My game is depressing worldwide.

Click.

Click.

The sounds of cabinets being opened echoed in my ears like a nightmare.

Getting closer.

Cheng Shuo had just relaxed a little, but now his heart was on edge again.

They knew perfectly well that many of the scare techniques were common in horror movies.

Moreover, they were all ones he had seen before and thought were somewhat cliché.

But for some reason, I just get scared.

Click!

This time, the sound was very close.

You can even see that deformed face right up close through the gap in the cabinet.

Should I go out on my own initiative and then run away?

If we stay here any longer, we'll get caught, won't we?

Cheng Shuo felt conflicted.

Just as they were hesitating, the monster finally arrived in front of the hiding cabinet.

Cheng Shuo's heart was in his throat.

However, the monster seems to be getting tired of opening the cabinet.

Stop, then turn and leave.

The ominous background music that had been playing in my ears stopped.

"Phew." Cheng Shuo's lips curled up slightly.

We're finally safe.

"It was alright. I admit I was a little scared, but it was still a bit too much for a horror movie fan like me."

Shamelessly praising himself, he stepped out of the closet.

But then, at that moment...

Something seemed to flash across the top of the screen.

The sounds coming from the computer's surround sound system also gave him a certain feeling.

There seems to be something on top of my head?

He subconsciously rubbed the mouse and looked up.

The monster that just left here is now hanging on the ceiling.

His limbs were twisted, and his face was terrifying.

Whether it was blood or saliva, it was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

It suddenly lunged downwards.

...

...

Chen Xuan leisurely sipped his tea while watching a live stream on his phone.

To this day, the popularity of "Invisible Guardian" has not waned at all; on the contrary, its excellent quality has created a phenomenon of word-of-mouth among players.

Through word of mouth among players, many of the game's memes quickly went viral.

What about "My wife is pure and virtuous, and my father is upright and incorruptible"?

What? "Someone remembered your answer."

Going viral relies on memes, but achieving great sales relies on quality.

The solid and excellent script has undoubtedly moved countless people to tears and garnered immense emotional resonance.

"Since we're just killing time anyway, how about we try our luck with a prize draw?"

Thinking about it, Chen Xuan opened the lottery page.

[Defense Penetration Value Balance: 13]

Not bad!

Chen Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Let's start with a 10-pull.

After a series of card-drawing animations, a blue sky and white clouds popped up again.

White, blue, blue, blue.....

[Mighty Vajra Pill] x3

[Emotion Blocker] x2

Finally, after a stretch of blue sky and white clouds, a patch of purple appeared.

[Mini-Game Generator (Purple Quality): Grants the host a small-scale game]

After carefully looking at the game names listed by the system, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

This game is really small.

It's slightly better than Iwanna, but only by a small margin; it's not even as good as To the Moon.

But thinking about it again, it's understandable.

If it were a bit larger, it wouldn't just be purple; it would at least be a gold quality.

I thought the lottery would end so quickly, but then a touch of gold appeared at the last moment.

"Wait a minute?!" Chen Xuan was overjoyed and quickly looked closely.

[Anthropomorphic AI System - Beginner Level (Gold Quality): Cutting-edge technology from the system allows AI to control game NPCs, making them more like the characters you're playing] (Upgradeable)

This is great stuff!

Chen Xuan's eyes lit up, and he almost burst out laughing.

In games like Outlast or Resident Evil, the villains are either irrational or zombies, so this thing isn't very useful.

However, this thing is very useful for shooting games like Call of Duty, high-difficulty games like Monster Hunter Souls, or games with teammates like BioShock Infinite.

When players venture into the Ancient Forest to hunt, it's uncertain who the prey will be.

When players step onto the battlefield, even more cunning snipers are already waiting there.

Of course, those are all still too far off.

This system can be used in recent games.

While Outlast is a single-player game, Outlast: Trials is a team-based survival horror game.

A cunning, cruel, and intelligent serial killer is hunting down four survivors within a single map.

One scream after another could be heard, and the defense penetration value kept increasing.

Mmm, it sounds delicious.

Just as I was thinking, suddenly...

"Ah!!! Holy crap %&*!!!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the entire floor.

[Detected armor penetration value from Cheng Shuo +15]

[Defense Penetration Value Detected from Chen Xuan +1]

No, what's going on?!

Chen Xuan rushed out of the reception room and headed toward the source of the sound.

He arrived at Cheng Shuo's office door and looked inside.

The office was a complete mess.

There was a glass teacup on the ground, shattered.

Tea leaves were everywhere, and the table and floor were covered in water stains.

The cleaning lady was cleaning, while Cheng Shuo was wiping his white shirt.

"Um... Manager Cheng, are you alright?"

Seeing Chen Xuan approach, Cheng Shuo acted as if nothing had happened and said, "Oh, I accidentally bumped into a teacup while stretching, spilled water, and got burned."

Does spilling water increase my armor penetration?

Can it howl like it's seen a ghost?

Chen Xuan was inwardly scoffing; this was the first time he had realized that being frightened could actually increase his defense penetration value.

The office was quickly tidied up.

Chen Xuan closed the door, sat back down in his chair, and asked, "Manager Cheng, how was the game?"

Cheng Shuo nodded and said, "Well, although it didn't have much effect on me, I have to admit that your design is excellent and has piqued my interest in horror games."

"so?"

"Therefore, DeepVision Technology cordially invites you to collaborate on developing a VR game that will terrify everyone, as the flagship promotional work for Vision V1!"

Then Cheng Shuo added, "But don't make it too scary. It would be hard to explain if someone got seriously injured. After all, the level of horror on VR devices is even higher."

"The game 'Outlast' is developed independently by Asylum Studios, which is responsible for its own profits and losses and owns all the copyrights. The VR version can be used for commercial promotion of Vision V1. In exchange, DeepVision Technology needs to provide technical support."

Chen Xuan nodded, but he had already completely forgotten about those words.

Are you kidding me?

I just got the new system plugin, and you won't let me use it?

"make a deal!"

This was a very good deal, and Cheng Shuo agreed without hesitation.

The doubts I had when we first met have completely disappeared.

"What are your thoughts on the publicity and marketing strategy?"

Chen Xuan thought for a few seconds and said, "Doing it in the traditional way is both deliberate and has limited effect. Since we've decided to use the VR version of 'Outlast' for promotion, why not try a more eye-catching method?"

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

"For example, a challenge using the VR version of Outlast could be held, with players signing up and receiving different tiers of rewards based on their performance, all streamed live. In one scenario, some content creators from the single-player game category could be hired through commercial contracts to participate in the challenge and allowed to stream."

To generate buzz, they could even have several ambulances parked at the demo site, ready to provide emergency medical assistance at any time. Participants would also need to sign a waiver, with the most exaggerated wording possible to increase the topic's popularity.

Cheng Shuo's expression was a little strange.

These techniques...

Why does this seem like the formula used in low-budget horror films from years ago?

Although it's a cliché, it seems to actually work quite well.

It just feels a bit strange for a tech company to use this method to promote its new products.

But it's strange, so be it.

The popularity of Vision v1 is indeed a bit too low right now.

A lot of money has been spent on marketing and promotion, but it has failed to arouse the interest of players and consumers at all.

I can't explain this!