The Fat Guy Is Gone

Su Yang flicked his cigarette into a nearly empty water bottle before getting up and heading toward the tent he shared with Liu Bo.

The six tents were pitched close together, each spaced only about three meters apart.

Su Yang stopped in front of a yellow tent, kicked off his shoes, and crawled inside.

He didn’t bother changing out of his clothes—after all, he’d soon be sharing the space with another guy.

It was already midnight, and the others in the neighboring tents had long since crashed, exhausted from the day’s activities.

Su Yang still had to wait for Liu Bo to return. Bored, he mentally called up his system.

—System, show me my latest stats.

[Host: Su Yang]

[Age: 24]

[Height: 180 cm]

[Weight: 76 kg]

[Appearance: 88]

[Physique: 92]

[Body: 90]

[Charm: 94]

[Combat Power: B-rank, 80]

[Skills: Master of Physique Management, Professional Racecar Driving, Golden Divine Body, Intermediate Combat Skills, Alcohol Tolerance, Singing Mastery, Polyglot, Rapid Healing, Wilderness Survival Expert]

[Bonded Targets: Zhao Mengrou (Affection: 70), Lin Yiyi (Affection: 70), Gu Xiaoman (Affection: 70), Shen Yixue (Affection: 70), Lin Xiaomo (Affection: 80), Tang Ziyun (Affection: 85), Xinxiya (Affection: 10), Xia Li (Affection: 10), Su Qingci (Affection: 60), Ye Wan (Affection: 40), Meng Qianyu (Affection: 20)]

[Balance: ¥324,895,732]

Su Yang studied the long list of attributes floating on the virtual screen in front of him, then double-checked his balance.

—Three hundred twenty-four million… Not bad. Oh, right—I almost forgot about my villa.

—Once this trip’s over, I can finally move in.

He tilted his head slightly, scanning the list of bonded targets above his balance.

—One, two, three, four… Eleven. Quite the harem. Wait, no—it should be thirteen, counting Pan Ning and Lu Yun, who are already at 100.

—And what’s with Xinxiya? Didn’t she say she was coming to Haicheng to see me? It’s been ages, and she still hasn’t shown up.

—Whatever. There’s no limit on slots anyway. I’ll just leave her there for now.

[There is a limit.]

The system’s sudden response made Su Yang’s eyes widen. He bolted upright.

—What?! There’s a limit? Why didn’t you mention something this important earlier?

[Host may unbond targets who have not made contact for over five days. Current total slots: 15. Used: 11. Targets with 100 Affection do not occupy slots.]

—Damn it! You could’ve told me sooner! Seriously, is there any way to increase the slots?

[Yes. Completing three tasks will grant five additional slots.]

Su Yang frowned at first, but then reconsidered.

Fifteen slots weren’t too bad, especially since reaching 100 Affection freed them up.

With that in mind, it was manageable for now. Plus, there was a way to expand the limit—not a dealbreaker.

—Fine. But hidden tasks don’t pop up often. Toss me more missions in the future, or I’ll get bored. Just make sure they’re on the easier side.

[Missions are generated based on the host’s circumstances. Difficulty cannot be guaranteed.]

"Alright, try not to make it too complicated. There's one more thing—can you bump my looks up to 90? Being stuck just two points short is driving me crazy."

[Appearance adjustments may affect facial structure. Probability of success is low.]

"Come on, two points shouldn’t make much difference, right? Just 90 is fine—I’m not asking for a perfect 100."

[Host may improve naturally by enjoying life more. Certain probability applies.]

Su Yang chuckled wryly.

"Fine, whatever."

After the conversation with the system, the virtual screen before him vanished automatically.

He lay back down, pulled out his phone, and started scrolling through Douyin.

Ten minutes later, Su Yang sat up and glanced outside the tent.

"Huh? Why hasn’t Fatty come back yet?"

The thought barely crossed his mind when he got up, slipped on his shoes, and headed toward the river.

After just two steps, he froze. A few meters ahead, Liu Bo’s clothes lay discarded by the riverbank, but there was no sign of Liu Bo in the water.

"What the—?!"

"Fatty?!"

"Fatty!!" Su Yang sprinted to the river’s edge, scanning left and right. The beam of his flashlight revealed nothing within a ten-meter radius.

A sinking feeling twisted in his gut.

Just then, noise erupted from the tents behind him. His shouts had woken the others.

All the tent flaps flew open, and the girls poked their heads out, staring at Su Yang.

Meng Wenzhou, Zhang Ziming, and Ji Bo scrambled out of their tents, blinking in confusion.

"Old Su, what’s going on?" Meng Wenzhou called out.

Su Yang turned. "Fatty’s gone..."

"Gone? What do you mean—?!"

Before he could finish, Meng Wenzhou yanked on his clothes and shoes, rushing to Su Yang’s side to peer at the river.

"Where is he?"

"No idea. Fatty’s a strong swimmer, and the water’s shallow here. He shouldn’t be in trouble—probably just swam farther out in excitement. Let’s search along the bank."

Su Yang glanced at Zhang Ziming and Ji Bo, who were still putting on their shoes. "You two, hurry up."

"Got it, coming."

Meanwhile, the girls from the other tents began stepping out.

Su Yang waved them off. "Stay put. Fatty’s not dressed. We’ll handle this."

"Alright, be careful," Pan Ning urged.

"Got it."

By then, Zhang Ziming and Ji Bo had reached the riverbank.

Su Yang addressed the group. "Old Meng, you and Ziming take the left side. Ji Bo and I will go right. Keep your phones on—message if you find him."

"Roger." Meng Wenzhou, face tight with worry, grabbed Zhang Ziming’s arm and jogged left along the river.

Su Yang and Ji Bolted right, their figures soon swallowed by the darkness beyond the reach of the campsite lights.

With the guys gone, the girls huddled nervously—except for Ye Wan.

But it was precisely because Ye Wan was there that Su Yang felt at ease leaving to search.

Still, he wasn’t overly concerned. Liu Bo’s combat stats were nearly on par with Ye Wan’s, just a hair behind. In normal circumstances, he’d be fine.

Su Yang and Ji Bo fished out their phones, turning on the flashlights. In their haste, they’d forgotten actual torches.

The weak glow barely illuminated a meter or two ahead in the wilderness at midnight.

But Su Yang’s vision was exceptional—he could see much farther.

"Slow down, Yang! I can't see clearly."

Su Yang grabbed Ji Bo's wrist firmly. "Just hold onto me."

The two of them dashed along the riverbank, shouting into the darkness over the water.

"Fatso!!"

"Bro!!"

"Damn it, where the hell did this guy run off to?"

...