Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 251 - 260 You Sign an IOU!

Chapter 251: Chapter 260 You Sign an IOU!

Lilith, munching on chips, said earnestly, "Gu Fan, help me analyze this, which of these three games should we choose?"

Gu Fan placed the document on the coffee table and then lay back on the sofa in a slouched position, "They’re all okay, I guess. I don’t have any special thoughts on this.

"After all, I’m just the person in charge of the physical store now, games are not my responsibility."

Lilith was somewhat helpless, clearly, Gu Fan’s current "non-violence, non-cooperation" stance was annoying her, but it was backed by sufficient reasons, so she had no grounds to flare up.

You suspect me of messing with the games, don’t you? So, I’ll completely stop getting involved, how about that!

Initially, Lilith had sent Gu Fan to the physical store indeed to isolate him from the games, only to realize that it didn’t seem to help at all, and without Gu Fan’s suggestions, she was somewhat at a loss on how to proceed.

But after all, as a formidable Hell Demon, it was out of the question for her to admit any wrongdoing.

So Lilith’s expression turned serious, "Gu Fan, as Nitiandang’s number one employee, how can you distinguish so clearly between your duties and non-duties during work?

"Our company is currently in a state of expansion, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. You need to buck up!"

Gu Fan continued to sprawl, unmoved.

Lilith paced the living room, "Then this task of taking over the game, I’m assigning it to you! Once it’s accomplished, rewards will follow based on merit!"

Gu Fan still showed little reaction.

Lilith was shocked, "Gu Fan! How can you be so indifferent now! Even the promise of rewards based on merit can’t motivate you?"

Gu Fan chuckled to himself, Rewards based on merit? When have you ever truly done that...

The bonuses I received were always written in the contract from the start, weren’t they? I never saw you give me any extra money.

Moreover, you never intended to give me those bonuses or for the games to profit in the first place. It was all me, using game bugs to snatch it out of the jaws of defeat.

So, Lilith’s talk of "rewards based on merit" had no allure for Gu Fan at all.

He spread his hands, "President Li, I’m quite satisfied with the current situation; I don’t need any more rewards. If you really want me to do this, then just one condition: if anything goes wrong with this game later, don’t lay the blame on me."

Lilith’s expression showed a bit of conflict.

For her, if she could indeed gather a vast amount of negative emotions, it wouldn’t be a problem to give Gu Fan a bonus out of gratification and on a whim.

But... if the game failed again, not suspecting Gu Fan? That was absolutely impossible.

Demons are naturally suspicious by nature, after all.

After weighing her options, Lilith ultimately decided that agreeing was the better choice.

Because from the situation with "Road Rage Simulator," even without Gu Fan’s involvement, there was still a chance the game could go awry; and after she transferred Gu Fan away from the game department, it indeed gave Gu Fan a solid excuse not to cooperate. Without a clear task from her, Gu Fan wouldn’t take charge.

After some thought, Lilith reluctantly nodded, "Alright then, I agree. Even if this MMORPG encounters problems, it won’t be your fault!"

Gu Fan still didn’t move, "Put it in writing!"

Lilith: "...Gu Fan, don’t go too far!"

Gu Fan glanced at her, silently slouched down even more on the sofa.

"You!"

Lilith was at a loss for words, but ultimately, she sighed silently, conceding to Gu Fan’s demand.

Just as she was about to lift her hand to create a Demonic Contract, she saw Gu Fan suddenly sit upright on the sofa, pulling out a ready-made contract from one of his pockets and handing it to her.

"President Li, if you have no objections, I’d like to use the content of this contract to proceed."

Lilith was shocked, "Gu Fan, you’re getting more and more out of line!

"This is my first time encountering a human who proactively wants to sign a contract with me!"

Gu Fan cleared his throat twice, "Ahem, ahem, familiarity breeds fondness, right? Look at how much simpler our Human World contracts are. You guys in Hell should really learn a thing or two, streamline the process a bit. Anyway, there’s absolutely no loss for President Li in this contract—just sign it, and I swear I’ll work my heart out on the next game!"

Lilith reluctantly took the contract and skimmed through it quickly.

The content of the contract was rather simple, just a few clauses of indemnity.

Gu Fan would be in charge of organizing the development of this MMORPG game, but the contract also stipulated that Gu Fan must strictly follow Lilith’s demands, without making any unilateral decisions, or else it would be considered a breach of contract.

At the same time, if Gu Fan did follow Lilith’s demands and the game still ran into problems, then Gu Fan would bear no responsibility whatsoever.

Bearing no responsibility meant that Lilith couldn’t make life difficult for him in any way, including but not limited to banishing him to other domains.

If Lilith needed Gu Fan to develop games in the future, she had to trust him 100% and could not reassign him midway through the game development or deliberately exclude him from new projects.

In other words, either don’t use Gu Fan at all, or trust and use him unconditionally.

This contract seemed quite fair, at least fairer than a demon’s contract.

So Lilith was slightly surprised; she had thought Gu Fan would propose terms that were particularly unfavorable to himself.

For Lilith, the contract also put restrictions on Gu Fan: he had to develop the game strictly according to her demands; at the same time, she retained a certain right to choose, including the option to not use Gu Fan at all.

But once the decision was made to engage him, passing the buck was no longer an option.

She found this condition acceptable.

After pondering for a moment, Lilith pretended to be magnanimous and said, "Alright, let’s go by this contract then! You should feel honored; you’re the first human to ever initiate a contract with a Hell Demon."

"It’s only because the great Lady Lilith is so magnanimous. Any other demon would have already tossed you into the frying pan and turned you into finger-licking good chicken!"

Gu Fan watched seriously as Lilith signed the contract, then perked up again, "Well then, since we’ve reached a consensus, tell me, President Li, what exactly do you need me to do?"

Lilith had a feeling something was off, but the matter at hand was urgent, so she didn’t think too much of it, and got straight to the point.

"First, help me analyze which of these three games is the better choice!"

Gu Fan picked up the three documents on the desk again and gave them another quick, cursory read, adopting a thoughtful look.

As everyone knows, when a leader asks for your advice, it doesn’t necessarily mean they actually want your advice.

To put it more clearly, the suggestion a leader asks for isn’t necessarily the true opinion from your heart, but rather, it often aligns with what the leader already leans toward.

If you don’t understand that, then maybe you shouldn’t try to navigate the workplace.

And our leader Lilith here? She fits this to a T.

Gu Fan was well aware that if he didn’t provide the answer Lilith wanted to hear, then should the game fail to collect enough negative emotions, despite the contract, Lilith would hold a grudge later.

So, Gu Fan couldn’t just make a snap decision; he had to persuade her with reason, appeal to her emotions, and skillfully grasp what Lilith leaned toward in games, making her make the decision herself.

With that in mind, Gu Fan began his analysis.

"First, let’s get one thing straight, President Li. Although you’re not short of money, you still care about cost-effectiveness, right? That is, to collect as much negative emotion as possible with as little money as possible."

Lilith nodded, "Exactly!"

While Lilith wasn’t short on cash, her funds in the Human World were, of course, finite.

She had a psychological threshold for the expenditure on each game, but that threshold could vary widely.

After all, the money saved could be used for further promotion and marketing of the games that collect negative emotions, thereby generating even more negative sentiment.

So, cost-effectiveness was still a factor to consider.

Gu Fan continued, "In that case, I’d say we can rule out the first game right away."