We promised to develop a game called Candy Crush, what the hell is the Third Reich?

Chapter 127 Anti-War Contest Awards Ceremony, [World War I] Early Access Materials (6.4K Two-in-One)

The players on Blue Star and those military experts were also unsure of the situation and dared not make any rash comments.

After all, there are too many illogical things in this game. What if the Emperor of the Empire's move to change generals has some deeper meaning?

If I guess wrong, I'll be ridiculed by everyone.

So there was a lot of discussion for a while, but no one came out to express their opinion.

I'm just waiting to see how things progress in the game and see if there are any changes.

A week later in the game.

The players and experts on Earth realized they had overthought things. There was absolutely no deeper meaning in it.

Even after the replacement, the Soviet counter-offensive was not stopped.

The Imperial troops continued to retreat. The front lines, which had originally reached the outskirts of Moscow and even extended to the dome of the Kremlin, were pushed back by the Soviet counter-offensive by a hundred or two kilometers.

They have already pushed into the defensive line envisioned by Marshal Bock, the former commander of the Imperial Army.

Bock originally planned to spend the winter here before launching a counterattack.

However, before all the troops could be withdrawn, news broke that Bock had resigned, and subsequently, the Imperial Head of State issued an order to replace him.

After the change, nothing seemed to change.

They still pushed through the Bock Plan's defenses, but did not show any signs of a counterattack.

The players on Earth couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

So all that guessing for over a week was for nothing?
But thinking about it, there's nothing that can be done about this situation, right?
And in the game.

As Soviet troops continued to be deployed to the Far East, the Reich abandoned its offensive and switched to full-scale defense, and this war of attrition seemed to be nearing its end.

at this time.

Tiansha Live, game area.

Inside Cheng Yu's live stream room, a streamer from the Empire faction.

Cheng Yu was sitting in front of the stove in the command post, warming his hands on the fire. The temperature in Moscow had reached -40°C, and even with the stove burning inside, it was still cold.

Cheng Yu's unit has already withdrawn to the defensive line envisioned by the Imperial Command.

The next step is to switch from offense to defense and stabilize the entire defensive line.

Cheng Yu spoke to the live stream audience while warming himself by the fire:

"Why is it so cold in the Soviet Union?"

"Outrageous."

"It's colder than the Slavic regions on our planet."

"The inside of the tank was frozen and cracked, can you believe it? The oil was frozen, and the tank armor and everything else were completely turned into a pile of scrap metal."

"When will this ever end?"

Time in the game is sped up compared to reality. One day in reality might be two days in the game, or even four or five days in some cases.

Even so, Cheng Yu still felt that time was passing slowly.

This winter has been too long.

It's so long that even constantly speeding up and skipping through it every day is becoming unbearable.

I can't even imagine how unbearable it would be if it were flowing at the normal rate; just thinking about it makes me despair.

Cheng Yu was complaining.

Meanwhile, in Mo Xiaomo's live stream room.

Some viewers posted Cheng Yu's complaints online. Meanwhile, Mo Xiaomo, also in a makeshift command post—one of those temporary civilian houses—couldn't help but comment on the comments:

"It's like saying -40°C freezes them but not us."

"Do you think Soviet soldiers would feel no different from those in the middle of summer in -40°C weather?!"

"We're cold too!!!"

As she spoke, Mo Xiaomo took off her shoes, revealing the stuffing inside: straw stuffed inside for warmth.

"See? The conditions aren't even as good as those in the Empire."

"Here, people stuff straw into their shoes as an extra layer of protection."

"The conditions are very difficult."

He put on his shoes and huddled by the stove.

"We're not fighting here, but those 'NPCs on Earth' are still fighting."

"It's freezing cold here, it's enough to kill someone."

"I don't know when it will end."

The duration of this "Battle of Moscow" instance has become so long that it has bored Earth players, causing them to develop a war-weary mentality. So, while the 'Earth NPCs' are engaged in fierce fighting...

On the Blue Star side, whether they were from the Empire or the Federation faction, all the players were warming themselves by the fire in their command centers.

Anyway, due to Polaris's arrangements, their group was just fighting amongst themselves on the fringes of the battlefield, and whether they fought or not didn't affect the overall situation at all.

Meanwhile, the Blue Star players who were randomly assigned to NPC commanders, and those who challenged for the "Moscow Patriot" medal, are still suffering.

Mo Xiaomo chatted with the live stream for a while about the battle situation, but found that she couldn't analyze the current situation. It was basically a war of attrition. So, Mo Xiaomo opened the game section of Tiansha Live.

I'd like to see what other live streams are about.

Just entered the game area.

Then she saw Duan Yu's live stream, which was incredibly popular, titled "Leningrad Survival Challenge, Day 47 of 100". Mo Xiaomo clicked on it, curious about what was so popular about the live stream.

As soon as I opened Duan Yu's live stream, I saw Duan Yu holding a shotgun, shouting things like "Die! Die! Die!" at the top of his lungs.

Mo Xiaomo moved Duan Yu's live stream to the other side of her own live stream.

Watching together with the viewers in the live stream.

at this time.

In the game, Duan Yu's eyes are bloodshot.

He fired his hunting rifle at several burly men in the distance, who were cursing and swearing.

boom!
boom!
In the quiet city, the sudden burst of gunfire jolted many people awake.

But more often, there were emaciated figures, staring blankly out the window at everything outside. They could vaguely smell a fragrance in the air, but the fragrance made many people nauseous.

boom!
Only after watching the burly men with ruddy complexions disappear did Duan Yu, who was holding a hunting rifle, slump to the ground.

The icy snow stung his skin. Duan Yu struggled to his feet; he couldn't stay here any longer, the city defense troops would be here soon.

It's obviously impossible to expect the city defense troops to take charge; they might even find it troublesome and simply deal with him directly.

Duan Yu, leaning on his hunting rifle, got up and swayed as he walked towards the alley next to him.

He was captured by those burly men with ruddy complexions. Perhaps because he was rather thin, they simply dumped him in the alley after capturing him.

The hunting rifle in Duan Yu's hand was something he had seized with all his might after waking up.

This was the scene just now.

Those burly men with ruddy complexions were scared away by his continuous shooting before they could even pick up their guns. There were also two hunting rifles in the alley, which Duan Yu planned to take as weapons for self-defense.

Thinking about what he had almost experienced, Duan Yu was filled with doubt and uncertainty, while a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

This made Duan Yu, who hadn't even entered the alley, stop in his tracks and lean against the wall.

vomit--

I couldn't help but gag; the churning in my stomach almost made me vomit my insides.

Duan Yu quickly bent down, grabbed some snow from the ground, and stuffed it into his mouth.

It wasn't until the ice and snow numb his mouth that he calmed down, his eyes bloodshot, panting heavily as he looked into the alley.

Following Duan Yu's gaze, there was a large pot deep inside the alley.

Several dilapidated shacks were covered with scattered clothes, seemingly for warmth.

Duan Yu, who had just calmed down, couldn't help but gag again.

Knowing he couldn't stay there any longer, Duan Yu gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and rushed into the alley. He picked up the two scattered shotguns and some bullets, then staggered out of the alley.

They kept running forward without stopping, not knowing where their destination was.

Watch this scene.

Many new viewers didn't understand what was going on, nor why the live stream was so popular.

The veteran viewers were silent for a long time before they recovered and explained to the new viewers.

The livestream is trending because Duan Yu was just tied up by several NPCs.

[It went viral because a few mischievous netizens posted it online, and many people came to see it and have some fun.]

But what happened next...

No, I can't even describe it. Just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.

Let me put it this way.

[Right now in Leningrad, there's no food left, not even bread mixed with sawdust. According to statistics collected from videos on the Internet by the Photon Supercomputer, 7000 to 10000 people are starving to death in Leningrad every day.]

At first, watching Duan Yu being tied up by several NPCs was just for fun, but think about why those burly men looked so radiant in that situation?

What do they want from Duan Yu? Why was Duan Yu retching earlier?

No, I can't say it anymore.

[Just thinking about what happened makes me nauseous, damn it!!!]

After saying that, the longtime viewer left the live stream, it's unclear whether he went to vomit or did something else.

Some slow-reacting people hadn't even realized what was happening yet, but some quick-reacting people had already started flooding the screen with question marks and shocked profanities.

【? ? ? ? 】

Is it what I thought? Damn! I shouldn't have clicked in!

[Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!]

What's going on? You're being so vague.

【Don't you understand yet? Damn it.】

[Aaaaaah, help! I can't eat the food I just cooked!]

[A large cauldron, scattered clothes, a burly man with a ruddy complexion—you can imagine it.]

Mo Xiaomo looked at the comments, and even the slowest person could react by now:
"vomit--"

I couldn't help but cover my mouth.

He quickly fled the live stream room and rushed into the bathroom, where the sound of the faucet being turned on and the sound of rinsing his mouth could be heard.

A moment later, Mo Xiaomo returned to the live stream room, still looking disheveled.
"Brothers, let me catch my breath."

He was clearly still recovering, and it took him a long time to recover a little:
"This...this...this..."

I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say, so in the end I could only manage to squeeze out one sentence:
"Is it so outrageous?"

The viewers in the live stream were more accepting, sending comments along the way.

[Well, it's outrageous, but also normal.]

[If you analyze the situation in Leningrad, you'll understand. It's January 1941, and Leningrad has been besieged for four months. Their supply depots were also bombed.]

By the end of November 1940, supplies were already scarce, and each person could only receive 125 grams of bread mixed with sawdust and glue per day.

[It provides only a little over 100 calories, barely enough to sustain life.]

[This was still in November; by December, supplies had basically dried up, and even the sawdust bread meant for survival was no longer being distributed.] [By January 1941, an average of 7000 to 10000 people were starving to death every day in Leningrad, a number that sometimes exceeded the daily casualties in Moscow.]

In this situation, people are capable of doing anything crazy.

[Including what we just saw in the live stream, after all, there are such records on Earth. Although many historical records are incomplete, some ancient texts that have been unearthed in the past also record that "in those years there was a great drought, and the people exchanged their own children to eat each other."]

【so.】

This viewer's analysis was agreed upon by many in the live stream.

While many viewers agree with the sentiment, they still find it unacceptable, arguing that it's inhumane.
The events that occurred in Duan Yu's live stream were also recorded and circulated everywhere.

Online comments are polarized: some think it's reasonable and shouldn't be taken too seriously since it's just a storyline; others think it's inhumane, harmful to public mental and physical health, and demand a thorough investigation of Polaris and a ban on the game.

For a while.

Polaris Corporation has been thrust into the spotlight because of this plot development.

However, Zhao Ming sat in the company, calmly reading the comments. This wasn't the first time such a public opinion storm had occurred.

Most of them are paid trolls, or a small minority genuinely feel that it's harming their physical and mental health.
Zhao Ming searched and found these plot points.

The large pot in the alley in the video, from Duan Yu's various angles, is clearly just a large pot. There are no disturbing or bloody scenes shown.

The reasons given for the strict investigation and ban are completely unfounded.

There's just a lot of public discussion about it right now, but that's normal.

With only one day left until the end of the Anti-War Race, World War II: Rise of Empires is currently far ahead in the game sections of other Federations.

And because of the Prince of the Golden Moon Federation.

He was already a hot topic, and the guild leader of a super-rich guild in a large-scale mythological game, but his main city was destroyed by a 'blitzkrieg'. Then the prince of the Golden Moon Federation went to play "World War II: Rise of Empires" to learn military strategy.

It also caused quite a stir in the Golden Moon Federation, with wealthy people and commoners who admired the prince flocking to the game.

However, the lack of a recharge button in "World War II: Rise of Empires" frustrated these wealthy players, but it also made them feel that the game was genuinely good since it didn't charge money, indicating that it was made with care.

Many wealthy people in the Golden Moon Federation have already imagined that the owner of this game company is someone who has used all his knowledge in his life to create the game he wants!
Not those ordinary guys who just make games to make money.

Zhao Ming was unaware that his image inexplicably commanded much higher regard among the wealthy individuals of the Golden Moon Federation.

at this time.

Shen Qinghan also arrived at Polar Star Company.

Walking into the office, Shen Qinghan saw Zhao Ming leaning back in his executive chair, holding a teacup in one hand and looking at the trending topics on the virtual projection panel with an unhurried demeanor. She spoke up:
"You seem to be having a lot of time on your hands."

"Shouldn't we control the online public opinion?"

Zhao Ming put down his cup and said:
"Need not."

"That's how the plot was designed."

"But when I watched those videos, I couldn't see anything except a pot."

"Those claims about harming physical and mental health are entirely fabricated."

"Let them make a fuss."

"Since 'The Anti-War Competition' is about to end, let's consider this an early publicity campaign."

Shen Qinghan nodded and then said:
"The next thing we can be sure of is the awards ceremony for this year's Anti-War Competition."

"It is usually held on the seventh day after the online statistics results are released."

"The awards ceremony will be held in the Golden Moon Federation this year, so I'll take the opportunity to go out and have some fun."

"Any plans regarding games?"

"For example, a new version or a new national war instance can be promoted at the awards ceremony."

Then Shen Qinghan took out her phone and sent the compiled documents over:
"This is the awards ceremony from the past few years' gala."

"You can take a look; they advertise all sorts of things, and the results are pretty good."

Zhao Ming received the virtual projection file sent by Shen Qinghan and opened it to take a look.

Each event involved a brief speech followed by the unveiling of several subsequent game versions or CG trailers. Although the presentations were short, they were clear and concise, effectively building anticipation.

Zhao Ming glanced at it a few times, then spoke:

"Okay, I understand."

"Let's prepare some CG for the party."

"In a few days, the [Battle of Moscow] in the game will be almost over."

"Taking advantage of the awards ceremony, we will release the CG materials for the following three versions: [World War I], [Cold War], and [Modern Warfare]."

"Next up is the 'Earth' IP series of products."

"Once the federal government provides support, the 'Earth' IP series of products can be launched."

"Based on player feedback during this period."

"I had the factory produce twice as much vodka as possible, let's see how it goes."

Shen Qinghan had no objections, but looking at Zhao Ming's office, she spoke up:
"The company address needs to be changed too."

"Once the awards ceremony is over and the 'Earth' IP series of products are launched, including not only videos and beverages, but also some peripheral products, game culture products, and so on, a small company of a dozen people will definitely not be able to handle it all."

"Especially since the game mainly relies on you to update it, the dozen or so people maintaining Cyberplanet: 2077 are practically useless."

"We need to expand and hire more people."

Hearing this, Zhao Ming felt a bit overwhelmed:
"This looks like a lot of trouble."

"How about this"

Zhao Ming transferred the 3 million yuan agency fee from the Antarctic Star Federation and the 5 million yuan agency fee from the Golden Moon Federation to Shen Qinghan:
"I'm leaving the recruitment to you, senior."

"And then there's the matter of the company housing."

"Anyway, we have 800 million. Look around and see where there's a good piece of land in the suburbs of Donghai City. We can buy it directly and build a Polaris Company park, dividing it into several different areas for future use."

"For the basic area decorations, put some World War II-era items in the game."

"As for the other departments, would you like to arrange the recruitment directly, or should I use the photon supercomputer to plan the recruitment process beforehand?"

Shen Qinghan rolled her eyes at Zhao Ming:
"Are you trying to kill me with your energy?"

"Never mind, I'll make the arrangements."

Instead of having the photon supercomputer plan it out, it's better for her to just arrange it directly. Why go through that trouble of going through the process twice?

However, the thought of building such a massive company gave Shen Qinghan a headache.

There are too many departments needed, and after "Anti-War Competition", it's no longer just a game company. It also designs food, drinks, game culture, merchandise, and other fields. We'll be busy for a while.

Shen Qinghan rubbed her temples, thinking, "Let's start from the beginning," and then looked at Zhao Ming:
"Get the CG ready here."

"We'll need it at the awards ceremony for 'The Anti-War Competition' in a few days."

"By the way, is the complete historical CG for [The Republic] finished?"

"The Northern Army is still asking."

Zhao Ming picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile:

"We have already done."

"But let's wait until the 'Anti-War Competition' is over."

"This CG footage is too long and not suitable for showing at the awards ceremony."

"We'll hold another press conference after the gala ends."

"The kind that lasts for several hours."

"Release all the expansion packs that follow, including World War I, the Cold War, Modern Warfare, and the History of the Republic."

"Let's really entice the players."

As he spoke, Zhao Ming revealed a 'kind' smile.

Shen Qinghan's lips twitched slightly as she looked at the wicked smile on Zhao Ming's face.

That's enough.
You're definitely thinking about how to torture the players, aren't you?
Shen Qinghan couldn't help but facepalm.

"Alright, stop now."

"It looks like a completely wicked grin."

"By the way, the [Republic] instance in the game, didn't you say it was exclusively for the Great Xia Federation? How come it's open again?"

Zhao Ming said:
"Different."

"What we, the Great Xia Federation of Blue Star, have access to is the modern era of the [Republic] in the game, as well as the storyline 70 years after the founding of the [Republic]."

"And the tactics and other things involved here are far beyond the current level of Earth."

"Let's handle this internally for now. Although there won't be any fighting on Earth right now, it's still best if we keep these strategies and tactics to ourselves."

"And the history of 'Earth' [Republic] in the game is open to players."

"It starts from ancient times and goes all the way to the modern period of the Republic. You can think of it as a complete CG movie. The main content on this timeline is the various dynasties of China in the game's 'Earth'."

"Didn't you say before that our planet Blue Star has a missing history because of meteor showers?"

"I thought about it and I agree."

"That's why we created these historical CG materials to generate buzz first."

"Once we finish the series of modern wars, including World War II, World War I, and Modern Warfare, we should also let players experience how to fight ancient wars."

"They've learned modern tactics like 'blitzkrieg' and 'deep warfare,' so we have to give players a chance to use them."

"After being beaten in modern warfare for so long, as intelligent modern people, fighting ancient people shouldn't be a problem, right?"

In the end, Zhao Ming's face showed a 'kind' smile again.

Shen Qinghan nodded, understanding.

Are you going to torture the players again? You tortured them in modern times and then in ancient times. You're really something.

Shen Qinghan stood up:
"Alright, that's settled then."

"You should start researching this quickly. I'll arrange for people to find a temporary building to use as our workplace."

As he spoke, he walked outside, and Zhao Ming saw Shen Qinghan out.

He then returned to his boss's chair, opened the game's database, and checked the current in-game time.

There are only seven days left until the end of the Battle of Moscow.

However, time flows faster in the game than in reality, so the Battle of Moscow will end about three days before the start of the Anti-War Race.

Just three days later, at the "Anti-War Competition" awards ceremony, Zhao Ming will launch subsequent expansion packs such as "World War I," "Cold War," and "Modern Warfare."

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Ming decided to first create the concept CG for World War I.

Unlike the various expansion packs for World War II.

The CG for World War I needs to have an explosive opening.

Otherwise, players who have already experienced all the ways to die in World War II wouldn't need to go back to World War I to experience it all again; there has to be an appealing aspect.

As Zhao Ming pondered this, he opened the Earth Database and searched for the timelines before and after World War I.

After thinking for a moment, I searched for a name.

Then a lot of information popped up. Zhao Ming clicked on one of them, and a photo popped up. Looking at that photo, a smile appeared on Zhao Ming's lips.

If players on Earth were to see this opening CG, it would absolutely blow their minds.

because
If this shot is fired, it might change the whole world.

(End of this chapter)