Chapter 12
As Shangguan had said, this project was still just a plan, an idea. The manager had only provided some materials about the current market, and as for what type of game to create, that was entirely up to us to figure out.
I had to admit there were many benefits to knowing the big boss. Although Shangguan hadn't said anything directly, I could understand from his words that he hoped the next game would become a classic.
Classic things might come in all sorts of strange forms, but they all had one thing in common—they stood the test of time. I was completely clueless about games, and of course I had no idea what kind of game could stand the test of time. But I thought all entertainment was probably the same, right? Thinking about movies, those blockbusters where heroes saved the world and beauties saved heroes were also classics.
But should I make the game like that? I felt I didn't really understand this kind of classic, so I ultimately gave up.
Yang Xin had handed me the general direction, but heaven knows my sense of direction was also terrible. Having no idea what to do, I could only search for information online. While my eyes grew dizzy scanning through all those unfamiliar things, I deeply missed the good old days. I'd rather work overtime until ten every night than do this damn project!
I muddled through the day, and my biggest gain was that milk simply didn't quench thirst—especially when brewed strong, it became sticky and really uncomfortable.
Overtime became a habit. Although there was no work waiting for me to handle, I still obediently studied with my laptop. Um, well, what I was studying would probably be considered entertainment by many people. To get a general understanding of online games, I registered an account on Xinghuo, and every day after work, I'd log in on time.
I had to admit, I truly had no talent for gaming. Even after a whole week of diligent grinding, I had barely outgrown my newbie account. People who joined after me were progressing faster than me, and some guys even asked me directly if I was an MM. But this question immediately drew objections from many MMs—their reasoning was that even MMs would definitely play better than me.
Other people came to the internet to escape the pain of reality. As for me, the suffering I experienced in games was even greater than in real life! If it weren't for work, I would definitely quit right away!
With an ordinary iron sword in hand, I carefully wandered around the area called "Noob Paradise." Today my luck was good—I'd already perfectly dealt with dozens of monsters. At this rate, tonight I might finally level up.
I spotted a skeleton soldier, and excitedly charged forward. Just as I slashed him with my sword, my phone rang: "Why does your mouth always say that one line / Why won't my heart ever die / I understand that losing everything for love is wrong / So why do I especially like you"
Shangguan's call? I froze, wondering if I'd heard wrong. I never imagined Shangguan would take the initiative to contact me.
While I was in a daze, the skeleton soldier—now down to only one-third health—lunged at me. With its ghastly white teeth, it bit into my throat. The speakers produced a "rustling" sound. They say when the trachea is cut, that's the sound a person makes right before death. Since entering this game, I'd heard it three times already. If this were reality, I'd have to go reincarnate again.
Needless to say, heroic me died again. I was a bit annoyed. As a noob, how difficult was it to earn money! Other people spent their money on potions to gain experience, but me? My money all went to resurrection. No wonder I leveled up so slowly.
My frustration came quickly and went quickly, because I immediately remembered there was still a phone call to answer. In my panic, I fished the phone out of my bag, and just as I was about to answer, the ringing stopped. My face immediately turned pale. Oh no, it seemed like I really was going to break with Shangguan—I had actually missed his call.
Just when I was about to call back, the ringing sounded again. I immediately pressed answer.
"Come to the parking lot."
Just that one sentence, then he hung up. His voice was calm, without a trace of anger, yet it gave me a strong sense of crisis. I grabbed my laptop immediately and rushed out in a fluster. Moving so hastily, I tripped on my way to the elevator, nearly using my body to once again demonstrate Newton's greatness.
When I rushed to the parking lot, sure enough, I spotted Shangguan's sports car at first glance. I pulled open the car door, first carefully glancing at him. On his bronze-colored face, there was no expression whatsoever. His eyes stared straight ahead, not even looking at me.
I slowly got in, and only when I saw he still had no reaction did I close the car door, breathing a relieved sigh. Honestly, I had no desire at all to argue with Shangguan. Although he was domineering, unreasonable, and always scolding me, after all, we'd known each other for six years and lived together for two. No matter what, the bond between us was extraordinary. Even if we were to part ways someday, I hoped we'd be able to end things amicably.
Although interpersonal communication was troublesome, for Shangguan, I hoped that even many years from now, we could still call each other during holidays to exchange greetings.