Definitely Going to Be a Huge Hit

They were so engrossed in the game, maintaining a high level of concentration and excitement, that they hadn't noticed how late it was. But now that the game was over, everyone realized how late it was. Not only Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er, but even Xia Libing was yawning repeatedly; it really was getting late.

So Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er said goodbye to Lao Xia and went home, with Yang Zhen'er driving Xiang Kun home first.

In the car, Xiang Kun and Tang Baona kept talking to Yang Zhen'er, who was driving, to keep her awake and prevent her from dozing off.

However, they didn't actually need to take the initiative. After the game ended, Yang Zhen'er's mouth never stopped, even when she was already a little Lao Xia.

"Chef Xiang, you could try to preserve the stories players experience in your game and compile them into a unified version for players to collect! Stories they've participated in themselves would definitely be very engaging! And if these stories are cleverly arranged, they could be just as good as a regular radio drama! There are even special effects like wind, horse hooves, and sword sounds, and the narration for Lao Xia at the end, plus a background music track? It's really quite impressive!" Yang Zhen'er said, then glared resentfully at Tang Baona sitting in the passenger seat. "It's all Nana's fault, she insisted on dying with me, otherwise that would have been my background music."

Tang Baona laughed and said, "If you really are the only one who 'survives' to the end, it definitely won't be that background music. There should be a background music for a bad guy!"

"I'm not a bad person, I'm Xia Libing, the leader of a gang who conquered the world! Tell the programmers to add some other background music, I want my own exclusive background music, how about 'LET IT GO' from Frozen? Or 'God is a girl'? I think they'll suit me well!" Yang Zhen'er said excitedly.

Tang Baona asked with some concern, "When it's officially released, won't we be able to use these background music tracks? Or will we have to find the copyright holder and buy the usage rights?"

"That's for sure. But we might create some general-purpose background music for different scenes and storylines. The music we have now is just something we found temporarily, since it's just for our own small-scale testing," Xiang Kun said.

Actually, the various sound effects and background music weren't instructions given to Alice by Xiang Kun; Alice added them herself. To be honest, when he overheard them playing the game and heard the sound effects like wind, rain, and horses' hooves, Xiang Kun was quite surprised— Alice's initiative in making these improvements showed that her understanding of the game's creation far exceeded his original expectations.

Xiang Kun then said to Yang Zhen'er, "The feature you mentioned about saving game audio is actually available now. The gameplay you just played was saved, but there's no option for players to listen back yet. That will be added later. The game will automatically process the audio, cutting out waiting and idle parts of the game, and rearranging the narration to make the story flow better. These features will definitely be available before the game goes live."

Functionally, this voice game is still quite rudimentary. The storylines that can be created are relatively short and simple, and it requires a high degree of cooperation from the players.

Tonight, only Xia Libing, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er are playing, so it's not yet apparent. When more players come, with different devices, different network conditions, and different mindsets, different problems may arise. Just by observing the three of them playing, Xiang Kun had already imagined several possible scenarios that could cause problems.

Fortunately, this is only the very first test version, and there will be plenty of time to improve it. With him in charge and Alice implementing it, these problems should be solved, and the game's playability will definitely increase.

Moreover, based on the three of them's experience playing the game today, Xiang Kun realized that having others try it out, rather than Alice simulating it herself or him testing it alone, would make it easier to find potential shortcomings or loopholes and improve the user experience.

Alice can even collect and analyze player information during gameplay to find players' pronunciation habits and preferred storylines. This not only improves the accuracy and efficiency of speech recognition but also allows her to create storylines, sound effects, and background music that are more engaging and emotionally resonant with players.

The longer players play the game, the deeper the game's understanding of them becomes, and the more it caters to their needs.

Judging from tonight's results, having friends try it out should be a quick shortcut to help Alice improve the game.

Hearing Xiang Kun's words, Tang Baona said with some anticipation, "Maybe the more interesting and fun stories will become the object of many people's appreciation and collection. Even if you don't play the game, listening to these stories will be very interesting. During the operation, players can choose their favorite stories to participate in competitions. After winning a prize, they can pay to buy the adaptation rights of the work and then turn it into anime, novels, or web dramas. I can already imagine the booming scene in the game live streaming world after this game is launched. There will definitely be many streamers playing this game!" As she spoke, she said something that Yang Zhen'er had said before:

"This game is definitely going to be a huge hit!"

Xiang Kun nodded and smiled, "In that case, I'll have more confidence when I approach General Manager Zhang, Zicheng, and Director Liu to solicit investment."

Yang Zhen'er, who was driving, immediately said, "What about the two of us? Oh right, and don't forget Lao Xia, the three of us! The three of us will join! Xiang Shumiao, if Zhang Qian and the others are unwilling to invest, just tell us, and we'll definitely help you find enough investment. I have many relatives who are rich and gullible..."

"Don't worry, you have priority in acquiring shares," Xiang Kun laughed. "A relative who's rich but foolish? If you say that, be careful Lao Xia, your relative, might beat you up!"

"What does 'sapling' mean?" Tang Baona asked curiously. She was already used to the various nicknames Yang Zhen'er gave Xiang Kun, but the previous nicknames were all professional titles. What did "sapling" mean?

Yang Zhen'er said, "A money tree sapling! Nana, this game is sure to be a hit in the future. If we cling to this money tree, maybe we can stay home every day playing games and watching American dramas, and we won't have to work!"

"Come on, with your personality, how many days can you stay at home?" Tang Baona laughed.

Xiang Kun suddenly said, "Nana, are you interested in helping me with this game? I'll definitely need to start a company in the future, and I'll need a lot of people to help me."

Tang Baona was taken aback, and hesitated, "Me? I don't know much about games. You know I'm not good at games, and I don't think I have any of the skills needed to make games..."

"No, not at all," Xiang Kun shook his head. "You experienced it tonight. My game is very different from ordinary games. The entire gameplay and mode are based on sound. And since you're making videos and music, you're always dealing with sound, so there's a lot of relevance. Plus, you have a good grasp of current netizens' preferences and online trends, which gives you a significant advantage. Moreover, what we're going to do in the future isn't just games; this game is just one aspect of showcasing our technology. My idea is that you should be able to play a significant role in product development, operations, and business partnerships. Your abilities are definitely not a problem. As for what specific tasks you want to do, I think you don't need to decide so quickly. We can consider it later as we help me build the game and the company. Anyway, you've already decided not to work for your uncle anymore, haven't you?"

This was actually his reason for releasing the test version of the game early for the women to try out—he wanted to give Tang Baona, after her resignation, another option.

"Oh, is that so? Well... I'll give it a try. But don't blame me if I don't do well." Tang Baona was also very interested in the game, and since she was helping Xiang Kun, she didn't hesitate.

Yang Zhen'er immediately said, "Me too! I want to quit my job too! I want to join a game company! Give me a title like supervisor or manager!"

"You're quitting too? Aren't you afraid your dad will beat you up?" Tang Baona laughed.

"He's been impatient with me for ages, always thinking I'm just freeloading off him... Okay, I guess I am, but even I get tired of clinging to my family's coattails for over twenty years. Now that I can find someone else to rely on, I can finally hold my head high in front of my dad!" Yang Zhen'er said "righteously." "Boss Xiang, don't let my usual carefree and frivolous demeanor fool you, I'm actually incredibly capable! You can entrust me with representing the company in all its dealings, managing personnel, and logistics! And as for finances, with Nana and I as dedicated accountants, we'll ensure you keep a close eye on the company and don't get fooled by Zhang Qian and her ilk..."

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "I can help you, but the salary might not be as high as you are now."

"Oh, salary? It's nothing. We're investors now, what's a little salary? My requirements are very low, just the same as Nana's is fine." Yang Zhen'er chuckled, "You definitely won't mistreat Nana."

After returning home, Xiang Kun tidied up his luggage and received WeChat from Xia Libing containing only eight words:

"I dreamt tonight of an eight-armed wooden carving."

He naturally understood what Lao Xia meant; he meant that they should try using the Eight-Armed Eight-Eyed Wooden Carving to induce dreams that night.

The wood carving is currently at his house, while Lao Xia is at hers. Does that mean he's sending the wood carving over, or she's coming over?

Thinking of how tired and exhausted Lao Xia looked when he left, Xiang Kun replied on WeChat: "It's too late today, you should get some rest, try again next time..."

But before he could finish typing, Xiang Kun stopped and deleted the words.

He had just casually sensed one of the Coin he gave to Lao Xia and discovered that the Coin was now located outside his residential compound.

In other words, not long after he, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er left her house, Xia Libing followed them out and took a taxi this way.

Xiang Kun walked over and opened the door. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Lao Xia walked in.

Seeing that Lao Xia's eyelids were drooping, clearly indicating he was extremely sleepy, Xiang Kun asked curiously, "Does it have to be in such a hurry? We have several days to spare this time."

"I want to try it as soon as possible."

Xia Libing said simply, walked straight into Xiang Kun's room, pointed to Xiang Kun's bed, and asked, "I'll sleep here?"

"Uh, sure, but I don't have any new sheets or blankets to change into..."

Before Xiang Kun could finish speaking, Xia Libing placed the box of chopsticks on the bedside table, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

Judging by how quickly she fell asleep, she was clearly extremely tired just now.