Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 512 - 495: Little Moves

Chapter 512: Chapter 495: Little Moves

Indeed, such arguments never yield any results.

In the end, Mouth King simply stopped arguing via typing and just kept sending quick voice commands.

"Please turn on the microphone for communication!"

"Please turn on the microphone for communication!"

Li Wenhao was speechless, he definitely didn’t want to turn on his microphone, mainly because if the other party spoke recklessly, his livestream would suffer as well.

Streamers are like those wearing shoes, there’s no point arguing with barefoot players—it’s a guaranteed loss.

Thus, Li Wenhao decisively left the room and stopped the dispute.

"Alright, this was just a minor incident, no big deal.

"Not every moron represents the majority, let’s start a new game and see."

As Li Wenhao spoke, he started rematching.

However, the next second, Mouth King entered the room.

"?"

"?"

Both of them coincidentally typed a question mark.

Li Wenhao immediately left the room and rematched.

Yet, Mouth King entered the room again.

"Damn it!"

Li Wenhao was utterly speechless. What was going on? Was this guy some sort of lingering spirit?

Are there only two people playing this game?

Has Nitiandang’s game declined to such an extent?

He left again.

This time, Li Wenhao was more cautious. He didn’t immediately start matching but went back to the game’s title screen and chit-chatted with his audience for five minutes, reviewing his previous moves.

"Look, you should start hoarding supplies by this time at the latest. Any later and it’s basically too late to recover.

"My decision-making proved to be absolutely correct; it’s just that the other side wouldn’t listen.

"What, play by myself?

"No no no, this is a two-player game where duking it out with another player is part of the game content. I definitely won’t play it alone."

Naturally, some audience members suggested that Li Wenhao play both the chancellor and the head of the state to showcase a perfect playthrough, but Li Wenhao declined.

He knew that while it might be easy to gain popularity by outsmarting another player, this also contributed to the show’s effect.

Respecting the game mechanics was still important.

After waiting five minutes, Li Wenhao thought Mouth King must have been matched with someone else by then, so he started rematching.

But the very next second, Mouth King entered the room again.

Li Wenhao was shocked. What was going on?

There has to be a limit to not letting go, right?

"Not to be rude, dude, but how did you do it?

"Did you put a monitor in my livestream room?"

The first possibility that Li Wenhao thought of was that the other player might have infiltrated his livestream room.

He even considered setting up a delay for the livestream.

However, the response from the other side made Li Wenhao both laugh and cry.

"Who would have thought? This game lets you check the game status of players you recently matched with and even allows priority entry!

"Whenever you start a game, I can always enter first!"

Li Wenhao almost spat blood.

Is he insane?

Does the designer of this game have some serious issues?

Generally, in games of this type, it’s hard to avoid friction among players, and the designer’s job should be to minimize such conflicts.

At the bare minimum, blocking someone should be a basic feature, right?

Not only in games but also on social platforms.

If there’s no block function, wouldn’t it just turn into a massive PvP playground? What are we here for, socializing or competing in a debate competition?

But clearly, Star Plan’s design philosophy was already ahead of its time, aligning with some foreign "top-tier" social platforms.

After all, those foreign "top-tier" social platforms were also attempting to remove the blocking feature, while Star Plan went even further by adding Revenge Mode.

This one-click match isn’t just for pairing teammates but also opponents.

Once you have a grievance with someone, you can keep hunting them down.

Of course, this pursuit is not omnipotent — like if the opponent started the game when the nemesis was offline. Even if they came online mid-game, they couldn’t join directly but would have to wait until the current game ended.

But whatever the case, for someone like Li Wenhao, it was like being stuck with an unshakeable adhesive plaster.

"Dude, what do you really want?" Li Wenhao asked.

Mouth King: "Another round?"

Li Wenhao was almost amused to rage. Even after all this, he still wanted another round?

It was like two kids fighting over a toy, who after brawling, still want to play together.

But since he was here already, why not give it another chance?

With that thought, Li Wenhao said, "Then this time you be the chancellor, and I’ll be the head of state, or else I’m not playing."

Mouth King responded decisively, "Sure."

Both players hit the confirm button and started a new game.

Li Wenhao was also quite patient. Although he had previously gone on a tirade, he felt that it wasn’t really worth getting so worked up about after calming down.

After all, the other player was just an online acquaintance. Even if they were a bit confrontational, such traits were pretty mainstream among netizens, so there was no need to get too upset.

As someone who considered himself a high-end player, he should have the ability to carry underperforming teammates.

Just like in MOBA games, many people complain about "noob" teammates who they feel drag them down.

But what about the real pro players? They never complain, no matter how unskilled their teammates are.

It’s not that you are bad; it’s that I’m not carrying hard enough.

That’s the true mindset of a pro.

With this in mind, Li Wenhao basically adjusted his attitude and started to seriously play the leader role in the game.

However, as soon as the game started, he was nearly driven to frustration again.

This Mouth King really was haphazard in his building and planning!

In the areas designated for resources and industries, there was virtually no planning at all; conveyor belts zigzagged crazily, looping around like overpasses, almost making eight hundred twists and turns.

Li Wenhao, who was a bit obsessive-compulsive, was almost driven to an aneurysm upon seeing this.

But he managed to calm himself down and tried his best not to look.

After all, putting himself in others’ shoes, he didn’t like others spamming question marks or exclamation marks on the map when he was in charge.

First, Li Wenhao set a few basic goals, then started to closely monitor the temperature changes.

The situation during the last game was a constant cooling, but this time it was a bit more complicated as it began with a warming phase.

This scenario was more troublesome because it could either be a cycle of warming-cooling-warming, or just a continuous cooling after initial warming, each requiring different responses.

Nevertheless, Li Wenhao was well-prepared and immediately set the corresponding development goals.

This time, Mouth King didn’t engage in any internal strife. He strictly followed the targets set by Li Wenhao, and aside from his rather arbitrary building placement, there were no major issues.

In this manner, the cooperation between the two unexpectedly went quite well, even surpassing their previous gameplay duration.

Looking at the chaotic "wonders" built by Mouth King, Li Wenhao couldn’t help but appreciate the unconventional beauty when everything was disordered.

It was almost like something out of cyberpunk.

Actually, Li Wenhao really wanted to ask, what if a problem arises in one of the conveyor belts in the middle later on? Could you manage it?

But he didn’t ask, as it seemed a bit like fanning the flames.

Both had finally kept quiet and were seriously gaming; it was best not to start a new dispute at this point.

Meanwhile, Zhuge Jun and Hou Ji, another gaming duo, were also ardently building their empire.

Compared to the friction constantly arising from Li Wenhao and his partner, the partnership between Zhuge Jun and Hou Ji was evidently more stable.

Being classmates and friends in real life and playing face-to-face naturally reduced friction.

Even in failure, they wouldn’t blame each other.

At this time, they were still in their first game and had successfully reached the mid-game.

The Star Plan game was quite challenging, especially if the initial setup wasn’t good, it could easily lead to a sudden game over.

But Zhuge Jun, with his substantial gaming experience, coupled with their teamwork and a bit of luck, had fortuitously made it this far.

They had already begun to understand the intricacies of the game.

Zhuge Jun carefully planned the production lines on a large spherical screen, where various circuits were clearly visible with all details crisp and sharp. The bulging screen naturally gave a sense of three-dimensionality, adding to the realism.

Compared to traditional screens, the spherical screen indeed had significant advantages in displaying this type of game content.

However, just as Zhuge Jun intently examined the screen, thinking about where the next industrial zone should be set up and when to attempt building on the surface, a small window suddenly popped up on his side of the screen.

"Hmm?"

Zhuge Jun paused for a moment, and upon closer inspection, discovered it was a window allowing him to execute "covert operations"!

This small window was quite multifunctional, capable of covertly reporting the production and storage of various resources, embezzling resources into a personal reserve, and even using resources to cultivate some silicoid minions as close confidants...

There were many functions, but not all activated at once. They, too, had something akin to a technology tree.

At first, one could only falsify some simple information, but as resources increased, the number of bribed silicoid minions grew, and with further advancements in the technology tree, more functions could be unlocked.

Zhuge Jun was startled by this window.

What is this???

Instinctively, he glanced at Hou Ji, who was sitting on his right and noticed that Hou Ji seemed oblivious to this.

Given that the spherical screen was quite large, and the information meant for the head of state was displayed on another hemisphere, the two were naturally sitting a bit apart.

The head of state had a lot to manage and needed to contemplate specific issues, not always watching the governor’s screen.

And on the governor’s side?

In addition to this pop-up, there were several other pop-ups.

These pop-ups looked relatively similar at first glance and didn’t appear to be different.

Moreover, these covert actions could be hidden or accessed anytime with just a slight tap, requiring minimal time for manipulation.

Sharing one screen was already making it impossible to discern such actions, and with two screens, it would be even more unlikely.

Zhuge Jun’s conscience began to be tested.

"Should I engage in subterfuge?"

From the final stages of the technology tree in this small window, the governor player could eventually seize power to become the leader or even a dictator.

Even without seizing power, there would be a unique ending after completing the game.

Of course, apart from these "sentimental" differences, there was also a very practical difference: engaging in these covert actions could bring substantial benefits to one’s game progress.

For instance, after bribing some silicoid minions, they would become more obedient and work more efficiently;

By falsifying data, meeting targets would become easier. Not only would one avoid accountability from the head of state, but it could also increase one’s popular support.

There were many other benefits yet to be discovered.