EWN CH4

Shen Qinghan’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Zhao Ming.

Creating a war-experience game within the Anti-War Competition hosted by the Six Federal Organizations?

Would it go viral?

No need to ask—it definitely would.

After all, Zhao Ming would be the only one doing something like this, how could it not catch attention?

And even if it didn’t go viral…

Those war fanatics always eager to stir things up would surely support his game with everything they’ve got—eager to fan the flames and enjoy the chaos.

But what happens if it does go viral?

He’d probably end up getting arrested…

Is he crazy?!

It took Shen Qinghan a long while to recover. She gritted her teeth and said:

“Are you insane?”

“If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!”

She was the second-largest shareholder in the company. If something happened with the game, Zhao Ming would go to jail, and she wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
Not that she feared consequences for herself—what truly concerned her was the potential impact on her family.

Her family held positions all over the political map. If this game triggered federal outrage…

It could implicate even her elders. The Shen family had many political enemies, and if those enemies found something to use against them—

The consequences would be unimaginable. That was something Shen Qinghan absolutely couldn’t allow:

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Even if we lose all our money, you’re not allowed to enter this game.”

“The idea of promoting war is far too dangerous.”

Zhao Ming looked at Shen Qinghan, who acted as if facing a national crisis, and was utterly baffled.

It’s just a game… is she really this worked up?

Thinking that he might have explained it poorly, Zhao Ming opened his mouth and said:

“I’m not promoting war. I’m letting players experience war.”

Shen Qinghan frowned deeply:

“Is there a difference?”

“The Anti-War Competition’s main purpose is to soothe public sentiment and oppose war.”

“Other gun-based games are all focused on competitive play.”

“You, on the other hand, are making a game that lets players experience war.”

“Those war fanatics will have a field day.”

“If they start mocking the Federation through your game, you’ll end up on the Federation’s watchlist.”

Zhao Ming scratched his chin, looking puzzled.

“A field day?”

“I don’t think… they’ll be celebrating much.”

Players would be nothing but cannon fodder—what’s there to celebrate?

But Zhao Ming realized the difference between his view and Shen Qinghan’s—it was all about perspective.
He thought for a moment and continued:

“The game I’m making… might be very different from what you’re imagining.”

“Based on how normal people or even war fanatics think—”

“If war begins, I’ll command an army. I’ll be the lucky one who survives every battle. I’ll be the hero who kills countless enemies.”

“Right?”

Shen Qinghan listened and nodded:

“Right.”

“What’s the problem?”

Isn’t that what war is supposed to be like?

A trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Zhao Ming smiled slightly and said:

“The problem is… it’s a huge one.”

“You think that way. So do others.”

“So the real question is—”

“Who dies?”

“It’s impossible for everyone to be a commander, or the one who miraculously survives, or the unstoppable war hero.”

“Those glorious roles need someone else’s death to highlight them.”

Blue Star has no history of global war. People’s understanding of war is pure fantasy.
Even though minor skirmishes happen at the borders of the six federations, they’re always suppressed quickly.
In this peaceful age, no one really grasps how brutal war is.

“A bullet is light—only a few grams.”

“But it’s heavy too.”

“So heavy that just a few grams of metal can destroy a child raised over eighteen years by their mother…”

“Destroy the backbone of a household, destroy the happiness of a three-person family…”

“Let the old bury the young.”

“What I want is for players to feel the true cruelty of war.”

“To experience their own flesh being torn apart by bullets.”

“Only when people truly understand the horrors of war…”

“…can they genuinely reject it from the bottom of their hearts.”

“Isn’t that the truest form of being anti-war?”

After hearing Zhao Ming’s words—

Shen Qinghan was deeply shaken. It was a perspective she had never even considered before.

All previous games were centered on competitive combat. You die, you respawn—no real emotional impact.

If one followed Zhao Ming’s twisted logic—

Then this was indeed a kind of anti-war approach.

Shen Qinghan was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. Her tone became serious:

“If that’s truly the case…”

“Then it could work. But do we have enough time?”

“Can you make this in nine days?”

Even if the idea was great, Shen Qinghan believed that unless it was a low-effort mess, no good game could be made in such a short time.

Only nine days remained until the competition began—was that enough?

But in reality—

What Zhao Ming lacked now was just emotional value (for his system).
He could instantly generate scenes by downloading movie clips from the system and rendering them into gameplay. It wouldn’t even require much computing power—just setting up some rules and mechanics.

Zhao Ming spoke up:

“Nine days is plenty. The game CG is nearly finished.”

“What we need now is attention.”

“We’ll use the scandal about Emperor Penguin Group copying our game, and stir up some drama with a few other stories too.”

“The goal is to go viral before the competition starts.”

In truth—

Zhao Ming’s real aim was to accumulate more emotional value. He had just been researching how to do that.

Redeeming movies and materials like D-Day: Normandy Landings or The Battle of Stalingrad costs tens or even hundreds of thousands of emotional points. The game hasn’t even been released yet—where was he supposed to get that kind of emotional value?

However, if he only extracts text materials or specific movie clips, the cost in emotional points would be much lower.

As long as he can generate buzz and get people talking about him, the emotional points he gains should be enough to redeem what he needs.

Upon hearing Zhao Ming’s needs, Shen Qinghan spoke up:

“I’ll handle the attention part.”

“I’ll hire some internet trolls and get people posting about it online.”

Zhao Ming nodded, then thought for a moment and asked:

“Can you get a few journalists to come over too?”

Given Shen Qinghan’s connections, it shouldn’t be a problem.

And indeed, that was the case.

But Shen Qinghan didn’t agree immediately:

“What do you want journalists for?”

“Doing an interview?”

“Just write the content and post it, no need for them to come in person.”

Zhao Ming smiled:

“No, it’s for something else.”

“To stir up some heat.”

“The game alone isn’t enough to attract big attention.”

Seeing this, Shen Qinghan didn’t press further:

“Fine, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Do you still have enough money?”

Zhao Ming replied:

“I still have over a million Federal Credits in computing power—enough to complete the game.”

Upon hearing that—

Shen Qinghan twitched at the corner of her mouth…

“Over a million?”

“Isn’t that a bit too little?”

“Are you sure you can take down Penguin Group with that? Even if they copied your concept, they still poured five hundred million into developing their game.”

Zhao Ming waved it off:

“That’s all just flashy nonsense—doesn’t mean anything.”

“I want to give players the most real experience. One million is more than enough.”

“Once I finish the game’s CG, I’ll send it over to you.”

“If there’s no problem, we’ll launch it while the hype is hot.”

Shen Qinghan agreed readily. She was a decisive person by nature.

Once everything was settled, she left to arrange the trolls and reporters.

After escorting Shen Qinghan into the elevator—

Zhao Ming walked back into the office and looked around at the employees.

Recalling the original owner’s memories, Zhao Ming already had some suspicions about the leak. As his eyes swept over everyone, most seemed fine—except for Hao Wen, the one in charge of the game’s core gameplay and mechanics. His eyes looked shifty and evasive.

That confirmed it for Zhao Ming.

There were only nine people in the company, including himself. Each person had a specific responsibility.

There were voice actors, modelers, illustrators—only Hao Wen was responsible for the core mechanics of the game.

While it was possible others could’ve pieced things together from scattered parts, Hao Wen remained the prime suspect. That guilty look only strengthened Zhao Ming’s conviction.

Back when he was just pondering this inside the office, Zhao Ming didn’t feel much. But now that he saw the guy in person—whether it was due to the original owner’s emotional imprint or the sheer loss of over fifty million Federal Credits—it filled him with burning rage.

Maybe it was the original body’s resentment at play.

Zhao Ming wanted nothing more than to beat him to death right then and there. But he restrained himself and looked at the front desk clerk, Xiao Wen:

“Xiao Wen, some reporters will be arriving shortly. Lead them to my office when they get here.”

Then he turned to Hao Wen:

“Hao Wen.”

“Come to my office.”

Xiao Wen nodded:

“Okay, Mr. Zhao.”

Hao Wen looked uneasy. Under the puzzled stares of his coworkers, he clenched his teeth and followed Zhao Ming into the office.

Slam!

The door shut.

Inside the office—

After closing the door, Zhao Ming walked over to the window, taking a couple of deep breaths of the cool outside air. But it still didn’t cool his rage.

He had just transmigrated and was already about to shoulder tens of millions in debt—it was hard to stay calm.

Turning around, Zhao Ming stared at Hao Wen:

“Am I not paying you enough?”

Hao Wen immediately understood. He gritted his teeth:

“I’m sorry, Mr. Zhao. I… plan to resign.”

“As for the breach fees and compensation, Penguin Group will cover them.”

That was his leverage.

Penguin Group would pay for the breach of contract and compensation—they had already signed the agreement. Penguin couldn’t back out now.

After speaking—

Hao Wen turned to leave, reaching for the door.

But Zhao Ming grabbed a vase from the desk and charged toward him.

Seeing the terrified look on Hao Wen’s face, Zhao Ming raised the vase—

CRACK!!!

Shards of ceramic burst across Hao Wen’s head.

Zhao Ming’s furious voice roared:

“You motherf***er!”

“You made me take on millions in debt, and now you want to run?!”

Each punch landed like a hammer, pounding Hao Wen’s body:

“Breach of contract? Compensation?”

“Even if I waive everything, I’ll still make sure you rot in prison! You can spend the rest of your life in Federal jail!”

“Damn it!!!”

BOOM.

The office door shook violently, like something heavy had slammed into it.

Everyone outside flinched—

But no one dared approach or check on it.

Moments later—

Two reporters arranged by Shen Qinghan arrived and announced their purpose.

The receptionist quickly led them to Zhao Ming’s office and knocked:

“Mr. Zhao, the reporters from Ms. Shen are here.”

Zhao Ming’s voice called back:

“Come in.”

The two reporters stepped inside—and were stunned.

The room was a mess, and a bloodied man lay writhing on the floor, clearly beaten badly. A small knife was on the ground. Zhao Ming was seated calmly on the sofa and gestured for them to sit.

Since they were sent by Shen Qinghan, the reporters dared not defy Zhao Ming’s instructions. They walked to the sofa and sat down, glancing nervously at Hao Wen moaning on the floor:

“Mr. Zhao… this is…?”

Zhao Ming pressed a button on the coffee table, revealing a cut on his hand. Two glasses of water rose from the table. He downed both, suppressing his anger.

After venting, he felt lighter and more at ease. He spoke calmly:

“This guy is the mole. He leaked our game’s core mechanics.”

“Then tried to stab me, but I subdued him in self-defense.”

“Unfortunately, I unplugged the webcam earlier while fixing the computer, so no footage. Otherwise, I’d have solid evidence.”

“I’ve already called the police.”

“Use this as your headline: ‘Penguin Group caught plagiarizing, insider leaks at game company, CEO erupts in rage, violence ensues, vows to send traitor to prison’—something like that.”

“Create buzz. Get as much traffic as possible.”

Zhao Ming was blatantly lying with a straight face, leaving the reporters wide-eyed.

They glanced at Hao Wen, writhing on the ground.

Are you sure he tried to stab you?

Seriously, what was he thinking?

But this made their job easier. They immediately opened their laptops and began writing.