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

Chapter 97 You say this is laundry detergent? I say it's a chemical weapon (4.2k)

Watching the large, slowly appearing prompt text, which then slowly disappear.

The piercing alarm was still echoing, and Song Yang hadn't reacted yet:

"what's the situation?"

"Hidden plot triggered?"

While others trigger hidden storylines at the start of the game, he only triggered them halfway through his daily tasks.

The viewers in the live stream chat were also flooding the screen with question marks.

The alarm continued.

The captains on the ships were already in a panic, because some of their ships were still on the outskirts and were sure to be the Empire's primary targets. If their ships were destroyed, they would likely be left with nothing.

"No!"

"My ship!!!"

A captain who had just been gathered in front of the map stared at the flames rising outside the window, clutching his head in despair. His cargo ship had been torn apart by a torpedo.

Song Yang looked out the window, at a loss.

Unlike on land, you can't run or hide here.

Once the empire sinks a ship on this vast ocean, there is only one way out: death.

boom--!
Another loud bang, and an orange-red fireball rose up, illuminating the night sky.

Through a brief moment of illumination.

You can clearly see submarine periscopes emerging from the distant sea, seemingly watching this place coldly and indifferently before immediately diving underwater and disappearing.

Song Yang and the viewers in the live stream were momentarily stunned.

I think I understand why this thing is called 'wolf pack tactics'.

It really felt like a pack of hungry wolves were staring at you.

Song Yang found a corner to put on his life jacket, then hid by the window, watching the escort fleet fight against the Empire's submarines. The searchlights on the escort fleet were urgently scanning the sea surface.

The ship's rapid-fire guns were firing at the seawater in all directions, as if they were fighting against the air.

However, judging from the occasional explosions rising from the sea surface and the violent shaking of the escort fleet ships, the battle underwater seemed to be even more intense. Song Yang was watching the live broadcast of the situation outside with great concentration.

Snapped!
I was startled when someone suddenly tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to look.

The Commonwealth captain looked embarrassed and shrugged.

"Don't be nervous. I thought you were very brave because you were watching so intently."

Song Yang was also in an awkward position:
"No, I was just too engrossed in watching it."

"Is there a problem?"

The captain of the British Commonwealth ship sat down next to Song Yang and said with a smile:

"You can call me Rolf, it's nothing. It's just that I haven't seen such a bold young man like you in a long time."

"These guys act like they're going to die just because they lost a few ships, really."

He shook his head as he spoke.

Song Yang was speechless.

The ship they were on now belonged to this British Commonwealth captain. Unless all the surrounding ships were destroyed, his ship wouldn't be the one to be bombed. No wonder he made such sarcastic remarks.

This guy is a bit cunning.

However, Song Yang himself was a player and had no concept of these losses.

Seeing the British Commonwealth captain Rolf remain calm and composed, Song Yang asked curiously:
"Do these imperial submarines frequently attack ships?"

Rolf glanced at Song Yang in surprise:
Is this your first time doing business?

Song Yang started to explain:
"I came out with my uncle this time."

Rolf nodded:
"So that's it."

"It depends on luck. Recently, Imperial submarines have been attacking cargo ships more and more often. Before, they would let ships from neutral countries go, but now any merchant ship will be attacked by them."

"This might be their last act of madness."

Song Yang was a little confused and asked:
"No way?"

"I think the empire is fighting all over the world right now."

The viewers in the live stream also became curious about why this NPC's view of the Empire was different from that of other NPCs.

Rolf stood up, pulled the map from the table, and pointed out the original location of the empire:

"look."

"This part is the original area of ​​the empire."

Then he drew pictures of various places in Europe, as well as Africa and the Atlantic Ocean:
"This is their current area; it must have expanded several times over."

"The worst thing you can do in business is to get carried away and put all your money into one product."

"And that's the situation in the empire right now."

"They have such a small land area, yet they want to rule the whole world. Their sheer numbers are a major weakness."

"Wait, then."

"They will collapse one day."

Song Yang seemed to be deep in thought, then looked at the comments in the live stream and asked:

Have you ever been to the East? What's Asia like there?

This was a reminder from a viewer in the live stream, because so far there has been no news about the [Asian Battlefield] and [Pacific Battlefield]. It would be great if we could find out from this NPC.

Rolf thought for a moment and then said:
"Asia, you know."

"I've been to Southeast Asia. The fruit there is quite good, but it's easy for it to spoil during transport."

"Asia is also experiencing war, and the situation is not much better than that in Europe right now."

"There's no place in this damned world where there isn't war."

Hearing Rolf's words, Song Yang's eyes widened.

Is the situation not much better than on the European front?

hiss--

The situation in the European battlefield has been broadcast live in all the live streams and on the Polaris official website, but now the Asian battlefield isn't much better. Is this 'Earth' just a human match-3 game?

Song Yanggang wanted to ask about the specifics.

boom!
A huge fireball rose from the sea, accompanied by the sound of steel tearing apart. Watching the ship slowly sink into the sea and the crew members crying and jumping into the water from the deck, Song Yang couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

Another ship is gone.

Rolf, standing nearby, said with a smile:

"don’t worry."

"I have already called for federal support."

Song Yang was somewhat confused:
"Is this your confidence?"

"But it will take a while for the Federation's support to arrive."

Rolf smiled mysteriously:

"of course not."

"My confidence stems from the fact that all those guys' ships outside will sink."

"It won't be our turn."

Because it is a federal organization, the fleet in the core area consists of ships from the British Commonwealth.

The ships on the outer perimeter were from smaller countries.
A black line flashed across Song Yang's forehead. So that's the kind of confidence he had. He then shook his head and asked:
"Can you tell me about Asia?"

Rolf was quite surprised:
"Do you want to do business over there?"

"Reselling fruit is hard-earned money."

"If it rots, we might lose a whole boatload of money."

I don't recommend it to you.

Song Yang quickly raised his hand to interrupt:
"No."

"I wanted to ask about the situation over there."

"I'll reconsider whether to go or not."

Rolf began:

"Okay, but I don't know much about it either."

"The main battlefield in the east is..." Meanwhile, outside...

Allied aircraft formations were skimming across the Atlantic Ocean, flying relentlessly toward this place.

The next day.

With the real-time map expansion on the Polaris Games website, players have also discovered a new battlefield: the Atlantic Battlefield.

I'm looking at a map right now.

In Europe, the Empire was attacking the Soviet Union, while in Africa, the Empire was besieging Tobruk and the Allied forces were constantly retreating. In the Atlantic theater, the Empire's "wolf pack tactics" were difficult to control due to the focus on maritime transport, and the Allies suffered continuous losses.

Judging from the map's scope...

Apart from the [Asian Theater] and [Pacific Theater], which are yet to be lit up, the Empire seems to be at war with the entire world.

However, the comments made by Captain Rolf of the Commonwealth NPC last night have also sparked discussion.

They have such a small land area, yet they want to rule the whole world; their sheer numbers are a major weakness.

Although the empire is gaining momentum, this NPC's statement has won the approval of many players. After all, what the NPC said is not wrong. The number of players is a major weakness. Once someone dies, they are gone and cannot be resurrected.

So either the empire will conquer the world before its army dies out, or it will be worn down and killed by the countries of the world.

The discussion about the Empire gradually shifted from whether it could win to the various battlefields and the information that streamer Song Yang obtained from his conversation with NPC Rolf last night.

The Lend-Lease Act, the Eastern Front, and events in the Pacific all filled in the gaps in my worldview.

Players also learned that the unlit "Asian Battlefield" was no less brutal than the battlefield here, but it was unclear when it would be opened.

Two days later.

Polestar Games.

In the office.

"Open proxy?"

Zhao Ming sat on the sofa, took the documents Shen Qinghan handed him, and began to look through them before speaking:

"It shouldn't affect the overall operation of the game, right?"

Shen Qinghan said:
"will not."

"It's just an agency agreement. If you want, all decision-making power is still in your hands, including game updates and releases. These agents just set up servers in other federations to maintain operations."

"We can also gather feedback from their players."

Zhao Ming had some doubts:

"Can't we do it ourselves?"

Shen Qinghan rubbed his temples:
“It is possible to do it, but doing it this way can save some trouble and also allow us to get to know and win over more forces from other federations.”

"Many people have already seen the game's current popularity and its inherent value."

"While players may only experience the story and have their war mentality reduced, World War II: Rise of Empires is also a great tool for training official soldiers."

“Some people have already recognized this potential and want to invest in Polaris Games.”

"So I'm under a lot of pressure here too."

Zhao Ming was somewhat surprised:

"Senior, even your family connections aren't working?"

Shen Qinghan rolled her eyes:
"Family is family, and I am me."

"And there are also fools in the family who want to get involved."

"But I've already shut those idiots up."

"Don't worry about them harassing you."

"The problem now is with the other families. They all want to get involved. Once they do, the game may be restricted in various aspects due to differences of opinion."

"That's why I had you choose agents in other federations. They won't get involved in anything in the game, but if you have any opinions or ideas, they will definitely be on your side."

"Because they'd love for those idiots to go too far and drive you away from the Great Xia Federation."

"But if you really run away, those idiots might get a beating, and they'll definitely suffer serious injuries."

"That's good too."

Hearing Shen Qinghan's words, Zhao Ming also felt a little strange:
"You don't object to me going to other federations?"

Shen Qinghan was somewhat surprised:
Why should we oppose it?

Zhao Ming was starting to understand. On Blue Star, which was a federal system, the concept of family, country, and the world didn't seem to be so deep. However, he was too lazy to change places; it didn't matter where he stayed anyway.

We need to deal with those 'idiots' first.
Looking at the documents in his hand, Zhao Ming said:
"I'm not quite sure either, you choose, senior."

Anyway, I support you.

"Speaking of which, doesn't the Federation care?"

"They just gave us a reward a few days ago, didn't they?"

Shen Qinghan sighed:

"These are all normal business practices. Many individuals and companies that participate in the Anti-War Competition will receive investment from large companies after achieving results. It's a matter of mutual consent, so why should the Federation interfere?"

"Those guys won't force you, but they'll put pressure on you in every way."

"They're on my side now, and they're not too afraid to make a move on your side yet."

"After all, the entire game was designed with you in mind, and its value lies in the game itself and the subsequent dungeons."

"It's better to offend me than to offend you."

Zhao Ming thought for a moment, then looked up and said:

"Since value is a game."

"Then why not just increase its value?"

"The federal government will even stand up for you."

"Forget about the other forces on this list. If we're going to pick one, we should pick the official ones. Wait for me a moment."

After saying that, Zhao Ming went to the computer.

They started retrieving the data compiled by the AI ​​and redeemed some 'Modern Warfare' CG, which was then handed over to the local photon supercomputing cluster for rendering.

A few minutes later.

A notification popped up on Shen Qinghan's phone; it was a file of a virtual projection.

Zhao Ming walked over and said:
"Take a look at this."

Shen Qinghan placed her phone on the coffee table and opened the file in the virtual projection.

next second.

A 15-inch, clickable virtual projector appears above the phone.

Projecting.

There are three icons from top to bottom, each labeled with a different meaning.

World War II: Rise of Empire

World War I: Twilight of the Empire

Earth Online: Modern Warfare

Shen Qinghan looked at these icons and understood:
Is this a DLC for the upcoming game?

Zhao Ming smiled and said:

"No, each of these is a separate game."

"It's just that 'World War II' was announced first, so the order should be reversed."

As he spoke, Zhao Ming pointed to the section on the projection of "World War II: The Rise of Empires," moving it below "World War I: Twilight of Empires," and said:
"That makes it correspond."

"In fact, the entire game series is the history of war on 'Earth'."

"From the twilight of empires during the First World War, which led to the collapse of imperialist systems in various European countries, to the rise of new imperialism during the Second World War."

"Then we'll move on to 'Modern Warfare,' those are games that will be released later,"

"As long as its value is demonstrated to the point that the Federation cannot ignore it, then your troubles will be easily resolved, senior."

After saying that, Zhao Ming raised his hand and clicked on 'Earth Online: Modern Warfare'.

What comes into view is a row of videos, but except for the first one, the other videos are all black.

Zhao Ming clicked on the first item, and the virtual projection immediately began playing.

The scene showed a huge, circular conference hall. As the camera panned, an official labeled "United States of America" ​​turned on the microphone in front of him, took out a glass bottle containing a white powder from his pocket, and spoke into the microphone:

"This is proof that they possess weapons of mass destruction. If the chemicals in the bottle were to leak, they could cause tens of thousands of deaths in a short period of time. We cannot tolerate such a thing happening."

(End of this chapter)