Not only were the game’s reviews reaching two extremes, but the refund problem was becoming more serious as well.
However, this was good news for Pei Qian!
If the game was forced off the shelves to be edited, he could take his time to edit it before releasing it again. This way, he could control the sales volume as well. As long as he could release the game again a week before settlement, he would be fine.
Pei Qian had not done this on purpose; the System probably would not fault him, right?
Pei Qian glanced at the platform and asked, “Where’s the warning?”
Li Yada lowered her head. “Er, those are the official platform’s regulations. I’m not sure why we haven’t received a warning.
“It might be because we have a good reputation on the official platform.
“I’m just reporting this to you and asking for your advice on how we should move forward. Should we edit the game and lower its difficulty?”
“There’s no need!” Pei Qian raised his hand to stop her. “I understand the current situation well. Don’t worry.”
“Alright… alright.” Li Yada nodded and then left the room.
Pei Qian’s heart hurt slightly as he looked at the refund rate, which had not yet reached thirty percent.
Ai, what a pity!
I should have worked harder back then to make sure that it reached 35%!
The refund rate was not increasing now. Instead, it was constantly decreasing. This pained Pei Qian.
Yet, this was expected. As news about the game spread across the internet, most newbie gamers would have learned that the game was extremely difficult. They would be well-prepared before entering the game.
That was why the percentage of gamers who refunded the game was decreasing.
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and then accessed Shaohu Reviews’ chat window.
The fake reviewers whom he hired had proven useful; the game was being brutally criticized.
Since that was the case, he needed to intensify his efforts!
He had to get more people to curse it and add fuel to the fire. It would be best if he could persuade more gamers to refund the game. Even if he couldn’t, he had to try to scare more gamers away. That would lower the game’s sales.
Of course, he could give clear directions this time either.
Pei Qian had to use the same method that he used before and drop as many hints as he could.
On the flip side, Hu Xiao was deeply reflecting on his own rash behavior.
I regret this so much!
‘Hehe’ popped up on his screen again and again. Hu Xiao felt retarded; his character and pride had been gravely injured.
What’s happening?! Why did my brain malfunction?! Why didn’t I refund the game?!
The boss had poured money into hiring fake reviewers, and yet Hu Xiao gave over a hundred yuan back to him for no reason. He could not put how he felt in words.
“Did I fall for a trap? Did he know that there was bound to be people who would not refund the game? That’s so scheming!
“If he speaks to me again, I will question him properly! I cannot let this go if I don’t clarify the matter!”
Hu Xiao thought to himself angrily.
Just as raging, he received a new message from Hardcore Reviews.
“I’m buying a hundred thousand yuan worth of additional fake reviewers! Intensify your efforts!”
Hu Xiao paused and then quickly replied, “Alright, Brother! No problem!”
Earning a hundred thousand yuan more had cheered Hu Xiao up immediately.
Why would such a generous boss cheat me? I must have been thinking too much!
October 5th…
In Beijing…
Qiao Liang sat in his rented apartment, feeling anxious and nervous.
Painful!
He had been keeping a close eye on Repent and be Saved’s situation ever since it was released. However, the more he observed, the more anxious he became.
The comments on the game’s webpage were divided. Many people criticized it before understanding the true essence of the game.
Some UP Masters had uploaded introductory videos for the game, but most of them had not touched on its essence either. None of them even mentioned the game’s rich story or plot design.
Most people were still thinking about whether they should refund the game or not or whether there was a mistake in the game’s system design or none. To Qiao Liang, these topics were meaningless!
Repent and be Saved was a piece of treasure. These people were staying at the entrance of the cave containing the treasure and discussing if the entrance was too narrow. It was foolish!
Each time he thought about how sincerely Boss Pei had treated him and the King Crab that Boss Pei had fed him, Qiao Liang felt the urgent need to help Boss Pei out.
However, while he had an accurate answer in his hands, he could not display it to the world just yet.
This was because Qiao Liang had already promised Boss Pei that he would only publish a video about the game a week after its release. Within this one week, Qiao Liang could not leak the plot. He had to allow other gamers to enjoy the full, unique gaming experience without any interference whatsoever.
Thus, Qiao Liang had to turn his pain into motivation and continue working hard at reaching alternative endings in Repent and be Saved. He had to accumulate sufficient material for his next video.
The correct battle strategy for the game had already become clear to Qiao Liang who had unlocked multiple endings. Now, he had to focus on the game’s plot.
After all, the plot and worldview were arguably important parts of any game; and Repent and be Saved was obviously rich in these aspects.
After playing the game for some time, Qiao Liang opened a document and began to write a plan for his video.
“If you are observant enough, you would realize that the beasts that appear in the video also appear in the official game flow. What’s more, they would change.
“The corpse by the river twitched in the cut scene. This is a hint that it has turned into a monster. During the gameplay, a weapon appears beside the corpse. If the player attempts to take this weapon, the corpse would jump up and grab the player, instantly killing him.
“… The video also contains an old monk, seated in a worn-out temple outside the city and chanting. He manages to shield himself against the wandering ghosts’ attacks. When the player arrives outside this temple, he will realize that the old monk has already lost his sanity. He will later crazily attack the player.
“…Once you kill the old monk, you will get his Buddha beads and staff. The former is a consumable item that would be useful in the early stages of the game. The latter has average stats and is barely worth storing as an alternative weapon. “…Since the Buddha beads are more important and the old monk is quite weak, I suggest that everyone go and kill him after getting out of the city. That way, you would be able to obtain these items.
“The crazy scholar set his house on fire. When the player arrives here, he would see that the house has been almost reduced to ashes. In a nearby corner, he would be able to find the scholar’s corpse. You can get a torn and tattered letter from his body. From it, you will learn a bit of history about the village before it descended into chaos…
“… There are certain triggers in the plot that might lead you to a different ending in the game. At the moment, I am not sure how different endings there are. However, I am sure there are at least two.”
As Qiao Liang played the game, he recorded the various details and Easter eggs he encountered.
The more he recorded, the more he appreciated the game!
He had not noticed all these things when he was playing the game before. He had only been thinking about how to complete the game, how to defeat a certain boss, and the like. There was no time to take note of the details.
However, he had already seen multiple endings of the game and returned to his own apartment. The game was no lo
nger as challenging as it was before. Now, he could finally study the details that he missed out on.
The more he studied, the more he realized that the game was rich in content!
Qiao Liang began to suspect that there was a full team in charge of plot design. That was the only way they could have produced such a perfect, detailed story!
Of course, objectively speaking, Repent and be Saved did not have as much content as foreign AAA games with rich storylines. In fact, the former would be considered quite fragmented.
However, the feeling of uncovering treasure captivated Qiao Liang. He could not stop even if he wanted to!
After writing a long plan for his video, Qiao Liang decided to take a break.
He made a bowl of noodles and accessed his fan group, wanting to see what his fans were talking about.
Chapter 279 - The Weapon is Too Well-Hidden
Chapter 279 The Weapon is Too Well-Hidden
“When is the new video going to be published? I can’t wait any longer…” “Stop rushing him. He’s in the process of making it. Has Teacher Qiao ever lied to you?”
“Every time I ask, you say he’s making it. As if that’s true! I think it’s hard to say whether Teacher Qiao even managed to complete the
game.”
“Are you a fake fan? Teacher Qiao was officially invited to test the game a long time ago. It’s said that he already completed it. He only made a deal with the officials not to expose the game’s contents.” “Sh*t, just talking about the game gets me mad. I’ve been playing it for four days, but I still can’t pass the Road to the Underworld.”
“My true brother who’s stuck at the Road to the Underworld, I am stuck at Mengpo.”
“You just need to fight a bit harder to defeat Mengpo, right? The magistrates after her are the real tough ones to beat. They’ll kill you until you start doubting your own existence.”
The fans were discussing the game’s contents and their experience.
The atmosphere in Teacher Qiao’s fan group was relatively good. People were not arguing over the game’s difficulty.
Perhaps this was because most of Teacher Qiao’s fans were hardcore gamers, and they were more patient than ordinary gamers.
“Ai, it looks like this game is not meant for lousy players like me. I really admire how far you guys are progressing in the game.”
“I think it’ll be alright; it depends on how you play. You can find some joy in your suffering. I’m a lousy gamer, too. I intend to run away from the monsters and keep going for the Buddha statues. I want to see how far I can
go.”
“You’re kidding, right? You haven’t even completed the game properly, and you’re trying to speed-run through it?”
“I’m not trying to speed-run through it; I’m just doing this for fun. I can’t even beat the little monsters, hahaha.”
There were even a couple of good-tempered players who tried various ways to progress in the game.
Qiao Liang sent a message to the group. “Take note of the plot’s details while playing the game. If you find good material, I might include it in my video.”
As an elite content creator, Qiao Liang believed that there was power in numbers.
The game was so rich in content. He would not be able to uncover everything on his own. Sometimes, lame netizens could contribute inspiration.
“Catch Old Qiao!” “Old Qiao, you’re crowdsourcing your video again?”
“You’re asking the wrong people. We’re still being tortured by the little monsters at the mass grave. Who would have the time to take note of plot details for you?”
“…I think the game has an official novel, right? Go and read it.”
Teacher Qiao paused. An official novel? How come I’ve never heard of it?
He quickly asked, “What official novel? They’re not created by the same people, right?”
The replies from his friends came quickly. “I think it’s an official novel. You can go to www.zhongdian.com.”
“Do you know about TPDb? I think it’s a website for Tengda’s internal ratings. Zhongdian Chinese Network is on that site as well, and Repent and be Saved’s novel is on its homepage. It should be an official novel.”
Qiao Liang could not help but click his tongue in wonder.
There’s such a thing? The lame netizens really had a way around the internet.
Qiao Liang quickly accessed the website and realized that it was true!
Repent and be Saved was being recommended on its homepage.
A cursory scan revealed tons of content in the novel, which was of the same high standard as the game’s. It even included characters like the old monk in the newbie village and the scholar.
However, the novel’s storyline seemed fragmented. Instead of calling it a novel, Qiao Liang thought it would be better to call it a plot design series for the game.
The novel seemed unstable, and there was a lack of continuity between the chapters so that Qiao Liang could not read it smoothly. However, he felt elated.
It proved all the more that this was Repent and be Saved’s official novel!
This way, he could confirm the parts in the game’s plot that he had been unsure about!
“Thanks, Brother. You’ve been a great help!”
Qiao Liang sent an emoticon with cupped fists in the chat and then closed the window at lightning speed. He began to read Repent and be Saved’s official novel.
The first chapter was published in July, and the first comment was written at the end of July.
This added to Qiao Liang’s belief that this was the game’s official novel. This was because research and development of Repent and be Saved had just begun in July.
No author could have thought of the exact same ideas as Tengda and produced this book. It was practically impossible.
An employee of Tengda must have written this!
After reading for five minutes, Qiao Liang frowned. It was not because the book was badly written, but because the comments were disgusting! He had to admit that there were far too many haters. The first chapter was in an especially bad state.
The second and third chapters’ situations were markedly better. This was probably because most readers had left.
“What are you writing?”. “Is the author entertaining himself? This is toxic!”
“Why is this book still on the website’s homepage? Was it done by a related person?”
“I have no idea what this novel is about. It has a negative rating in my book!”
“Hehe, it’s no wonder that this website remains unpopular. The novels are all so lousy. Who even reads these things?”
The other comments were similar to the above.
It was obvious that these comments had been written before the game, Repent and be Saved, was released. Most people were reading this book as if it were an ordinary web novel. Naturally, they found it intolerable.
On the other hand, Qiao Liang was extremely engrossed in the novel. The official novel contained content that was invaluable to him.
All his hypotheses were being confirmed or denied by the novel. Some details in the novel also pointed him to uncover other details in the game.
“This is another neglected work. The storyline is not great, and it doesn’t make a good web novel. However, when read together with the game, it becomes something else completely.
“Did Boss Pei start this website as well?
“That’s strange. Why does Boss Pei like to emphasize his good works by first making them appear horrible? Could it be a unique but strange habit?
“Or does he just enjoy the roller coaster of emotions? Did he enjoy seeing his game and website fail before turning the tables and resurrecting them using special methods?
“I don’t know.
“Perhaps that’s just what talented businessmen do.”
The book was filled with content. What’s more, the plot was being written in fragments; and some parts did not seem to have made it into the g
ame. From this, Qiao Liang guessed that a group of people had worked on the novel together. However, the game only used a small portion of what they had written. The remaining was either made into Easter eggs or slotted into the game through minor details. Some parts were not even added into the game.
“That’s strange. A lot has been written about the old monk.”
Qiao Liang noticed that the old monk seemed to play a large role in the official novel.
According to his understanding of the game, there was no Buddha in the game’s world. There were only dilapidated statues, which represented the legendary Degenerate Age that the game was set in.
Boss Pei had probably only wanted to use Buddha as one of the many traditional Chinese elements blended together in the game.
Apart from the Buddha statues which acted as save points along the way, the only Buddhist elements were the worn down temple outside the village and the old monk inside that temple.
The old monk seemed very weak in the game. Qiao Liang thought his only purpose was to provide weapons after his death.
However, according to the official novel, this old monk had a very sad story behind him. What’s more, after losing his sanity, he became very powerful. He should have been an undefeatable elite monster.
Qiao Liang scratched his head, visibly confused.
“Did the design team get it wrong? Why does the official novel seem to depict the monk differently?
“It would make more sense if he was an elite monster.
“A unique model was created for this old monk. Although he looks skinny and weak, he looks sturdier than ordinary little monsters. Even his movements were specially created and so detailed…
“It seems illogical that he ended up as a weak monster.”
Qiao Liang entered the game once again. He had created a new account after the game was published, and had reached the second round with it. Now, he was near the town.
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