You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

Liu Mengyuan raised her eyebrows, "Tit for tat. Don't you love putting psychological pressure on NPCs in games? How does it feel to be reverse-killed now?"

Lu Yu was silent for half a second, then suddenly smiled slightly, looking at her deeply.

Liu Mengyuan felt a little uneasy under his gaze, and just as she was about to speak, Lu Yu suddenly reached out and gently pinched her chin, leaning closer, his tone low and lazy: "Actually, I have even more powerful reverse-kill skills. Would you like to try them?"

Liu Mengyuan was stunned, the tips of her ears instantly flushed a faint red. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips parted slightly: "...W-What do you want to do?"

Lu Yu's smile deepened as he slowly approached, whispering in her ear, "For example... kissing you in public."

Liu Mengyuan: "!!!"

Her face instantly exploded with redness, and she shoved the spoon in her hand into Lu Yu's mouth: "Shut up! Drink your milk!"

Lu Yu, with his mouth full of milk, looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation, while Liu Mengyuan, her face flushed, lowered her head and frantically drank her coffee, her ears as red as ripe cherries.

[Evening Tenderness]

In the evening, the two returned home. Lu Yu nestled on the sofa, casually flipping through a book on game design, while Liu Mengyuan hugged a fluffy pillow, nestled beside him, using a tablet to browse the latest game news.

"Did you know? Your 'Mystery of Mist Village' has already reached the top 5 in global sales," Liu Mengyuan said casually, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

Lu Yu casually "Mm"ed, his eyes still fixed on the page.

Looking at his calm demeanor, Liu Mengyuan couldn't help but mutter, "Can't you show even a little bit of surprise?"

Lu Yu put down the book, turned to look at her, and the corners of his mouth slightly lifted: "Surprise should be reserved for more important things."

Liu Mengyuan raised her eyebrows: "Like?"

Lu Yu suddenly leaned closer, gently cupping her face in his hands, and chuckled softly, "For example, would you be willing to marry me?"

Liu Mengho's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened slightly, and after a few seconds of愣, she suddenly reached out and gently flicked Lu Yu's forehead: "Don't joke around."

"I'm not joking," Lu Yu stared at her, his eyes deep and serious.

Liu Mengho was taken aback for a moment, then the corners of her mouth gently lifted, her eyes as gentle as water: "Then... when you propose next time, remember to prepare a ring."

Lu Yu smiled and gently kissed her forehead, his voice low and gentle: "Okay, wait for me."

The night was gentle, and the starlight outside the window sprinkled on the two, reflecting a picture of peaceful years.

Shanghai, Longteng Group Headquarters Building, top floor Chairman's Office.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights reflected on the desk, revealing a cold metallic luster.

Pei Shengnan, the chairman of Longteng Group, was sitting in a large leather chair, his fingers gently tapping the table, his eyes deeply staring at the screen in front of him.

On the screen was the latest report from the Market Analysis Department—

"Mystery of Mist Village" global sales exceed 15 million, user word-of-mouth explodes, Peach Blossom Spring Studio becomes a dark horse in the industry, Lu Yu's influence continues to expand...

Pei Shengnan's expression did not fluctuate, but his eyes turned colder.

"...Peach Blossom Spring."

He whispered the name, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile.

This small company, in just a few years, has grown from an unknown independent studio to a globally recognized game developer.

Their games are not only selling amazingly, but also completely breaking industry traditions, making many big manufacturers' products pale in comparison.

This is definitely not good news for Longteng Group.

"Chairman Pei."

Marketing Director Zheng Yi walked into the office, his face solemn, and said, "We must respond as soon as possible. The success of 'Mystery of Mist Village' has begun to affect several of our products currently in operation, and the user churn rate has increased significantly."

Pei Shengnan nodded slightly, his voice steady: "Tell me, your plan."

Zheng Yi took a deep breath, opened the tablet, and pulled up a proposal: "We have decided to confront Peach Blossom Spring head-on."

"Longteng Group will invest the top resources to develop a brand new game—'Abyss of Illusion'."

["Abyss of Illusion" – Longteng Group's trump card plan]

Pei Shengnan narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the screen, which showed a game concept art full of futuristic technology.

The dark sky, the cracked world, the mysterious buildings floating in mid-air, as if from a distant alien world.

"'Abyss of Illusion' will use next-generation graphics to create an immersive open world. We will use the most advanced virtual reality technology to allow players to experience unprecedented immersion," Zheng Yi said confidently, continuing, "The game focuses on cyberpunk style, integrating puzzle-solving, combat, survival and other gameplay, aiming to create the 'most immersive virtual world'."

"In addition, we will introduce an AI-driven story system. Each NPC has an independent consciousness and can actively learn the player's behavior patterns to form a unique interactive experience."

"This will be a revolutionary attempt. Our goal is to completely crush Peach Blossom Spring and make their 'Mystery of Mist Village' a thing of the past!"

In the office, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Pei Shengnan was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled slightly.

"Very good."

He put down the pen in his hand, his eyes steady, his voice low and powerful: "Since Peach Blossom Spring dares to challenge industry rules, then we will let them see just how strong the real power of capital is."

"Immediately establish a special project team, mobilize the strongest development team, and prioritize all resources."

"I want to make 'Abyss of Illusion' the top game of this era."

A flash of excitement appeared in Zheng Yi's eyes, and he quickly nodded: "Understood, I'll arrange it immediately!"

[Capital Game, Industry Storm]

Longteng Group's movements quickly caused an uproar in the industry.

—"Longteng Group announces huge investment in 'Abyss of Illusion', aiming directly at 'Mystery of Mist Village'!"

—"Industry insiders analyze that 'Abyss of Illusion' may become a new benchmark in the game industry, challenging Peach Blossom Spring's market position!"

—"Next-generation open world + AI story system, can Longteng Group shake Lu Yu's legend?"

For a time, the entire gaming circle exploded.

On major forums and social platforms, players and industry insiders hotly discussed the upcoming "game war."

"Damn, the concept art of 'Abyss of Illusion' is amazing! This graphics, this cyberpunk style, it's simply a dream!"

"Longteng Group is really playing for keeps this time, directly throwing money, people, and resources, the goal is to kill 'Mystery of Mist Village'?"

"Can Peach Blossom Spring withstand it? They are, after all, a small company. Can they compete with a capital giant like Longteng Group?"

"I just want to say, Lu Yu, you need to be careful!"

At this moment, the entire industry realized—

An unprecedented game war is about to break out!

The projection screen on the wall was playing exquisite concept design drawings – a dark cyberpunk city, huge buildings suspended in mid-air, streets flowing with fluorescent data streams, mysterious characters wearing mechanical prosthetics…

At the table, dozens of industry-leading planners, artists, programmers, and AI experts sat around, each with thick planning documents in front of them, looking serious.

At the front of the conference table, Pei Shengnan, chairman of Longteng Group, crossed his hands, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowd, and said in a low and powerful voice:

"Everyone, 'Abyss of Illusion' will be Longteng Group's trump card project for the next three years, with the goal of creating the world's most immersive open-world game."

"What we want to do is not just to surpass 'Mystery of Mist Village', but to completely define the new standard for the industry."

"This time, we will not count the cost or the time. I want you to come up with the best ideas and the most advanced technology to create a real 'Abyss of Illusion'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room was silent.

Everyone understood that this was not just a game development, but also a capital confrontation, an industry game.

Longteng Group wants to use this game to completely crush Peach Blossom Spring!

[Core Gameplay Discussion: How to Create an Immersive Open World?]

"First of all, what is our core positioning?"

R\u0026D Director Li Mu pushed up his glasses, opened his laptop, and projected a detailed planning diagram onto the screen.

"The worldview of 'Abyss of Illusion' is set in a near-future cyberpunk style, and players will enter a 'datafied abyss world'."

"This world consists of countless 'virtual layers', each of which is an independent ecosystem, full of unknown challenges and opportunities."

"The player's goal is to survive, grow, and ultimately uncover the ultimate secret of this world in this dangerous cyberpunk abyss."

Planning Director Xu Ran nodded in supplement: "We want to make this world big enough and free enough so that players can explore, interact, fight, and even influence the direction of the entire world at will."

"But at the same time, we want to introduce the 'Abyss Erosion' mechanism to keep players under pressure - if they stay in a certain area for too long, the system will begin to change the environment, making it more dangerous, and even completely swallowing the player's data avatar."

"This way, we can guarantee the tension of the game and keep players vigilant at all times."

Pei Shengnan nodded slightly, his eyes sharp: "Continue."

[AI-Driven Story System: Turning NPCs into 'Living People']

"Our biggest technological breakthrough this time is the AI story system."

AI expert Chen Bo opened a detailed technical document and said excitedly:

"Traditional NPCs interact according to preset scripts, while our 'Abyss of Illusion' will use the most advanced AI neural network to give each NPC the ability to 'learn'."

"In other words, each NPC will adjust its personality, language, attitude, and may even 'evolve' independent thinking abilities based on the player's behavior patterns."

"For example, if a player often helps an NPC, he will gradually trust the player and may even proactively provide hidden tasks."

"But if a player deceives or hurts an NPC, the NPC will not only remember it, but may also unite with other NPCs to fight against the player."

As soon as these words came out, the entire conference room was in an uproar.

"Isn't this... isn't this a 'real virtual society'?"

"If NPCs can really 'remember' the player's behavior, wouldn't each player's game experience be completely different?"

"This is simply a revolutionary breakthrough!"

The corners of Pei Shengnan's mouth raised slightly, and a satisfied light flashed in his eyes.

This is the power of capital!

[Combat System: Cybernetic Prosthetics and Data Armament]

"We must make the combat exciting enough and cool enough."

Combat Planner Zhao Yu stood up and opened a concept demonstration video.

In the picture, a character in a black trench coat stands on a neon-lit street, surrounded by cyber gang members eager to try.

The next second, the character's arm instantly deformed, turning into a sharp plasma blade, slashing out like lightning, bringing a dazzling blue light!

The enemy was split in half with one blow, and the data stream exploded in the air. The entire combat process was smooth and shocking.

"Our combat system will revolve around 'cybernetic prosthetics' and 'data armament'."

"Players can freely modify their bodies, such as implanting mechanical arms, nerve accelerators, optical stealth devices, etc., to create a combat style that completely suits them."

"At the same time, we will also introduce the 'data armament' system. Players can combine hacking technology with combat, such as hacking into the enemy's nervous system to make them temporarily out of control, or releasing EMP pulses to instantly disable the opponent's prosthetics."

Planner Xu Ran excitedly added: "This means that players can not only fight with guns and cold weapons, but also use hacking methods and data manipulation to suppress enemies, forming a wealth of tactical choices!"

The people in the conference room nodded.

This is the real cyberpunk combat style!

[Final Goal: Completely Crush Peach Blossom Spring]

When all the discussions were over, Pei Shengnan slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his tone low and firm:

"Everyone, although 'Mystery of Mist Village' by Peach Blossom Spring is an excellent game, it is, in the final analysis, an independent work that wins with creativity."

"It cannot compete with our capital, technology, and resources."

"'Abyss of Illusion' will be a behemoth. It is not just a game, it will become synonymous with 'virtual world'."

"I want all players to know that a real top game requires the support of capital and the breakthrough of technology!"

"Peach Blossom Spring? Lu Yu? They are just a small stone in the market, and we - are the giant wheel of the entire industry!"

"The goal is clear, the budget is unlimited. I want you to truly build this world in the shortest possible time!"

In the conference room, everyone was shocked by Pei Shengnan's aura, and their eyes gradually became fanatical.

An unprecedented game war has officially begun!

Longteng Group headquarters, located in a skyscraper in the city center, in the top-floor conference room, a meeting that will determine the future of the game industry is underway.

Pei Shengnan, in a neat suit, with his hands crossed, sat at the front of the conference table.

His gaze was sharp, fixed on the data displayed on the projection screen, the corners of his lips tilting upward into a knowing smile.

"It seems our 'Abyssal Mirage' has already caused a stir throughout the entire industry, even before its official announcement."

(End of Chapter)