Chapter 224: Brand New Version: Lone Star of Long Night! The Day You and the Stars Disappeared PV!
Three days passed in a flash. When Su Mu reappeared at the company, the employees sized him up with playful gazes, occasionally whispering among themselves. This feeling of being watched like a monkey in a zoo made Su Mu slowly type out a mental question mark. Did something happen while I was away? Unlikely. I didn't receive any urgent reports, and work progress should be normal.
It was truly strange. Baffled, Su Mu asked a familiar employee, only to find out that nothing had actually happened. They were simply curious about where Su Mu had gone during those three days he was forbidden from working.
Su Mu was somewhat speechless. Are these guys a bit too interested in my private life?
"There's no helping it, Director Su. You've always been the number one workaholic in the company. Anyone who sees you has to praise you as the King of Overtime... There are even rumors that you're actually a biological android, like Bronya's Project Bunny 19C, which is why you can work around the clock..."
Rumors were like that—spreading from ten to a hundred, and getting more ridiculous with each retelling. This left Su Mu between laughter and tears. He was just a little bit diligent; was it necessary to spread such outrageous rumors?
After returning to his office, before his seat was even warm, the door was slammed open. Needless to say, only one person in the entire company dared to push the door open so brashly.
Kiana Kaslana, seeing Su Mu back, immediately put on a beaming smile. "I say, Su Mu, did you bring any souvenirs for the President from your trip to Wuntang Town?"
Su Mu felt helpless. "You came to see me during work hours just for this? The President leading the way in slacking off, I see."
Kiana straightened her expression. "Watch your mouth! I'm doing this for the company! didn't you always say I'm the face of the company? If I'm unhappy, the Image Department suffers. So hurry up and bring out the souvenirs to make me happy!"
Su Mu gave a bitter smile. Good lord, after being a customer service representative for a while, Kiana's eloquence has improved, and her skin has become thicker than imagined.
"I brought some, but they aren't for you alone. Share them with Elysia and the others." Su Mu naturally wouldn't forget the "hungry cats" waiting for him. Before his trip, a certain hungry cat had emphasized it repeatedly; he couldn't forget even if he wanted to.
"Leave it to me~ ♪" Having achieved her goal, Kiana grabbed the souvenirs and slipped out of the office without staying another second.
"That girl... seriously." Su Mu shook his head helplessly. He opened his computer and began processing the work that had accumulated over the past three days.
Though he called it "accumulated," there wasn't actually much. Su Mu's efforts in training talent for various departments over the past year were paying off; the company was now well-organized. Except for complex problems, most matters could be resolved without reaching his desk.
This gave Su Mu ample time to tinker with games. For instance, he was currently working independently on a boutique indie game titled Cat Mario. In Su Mu's previous life, this was a "heavyweight" title—a classic "Unfair Platform Game" (UPG). It was the kind of game where watching a streamer get tortured made the audience incredibly happy, providing great entertainment value.
Su Mu's current strategy was simple: develop major standalone titles, develop mobile games, and also create these polished indie titles. Before Cat Mario, Su Mu had already released several exquisite mini-games, such as Fireboy and Watergirl, Hobo, and Xiao Xiao Fight. These were classics from his previous life; after all, what boy's childhood didn't include "4399" (a famous mini-game site)?
Of course, Su Mu didn't publish these under the MiHoYo banner. Instead, he registered a new account and published these classics on the Interastral Gaming Platform under a personal pseudonym.
The Interastral Gaming Platform was a massive platform under the Interastral Peace Corporation. It and the HOMU Gaming Platform were the two largest in the world, and they were constantly locked in battle. Initially, due to Bronya's connections, the HOMU platform had given MiHoYo maximum concessions and resources. Consequently, MiHoYo chose deep cooperation with HOMU and rejected Interastral's invitation. In the eyes of the industry, MiHoYo was now tied to HOMU.
Within this rivalry, the explosive success of Honkai Impact 3rd had snatched many users from the Interastral platform, making the atmosphere between the two even more explosive. Many studios under Interastral had tried various means to suppress Honkai 3rd. Many of the people who had previously smeared Su Mu were from this platform's camp.
Su Mu was used to this; it was just a plain, unpretentious business war. He had seen enough paid trolls to be desensitized. However, that didn't mean he didn't have a temper. While he could remain calm in the face of overwhelming public opinion, even a clay man has a bit of fire in him, let alone him.
Since he was a game developer, he would use a developer's methods to "retaliate." The method was simple: carve out a territory on the Interastral Gaming Platform with a personal account, gain a massive following, and become a pillar of that platform. Then, one day, pull off the mask.
Haha, it was me, Su Mu, all along! Stunned, aren't you?
Su Mu was a man of action. Taking down Interastral would not only vent his anger but also benefit the promotion of his future games. Imagine if Interastral found out they had a genius producer as talented as Su Mu on their own platform; they would undoubtedly pour resources into cultivating him. Competing with himself while eating resources from both platforms—it felt great.
Of course, legally, one couldn't formally take resources from both major platforms simultaneously. To prevent talent drain, both platforms strictly forbade publishing on the rival's site. A dual contract was out of the question.
However, there was a way around this rule. Su Mu's real-name authentication for the new account didn't belong to him. He had "borrowed" it from a "friend." The person publishing the games wasn't Su Mu, but this "friend." Naturally, the one signing the contract would be this friend.
You're looking for Zhou Shuren? What does that have to do with me, Lu Xun? (A classic Chinese joke about pseudonyms). never underestimate the loophole-finding skills of a workplace veteran!!
Su Mu's new account was named "4399." only Eden knew about this; as MiHoYo's largest shareholder, her support meant Su Mu could act without worries. As for the profits, they belonged to Su Mu personally, as these games were open-source projects made without company resources. Since the ultimate goal was to expand MiHoYo's influence, it didn't count as a "side hustle."
Pityingly, while these games were childhood gems, they lacked platform promotion, so the user count wasn't high. However, the ratings and word-of-mouth were exceptionally high, accumulating about three or four thousand fans. This had caught Interastral's attention, and sales reps were already trying to contact him.
Su Mu ignored them. He knew platform signings were tiered. Signing with a regular rep was no different from being an average freelancer; you wouldn't get real resources. He was waiting for the right moment—when his personal fans and traffic reached a certain level, the big fish would bite. He launched Cat Mario specifically to recreate the history of Getting Over It, using the livestreaming circle to drive traffic and break into the mainstream.
Time passed day by day. In a blink, it was time for the second half of the Honkai 3rd update.
Following the end of the Honkai Kingdoms: ZERO faction war, Honkai 3rd released a new event story—Odd Drifter. Initially, players worried about "knives," but the whole story left them with aching stomachs from laughing. Truly, wherever the "Erguotou" girls (Vodka Girls) were, there were endless gags. The story even featured the Herrscher of the Void losing all her dignity as the "Spring Fairy."
What no one expected was that Kongming, whom everyone missed, appeared in the plot! At the end of Odd Drifter, Kongming sent the Captain back to where he belonged as the final ending. Many players were confused by her appearance and strange attitude toward the Captain.
[Is this event set after ZERO? But the Captain doesn't seem to recognize Kongming.]
[But Kongming observed the Captain for three whole years. she must have discovered something, right?]
[Maybe it's a different timeline? The Captain in 'Odd Drifter' probably hasn't experienced the events of ZERO yet.]
[Mhm... feels like there's a huge gap between 'Odd Drifter' and 'ZERO.' The story of Kongming and the Captain isn't complete yet.]
[I can't! My brain hurts! Why is playing a game so brain-burning!]
[My evaluation is: just wait. once the full Kongming story is out, check the 'Honkai-logists' for analysis.]
[Agreed.]
Overall, players were satisfied with Odd Drifter. The interaction between Kongming and the Captain at the end teased the players' appetites, making them look forward to the continuation.
During the players' anxious wait, the routine version preview stream arrived a week before the update. The host, Elysia, didn't waste time and dropped the version's "big bomb" immediately!
Brand New Version—[Lone Star of Long Night]Main Story Chapter 18: [From the Deep Freeze]New S-rank Valkyrie: Durandal [Dea Anchora]arrives! New Story Event—[The Day You and the Stars Disappeared], with a dedicated PV for the event plot.
The leak instantly sent the chat into a frenzy!
"I said it, didn't I? Kongming and the Captain were bound to have another big event! How about it? How about it!!" Senti stood up in her stream, excitedly showing off to her viewers. "I said it! No one understands Su Mu better than me!!"
With that, Senti struck a classic "I know everything" pose. she looked so smug you'd think she was about to be inaugurated as President and move into the White House.
[Whoa? Streamer is a true prophet?]
[Kill the prophet immediately!]
[Has the Old Thief actually changed his nature? Luna's follow-up is missing, but Kongming gets two major versions?]
[Isn't this 'shady'? If this isn't shady, what is? The version name is literally based on Kongming! Tell me that's not special treatment!]
[Brothers, your news is outdated. everyone knows Theresa is Su Mu's 'Oshi' (favorite). Look at how much screen time her characters get!]
[Even so, I really want to see the conclusion for Kongming and the Captain! I think the Old Thief did well this time!]
[Praise where it's due, hate where it's due. The Old Thief found his conscience and completed Kongming's story; that deserves praise!]
Many players were both surprised and delighted by two consecutive versions featuring Kongming. The rumors about Su Mu having a crush on Teriri now seemed "confirmed" in the eyes of many. And rumors are like that—they grow more outrageous as they spread.
— "What? Su Mu released another Kongming story?" — "What? Old Thief Su Mu is an Iron-Blooded Theresa Main?" — "What? Su Mu is a Teriri fanboy? Chasing celebrities with company funds?" — "What? Old Thief Su Mu has always had a crush on Teriri and is using the game to confess during their collab?" — "What? Old Thief Su Mu is preparing to propose to Teriri? After years as the 'Star of Hope' for old and young alike, is Magical Girl Teriri finally graduating??" — "What? Old Thief Su Mu and Teriri already have children, and they're twins??"
Su Mu, at the center of the rumor vortex, had yet to respond. Meanwhile, sitting in the office of the Schicksal Conglomerate, Otto Apocalypse clutched his head, watching the rumors ferment. He looked like a living embodiment of the abstract classic—The Scream.
"NO—!!!!" Otto felt the sky falling for the first time. "Amber, quick! Book me a ticket! I'm going to Arc City! I'm going to invite Su Mu for a bath (threaten him) right now!!"
END OF CHAPTER
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium