Chapter 96: The Long-Awaited Version 2.0 Is Live

Regarding this highly anticipated Version 2.0 from the company, besides the players’ favorite Double First Top-Up Reset, there were also various pay-to-win packages and events.

If you didn’t pay, you’d be crushed by the inflated stats.

The monsters’ inflated stats were carefully designed by the Development Department, Product Department, and Marketing Department.

They found the exact point that would trigger player outrage, but didn’t cross the line too far—just a tiny bit less than the breaking point.

It was like standing face to face with someone; you insulted the people in their household registration, even physically shoved them.

Note that it wasn’t illegal yet, no intentional harm, and no fight broke out.

The other person’s anger meter was still at 90%, not full rage, so they wouldn’t actually hit you.

That’s roughly the situation.

The Product Department and Marketing Department clearly understood where the players’ anger levels were, so the monsters’ stat inflation and the various pay-to-win event designs were very well calibrated.

Moreover, Version 2.0 launched a brand-new storyline, penned by a renowned Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter, delivering a heart-wrenching narrative that moved players to tears and deep emotions.

This was the storyline developed by the second copywriting team.

It was an outstanding plot about a new drop-in NPC with a grand background—the descendant of the legendary Yellow Emperor, named Shao Hao.

He ruled a clan and controlled all birds through the Phoenix.

His lineage far surpassed that of the Main Character.

This drop-in NPC had a historical prototype for study, and the Art Team meticulously designed his appearance—from hairstyle to every pattern on his clothes, all laden with meaning.

This NPC would remain a core figure in the game Que Yi for a long time.

In Version 2.0, to create crises for the Main Character and add twists to the stirring story, the Main Character’s group of sisters would become somewhat close with Shao Hao, stirring players’ desire to spend money since only by paying could they protect the sisters.

“Oscar-nominated screenwriter, guaranteed quality. Plus, the second team of young copywriters polished the script. Young people understand what young people like best—totally guaranteed,” Huang Yijun chatted casually with Song Wuli, optimistic about the launch of Version 2.0 today.

“I don’t know, something feels off. With so many pay-to-win features, it feels like it’s going to backfire,” Song Wuli was pessimistic, uneasy.

“Pay-to-win isn’t the problem. As long as the core storyline stays solid, the Marketing Department has plenty of ways to spin it,” Huang Yijun patted Song Wuli on the shoulder, signaling him not to worry.

Rarely, the company gave the Development Department and Content Department a half-day off; no work after lunch.

Of course, Song Wuli still stayed to work overtime in the afternoon.

Huang Yijun didn’t leave either.

Partly, he wanted to stay at the company to see how Que Yi’s new version would perform.

The server hadn’t opened yet; they still had to wait an hour.

Partly, he wanted to cope with the looming Layoff by working overtime and racking up hours.

He had gotten some new intel, also from colleagues.

Apparently, this round of Layoffs targeted mainly the Development Department and Content Department, aiming to cut an entire department.

Song Wuli was shocked. “For real? That’s huge—cutting an entire department?”

Huang Yijun leaned in quietly and whispered, “Can’t be sure, but where there’s smoke there’s fire.

Trust it a bit, think about it… how did our Content Department come about?”

He lightly tapped Song Wuli’s chest with the back of his hand, nodding thoughtfully.

Song Wuli began recalling the past.

Each department head was called a Director.

Originally, there was only the Development Department—no Content Department.

It was said that the Chairman’s Bodyguard took a bullet for the Chairman.

To reward this trusted Bodyguard, the Development Department was split into two.

The Programming Group and Testing Group stayed under the original Development Department, while the Art Team, Planning Team, and copywriting were moved to the Content Department.

If they really had to cut a department, it would never be the Development Department—that was the company’s foundation.

No wonder they targeted the Content Department; they couldn’t touch Development, so they went after Content.

The Layoff rumors gradually became clearer, and most people started to believe them.

Afternoon came, and the Content Department’s fate approached its judgment.

Amid the players’ anticipation, the new version went live.

The first batch of players quickly noticed something was wrong.

The characters once close to the Main Character suddenly became distant, their attention shifting to the new drop-in male NPC.

That NPC instantly became the clan leader of humanity, leading humans to slaughter enemies.

Meanwhile, the sisters around the Main Character worshipped the new male NPC to the point of wanting to pledge themselves to him.

Players were dumbfounded.

“I’m getting cheated on.”

“Did the official community make this just to disgust us?”

“The planners have lost their minds.”

Then, some players tried fighting the new version’s new boss and found the stats inflated severely, along with a new mechanic that completely countered the old version’s characters, making them hard to use.

You needed to pay to draw new characters just to stand a chance.

“Planners lost their minds.”

“Pure pay-to-win.”

At first, the chaotic social media platforms began bashing Que Yi, then the freer chat groups joined in, and finally the live streaming audiences chimed in.

Only the Official Community was still holding strong—that was the purest place, hard to betray, and with censorship tactics allowing only one voice, so the community managed to hold out.

By evening, the Marketing Department’s preliminary survey results came in: player satisfaction was below 30%.

What? Still 30%?

That had to be due to human diversity; some liked furry content, while some got excited by NTR content.

Still, 30% satisfaction was not good.

Huang Yijun had contacts in the Marketing Department and learned the preliminary results from a good brother.

His expression darkened immediately, and he quickly informed Song Wuli.

Even Song Wuli, usually a scab, dared not stay for overtime now and hurriedly slipped out of the company to hide somewhere.

Where else? Of course, to work at a milk tea shop.

The copywriting team’s work chat was silent now, no one dared speak—a calm before the storm.

The milk tea shop was no more peaceful; Fat Zhou was there in the afternoon, hanging out with friends.

Cursing: “Planners lost their minds.”

They seemed to be playing Que Yi too; anyone cursing the planners today was basically a player of the game.

They appeared to have just reached the storyline part, with bigger challenges still ahead.

After two hours working at the milk tea shop, Yao Ruoning finally heard Fat Zhou and the others complaining about the stats—they were clearly being crushed by the new boss and doubting their lives.

In mobile games, getting crushed by a boss usually wasn’t the kind of ‘just move a bit and you kill the boss without damage’ like in Dark Souls.

Most of the time, it was because your stats weren’t high enough.

This time, with the planners’ carefully designed stats, it made players feel especially frustrated.

By past experience, players would curse and then spend money like crazy.

But this time seemed different—facing a double blow from the storyline and the boss, players seemed less willing to pay up.