A massive red and blue health bar materialized at the top of the split screen.
Within the very first second, Kamron's blue bar surged forward, eating up a huge chunk of the screen as his fans tossed in small, rapid-fire donations.
Kamron leaned back into his leather chair. He pulled a limited-edition metal lighter from his pocket and began flipping the lid open and closed with a sharp click, click. His dark eyes locked onto Chelsi's screen with predatory amusement.
He cleared his throat, leaning toward the mic.
"Here is the penalty," Kamron announced loudly. "When you lose, you are going to turn off every single one of those AR beauty filters."
Chelsi's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Her hands flew up, instinctively covering her cheeks. Her heart slammed against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Kamron saw her terrified reaction and let out a dark, satisfied chuckle.
"I'm not done," Kamron added, his voice turning even colder. "You're going to take your phone into the bathroom. You're going to take a bar of soap, scrub your face completely clean, and shove your bare face right into the camera."
Kamron's chat exploded.
Yes! Expose the catfish!
Make the alien show her real face!
Get the makeup wipes ready!
Chelsi's breathing turned ragged. She leaned closer to her cheap microphone, her voice trembling violently.
"Please," Chelsi begged, her throat tight. "Can we change it? I can do push-ups. I can sing a song. Please."
"No negotiations," Kamron cut her off instantly. His tone was brutal. "On Apex, you accept the PK, you accept the terms. Unless you want to delete your account right now."
Chelsi thought of the fourteen dollars in her bank account. She thought of the fifty dollars she desperately needed to keep.
She bit down on her lower lip so hard she tasted copper. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she gave a stiff, jerky nod. She accepted the humiliation.
Kamron whistled sharply. "Alright, boys. You heard her. Let's push."
The moment the words left his mouth, the blue bar skyrocketed. It shoved Chelsi's red bar almost entirely off the screen.
Chelsi squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the timer to end.
Suddenly, the center of the screen erupted in a blinding flash of digital lightning.
The system broadcasted to the entire room: AlphaRoach has gifted 10 Thunderstorms! ($5,000.00)
The red bar jolted like it had been hit with a defibrillator. It violently pushed back, slamming Kamron's blue bar right back to the dead center of the screen.
Kamron's lazy posture vanished. He shot straight up in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests. He stared at the ID AlphaRoach in absolute disbelief.
Kamron's fans went feral. They saw this as a direct insult to the Morningstar army. Thousands of small gifts rained down on Kamron's side, trying to overwhelm the red bar with sheer volume.
AlphaRoach didn't type a single word. He didn't engage in the chat.
Exactly ten seconds later, another digital lightning bolt struck. Then another. And another.
The flashing lights illuminated Chelsi's dark bedroom in chaotic bursts of color. Her jaw dropped. Her hands gripped her knees so tightly her muscles ached. She couldn't process what was happening.
With two minutes left on the clock, Chelsi's red bar miraculously overpowered Kamron's. She was winning.
Kamron's face turned a dark, furious shade of red. Losing to a filtered rookie would make him the laughingstock of the entire platform.
Just as the panic set in, the VIP entrance channel on Kamron's side flashed with a blinding platinum light.
A user with the highest VIP badge on the platform entered the room. The ID read: Southwind.
Kamron's tense shoulders instantly dropped. He let out a loud, relieved laugh and pointed at the camera. "Welcome in, brother!"
Southwind didn't say hello. He just typed three words in the public chat.
Southwind: This is boring.
A second later, a massive, screen-shaking virtual Star Cruiser slowly floated across both screens. The system notification flashed: Southwind has gifted a Star Cruiser! ($5,000.00)
The massive influx of points instantly shoved Kamron's blue bar all the way to the edge. Chelsi's red bar was completely crushed.
AlphaRoach tried to fire back. A brief pause stretched on his end, the red bar stalling dangerously. Then, instead of another barrage of gifts, a single line of text appeared in the chat:
AlphaRoach: An urgent call from the board. I have to step away.
The countdown timer ticked down. Three. Two. One.
A massive, glowing blue VICTORY banner slammed onto Kamron's side of the screen.
Dead silence fell over Chelsi's room.
Kamron leaned back, a devilish, victorious smirk spreading across his face. He tapped his fingers against his desk.
"Go wash your face, little liar," Kamron commanded.
