After the live stream ended, Gu Sheng glanced at the time—it was already twelve thirty.

“Ha—”

Yawning, Gu Sheng stretched his back and said, “It’s so late already. Let’s wash up and sleep. Don’t we have a picnic tomorrow?”

“Mm,” Shen Miaomiao groaned weakly, sounding breathless, “You go ahead. I’ll lie down a bit longer...”

Gu Sheng looked at Little Nezha oddly, stood up, walked over to her, and pressed his finger against her forehead.

“What are you doing?”

Shen Miaomiao was still lying on the armrest of the sofa, lifting her big eyes to look at Gu Sheng.

“You sound weak when you talk. Let me see if you’re sick.”

Gu Sheng thought she might have a fever again, but Little Nezha’s forehead was actually cool.

Little Nezha bared her neat white teeth, like an angry puppy, and opened her mouth to bite Gu Sheng’s finger.

“You have dark-hearted syndrome!”

“Whoa, damn!”

Gu Sheng pulled his hand back, dodging the little dog’s attack, grinning cheekily.

“You’re showing signs of rabies. Better get vaccinated early.”

After saying that, he caught the sofa cushion Little Nezha threw at him, then retaliated by pressing it on her head, laughing loudly as he went off to wash up and sleep.

Shen Miaomiao pressed the sofa cushion on her head, listening to Gu Sheng’s obnoxious, arrogant laughter, almost losing her breath!

Four hundred thousand game tokens! Forty thousand yuan!

After deducting commissions and multiplying by the rebate rate!

This live stream alone caused a net loss of 350,000 yuan from my rebate bonus pool!

This is insane!!!

Shen Miaomiao weakly lay on the sofa armrest, her big eyes full of confused anxiety.

The script wasn’t supposed to go like this!

Wasn’t it agreed that this time’s monetization mode was just a trial, and effective profit couldn’t be guaranteed?

Wasn’t it agreed that items without attribute bonuses couldn’t effectively force players to spend money?

Wasn’t it agreed that for the APEX game, we only cared about reputation, aiming for praise rather than profit?

So what’s going on now?

Not forcing players to spend and not tricking them did bring a lot of positive reviews—the goal of getting praise was achieved.

But as for profit, this game didn’t fall behind at all!

In fact, not only is it profitable, it’s insanely profitable!

Piāo Teacher really spent a solid forty thousand yuan!

Isn’t this supposed to be a “free” game?

A free game that pulls in forty thousand yuan from one player in four hours?

That’s enough to buy over two hundred copies of Titanfall!

This free game makes you burn money even worse than a buy-to-own game?!

Shen Miaomiao didn’t even have the courage to open the system interface; she was afraid she’d explode if she looked again.

After calming down for a full half hour, Shen Miaomiao got up from the sofa, dragged her depressed body to wash up, then went back to her room and collapsed onto the bed with a thud.

“Forget it, forget it, forget it...”

Shen Miaomiao took a deep breath, muttering to comfort herself.

“This is just the first day of the game’s release. Everyone’s enthusiasm is understandable. Besides, Piāo Teacher is just an exception. Other players won’t spend so crazily. The outcome is still undecided; we’re all just cattle...”

“There’s a picnic tomorrow, I should sleep. Shen Miaomiao, you should sleep...”

She closed her eyes.

But the next second, various voices rang in her mind—

[You call this a free game?]

[It’s all about wild spending!]

[Good game, I spend!]

[Come on, I don’t believe I can’t spend today!]

[Five hundred loot boxes! No! This time, a thousand boxes!]

Shen Miaomiao suddenly sat up from the bed like a resurrected corpse rising from the grave!

No way!

The more she endured, the more she felt she was losing out; the more she backed down, the angrier she got!

With a swish, Shen Miaomiao threw off the blanket, put on her pajamas, pushed open the door, and stood in front of Gu Sheng’s bedroom door with her hands on her hips!

Knock, knock, knock!

“Gu Sheng, are you asleep? I can’t sleep!”

Gu Sheng was the type who could eat well and sleep soundly. Plus, he was very satisfied with the live stream results; players were enthusiastic about this new monetization mode and were probably dreaming about spending money right now!

Bang!

His money-spending dream was interrupted by Little Nezha’s voice outside the door. Gu Sheng opened his sleepy eyes, propped himself up halfway, looking utterly confused.

Just like Zhang Huaimin back in the days at Chengtian Temple.

“Huh? Can’t sleep?”

Gu Sheng rolled his eyes at what Little Nezha was up to and said, “If you can’t sleep, take some rat poison. You’ll be out in no time!”

With that, he flopped back down onto the bed.

From outside, Shen Miaomiao’s voice continued:

“I want to eat barbecue! I’m hungry!”

“Barbecue at this late hour? What barbecue?”

Gu Sheng was speechless.

“What are you smoking?”

“Golden Wind!”

Shen Miaomiao didn’t back down, rolling her eyes and making up a random lie:

“I want barbecue! I just saw some Zibo barbecue! I want to eat it too!”

“Then when the company has a holiday, can we drive to Zibo?”

Gu Sheng sighed, shaking his head, smiling wryly.

“At this hour, you don’t expect us to go all the way to Eastern Shandong, do you?”

“No, not Eastern Shandong. There’s a barbecue place on Erdao Street. They’re open till three or four in the morning,”

Shen Miaomiao said,

“You get up, come with me, I’m craving it!”

“I’m not going!” Gu Sheng pulled the blanket over his head. “I’m not craving it. Order takeout yourself!”

Then he turned over, ready to continue sleeping.

Hearing this, Shen Miaomiao was not in a hurry.

Her cunning eyes twinkled as a mischievous smile spread across her face.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m telling you, Gu Sheng, if you don’t go, I’ll go eat by myself!”

“It’s 1:10 AM now...”

“I’m leaving. A little girl going downstairs alone in the dead of night to get a midnight snack...”

“Wearing this strawberry bear pajama...”

“You go to sleep. Sweet dreams...”

“Goodbye, Old Gu. Hope you don’t see me in tomorrow’s newspaper...”

As she spoke, she walked toward the door, her voice getting farther from Gu Sheng’s bedroom.

Just as she reached the living room,

Click!

The bedroom door opened behind her.

Then Gu Sheng’s helpless and annoyed voice came:

“Get back here and change your clothes! Let’s go!”

“Hehehe—!”

Shen Miaomiao beamed with joy, her little face glowing with success.

Then she turned around, putting on a weak expression, placing a slender finger to her lips:

“It’s okay, big brother. I can go by myself. Your rest is important. The company’s big matters all depend on you managing them. You don’t need to cater to me...”

“You’re too much, Shen Miaomiao,”

Gu Sheng rolled his eyes.

“I give this act zero points. Too obvious a green tea move!”

“Hehe, sorry, sorry. First time pretending to be green tea,”

Shen Miaomiao scratched her head and bowed to Gu Sheng:

“Inexperienced, please forgive me, please forgive me...”

That night!

All was silent, with gentle breezes blowing.

On the empty streets, two figures strolled leisurely.

The boy walked casually and comfortably.

The girl hopped and skipped, mischievously stepping on the boy’s shadow under the streetlamp:

“Hey! Stepped on your head! Ha! Watch my uppercut!”

“Why don’t you take a break?”

Watching Shen Miaomiao jump around and ‘punch and kick’ her own shadow, Gu Sheng chuckled.

“You were tired at home just now, weren’t you?”

“Exercise gives a better appetite! You don’t understand!”

Shen Miaomiao lifted her chin, looking a bit coquettish:

“I’m full of energy again. So what? I’m not just full of energy, I’m inspired to write poetry!”

“Oh, really,” Gu Sheng sneered, teasing her, “Recite one for me?”

“Hmmph!”

Unfazed, Shen Miaomiao turned her back and marched in square steps:

“Golden Wind, early autumn of year two, Miaomiao not asleep, old thief not asleep either...”

“Huh? You really think I’m Zhang Huaimin, don’t you?”

“Yeah! Hahahahaha...”

...

“Spent 400,000! What’s the charm of Golden Wind’s latest masterpiece Apex?”

“Respecting players deserves praise! Apex broke the free motion-sensing game revenue chart within four hours of release!”

“Pure green monetization! No attribute items, yet we still pay!”

“Apex pass mode widely praised! Players say the developers have a conscience!”

“Targeting a rebellious psychology! The non-attribute Apex pass wins player acclaim!”

“...”

The next morning!

News about “Piāo Teacher furiously spending forty thousand yuan to get the heirloom” spread throughout the gaming circle!

Players buzzed with discussions!

‘This monetization mode is really good. If you don’t want to spend, don’t. No attributes, no balance issues.’

‘Clearly, the guy upstairs has never played (LOL).’

‘Who says it doesn’t affect balance? Others can show off when they kill you, but you can’t show off when you kill others. That’s so unfair!’

‘Hahaha, psychological balance counts as balance too...’

‘Not spending? Impossible, never in this life. Even stealing batteries, I gotta have an heirloom (LOL).’

‘Indeed, once you enter the game, not spending is impossible. I’m already a noob. I can’t let my effects fall behind others!’

‘Apex’s skin quality is just insanely good. Plus, there’s nostalgia. And it basically costs only 38 yuan to spend. Not supporting it is unreasonable.’

‘This is the real “I can quit playing, but I can’t be without it.”’

‘Don’t be amazed at the skin quality, brothers. This is just normal performance because the guy focusing on Apex skins is Ordinary Xiao Wang.’

‘WTF!!! The Left 4 Dead mod legend?’

‘No wonder! So it’s that guy’s work!’

‘Consider it a ticket payment to the legend. Took so many free mods, this time I pay.’

‘I’m convinced. If you say that, I have to buy the pass.’

‘...’

Obviously!

From the consumer experience perspective, everyone highly approved this monetization mode!

It proved that even without attribute sales, as long as developers put heart into making skins, without perfunctory tricks or forcing, players happily pay for beloved skins.

Praise and profit.

As for game content, media outlets all gave high scores!

Daily Gaming News (9.7/10): Another refreshing game with bold skill systems perfectly separating it from PUBG!

China Gaming Forum (9.7/10): Unique humanistic care touches the heart; superb quality makes it addictive!

SNG Review (9.8/10): Rat-a-tat-tat! The sound of armor breaking is so satisfying!

Player Campfire (9.7/10): Diverse skills, upgradeable armor, quick and convenient marking... This is Golden Wind’s gaming attitude—they never settle, always improving!

Old Sang’s Game Review (9.9/10): Originally planned to give 9.8, but I got the heirloom from just 20 loot boxes (doge face).

Motion-Sensing Outpost (9.9/10): Motion Assistance Technology upgrades are no joke! This innovation is probably a trial! It’s hard to imagine what shocking games Golden Wind will release in the future!

As for player experience, they were extremely satisfied!

Some who research skills and use terrain for high-intensity crazy plays—

In the intricate artillery fortress building, a Caustic quietly lurked by the inner alloy door of a small room.

Large batteries, medkits, gold accessories, even a red airdrop shotgun—the small room was stocked with all kinds of supplies.

At that moment, a squad rushed into the fortress. Seeing the rich supplies in this room, they eagerly called teammates inside!

The three were so excited they didn’t notice the sneaky player crouched in the doorframe.

Clang!

With a light sound, a grenade emitting dense caustic gas rolled to the feet of the three.

Then the caustic gas jumped from the doorframe, burst out of the room, trapping the three inside and sealing the door with a gas trap!

Ssssh!!!

In an instant, thick toxic gas spread. The trapped squad screamed in panic!

Outside, Caustic laughed loudly, apologizing while laughing: “Sorry! Sorry, sorry, buying food! Hahaha!”

There were also players who didn’t just play fairly, but spent every day thinking about how to annoy others and satisfy twisted desires—

“Bro, bro, how much ammo you got? Share some!”

On the waterfall cliff, Pathfinder and Wraith crouched at a high vantage point. One held a charged energy rifle.

This was a charge sniper rifle; the charged laser beam dealt 3 damage over 15 hits, totaling 45 damage, and the laser impact dealt an additional 45 damage.

Because its charging and firing sound was “zzib-bang,” players nicknamed it the “Zzib Bang Sniper.”

This sniper had no bullet drop, long range, and hit exactly where aimed, causing damage to health and armor.

Though usually non-lethal, it was extremely annoying. Many players often got hit unexpectedly by this “annoying bastard” and felt frustrated.

“Here, I still got some.”

Wraith tossed two ammo boxes to Pathfinder.

The two exchanged a smile.

“Hehehe...”

“Hey, hey, someone there!”

“Got ’em, got ’em, zzib ’em!”

Zzib—bang! Zzib—bang!

Zzizizzziii—

“Hehehe, so fun...”

“Keep jumping, keep jumping, where can you run...”

“Hahaha, I only zzib, no bang. I’ll just zzib your armor for three damage. Let’s see if your big battery can handle it...”

“Fun, hehe... Hey, hey, hey! Damn! Damn!”

“Trouble! Trouble! That squad has Valkyrie! They’re taking off and rushing over!”

“Wrong, bro! I swear I won’t zzib bang again! Wrong!”

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Of course! Besides trolling and annoying players, many rushed to rank up early in the season, aiming to become the top hunter in the server—

“Break armor! Break armor! Break armor! Snow sis, charge!”

“Go crazy! Go! Go! Go! Pete, follow me!”

In the complex water purification plant, rookie streamer Pete147 was voice-chatting with fellow rookie Raizy Snow.

Pete’s precise water spraying (rapid consecutive shots) just blew off the opponent Bloodhound’s red armor!

Snow’s execution was also perfect, pushing open a door and charging out!

Grappling hook fired, locking the ground, sliding and jumping mid-air, agile and swift!

Pete followed with adrenaline, throwing a launch pad, soaring through the air like an arrow released from a bow!

Pathfinder and Power Kid’s ultra-high mobility was displayed perfectly by the two!

Whoosh!

Like two big black rats, they dashed into the enemy building in a blink.

The enemy squad was still regrouping!

Seeing these two rush in, they were stunned, never expecting them to arrive so fast!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The intense gunfire echoed in the narrow two-story building!

In the blink of an eye, three enemies were downed.

At this moment, Pathfinder Snow noticed gunfire not far away on the plains:

“Let’s go, Pete. There’s a fight. Let’s break it up!”

“Let’s go!”

[Who’s flying on the zipline! Me!]

Bang!

Pathfinder’s ultimate, setting up a zipline, the two gun-skill mad dogs rushed nonstop, continuing their hunt for the top hunter title!

Going wild!

Fast game pace, convenient communication, varied attack strategies, flexible playstyles!

Plus pure fair competition monetization and the motion-sensing pod’s inherent no-cheat, no-assist environment!

For a time!

APEX dominated the new generation motion-sensing pod market with unstoppable momentum, once again ruling as the top battle royale for motion-sensing games!

Ahead was PUBG! Behind was APEX!

Golden Wind was boldly aiming to firmly sit on the throne of ‘King of Battle Royale’!

The whole company was overjoyed!

President Shen Miaomiao was trembling in fear!

However!

While she was counting the days waiting for the final result seven days later,

A letter arrived on her desk from the nearby island nation of Neon.

[Neon Komera Digital Entertainment Corporation—Respectfully]

-----------------

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com