The Ultimate Epic Fail Influencer

Chapter 2

"Holy crap! The system task is actually here!" Sam Sparks blurted out, his eyes widening in a mixture of shock and sheer disbelief. "But it is actually making me deliver food?"

He stood frozen on the pavement, his mind struggling to process the absurdity of the situation. Having just bound to the Epic Fail Influencer System, he had expected his first mission to be something glamorous, or at least somewhat dignified. Instead, he was being ordered to become a gig worker. He felt completely foolish. However, a system task was still a system task, and if he wanted to claim those miraculous, life-changing rewards, he had absolutely no choice but to comply.

Wasting no time, he pulled up his phone, downloaded the most popular live-streaming application, and quickly registered a brand-new account. After navigating through a maze of menus, he rapidly submitted his credentials for official rider authentication.

Ding! Your streaming channel has been successfully created! Please enter a captivating title for your live stream:

Staring at the blinking cursor, Sam Sparks tapped his chin in deep thought. "There are countless people broadcasting themselves these days. The market is completely saturated. If I want to gain any traction and complete this challenge, I need a hook to drag viewers into my room."

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to lean heavily into the bizarre abilities the system had supposedly granted him, along with a heavy dose of his own miserable reality. He rapidly typed out his new branding.

Stream Title: The Absolute Luckiest Stream on the Entire Internet! Stream Bio: Completely disowned and despised by my entire family after spectacularly failing the SATs. Watch me broadcast my life and execute an epic, underdog comeback!

Almost immediately after he hit the publish button and the stream went live, the digital viewer counter in the top corner of his screen flickered. A handful of curious scrollers clicked the thumbnail, drawn in by the overly dramatic title.

His current viewer count steadily ticked up: 6 people.

For a few seconds, the screen was completely quiet. Then, the notification chimes began to blare.

Beep! Beep! "What the hell?" Sam Sparks muttered, watching the chat interface light up as the first comments rolled in.

[Oh great, yet another miserable streamer trying to sell their tragic sob story for pity donations!]

[The luckiest? You better be careful, buddy. With a boast like that, you are probably going to end up being the absolute unluckiest guy on the platform!]

[You do not even need to say it. Anyone with half a brain can tell this is just shameless clickbait!]

[I will admit, the streamer is actually pretty handsome. You should just give up the underdog act and make a living off your face. Do some dancing or something.]

[Did everyone see the bio? He failed his SATs and now his only option in life is to deliver cheap takeout! What a loser!]

[There is nothing you can do about it, man. Reality is just incredibly cruel sometimes!]

The chat quickly became lively, filled with a chaotic mix of cynical mockery and passive amusement. Sam Sparks completely ignored the scrolling text. He had a mission to complete. He scanned the bustling sidewalk, spotted a battered, yellow shared scooter leaning against a streetlamp, and quickly scanned the QR code to unlock it.

His phone buzzed forcefully in his palm. He had automatically accepted his very first delivery order.

Target Destination: St. Mary Hospital Strict Time Limit: 28 Minutes Having lived in this city for his entire life, his familiarity with the labyrinthine streets and chaotic intersections was practically ingrained in his bones. After a brief second of mental calculation, the optimal route to St. Mary Hospital materialized clearly in his mind.

He revved the electric throttle of the shared scooter, navigating through the sluggish city traffic with determined focus. He quickly arrived at the designated restaurant, grabbed the heavy plastic bag of hot food from the frantic cashier without stopping to chat, and immediately rushed back out to the street. He hopped back onto his vehicle, setting his sights firmly on the hospital.

"As soon as I finish delivering this single order, I will finally be able to get my hands on the very first system reward!" Sam Sparks thought to himself, a wave of wild, unadulterated ecstasy washing over his racing heart.

Feeling an unexpected surge of confidence, he reached out and adjusted the angle of his phone camera, which was clamped tightly to the handlebars. A bright, arrogant smile spread across his face as he addressed his small audience. "Listen up, my brothers! This delivery run is going to be absolutely flawless! Keep your eyes glued to the screen and witness the true power of the luckiest broadcast on the entire internet!"

[Wow, this little streamer is seriously overly confident!]

[This bizarrely optimistic atmosphere is giving me heavy flashbacks to those early days when ride-sharing apps first launched.]

[Failing the SATs and aggressively delivering food! This stream definitely has that authentic, desperate flavor!]

[I am literally just sitting here waiting for you to completely mess this up, bro! Fail for us!]

While a tiny minority of the comments offered some sarcastic encouragement, the vast majority were eagerly anticipating his inevitable downfall.

"Fail? What are you guys even talking about?" Sam Sparks scoffed, curling his lip dismissively at the camera. "I am guaranteeing a completely smooth run today!"

He felt practically invincible. After all, he was currently harboring the legendary God-Tier Luck ability within his body! Even though he still had no concrete idea how it actually manifested or what it practically did, it was still a supernatural reward directly bestowed upon him by a mysterious system! It absolutely had to be leagues better than whatever ordinary people possessed!

However, before the echoes of his boastful words could even fade into the rushing wind, a shrill, piercing alarm suddenly erupted from beneath him.

Low Battery Warning! The shared scooter let out a violent, mechanical groan, shuddered violently beneath him, and completely died, paralyzing itself dead in the absolute center of the busy intersection.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sam Sparks yelled out loud, his brain short-circuiting in shock.

He frantically looked down at the digital display mounted on the handlebars. A tiny, menacing red battery icon was blinking furiously at him. The battery was entirely, undeniably drained.

"How is this even possible? I literally just rode this stupid thing for a few minutes!" he screamed internally. What happened to his supposed God-Tier Luck? Was this pathetic breakdown the grand result of his supernatural abilities?

[Hahahahaha! Here it comes! I knew it!]

[Step one of the epic fail has been successfully achieved!]

[This is exactly why I said it earlier! What do you mean by the luckiest? You are clearly the most cursed person on this app!]

[The pathetic energy of this dead battery perfectly matches the streamer's entire vibe!]

[Honestly, you should just delete your account and quit the internet right now, streamer!]

The live chat instantly exploded into a frenzy of rapidly scrolling text. Almost every single comment was dripping with heavy, unapologetic sarcasm and joyful mockery. Ironically, the sudden disaster caused his viewer count to steadily climb, quickly breaking past the fourteen-person mark.

Staring at the relentless stream of insults flashing across his screen, Sam Sparks felt a heavy wave of frustration crash into him. He quickly checked the navigation app on his phone. There were exactly ten agonizing minutes remaining before the delivery was officially marked as late. Even if he abandoned the dead vehicle and sprinted the rest of the way on foot, he would never make it in time!

"This simply cannot be happening," he muttered, running a stressed hand through his hair. "This is literally my very first order! System, are you seriously trying to screw me over?"

It truly lived up to its name as the Epic Fail System! He had spectacularly failed right out of the starting gate! Furthermore, where the hell was that incredible luck ability he was promised? It had completely vanished when he needed it most.

Sam Sparks stood frozen on the asphalt, feeling entirely numb. Just as the suffocating weight of his depression threatened to swallow him whole, the aggressive blare of a vehicle horn shattered the air right behind him.

Startled, he snapped his head around. "Alex Cheek?"

The young man straddling a sleek, personal electric scooter pulled up alongside him, his face twisting into a mask of pure astonishment. "Sam Sparks? What in the world are you doing out here in the middle of the street?"

It was Alex Cheek, his old desk-mate and closest friend from high school. The two of them had maintained a remarkably solid relationship since their teenage years.

"I am out here delivering food!" Sam Sparks replied urgently, pointing at the thermal bag strapped to his chest. "Brother, please, hurry up and lend me your ride! This piece of junk completely died on me!"

His eyes practically sparkled with renewed hope. His desperate savior had miraculously arrived just in the nick of time!

"Wait, you are delivering food now?" Alex Cheek asked, blinking in profound confusion.

Just a few weeks ago, in their private dormitory group chat, Sam Sparks had been incredibly vocal and boastful, proudly claiming that his uncle had pulled some massive strings to secure him a highly lucrative, comfortable corporate job. The rest of their close-knit friend group had even thrown him a massive congratulatory party. How on earth had he suddenly degenerated into rushing takeout orders across the city?

"Stop asking questions and do not waste any more time!" Sam Sparks pleaded, waving his hands frantically. "If I do not get moving right this second, I am going to be severely penalized for a late delivery! I am taking this order straight to the hospital. The patient is sitting there starving, desperately waiting for their meal!"

He simply did not have the luxury of time to offer a lengthy, embarrassing explanation about his family stripping him of his promised career.

The moment the heavy words 'hospital' and 'patient' registered in the air, the deep confusion immediately vanished from his friend's face, instantly replaced by a tight, empathetic frown.

"My little sister is currently in the hospital undergoing intense chemotherapy," Alex Cheek said softly, his voice thick with sudden emotion. "I completely understand that terrible feeling of waiting in those rooms. Hurry up, take the keys and go!"

Without another moment of hesitation, he threw his leg over the seat, swiftly dismounted, and pushed his personal, fully charged scooter directly into his friend's waiting hands.

"You are an absolute lifesaver, my brother!" Sam Sparks declared, his chest tightening with genuine, overwhelming gratitude. "I swear to you, when I finally strike it rich, I am definitely taking you straight to the top with me!"

He quickly swapped the food bag, twisted the handlebars to adjust his trajectory, and violently cranked the throttle, launching himself toward the hospital at maximum speed.

"Holy crap! Did you illegally modify this thing?" Sam Sparks shouted over the rushing wind, his eyes widening in shock. "The initial acceleration on this is absolutely insane! It genuinely feels like I am taking off on a runway!"

Compared to the sluggish, battered public vehicle he had been riding just moments before, his friend's personal ride was an absolute beast, practically gliding over the pavement. Standing by the side of the road, Alex Cheek merely smiled and waved, assuming his friend's grand promises of future wealth were nothing more than polite, exaggerated pleasantries. He did not take the bold claim to heart at all.

Meanwhile, the live broadcast was completely losing its collective mind.

[What the actual hell? Did he seriously just get a random, miraculous rescue out of nowhere?]

[Now that is what you call a genuine, ride-or-die brother right there!]

[The streamer seriously needs to get down on his knees and kowtow to that guy later!]

[Hold on a second, maybe calling this the luckiest stream on the internet actually was not a complete lie after all!]

[You are absolutely right! I was completely convinced that his entire career was over before it even started!]

[I guess you can only say that the concept of 'luck' swooped in and literally dragged the streamer out of the fiery pits of hell!]

[Yeah, but let us not forget who aggressively threw him into those fiery pits in the first place!]

The comments cascaded down the screen in an absolute frenzy of excitement and bewildered debate. The streamer undeniably possessed some twisted form of luck! But this entire bizarre scenario raised a massive question: If the system had not injected this chaotic luck into the situation, would his original vehicle have even broken down to begin with?

Sam Sparks had absolutely zero time to glance down and read the exploding chat. The digital clock was ticking down mercilessly, and the pressure was mounting with every passing second. This was his very first, highly crucial opportunity to draw a legendary reward from the system! He absolutely could not afford to let it slip through his fingers due to a technicality!

"This is not going to work! The main roads are way too congested, and time is running out!" he realized, gritting his teeth in sheer desperation. "I am just going to have to take a massive shortcut!"

Making a split-second, highly reckless decision, he violently yanked the handlebars to the right, plunging the speeding vehicle straight into the dark, incredibly narrow mouth of a shadowy alleyway.