"Grumble..."
Just as Chi Cheng was passionately recommending the game, his stomach let out a loud protest.
The livestream chat was instantly flooded with laughter.
"The mystery is solved, the host's stomach is more honest than his mouth."
"It's meal time, host!"
"Go eat, Brother Chi, there's no need to fast just to play games."
"Eat? No way!"
Chi Cheng looked at the consistently high viewer count in his livestream and was reluctant to leave.
"Brothers, as the saying goes, food and sex are basic desires. But today, this game 'Great Angler' has taught me a third great truth of life: spiritual nourishment!"
"What is a masterpiece? A masterpiece is something that makes you completely forget your physical needs! This game is definitely worth playing on an empty stomach!"
Chi Cheng grabbed a drink, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
He leaned back into his chair, looking at the vast suburban reservoir on the screen, his expression becoming serious and focused.
"Brothers, no exaggeration, I must sincerely apologize to Zhaoxi Games."
Chi Cheng clasped his hands together and bowed to the screen.
"Earlier, I was too loud. I thought they released a half-baked 'I Picked Up the Imperial Jade Seal!' and then ran out of ideas, casually making a reskinned fishing game to make money."
"I take back those words! I really misunderstood you, Zhaoxi Games!"
"This 'Great Angler' is not the cash-grab game I initially imagined."
"It sells for ten bucks, is single-player, no online connection, no pay-to-win, no random gift packs, and no annoying red dots everywhere."
"But the experience it gives me is very complete."
As Chi Cheng spoke, he opened the game's settings and the Encyclopedia system, analyzing them for his fans one by one.
"Think about it, the game's insane physics engine, the different water resistance feedback from the controller, and the struggle logic when a big fish bites the hook..."
"Could this be something made on a whim?!"
Chi Cheng rubbed his chin, his tone becoming serious.
"So, brothers, I suddenly have an idea."
"Although I'm not a professional coder, I'm a seasoned gamer. For a game of this caliber, even if you give those second-tier domestic companies half a year, they might not be able to make it this smooth!"
"So I dare to conclude! This game was definitely not rushed out in a few days!"
The chat was also swept up by Chi Cheng's reasoning.
"That makes sense! The game's completion level is too high, it doesn't look rushed at all."
"Indeed, just the light and shadow rendering of the water surface rippling in the wind couldn't have been achieved without long-term refinement."
"So what's the deal?"
"Indeed, the game's rhythm is quite captivating."
"I just downloaded it, ready to play while watching."
"There's only one truth!"
Chi Cheng's eyes shone brightly.
"And that is, Zhaoxi Games was actually developing two games simultaneously from the start!"
"'I Picked Up the Imperial Jade Seal!' and 'Great Angler' were both developed in parallel."
"They just released 'Imperial Jade Seal' first to test the market reaction."
"As a result, 'Imperial Jade Seal' blew up, and players thought they were running away to start a new project."
"But in reality, 'Great Angler' might have been in development for a long time."
The more Chi Cheng spoke, the more flawless his logic seemed.
After this analysis, the livestream chat paused for a moment.
Many fans initially wanted to refute.
But upon thinking carefully, it seemed to make sense.
The completion level of 'Great Angler' indeed didn't seem like something rushed out in a week.
Especially the controller feedback and fish behavior.
These couldn't have been slapped together on a whim.
"Damn, that makes sense."
"So Zhaoxi Games didn't slack off, but instead kept something up their sleeve?"
"No wonder their official account played dead, they were hiding a new work?" This chapter is updated first at g.com.
"But what about the follow-up for 'Imperial Jade Seal'?"
"The follow-up for 'Imperial Jade Seal' is probably also in the works, maybe their small team has different schedules."
Seeing these comments, Chi Cheng found the reasoning increasingly plausible.
"Exactly!"
"Now it all makes sense!"
"What do you call this? This is called building a bridge in the open while sneaking across in secret! This extreme pull, not only are they pulling fish in the game, but in reality, they're also pulling at the psychology of us players clearly!"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! The boss of Zhaoxi Games must be a master psychologist who plays with human nature!"
"There's just one pity! This game can't be played online!"
In Chi Cheng's mind, an epic scene unfolded.
"If this game could be made into an MMO online multiplayer!"
"Imagine the scene! Hundreds of silly netizens sitting densely along the banks of the City Park Lake!"
"Everyone lined up, casting their rods together! How spectacular would that be?!"
"In the Black Pond map, everyone pays to enter and compete for spots, whoever catches the most shows off, whoever catches nothing buys supper."
"If this gameplay could be online, the entertainment value would be explosive."
The chat instantly started flooding.
"Online fishing would indeed be awesome."
"Host, quickly suggest this to Zhaoxi Games!"
"Multiplayer reservoir, just thinking about it is fun."
"Is there a possibility it might happen later?"
Chi Cheng's eyes lit up.
"You don't say."
"It might really be possible."
"Following their head-down development approach!"
"Maybe there will be an online mode later."
"What a pity, what a pity."
Chi Cheng smacked his lips, pulling his thoughts back from that beautiful fantasy.
"Food should be eaten one bite at a time, we can't demand too much from a ten-dollar game. To have the single-player experience at this level, I'm already satisfied."
After saying this, he opened the map again.
The gray [High-Priced Black Pond on the Outskirts] was still hanging there.
[High-Priced Black Pond on the Outskirts]
[Locked]
[Unlock Condition: 1200 Gold Coins]
[Current Gold Coins: 418]
"No way, brothers."
"I haven't even met the Black Pond boss yet, and he's already taught me a lesson."
"1200 gold coins!"
"He's really black-hearted!"
"But it's okay, the reservoir has big fish and many opportunities, I'll just fish a bit more in the reservoir and soon I'll have enough money!"
Chi Cheng picked up the controller again, equipped himself properly, took a deep breath, and aimed his fishing rod at the mysterious waters of the reservoir's depths.
"Here we go!"
...
Meanwhile, online.
The reputation of 'Great Angler' was becoming increasingly active.
In the Zhaoxi Games work group.
"Jiang... President Jiang... it's rising! Rising again!"
"Our game's online duration has skyrocketed from an average of ten minutes at launch to an average of one and a half hours in just half a day!"
"And the refund rate... the refund rate is less than ten percent!"
Ma Shangfei, as if typing wasn't fast enough, directly sent three backend sales screenshots into the group.
Ma Shangfei: "President Jiang! Sister Lan! Guangqi! Did you see this? Almost ten thousand copies sold! And it's only been half a day!"
Ma Shangfei: "And the comment section is exploding!"
Following this, Ma Shangfei sent several screenshots from major gaming forums and review sites.
"Who understands this! I initially downloaded it with the intention of leaving a bad review for Zhaoxi Games. But once I held the controller, the vibration feedback blew me away! This is absolutely the most realistic fishing game with physical feedback I've ever played, bar none!"
"I thought it was a retirement simulator for old electronic grandpas, but I got my line cut by an unknown giant in the reservoir! My desire to win is now stronger than for the college entrance exam! Enough talk, I'm off to the river to catch minnows and save up for a high-end fishing rod!"
Seeing these discussions, Ma Shangfei was genuinely excited.
Having worked in programming for so many years, he had seen many games launch.
Some games' data would spike like an ECG, going up and immediately dropping back down.
Some games' comment sections were quieter than a graveyard, with players taking one look and leaving, too lazy even to complain.
But 'Great Angler' was different.
It didn't have explosive visual impact at the start, no grand scenes, and no blood-pumping storyline.
But what was the result?
Players were getting more and more hooked.
This fishing game, considered a niche retirement genre in today's market, had so many people loving it!
These Fourth Scourge players weren't they always clamoring for action and combat?
Yet when it came to fishing, they were more addicted than anyone!
The boss truly lived up to his reputation!
That ancestral code really was effective!
Watching the messages pinging in the group, Jiang Bo was a bit speechless. He already knew the game data was good, the anticipation had been building up!
Once a map was unlocked, players immediately anticipated the next one, continuously cycling, continuously rising...
The notification sounds kept pinging.
Jiang Bo had already muted them.
Besides, this was just the beginning!
The big surprise he had hidden in the game hadn't even been experienced by anyone yet!
He looked at the group, took out his phone:
Jiang Bo: "Old Ma, what time is it now?"
Ma Shangfei: "Uh... eight in the evening. President Jiang, what's up? Are we preparing for a celebration dinner? Isn't it a bit early for that!"
Jiang Bo: "What celebration dinner? Eight o'clock, that's off-duty time!"
Jiang Bo: "How have I taught you guys? Even though Zhaoxi Games is a startup, we absolutely don't engage in the kind of wolf culture where employees are crazily pinged after hours. Work is work, life is life!"
Jiang Bo: "You all are in your prime, after work, you should be dating, shopping, or playing games to relax, not staring at a work group sending messages!"
These words left everyone in the group stunned.
The game just blew up, and the boss's first reaction was to tell them not to discuss it?
Ma Shangfei: "But President Jiang, our game blew up! Right now, the backend data is still rising, shouldn't we be closely monitoring public opinion and ready to do hotfixes at any moment?"
Jiang Bo: "What fixes? That ancestral code is rock solid, what bugs could there be?"
Jiang Bo: "As employees of Zhaoxi Games, you must have your own personal lives!"
Jiang Bo: "Let the data run a bit longer! Let the bullets fly a bit longer! Have some patience!"
After sending the message, Jiang Bo tossed his phone onto the desk.
Right now, according to the game progress, players had just unlocked the [Suburban Reservoir] and [High-Priced Black Pond].
They were still immersed in the thrill of tug-of-war with giant fish using top-tier rods, and the business strategy fun of outsmarting the Black Pond boss.
"Don't rush..."
Jiang Bo's smile gradually turned crafty.
When these players have farmed enough gold in these maps.
When they've bought the most expensive items in the shop, thinking they're invincible, eagerly unlocking that final ultimate map [No-Fishing Zone].
That's when 'Great Angler' will deliver its true killer blow!