party seemed busy with something, and the message was extremely concise.
Admin Test Account?
Not only was Lin Ran confused, but countless demons were also dumbfounded.
“[Has anyone else noticed that the test account seems to be more and more active?]”
“[Indeed, it rarely appeared before, but now it always shows up in A-Ran’s events! Is the official team doing data testing?]”
“[Then could it be that this black panther wandered in by mistake? Is the testing team fixing bugs now?]”
While the demons were curiously discussing, Tao Shu and other demons suddenly realized that Shao Mian had disappeared at some point.
Was he sending barrage comments in “Demon World”?
“Test account? Is this a player ID?”
Lin Ran was still curious about this new commenter’s strange name.
“[Floating Barrage] [Yuanbao: .]”
The next second, the newly changed ID popped up again, this time just a period.
“Yuanbao?”
Lin Ran instantly realized it was Yuanbao. He knew before that Yuanbao had been secretly watching his live stream, but he didn’t expect him to finally leave a comment?
But it was too much to say that the black panther had a virus.
Lin Ran carefully observed the black cat for a long time and confirmed that it was a very healthy, young black panther, and it seemed a bit shy while acting coquettishly.
Because when Lin Ran approached, it would tense up nervously.
“Roar——!”
However, just as Lin Ran couldn’t resist the “fluffy creature trap” and finally reached out to touch it, he heard an extremely familiar roar.
The black panther instantly jumped up, sensed danger, and subconsciously wanted to run away.
But Lin Ran stood still, making the black panther anxious. It wanted to tug at Lin Ran’s clothes, signaling him to run quickly.
“It’s okay, he won’t bite.”
Habitually soothing the black panther, Lin Ran looked into the distance.
“Yuanbao?”
Lin Ran was truly too familiar with Yuanbao’s roar and was utterly surprised to see Yuanbao running towards him.
His strong and powerful limbs pounded the ground, making it faintly tremble, his golden mane flying freely in the wind, as if the entire grassland was under his control.
“Why are you here? Do you want some water?”
Lin Ran touched the big lion’s mane, worried that Yuanbao would easily get dehydrated after running so far, but Shao Mian was still staring at the black panther, which had finally run a few hundred meters away and was pacing restlessly.
Realizing that Yuanbao was clearly intimidating the young black panther, Lin Ran suddenly felt that this was too much.
“Don’t glare at him anymore, I didn’t even touch him.”
Tugging at his mane, wanting to coax Yuanbao back, Lin Ran found that Yuanbao actually turned his head and looked at him.
Except for the reproachful and disapproving look in his eyes, which made Lin Ran almost wonder if he really had another fluffy creature outside.
Although from another perspective, even if he took that handsome black panther home, it would just be joining the family… ahem.
Lin Ran subtly wanted to reason with him.
However, everyone in the barrage comments was amused by this scene.
“[Lol, he arrived just in time, my god, he really stopped A-Ran from falling for someone else, hahaha]”
After all, although their own failure was heartbreaking, the success of other demons was clearly even more devastating.
It was a good thing that that scheming black panther wasn’t successfully petted by A-Ran!
“[So the big lion has been with A-Ran all along? I haven’t seen him for a long time and thought he had fallen out of favor, hehe]”
“[To be honest, when it comes to petting, there’s no comparison between a lion and a black panther, right? Although the black panther is novel for a while, I believe the lion can still win!]”
“[No, no, but the black panther is young! Youth is capital, maybe A-Ran likes younger fluffy creatures?!]”
Some strange discussions even unconsciously appeared in the barrage.
Tao Shu and the other demons stared blankly at this scene, not knowing whether to intervene.
After all, the person in charge had run off to “Demon World.”
And this really looked like he was going to catch someone!?
But looking at the comments in the barrage, Shao Mian coldly scoffed and didn’t hesitate.
[Ding——You have received an S-rank interaction card: Pick Up and Kiss!]
Lin Ran, who suddenly received the notification: ?
[@Server-wide announcement, the first S-rank interaction card has been activated~ Congratulations to the player for entering the hidden Affection Level mode!]
A server-wide scrolling announcement instantly occupied the phone screens of all the demons.
So the barrage that was still joking around a second ago: ???
Wait, dude, how did you suddenly activate the hidden Affection Level mode?!
We’re still eating dirt, and you’re already at the table——QAQ?
[No, wait, wait! Is it still too late to call the black panther back? Emergency call for backup]
[Me too, +10000, unsubscribe! Unsubscribe!! I don’t want this!]
[No kissing, no kissing——daddy and mommy won’t allow it!]
One server-wide announcement successfully turned the entire barrage section from joking to serious.
But Lin Ran, after receiving the card interaction, reading the information, and looking at Yuanbao, smiled.
“Pick up and kiss? Of course.”
So just as Shao Mian was satisfied seeing the barrage section “shut up,” Lin Ran reached out, wrapped his arms around his fluffy mane, and gently kissed his forehead.
Shao Mian：……!
O///O
The entire Demon World: !!?
So A-Ran’s understanding of kissing was kissing the forehead!?
Thinking of this, the entire Demon World instantly heaved a huge sigh of relief.
But! Wait!
Was kissing the forehead even allowed!? Kissing the forehead wasn’t allowed either! [Table flip.jpg]
[Hidden mode activated, 5.0 world’s all-member Affection Level mode will be officially opened——!]
[The drop rate of various interaction cards in the new version will be increased by 50%, and the following acquisition methods and channels will be added… see the detailed announcement!]
However, as the first S-rank card was activated and used, the “Demon World” system prompts reappeared, seeming to indicate that the new 5.0 version update would be much faster than expected.
But the seamless notifications one after another did make countless demons smell a conspiracy.
Telling us there’s a hidden mode and then suddenly expanding the card pool, “Demon World,” could you be any more obvious?
[Sooner or later, I’ll fight all you top sellers——! TWT]
This must be a conspiracy of the top sellers!
But what if I’m the next one to be kissed by A-Ran!?
At this moment, the same daydream suddenly appeared in the minds of all the demons in the Demon World, their hands trembling slightly as they continued to spend.
“A sudden version update?”
However, with the sudden function update and being unexpectedly logged out of the Demon World, Lin Ran subconsciously held onto Yuanbao’s shoulder to steady himself.
“Did you receive the notification, Yuanbao? I found that the notifications I receive seem to be different from everyone else’s.”
Lin Ran was certain that his guess was correct.
The port he logged in from was probably different from most demon players, which was why the content he saw didn’t overlap.
But when Lin Ran looked up at Yuanbao, he found that Yuanbao didn’t seem to be listening to him at all.
It wasn’t until his gaze landed on Yuanbao’s slightly red ears that he suddenly stopped.
“Your face seems a little hot, Yuanbao, and your hand is hurting me.”
The soft question rang by his ear, and Shao Mian only then came back to his senses and realized that he had already brought him back.
Shao Mian instantly released his hand and found that Lin Ran’s wrist was a little red from his grip. He rubbed it, but it only made Lin Ran want to withdraw his hand.
So Shao Mian regained his composure, continued to hold his hand tightly, and tried to understand an extremely serious problem.
“How could you agree? What if other demons get this special interaction card in the future?”
Suddenly being stared at so seriously by Shao Mian, Lin Ran looked at his hand being held, hesitated for a moment, then answered seriously.
“If other demons get it and I don’t want to, I can refuse…”
After all, “Demon World” didn’t force him to respond.
Then why didn’t you refuse just now!
Shao Mian didn’t speak this time, but his light golden beast pupils silently expressed this question, continuing to hold his hand unreasonably and not letting him go.
As if he wouldn’t let him go until he gave the right answer.
“Mm, then because… I wanted to kiss you? Is that okay now?”
Lin Ran thought for a few seconds, looked at Yuanbao, smiled, and softly gave the answer.
He had clearly wanted to be kissed before.
Even Little Feather and the others could directly say that they wanted kisses.
Was it because he felt embarrassed that he hadn’t said it?
…
But Shao Mian, who was wagging his tail a second ago, suddenly felt that it was over.
It might really be over.
He seemed to have really fallen for a human.
The kind where he couldn’t even refuse if the other party wanted to pull his tail and play.
And Lin Ran, who had said this with a smile, quickly noticed that something seemed wrong with Yuanbao.
Shao Mian was silent for a long time, then pressed down his tail, which was trying to rub against Lin Ran.
“But you kissed the wrong place.”
Shao Mian’s voice was rarely so soft.
“Hmm? Wrong?”
Lin Ran was a little surprised.
Although he looked at the “Demon World” standby interface, which was being updated, he really hadn’t received a notification for a successful interaction.
Theoretically, there was a reward for D-rank, so there should be one for S-rank, right?
Shao Mian didn’t say anything but continued to stare at Lin Ran, finally noticing that Lin Ran’s face suddenly turned red as he slowly reacted.
The next second, Lin Ran covered Shao Mian’s face with his hand.
