The two men were playing chess while Shen Miaomiao sat cross-legged beside them, cracking melon seeds with a rhythmic crunching sound. She had learned about Komera's concentrated promotional campaign for Silent Hill yesterday. According to Old Gu, Komera felt the reputation crisis brought by "To the Moon" and had to hastily respond. Upon hearing this, Shen Miaomiao pounded her chest in frustration, secretly regretting for quite a while. Who would have thought that a charity game she impulsively created could cross dimensions and strike the unlucky Komera?

But upon closer thought, this was actually good. It forced Komera to launch their promotions early. With the game's release date unchanged, this meant extending their concentrated promotional cycle. Shen Miaomiao was delighted by this. A prolonged promotion would undoubtedly make Silent Hill's name more prominent, ensuring an unbeatable position in the competition.

As for Komera's forced promotion causing them pain and discomfort? Not her problem. She wasn't the one footing the bill. Her heart remained utterly unmoved—in fact, she hoped they would push even harder, preferably mortgaging the entire Komera company for a global campaign to completely drown out Golden Wind's voice. That way, she could lose even more money.

A hundredfold return!

Based on the current situation of "Escape," the game's total cost would likely be between $18-20 million, averaging around $19 million. A hundredfold return would mean $1.9 billion! Enough to buy four private yachts! Instant financial freedom!

At that point, she could even keep Old Gu as her sugar baby! Hmph! She'd thoroughly study what made this gaming incubus so special!

Lost in these thoughts, Shen Miaomiao couldn't help but giggle foolishly, drawing sidelong glances from Shen Wanlin and Gu Sheng.

"...What are you looking at me for? Watch the game!" Shen Miaomiao felt insulted by their gazes, as if they were looking at an idiot, and rolled her eyes dramatically.

The two men shook their heads, barely suppressing their laughter.

"Originally, we planned to announce our news alongside Silent Hill's concentrated promotion," Gu Sheng moved his knight, capturing Shen Wanlin's pawn with a crisp click. "Mainly to snipe Komera—whatever they do, we'll follow suit. But now..."

Noticing Gu Sheng's confident expression, Shen Wanlin raised an eyebrow in interest and casually moved his chariot. "And now?"

"Now—" Gu Sheng's knight leaped forward across the board. "Check."

"Eh?" Shen Wanlin blinked, only to realize his general and cannon were both under attack by the black knight.

"This... this..." Shen Wanlin cursed his carelessness and reached out to take back his move. "I wasn't paying attention. This move doesn't count."

"Hey, Dad!" Shen Miaomiao reacted swiftly, slapping Shen Wanlin's hand away. "No takebacks! How can you just undo your move? If you keep this up, I'll have to bring out the flying elephant!"

"Tsk, you little brat," Shen Wanlin grumbled in frustration. "Your elbows are practically bending all the way to America."

Shen Miaomiao's face flushed. "I'm just being fair!"

With no choice, Shen Wanlin sacrificed his cannon to save his general. Gu Sheng, unapologetic, cheerfully captured the red cannon with his knight.

"I plan to delay our announcement until early next month," Gu Sheng said. "Since Komera's being so proactive, let them show off a bit more."

Hearing this, Shen Miaomiao's eyes lit up.

Oh? What's gotten into Old Gu today? Since when does he avoid confrontation? This isn't like him. Weren't you the one who said you weren't afraid of a head-on collision?

Shen Miaomiao assumed Gu Sheng had been intimidated by Komera's aggressive campaign and was trying to avoid direct competition. His comment about "letting Komera show off" was just a face-saving excuse in front of Shen Wanlin.

Ah— Shen Miaomiao chuckled to herself.

They're all family here—Old Shen doesn't treat you as an outsider. Besides, given our size, losing to Komera is perfectly normal.

She was about to help Gu Sheng "save face," but before she could speak, Shen Wanlin nodded thoughtfully, even raising an eyebrow in approval.

"How confident are you?"

Gu Sheng clenched his fist and shook it. "One hundred percent."

"Hahahaha!" Shen Wanlin burst into laughter. "Good! Very good! 'One hundred percent'—I like that!"

Gu Sheng joined in the laughter.

Shen Miaomiao sat there utterly confused.

Huh? What? What are they talking about? Why does this sound like encrypted communication?

Just as she was about to ask, Gu Sheng gestured apologetically. "Excuse me, Uncle, I need to use the restroom."

"Go ahead. With this girl watching, I can't even take back my moves," Shen Wanlin teased.

Gu Sheng waved it off with a laugh. "Feel free to reset the game if you want..."

As Gu Sheng left, Shen Wanlin took a sip of tea and smiled at Shen Miaomiao.

"He's bold, clever, and ruthless. You should really learn from him instead of just being a hands-off CEO all day."

Huh? Shen Miaomiao couldn't fathom where this high praise came from. "I didn't even understand what you two were just saying..."

"Exactly why you need to learn," Shen Wanlin said. "If you can't even grasp this, how will you lead the company in the future?"

"Then explain it to me," Shen Miaomiao said, genuinely curious. "I'll learn."

Seeing his daughter's rare enthusiasm, Shen Wanlin set down his teacup.

"Xiao Gu is leveraging the situation to drag Komera into the deep end, forcing them to collide with you head-on..."

Exactly!

Though Gu Sheng hadn't spelled it out, Shen Wanlin—being the shrewd man he was—understood immediately what the cunning young man was planning.

Faced with this new wave of public opinion pressure, Komera had two options: retreat and abandon Silent Hill, letting it die a natural death, or advance and launch early promotions to nip the crisis in the bud.

Komera's choice was now clear. They couldn't bear to give up the project and had doubled down.

But the game had just begun. If Golden Wind immediately followed up, it would deal another blow to Komera. Already reeling from "To the Moon," another hit from "Escape" might force Komera to fold and retreat.

Gu Sheng didn't want Komera to fold.

So he decided to hold back, letting Komera play freely. Once Komera's PR budget was nearly exhausted, he would strike—announcing their project and release date to officially snipe Silent Hill.

By then, Komera would have only two choices: watch their millions go down the drain, surrendering the market and folding, or grit their teeth and go all-in against Golden Wind, spending even more on PR to counter the attack.

This silence was a long-term trap!

Lure the enemy in, force them to gamble their lives!

"You two are downright vicious!" Shen Miaomiao shrank back after hearing Shen Wanlin's explanation.

At best, she had only hoped Komera would recklessly increase their promotional budget. These two, with just a glance, had already turned the idea into reality!

Is there even a decent person in this family?!

They're all like con artists, luring people in to slaughter them!

"I can't learn this—it's too ruthless," Shen Miaomiao waved her hands. "I'll stick to being a hands-off CEO."

"Hmph—" Shen Wanlin snorted, giving her a look of disappointment. "Then you'd better hope Xiao Gu keeps looking out for you. Otherwise... you can look forward to marrying your Uncle Peng's son."

"Absolutely not—!!!" Shen Miaomiao recoiled as if burned, her entire body screaming rejection. "You might as well strangle me now."

"Then prove yourself..." Shen Wanlin glanced at her.

For some reason, Shen Miaomiao felt her father's words carried a deeper meaning.

...

Gu Sheng was ruthless.

But Shen Miaomiao didn't mind—in fact, she was a little happy.

Admittedly, Gu Sheng's plan to force Komera into a corner and drag them into the fight was underhanded and effective.

But the question remained: even if they dragged Komera down, could they win?

Komera was a world-class giant—their strength was undeniable.

Golden Wind was nothing but a small fry in comparison.

If Komera went all-out, Golden Wind wouldn't stand a chance.

As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

With Golden Wind's meager size against Komera's luxury carriage, it would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

So Gu Sheng's plan aligned perfectly with Shen Miaomiao's wishes.

Thus!

The plan was set!

The stage was lit—Golden Wind would watch from the shadows as Komera performed its solo act.

First Friday: Komera launched their aggressive early promotion, controlling public opinion to give Silent Hill a strong start.

Second Friday: Seeing good results, Komera doubled down, pushing keywords like "Savior of Horror Games," "The Scariest Game Ever," and "Milestone in Horror."

Third Friday: To their delight, Komera found players weren't resisting these claims—some were even defending them!

The PR victories piled up, and public opinion gradually improved.

The Silent Hill team was overjoyed.

Even President Uekoe Kagemasa expressed high hopes for the project in several meetings.

As for the game's director, Yamamoto Tsunashiro, he was practically gloating.

"...As of today, our early promotion has lasted two weeks with outstanding results!"

It was the first day of the month.

Originally, Silent Hill's official concentrated promotion was supposed to start today.

But due to the early launch, this was already their third weekly PR meeting.

Yamamoto, sitting to the president's right, beamed as he presented the results.

"As of yesterday, Silent Hill has become the most discussed horror game in the global market, with a 42% share of keywords on major gaming forums. Player sentiment has shifted from skepticism to cautious optimism. Our PR costs have dropped 35% compared to the first week. Rising heat with falling costs—this proves our early promotion is working, steadily improving with bright prospects ahead..."

At this, Yamamoto glanced pointedly at Moriya, sitting to the president's left.

He stifled a sneer.

Good thing the president didn't listen to you. Thanks to my insistence, we saved this project.

Though the total PR budget exceeded the original $15 million by $8 million, the returns far outweighed the costs.

At this rate, another half-month of promotion would ensure Silent Hill sold at least 1.5 million copies in its first month post-launch.

At $28 per copy, that's $42 million in revenue—already turning a profit against the $38 million production cost!

For Komera's horror game division, this would be an unprecedented achievement!

By then, Yamamoto would be the top producer with two hit projects, leading the "Big Three"!

Money well spent.

Worth it!

Moriya saw Yamamoto's smug expression but didn't react.

First, he couldn't be bothered to engage with such a petty man.

Second, he was genuinely relieved Silent Hill was doing well.

In fact, he wanted the project to succeed even more than Yamamoto did.

So Moriya ignored Yamamoto's gloating and turned to the data on the projection screen.

But just as he looked away—

Buzz— Buzz—

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

Frowning, he pulled it out and saw a message:

【The Truth Must Be Revealed】

Gasp!

Moriya's heart plummeted, his blood turning to ice.

【The Truth Must Be Revealed】!!!

Wasn't this the email title from the post-credits scene of "Silent Hill PT"?

That easter egg had left a deep impression on him—the suspense, the lingering unease.

And now, having once played the fearless reporter Miles, he had received this email again.

What did it mean?

Moriya gulped, his heart racing.

A terrible premonition gripped him.

It meant Miles was setting out again.

It meant a new horror adventure was about to begin.

Most of all...

It meant shit was about to hit the fan!!!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com