Chapter One: Seven Viewers at Midnight

[Genuine audience interactions generate Burn Points. Artificial traffic is invalid.] [Current Burn Points: 113. Draw first skill?] Lin Ran thought exhaustion had finally broken his brain. Yet the number rose with every new comment, like, and share. Draw. [100 Burn Points consumed. Temporary combat skill acquired: Deflection Step—Beginner. Duration: ten minutes. Demonstrate it publicly to make it permanent.] The man shoved again. Lin Ran’s body moved before thought. He cut diagonally, turned through his shoulders, and let the force pass. The bald man stumbled into the squat rack. Plates rattled like an alarm. The audience shot past one thousand. FAKE! HE FELL BY HIMSELF! DO IT AGAIN. I’M RECORDING!