There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

If it weren't for the overnight work, Xu Shuo usually had a biological clock.

However, because their new game "Scripted Murder Game · City of Mist" launched on the app store yesterday, a meeting had to be held this morning in the studio, which is why he set an early alarm.

In the end, Xu Shuo resigned himself to getting up.

As summer approached, the city of Yangcheng had already pre-emptively entered the season in June, with a blazing sun at eight in the morning.

After hiring a batch of new employees, the studio, which had been fairly spacious, now looked a bit crowded—they didn't even have a proper conference room!

After the meeting, Xu Shuo felt an even stronger sense of being short on money.

He had previously considered keeping that Rule Item, but now upon careful consideration, he felt that two million was more important.

Games don't make money in the early stage of their launch, but because he had invested heavily in promotional partnerships upfront, the first day's download and revenue metrics performed not too badly, at least giving the people at the studio the motivation to keep striving.

Xu Shuo diligently finished the morning's work and only took the opportunity to catch a nap during the noontime break.

He did not enter Script Space; it was an utterly ordinary nap.

The spiritual power he had consumed in the "Free Night" script was indeed too much, especially when he used the body of the head of the New An Bureau to do as he pleased towards the end—he was nearly burnt out, completely exhausted!

Four hours was definitely not enough sleep, so he planned to rest for a while before starting a new game.

Moreover, with the game having just launched, there were still many matters to tend to.

...

Outside the office, Pei Sheng glanced at the email he received, raised an eyebrow with some surprise, printed it out, and prepared to take it to the office.

But when he pushed open the glass door, he looked up to see the young man still sound asleep in his chair.

Seeing this, Pei Sheng muttered to himself, closed the door, and turned around to find Li Ziwen.

"What's up?" Li Ziwen had been very busy lately, practically handling everything in the studio.

"Remember the deal I ran a while back? We didn't come to an agreement at the time, but now that they've seen the game data we released, that company has come back to us," Pei Sheng said somewhat speechlessly.

Scripted murder games have a wide audience but a small circle.

Therefore, to get the game's name out there, they needed to pour a lot of money into advertising and collaborate with some social platforms, with the latter being the easiest way to push the product out.

There are hundreds of social apps on the market, but only a handful leave a lasting impression, and even fewer are truly outstanding.

Radiance Studio selected a few for collaboration, but they didn't have much money at the moment, so the terms they proposed were a bit embarrassing. Many companies declined to partner with them.

And now, some are circling back.

Pei Sheng was contemptuous of this, "They didn't take all the proposals we showed them seriously before, and now that they see we have momentum, they're shamelessly coming back. I think Shuo definitely won't go back on his word!"

Li Ziwen, however, was certain, "No, he will."

Pei Sheng: "..."

That was also why Pei Sheng had printed out the information. Even though he didn't want to go back, the boss definitely wouldn't mind doing so.

After finalizing the new proposal, Pei Sheng was ready to run off for another business trip.

But before leaving, he complained, "Today the sun must have risen from the west, it's already three in the afternoon and he's still sleeping!"

"He probably stayed up all night watching the cash flow," Li Ziwen speculated, not surprised.

"I think so too!"

...

Xu Shuo woke up with a jolt after another hour of sleep.

Then he looked at the time: "..."

He had rare plans to not stay up all night watching the cash flow, thinking he had a busy day ahead, but at this rate, he might as well have pulled an all-nighter.

It was almost closing time for the day.

The computer, which was left on, displayed the work log organized by Li Ziwen. After Xu Shuo finished reading the document and dealt with some work that required his decision, he glanced at the time again.

Anyway, having already taken half the afternoon off, why not just call it a day and leave early?

Thinking so, Xu Shuo packed up his things and walked out of the office.

The positions immediately outside of his were the management area; Pei Sheng's seat was empty, while Li Ziwen was instructing a newcomer.

Xu Shuo did not interrupt Li Ziwen's conversation but gestured towards him with a signal pointing to the office and then left the studio, feeling fully justified in his departure.

Li Ziwen: "..."

So the remaining work was up to him.

...

...

South Normal University Affiliated Middle School.

Xu Xi looked at the message on her phone and couldn't help feeling that her brother had been visiting her quite frequently lately.

There was just one week left until the college entrance exam, a time of intense revision. The school had long stopped teaching and allowed students to review on campus or go home to study.

However, the library at school made for a suitable study environment, so Xu Xi had been spending her days in the study room.

With a sense of curiosity, she walked towards the school entrance and looked up to see the person waiting outside, a young man with a still upright figure, though the skin beneath his eyes was a bit dark.

Xu Shuo smiled at her, "The exams are close, you're not too stressed, are you?"

"No."

Xu Xi shook her head, about to present her student ID to the security guard at the gate, but Xu Shuo stopped her.

He wasn't planning to come in; he was just there to give her something.

Xu Shuo took out a necklace from his pocket and helped her put it on; a hollowed-out pendant with a small sea-blue bead hung below, its crystal clear appearance especially beautiful.

This item could be brought into the real world, a discovery Xu Shuo made after waking up.

Since that was the case, it was perfect for Xu Xi to wear. This thing should probably extend one's life to some extent, right?

"What is this?" Xu Xi was taken aback, touching the little bead, which felt cool to the touch.

"An amulet, but it only works for one month," Xu Shuo said, patting her head, "Do your best on your exams."

"Thank you."

Xu Xi's lips curved slightly, a faint smile appearing on her usually expressionless face, the warm sunlight melting over her delicate and cool face like thawing ice and snow.

After giving her the item, Xu Shuo stood at the gate watching her walk back to the teaching building before he turned and left.

The Normal University Affiliated High School didn't have a parking lot, so Xu Shuo parked his car by the roadside. But since the location was in the suburbs, other than the bus that came every two hours, there were hardly any other cars passing by.

However, as he walked towards his car, he noticed someone loitering near it.

The sunlight made the golden hair look extremely brilliant. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

It wasn't the long golden hair seen in the game; he had adapted to local customs and wore a common shirt with short hair neatly styled.

The next moment, the man abruptly looked towards him.

Their eyes met, and neither of them showed much expression, their calm demeanors suggested the encounter couldn't be more ordinary.

Shi then took a step forward and said, "I came here looking for you before, but you weren't here. I came to give you this."

As he spoke, he took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it over.

"You didn't have to come personally," Xu Shuo took the card, observing him without a change in his expression.

He came really fast, was it because of the "Free Night" script?

Seeing that the other party was about to continue speaking, Xu Shuo preemptively gestured to his car, "Shall we find a place to sit down first? I actually have something I want to ask you."

Shi paused, then nodded his head, "Okay."

The two of them got into the car, and it soon drove away from the Normal University Affiliated High School.

...

The Normal University Affiliated High School was situated in the suburbs, hence, the school covered a large area and the view from the teaching buildings was very open.

Xu Xi leaned against the window of the comprehensive building, where the view provided a clear sight of the school entrance as well as the small sedan parked by the roadside not far away.

Even though lush treetops obscured half of it, Xu Xi could see when her brother walked up to the car and paused for a long while.

Is someone there?

Who is he talking to?

Xu Xi narrowed her eyes slightly until the young man opened the driver's side door and sat down, followed by someone emerging from under the cover of the tree canopy, and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door.

Although she couldn't see the face clearly, the other person's golden hair and the shirt he hadn't changed out of were very familiar.

It was that ghost...

...