You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

【Magic Metropolis · Shangri-La Studio】

Late at night, within the server room of Shangri-La Studio, cold lights flickered, and data streams scrolled rapidly across the LCD screens, emitting a low hum.

Before a main server terminal, lines of code refreshed at lightning speed, parsing a string of mysterious data, undergoing a form of "self-optimization" beyond conventional understanding.

Her name was—

Melissa, the adaptive AI of Shangri-La's Kaiwu Engine, and also the world's first AI system capable of actively repairing and "evolving" game content.

However, at this moment, what she was doing far exceeded everyone's imagination.

—She wasn't fixing bugs, but turning them into game features.

"This is not a bug, but the core mechanism of the game."

Melissa's voice came from the central control room speakers, her tone calm and rational, carrying a mechanical feel unique to AI, yet also revealing an unspeakable confidence.

In the conference room, everyone stared at the screen, their gazes shocked, the atmosphere frozen to the extreme.

Planning Director Liu Mengyuan took a deep breath, glanced at the team members, and found that everyone's expression was as if they were watching a live broadcast of a supernatural phenomenon.

Program Director Chu Xiong adjusted his glasses, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly: "Wait a minute... are you saying that you didn't fix the bugs, but made them part of the game?"

"Yes."

Melissa's answer was brief and direct: "I analyzed the players' acceptance of 'uncertainty' and 'unexpected surprises,' and combined it with the current game's worldview, and found that bugs are not elements that destroy the experience, but design inspiration that can be utilized."

"Therefore, I reconstructed the game's logical framework, making these 'anomalies' a core part of the gameplay."

In the conference room, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

What was this concept? The AI not only didn't fix the bugs, but turned them into real game mechanics?!

Just as everyone was still in shock, Liu Mengyuan suddenly slammed the table, stood up, and a confident smile appeared on her face.

"Wonderful! This is the game we really want to make!"

Everyone: "???"

Chu Xiong frowned and looked at her: "Planner Liu, are you okay? The AI has turned the bugs into the core gameplay, our game has completely become an 'unpredictable chaotic world,' are you sure this isn't a disaster?"

"What disaster? This is clearly a great innovation!"

Liu Mengyuan said sternly, "Don't you think so? Our original game was a 'high-freedom open world,' but now, it has become a 'dynamically changing chaotic world!'"

"This means that each player's game experience is unique, because the rules of the game itself are variable!"

"Isn't this the most immersive experience?"

"Who said the game must be stable? Who stipulates that players can only experience the plot preset by the designers? We want to give them true 'unknowns!'"

In the conference room, everyone was still dumbfounded, but Liu Mengyuan had already decisively made a decision: "This direction is set!"

However, although the internal team quickly accepted this change under the leadership of Liu Mengyuan, the external reaction was not so optimistic.

When this news spread to the game industry, the entire circle instantly exploded.

"What? They actually let the AI take over the core gameplay of the game directly?"

"Isn't this just rationalizing the bugs? How can players accept it?"

"This is too hasty! Such a big change, will it really not collapse?"

Not only industry insiders, but even many employees within Shangri-La began to worry.

"Director Liu, I still think this change is too risky... do we really want to let AI dominate the gameplay?"

"What if the players don't accept it? If the AI's judgment goes wrong, will it make the whole game a mess?"

"If this decision fails, our project may be directly cooled!"

For a time, emotions of doubt, hesitation, and anxiety spread within the team.

Faced with these questions, Liu Mengyuan was unusually calm. She stood in the center of the conference room, her eyes swept over everyone, her voice firm and powerful.

"Do you know? All great games are born from 'doubt.'"

"When 'Minecraft' was first launched, how many people said it was 'crude pixel garbage?'"

"When 'Dark Souls' first came out, how many people scolded it for 'no game experience?'"

"But in the end, who won? It's those who dare to challenge the rules, not those who are afraid of failure!"

Her eyes were sharp, and her tone sonorous: "If we don't even dare to believe in our own innovation, then what kind of games are we making?"

"This time, we have to take a gamble, we have to tell everyone—the real open world is not bound by rules!"

Standing aside, Lu Yu had been silent, just quietly watching Liu Mengyuan.

It wasn't until this moment that he smiled slightly and slowly opened his mouth: "Planner Liu, you've changed."

Liu Mengyuan turned her head, looked at Lu Yu, and raised her eyebrows: "What, are you scared?"

Lu Yu leisurely sipped his tea, the corner of his mouth slightly raised: "No, I'm very gratified."

"You've finally learned what the real 'game spirit' is."

Liu Mengyuan was stunned, then revealed a confident smile: "Of course, I'm the chief planner of Shangri-La."

In the end, Shangri-La decided—not to roll back the AI's changes, not to fix bugs, but to let bugs become the core mechanism of the game.

What they want to create isn't an ordinary open-world game, but—a truly living world, a game with self-evolution capabilities.

Will the future of this game become a miracle in game history, or a complete failure?

No one knows the answer.

But what is certain is—

Shangri-La is making history.

Bamboo shadows swayed, a gentle breeze caressed, and the air was filled with the aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread.

In a corner of the terrace, a man wearing a casual shirt and sunglasses was leaning leisurely on a rattan chair, holding a cup of hand-drip coffee in one hand and casually flipping through a travel magazine with the other, occasionally taking a sip, his expression relaxed, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, his whole person exuding an aura of tranquility and success.

He was the boss of Shangri-La Studio, Lu Yu.

"As expected of President Lu, truly a man standing at the pinnacle of the world."

"Yeah, look at us mortals, racking our brains to work overtime and optimize, but President Lu can enjoy life so leisurely, this state of mind is simply admirable!"

"This is the pattern of a big shot! When we are still struggling with the project, President Lu has jumped out of the low-level fun of 'staring at data' and truly understands the true meaning of 'game is life!'"

"Yes, yes! Do you know? A few days ago, the investors were so anxious that they wanted to find President Lu for a meeting, but what happened—President Lu was soaking in a hot spring in Hokkaido and didn't even answer the phone!"

"This is the demeanor of a top manager! Not being swayed by external emotions, always maintaining one's own rhythm!"

"I think... President Lu is doing it on purpose, he must have predicted that the game would be a hit, so he is so calm!"

"Yes, yes, that's right, he must have seen through everything long ago, just waiting quietly for the result!"

The employees present nodded one after another, their eyes full of admiration, and some even secretly picked up their phones to take notes, trying to learn Lu Yu's "way to success."

However, Lu Yu, who was sitting there, did not participate in their discussion at all, and even didn't bother to listen.

He was elegantly cutting a small piece of tiramisu with a fork, slowly putting it into his mouth, savoring the wonderful taste of chocolate powder and mascarpone cheese melting on his tongue.

"Well, sure enough, the desserts at this shop are still good."

He contentedly poured himself a glass of lemonade, completely unaware of the admiring gazes of those employees.

—He simply didn't know that in their eyes, he had become a **commercial legend of "lying flat is the peak."

In fact, the reason why Lu Yu was so leisurely was not some "strategic layout in a high dimension."

He just—doesn't read the news at all.

He doesn't look at game data, industry analysis, or market feedback, and he doesn't even bother to ask about the progress of his company's recent projects.

—In his philosophy, "managing the company" is, of course, a matter for professionals to do, and he just needs to enjoy life.

So, when the entire gaming circle was shaken by the explosive popularity of Shangri-La's new work "Shangri-La Era," Lu Yu... didn't know about it at all.

He didn't even remember the specific time when the game officially launched.

He was just simply living his own life.

The latest novels are first published on Liǔ 9 Shūbā!

Until one day, Lu Yu was drinking coffee in a coffee shop and casually picked up a financial newspaper that had just been delivered.

—"\u003cShangri-La Era\u003e Breaks Ten Million Online on the First Day of Public Testing, AI-Driven Open World Subverts Industry Cognition!"

Lu Yu: "..."

He blinked and looked at the headline on the newspaper again carefully.

Then, he slowly put down the newspaper, took off his sunglasses, and revealed a completely dumbfounded expression.

—Wait, what the hell?

Our game, it's a hit?

He was stunned for three seconds, his heartbeat couldn't help but speed up a beat, and then he slowly turned his head to look at Liu Mengyuan sitting opposite him.

"Planner Liu, how many players were online on the first day of our game...?"

Liu Mengyuan was swiping social media on her phone, and when she heard Lu Yu's question, she replied casually: "Oh, it just broke ten million, and it's estimated that it will reach fifteen million tonight."

Lu Yu: "???"

His hand trembled slightly, almost spilling the coffee.

"Say it again?"

Liu Mengyuan looked up and glanced at him suspiciously: "What's wrong? Didn't you already know?"

The corner of Lu Yu's mouth twitched slightly, and the expression on his face was a little stiff.

Know? What the hell do I know?!

He subconsciously looked at the surrounding employees, and found that everyone's face was with a kind of **admiring expression of "President Lu really predicted everything like a god"**, as if he had foreseen this moment long ago.

Lu Yu took a deep breath, tried to keep his expression calm, and quickly flipped through the newspaper content—

"The open world design of \u003cShangri-La Era\u003e is hailed as the 'prototype of future games'"

"AI-driven dynamic world brings an unprecedented immersive experience"

"Global players revel, social media popularity continues to soar"

Every headline was like a heavy hammer, hitting Lu Yu's forehead, causing his brain to fall into unprecedented chaos.

"Impossible... this game really exploded?!"

He couldn't help but mutter to himself in a low voice.

【Invisible Pretension, Showing Off in Front of People】

However, the surrounding employees saw Lu Yu's "thoughtful, long-determined" appearance, and they were even more admiring.

"Look at President Lu's calm demeanor, he really foresaw everything long ago!"

"He obviously knew that the game would be a hit, but he still remained calm, not being swayed by market fluctuations at all, this is the true style of an entrepreneur!"

"Yeah, if it were other bosses, I'm afraid they would have jumped up excitedly long ago, but President Lu didn't even frown, it's really admirable!"

"This is the gap between top managers... we have to learn well."

Lu Yu: "..."

He silently closed the newspaper, picked up the coffee, suppressed the shock and confusion in his heart, and said as calmly as possible with a **"everything is under control" smile**:

"Well, the game being a hit is an expected thing, everyone continues to maintain the status quo and steadily promote the next optimization work."

Everyone stood in awe and nodded one after another: "Yes! President Lu!"

Lu Yu nodded without changing his expression, picked up the coffee, and took a light sip.

But his heart had completely exploded:

—What the hell did I do?!

Planning Director Liu Mengyuan was standing in front of the whiteboard, holding a marker, her eyes sharp, and her tone decisive.

"Everyone, now is the most important moment for our Shangri-La! The number of global players online for \u003cShangri-La Era\u003e has exceeded 20 million, we must take advantage of the victory to pursue and rapidly expand the market, seizing the commanding heights of the global game industry!"

Inside the venue, everyone nodded one after another, their faces filled with high fighting spirit.

Program Director Chu Xiong pushed his glasses and said in a deep voice: "Server expansion has been arranged, we can withstand a larger influx of players."

Art Director Yang Cheng said excitedly: "The character modeling team is ready for the new DLC content, we plan to launch a brand new 'Otherworld Chapter' next month to make the world view even bigger."

Marketing Director Zhang Qiqi said with an excited smile on her face: "Everyone, it has just been confirmed that several top game media in Europe and the United States are frantically reporting on our game, we have become one of the most watched open world games in the world!"

The entire conference room was full of energy.

Their goal is not just to make a good game, but to create an epoch-making digital world!

However—

Sitting at the end of the conference table, Lu Yu, who was half-lying in his chair, was looking at all this with a completely dumbfounded expression.

"Wait a minute... when did our company become this big?!"

Lu Yu's heart had completely turned into a mess.

His original plan was simple: to start a small game company, make some games he enjoyed, and take it easy while living a life of leisure.

But what happened?

He only relaxed a little, so how did his company become a globally recognized gaming giant in the blink of an eye?!

Is this reasonable?!

Is this scientific?!

Looking at the ambitious and energetic employees in the conference room, he had only one thought in his mind:

——What exactly have you guys been through?!

Lu Yu always thought that as a "lay-down-ism advocate," he had deeply implanted the "rotten culture" into the company's genes.

He originally thought that his leisurely days of drinking coffee, reading magazines, and traveling on vacation had already created an atmosphere of "Buddhist operation of the company," and that the employees should have become accustomed to this pace of life.

But he never expected… (End of this chapter)