I Became a Malicious Streamer

It had been quite some time since I started working as a virtual streamer.

There were people who occasionally wondered about my face, but that frequency had significantly decreased, and instead, most of the talk revolved around my broadcasts.

Their main interest centered on the relationships that Mollru, the streamer, had with other streamers.

It was more about their pure curiosity regarding my social interactions rather than what game I was playing or what achievements I was accomplishing.

It’s not exactly pure curiosity since they’re so interested in others’ relationships, but still.

This tendency was more pronounced among the newly joined viewers.

The newly joined viewers refer to those who came in after I started my Vtuber activities.

Apparently, there’s a term called “Teete,” but what is that even about?

Whenever I chat amiably with someone, the chat fills up with “Teete.”

Except when the other person is a man.

They say it’s a unique culture among Vtubers, but I just can’t get used to it.

“Rita, be careful!”

“Eek! I think I got bitten…”

“What are you doing getting bitten?!”

“Well, she said she got bitten, bangjang.”

One after another were Jay, Rita, and Hanyang.

Even after the successful collaboration session in Minecraft, we often played games together under Rita’s leadership.

It wasn’t strictly business; it felt more like friends having fun together.

The game we were currently playing was a four-player co-op game about surviving against zombies.

As humanity’s last survivor, I had to avoid swarms of zombies while gaining weapons, finding shelters, and collecting food – a survival game indeed.

“Hm… I’m pretty sure I said I’d abandon you if you got bitten one more time.”

“Ah, no! Please don’t abandon me, bangjang!”

“What should I do?”

“Shall we dispose of her?”

Here, “bangjang” refers to myself.

Despite it being the first time I played this game, I naturally got appointed as the leader of this group because I had superior understanding, adaptability, and skills compared to other streamers.

As we played the game, each of us took on roles, but then Rita got bitten by a zombie.

Glug.

I could hear the sound of someone swallowing nervously through the mic.

The decision was entirely mine.

Determining whether to “dispose” of Rita was entirely up to me.

[Let’s just kill her, how many times has this been?]

[Seriously, that’s some chaotic behavior.]

[Why hasn’t the bangjang been bitten though?]

[Does Mollru’s physique look like it’s going to be bitten?]

[At this point, it’s surprising she hasn’t bitten anyone.]

[Rita’s becoming useless.]

[She looks too innocent to be like that.]

[Is there a vaccine?]

This wasn’t the first time Rita had been bitten by a zombie.

She had been bitten once at the very beginning of the game and again during a massive wave halfway through, making it twice total.

Of course, Jay and Hanyang also had their own encounters with infection, leaving only me unbitten.

When everyone else had been infected at least once, I had publicly announced that from now on, anyone who got infected wouldn’t get any mercy and would be either banished or executed.

As the leader of the group, it was the right call.

You often see in movies or dramas characters getting infected because they couldn’t cast out those around them.

The tense situation now rested on my decision regarding Rita’s treatment.

My decision was…

“We still have time, so let’s look for a vaccine. It might drop from a special variant.”

“Sniff, okay!”

For now, she was safe.

Honestly, I had anticipated someone would get bitten at least once when I said another bite would be the end.

I realized while playing that this game was no walk in the park.

Underestimating it could lead to serious trouble.

“Hey, I’m only letting you live this time.”

“Ultimately, if we can’t find a vaccine, we all die. Don’t get too happy.”

I’m not sure if it’s just the Flare Crew members, but Vtubers are generally quite immersive in specific situations.

This game, “Surviving Against Zombies,” or “Zombs” for short, is indeed fun, but the back-and-forth between streamers when playing multiplayer adds a whole new layer of enjoyment from the viewer’s perspective.

They really pull that off very well.

After all, dying only means the character we’re currently playing disappears and we respawn.

It can be frustrating, but it’s also quite merciful since you don’t get completely booted out.

[They’re really saving her.]

[Aww, too bad.]

[Rita, Mollru, Teete!]

[This counts as Teete, doesn’t it?]

[What the heck is Teete, you bastards?]

[Oh dear.]

[Rule! :: In Mollru’s stream, use proper and courteous language ^^]

[Newcomers keep saying weird things.]

[For real, it’s the newcomers who are excluding the original viewers.]

[But… Teete is something I can’t resist.]

[Kiaaaaah!]

“If Rita is gone, who’ll cook for us? We need to eat, so I’m saving her.”

“Oh, right! We need to eat, Rita!”

“That’s true.”

Rita was the cook. Jay was the driver. Hanyang was the pack mule.

We divided our roles like this. Me? I’m… the party leader and the main damage dealer.

Isn’t that enough of a role?

“Anyway, let’s search the buildings and look for that vaccine. Hanyang and Jay, don’t wander too far, okay? Stick together like comrades.”

“Comrades?”

“Uh… I mean, stay close so we can help each other if we get bitten.”

“Oh alright, got it.”

I was so immersed in the game that I unconsciously used jargon I used in active duty.

Of course, they wouldn’t understand it.

[Comrades, LOL legendary word choice.]

[Mollru was in the military?]

[Explains the suspiciously high combat skills coupled with massive, munchy cheeks… a military high school girl can explain everything.]

[Comrade system activated.]

[It’s not common to know ‘comrades’ as a girl.]

“Use your ammo sparingly and stick to knives. If you feel like you’re going to get bitten, just use your gun.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Rita, please notify me whenever there’s a change in your condition. We need to prepare ourselves mentally.”

“Okay…”

Those bitten by zombies experience several changes.

Common symptoms include the body’s rejection responses like vomiting, chills, headaches, and dizziness when infected with a virus.

As time passes, these ailments get worse until, eventually, one becomes a zombie.

If one is particularly unlucky, symptoms can escalate severely right from the start, turning them into a zombie almost instantly, which is why constant monitoring is necessary.

“I’m hungry.”

“Just hold on, eating after getting bitten will make you hungrier.”

“Oh, I see… understood.”

Hunger is also a frequent symptom.

The immune system, including antibodies in the body, continuously fights against the zombie virus, leading to a deficiency in nutrients.

Eating is vital to slow down the infection, but…

I just wanted to mess with Rita because her newbie reactions were cute.

I can sort of understand why veterans can’t resist teasing newbies in any game.

“Bangjang, the chat says it’s better to eat something…? Otherwise, you’ll turn into a zombie faster.”

“Really? I must have gotten confused. Hurry and eat something.”

“…You’re not doing this on purpose, are you?”

“I’m new to Zombs too, so there are a few things I don’t know.”

[Look at that, lying through her teeth with no spit on her lips.]

[Rita’s becoming a zombie is part of the plan, wow.]

[The bangjang is, after all, a seasoned delinquent.]

[Can’t change her bad habits, can you? LOL.]

[Oh, so that was on purpose? LOL, I almost chimed in too.]

As we experienced a not-so-typical incident, we reached the building we were supposed to search.

“Lead the way, Rita.”

“Me?”

“Since you’ve already been bitten a few times, it doesn’t matter if you get bitten again.”

Just like Hanyang and Jay, I was paired up with Rita in a two-person team.

Exploring unmapped buildings is a gamble, as you never know what you might encounter — you could expect special rewards, but there are also unknown dangers.

Leading someone who has already lost their innocence like Rita would be more efficient.

“Well, if I get bitten again, I’ll get infected faster…”

“No matter how many times you get bitten, taking the vaccine will cure you. This is the more efficient method.”

“Eek…”

Rita couldn’t refute my words and took a step forward.

[Who’s saying they’ll run away first? LOL.]

I ignored the chat that was stating the obvious.

What else could I do but leave her behind if anything went wrong?

And so, we continued our exploration of the building.

Clang!

As a crashing sound resonated, Rita let out a scared scream.

This doesn’t seem right.

Maybe we entered the wrong building.

“Eek!!”

That ominous feeling wasn’t wrong as zombies started appearing ahead.

And quite a few at that.

“Waaah…”

“If we don’t break through quickly, we’ll get overrun. Break through, break through!”

I sent Rita forth like a meat shield, pushing our way through.

I ignored the screams that echoed intermittently.

“Ah! I got bitten again!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We just need to find that special variant…”

I figured if zombies were clustered together like this in an unmapped area, there would be at least one special variant somewhere.

As I scanned the surroundings while breaking through, I soon spotted it.

Bingo.

“Rita, look left! That one looks odd.”

“That one… it has a bit of a reddish tint?”

“It’s likely to have the vaccine.”

“Really?”

As we approached the special variant, hoping for a glimmer of hope at the end of life…

Crash!

The window behind me shattered, and now zombies began charging out from the back.

“Wait, what the hell?”

While backing against the wall, I watched the supposedly safe wall crumble.

This was a situation where no amount of skill would get me out.

I took a bite out of the zombie while tackling the special variant, grabbing the vaccine and somehow escaping.

“Get in quickly, hurry!”

“D-Did you get the vaccine?”

I turned the car back to the shelter, leaving the horde of zombies behind as I helped Rita in.

Meanwhile, Rita was questioning me regarding the whereabouts of the vaccine.

The vaccine was safely resting in my inventory.

However, the issue was…

“Whew, that was close. I almost died. But at least I managed to grab the vaccine. I might have—”

“Rita.”

“Yes?”

“I got bitten.”

As Rita’s voice began to chatter nervously in the car, the atmosphere instantly fell to silence.

A few moments later, Rita quietly asked, “No, no way?”

“…”

“You’ll give it to me, right? I was bitten first.”

“Hmm…”

“I just got bitten again, which means the infection sped up. Please save me…”

Two of us were bitten.

And there was only one vaccine.

There was no guarantee that we could find another vaccine after this.

In response to Rita’s question echoing in the silence, I quietly drove the car.

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