Started as a comics editor

Chapter 316 I will never do such a thing again!
"what……"

Sun Gong's deafening boast was still echoing in the "Wanderer" project area.

On the other side of the company, in a small conference room that had been temporarily requisitioned, several huge whiteboards were piled up.

Tang Yao sat in the chair, her head hanging low in frustration. Her fair forehead rested on the table, her voice weak and listless, and her beautiful face showed obvious signs of fatigue.

She is very tired now.

In fact.

She didn't just make one small indie game... she made three.

Because Li Xue was also overloaded, Tang Yao hugged her and cuddled with her. After a lot of fooling around, Tang Yao didn't know what to choose.

They all seem pretty suitable...

So Tang Yao finally decided that since she had thought of three interesting games, she might as well make them all and see which one would be the most attractive to the players in this world.

And at the beginning.

She was thinking of making a simple prototype to test the waters...

But at each stage, looking at the nascent framework, she couldn't help but think—"We've come this far, how about improving the scene texture accuracy a bit more?", "The core loop is there, so all that's left is to fill in the content?", "Oh dear, we've come this far, why don't we just finish it all?"... Anyway, one thought after another pushed her to keep moving forward. As she progressed, the three games were like wild horses, galloping all the way to the edge of a cliff where they were almost finished.

This exhausted her...

Because she was the sole architect for all three games, handling everything from game design and numerical values ​​to writing and art.

The new operators can only offer limited assistance.

Aside from technical issues, their understanding of games was also insufficient, let alone getting them involved in other aspects. They could only help Tang Yao fulfill her needs and offer some assistance with the art direction.

Tang Yao did most of the work herself.

These days.

Every morning when Tang Yao arrives, she starts drawing art assets, writing project proposals, confirming numerical values, and then she also helps answer questions from the new operators.

Factors such as sunlight generation rate, plant cooldown time, zombie movement speed and health, and the combination logic of zombie waves in different levels...

What is the puzzle structure diagram, key clues, and logical chain?

What delicate and affectionate dialogues and inner monologues.

too messy.

Tang Yao often draws sketches for "Plants vs. Zombies" while simultaneously pondering the obscure descriptions of key items in "Rusty Lake" or the dialogue of the protagonist in "To the Moon."

This is because none of the three games were particularly difficult to produce.

Moreover, there's a clear final product for reference, so Tang Yao had already given up... she was too tired.

"..."

Tang Yao pressed her forehead against the cold tabletop, trying to draw a sliver of clarity, but her thoughts were still like three twisted ropes, making her head ache.

Three styles!

She actually managed to bring all three games to near completion.

This is absolutely an extreme test of willpower and mental strength...

dong dong——

At this time.

A knock suddenly sounded on the door, tinged with a cautious, tentative tone.

Tang Yao knew that the people she had gathered had arrived, so she forced herself to straighten up and said, "Please come in."

A dozen or so unfamiliar young people, the new staff members whom Kang Ming had mentioned who were "brought in to help out and solve technical problems," filed in one after another.

"Please take a seat."

Tang Yao looked at these people but didn't rush to speak. Instead, she asked them to sit down first.

The staff immediately found seats, but they kept glancing at Tang Yao with eyes full of awe.

Yes.

Awe...

When they first heard that they had been assigned to a project team personally led by the boss of Avalon, they were actually quite excited, filled with excitement and curiosity.

When they first met Tang Yao, they couldn't help but be amazed by her beauty.

Rather, anyone who sees her for the first time would be amazed... Her delicate features are like flawless jade, her curves are perfect and enviable, and her sweet temperament is somewhere between maturity and youth... Even when she tries to make a fierce expression when she's angry, she actually looks adorable.

This was so eye-catching, as if God had favored her, showering her with unparalleled beauty.

However, this superficial amazement was completely crushed on the third day after the project started, leaving not even a trace...

beautiful?

That's the least worth mentioning thing, okay?

Compared to the abilities of this beautiful female boss, it's really nothing.

These newly joined Avalon staff members, after spending less than a week with Tang Yao, were already starting to question their existence...

Because they found out.

Tang Yao doesn't need to hold lengthy planning meetings at all; it's as if she has the complete game built into her mind... She can directly write out the core gameplay loop on the whiteboard, clearly marking every key node, such as the sunlight generation rate, plant cooldown time, zombie movement speed and health in Plants vs. Zombies, and the combination logic of zombie waves in different levels... She can recall all the values ​​with ease, and her logic is terrifyingly rigorous.

When a programmer timidly asks a balance question, she doesn't need more than a minute to think before giving a precise suggestion for adjusting the values, and she will also explain why this value can bring better strategy depth and rhythm.

This completely defies the common sense of these new employees!!!

As for the puzzles in Rusty Lake, she even drew a diagram of the puzzle structure directly on a whiteboard, marking key clues and logical chains. The complexity of the diagrams made the programmer responsible for implementing the puzzle logic go crazy, but he had to admit that it was ingenious.

The copywriting is even more outrageous, with three games and three completely different text styles.

Plants vs. Zombies requires lighthearted humor, with slightly silly dialogue and item descriptions; Rusty Lake requires obscure environmental narratives and item descriptions; and To the Moon demands meticulous text.

But Tang Yao can switch seamlessly between the three!

The art direction is even more outrageous...

This is what truly numbs the new employees.

In the time it takes to hold a meeting!
Tang Yao can create highly recognizable and cartoonish plant and zombie designs on a whiteboard by hand, all with a consistent style! From adorable sunflowers to aggressive cherry bombs! From ordinary zombies to bucket zombies wearing metal buckets! The design, expression, and proportions of each character are precise and memorable!

She can even add sketches of the expressions and actions of different zombies when they are attacked by different plants!
In the time it takes to hold a meeting!
The young female artist in the project team, looking at her slightly rough line art on her computer screen and comparing it to the smooth and vivid sketch on the whiteboard that could be used directly as a finished product, was incredibly disillusioned!

Moreover, Tang Yao isn't limited to just one style of painting.

The art designs for the other two games were also created effortlessly.

It can be said.

Tang Yao's existence completely overturned the new employees' understanding of the term 'game company boss'...

Her instructions were clear, precise, and never ambiguous. The newcomers only needed to focus on executing them, and the efficiency was astonishing!
Even so, during this period, all the newcomers felt like they were chasing a high-speed train... They had to do everything in their power to keep up with Tang Yao's terrifying productivity!
But... this is completely wrong! This isn't a boss at all!
If game company bosses all need this kind of ability, then wouldn't the bosses of Yiyou and Jiuxiao have to commit suicide?

Unbelievable.

Everyone found it incredible.

But this incredible thing happens every day.

For the first few days, the new employees were still amazed.

"Holy crap! Mr. Tang's drawing skills! His design!"

"This proposal! How did they come up with all those numbers?!"

"Just how much stuff is in her head?!"

But as time went by, they all became numb...

"Oh, Mr. Tang's proposal is out again..."

"Oh, while Mr. Tang was recounting the bizarre backstory of 'Rusty Lake,' he also casually drew the original artwork for 'Plants vs. Zombies'..."

"Oh, Ms. Tang said she finished writing the final script for 'To the Moon' last night before bed. Let's check if there are any typos..."

"..."

Anyway.

The way they looked at Tang Yao had completely changed; the initial amazement was gone... well, there was still some.

It has indeed been diluted quite a bit.

"Did you encounter any problems?"

As the staff filed in, Tang Yao habitually straightened her back and adopted the demeanor of a boss.

However, as soon as she raised her head, she found that more than a dozen pairs of eyes were focused on her. The look in their eyes was no longer the simple amazement of the first few days, but instead an overwhelming admiration, even with a hint of astonishment as if they were looking at a non-human creation...

What the hell……

Tang Yao felt somewhat helpless, but she had already gotten used to it.

We can't just not let people see it at all.

Let them look; it's not like it'll cost them anything.

As she thought about it, she gently flicked her ponytail and asked again.

The office was quiet for a while.

Finally, a slightly bolder new programmer spoke softly, breaking the delicate silence: "Mr. Tang, the intensity of the zombie waves in levels 3-5 has been re-simulated according to the sunlight production rate decay curve you adjusted yesterday, but... in the test, the timing of the third wave of buckethead zombies still seems to cause the player's team to easily collapse..."

"I see, let me see..."

Tang Yao flipped through the data and then said, "It should be another issue. Let's reduce the zombies' movement speed by 5%, increase the Buckethead Zombie's health by 3%, and move the spawn point of the first ordinary zombie in the third wave back two squares. Also..."

She paused, then continued, "The following plants... increase the damage coefficient to the iron bucket by 0.1, then run it again."

The new programmer paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

On the other side, a female art director in charge of the "Rusty Lake" scenes was eager to try her hand at it.

Tang Yao has extremely high requirements for art resources, probably because of her background in comics.

This girl has clearly run into a problem.

"Mr. Tang..."

Finally, the art student mustered her courage and asked in a voice barely audible, "Scene, number C-37, the hue... She adjusted the levels and brushes countless times, but she still felt something was missing."

"Hue? Wait a minute... um, #5C4033."

Tang Yao looked down at the documents again for a while, then said, "Reduce the saturation by 10%, reduce the brightness by 5%, add a little noise of #8B0000 to simulate the traces of charcoal embers, and for the brush... use charcoal pencil ash, reduce the opacity to 30%, and layer it twice."

Art girl: "..."

She gave a slight bow.

"Do you have any other questions?"

"besides……"

"..."

A barrage of random questions came one after another. Many of them were actually quite basic, such as questions about special effects parameters, art style, and dialogue/performance—questions that shouldn't even be asked of her. But there was nothing she could do… they were new operators, and Tang Yao couldn't expect them to meet the same standards as Kang Ming and the others.

Therefore, we can only try our best to answer the questions.

Tang Yao patiently answered, her thoughts jumping between three completely different game logics, yet her answers were as precise as if they had been written in advance.

The process went quite smoothly.

Tang Yao was quite satisfied with this... Luckily, she had a good knowledge base and memory, and was interested in many things, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to answer.

just.

She didn't notice that the newcomers were listening, taking notes, diligently absorbing the experience, and learning the thought process; the admiration in their eyes was almost tangible...

Finally, the last minor issue regarding the sound effects during the ending animation of Rusty Lake has been resolved.

The only sounds in the meeting room were the scratching of pens on paper and soft breathing.

Tang Yao put down the documents in her hand, asked again, and after confirming that there were no other questions, her gaze swept over the young and focused faces in front of her.

She let out a soft sigh of relief, then straightened her back, the lingering weariness on her face replaced by a bright glow: "It seems everything is fine. Well then, the group meeting is over, and there shouldn't be any more meetings like this."

"The game is about to enter its final stage. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication during this time."

She paused, her gaze lingering on each face for a moment, then said with genuine gratitude, "Soon, Plants vs. Zombies, Rusty Lake, and To the Moon—three games will be released."

"Next, let's prepare to let them meet the players in this world."

This sentence is like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

A dozen pairs of eyes suddenly looked up, their pupils first showing confusion, then disbelief, and finally being overwhelmed by belated surprise and a strong sense of unreality.

what?
ending?

Release?

Is that all?

They stared blankly at the whiteboard behind Tang Yao, where Tang Yao still had doodles and scattered keywords written on it.

Those past days flashed through their minds like they were on fast forward...

They still felt it was unreal! It felt like they had been in a long and bizarre dream, in which they were strapped to a fast car driven by a genius... Now, the car had come to a smooth stop, but they were still in shock.

It's... released already?

The newcomers looked at each other in disbelief. From project initiation to completion, the time was absurdly short compared to a normal game, yet the process was so fulfilling that it felt like a compressed version of an entire career. This left a very deep impression on these bewildered staff members.

...I actually participated in and witnessed the birth of three very different and highly polished games!
This experience itself seems to carry a dreamlike, legendary quality.

At this moment, Tang Yao had no idea what kind of consequences her impulsive decision to run three accounts simultaneously would have, or what kind of shockwave it would send through the gaming world.

Just like she had no idea how high the new recruits she was leading would go in the future.

She unintentionally set a super role model for this group of newcomers... Her effortless switching between three games, seemingly omnipotent, has become an unattainable figure in the hearts of these staff members, a towering mountain standing before them at the very beginning of their careers.

They will eventually grow up, and may even become masters who can stand on their own, but the image of that young boss who, in a small meeting room filled with whiteboards, used his talent and willpower to simultaneously master three games and lead them to complete an impossible task, will be forever engraved in the deepest part of their memories, as clear as yesterday.

Tang Yao knew nothing.

She was just thinking at that moment.

I will never do such a thing again!
She was absolutely exhausted!!!

……

Tang Yao's feeling of "I will never do this again" even lasted until she pushed open the door to her familiar and warm home.

The soft lighting inside dispelled the dimness of the corridor, bringing a comforting warmth.

But my sister wasn't in the living room.

Tang Yao changed her shoes in the entryway, then, in her cute slippers, she made a soft pattering sound as she entered Tang Xun's room and gently pushed open the slightly ajar door.

Inside the room... Under the soft light of the desk lamp, the girl's aloof silhouette came into view.

Tang Xun, dressed in simple home clothes, was hunched over her desk, the pen tip making a soft rustling sound as it scratched across the paper. Her profile appeared focused and serene under the lamplight.

As the college entrance examination draws ever closer, an invisible pressure seems to permeate the air.

Even Kaoru started to feel a little nervous.

Tang Yao watched her younger sister's hard work, walked over, and gently patted her head.

Tang Xun seemed to have known her sister was coming all along. She lifted her head up, holding Tang Yao's small hand, and said in a cool voice with a hint of complaint, "...Why have you been coming back so late these days? Didn't you say that the company's two big projects wouldn't be finished anytime soon?"

"Um... sorry."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yao's expression instantly became somewhat subtle, as if she had recalled some unpleasant experience.

She let out a sigh of relief, then slumped heavily onto Tang Xun's neatly made bed, letting out a satisfied sigh. She then inhaled the clean, soapy scent of the bed and muttered, "Sister did something stupid."

"Something stupid?"

"Um……"

Tang Yao's fair face showed a hint of self-deprecation as she said helplessly, "I only intended to make one to test the waters, but... I ended up making three in one go."

Tang Xun tilted her head: "..."

obviously.

She couldn't understand.

"I've made three new games, and I can't ask too many people for help. It's too tiring, but..."

Tang Yao offered an explanation, then her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had remembered something.

She slowly sat up from her sister's bed, straightening her back, her exceptionally full breasts swaying gently. "The good news is, you can play the game your older sister made this time! It's not the kind that requires complicated strategies anymore! And it's not scary either!"

But just finished.

She realized something and looked at the pile of review materials and countdown calendar on Xun's desk: "Ah... no... you can't play now, the college entrance exam is important."

"..."

Tang Xun rolled her eyes at her sister.

She's too tired to complain about her older sister anymore, who can be frighteningly mature at times, but also ridiculously out of touch at others.

Tang Yao didn't say anything more, but lay back down on the bed, the mattress slightly swaying as she looked up at the ceiling...

Her soft hair slid down her delicate, fair face, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful features.

Tang Yao suddenly asked, "Xun, have you been under a lot of pressure lately?"

"I feel no pressure."

"Did you encounter any difficulties? For example, did the teacher need the parents to come forward and discuss the future of the students?"

"No need, I know what I'm doing."

Are there any industries you're interested in?

"Industries I'm interested in..."

"..."

The two sisters, one sitting and the other lying down, started chatting casually.

This is something Tang Yao does every day, no matter how busy she is.

As long as Tang Xun is still awake, she will come over and keep her company for a while.

Although Tang Xun repeatedly said that she didn't need Tang Yao to accompany her... she seemed quite happy every time Tang Yao came.

The two talked for about an hour.

"...You should take care of yourself."

Tang Xun replied again, but did not hear a response from her sister.

She was a little puzzled. She put down her pen and turned her head slightly to look at her sister lying on her bed... The light outlined Tang Yao's soft figure. Her T-shirt was rolled up slightly because of her lying position, revealing a small section of her delicate and supple waist.

That usually radiant and beautiful face appeared exceptionally serene and gentle in her sleep, completely unguarded.

Fell asleep.

"..."

Tang Xun looked at her sister, whose breathing was even and deep, clearly exhausted, and sighed softly, her cool eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and tenderness.

You haven't showered yet...

Forget it.

Tang Xun gathered her long, smooth hair, thought for a moment, and slowly stood up, moving very gently, as if afraid of waking Tang Yao.

then.

Tang Xun came to the bedside and her gaze fell on Tang Yao's fitted jeans. After hesitating for a moment, she bent down and gently unbuttoned and unzipped her sister's waist, carefully pulling down the pant legs little by little.

Tang Yao, who was fast asleep, seemed to sense something. She unconsciously murmured something and moved her body slightly, but did not wake up.

After all, it's our own home.

As the jeans were pulled down, a pair of shapely, slender legs with snow-white skin were exposed to the air, their lines smooth and beautiful, seemingly gleaming with a lustrous sheen under the light.

Tang Xun neatly folded the jeans she had taken off and placed them aside. She sighed again, then carefully straightened her sister, pulled the blanket over her, and gently covered her up to her shoulders.

then.

After getting everything done.

Looking at her older sister's peaceful sleeping face under the lamplight, a faint yet incredibly gentle smile unconsciously curved her lips.

What an idiot... Always like this, even when I'm exhausted, I force myself to come and chat.

Tang Xun muttered a complaint to herself, then looked at her sister's sleeping face for a while, checked the time again, hesitated for a moment, and then quietly turned off the light.

Then, she lifted another corner of the blanket and gently slipped inside.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted over.

Tang Xun turned to the side, reached out and gently put her arm around her older sister's waist, pulling her soft, delicate body into her embrace.

Tang Yao seemed to instinctively sense something in her sleep, unconsciously snuggling closer to her younger sister, letting out a satisfied murmur, and falling into a deeper sleep.

Tang Xun felt the warmth and softness of her sister's body in her arms, and listened to her steady breathing, which brought her a sense of peace.

Never mind, I'll wait until she wakes up to take a bath.

Anyway... I don't mind.

As she thought about it, she tightened her arms, buried her face in Tang Yao's neck, and slowly closed her eyes.

The only sound in the room was the intertwined breathing of the two sisters.

Tang Yao muttered unconsciously, "I'll never run three games simultaneously again..."

Tang Xun: “…”

(End of this chapter)