Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

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Chapter 471 How did the topic turn to this?

After saying that, Ding Lei stopped talking and opened the car window.

At this time, the area around the Xinghuo Building has been completely transformed into a popular spot for internet celebrities by the Shanghai authorities, following the successful experience of Chongqing.

Although in later generations, the term "internet celebrity hotspot" gradually became stigmatized.

However, the term is not yet widely used, and "internet celebrity attractions" still simply refers to some landmark buildings with high popularity.

For example, there's that huge pole at the bottom of the Xinghuo Building that says "I miss you so much at Xinghuo".

A pole with a square frame and a row of 1:1 metal-painted standees of the mascot. Every day, people have to queue for more than ten minutes just to take a photo with her.

During holidays, there have been instances where filming took several hours.

The most outrageous thing is that someone even tried to steal the metal standees of these mascots and got caught by Xinghuo's security guards...

These news reports actually demonstrate that Spark is indeed very popular right now.

In addition, following the immense popularity of Changjie Street, Xinghuo recently renovated the street, adding many Xinghuo game-themed decorations to the pedestrian street surrounding the Xinghuo Building.

This landscaping even includes a portion of a nearby park.

This move has further boosted the popularity of the area around Xinghuo Building, and now many "clothing rental shops" have appeared around the building.

There are places to rent various cosplay costumes, as well as Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing).

Most shops will incorporate elements of various Spark games into their shop names, such as "Battlefront Base" or "Destiny COS".

These shops do only one thing: provide cosplay makeup and photo services for people who come to Xinghuo Building and Changjie Street to take photos.

Everywhere on the street, you can see young women holding tablets, asking tourists if they want to cosplay or take photos.

It's worth noting that most of Xinghuo's games are aimed at men, yet they've managed to create an industry of this scale, which gives you an idea of ​​just how large Xinghuo's fanbase is.

As a result, young women dressed in cosplay outfits can be seen everywhere around the Xinghuo Building and along the main street, making them a beautiful sight in themselves.

In addition, you can see many young women recording dances in the square in front of the Xinghuo Building.

It's not just the square.

Ding Lei recalled that when he came out of the Xinghuo Building, there seemed to be some young ladies recording dances in the park.

It is said that this is a benefit offered by the Xinghuo official website. Anyone who needs to record dances can apply to Xinghuo and then use Xinghuo's front square at the designated time.

To ensure the quality of the dance recording, Xinghuo even divided the area into zones.

As a first-generation game entrepreneur, Ding Lei, like many others in the game industry, dreamed of his own games being successful and loved by more players when he was young.

He once believed that he had actually achieved the dream he had when he was young.

NetEase Games has many players and fans, and he has participated in many offline events. However, sitting in the car, as he recalled Lin Li's expressionless and calm statement that he would invest hundreds of millions of dollars to further expand the number of players on the Spark platform.

As he looked out the window at the bustling crowd, as he thought about the girl recording a dance in front of the Xinghuo Building.

Ding Lei gradually fell silent.

He didn't know what to say, and in the end, all his words boiled down to a rather envious remark...

"so good..."

~~~

What Ding Lei didn't know was that Lin Li, whom he admired, was also in a crisis at this moment.

The origin of the crisis was actually quite inexplicable.

It was when Su Shanshan returned to the office to rest after lunch with Lin Li and several domestic partners that she remarked, "There are more and more beautiful girls in the company."

Then, Lin Li casually said something.

"Ah, yes, I saw a pretty cute one during the meeting this morning."

It was just a casual remark, but Su Shanshan got really angry.

They started to take it seriously.

Su Shanshan's temper is completely different from other girls. When other girls get angry, you can tell at a glance that they're upset, but Su Shanshan is different.

Upon hearing this, she didn't show any sign of displeasure. Instead, she smiled and took Lin Li's hand, and they sat down on the sofa together.

Then, laughing, he pulled out a meme and showed it to Lin Li.

"Look at this."

This meme is related to the new AK-18 doll released by Battlefront Girls a while ago.

AK-18 is a core character in the Girls Frontline 2.4 major update.

As a Soviet rifle derived from the AK, the AK18 has a beautiful character illustration. The girl has long blonde hair, and the overall illustration is very similar to her prototype, which is the other sisters in the AK series.

However, apart from her silver hair, AK18's most distinctive feature is the inclusion of ballet elements in her artwork. Her stunning figure, lace skirt, and white stockings create a strong visual impact.

However, AK18's popularity did not stem from its character art.

Instead, it's a personal storyline added in the recent Battlefront Girls version update, along with the main storyline update.

AK18's personal storyline is quite compelling.

Moreover, this part of the story marks the first time that the girls on the front lines have been involved in the world before the crisis.

The very beginning of the entire Girls Frontline storyline, specifically in Girls Frontline: Companion, is the encounter between the player and 95, which is an event with a complete and detailed storyline in the game.

But the story of the AK18 is different.

Many of the things it touches upon are from earlier periods, and coupled with its excellent storyline, it once propelled AK18 to the top of the trending searches.

~~~

AK18's personal storyline begins.

It was in a dance studio. The commander stood at the door, smiling, watching AK18 teaching a group of children inside.

The scene shifts to AK18, who is comforting a little girl with self-harm tendencies. The little girl keeps drawing a lifeline on her palm with a black pen.

AK18 made its debut with a gentle smile on its face.

Sunlight streamed in through the classroom windows, and just looking at AK18's face was enough to feel the sunshine, cheerfulness, and healing power of an older sister.

However, just when players thought this part of the story was going to show AK18's gentle and sunny side, AK18 said something...

"Did you know? I've attempted suicide twice!"

This statement immediately piqued the interest of all the viewers.

The main point is that the sunny and positive attitude of AK18 in the first scene creates a huge contrast with her words.

Then, the story jumps back to more than a decade ago, before the crisis.

AK18, dressed in a ballet costume, is digging a hole in a forest, and the story gradually unfolds from there.

Chapter 472 AK18! New Wife!

Before the crisis, AK18 was a ballet-themed robot, but after she was manufactured, the ballet company that purchased her went bankrupt, and she began her life as a wanderer.

Before the Omnic Crisis, Earth's technological level was already quite advanced.

Through a news broadcast, players saw the familiar news of the completion of the space elevator, but below this exciting news, a message was also scrolling by.

"The number of abandoned humanoid dolls is increasing rapidly, and experts are calling for legislation..."

Through a series of story events, players will gradually gain some understanding of the world before the crisis.

At that time, civilian dolls were not very expensive.

However, the maintenance cost of civilian dolls is very high. Once the owner is unable to support them, few people will adopt unfamiliar dolls, which leads to a large number of "abandoned" dolls on the market.

However, humanoids are not machines and cannot be discarded at will. They have their own thoughts, so even "abandoned" humanoids will find jobs to earn wages.

Although this is illegal, there are still a large number of humanoid "laborers" on the market, whose wages are often only enough to maintain the normal operation of the machine.

Once any part of the machine is damaged or worn, it is basically doomed to die.

Every day, a large number of humanoids "wait to die". Based on the principle of humanoids, they have no way to fight against humans, but not fighting against humans does not mean that these humanoids will not cause damage to society.

The greatest form of destruction is targeting one's own kind.

They preyed on their own kind who still had owners.

However, these dark details are only briefly mentioned in AK18's personal storyline.

The main storyline still revolves around AK18. As a ballet-type robot, AK18 has no special skills other than a better physique than most humanoids.

In addition, there was the time she left the factory.

The conflict between humans and artificial intelligence has already begun to show some signs, with more and more humanoids being abandoned, and they have begun to compete for ecological niches with ordinary people.

People whose jobs were taken away by the humanoids began to protest, demanding that the authorities strictly enforce the law prohibiting humanoids from working.

In addition, AK18 was not mature at this time. Although she looked like an adult when she was first manufactured, she had not experienced many things.

As a result, AK, who entered society alone, quickly fell into a state of extreme self-doubt and depression due to social exclusion.

In addition, as a ballet-themed doll, she has a very strong love for ballet.

So after being deceived once again, she decided to end her short life.

Humanoids cannot self-harm, nor can they shut down on their own. Therefore, "suicide" is a rather long process. The best way for a humanoid to "commit suicide" is through a period of dormancy.

That is, find a quiet place to wait until the energy is exhausted, and then enter the state of "death".

For a humanoid, deciding where to wait to die is also a skill.

AK18 had lived among humans, so she knew that if she were to simply find a place in the city to sleep, her body could very well be used to do all sorts of disgusting things.

At best, they might be broken down by their own kind; at worst, it's something I really can't even imagine.

So she walked for more than ten days to a deserted forest outside the city, where she dug a pit for herself. Although it was suicide, she still tried her best to preserve her body.

It's a kind of obsession, I suppose.

The only problem was that she discovered that although she had dug a pit, she hadn't found anyone to bury her.

AK18 was completely devastated by her own failure to execute a suicide plan. In the end, she lay down in the hole she had dug herself, covered herself with some leaves, and that was it.

With a humanoid automatic alarm sounding, the mood began to decline.

AK18 shut down all the sirens, and the world became quiet.

~~~

When AK18, who was waiting to die, regained consciousness, he saw a campfire and a man in military uniform sitting beside it. He was the commander who had led the team before the crisis broke out.

"Your lying position isn't very flattering, so I woke you up. Would you like something to eat? How about we change positions after you've eaten?"

The man's smile was very gentle.

This part of the game's story presentation uses some of the interactive animation technology from "Perfect Strategy".

Moreover, the development team is quite cunning in this regard. Instead of letting players take on the role of the commander and guide the AK18, they keep the perspective focused on the AK18 itself.

Let the AK18 take the initiative to spark the conversation.

Interact with other props and objects in this scene.

For example, when a player clicks on a campfire, the commander will say something.

"Are you feeling a little cold? Would you like to move closer?"

Players need to choose yes or no, but the choice doesn't actually affect the final result.

Many players found the entire storyline quite novel.

"Damn, I'm such a good flirt, no wonder so many girls like me."

"I really immersed myself in the AK18, I'm starting to love myself."

"A lonely heart has finally found its own warm campfire. Oh my god, the spark is so good."

Similar comments can now be seen under various fan-made videos.

That evening, AK18 and the soldier in front of him, who claimed to be on a mission, had a very pleasant conversation. The other party was very mature, but did not have that condescending feeling.

Instead, they thoughtfully asked her what had happened and even replaced her power source with military-grade energy. Their long chat lasted all night, making AK18 forget that she was committing suicide.