"Let me see what fun videos have been updated today."
8 PM.
Inside a university dormitory.
Zhou Zheng, having finished his day's classes, opened Bilibili and scrolled through videos as usual.
As a military enthusiast,
his homepage, aside from some exciting programs, was basically filled with big data recommendations of military drills, war-themed movies, games, and similar content.
He felt uncomfortable if he didn't browse it several times a day.
His Roommate also had their own hobbies; as soon as they came back, they would lie on their beds with their phones and computers, immersed in their own little worlds.
"Huh? Self-made 2D side-scrolling war-themed animation?"
Suddenly, Zhou Zheng's gaze was drawn to a video on the interface, and a look of curiosity appeared on his face.
In this day and age, not many people made this type of content, let alone the least popular 2D side-scrolling, which simply couldn't convey the tension of war.
"It couldn't be another proud work from someone who studied animation for three years, could it?"
Zhou Zheng laughed, and various glitchy and funny scenes couldn't help but appear in his mind. He then lightly tapped the screen with his finger.
The video opened, and the first thing that caught his eye was a sunny golden field, accompanied by light piano music and a low-voiced narration.
There was only a couple in the picture.
The husband was clearing straw in the field, while his wife held a child and gazed affectionately at his back under a tree, forming a harmonious and warm scene.
"It's actually not bad?"
Zhou Zheng was slightly surprised and gradually became absorbed in the video's content.
But at this moment, the music suddenly took a sharp turn, becoming increasingly rapid, carrying a hint of anxiety and unease, and the scenes in the video also began to change rapidly.
War broke out between two countries, and several soldiers broke into the couple's farm, forcibly taking away the husband, who was from the enemy country, and expelling him.
Bombers streaking across the sky, charging troops, deafening gunshots and roars, constantly exploding bodies instantly filled the entire screen.
The overwhelming sense of oppression and the grand background music made Zhou Zheng feel as if he were truly on a battlefield, causing his heart to involuntarily tighten.
However, fate did not give them a chance to breathe.
A few days later, the wife's father also received a conscription notice from his own country and had no choice but to go to the battlefield, embarking on a path to find his son-in-law, but ultimately drowning in endless blood and fire.
When everything returned to calm,
the urgent music slowed down, and the low narration sounded again.
Looking at the screen again, only a hunched figure stood amidst the ruins, gazing at everything before him.
Then, scene after scene flashed by.
Families broken, wives and children separated.
And those who barely survived in the smoke of war, crying while holding corpses.
Finally, the image froze, fixed on a cross planted in the center of the battlefield. The four large characters, braveheart, gradually appeared, the red font as if stained with a layer of fresh blood.
Zhou Zheng sat blankly in front of his computer, his brows unconsciously furrowed, feeling a stifled sensation in his heart, somewhat suppressed.
His mind echoed with the tragic struggles of the soldiers on the battlefield and the figures of their families in the rear looking into the distance with anticipation, leaving him speechless for a long time.
It was only a seven or eight-minute animation.
Yet, it gave him the feeling of experiencing an epic blockbuster.
"What an awesome video!"
Coming back to his senses, Zhou Zheng finally couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
He wasn't unfamiliar with war-themed animations like this.
But he had never seen an animation that could portray emotions so realistically through its visuals, perfectly restoring the cruelty of war!
This was not what shocked him the most.
What he found most unbelievable was the production quality of this animation; it was simply astonishing!
The number of frames contained in the bomb explosions alone could be described as burning money every second. He could almost clearly see the trajectory of each shrapnel and the impact feedback after they scattered.
This was no longer just a simple animation.
It was a work of art!
Presenting a realistic battlefield to the audience in the form of animation!
"Which company is so generous? Is it a trailer for some blockbuster?"
In Zhou Zheng's impression, only large film and television companies could make animations to this extent.
How could they release it so quietly? Were they afraid of others knowing?
Smiling with a strange expression, Zhou Zheng scrolled down the page.
But when he saw the video tags below, his expression suddenly froze on his face.
(Game CG) (Single-player Game) (braveheart) (Angel's Memory) (Healing)
"WTF!?"
"You're telling me this is game CG??"
Zhou Tong almost jumped out of bed, his eyes wide open.
This abnormal behavior also attracted the attention of his other Roommate, who all looked up.
"What's wrong? Why are you so scared? Did your favorite streamer turn off their beauty filter?"
"Haha, I bet that's it. Wasn't there a Qiao-something who got exposed before?"
"People nowadays, they'd rather believe in their Photoshopped selves than look in a mirror."
"Exactly, exactly. And they say their foundation isn't good, so even if they crank up the beauty filter, it's useless. I almost peed myself laughing."
His Roommate talked over each other, and soon the dormitory was filled with laughter.
"No, it's not." Zhou Zheng's face flushed red, and he quickly turned his computer screen around, "It's this animation, you guys quickly look at this animation!"
In just one night,
Chen Lin's video went viral, spreading rapidly within a small circle.
Game sales even reached an astonishing thirty-something copies.
"As expected."
Looking at the sales page, Chen Lin, who had just woken up, was wide awake.
In fact, he had already anticipated this result even before the game's release and wasn't too surprised.
The success of a game isn't just about its quality; it also includes reputation and promotion.
He wasn't one of those big companies with resources.
With no reputation and no promotion, it would be strange if it suddenly became popular.
The plot in novels where a game is released casually and just happens to be played by a popular streamer, then explodes in popularity, is simply unrealistic.
Because when he released the game last night, he had already mass-messaged various game streamers through the platform's private message system, recommending the game to them.
But in the end, not a single one actually downloaded it.
Some didn't even bother to look.
"Good thing I had a backup plan."
Chen Lin opened the video website, preparing to check the effect of the promotional CG, when a phone call suddenly came in.
He glanced at it; it was the game studio he had collaborated with the most before. He immediately picked up the call.
"Chen Lin, I have an action programming job here, are you interested?"
As soon as the call connected, a familiar voice came from the other end.
"Looking for me to do outsourcing? Don't you know my current situation?" Chen Lin asked in surprise.
Five out of his ten orders were provided by them. Seeing that he was a recent college graduate, they would basically prioritize him whenever they had an order.
Although they were all small orders, they helped him a lot.
Collaborating with him now was undoubtedly risking offending Wanhai, and not everyone had that braveheart.
"Haha, small studios like us can't climb Wanhai's high branches, so naturally, we don't need to fawn over them like those companies."
The person on the other end of the phone chuckled self-deprecatingly, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Perhaps precisely because they were a small studio, they could empathize with Chen Lin's plight.
Chen Lin was silent for a moment, then laughed, "Let's forget it. I already have a better place to go now. Thanks for your help during this time, Old Song."
"What do you mean? Did you really change careers?"
Old Song's voice paused, and it took him a while to react, his words tinged with weariness: "Ah, well, that's good. You're still young now, you can explore more. If you ever need anything in the future, come find me again."
"Yes, I will."
Chen Lin opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but suddenly, a flood of messages appeared on the video website he had just opened, making him freeze.
"I have something to do, I'll hang up now."
He hung up the phone and clicked on the message interface.
In just one night, his backend messages had soared to 999+!