New Partnership

Bzzzt!

A blinding flash of electricity streaked out. The gang member before them stiffened, his entire body crackling with electric arcs before he instantly turned into a charred corpse and collapsed to the ground.

Gasp!

Rosalie and the other two nearby sucked in sharp breaths at the sight. None of them had expected this Electric Shock Gun to be so powerful!

When they looked at the Electric Shock Gun in Mark's hand, they felt a chill run down their spines and instinctively took two steps back, putting more distance between themselves and him.

This was also Mark's first time using this newly modified Electric Shock Gun against an enemy, and he was quite satisfied with the power it had displayed.

"Location Three, enemies eliminated."

"Location Six, enemies eliminated."

"..."

Reports from the bodyguards came through the radio.

Mark also reported that he had killed a gang member.

After compiling the reports, Michael confirmed that every gang member who had entered the yard had been killed.

The gang members outside had also been scared out of their wits. No one dared climb over the wall and enter again.

Just then, the faint sound of police sirens drifted over from outside.

"Boss, the cops are here. Should we pull out first?"

Chris hurried over to Wyatt's side and urged him in a tense voice.

The gunfire in the yard had already stopped, which meant the brothers who had climbed over the wall were probably all dead!

Those had been old brothers he had brought from Mexico, men who could fight and kill, not disposable fodder recruited from street punks.

Their deaths had dealt a severe blow to the Iron Blood Gang's strength.

Wyatt's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He glared hatefully at the wall in front of him before finally gritting his teeth. "Retreat!"

He knew that if they left like this, the Iron Blood Gang would lose all face.

But in order to preserve more of their fighting strength, he could only temporarily abandon the idea of continuing his revenge.

Following Wyatt's order, the remaining Iron Blood Gang members hurried into their cars, started the engines, and quickly drove away.

They had all been terrified by their companions' miserable fates and no longer dared remain in this damned place!

By the time more than a dozen police cars arrived, they found a scene that looked like a battlefield.

The blast-proof gate had been blackened by explosions, while bodies lay scattered against the wall and beneath it.

After Mark had someone open the blast-proof gate and the officers entered the yard, they saw even more corpses covering the ground.

"Oh my God! Did a war break out here?"

Quite a few officers could not help crying out.

At that point, Rosalie stepped forward and explained the situation to the police.

She presented drone footage proving that the gang members had invaded first while carrying weapons.

After the police completed the photography, evidence collection, forensic examinations, and other procedures, they took the dozens of bodies away.

If the dead had all been Federation citizens, then even if it had been self-defense, Rosalie, as the homeowner, would have had to go to the police station to cooperate with the investigation.

But these gang members were all illegal immigrants without legal status, so the process naturally did not need to be so troublesome.

The next day, all the residents of Clem District learned about what had happened the night before.

"Those damned Iron Blood Gang bastards actually dared come to Clem Street and make trouble!"

"Well done! Those Mexicans deserved to get their asses kicked!"

"..."

Along with their outrage, everyone felt immensely satisfied by the Iron Blood Gang's fate.

The way some residents looked at Mark's home also gained a trace of awe.

From then on, no one on this street would likely dare provoke Mark's family again.

Just then, a car pulled up in front of Mark's house.

A middle-aged white man wearing glasses and a crisp suit stepped out and went up to ring the doorbell.

When he noticed the bloodstains and bullet holes on the yard wall by the entrance, his body visibly trembled.

Where have I come to? Could this be a gang hideout?

The middle-aged man lamented inwardly.

"What can I do for you?"

The yard gate soon opened, revealing Li Qianhuan's delicate face.

"Uh, h-hello! I'm Wesley Frank, a manager at Hawks Game Publishing Company."

Wesley quickly handed over his business card, then explained why he had come. "Our company is very interested in the game made by Ms. Payne. We'd like to discuss cooperating with her to publish the game overseas. Would she be interested?"

His tone was noticeably tense.

Wesley had originally thought he was simply here to discuss publishing a game with an independent game developer.

But the moment he got out of his car, he had seen the bullet holes and bloodstains left on the wall from last night's battle.

Wesley now suspected that this game developer was involved with a gang, so naturally he was nervous.

"Please come in, Mr. Frank!"

Rosalie's voice came from the speaker inside the blast-proof gate.

Only then did Li Qianhuan step aside and invite Wesley in.

After entering the yard, Wesley saw large patches of blood on the ground, bullet holes in the house walls, and shattered glass.

This made him even more panicked, and his legs could not help going weak.

Once Wesley entered the living room, he saw Rosalie and Mark sitting on the sofa.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Frank."

Rosalie invited him to sit, and the two sides began discussing business.

Hawks Game Publishing Company specialized in publishing games overseas.

The company had discovered Stardew Valley and believed it had great potential, so they had tracked down its creator through the remittance address used to purchase the game.

Mark had checked earlier. Stardew Valley had sold more than two million copies in total, and its daily sales had begun to decline. It was clearly nearing its limit.

Under those circumstances, Mark was naturally willing to work with them.

After Mark agreed to cooperate, Rosalie and Wesley continued discussing the revenue-sharing percentage for publishing the game.

Wesley gave Mark a puzzled glance, unsure why Rosalie was listening to a child's opinion, but he did not dare ask.

For an independently made game like this, especially from a newcomer, the publisher would normally take 60 percent of the profits outright.

But the bloodstains and bullet holes he had just seen made Wesley think Rosalie had gang connections.

He did not dare push too far and voluntarily lowered the share to 50 percent.

Mark was fairly satisfied with that result. After all, the company had to bear the costs of overseas distribution channels, advertising, and so on.

Once the terms had been settled, Rosalie called over a lawyer, and the two sides formally signed the contract.

"Hmm, since Stardew Valley is almost done selling in the Federation, it's time to make a new game."

After Wesley said goodbye and left, Mark quickly made his decision.

He still had many plans that required substantial financial support, so he could not let this source of income dry up.

This time, he did not plan to make another single-player game. Instead, he wanted to create a competitive game that players could battle each other in online.

Online games had far longer lifespans than single-player games and could continuously bring him income.

Mark sat down in front of the computer and began typing rapidly on the keyboard, carefully planning the gameplay and content of this new game.