Sorry, due to your lack of experience, the company leadership believes you are not yet qualified for the character animation position. We hope you can find suitable work elsewhere. Goodbye.
Sorry, our company only recruits action designers with over five years of experience. You do not currently meet the requirements. We apologize.
The person in charge reviewed your résumé and believes you have great potential, but the position has already been filled. We are truly sorry and hope you understand.
Read, no reply.
Read, no reply.
Read, no reply.
Meng Shu sat on the windowsill, looking at his phone. He gave a scoffing laugh and spoke softly with a hint of mockery.
"Meng Shu, oh Meng Shu. You're just like me when I first started my business—running into walls everywhere, accepted by no one."
As he spoke, he picked up a can of soda from the table and took two gulps.
That sort of self-talk might have sounded strange to others, but it was perfectly normal for Meng Shu.
Because he was not the real Meng Shu. He was a game producer named Qin Xuan, who had transmigrated here three hours ago.
After getting over his initial confusion and bewilderment, he had gradually accepted his new identity.
What he had just said was directed at the Meng Shu who no longer existed.
Even though only he could hear it.
He took another two gulps of soda, then turned to survey the room.
This new family was having a difficult time. They had not even reached a modest standard of living, and they lived in an old rented house that cost 800 a month.
His father was a water deliveryman, the kind of manual laborer who delivered large bottles of purified water every day.
His mother was a dishwasher, hand-washing countless dishes in the back kitchen of some restaurant.
He also had a younger sister in her second year of college. Outside school, she had been hit by a motorcycle driven by someone drunk, breaking her leg. She was now recuperating at home.
Since the person responsible could not afford compensation, the enormous treatment costs and initial hospitalization fees had left his parents overwhelmed. They had also made the newly graduated Meng Shu desperate to find work and ease the burden on the family.
It could be said that this family's situation was far from optimistic.
They truly needed money!
Looking at the rejection messages from HR on his phone, he showed no emotion.
He merely shook his head, took another two gulps of soda, and gazed at the narrow alley outside the window with a sigh.
"Getting rejected for a job isn't a big deal. I managed to build a business from nothing in my old life. With a different identity and in a different world, I can do the same."
Meng Shu had completely accepted his new world and new life. And he found the Huaxia of this world quite interesting.
Leaving computers aside, he had never expected even VR to be so widespread!
And development in every aspect was roughly the same as in his original world. The difference was that the great figures and celebrities from his previous life did not exist in this world.
Likewise, none of those famous works existed either.
And this parallel world was somewhat lopsided.
Because anything related to horror was incredibly underdeveloped.
Whether horror movies, horror novels, horror games, horror music, or anything else.
Anything meant to scare people was of an extremely low standard in this world.
To the point that the word "horror" had become another way to express shock.
For example: "This is fucking amazing."
Would become: "This is fucking horrifying."
So in this world, horror was not called horror. It was called thriller.
And all thriller works felt "small-scale."
They were neither scary nor interesting, and some even went for comedy or romance.
Combined with their niche audience, barren subject matter, complete lack of creativity, and monotonous plots, they had gradually fallen into obscurity. As a result, horror-related content developed at an extremely slow pace and even showed signs of stagnation.
Not to mention the countless frightening techniques and creative ideas from his original world.
None of them existed in this world.
There was mystery fiction, but it was laughably childish and clearly still in its infancy.
Detective Conan would most likely become hugely popular if it were released in this world.
But although VR had already been developed and popularized, computers were still the mainstream.
VR was mainly used in the film industry and realistic simulations.
For example, driving simulations and watching shows in VR, giving people the most direct firsthand experience.
There were VR Games too. You could count them on one hand, and they were all made by major companies. Yet their quality was crude and shoddy, and no one wanted to play them.
At the very least, they were nowhere near as good as the VR Games from his original world. They could not even be compared.
As a result, gaming remained popular on PC and consoles, with shooters, racing games, and sports games making up the overwhelming majority.
"VR?"
Meng Shu glanced at the headset on the computer desk. Its design was simple, blue light flowing across it, making it look highly technological.
Though the family's finances were poor, they still had such commonly available things.
He had just tried it out, testing an incredibly rudimentary driving simulator.
Other than vibration feedback, it offered no other sensory experience.
In that regard, it was just like VR in his original world.
Unfortunately, there were no suitable games for him to enjoy.
Ding! The Simple Game Development System has been activated. You have received a beginner's gift pack. Would you like to open it?
Meng Shu froze for a moment, then immediately became excited!
The heart that had remained as still as an ancient well stirred at the mechanical voice.
Is this my golden finger? As expected, standard equipment for a transmigrator.
Simple Game Development System.
Will this make it easier for me to build a business from scratch?
"This isn't bad. At the very least, it can speed up my money-making progress in this world and improve this family's life."
"And it even comes with a beginner's gift pack. I'm rather looking forward to what's inside. I hope it's something good."
Meng Shu silently chose to open it.
The next second, the mechanical voice rang out.
You have obtained 500 Fear Points. You have obtained a stat panel with all primary attributes at +60. You have obtained a game development engine that even a monkey can use. You have obtained a step-by-step development tutorial for the Horror Game "Dark Forest." You have obtained concept art and promotional CG for the Horror Game "Dark Forest." You have obtained all art assets for the Horror Game "Dark Forest" (available only in the beginner's gift pack). You have obtained a playable Prologue Demo for the Horror Game "Dark Forest" (available only in the beginner's gift pack). You have obtained all original soundtrack compositions for the Horror Game "Dark Forest" (available only in the beginner's gift pack). You have obtained the production method for a first-person VR version of the Horror Game "Dark Forest."
"Dark Forest?"
Seeing the long list, Meng Shu's eyes widened slightly. He was surprised and delighted.
Then he closed his eyes.
Immediately, a great deal of professional knowledge appeared in his mind.
At the same time, a very simple stat panel appeared.
Planning: 60 (Average) Programming: 60 (Average) Art: 60 (Average) Music: 60 (Average) Total Fear Points: 500
I see.
After several minutes of silence, Meng Shu understood the system's function.
Simply put, the Simple Game Development System contained a shop that held step-by-step production tutorials for every game from his original world.
From AAA games to pixel games, as long as they could be called video games, the system basically had them all.
However, those games had to be purchased with a currency called Fear Points.
And Fear Points had to be earned by using the games he made to stimulate players and make them feel fear.
A player who was frightened would generate 1 Fear Point, and it would not stop there. They could generate more repeatedly.
As long as the player could be scared!
Overall, it was not bad. Though the one-to-one ratio was somewhat low, if the same game could repeatedly affect the same person, the quantity would eventually add up.
"Fear Points."
Meng Shu pondered for a moment and sat down in the computer chair.
When it came to games that could scare players, nothing was more suitable than horror games.
There had been many horror games in his original world, including quite a few high-quality works.
Some horror games had even scared him.
If he recreated those frightening games in this world, then given how underdeveloped horror was here, Fear Points would surely pour in without end.
The fundamental reason horror lagged behind in this parallel world was its complete lack of creativity and technique. Over time, no one had been willing to explore it deeply.
In that case...
With such an excellent untapped market, wouldn't I be letting this system down if I didn't enter it?
It was just a pity that playable Demos, art assets, and original soundtrack compositions were only included in the beginner's gift pack. Games purchased with Fear Points later would not come with those three things.
But what he had not expected was that the first Horror Game provided by the beginner's gift pack would actually be "Dark Forest"!
As a game producer in his original world, he had naturally heard of this game. He had played it and beaten it too.
Meng Shu's evaluation of "Dark Forest" was:
A small-scale game capable of letting players experience "ultimate oppression" and "shuddering terror."
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