Chapter 4: The Importance of Surfing

"Huh? So fake?" Looking at the "Claimed" message on the screen, the boy didn't believe it one bit, but combining it with the previous grave claim message, he began to doubt if it was real; this was somewhat contradictory, yet not entirely conflicting.

After all, judging by reality, whether the red packet was claimed or not, he wouldn't lose anything, only wasting time; this, however, was irreparable unless the thing done wasn't in vain.

'Alipay credit of 888 yuan.' Just as he felt bored and was about to close the entire browser, then shut the laptop again, his phone vibrated, emitting a notification sound that scared him straight up; luckily the ceiling beam was high enough, otherwise he would have hit his head. Unfortunately, the phone wasn't so lucky; under his sudden stand, he still didn't hold it steady, and it fell straight from the top bunk, smashing hard onto the floor. One could even hear the sound of objects shattering.

However, without checking it once more, he dared not confirm whether it could still be used at all.

He hurriedly scrambled down the ladder in three quick moves, and when only two rungs remained, he didn't hesitate to jump down.

Only after barely stabilizing his stance by grabbing a support at the bed's edge did he slowly stand up, picking up the phone along the way. From the back, no cracks were visible; only from the front could one know its injuries. After all, it had fallen face-down, so it was estimated that the inner screen must have been damaged, because the impact force was not small. Even he couldn't withstand falling down, let alone a phone?

The feeling upon touching it was far from optimistic; he almost got pricked. This was the shattered components at work. Now he could only hope it still worked normally; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go out later. Cash was already spent, and the phone was wrecked—that would be unusually unbearable.

"Ow!" As he carefully went to press the power button, fate seemed to play a small joke on him; a nearby shard still pricked him. Fortunately, it didn't pierce the skin, so there was no need to stop bleeding or anything.

When his mind was highly focused, suddenly getting hit like that was something he never expected. The phone almost flew again, so he quickly gripped the camera area tightly to prevent it from dropping once more.

"Huff, huff, I was careless!" After switching hands to hold the phone, he kept blowing on the pricked finger, trying to reduce the pain. The effect was indeed significant; in no time, he finally felt much more comfortable. Or perhaps it was psychological, but he could definitely feel a coolness around it, not eerie, only a sense of comfort.

Although he enjoyed it, he never got addicted. The goal hadn't been achieved yet, so this wasn't the time to relax. He must confirm one thing: whether he was experiencing auditory hallucinations. Moreover, his information was never bound to the game, so where did this "credit" come from? Therefore, only exploration could reveal the truth.

This time there were no obstacles; the power button was pressed, and the screen lit up as expected. Everything seemed normal. Of course, if one ignored the tiny cracks on it, one could indeed say it was still intact. At least the small components helping it run were quietly lying inside the phone. This was quite reassuring. OPPO is forever the god!

After sighing, now was the time to check if Alipay had any errors. Although from the unlocked screen one could see it was still running and there was an unread message, without looking closely, there was still doubt inside. What if it was just an ad? After all, since downloading it, the ads never stopped. Who knew when another one would pop up? So, this was an unavoidable possibility.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, the truth could be revealed easily right now. Since it was right at hand, just unlock it.

Oh my,

Why do I keep entering the wrong password? Is it because I'm too nervous and anxious? Huff, huff...

Looking at the prompt on the phone saying he could still enter three more times, and if he failed, the screen would lock for three minutes, the boy's originally expectant heart became somewhat irritable. Earlier, being disturbed by a call causing his game character to die, he could suppress his displeasure due to the shock. Now even a phone came to bully him; it was simply too annoying.

Although his mood was bad, he still needed to unlock it seriously; otherwise, the truth would remain indefinitely delayed, which was not what he wanted.

With a 'Ding!', the phone finally unlocked successfully under the torment of the last chance. He didn't expect to forget the unlock password. It seemed he would have to reset it later; otherwise, forgetting it again would be a huge embarrassment. But for now, there was no rush; there were more important matters at hand.

Sliding down the scroll bar, although there were many messages, even including the previously viewed "Grave Purchase (Claim) Successful" notification, they couldn't block the Alipay notification pinned at the very top. Clearly visible, it showed that a fund transfer had been received just one minute ago. Even though the company name in front was unfamiliar, the fact of money entering the account was undeniable.

The truth of the matter seemed clear, yet it was still inevitably surrounded by layers of mysteries, never revealed. Where exactly did the problem occur? Why was there something he just couldn't figure out?

Entering the Alipay interface to check confirmed he was indeed not deceived. The successfully credited ¥888 lay quietly, as if waiting to be used. Unfortunately, its owner was standing there in a daze, still not understanding the severity of the situation.

"Could it be a malfunction? Or am I seeing things?" The boy couldn't be sure. These were all guesses. Before obtaining sufficient evidence, he believed these were illusions and couldn't truly believe everything before his eyes.

"Sss! Does it hurt that much?" After some hesitation, he finally adopted the old method: fiercely pinching and twisting his somewhat delicate cheek. The pain came truly and vividly. The previous situation of being pricked by a shard was already forgotten. This was now an excuse for self-comfort. So, whether it was pricked or not didn't matter; anyway, his heart wasn't there.

"It seems... everything is real, but why just don't I believe it?" The boy muttered silently, like he was possessed. He wouldn't stop until he got the answer.

His thoughts raced rapidly, hoping to find from his active mind how to unravel the fog of the truth.

Now there was only one way to solve this problem. If this effect with a illusory color could still be realized... As for subsequent matters, the boy dared not think too much, because this far exceeded the realm of science, too hard to accept at once. First the grave claim matter, then the trial red packet easily claimed. All these results appeared unpredictably yet truly happened. They all say that after the founding of the nation, no one is allowed to become a spirit. Could it be that he...

Well, the result still needs verification. Currently, the best object for experimentation is the item in his hand. Combining the previous two events, a rough suspicion location emerged. That is, the ads!

First, a grave with winter warmth and summer coolness in a prime location; then, a red packet from "Lanyue" that treats children and elders equally without deception. Thinking seriously, wouldn't it be too abnormal not to think of this?

So, the target didn't seem to choose the wrong direction. It might even allow funds to double. He only hoped it wouldn't be like drawing water with a bamboo basket, ending in nothing. Otherwise, it would be empty joy. But as long as no principal was invested, then he wouldn't lose.

With this mindset, he stretched his hand toward the financial products of the software currently open.

Surprisingly, after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find the object he wanted to experiment on. Either the time was too long, or the funds were insufficient. There wasn't even a shred of hope.

Was he really going to return in disappointment like this? That shouldn't be. He remembered the ads were often displayed usually. Why were they so obedient this time? It was too unscientific!

The boy was very depressed. Before, it was as hard as climbing to the sky to find software without ads. Now, wholeheartedly searching for ads, he could only return in disappointment. The situation seemed to have fallen into a deadlock.

For a moment, he didn't know what to use for experimentation. There weren't many apps on the phone. Excluding Alipay, besides the chat software "Xinxin," there were only some game apps. Could he go find "Jin Du Niang"? Just kidding...

Hmm? Du Niang! This is a universal software; basically, you can find whatever you want. Of course, it can't be used for illegal things.

Now he could only place all hope on it. Seeing that late-night snack time had arrived, yet he hadn't even eaten dinner, after a moment of distraction, his stomach started rumbling. If he didn't eat soon, he really feared collapsing. Earlier, he was highly focused; now his attention was not concentrated because hope was extremely slim. In modern society, generally no one believes in this metaphysics unless it actually happens three times.

They say nothing happens more than three times. Although it had already happened twice and matched eerily, he was still half-skeptical. This thing was too mysterious. How could a poor student like me believe it? You say there are ghosts, I believe it. You say you have superpowers, I will start doubting if your head is sick. Don't force ideas into my head, okay? I only believe what I believe. As for what I don't believe, it's all fallacy. This is his skill of turning the tables...

Pfft, nonsense... Forget it, no explanation needed. Serious matters need to be treated rigorously. Better understand the functions clearly first.

"I don't know if I really obtained something extraordinary as imagined..." His fingers continued operating tirelessly, but the boy appeared somewhat absent-minded. Having already felt disappointment, he naturally wouldn't hold too much hope.

Although it was only because that software hadn't shown ads yet, so the feeling of whether there was any effect couldn't be confirmed, deep down in his heart, it was already nine out of ten likely. Even thinking of soaring to the sky, he didn't show it much, after all, this wasn't realistic.

He just wanted a result, good or bad. At least it meant gaining a sense of vanity. Actually, he was quite satisfied. A man's happiness is that simple. Give him a sweet taste, and he can be happy for a long time. Perhaps, he had also seen through life a bit.

No more side remarks. He had already entered Du Niang's search box, but for a moment, he didn't know what to search. Was it something missing, or a simple chat software? "Momo"? Or "Soul"? If only there were some hints, he wouldn't be stuck again.

When choices are compressed, thoughts can flow like a spring. But once the scope expands, not even a drop comes out. Sigh, too hard. Never thought one day I would fall into a dilemma. If I had known this, I should have often surfed the internet, so I wouldn't be at a loss for words now.