Qiao Liang never imagined that the people in his fan group would react so strongly.

Not a single person supported him—they were all urging him to get moving as quickly as possible!

And everyone’s reasoning was quite sound.

“You’ve been stalling all this time, saying you couldn’t release videos because you had no good material, that you were waiting for Tenda’s new game?”

“Now, the material has arrived! A free suffering journey—what excellent content everyone’s been waiting for!”

“But now you’re chickening out?”

“Clearly, saying you had no material was just an excuse all along. This is your true nature as a serial procrastinator!”

Qiao Liang was speechless because what these people said was indeed quite accurate and impossible to refute.

As a well-known content creator, going on a suffering journey was indeed a good opportunity to gather material, and the resulting video would definitely get high view counts.

But the problem was… he’d have to suffer!

This was different from suffering in games like “Turn Back to Shore”—this would be genuine physical suffering!

Although games like “Turn Back to Shore” involved frequent deaths, they were still just games. You might suffer mentally, but your body remained comfortably nestled in an air-conditioned room, still able to enjoy your favorite sugary drinks.

If he went on this suffering journey, he’d be exposed to wind, sun, and rain, having to climb rocks, make fires, and possibly even miss meals—with no control over what he ate.

Qiao Liang hurriedly explained: “You all know I’m just a gaming homebody with a weak constitution. I’d love to challenge myself with something as difficult as a suffering journey, but what if my physical condition doesn’t support it? If I really overexert myself and end up in the hospital, then I definitely won’t be able to update any videos!”

People in the fan group responded with “smirking” emojis.

“Haha, the officials obviously anticipated this excuse from you—it’s all clearly written in the announcement. Go see for yourself!”

“So you know you’re a gaming homebody who lacks exercise? Shouldn’t you take this opportunity to strengthen your body?”

“Don’t worry, there are women participating in this suffering journey too, and it’s all led by professionals. Before going into the wild, there will be indoor physical training first, ensuring everything’s properly arranged. Apart from enduring some hardship, you won’t get sick or have your health affected. You might even find yourself stronger when you return!”

“Stop pretending, Lao Qiao. You eat Slackin’ delivery every day and play ‘Fitness Fighter’ every other day. You’ve even posted updates showing off your achievements in the game and your weight loss results. You’re no longer the wheezing chubby homebody you used to be—you can definitely handle a suffering journey now!”

Qiao Liang read the announcement on the suffering journey’s official website again and found that it indeed addressed safety concerns.

The first month of the suffering journey would be indoor training, and the outdoor training locations were carefully selected, with strong logistical support to eliminate all worries—there was no need to fear being unable to persevere.

Plus, women would be participating this time. As a grown man, how could he be physically weaker than the ladies?

Moreover, Qiao Liang had indeed been regularly playing “Fitness Fighter”—he had a smart fitness clothes rack at home and frequently went into the game to unlock new skirts for the female characters.

It wasn’t that he enjoyed exercising; the main attraction was the temptation of dressing up cute girls in little skirts.

Combined with dietary improvements over time, Qiao Liang’s health had improved significantly. He’d lost weight and often proudly showed off his results in the group.

But now, this showing off had created a problem.

Everyone knew he was in good shape and perfectly capable of participating in a suffering journey!

Qiao Liang was speechless. When he had been showing off his weight loss achievements in the group, how could he have anticipated this situation?

Now he was stuck with no way out and no excuse not to go. He couldn’t even try to muddle through.

The announcement had already been made, and gamers across the country were eagerly watching these lucky winners. Qiao Laoshi was a well-known content creator after all—how could he save face if he backed out now?

However, upon carefully reading the announcement, Qiao Liang discovered that there were three lucky participants this time. Looking at the other two names, they were Ruan Guangjian and Yao Bo!

“Huh? Big Boss Ruan is going too?”

“So I’ll have someone to suffer with me?”

“No, no, what am I thinking…”

“And who’s Yao Bo? Oh right, that young master from the Jin Ding Group. How did he get selected too? Did he spend too much money in Tenda’s games?”

Qiao Liang had initially felt relieved that he could suffer alongside Big Boss Ruan, but on second thought, he realized that whether Ruan would actually suffer was questionable.

He still remembered the time he went through a haunted house with Ruan Guangjian, who screamed loudly while excitedly completing the entire course, leaving Qiao Liang pale-faced and terrified.

For this suffering journey, Ruan Guangjian might well end up enjoying himself again.

But this Yao Bo, being a pampered rich second-generation, surely wouldn’t be as abnormal as Ruan Guangjian?

Besides, he’d heard that two female employees from Tenda would also be participating.

With women to set the lower bar, as long as he wasn’t the worst performer, Qiao Liang felt he could accept the situation.

After much hesitation, seeing that the group members were still persistent, Qiao Liang finally declared: “Fine, I’ve decided to go! But let me be clear: don’t expect me to release videos about Chi Hang Studio’s new game right away!”

The fans in the group all expressed their indifference.

“That’s fine. It’s just a video about a new game—what difference does a few days make? The suffering journey is more important.”

“Exactly. Other gaming content creators will release videos anyway, but you’ll be the only one livestreaming a suffering journey!”

These comments made Qiao Liang’s teeth itch with frustration.

Well, these fans of his were certainly understanding—it was like being on an airplane and having someone stuff a parachute at him before kicking him out!

But what could he do?

With the lucky draw results published, gamers nationwide were watching eagerly—Qiao Liang couldn’t back down.

He had no choice but to log into the official website, fill out the form, and confirm his participation.

…

…

November 23rd, Friday.

Pei Qian had just arrived at his office when Bao Xu showed up with good news.

“Mr. Pei, the three lucky players selected in the draw have all completed their confirmation forms and coordinated their schedules with us.”

“Zhu Xiaocai has also returned to the country. Huang Sibo flew to America and completed all the handover work with him long ago.”

“My plan is to officially begin training on the first of next month, lasting for two months—December and January.”

“Zhu Xiaocai said he wanted to briefly report on his filming work in America, so I’ve specifically set aside a week for him.”

“Considering the cold weather now, we should find a warmer place for our outdoor training, like an uninhabited island in Qiongzhou.”

The stream of good news left Pei Qian pleasantly surprised.

“Oh? All three have completed their confirmation forms?”

“Let me see… Qiao Liang, Ruan Guangjian, and Yao Bo… hmm, Yao Bo spent that much money with us?”

After reviewing the list, Pei Qian understood why Yao Bo had been unexpectedly selected. The guy had spent outrageously in “Sea Fortress,” GOG, “Fitness Fighter,” and other games. He hadn’t missed any of Tenda’s single-player games either, spending money wherever possible.

Although he hadn’t played all these games, he clearly went all-in with spending on each one he entered.

Even though Tenda’s games were generally priced conscientiously, such extravagant spending still added up to a figure that would frighten average players.

“Good. It seems this selection has been a great success—the selected individuals perfectly meet our standards.”

Pei Qian spoke through gritted teeth while feeling smug about his brilliant plan.

Even someone like Qiao Liang had signed the confirmation form, clearly showing that this lottery method had struck at his weakness, leaving him no way to refuse.

“Regarding the training, we shouldn’t delay any longer—let’s start immediately!”

“There’s no need to give Zhu Xiaocai a week for reporting. I’m confident in Huang Sibo’s oversight of the work there. Tell him no report is necessary—he should pack his things and prepare for special training right away!”

“Have them train for an extra week—more training, same price! After all, the previous cohort also trained for an extra week.”

“As for the location, an uninhabited island in Qiongzhou is indeed a good choice, but I have two concerns.”

“First, are there suitable places for rock climbing on the island? Rock climbing is a key part of the training now—we can’t practice all this time only to find nowhere to apply it.”

“Second, won’t this suffering journey be too easy compared to the Shennongjia one? Going to an island to sunbathe, feel the sea breeze, and slack off—is that suffering enough?”

Bao Xu smiled and replied, “Rest assured, I’ll make all the proper arrangements.”

“There are many islands there, and I’ll definitely choose one with complex conditions suitable for a suffering journey where all training items can be utilized.”

“Traditional activities like rock climbing will certainly be preserved.”

“As for the suffering aspect, each has its own characteristics.”

“While the wild survival segment in Shennongjia might have involved more suffering, there was still a two-week tourism segment where participants could stay in hotels and visit scenic spots. On an uninhabited island, there will only be survival and rest segments, with no tourism segment.”

“Of course, the overall environment on an uninhabited island might be slightly better than Shennongjia’s deep mountains, with sunshine and beaches instead of dense forests.”

“Also, I’ve heard that Qiongzhou recently issued an ‘Approval Measures for Development and Utilization of Uninhabited Islands,’ which allows units or individuals to apply for development rights to uninhabited islands.”

“I plan to take this opportunity to investigate. If conditions are suitable, we could apply to the relevant departments to see if we can lease an island as a permanent training site for suffering journeys.”

Hearing this, Pei Qian immediately perked up.

“Oh? Lease an island? That’s a great idea!”

“Investigate thoroughly and give me a detailed report later. Remember, make sure to lease a big one!”