115: Chapter 115 The Doctor's Single-Handed Recommendation!

"Ah! I am truly sorry!"

After confirming the cake was fine, the man scrambled to his feet. He scratched the back of his head and gave Lin Lu a silly, apologetic smile that seemed a bit eager to please.

"I wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into you. Did it hurt? Are you a new Master reporting for duty today? I'm so sorry for showing such an embarrassing side of myself in front of a newcomer..."

Looking at the man in the white coat who lacked any air of authority and was apologizing profusely like a child who had done something wrong, Lin Lu's reserved "professional film critic" persona wavered slightly.

A mixture of absurdity and curiosity crept into her heart, causing her prepared professional coldness to melt away bit by bit under his defenseless warmth.

"It's... it's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going either."

Lin Lu subconsciously tidied her hair, her voice softening without her realizing it. Her gaze fell on the cake in his hand. "Are you... a researcher here?"

"Ah, my name is Romani Archaman, the head of the medical department here. You can just call me Dr. Roman."

Dr. Roman followed Lin Lu's gaze to the cake in his hand, then back to her. His face suddenly displayed a complex series of expressions: heartache, hesitation, and finally, generosity.

He swallowed hard, as if undergoing a difficult separation, then... carefully and resolutely held the perfectly intact strawberry cake out to Lin Lu!

"Um... as an apology for bumping into you, please have this strawberry cake. I stood in line for half an hour for it. It's just a small cake, but they're hard to come by in Chaldea."

In Dr. Roman's tired eyes, a light that was almost tender flickered. The smile at the corners of his mouth was as warm as hot cocoa on a winter day.

"Eating something sweet will help with the upcoming training. Do your best today, newcomer."

Thanks to Gu Yi's insanely realistic VR taste simulation technology, when Lin Lu used a fork to put a small piece of strawberry covered in cream into her mouth, the exquisite blend of sweet and sour with a rich milky aroma instantly exploded on her taste buds.

It wasn't just the impact on her sense of taste; looking at the man's defenseless, gentle smile, Lin Lu felt her ears burn slightly, and her heart felt as if it were suddenly bubbling with little pink bubbles.

"Mmm... it really is sweet." Lin Lu covered her cheeks, an unmistakable hint of joy touching the corners of her eyes and brows.

Seeing the amazed expression on Lin Lu's face after she ate the cake, Dr. Roman seemed even happier than if he had eaten it himself.

He patted his chest in relief, left a quick "I have a bunch of reports to write in the infirmary, I'll be going now," and then hummed an unknown, lighthearted tune as he walked away with a slightly floaty gait, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Holding the small plate, Lin Lu stood there staring at his back at the end of the hallway, her cheeks slightly flushed. It took her a moment to snap out of it.

"Look, everyone, I think I've figured out Gu Yi's character design patterns."

Lin Lu cleared her throat, trying to use the professional tone characteristic of a film and television uploader to hide the momentary flutter she had just felt.

"Look at this NPC called Dr. Roman. This kind of character setting is very common in classic films and dramas. On the surface, he's a bit of a cowardly loser who hates trouble, but in reality, he's gentle and considerate. Gu Yi intentionally designed such a non-threatening 'warm man' character to lower our players' psychological defenses!"

"Furthermore, in the logic of screenwriting, characters responsible for 'healing' and being a 'safe harbor' are often the gentle foundation of the entire work, usually representing the hope for a happy ending. It's absolutely impossible for anything to happen to someone like this; he'll definitely survive until the very end alongside the protagonist as a final reward for the player's hardships." Lin Lu tilted her chin up slightly, her tone carrying the pride of someone who had seen through the script.

"Still... I have to admit, this trick works quite well on me," Lin Lu whispered to herself, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably.

At this moment, Lin Lu had no idea that because of big data recommendations, tens of thousands of veteran players who had completed FGO flooded into her livestream within just thirty minutes.

These veteran Masters, who had been left emotionally devastated by the nuclear-level 'knives' of the Final Singularity and still hadn't recovered from their PTSD, had been wandering through various forums like the walking dead.

That was until they saw the livestream of the "elegant film critic" Lin Lu, whose girl-heart was overflowing upon meeting the Doctor for the first time.

In any other game, the comments would have started spoiling everything for such an oblivious newcomer.

However, in the miraculous 'Alliance of Victims' that was FGO...

Every FGO player at this moment displayed a unified, hair-raisingly dark and mischievous understanding unlike anything seen before!

Lin Feng was one of them.

Currently, Lin Feng was slumped on his messy bed, his eyes bloodshot.

After finishing the grand finale of FGO, he felt as if his soul had evaporated along with that man. He would even wake up in the middle of the night and cry because he remembered that "Roman is no longer in Chaldea."

Seeking a bit of healing, he clicked into Lin Lu's livestream.

He had originally hoped this elegant older sister could deconstruct some classic movie scripts and give him some warmth.

Instead, as soon as he entered, Lin Feng heard that epic-level FLAG, comparable to a nuclear explosion.

["It's absolutely impossible for anything to happen to someone like this."]

At that moment, Lin Feng's brain, which had been immersed in grief, instantly snapped awake.

A mischievous "troll" attribute began to run wild inside his head.

"Holy crap, how could I miss out on this drama?" A wicked smile appeared on Lin Feng's previously dejected face, and even his sadness was washed away by this intense surge of dark humor.

He rapidly typed out a line in the comments:

"Lulu-jie, you really have a sharp eye! Dr. Roman is the 'True Male Lead' of the whole game. In the end, he not only gains absolute freedom but also goes to a place where no one can find him to live a peaceful life. It's truly the happiest of happy endings!"

As soon as his comment appeared, it was like dropping water into boiling oil, completely igniting the veteran players who were in a state of PTSD.

The previously chaotic comment section was suddenly buried by thousands of similar messages, like an avalanche!

"Yes, yes, yes! Lulu has such a sharp eye! She saw through the Doctor's essence in one glance!"

"Dr. Roman is the best, gentlest man in Chaldea! Lulu, you must cherish him!"

"Just a passerby, no spoilers. I can only say that this man in the white coat will definitely never betray you; he will stay with you until the very, very, very last moment!"

"Waaaah... yes, the Doctor is the best. He's even willing to give you his last piece of strawberry cake. Investing your feelings in Dr. Roman is definitely worth it; he's the only true god in this game!"

"Brothers upstairs, tone it down! Don't scare the uploader! Ahem, Lulu, all of us veteran players strongly suggest you pay more attention to the Doctor. His story is super sweet and healing all the way through, absolutely no knives!"

"Right! Absolutely healing! (In the physical sense!) We are all Dr. Roman's number one fans!"

Looking at the screen full of dense, strangely harmonious, and "kind" comments, Lin Lu was stunned for a moment. Then, a confident "I knew it" smile appeared on her face, and the pink bubbles in her heart popped even more joyfully.

"I told you, my eye as a professional film critic couldn't possibly be wrong."

Lin Lu swallowed the last bite of strawberry cake, licked her lips happily, and gave an elegant OK gesture to the camera. "No problem! Since everyone is recommending him so enthusiastically, I, Lulu, unilaterally declare that in this game called FGO, Dr. Roman is my main pick!"

"He's so gentle, he must be a logistics staff member who can't even fight. Don't worry, even if there are knives, they'll never fall on a character like him. From now on, this Master will protect him!"

Hearing Lin Lu's forceful "I will protect him," countless veteran players sitting in front of their screens felt their eyes turn red and their noses tingle.

Lin Feng sat in front of his computer, looking at Lin Lu's face which was brimming with confidence and pink longing. He wiped his tears while typing a comment with trembling fingers:

"Yeah, promise us, you must... protect him well."

Immediately following that, the entire livestream—hundreds of thousands of veteran players—seemed to join a sacred cyber-prayer ritual, uniformly spamming the same sentence:

"You must protect him well."

"You must protect him well."

"You must protect him well..."

Looking at the screen filled with this unified array of comments that seemed like a cult ritual yet carried an inexplicable warmth, Lin Lu scratched her head, a bit confused. For a moment, she just felt that these players were almost adorably enthusiastic.

"Oh, alright, alright, I know you guys have good intentions. You're all worrying too much."

Lin Lu gave a playful snort, clenched her fists with high morale, and walked with light steps toward Chaldea's Central Control Room.

"Let's go! Today, this film critic will take my newly acquired exclusive doctor to see what secrets this game is hiding!"