[T/N: 🥳HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS🎊Have a great year~]
The timing of this notification couldn't have been better. It saved Brother Jiang a lot of explanation.
He quickly handed his phone to the executives gathered around him.
The group of higher-ups leaned in, their expressions shifting from confusion to outright astonishment.
After seeing the push notification, they finally pieced everything together.
The news about HIM had spread beyond the confines of the game, reaching the wider public. This wasn't just a controversy anymore; it was a golden opportunity for publicity.
"HIM isn't a threat to the game—it's our selling point!"
"Exactly! Think about it—what other game has something like HIM? This is unique to us!"
"A sentient entity created within the game? This alone is enough to go viral!"
The executives exchanged enthusiastic nods, their excitement palpable.
Seeing their sudden enlightenment, Brother Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Honestly, he couldn't understand why Notch trusted this group of people in the first place. But to be fair, most of them were shareholders, not developers. It was natural for them to miss the finer details of game development.
After politely seeing Brother Jiang out, the executives immediately got to work.
The free combat mode and MOD features had already been approved internally, so deploying them would be quick. All they had to do was upload the update.
"One day should be enough," one of them remarked confidently.
Once Brother Jiang left, the executives summoned Lao Wu to finalize the arrangements.
"Prepare a full-server update," one of the executives ordered. "Add the free combat mode and include a moderate-level MOD for the players. Draft a few options for us to choose from later."
"And make sure to announce the maintenance downtime as soon as possible."
Lao Wu nodded, turning to leave, but before he could step out, one of the executives called him back. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
"By the way, who was responsible for handling the HIM situation earlier?"
Lao Wu hesitated for a moment before answering, "It was a young guy named Mo Jiang."
The executives exchanged glances and nodded.
"Tell him not to come in tomorrow."
Lao Wu froze, the words catching him off guard. He opened his mouth, ready to defend Mo Jiang, but the executives had already dispersed, engrossed in their respective tasks.
Their indifference made Lao Wu sigh deeply. "It seems there's no saving him..."
Lao Wu wasn't new to this industry. He understood all too well that there was no room for sentiment in corporate hierarchies.
The truth was, Mo Jiang had made the wrong call.
If Mo Jiang had prioritized rescuing the players first when he entered the game, the situation might have played out differently. After all, saving the players would have given the company a way to spin the narrative positively.
But by focusing on HIM first, Mo Jiang left the corporate overlords of Yonghui Group with no graceful way to back out.
Ironically, Mo Jiang's decision, while flawed in execution, was ultimately in the company's best interest. Yet here he was, about to be thrown under the bus for it.
This was how the corporate world worked. The thoughts and feelings of those at the bottom didn't matter.
Guilt gnawed at Lao Wu. If only he had warned Mo Jiang earlier, perhaps things would have turned out differently.
"All I can do is hope he learns from this," Lao Wu muttered to himself.
When Lao Wu finally reached Mo Jiang's desk, the walk there had felt unnaturally long, though the distance wasn't far.
Mo Jiang looked up, curiosity evident on his face.
"How did it go?" Mo Jiang asked eagerly. "I heard the higher-ups even called in Brother Jiang! Is the issue resolved?"
Lao Wu hesitated. Seeing Mo Jiang's innocent expression made him feel even worse. But he knew someone had to play the villain here, and that someone was him.
Suppressing his emotions, Lao Wu spoke coldly. "You don't need to concern yourself with that anymore. Just don't come in tomorrow."
"...Huh?" Mo Jiang blinked, completely baffled.
Lao Wu steeled himself and continued, "You failed the task assigned to you. You're being dismissed. Your salary for the month will be rounded up, and you can collect it from accounting. No need to file a resignation letter."
Before Mo Jiang could protest, Lao Wu turned and left, not giving him a chance to respond.
The moment Lao Wu disappeared, murmurs erupted from nearby colleagues.
"Wow, even Mo got fired?"
"Good thing I didn't take that task…"
"I heard Yonghui's corporate backers are pulling strings. This was always going to end with Mo taking the fall."
Mo Jiang was well-respected among his colleagues for his technical skills and friendly demeanor. So while his coworkers felt sorry for him, they also understood the harsh realities of the workplace.
Mo Jiang, meanwhile, stood frozen in place. He didn't snap out of his daze until someone from accounting handed him his pay slip.
"Here's your paycheck," the accountant said, placing it in his hands. "It'll be deposited into your account within the hour."
Left with no choice, Mo Jiang silently began packing his belongings. He didn't make a scene. If anything, he wanted to leave with some semblance of dignity.
But deep down, resentment boiled within him.
"This godforsaken company!" he muttered under his breath. "If they want to mess with me, fine.
"But if I'm going down, I'll make sure to drag them down with me!"
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan teleported to the Eternal Guild's base. As soon as he arrived, he overheard the players chatting excitedly.
"Did you see the announcement? Server maintenance starts in an hour! We're saved!"
"Do you really think the update will let us out?"
"Of course! Why else would they take the whole server offline?"
"Nah, they're just adding some new combat mode or something."
"Still, it's nice to have hope, isn't it?"
Their chatter was cut short when someone spotted HIM.
Before anyone could react further, a series of explosions rocked the area.
Within seconds, the obsidian floor was littered with all kinds of equipment.
Xu Yuan glanced at the loot but didn't bother collecting it. His inventory space was limited, and setting up a collection system here would've been too much trouble. After all, he still had his dignity as the Demon King to uphold.
Having finished off the Eternal Guild players, Xu Yuan teleported away again, reappearing near 007 and the Ender Dragon.
The two were playing together, seemingly carefree.
But Xu Yuan couldn't shake his unease.
He'd overheard the players' discussion about the upcoming update. While server maintenance wouldn't affect him directly—since he wasn't tied to the game's data—he wasn't so sure about 007.
007 was different. Born from the fusion of game entities, he had evolved into a sentient being. But his core was still rooted in game data.
What if the update erased him?
Just then, 007 stopped playing and approached Xu Yuan, his expression serious.
"Kiddo, let's take a break," 007 muttered to the Ender Dragon before kneeling before Xu Yuan.
"My king," he said solemnly, "you once promised I could follow you forever. No matter what happens, I will remain by your side. I'll always be your loyal servant!"
Xu Yuan stared at him, the unease in his heart growing stronger.
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