Chapter 141: The Intimidation from Night City

Elysia was eagerly anticipating the multiplayer mode.

After all, playing games with friends often made them much more enjoyable.

Completing the game wasn't the goal; it was about having a friend to enjoy the gaming process with.

Bronie could understand that quite well.

Unfortunately, Bronie mentioned that the production of the online mode would be handled by the members of the Haxxor Bunny Studio, so it would take at least a year to complete.

This was under the condition that the game had its foundation, settings, and maps.

After all, the 18+ mode in single-player games and online games did have some differences. In single-player mode, as long as you marked it as 18+, there usually weren't any issues, no matter how explicit the content was.

But with online games, you had to consider streaming issues.

The streaming industry had already taken off, with major platforms competing for streamers, and Welt had carved out his own space online with his live shows.

It could be said that he made quite a bit of money by going against Anti-Entropy. Sometimes, Bronie would complain, wondering if Welt was neglecting his duties as a teacher at the St. Freya Academy by focusing so much on streaming.

But it didn't really matter. The MANTISes of the Elysian Realm were the first to enjoy the game without any restrictions or publicity.

With nothing else to do, why wouldn't they play a new game when it came out?

Elysia made a copy of the game and eagerly opened it.

She wanted to meet Lucy, see David's grave, and explore the Night City, which was based on Bronie's hometown.

What would it be like? Adult mode? Of course, she had to turn it on!

Then she noticed something strange in the character creation options.

Even though she selected female, there were options for male characteristics in certain areas.

Very very certain areas.

"My Eden!"

"Hm? What's wrong Ellie?"

"I'm starting to worry about Bronie's mental state. Look at this mess!"

Eden also leaned in, blushing at the continuously changing options.

"Naughty, Elysia~"

"This isn't my fault, it's Bronie's fault!"

...

Similarly, after the game started its countdown, Welt skillfully pre-downloaded it.

Bronie unlocked the game early for various streamers, giving the game one last bit of publicity. In order to livestream, Welt also activated the streamer mode to avoid showing any overly explicit scenes.

The game had kindly set up a streamer mode, so the secondary sexual characteristics weren't so prominent in the character creation.

The character wore underwear, and nothing else was visible, but the fabric appeared deliberately placed, piquing Welt's curiosity.

"Okay, audience, I'm going to temporarily black out the stream. I'm curious to see what the character creation system looks like without the streamer mode."

Ignoring the audience's protests, Welt immediately turned off the stream's video feed but left the audio on.

"Um...uh...this...whoa..."

Shocked Old man Yang. HSR Welt Holding a phone.jpg

Then the screen returned to the character creation interface.

"Alright, audience, I seriously doubt Haxxor Bunny's mental state now. Even though there have been anime previews, trailers explaining the game's background, and even detailed settings for role-playing games, I never expected it to go this far."

Over in the States, Anti-Entropy was indeed starting to get a bit magical, and the progressive left version was about to be updated, so Welt had some knowledge of these things.

But he never expected Bronie to actually do it, focusing on a free and open approach, as if releasing an early version.

However, it was true that it was nearing 2013, and the new version hadn't been refined much, but the game's content appears to encompass several future versions, perhaps warning everyone to beware of these types of things happening.

But maybe Haxxor Bunny's hometown was just that free and open?

This possibility suddenly occurred to Welt.

There was no way around it; Welt knew Bronie was a traveler from some world in the Sea of Quanta, and the world she once lived in might actually have that style.

After all, starting to wear fishnet stockings and a small vest at a young age obviously exhibits that cyberpunk style.

Moreover, the pattern on the back of the coat can also illuminate, which is the iconic pattern of Haxxor Bunny, also embodied a very cyberpunk style.

It is said that there are no living legends in the Night City. So Haxxor Bunny can considered a legend in her hometown?

Welt perked up and focused on the game.

There are three backgrounds at the beginning: a wanderer, a street kid, and a fired company employee.

These three starting backgrounds can unfold the worldview from different perspectives, and each character has different strengths and weaknesses.

The main missions can choose special side quests depending on different backgrounds, but they will ultimately converge on the same storyline.

There aren't too many endings. They were about seven scattered ones, but these endings are not particularly good.

After all, one person's power is limited. Even if one company falls, there are countless others. In this kind of rotten world, it will definitely take a long time and countless resources to change it.

Do regular players have that ability?

Would Bronie design this kind of thing?

Of course not!

If someone asks Bronie whether the endings she made are a bit too bad and whether she will make a good ending in the future, Bronie will proudly answer the question.

As a corporate lackey, Welt wouldn't like this kind of frustration. Going from a high-ranking company executive to a nobody, although this dragon king's like return does have some excitement, Welt isn't interested.

As for the street kid, it's almost the same background as David's.

To be honest, Welt is interested in continuing David's legend, but he is quickly drawn to the wanderer.

That pure outsider has a romantic aura. Leaving his own family to wander alone and coming to this Night City, it's like the heavens sending a savior.

Welt likes this identity.

Wanderer?

It should be called an adventurer!

After choosing his identity and before even arriving in the Night City, he was taught a lesson by the local tyrant police here.

The lip-syncing of the voice actors matches, and there are many details in the expressions, but Welt feels like his computer is working frantically.

"Although I felt the stunning quality in Evil Within, this time looking at this wilderness in Night City, I was amazed again. Look at that desert. It's said that nothing can be planted there, and Night City has also been bombed by nuclear bombs before. I didn't expect it to be rebuilt so quickly."

Welt began to tell everyone some background stories he knew, but he didn't expect that as a wanderer entering the Night City, he still wanted to make extra money through smuggling!

And this new partner is actually a novice!

Taking the smuggling declaration openly, getting the bribe money from Jack, and then walking straight into the customs building as if it were a matter of course.

Just a few short sentences of exchange, along with border inspections, made Welt see the various aspects of this world.

Shortly after passing through security, not far from leaving the checkpoint, a convoy directly caught up.

This wave of dog eat dog world also opened Welt's eyes.

"There's always a feeling that this is what Haxxor Bunny has experienced. The act of one devouring another is really too skilled. And you may not have noticed, but when the characters use brain-computer communication, their eyes emit blue light. The prosecutor asked us about our family background before. I kept it secret from him, but the fact that we lacked confidence was there for him to see, so he decided to take a chance."

After a tense and exciting chase, they finally shook off these company lackeys and found a safe place, but the car appeared to be on the verge of breaking down.

They didn't hold back on cursing along the way. It was very down-to-earth, and Jack often spoke his hometown Spanish language.

However, Jack has a kind of unexplainable sincerity. Of course, when he was at the checkpoint, he always sat in the driver's seat while having many of his own tricks.

It gives people a feeling of being both simple and clever, and Welt instantly liked this character.

The residents living in the Night City all have their own unique ways of life. They know they can't resist the company's exploitation, but their dignity is also important.

Of course, there is also unity.

Yes, there is unity, just like how the wanderers have their own families, the people of Haywood also have a certain sense of collective honor.

Perhaps, in such a terrible environment, sticking together for warmth is indeed an easier way to live.

A simple prologue, from a wanderer who left his family to this Night City, passing by the checkpoint, one can still hear the company's security guards complaining about dreamers' unrealistic dreams, to repeated instances of people eating people, abandoning their humanity.

Even Jack has thoughts of going to the dark side completely. It vividly portrays the depravity of human nature in Night City.

Coming alone to this city, one might encounter such helpless situations.

Even if there are ambitious aspirations, after this wave of intimidation, even Welt can feel Mr. V's confusion.

There's no way around it, this city really does devour people!

The following CG sequences briefly narrate V's life in the Night City for nearly half a year from a first-person perspective.

From starting out with Jack, to getting some small-time jobs from middlemen, whether it's theft or robbery, everything is available.

Then, getting into fights in bars, winning money to buy a new car, and finally ending the cohabitation with Jack, and finally renting a house of his own.

There's always a feeling of similarity to the house David used to live in.

In half a year's time, compared to David, it feels like there's a bit of a slow development.

But the voice acting really impressed Welt. Welt could tell that Bronie put a lot of effort into this game.

Whether it's the details of the environment, the characters' movements, or even the interaction with passersby, there's a certain level of interactivity.

The prologue isn't over yet. Looking at the protagonist and Jack sitting in the same car, only then did Welt realize that he hadn't gone through the beginner's tutorial yet.

"Wow, well, the overall feeling I got from the previous content is really amazing. Although ray tracing was already a very mature technology in Evil Within, in this neon-lit city, there's a different scenery."

Welt wouldn't skip the beginner's tutorial.

After all, to avoid not being able to hack into someone else's door lock, Welt chose to enter the tutorial.

There's quite a lot taught in there, and it's no wonder Jack calls it advanced military tech.

After the tutorial, it's time for missions.

This time, it's not about robbery or murder missions, but a rescue mission.

To rescue a woman from a gang called Scavengers. Jack calls them Organ Harvesters, and their most distinctive feature is that they all wear uniform mosaic projection masks, which greatly obscure their faces.

After entering the enemy's territory, Welt finally understands what these so-called Organ Harvesters are all about.

"Tsk, it seems like the broadcaster mode has covered up to some extent the bodies and blood, but I can probably understand why Jack hates these guys so much. It seems like the judgment of some viewers who watched the anime that David's mother suddenly passed away for something evil might be correct."

What judgment?

That David's mother should have a chance of survive, but because she encountered an unscrupulous doctor, she was torn apart like the poor soul on the operating table. Her remaining flesh and bones were burned to ashes, then packed into a tin can.

This became a lifelong pain for David. The phrase "Must climb to the top of Arasaka" has become a curse accompanying David throughout his life.

It's also part of what drove David insane. Sneaking, assassinating, hacking into lights to attract attention, and then assassinating!

The levels after this simple beginner's tutorial let Welt see a Jack and V who have already grown.

The Trauma Team is still as lively as ever, and on the way home, they even encounter retaliation from the Scavengers, but for Night City, this seems to be just a common occurrence.

Car chases?

David often experienced them too, and even his mother died because of such incidents. It can be said that with the blessing of anime, everything seems familiar, and Welt feels a sense of familiarity with everything.

Wild freedom, and the crazy Night City, only in such an absurd world would one feel so fascinated, wouldn't they?

"Haxxor Bunny really made a good game... I finally understand why she said everyone would fall in love with this place, but also wants to burn it all to the ground."