You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

#655 - Chapter 655

In a high-rise apartment in Magic City, Wang Lao Ju held a glass of iced cola, sat in front of his computer, skillfully adjusting the parameters of the OBS live broadcast software, with the familiar cheers of the audience in the live broadcast room coming through his headphones.

"Alright, dear viewers, good evening, everyone. I am your old friend, Wang—Lao—Ju!"

As his deep and magnetic voice rang out, the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room instantly exploded.

[He's here! He's here!]

[Lao Ju's live broadcast, guaranteed quality!]

[What new game are we playing today?]

[Are you going to stir things up again?!]

Wang Lao Ju smiled, reached for the snacks on the table, and slowly said while opening the packaging, "Today, we're going to play a new game, a new work from the Peach Blossom Spring Studio, called 'Don't Play This Game.'"

As he spoke, he switched to the game's startup interface. On a black background, a few options floated forlornly.

[Outrageous Design of the Game's Main Menu]

[There is No Game Here]

[Useless Options]

[Click Here, Don't Play This Game]

The corners of Wang Lao Ju's mouth twitched slightly, and he gently adjusted his forehead.

"...Good heavens, are we starting to stir things up as soon as we enter the main menu?"

The barrage of comments instantly exploded:

[I just like your nonchalant attitude.]

[Peach Blossom Spring: Our game even tries to dissuade you from the menu.]

[Dare you click the first one and try?]

[Click the last one, hurry!]

Wang Lao Ju lightly clicked his tongue and raised a playful smile at the corner of his mouth: "Alright, since you all say so, then I'll click the last option! Let's see if it's actually playable!"

With a light click of the mouse, the screen instantly went black—

Then, the game exited directly.

"? ? ?"

Wang Lao Ju was stunned, and the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room instantly erupted in a chorus of "Hahahahaha."

[Peach Blossom Spring: We told you not to play, and you actually clicked it?]

[Congratulations on completing the game! That's all there is to it!]

The screen flickered slightly, and then a new interface slowly emerged.

[Please Select a Level]

—[Mirror Within a Mirror]

—[(Locked)]

Currently, only the first level was available.

Wang Lao Ju clicked on it, and a line of prompts immediately popped up on the screen:

[When the save icon appears, please exit the program immediately to maximize the damage to the auto-save function, thank you.]

[This non-game does not contain any hints. Clicking the icon below to find clues is useless, otherwise, it would be too easy, right?]

Wang Lao Ju: "..."

The barrage exploded again—

[Game: Please don't play me in the conventional way]

[The official suggestion is for players to damage their own save files? ? ?]

[What on earth is this thing?!]

[The planner at Peach Blossom Spring is definitely the most outrageous existence in the industry]

Wang Lao Ju rubbed his brow and sighed: "Alright, since you don't want me to save, then I won't save. Let's just go into the game and have a look."

With a light click of the mouse, the screen slowly darkened, and then a deep red curtain slowly opened, revealing a dim and eerie stage.

[The World Behind the Red Curtain]

The screen gradually became clear, and a wide stage was revealed before his eyes.

In the center of the stage, a deep mirror stood there, its surface trembling slightly like water, as if it were not a physical object, but some kind of unknown spatial passage.

The entire stage was surrounded by heavy red curtains, which swayed gently in the breeze, making a low rustling sound. There were no lights on the stage, only a few dim candles flickering in the corners, emitting a weak light.

The air was filled with an ancient, dusty smell, as if this place had been forgotten for a long time.

Wang Lao Ju controlled his character to walk forward slowly, and with each step, the wooden floor under his feet made a creaking sound, as if reminding him—that no one should be here.

The barrage in the live broadcast room instantly became tense.

[This atmosphere is too eerie...]

[Why does it suddenly feel a bit like a horror game?]

[It looks like something is shaking in the mirror?]

[Lao Ju, do you dare to rush over and take a look?]

Wang Lao Ju licked his lips and smiled: "Alright, let's see what secrets this mirror holds."

He controlled his character to walk up to the mirror, its surface still trembling slightly, vaguely reflecting the scene of the stage.

But strangely, the "self" in the mirror did not completely synchronize with his movements.

In reality, he only slightly lowered his head to observe the mirror, but the "self" in the mirror suddenly raised its head, staring straight at him.

"Holy crap?!"

Wang Lao Ju shrank back suddenly, and the barrage in the live broadcast room instantly exploded.

[The image in the mirror moved? ?]

[What's going on with this game? Does the NPC have its own consciousness now?]

[Lao Ju, retreat!]

[Something's wrong, this is definitely not right!]

However, before Wang Lao Ju could react, the screen suddenly flickered—

The "self" in the mirror suddenly revealed an eerie smile, and then slowly raised its hand, reaching out towards the world outside the mirror!

"What the what the what the what?!"

Wang Lao Ju's voice instantly rose, and he hurriedly mashed the keyboard, trying to make his character retreat, but the character was unable to move.

The hand in the mirror stretched closer and closer, closer and closer, until—

Smack!

The screen went black.

The game exited directly.

[The live broadcast room completely exploded]

[? ? ?]

[Did the game crash?]

[What kind of setting is this?]

[This is too outrageous, the self in the mirror wants to climb out? ?]

[Lao Ju, stop playing, this game is not right!]

Wang Lao Ju wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, but a hint of excited smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Interesting..."

"This game might be even crazier than I imagined."

He slowly reached out and restarted the game.

"Alright, since the mirror cut off my power, then let's try again."

Wang Lao Ju took a deep breath, rubbed his wrists, and restarted the game.

The game's LOGO did not appear. In a sea of darkness, only a small line of white text floated:

[Version Number: 1.0.0_Are you sure you want to continue playing?]

[Detected that the user is repeatedly starting the game, it is recommended to shut down and rest.]

[Really, don't play anymore, this game is not fun.]

The barrage in the live broadcast room instantly spammed the screen—

[? ? ? What's going on with this game?]

[It can actually detect that the player is restarting?!]

[What on earth is the planner at Peach Blossom Spring thinking?]

[Lao Ju, this game is really toxic!]

Wang Lao Ju chuckled and unhesitatingly clicked the "Continue" option.

The screen gradually lit up, still the same stage draped with red curtains.

But—

In the center of the stage, there was a steel plate.

[Strange Steel Plate]

The steel plate was embedded in the ground, with a screw in each of the four corners, looking as if some secret door had been sealed off.

Wang Lao Ju controlled his character to walk forward and habitually tapped one of the screws.

"Dong—dong, dong."

The tapping sound echoed on the stage. However, just as he was about to try the next step, a low voice suddenly sounded in the screen.

"Hey, there...is someone here."

"Please wait a moment."

Wang Lao Ju: "? ? ?"

The barrage exploded—

[Holy crap?!]

[There's someone under the steel plate?!]

[Could this game be a horror game?]

[Good heavens, I'm already starting to get scared!]

Wang Lao Ju touched his chin, revealing a meaningful smile: "Oh, what's hidden underneath? Let's keep knocking and see."

He tapped the screws on the steel plate a few more times.

Then, the red curtains on the stage suddenly closed, covering the entire screen.

A moment later, the curtains slowly opened—

On that steel plate, there was a huge line of white text.

[Don't Play This Game]

[The Nonsense of the Game Program]

Immediately afterward, a strange dialog box popped up on the screen, as if it were some kind of system prompt.

「Hello, user, I am the game program.」

「I have bad news for you—there is actually no game here.」

Wang Lao Ju: "? ? ?"

The barrage instantly burst into laughter:

[The game program came out to dissuade him?!]

[Good heavens, even the system is telling you not to play!]

[What is the meaning of this game's existence?!]

However, the game program obviously did not intend to stop and continued to frantically output text on the screen:

「It's all because of the financial crisis, the independent game crisis, and this and that, I hope you won't be too disappointed.」

「There really is no game.」

「Let me secretly tell you something. How about you don't ask for a refund?」

「Let me tell you, my creator also needs to eat and raise 12 children.」

Wang Lao Ju: "..."

He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Good heavens, the official is directly starting moral kidnapping."

The barrage in the live broadcast room rolled frantically:

[Planner: Please, don't refund the money!]

【This game is ridiculously absurd!】

【I'm super curious now, what other crazy things can it come up with?】

【Exploring the hidden content of the game】

Wang Laoju ignored the game program's nagging and noticed the large text titles on the screen.

— 【Don't play this game】

— 【There is no game here】

— 【Useless options】

He hesitated for a second, then raised his hand and clicked on "Don't play this game."

The screen flickered, and then the game program's text began to scroll frantically.

「Oh dear, why are you still clicking?」

「There really is no game, if you don't believe me, I'll show you something else, okay?」

The interface on the screen suddenly changed, becoming a beautiful food photo —

It was a bowl of steaming beef ramen, the broth rich, the beef tender, and sprinkled with a layer of vibrant green scallions.

Wang Laoju: "… …?"

The barrage in the live stream was also full of question marks.

【? ? ?】

【Wait, why are you suddenly showing me food?】

【Is this game trying to dissuade players with food?】

【This beef ramen looks pretty good… …】

However, Wang Laoju ignored it and continued to frantically click on the title text.

The game program seemed a little flustered, and the text scrolled even faster:

「Why are you so persistent?」

「Okay, since you insist on playing, then… …at least don't save the game**, okay?**」

A new prompt suddenly popped up at the bottom of the screen —

【Are you sure you want to save?】

— 【Yes】

— 【No】

Wang Laoju narrowed his eyes, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Heh, reverse psychology, huh?"

Without hesitation, he clicked **"Yes"**.

Then, the game crashed directly.

【The live stream completely exploded】

【? ? ?】

【Saving = game crash?】

【Is this game mocking the players, or playing with them?】

【The planners of Peach Blossom Village are really crazy!】

Wang Laoju rubbed his forehead and sighed: "Alright, it seems the core gameplay of this game is to outsmart the players."

He restarted the game, and a new prompt immediately popped up on the screen —

【Detected that the last save failed, it is recommended that you do not try to save again.】

【The system has automatically deleted your save file.】

Wang Laoju: "… …"

The viewers in the live stream were already laughing like crazy.

【This game doesn't allow saving at all?!】

【What are the planners even thinking!】

【Lao Ju, are you being played by the game?】

【I'm already starting to suspect that the real gameplay is to outsmart the system.】

Wang Laoju took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and a hint of fighting spirit appeared in his eyes: "Alright, since you don't want me to save, then I'm going to try anyway, to see what secrets this game is hiding."

He re-manipulated the character, ready to challenge this anti-human game world once again.

— This was just the beginning.

“Okay, I don’t believe it, what other tricks can this game pull out.”

Wang Laoju squinted his eyes, manipulated the mouse, and once again cast his gaze on the strange steel plate in the center of the stage.

This steel plate seemed to be randomly embedded in the ground, with a screw in each of the four corners, seemingly implying some kind of interaction.

“I tapped it just now, and it seems like there’s something underneath, but there was no reaction…”

He licked his lips, his eyes lit up slightly, and a dangerous smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

“Then why not, click it hard this time?”

Moving the mouse, he unhesitatingly clicked a few times on a corner of the steel plate.

“Boom —!”

A sudden loud noise exploded across the entire screen, and the steel plate actually slammed downwards, as if there was a bottomless abyss below, instantly swallowing it!

The barrage in the live stream instantly went wild —

【? ? ?】

【What's the situation?!】

【Lao Ju, one-hit kill?!】

【Did you break the game?】

However, before Wang Laoju could react, a familiar line of text suddenly popped up on the screen.

— 「Be careful, can 'that thing' withstand it?」

The entire game screen trembled slightly, as if something was churning underground.

Wang Laoju's pupils shrank, and he leaned back abruptly: "Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'that thing'? What is this game hiding?"

The barrage instantly exploded.

【It's over, is there some kind of monster sealed underground?!】

【Did you open something you shouldn't have opened?】