I Feel Like a 'Warrior of Love'

The award ceremony for the Sci-Fi Conquest Game competition was held at the Modu Game Department.

As for the venue, it was the conference hall in the Modu Game Department building.

Though it was called an award ceremony, it barely lived up to the word "ceremony."

Even though it was the National Day holiday, there were still quite a few staff members in the Game Department.

It was hard to tell whether they were permanent employees or regular contract workers.

There was no lavish setup; the Game Department staff took photos and samples, mostly using their phones.

At the entrance of the Game Department, however, there were several game media outlets carrying badges and cameras on their shoulders.

But these media folks basically just took photos from a distance; no one came forward for an interview.

After all, it had just started. Even if they wanted to interview, they'd wait until the designers finished the official event inside the Game Department.

Though it was quite simple, Chen Xu, attending this event for the first time, found it rather interesting.

It was only half past one now, and before coming, he had been notified that it would officially start at two.

Following a staff member into the temporarily converted conference hall, the place was quite spacious.

The entire conference room was decorated in reddish-brown and white, with tiered seating.

The chairs were arranged in two main sections, and the main stage at the front had a long horizontal table. On either side of the background were bright red national flags, with the national emblem centered above.

At various spots in the conference room, there were plastic nameplates with the names of each game designer.

Soon, Chen Xu spotted his seat—a spot in the first row against the wall, with someone already sitting next to it.

"You're Chen Xu? Winning first place with 'To the Moon' is truly well-deserved." Making room for Chen Xu to sit down, Meng Zuo beside him wore a faint smile, but his heart was complicated.

To say he wasn't reluctant would be a lie.

But to speak of hatred, that was even less the case.

He even felt a bit of admiration, since he had played 'To the Moon' himself and was deeply moved by it.

"Teacher Meng? I've long admired your reputation. I really like 'Galaxy Heroes,' especially the level design in the third chapter—it's outstanding." Hearing the other's words and glancing at the nameplate in front of him, Chen Xu smiled and extended his right hand.

"Not at all, not at all. The narrative in 'To the Moon' is perfect, and the 'Undertale' you developed before was astonishing." Meng Zuo shook Chen Xu's hand, instinctively engaging in mutual flattery, but soon he came to his senses.

Why did this scene feel so familiar?

It was exactly like the scene he had imagined in his mind a month ago!

Except the protagonist and supporting role seemed a bit off.

Letting go of Chen Xu's hand, Meng Zuo fell silent.

But at this moment, Chen Xu didn't have time to notice that he had unintentionally 'hurt' a designer's tender heart.

Because some designers nearby, noticing the commotion, came over to strike up a conversation with Chen Xu.

What surprised Chen Xu was that several of them were quite forward and acted very warmly.

After some probing, Chen Xu figured it out.

These people didn't know him, but they all shared one common trait.

They had all been torn apart online by Zhong Mei before.

Only they hadn't fought back head-on like Chen Xu.

They had been stepped on by him and had their popularity leeched off.

And Chen Xu had sort of vented on their behalf.

Plus, now that Chen Xu had taken first place in this Conquest Game competition, naturally many designers came to get to know him.

After all, everyone was in the game industry—more friends meant more paths.

His phone now had a bunch of designers' numbers, and his messaging accounts had several small designer groups.

While everyone was chatting, the Game Department leaders soon entered the conference room.

Before coming, Chen Xu had done his homework.

He had a good grasp of the various leaders in the Game Department, since he'd definitely have to deal with them in the future.

The award ceremony officially began, and Yang Chen, the Modu director of the Game Department, took the stage to give a speech. He was a middle-aged man around fifty, thin, very tall, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, fitting the image of a traditional intellectual.

The content of the speech was quite serious and formal.

After the speech, it was time for the awards. Yang Chen said solemnly.

Amid applause, Chen Xu walked forward with a smile. As the applause died down, he took the red booklet representing first prize and a small medal from Yang Chen's hands.

Next came an acceptance speech. Chen Xu had already memorized his, directly adapting last year's winner's template.

He didn't care if there was overlap later; he was the first to speak anyway.

'Thank you to all the leaders. I am deeply honored to receive first place in this Conquest Game competition. Standing here right now, I am very excited...'

As Chen Xu gave his speech, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. But Meng Zuo, who had been sitting next to Chen Xu earlier, now had a slightly odd expression.

Why did this speech sound so much like his?

As all the game designers finished their speeches on stage, holding certificates and medals in hand, each took a photo with the Game Department staff, and with that, the event was basically over.

Once they exited the Game Department, the reporters who had been waiting at the door wasted no time and swarmed in.

However, the media's main focus was on Chen Xu, along with Meng Zuo from NetDragon's Sword Fire Thunder Studio.

After all, among this group, those two were the only ones with any real talking points.

"Teacher Chen, how do you feel about winning the First Prize?"

"Teacher Chen, do you have any new game development plans after 'To the Moon'? Will it be another heartwarming game like 'To the Moon'?"

A crowd of reporters fired off all kinds of questions.

But clearly, everyone was still being relatively restrained, and since this wasn't an exclusive interview, whatever Chen Xu answered could be used by any outlet—it just depended on who could get the article out first.

"Winning the First Prize came as a huge surprise and a great joy. I never expected the leaders to think so highly of 'To the Moon.' At the same time, receiving this First Prize puts a lot of pressure on me. In the future, I will continue to contribute to the domestic gaming industry..."

Listening to Chen Xu's lengthy speech, the surrounding media grew frustrated.

How could a young designer like you sound so official?

There wasn't a single explosive point!

But soon, Chen Xu's next words made them even more exasperated.

"As for a new game, there's nothing concrete yet. Whether it will be a heartwarming game, I can't say for now. But personally, I do enjoy developing this type of game. After all, I've always felt that I should be considered a Warrior of Love."