133. Adventurer Jon William

In every sense, the Abyss conforms to the logic of a "game."

Whether it is the "tabletop RPG" rules of the world, the "respawning" that occurs immediately after death, or the monsters roaming about—everything in the Abyss feels as unreal as a game.

It is precisely because of these characteristics that Chen Shang feels he could easily shape the Abyss into something akin to a "dungeon" or an "amusement park," and trick a bunch of "players" into exploring it for him.

"Pfft, hahahaha! You’re far too bold, kid! Are you trying to get everyone to go crazy with you?" Black Calice laughed until she was breathless.

"No, no, no—my goal is definitely more than that." Chen Shang shook his head and explained, "Actually, I have another purpose: to have them investigate the conditions within the Abyss and relay that information back to me."

"Come to think of it, is your obsession with investigating the Abyss related to that thing you told me about back then?" Black Calice asked.

"As I told you before, I was targeted by someone claiming to be a god, and she told me to go to the Abyss to find her." Chen Shang shrugged helplessly and sighed, "You didn't believe me at the time, but you should believe me now, right?"

"Admittedly, I’m starting to believe it." Black Calice nodded. "So, what do you need me to do?"

—Has she already become this proactive?

Seeing Black Calice volunteer, Chen Shang instinctively opened her favorability bar and found that the hacker girl's affection for him had risen to 74, fast approaching the 80-point threshold of "infatuation." If a player can raise a female character's favorability above 70, that character will already consider the player an inseparable part of her life.

"Naturally, I need you to return to your old profession and act as my internet water army," Chen Shang said with a smile.

...

Jon William, 36, is a renowned explorer in Nightshade City. Unlike those "celebrity explorers" who are purely the product of hype, he is a man of genuine substance.

For the past twelve years, he has been active in the world's most dangerous regions. Whether it is permafrost at sixty degrees below zero, forbidden zones swarming with monsters, or heavily polluted areas with off-the-charts radiation levels—this adventurer's footprints have been found in every perilous corner of the world.

He hosts his own independent channel on Twitter and DouTube, where he regularly live-streams his expeditions. After years of operation, his courage to challenge the unknown and his hardcore skills have earned him a loyal following of at least three hundred thousand fans.

However, compared to the "influencer explorers" propped up by entertainment companies in recent years, his popularity is but a pathetic drop in the bucket. Those pampered internet celebrities can barely wear a protective helmet correctly, yet they easily rake in millions of mindless fans based solely on their looks and the production team's marketing. Most of their shows consist of makeshift sets built in studios, which look riddled with flaws to any professional eye.

Fellow explorers often express dissatisfaction with the "entertainment-to-death" status quo within the city, with most choosing to join the entertainment companies if they can't beat them. Jon, however, is an exception.

To many, he doesn't care about fame; he simply enjoys the process of "adventure." In an era where the exploration industry is gradually leaning toward entertainment, he remains true to his roots, earning him the title of "the most hardcore adventurer on all of DouTube" within the industry.

Yet, no one knows why he risks his life so recklessly; perhaps he is simply a man destined to be unrestrained. The reason he constantly seeks adventure is something only he may know.

At 11:00 PM, Jon William finished a hot shower and prepared to go to bed. Having just returned from an expedition to the Eastern Radiation Zone a month ago, he was in a rare, peaceful period of recuperation.

Just then, an email popped up on his phone:

"Dear Master Adventurer Mr. Jon William:
I have discovered a place worthy of your exploration. Would you be interested in learning more about it?"

Jon looked at the unsigned email with disdain and decisively dismissed it as spam. As a moderately famous DouTube creator, he had received plenty of harassing and scam emails. Some were partnership invitations from entertainment companies, some were attempts to defraud him of money, and even more were requests for hookups.

In terms of appearance, Jon has a broad, sturdy build, short curly hair, and a thick growth of body hair and beard, radiating raw masculine hormones. Unlike the androgynous pretty boys of the day, he possesses a great deal of masculinity and a sense of security from every angle. It wasn't just ordinary women who were interested in him; even the high-class patrons of the "Big Bird Spiral" were quite taken with him.

Yet, he remains unmarried, as if he has dedicated his entire life to the profession of adventure. Looking at this ambiguous email, Jon snorted coldly and prepared to delete it.

But just then, he received another email, still from the same strange address. When Jon opened and finished reading that second letter, his eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he was so startled he dropped his phone to the floor.

"Mr. Jon, I am deeply sorry to disturb you again:
I sincerely hope you will accept the proposal I offered in my previous letter, unless you want everyone in Nightshade City to know about that disastrous night twelve years ago."

The following night, following the address attached to the email, Jon arrived in front of an abandoned bar in the Waste Refining District and found a bespectacled youth leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

"You're the one who sent the emails?" Jon twitched his curly beard and asked nervously.

"A pleasure, Mr. William." Chen Shang flashed a smile, obscured by a mosaic effect, at the middle-aged adventurer: "The fact that you were willing to come out and meet me personally has saved me quite a bit of trouble."

"You are... I recognize you. You're the champion of this year’s Grand Tournament!" Jon paused, suddenly realizing something: "You are!"

"Indeed, that is me," Chen Shang nodded.

Hearing this, Jon immediately demanded in a threatening tone, "How do you know my secret? Who on earth told you?!"

Chen Shang clapped his hands and laughed: "I also know that your last name isn't actually William, and I know every other secret about you."

"You... how could you possibly know that..." Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down Jon's forehead.

Jon William's real name is Jon Joestar, formerly a scion of the "Joestar Group," a family conglomerate. In his youth, he was an amateur wilderness explorer who often frequented sparsely populated regions.

However, twelve years ago, on a night when he was twenty-four, a cataclysmic change occurred in his life. That day, he was sitting alone by a campfire drinking when a burly man suddenly grabbed him from behind and launched an attack.

Jon could not recall the specific details of that night; he only remembered that when he woke up, he discovered he also possessed a "feminine" side. He later learned that his attacker was a wanted mutant criminal. It was said that due to radiation, the man’s testosterone levels were often twenty times that of a normal adult male, leading to an insatiable desire where everyone he saw looked like a beautiful woman.

To prevent the incident from becoming a laughingstock among the corporate elite, the Joestar Group completely covered it up, and Jon was expelled from the family, cutting all ties thereafter. Since then, in search of his inner "masculinity," Jon became a true professional adventurer, embarking on a path that disregarded life and death.

The story of that night became a secret he could never speak of, even in death.

Of course, this backstory is all from the game's side quest, "The Great Adventurer Seems to Be Looking for a Qualified Photographer." Players only need to find an opportunity to peek at Jon's diary and chat logs to learn these settings.

"While I still have a shred of patience... tell me, how do you know all this!" Jon drew his pistol, pointing it at Chen Shang in a fit of rage: "You'd better tell the truth, or someone will find the body of the Grand Tournament champion here tomorrow!"

Jon knew Chen Shang wasn't the combat-oriented type, so he felt no fear toward him.

"Don't get excited~ I'm actually just here to talk business." Chen Shang raised his hands and gave a very standard military salute: "Anyway, please don't hold such hostility toward me. Can we put the guns down and talk?"

"Do you think you're qualified to negotiate with me?" Jon pressed aggressively.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jon suddenly felt a chill on his neck, followed by the pungent smell of blood behind him. Before he knew it, a swordsman wearing a cheap cartoon mask appeared behind him, holding an iron sword to his throat.

"Put the gun down," the swordsman's voice whispered like the Grim Reaper.

"You..." Jon was so terrified his body went limp. This adventurer, who had long disregarded his own life, felt a long-forgotten fear, as if he were being throttled by something a hundred times more terrifying than a Tyrannosaurus.

He tremblingly dropped his pistol to the ground and asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?"

"I'll keep it brief, then~" Chen Shang said with a smile: "I would like to invite you to join me on an adventure live-stream. Would you be willing?"