Opening the picture, a bright round moon shone faintly amidst the shadowy clouds, against the backdrop of a dim and mysterious city skyline.
Shen Keke was alone in her room, the atmosphere within tainted by the eerie image.
She stared blankly at the picture, as if her soul was being drawn in by its allure, as if cut by the moonlight.
After a long while, she sighed deeply. She now believed that the other party wasn't just making empty promises or reacting impulsively due to provocation.
They were genuinely planning a new game and had already started its development.
And this development wasn't just about creating a new folder.
At that moment, she was eager to show the players this image, the game promised to be released in a year by the other party.
The Sprout Studio hadn't even been around for half a year, and they were planning to release a AAA game in just a year?
This statement seemed a bit mischievous and somewhat of a joke.
Shen Keke's fingers typed rapidly as she drafted a description.
It wasn't until midnight that Shen Keke finally put down her keyboard with satisfaction. She looked at the document that had been edited and re-edited and finally nodded in approval.
Accompanying the description was a video, a result of her hours of busy work.
Even late at night, it was the peak time for netizens to watch videos. Despite it being past midnight, people still lay in bed, holding their phones in hand.
They said daytime videos were about food or travel, while nighttime videos were either horror films or supernatural events.
At midnight, after watching one ghost story after another, the viewers of the video wrapped themselves in their blankets.
"At night, you can't escape from horror videos!" netizens complained helplessly.
Squinting after watching the previous video, they swiped to the next one.
That's how it was. Every time they came across such videos, their eyes rejected them, and their minds asked for a moment's respite before watching.
Exhaling, they swiped, and finally, a sigh of relief. The next video consisted of an image accompanied by gentle and soothing music.
"Hello, everyone. This is the First Game Report, and I am Shen Keke."
Just as players watching the video thought that horror was about to descend, a familiar voice reached their ears.
Looking closely, they realized that the video was indeed produced by the First Game Report.
"Scared me for a moment, but why release a video at this time?" viewers glanced at the video's timestamp, confirming it had just been uploaded.
"Today, I want to introduce to all of you, 'Sprout Studio.' Here, I want to apologize to Sprout Studio once again. I'm sorry for causing them trouble," Shen Keke sighed.
"Everyone has witnessed the growth of Sprout Studio. We've seen their past, witnessed their experiences."
"Today, I want to tell everyone that we are also witnessing their future."
"This afternoon, during my conversation with the founder of Sprout Studio, Black Star, I received an image." Shen Keke pondered for a while before choosing a narrative approach to tell the story in the video.
The background froze on that image, and her gentle voice resonated with the serene background music.
"Through official authorization, I'm showing you all the image in this video."
As her words fell, everyone attentively looked at the game's background image this time.
"As you might have guessed, this is a game poster, the same AAA that the crafty old scoundrel promised us."
Just like on short video platforms, intelligent recommendations guided most viewers to this video, mostly gamers and fans of the First Game Report.
The recent interview with Sprout Studio and Breaking Up Kitchen was practically common knowledge. The cause was the skepticism that arose due to their ability to develop games.
Seeing the image, people watching the video couldn't help but tighten their grip on their phones, sitting up from their beds.
In the dark night, everyone turned up their phone screens to the maximum brightness.
As the screen adjusted, the bright moon in the image became even more prominent.
The image's style featured Victorian architecture, greatly enhancing the sense of mystery and eeriness. Elaborate iron columns and large verandas adorned the surroundings.
The image was exquisite, with white mist diffusing from a distance under the moonlit night. In the center of this eerie town stood a man.
Clad in white armor, the white clothes were already stained with blackened bloodstains.
In his hands, he held two weapons: a firearm in his left hand and a serrated cleaver in his right. Blood dripped continuously from the cleaver onto the ground, staining the area behind him.
In this city devoid of people, fear could still be felt.
The psychological dread brought by the midnight butcher, the serrated cleaver in his right hand sent shivers down the spine.
This kind of tool, a technique weapon of the workshop, was often used for hunting tasks. The saw-toothed cleaver had bloodletting teeth, proficient in bloodletting, symbolizing hunting.
Just looking at the image, one could sense the cruelty, treachery, and challenges of this map.
Firearms and cold weapons created a visual impact.
It seemed to inject a rare and intense spiciness into this otherwise dull gaming circle, reawakening players' dulled palates that had already tasted all the flavors of the world.
"Black Star only gave me this image, Blood Source Curse."
"I don't know how he'll make this game, how he'll define this name, but I know, his 'AAA' in his mouth, his 'new game,' is definitely not just a new folder."
"We can always look forward to the games by the crafty old scoundrel."
"Today, I believe."
The video stopped abruptly here, and Shen Keke's narration came to an end.
She didn't mention Black Star's investment in the game, or how many employees he had recruited.
These were not things players were concerned about, and perhaps they weren't interested.
In the dark night, she repeatedly looked at the image, liking it more the longer she looked, unable to put it down.
And at this moment, in the silent midnight hour.
Players were excited.
Countless players who had already gone to bed were awakened by a call from their friends, urging them to look at this dark and terrifying image, to see this game poster named "Blood Source Curse."
"D* mn, they're really doing it!"
"The old scoundrel is amazing! I'll definitely buy the game once it's out within a year!"
"Ah, screams of excitement! This is the designer I love! The old scoundrel is incredible."
"I can't sleep anymore, I want to play now!"
...
At this time, Carter was also woken up by his secretary's call. He watched the video attentively and took a deep breath.
He dialed a direct line to his friend overseas.
"Why are you doing this so early!" Elvin glanced at the time, different from the Greater Xia region's time.
"This time, you're really wrong." Carter's words were determined!