EBE Chapter 69, Round 2 Settlement
Chapter 69, Round 2 Settlement
"I truly never imagined things would turn out this way..."
With a long sigh, the colleagues, their expressions complex, left one after another, and the large venue gradually emptied. In the end, only a few core members of "Tangren Games" remained, along with Lin Wan, whose eyes were red, and Hao Zheng standing to the side.
Lin Wan was clearly not expected to face such a tragic ending, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her brother, Lin Chen, was by her side, gently comforting her.
In contrast, Tang She appeared much more composed. He waved his hand dismissively:
"Alright, it's all fine. This was truly unexpected, but we just need to do our jobs well."
Ren Wei, Xiao Li, Wu Yu, and others still wore expressions of undisguised confusion.
"Slap! Slap!"
Tang She clapped his hands twice, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.
"Alright, stop overthinking. Over the past year, everyone has witnessed the potential of Zelda. I bet it's just as good as any other AAA title on the market! So, all you have to do now is wait and have hope."
He paused, his tone becoming more relaxed:
"After the New Year, we'll get back to work on time on the 17th. Spend some time with your families during this period, and also try out Zelda on your own during the holiday. I believe that as long as you play it, you'll regain your confidence. And Hao Ge and Wan'er, you two need to pull yourselves together too; the game's marketing and promotion are all counting on you two."
The group forced a smile, said their goodbyes, and left one after another.
In the end, only Tang She and Ren Wei remained in the messy venue.
Looking around at the empty surroundings, the two tacitly agreed not to say anything more and began their journey home side by side.
Pushing open the door, Tang She was about to return to his room to wait for the system task to refresh. Just then, Ren Wei suddenly stopped, looked up, and stared intently at him:
"Are you really that confident? What will you do if you don't win the WG award in the end?"
"Tch, what am I afraid of?"
Tang She smirked and teased:
"My girlfriend is a real rich woman. If this game fails, I'll just consider it an early retirement and live off her. Besides, I'm known for being thick-skinned. If it really flops, I can just announce that I made the games in the future."
Upon hearing this, Ren Wei was slightly taken aback, a glint of surprise flashing in her eyes:
"So, you're confessing your feelings?"
Tang She then noticed that Ren Wei, who had been trying to remain calm at the meeting, had her eyes slightly reddened at some point.
Tang She wasn't made of wood. As a mature adult, even if he hadn't eaten pork, he'd at least seen pigs run.
Ren Wei was willing to let him live in her home. The two lived under the same roof for a whole year, weathering many storms together. Their feelings for each other were already unspoken.
At this moment, Tang She decided to ignore all those messy concerns and face his own heart.
He took a step forward, intending to bend down and kiss her cheek, but then thought it might be too abrupt. So he raised his hand and gently tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear, chuckling softly:
"Yes. What's wrong? You're already bored with the young lady before she's even married into the family?"
Ren Wei gave a soft snort, then suddenly grabbed Tang She's tie, forcing him to lower his head. The next second, she kissed his lips without hesitation, murmuring a coquettish tone:
"You idiot! I always have to take the initiative..."
This time, Tang She did not back down, but responded to her passionately. He took the opportunity to pull Ren Wei into his arms, his hand lingering on her waist, and then quietly slipped inside the hem of her sweater.
Ren Wei trembled slightly, but did not refuse. She closed her eyes, obediently enjoying the tenderness of the moment, and passionately responding to his demands.
The two lingered from the entryway to the living room, the belt with the "Sheikah Stone" accessory hanging from Ren Wei's waist long since tossed aside. She lay half-reclined on the sofa, completely ignoring the negative comments online.
However, the sofa in the living room was still a bit cramped, and both of them were somewhat inexperienced in practical matters.
"Thump!"
Ren Wei accidentally bumped her knee hard against the corner of the coffee table.
"Ouch!"
Tang She suddenly came to his senses and quickly got up to check on himself. Fortunately, the fall wasn't too serious, and he was alright.
However, this sudden turn of events instantly dispelled the romantic atmosphere. Ren Wei also fully regained her senses, her cheeks flushed crimson.
She hurriedly refastened the clasp of her bra, grabbed the turtleneck sweater she had tossed aside, and without a word, fled back to her bedroom like a startled rabbit.
Tang She, who remained where he was, stood frozen in place, somewhat at a loss for what to do.
Should I chase after them, knock on the door, and apologize? Wouldn't they misunderstand and think I want to continue what we were doing? That would be too abrupt.
Helpless, Tang She could only shake his head with a wry smile. He picked up the clothes scattered on the ground and threw them into the washing machine. Finally, he picked up his phone, sent his senior a "Goodnight," and then turned and went back to his room.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, Tang She forced himself to calm down and banish those distracting thoughts from his mind.
It's time to see what new tricks the system has come up with this time.
[Host: Tang She]
[Current Challenge: Pending]
Current round: Round 1
Current Level: LV.3
[Note: Host level has been increased; LV.2 restriction removed. Newly added games in the game library will no longer be subject to the original rating restrictions.]
[LV.3 Challenge Rules Update: In this challenge, the host can no longer freely choose the game and must select from the "Game Type" designated by the system. The system will then provide three games that fit that type. The host must complete the challenge of these three games consecutively for the system to continue leveling up; otherwise, if the host fails midway, they must choose another system-designated type to challenge again. If all options fail, the system will revert to LV.2.]
[Currently available game types: Shooter, Japanese Role-Playing Game, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.]
After reading the rules, Tang She couldn't help but gasp.
The difficulty is increasing exponentially! Making three similar games in a row, while also meeting the increasingly outrageous challenge targets set by the system, leaves very little room for error.
What's worse, the three options provided by the system are all incredibly confusing.
First, let's look at shooting games. The FPS market is already saturated, a red ocean. Let alone releasing three in a row? The gameplay framework of shooting games is fixed, with extremely high homogenization. Without disruptive innovation, players simply won't buy in. And under the system's stringent requirements, simply rushing through something is a sure path to failure.
The second option is JRPG. To be honest, if we go back ten years, Tang She would have chosen it without hesitation; that era was practically JRPG paradise. But now, players are thoroughly tired of those lengthy, classic storylines and turn-based gameplay. Tang She also doesn't believe that with his current size, he can snatch market share from those established JRPG giants.
As for the last option, multiplayer online battle arena games?
What kind of category is this? I've never even heard of it.
Is it a variant of RTS? A multiplayer RTS?
Tang She was completely bewildered.
In comparison, only the first one seems somewhat normal, since the latter two options, one a "golden age" item and the other a pure blind box, are simply too abstract.
However, he did not rush to make a decision, intending to find out the system's true strength first.
As you move your gaze further down, a second new feature appears:
[New feature unlocked: View game categories.]
Tang She curled his lip. This function was practically useless, at least in this round, since the game types to be refreshed next were already fixed.
He skipped over it and focused his attention on the third function, which instantly invigorated him.
[Note: Based on the host's previous challenge evaluation, the system has randomly generated three talents. The host can choose one to apply to this round of challenges.]
[Transferring Sales: During settlement, if the sales revenue of a certain game exceeds the system's expectations, the sales revenue of the game with the highest excess can be evenly distributed among the other two games in the same round.]
[Internet Trendsetter: Born with a knack for generating buzz. In this challenge, each of your games is guaranteed to create at least one viral internet meme.]
[Reverse Marketing: A sales surge is triggered whenever your game design or decisions contradict the voice of the player base (limited to once per game).]