The Mysterious Organization That Spans Three Eras (Seeking Follow-ups!)

3 hours ago, at home.

Meng Shu, who was writing his speech on the computer, suddenly received a congratulatory call from Supervisor Lian.

On this rest day when no one was at work, Infinite Network Entertainment was still paying close attention to the first-day sales of "Visage."

But it was already 5 PM now, less than 3 hours before the results were officially announced. In other words, the current sales figure was essentially the first-day sales.

[President Meng, congratulations! Your judgment is really spot-on, and your market assessment skills are sharp! Just as you said, this game has been loved by players. Across both platforms, we've sold 320,000 copies so far! This result far exceeds that of "Dark Forest" back then! No, it's already shattered the domestic first-day sales record!]

Supervisor Lian's voice carried a hint of excitement, a touch of elation and joy.

It was clear that she was genuinely happy about the game's success, which was why she had specially called to share the good news.

Hearing this, Meng Shu took a small sip of his soda and smiled.

"Thank you for the congratulations, Supervisor Lian. Just like we said in our earlier meeting, the reason the game is so popular is mainly because we capitalized on a market gap. Once other companies start to dip their toes in, we won't be able to make games the same way."

[Oh?]

The female voice on the other end of the line sounded puzzled, a hint of confusion in it.

[Can't make games the same way? What do you mean by that?]

Meng Shu glanced at the speech draft on his computer, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his legs out lazily onto the footrest, looking completely at ease.

"Whether it's 'Visage,' 'Dark Forest,' or '21 Points,' they all contain a large number of horror techniques and methods, making them typical learning models. Future horror games will likely bear the shadows of these three titles. What I mean by 'can't make games the same way' is that I can't rest on my laurels. I can't spend too much time focusing on these three games. I need completely new ideas to attract players."

On the other end of the line, it sounded like a lightbulb had gone off, followed by another puzzled question.

[President Meng, do you mean your next game will be even more innovative than the current three? I remember you said that even if other companies start making horror games, you'd still have over an 80% chance of securing the biggest share of the profits.]

"Of course."

Meng Shu's reply was decisive.

"As long as our company's games remain VR, other companies will have virtually no competitiveness. At the same time, I've already built a reputation with three horror games. Compared to other companies' future horror titles, players will naturally gravitate toward the one with a proven track record."

"And at the very least—"

Meng Shu shrugged, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"—I can also make other types of games. For example, a VR shooter, a racing game, or an open-world action RPG. I want players to know that we're not just a one-trick pony that only makes horror games."

On the other end of the line, Supervisor Lian nodded after hearing this, her words full of support.

[President Meng, your abilities are beyond question. You've proven yourself time and again with your works and results, and we have no doubts. If you want to make a shooter, we'll absolutely support you. If you need anything, just let us know. So, what are your plans next?]

Hearing this, Meng Shu sat up straight in his chair.

"Of course. As I mentioned before, I plan to recruit a large number of technical staff to port the games to console platforms. Since you have console channels, that saves me a lot of trouble. Additionally, I want to VR-ify 'Dark Forest.'"

"At the same time, the company is too small right now. I'm planning to move, but I'm still deciding on a new office location. I can't quite make up my mind."

Supervisor Lian on the other end of the line immediately laughed.

[Then why not come over to our side? I'll talk to Manager Liang and rent out an entire floor for you. The rent is negotiable—it's just sitting empty anyway.]

Meng Shu shook his head and politely declined.

"Thank you, Supervisor Lian, but you're in Haicheng, and we're in Shencheng. It's a bit far, and it wouldn't be convenient for my current employees. Besides, we want to develop in Shencheng. I'm really sorry about that."

Supervisor Lian didn't say much after hearing this, just let out a wry chuckle. She clearly hadn't expected Meng Shu to agree anyway.

[Alright, developing in Shencheng is fine too. It's a special economic zone and a first-tier city. So, do you have any ideas for the next new title? Want to have a meeting with our creative director to discuss it? After all, you just said you have a lot of ideas. Maybe you'll hit it off.]

"Of course. Pick a time, preferably before next Wednesday. As long as your creative director can accept the concept of my new work. Also, the players should be discovering the Easter eggs I hid in the game by now."

Meng Shu smiled, his gaze shifting to the browser in front of him.

In the search bar's dropdown menu, there were past search records.

And among them, several historical keywords were already present.

They were: Control Bureau, Anomaly, Entity, Level Series.

Clearly, a game universe plan was taking shape in his mind.

Implementation!

Around 8 PM that evening, the first-day sales speech for "Only Game" was posted in two places.

One was on the Danmu Network under Shuo Guang's own profile, and the other was a repost on Infinite Network Entertainment's corporate Weibo account.

Upon hearing the news, players flocked to the posts.

The first thing they saw was a very ordinary, crude poster.

The number marked on it was the first-day sales of "Visage."

320,000 copies across both platforms!

When this data was displayed on the poster, the players who saw it didn't look shocked.

Instead, their expressions were more along the lines of "I knew it."

The game was priced at 99 yuan on the Cyber Platform and 70 yuan on IGame.

As of now, it had sold a whopping 320,000 copies!

This data clearly proves the game's exceptional quality and the players' love for it!

Add to that the fact it's a rare VR game, along with the solid foundation laid by the previous title "21 Points," and "Visage" selling 320,000 copies on day one is truly well-deserved!

Although players discovered on the Cyber Platform that the game's completion rate was 0%, given it's a horror game that's both terrifying and highly difficult, everyone felt it was normal that no one had cleared it in a single day.

After all, the game's runtime isn't short—it's long, absurdly long.

Beneath that simple poster, there was also a document-style message.

This document looked quite serious, making people want to see what was written on it.

First came the customary thanks, expressing gratitude for the players' love and patience, stating that the Only Game couldn't have reached where it is today, creating one popular game after another, without everyone's support.

Then it stated that "Visage" was already fully polished, with all mechanics tested, released as a finished product requiring no subsequent updates, and that the next focus would be on the VR development of "Dark Forest" and its PC version port.

It added that due to the small team size, the VR version might be delayed. But players were assured that to thank them for their support, anyone who purchased the PC version of "Dark Forest" would receive the VR version for free.

Finally, it covered the upcoming game plans.

At the very bottom of the document, the producer Shuo Guang clearly stated that the next game would not be large in scale.

The map would adopt a vertical format, with a large, open, and free space. It would still be a survival horror type, but with high replayability, featuring weapons and adding online multiplayer functionality.

At the same time, this game would be a spin-off of another large-scale game.

Seeing this, players were instantly stunned and flooded the comments.

"Is there any big shot who can explain what a free and open vertical map means?"

"I know open world, but an open vertical map—my knowledge is too shallow, never heard of it."

"Bold prediction: it's probably a map that goes up and down, right?"

"A spin-off of another large-scale game? What does that even mean?"

"I'm really curious how big that large-scale game will be, to the point it needs its own spin-off."

"None of that matters—what matters is weapons! And multiplayer! Holy crap! You're telling me a game where you can play with friends is still called a horror game?"

"The dev team finally got smart, adding a weapon system and multiplayer to the new title. I refuse to believe I can still get scared playing with friends."

"Exactly, it'll turn into a goofy game in no time. No matter what monsters or ghosts show up, we'll kill them all—don't underestimate the players, damn it!"

"When's it coming out? When's it coming out? When's it coming out?"

While the players were discussing, a well-known Uploader specializing in plot analysis released a video that shocked the entire player community.

The title was simple, yet explosive.

[Massive Easter Egg! Shuo Guang's Three Horror Games Suspected to Share the Same World! A Mysterious Organization Spanning All Three Titles—FBC!]

--

ps:

FBC (Federal Bureau of Control)

Sorry for the slow updates. My boss has been breathing down my neck these past few days, and I have meetings even after Off Work. I'll try to compensate with 3 updates on weekends. It should be better once things calm down in a few days.

Thanks to 'Chubby White' for your 5000 donation and 3 monthly tickets. I saw your message—I'll do my best! Thanks to 'Reader 1539' for the donation, thank you!