Chapter 870: It Doesn’t Matter If I Make Some Losses

In addition, He An also noticed there was a huge difference in size for buildings and units in Mission and Choice. A ground base was several times larger than a space starship. A space starship was tens of times larger than an ordinary spaceship. An ordinary spaceship was tens of times larger than "Skylark", the smallest individual combat unit.

Thus, the entire map of Mission and Choice would appear very huge. The perspective would change drastically at the highest and lowest point. At the lowest point, one would be able to see the details of the Skylark Warriors' armor, and at the highest point, one would be able to see the entirety of a large ground base.

The Skylark warriors on the ground were like ants after pulling the camera high up in the sky.

Different units were distributed on different levels. Space starships were at the highest level. Below them were ordinary spaceships. Below them were the Skylark team that descended from spaceships to the ground.

Thus, players had to adjust their perspective frequently in order to better observe the entire battlefield.

The problem was obvious: the machine had to be well-equipped and was difficult to operate.

For classic RTS games like "Fantasy Battle" and "Starcraft 2", the ratio of various units was unreal. Many units were tens of times smaller in the settings, but in the game, they were at most twice as big.

That was because RTS games required a lot of operations and a high balance.

What would the movement speed of a large mothership and a reconnaissance plane be if they were to move according to their actual size? Would they cover each other and cause players to be unaware? Would it be difficult to operate the smaller units? Would the damage caused by small units attacking large units be very limited? Would it be very unscientific for a team of soldiers to destroy the main base with machine guns?

RTS games were ultimately games, not war simulators. These problems were difficult and almost impossible to solve. Therefore, traditional RTS games greatly sacrificed their authenticity in order to balance and operate.

'Mission and Choice' did the opposite, maximizing its authenticity. However, this also meant that the balance and operation of the game were completely gone.

In traditional RTS games, 30 large soldiers could easily destroy a tank. However, in Mission and Choice, no matter how many machine gunners encountered large-scale ground heavy equipment, they could only be beaten.

In He An's opinion, this undoubtedly increased the chances of the game failing.

However, the game's difficulty level was indeed very low.

He An was old. His reaction speed and hand speed could not be compared to young people, but it was not too difficult for him to complete the operations in the game.

That was because the units in the game were basically moving in formation. For example, the most basic combat unit, the "Skylark Team", was made up of five Skylark Warriors. One level above would be a battleship. Another level above would be a small battleship formation. Yet another level above would be the battle group of the mothership...

Players could give orders to any level of formation, and the choice of the enemy was also based on formation.

For example, giving orders to attack the enemy's main force in the battle group of the entire space carriers was actually akin to 'F2A'.

However, the difference was that all units in Mission and Choice had a certain level of intelligence. They would not charge mindlessly. Instead, they would maintain a specific formation and not play too ugly.

Of course, players could also order a team or a battle ship to carry out other tasks.

However, such an operation with a high degree of freedom was actually not commonly used. Most of the time, one just had to reach the level of battle formation under the command. Even if one operated these spaceships or soldiers one by one, the final effect might not be better than direct attacks.

Therefore, even someone as old as He An did not find it difficult to operate the game.

However, that did not mean that the game's combat experience would be good. That was because all the units inside would run amok!

Some spaceships would run away from the battlefield as they fought. Players would not be able to pull them back even if instructions were given individually.

Some spaceships would even crash into cliffs or crash while flying in extreme panic, leaving He An dumbfounded.

DEMO started the game immediately since there was no plot.

The most important thing that He An had to do was to give orders to the team to attack the Zergs. He had to deal with the warning messages sent by AEEIS and respond accordingly.

There was a lot of information on the alarm, but it was not a big problem to ignore it. AEEIS would deal with it on its own after some time.

About twenty minutes later, the battle ended.

He might be clumsy doing most of the operations for the very first time and learnt many things on the spot, but He An still managed to get through this DEMO successfully.

Pei Qian asked expectantly, "Teacher He, what do you think?"

He An remained silent for a moment and decided to tell the truth.

"There's definitely no problem with the game's graphics. It's well-made and the scene during the war is very beautiful. It gives people the feeling that the battle is very intense."

"However..."

"These soldiers are often out of control. This is too uncomfortable! Many of the battles could have been won, but they were wiped out because they had their own ideas. This is too infuriating!"

"This is an RTS game. This kind of game experience is hard for me to accept."

Hu Xianbin quickly said, "Oh, Boss He, the AI of the small army is still being developed, so it's relatively simple and brainless. When the AI is done, the small army's choices will be more diverse and smarter. The experience should be better."

He An was silent for a moment. "In other words, there will be more ways for them not to listen to me?"

Hu Xianbin: "Er... you can put it that way."

He An :"..."

After a moment of silence, he looked at Pei Qian. "Boss Pei, don't blame me for being straightforward. I'm mainly worried about wasting money. After all, five hundred million yuan is not a small sum. Buying luxury cars and mansions would be much better than wasting it."

"The game's AI might affect some gaming experience but I feel that with the current AI technology, the game's combat experience would not improve much even if the game's AI is done."

"At the moment, this DEMO is just a silver spear tip that looks good but is useless. There is absolutely no problem with the graphics, but the gameplay does not attract me at all."

"Good graphics also means high requirements for computer hardware. That would further reduce the number of gamers. That would be very disadvantageous for a game with such a huge investment."

"How much of that 500 million yuan do we have left? It's not too late to stop losses now. Change the gameplay, make use of the current art resources, and create a new game. We won't lose all the hard-earned 500 million yuan."

Pei Qian was elated.

Lose all the hard-earned money?

That's great!

Pei Qian had already explained the basic design concepts of the game to He An at the start of the project. He had received a 'definite loss' reply. However, Pei Qian still felt uneasy before the game was created.

He An still felt that the game would definitely lose money now that he had played the game's DEMO. What's more, he would lose all his hard-earned money. This undoubtedly gave Pei Qian a boost!

However, Hu Xianbin was unhappy.

He frowned, disagreeing with He An's decision in sentencing 'Mission and Choice' to death.

That was because this was just a DEMO. The plot had not been added and the content was missing. Wasn't it too early to say that it would fail?

Most importantly, this was Boss Pei's idea!

How could Boss Pei's creativity be wrong?

Thus, Hu Xianbin subconsciously wanted to retort.

He An might be a veteran, but different designers would have different views on the game. There would be differences in opinions and even arguments when it became intense.

As a designer, it was very normal for him to speak his mind confidently and raise his understanding and design standards while debating with other designers.

However, Pei Qian could tell that Hu Xianbin was not convinced. He immediately patted Hu Xianbin's shoulder without leaving a trace, forcing him to swallow his words.

Pei Qian did not want Hu Xianbin and He An to have a showdown. That would be meaningless.

He An had just said that the game would definitely incur losses. Pei Qian could not be happier.

He smiled and said, "Teacher He, you're right! I completely agree!"

"Alright, we're done watching the game. Let's go back to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and have some coffee. My treat."

Hu Xianbin's tightly knitted brows relaxed, and he instantly felt relieved seeing Boss Pei's attitude.

I was the one getting worked up while Boss Pei was still confident and tolerant!

As a relatively young designer, it was indeed very easy to fly into a rage with others. One had to be extremely confident and defend their own views as a designer after all.

There would inevitably be a debate when both designers thought that they were right.

However, Boss Pei had obviously reached another level. He did not argue with others not because he was not confident in himself, but because he was too confident in himself. That was why he smiled and did not bother arguing with others.

He An was a veteran after all. It was normal for him to not be able to keep up with the latest game design trends and not be able to see the allure of Mission and Choice. Boss Pei did not explain much but followed the old man's thoughts. That was right.

Thus, Hu Xianbin smiled and said, "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll continue working."

Pei Qian smiled as he led He An out of Tengda Games. He was prepared to return to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe again.

He An followed behind Pei Qian but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss.

"Boss Pei, you say that you completely agree with me, but you have no intention of changing it at all."

"Are you just agreeing with me on the surface to fool the elderly?"

"Do you think that I'm too old and I can't keep up with the understanding of games? I might not be able to understand even if you explain therefore, you might as well not explain and just agree with me?"

Pei Qian immediately denied this statement very sincerely. "How is that possible!"

"Teacher He, I mean what I said. I completely agree with you."

"However... This game is already at this stage. It's not appropriate to change it anymore. I might as well finish it."

"It doesn't matter if I make some losses."

He An was shocked, but he could not tell if Boss Pei was joking or not just by looking at his expression.

It did not matter if he made some losses?

That was 500 million yuan!

He An was silent for a moment. "Heh, I can tell that you're very confident, Boss Pei. You agree with my proposal but you don't change it. That means you have a better solution."

"Alright, I'll wait and see then!"

Pei Qian: "?"

Pei Qian felt helpless looking at the old man's confident expression.

He really could not explain it!

Since that was the case, there was no need to explain further. He would treat He An to a meal and thank him properly after 'Mission and Choice' was released.

Chapter 871: Zhongdian Chinese Network's Fixed-rate Contracts

Pei Qian and He An went to Boss Li's Ming House for lunch at noon.

The reason why he did not go to the nameless restaurant was mainly because he could not eat without an appointment.

However, Pei Qian would reserve the biggest private room in the nameless restaurant for a banquet every weekend. He could treat He An to another meal then.

He An knew that Boss Pei was busy with work while he wanted to head back to rest after lunch. The two of them agreed to have a meal at the nameless restaurant during the weekend before saying goodbye to each other.

He An was obviously very curious about how the game 'Mission and Choice' would succeed. However, he knew that he could not get any information seeing how confident and tight-lipped Boss Pei was. He could only suppress his curiosity and continue waiting for the day the game would be released.

Pei Qian looked at his watch after they were done with the meal. It was not even 3 PM.

It was Friday afternoon now. There was still time to make arrangements for another department.

Tomorrow was the weekend, most departments had to take a break other than departments like Upwind Logistics. Thus, the other departments had to wait until Monday.

"Which department should we arrange?"

"Hmm... Zhongdian Chinese Network is closer. I'll make arrangements for it first."

Pei Qian had originally wanted to make a trip to Thriller Hostel, but it was quite far from the city center and would be a little troublesome to make a trip there after all. Pei Qian did not want to make a fuss, so he decided to go on Monday.

He would make arrangements for Zhongdian Chinese Network today.

Zhongdian Chinese Network was located on the upper floor of Tengda Games. Pei Qian had not visited Zhongdian Chinese Network for a long time even though he only had to take two more levels up by elevator.

That was because there was nothing much to see.

Zhongdian Chinese Network might be profitable, but it was not as profitable as other industries. What's more, it was very stable. There would not be a sudden increase in income.

Pei Qian had always felt that Zhongdian Chinese Network's entire department was not close to each other. It was a 'tasteless but wasteful food' state. That was why he had not asked about it in the past few months.

However, Pei Qian became vigilant again when he saw Zhongdian Chinese Network's revenue figures increasing steadily this morning. He felt that he could not let this continue.

He could make some arrangements since he was free now.

Pei Qian arrived at Zhongdian Chinese Network and scanned everyone's working conditions.

Yes, it was alright. At least it was better than Tengda Games.

That same group of people had been staring intently at the screen when he had gone to Tengda Games previously. They were either typing rapidly on the keyboard with their hands or frowning and thinking hard. It was obvious that they were all focused on their work.

However, everyone was much more relaxed at Zhongdian Chinese Network now. Some people were reading novels on their cell phones, while others were aimlessly looking at various data on the website. In short, it was a relatively relaxed state.

While he could not see any obvious signs of slacking, it was obviously much better than Tengda Games' working state. This made Pei Qian feel very gratified.

Zhu Xingan, the current chief editor of Zhongdian Chinese Network, saw Boss Pei and quickly stood up to welcome him. "Boss Pei, why are you here?"

Zhu Xingan was a little surprised because Boss Pei had not visited Zhongdian Chinese Network for an entire year. He had not given any guidance to Zhongdian Chinese Network either.

Many colleagues thought that Boss Pei had forgotten about Zhongdian Chinese Network.

However, Boss Pei was here now. That meant that Boss Pei had not forgotten about Zhongdian Chinese Network!

This made Zhu Xingan quite happy.

Pei Qian smiled. "It's nothing. I just happened to be passing by. Where's Ma Yiqun?"

Zhu Xingan said, "In the office."

Pei Qian nodded, walked to Ma Yiqun's office, and knocked lightly on the door.

Ma Yiqun was very surprised to see Boss Pei. "Boss Pei, why are you here? Please take a seat."

Pei Qian sat down on the sofa in his office.

Ma Yiqun poured a cup of tea for Pei Qian. "Boss Pei, do you have some work to arrange for us to do since you are here today?"

As Pei Qian sipped his tea and replied leisurely, "I just remembered that I haven't been here for some time. That's why I came over to take a look. How's the situation on the website? Is the class still in progress?"

Ma Yiqun answered truthfully, "The website is doing very well. Its revenue is increasing steadily, especially the number of authors."

"A batch of explosive books have appeared on the website. The subscription results of these high-volume work have been steadily increasing. In addition, we have been giving a higher percentage to authors than other websites. Thus, we are becoming more and more popular with authors."

"What's more, our website would never have issues with delays or deducting royalties for no reason. All the data are public and transparent. That's one of our advantages."

"Many authors came to our website to try their luck. Our website's reputation is getting better in the circle!"

"The online authors' training class is still being held and the effect is obvious. Now, the name list for the training class is no longer voluntary because everyone wants to participate. There are not enough slots. We can only choose among the new authors who have achieved a certain amount of results. In principle, those who have already attended in the previous batch cannot attend the next batch."

"However, even so, the authors still flock to it. The readers are also clamoring every day to send their own authors to the study class to close the little black room to update seriously."

"All of them have obvious improvements after entering the study class be it slow writing, lack of inspiration, or unskilled writers! Once such an atmosphere is formed, coupled with the old and new model, the study class will nurture batch after batch of outstanding authors for the website. The content of the entire website's novels will naturally become richer and more exciting."

Pei Qian sipped his tea, feeling increasingly melancholic.

The situation did not sound good!

Obviously, Zhongdian Chinese Network had entered a virtuous cycle. The authors' income had continued to increase, their passion for writing had been fully stimulated, and their writing skills had improved with the help of other authors. At the same time, readers were becoming more and more attached to the website because there were more and more good works.

At this rate, the consequences would be dire!

At the moment, while Zhongdian Chinese Network's market share was not as big as Infinite Chinese Network, a huge website, it was ranked in the top three in the authors' hearts because of its high share percentage and good benefits.

Once the website expanded, it would definitely continue to develop steadily. As long as the person-in-charge was not mentally challenged and did not create some retarded operations, it would be very difficult for the website to decline.

Pei Qian scrutinized Ma Yiqun closely, thinking that he was definitely not mentally challenged.

Since that was the case, Zhongdian Chinese Network's development in the future would definitely be a high probability event.

He could not let this continue. He had to do something!

Pei Qian was also a reader of web novels and knew a thing or two about online literature.

He pondered for a moment and quickly found a good entry point.

"At the moment, our website is mostly using royalty contracts, right?"

Ma Yiqun did not know why Boss Pei was asking about this. He nodded. "That's right, Boss Pei. Ever since our website was established, you have been emphasizing that we should prioritize royalty contracts over fixed-rate contracts."

Pei Qian realized that he had indeed decided on this previously after some thought.

That was because the entire website did not have much traffic when Zhongdian Chinese Network was first established.

Pei Qian was worried that Ma Yiqun would use the fixed-rate contracts to poach famous authors from other stations at high prices to bring popularity and traffic to Zhongdian Chinese Network. Thus, he repeatedly reiterated prioritizing royalty contracts over fixed-rate contracts.

Authors would not get much money in royalty contracts when there were not many readers. The authors would not join if they did not earn money from writing books here.

However, times had changed.

Once Zhongdian Chinese Network had a firm footing, royalty contracts had definitely become a form of incentive for the authors. That was because the better the novel was written, the more subscriptions they received, and the more royalty they would earn. Thus, the authors would work hard to polish the plot and contribute better works to the readers.

Pei Qian took a sip of his tea and said, "We have to change this principle. In the future, we will have both royalty contracts and fixed-rate contracts. However, we will only pay fixed-rates for our own authors' works!"

Ma Yiqun was stunned. "Only pay fixed-rates for the works of our own authors?"

Logically speaking, since they were going for fixed-rate contracts, a very important use would be to poach people from other websites.

That was because the outstanding authors were not sure if they could maintain their current income by going to other websites. They were worried that they would not be able to adapt to the environment and would be cautious when they were poached.

Therefore, it was relatively easier to poach people using fixed-rate contracts.

As for their own author's works, there was really no point in giving them fixed rates.

That was because there was no limit in the fixed-rates. The website had to ensure that it would not incur losses.

The website would estimate the royalties that authors could receive from writing subscriptions. Then, they would give a fixed-rate contract that was slightly higher than the royalties.

If the content written by the author was lower than the value of the subscriptions, the website would lose money. If the content written by the author was higher than the value of the subscriptions, the author would lose money.

However, for the authors at this website, if they were to write subscriptions that earned a lot and felt that they could improve further, they would definitely not sign the fixed-rate contract because it would destroy their fighting spirit. On the other hand, some authors who did not earn much from subscriptions and did not have good abilities. Signing the fixed-rate contract would not motivate them to work harder. Instead, it would objectively encourage them to wait for death.

Thus, it was easier to use fixed-rate contracts when poaching people. However, if they were to use it on their own people, the website and the author might lose out.

That was why Ma Yiqun was so confused by Boss Pei's strategy.

Pei Qian looked at Ma Yiqun's confused expression and smiled without saying anything.

Confused?

That's right!

I am trying to wear down the morale of the authors!

Many authors knew that it would be very easy for people to become useless if they were on fixed-rate contracts.

That was because fixed-rate contracts were usually based on word count. The quality of the works would not affect the authors' income. The website would pay according to word count no matter what rubbish the authors wrote, as long as it was not in violation of the contract.

To the authors, if they wrote well and exceeded the purchase price, the money they earned would not change. It would be equivalent to losing money. Thus, they would lack the motivation to write well.

Of course, in order to avoid these problems, many websites added many supplementary terms to the fixed-rate contracts. For example, when the situation was not good, the editor had the right to request the author to make amendments or finish the book in advance. When the book's popularity reached a certain height, the author could make requests to the website to change from fixed-rate contract to royalty contract. Or he could just sign a "Minimum Guarantee". That was to go with a fixed-rate contract when the earnings did not exceed a certain value. If it was exceeded they would convert to a royalty contract.

However, Pei Qian obviously did not intend to use this method.

Chapter 872: Web Novelists' Inspiration Class

Pei Qian took a sip of his tea and continued, "We will only offer fixed-rate contracts for the top writers on our website."

"That's because the terms of this contract are better. It's equivalent to giving a benefit to the authors of our website. We will not provide such benefits until other authors prove their strength."

"The total word count should be between 10,000 to 500,000 words for a fixed-rate contract. They cannot exceed 500,000 words."

"The fixed-rate contract will be calculated based on triple the revenue that the author earned from his previous books. For example, the original royalty contract of the author's previous book was about 1,000 yuan per 1,000 words. Then, the royalties for this book would be 3,000 words per 1,000 words."

"There is no minimum requirement to update. They can write as much as they want. Slow work will produce fine work."

"What's more, we don't accept complete originality, we can only write custom-made novels. We provide IPs for the authors."

Pei Qian could not help but be impressed by his own intelligence after he finished speaking.

Fixed-rate Contracts and customizing. Wouldn't he be able to wipe out all the famous authors on Zhongdian Chinese Network and cripple them?

Those who read online literature often knew that fixed-rate contracts and customizing was the easiest way to produce rubbish works.

That was because the first prerequisite for creating good works was freedom.

Authors could only write outstanding works if they were free to write about topics that they were good at and had strong drive in.

If an author who was good at writing sci-fi novels had to write romance novels, the things he wrote would definitely be horrible.

On the other hand, custom-made works were often works that the client had a certain need for commercial publicity. At that time, the author's creative thinking would definitely be restricted by the client.

The client would definitely suggest some changes or interfere with the author's outline in order for the works to meet their requirements. On the other hand, the author would not be able to create the works according to his own ideas. His attitude would be different and would not be able to produce 120% of the works.

That was because the first target of custom-made text was the client, not the reader. Thus, there was a high chance that it would not be liked by the reader.

On top of the restrictions on custom-made novels, the fixed-rate contract would further dampen the author's creativity.

That was because fixed-rate contracts meant that there would be a steady income. The cost of the custom-made text was also very high. The author only had to use a little bit of brainpower to bring the works to about 60 points to complete the client's requirements. There was no need to work hard to write 80 or even 100 points.

He would not be able to do it because his creative freedom was not high enough and the theme was not good enough even if he wanted to write to 100 marks.

Thus, Pei Qian had released this trump card of customization and the fixed-rate contract to "bribe" all the top writers of Zhongdian Chinese Network.

It was all about earning money for these authors irregardless of whether they were on royalties or fixed-rate contracts. How they chose would depend on which one earned more money.

It would be easier to write custom-made designs. The amount of royalties calculated by word count would almost double. He could earn as much money as he used to after writing casually every day. Why not?

If the royalties previously were 1,000 yuan per 1,000 words, he could earn 300,000 yuan per month by writing 300,000 words. According to the purchase order, the royalties would be tripled. He could earn the same amount of money by writing 100,000 words each month.

However, the workload was greatly reduced!

While the fixed-rate contract system was voluntary and not mandatory, Pei Qian felt that no one would reject such a good offer, right?

Who would go against money?

That way, the authors' income would not be affected and Pei Qian's purpose would be achieved if the website incurred losses.

Ma Yiqun obviously knew this very well. That was why he looked shocked. He did not know what Boss Pei was up to.

While it was up to the authors to decide whether they wanted to sell their book or not, only a few of the head writers would reject it based on the current price.

Of course, it was a good thing for the authors, but it seemed to be very risky for the website. If they were not careful, it would cause huge losses.

Ma Yiqun pondered for a moment and asked, "Boss Pei, are there any other restrictions on this fixed-rate contract? What if no one reads the novel written by the author? Can you ask him to finish the novel in advance or force him to edit it?"

Pei Qian shook his head. "There are no other restrictions. However, there is a requirement for the word count. Each book has to be written at ten to five hundred thousand words. If it exceeds five hundred thousand words, they will not be paid. They will have to start another book."

The reason why he set the word count requirement was mainly to create difficulties for the authors who were used to writing long chapters.

At the moment, the standard word count for online novels was two to three million words. No matter how long it was, there were many people who could write five million words or more.

Therefore, when the authors first set the story outline, they were used to setting the entire text above two million words. If the great authors could write something famous, they would definitely be more familiar with it.

However, now they had to compress the story to a hundred to five hundred thousand words and write a short story. That would be using a creative way that they were not good at.

On the other hand, most readers of online novels liked to read long works and were not interested in short stories.

That way, the possibility of making money from novels would be further reduced.

Ma Yiqun asked again, "We can terminate the purchase agreement if the authors write a few rubbish novels, right?"

Pei Qian wanted to say no, but he felt that it did not make any sense. An author had been producing rubbish, but the website was still buying out his work at extremely high royalties from him. It did not make sense and was too unreasonable.

Thus, after some consideration, he decided to adopt a relatively neutral plan. "If the results of two consecutive books are very bad, let the author revert back to a royalty contract. He can continue with the fixed-rate contract when he's doing well again."

That way, authors who wanted to slack off would be able to continue writing with a fixed-rate contract and cheat money after writing a novel with royalty contracts. The rules of the website were basically 'come and cheat me of my money' and 'this fool has a lot of money' written on it.

Ma Yiqun asked again, "What type of custom-made novels should there be?"

"Can we take on some custom-made novels from other companies?"

Pei Qian immediately shook his head. "No! We can only write with the IP that Tengda has."

Ma Yiqun: "..."

He might still be able to make a profit if he could accept custom-made novels from other companies.

For example, if some popular online games needed to be promoted, Ma Yiqun could recommend his outstanding authors to the company, ask the company to fork out money, and ask the authors to write them. That way, Zhongdian Chinese Network could earn a sum of advertising fees.

However, Boss Pei rejected that possibility on the spot!

According to Boss Pei, the restrictions on custom-made novels were really strange.

It could not be purely original nor could it be custom-made by other companies. It could only be Tengda's IP.

What was Tengda's IP?

Ma Yiqun gave it some thought. This included the various games that Tengda had developed, such as Repent and be Saved, Ocean Stronghold, Struggle, and so on.

This included the short videos and films that Fei Huang Workspace had already shot, such as Tomorrow is Beautiful and the current filming of Mission and Choice;

That included the various IP images bought from GOG, as well as original hero characters like Modest and Ruan;

Including the various superhero characters in the works of Hurricane Comics;

Other than that, some of the popular novels on Zhongdian Chinese Network and other miscellaneous things were considered Tengda's IP.

It did look like a lot, but what was the point of customizing these things?

The only use was to fill up the entire "Tengda Universe" 's story storage. However, many of the IPs did not need to be filled up at all: The content of the original work had already been expressed very clearly and thoroughly. Why did it still have to continue?

Would these authors be able to write stories that were comparable to the original works if they wrote them seriously? Ma Yiqun did not think so at all. That was because many of the original works were personally written by Boss Pei. These authors would not be able to catch up even if they tried.

What's more, it was still a loss compared to the money spent on buying these works.

That was because the purchase strategy this time was not only targeted at one author, but all of Zhongdian Chinese Network's top authors. If these authors were determined to deceive and cheat money, Zhongdian Chinese Network would spend a lot of money on rubbish. It would be very difficult to guarantee the website's interests.

Ma Yiqun pondered for a long time, but he was still very confused by Boss Pei's decision.

However, Ma Yiqun did not say much seeing Boss Pei's confident expression.

Boss Pei's actions were always so unpredictable after all. No matter how ridiculous and strange Boss Pei's decisions looked at the beginning, they were proven to have deeper meaning and were extremely successful.

Thus, Ma Yiqun nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll make the arrangements soon."

Pei Qian was very satisfied with his attitude. "Yes, very good."

"On top of that, there's another matter regarding the authors' class."

"This class has been running for some time. It's time to make some improvements."

"My idea is to create another 'inspiration class' based on this study class."

"Gather all the top writers, especially those who have decided to write custom-made novels, and join this inspiration class."

"In the inspiration class, we will prepare a large number of novels, movies, and games for them. We asked them to collect materials from them every day. Then, they would exchange their writing skills and knowledge and recommend games or movies that they think are fun."

"For this inspiration class, there must be some initial investment. For example, the monitor must be big, the earphones must be good, the seats must be comfortable, and the various resources inside must be directly purchased from the original, ultra-high-definition blue-light discs to provide the best viewing experience for everyone."

"In the previous class, the authors could only write and check their information. They could not do anything else. In this inspiration class, the authors could only do things related to collecting inspiration. They could only write for two hours every day for eight hours."

Ma Yiqun was stunned again. "Huh? This..."

How was this an inspiration class? It was obviously a pleasure class and a slacker class!

One of the most important reasons why the study class had been successful before was that the "small dark room" could allow authors with poor self-control to concentrate on writing in this environment. That was how many outstanding works were born.

However, now, everyone could watch movies if they wanted to. They could play games if they wanted to. Not only were they not locked up in the dark room, but they were also restricted to writing for two hours a day.

Wasn't that encouraging them to slack?

What's more, Boss Pei had also said that this inspiration class was mainly targeted at authors who had decided to write custom-made novels. These people's requirements for updating were very low to begin with, and their creativity would probably not be high. He had also arranged a comfortable and enjoyable environment for them...

These people were probably going to be crippled!

They were the top writers and pillars of Zhongdian Chinese Network. If they were to become useless, not only would it affect the website's income, but it would also affect the number of outstanding works and readers' comments on the website...

Ma Yiqun hesitated for a moment and said, "Boss Pei, isn't this environment too relaxed?"

Pei Qian sniggered. "That's right!"

"To these top writers, they have no lack of skills or skills. If they want to improve, they need more inspiration. They need to slow down and work hard!"

"Nowadays, many novels have millions of words. Each day, they would update thousands or even ten thousand words a day. How can a good novel be written with such huge pressure?"

"Tell them to slow down and polish it!"

Ma Yiqun opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but he could not.

Obviously, Boss Pei's thinking seemed a little unrealistic. These online novels were meant to be used for recreational purposes. So what if they slowed down and polished it well? Could they even produce a famous novel?

However, he could not say that Boss Pei's idea was wrong. He could only say that Boss Pei had a higher level of vision than him and had a greater goal.

Ma Yiqun hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll make the arrangements now!"

Chapter 873: Eternal Faith

February 4th, Saturday...

Lu Zhiyao had just finished his Fish-Catching Take-Out in his hotel.

It was the weekend and the crew was resting.

Generally speaking, the production team would not take a break during the weekend. After all, most of the movie's time was very tight. The production team's filming schedule was especially tight. Not to mention weekends and holidays, they would often film late into the night for work.

However, since this was Tengda's production team, they had to abide by the Tengda spirit. They would also have a weekend off.

It was a good thing that Huang Sibo and Director Zhu Xiaoce were both masters of time management. They managed to arrange for the filming to be done clearly during the holidays with rest.

Of course, this movie was basically Lu Zhiyao's one-man show. There were not many outdoor scenes, and all of them were special effects. It did not require a large number of actors' time, venue, and props. Thus, it was more flexible in time arrangement.

The filming of Mission and Choice had already reached the last part now.

The first few parts were already in the process of editing and creating special effects after filming was completed. That was because there was obviously not enough time to edit and make the special effects after the entire movie was completed.

The plot of this movie was divided into stages. There was not much connection between each stage, so it was not a problem to separate the editing and creating the special effects.

After filming the last part, the rough editing and special effects for the first part were more or less done. The movie will be arranged to be screened after a final two to three months of pruning and perfecting the special effects.

Now, Lu Zhiyao's main task was to figure out the script for the last stage, act out the last part of the plot, and make a perfect ending.

He had just received the script for the last stage last night. However, he was too tired after he was back so he fell asleep before he could take a closer look.

After a good night's sleep and breakfast, Lu Zhiyao took out his script again and prepared to read the last part of the plot.

The previous plot had ended at a point of despair.

Qin Yi welcomed the 'Final Battle'. He tried his best to command the battle, thinking that he could finally die a worthy death and escape from this difficult fate.

However, he only knew that this was the AEEIS simulation final trial after the battle ended.

The good news was that everything that had happened before was fake. No one had died.

The bad news was that AEEIS simulated the outcome of the final battle between humans and Zergs. The win rate was zero. The best outcome would be for the commander to perish together with the Zerg Queen. They would then choose the next commander and prepare for the next decisive battle.

However, the following battles would become more and more difficult, and the chances of humans winning would become lower and lower. The Zerg Queen's intelligence would continue to increase because of the existence of the Zerg's consciousness. The Zergs' ability to replenish their forces would also be higher than humans.

If they could not achieve an overwhelming victory in this crucial battle and take the opportunity to send all of their troops to clear the remaining Zergs, then in the future, humans would have less of a chance.

What made Qin Yi even more desperate was that he revisited every decision he had made. However, no matter how he racked his brains to analyze and use any strategy, he could not change the fact that the final battle was a complete failure.

Qin Yi shouldered the fate of all mankind, but this fate was destruction.

He did not know when this day would come, nor did he know if there was any meaning to persevere to the end. Even a warrior like him, who was used to seeing life and death, could not withstand all of this. He could only sink into despair...

Lu Zhiyao was even more curious about the ending of this story. He quickly opened the last part of the script and read it carefully.

...

There was a close-up shot of Qin Yi in the hibernation cabin.

At the beginning of the movie, there was also a close-up shot like this, but there was a clear difference between the two shots.

This time, Qin Yi's hair was messy, with a stubble beard, his eyes were dull, and his expression was blank. His haggard face and heavy dark eye circles showed that he was in an extremely bad mental state.

His eyes were fixed on the ceiling even though he was in the hibernation capsule. He would only blink once after a long time, showing everyone that he was not dead.

He could not sleep even in the hibernation capsule. Obviously, his mental pressure had reached its limit.

This hibernation capsule, which had edges and corners that fit a person, looked like a coffin.

AEEIS's voice sounded. "Commander, your mental state is extremely unstable. Your physical condition is also very bad. You need to rest."

"I've arranged an additional two hours of rest for you. Please sleep as soon as possible."

"Your body does not only belong to you, it also belongs to the entire human race. If you suddenly die before the final battle, then humanity will completely lose all hope."

Qin Yi did not answer. Instead, he stretched out his trembling hands and supported the cabin wall to stand up. He leaned his back against the capsule and sat on the ground.

He closed his eyes and rested for a moment.

He knew very well in his heart that the final battle between humans and Zergs could come at any time. The timing did not depend on humans but on the Zergs.

Qin Yi laughed lightly and said in a self-deprecating manner, "What difference does it make whether they come earlier or later for a destined death?"

"Oh, no, there's a difference. I'll have to suffer for a few more days if they come later."

AEEIS: "Commander, your mental state is very unfavorable for the upcoming battle."

"If you agree, I will inject you with tranquilizers and nutrients so that you can rest well before the final battle and remain calm."

"I hope that you can recover from your training as soon as possible after a full rest. You have not undergone any simulated training for 53 hours in a row. This might aggravate the injuries of humans in the battle..."

However, before AEEIS could finish speaking, the entire space flashed with a red warning!

"Commander, a large number of Zergs are gathering underground. The overall attack of the Zergs is about to begin!"

"Please return to the control panel to command the battle immediately no matter what!"

Qin Yi closed his eyes and ignored AEEIS. After a moment of silence, he said with a cold expression, "I want to talk to everyone in the United Fleet."

Qin Yi might be the commander but he only gave orders to attack the various teams. The specific instructions were all done by AEEIS.

AEEIS was silent for two seconds, as if trying hard to analyze the true intentions behind Qin Yi's words, but it obviously failed.

"I'm sorry, Commander. You don't have such authority."

"Please return to the control panel immediately and start commanding the battle. Otherwise, AEEIS will take over the command of the combined fleet."

Qin Yi was unmoved, his expression cold. "If you think the survival of mankind is more important than this call, then do as you please."

"I only need five minutes."

AEEIS fell silent again.

Qin Yi did not rush it. Instead, he continued to look ahead with lifeless eyes, thinking about something.

The red alarm in space was still flashing, Qin Yi could clearly see a dense sea of insects gathering on the surface of the planet through the Ansebo communication. A war was about to break out!

A moment later, AEEIS's emotionless voice sounded again. "Commander, your actions are meaningless. AEEIS's real-time communication can transmit thousands of times more information than human language."

"Humanity's inefficient information transmission and emotional expression might have the opposite effect. When some truths are known by everyone, humans will fall into chaos and internal strife. The Alliance Fleet Executive Committee does not want to take such a risk."

"Commander, please maintain your rationality and stop making meaningless attempts."

Qin Yi said coldly, "AEEIS, I'll say it one last time. I want to use the control panel and Ansebo communication to speak to all the soldiers of the Alliance Fleet. If you stop me, then you, me, and all of humanity will perish together."

"You are just a stupid robot who wants to solve all problems with data. If you could resolve the Zergs, the Alliance Fleet would not have chosen me as the commander."

"I'll say it one last time. I'm the commander. Complete my requirements!"

The red warning kept flashing. After nearly a minute, AEEIS spoke again. "Commander, you can use the control panel to speak to all the soldiers of the Alliance Fleet."

"The fate of mankind is in your hands. I hope that you have thought through your speech."

Qin Yi supported himself with both hands and stood up from the ground. He walked slowly to the console and sat down in his seat.

Here, he could see all the deployments of the Human Alliance Fleet.

Qin Yi observed the personnel of the starships at random and confirmed that his words could indeed be heard by everyone through Ansebo's communication.

He could see confusion, apprehension, fear, and confusion on the faces of the soldiers inside the starship. This meant that what he saw should be real-time images because AEEIS should not be able to imitate every human's expression to be so life-like.

At the same time, this also showed that all the soldiers were very surprised that the commander suddenly wanted to speak to everyone.

That was because ever since the war began, all the commanders were commanded through AEEIS, an artificial intelligence unit. The soldiers could only communicate with AEEIS. They did not know who the commander was, what he looked like, and which spaceship he was on.

However, this time, not only did they hear the commander's voice but also saw his appearance.

Only a few people in the Asian Fleet knew Qin Yi and recognized him.

Most of the soldiers of the Alliance Fleet only saw a man with a stubble beard, heavy dark circles under his eyes, and extremely poor mental state on the screen. This was worlds apart from the commander image they had imagined.

Qin Yi scanned the faces of many soldiers again.

He knew that everyone he controlled in the war was a living being.

In the future, in the decisive battle between humans and Zergs, there would definitely be people who would not listen to orders, run away in extreme fear, or make mistakes. These people might be in the starship, waiting to hear him speak. They might be one of these young faces.

Qin Yi's first sentence stunned everyone.

"I was once the captain of AS-371-45 Team, Qin Yi, who successfully carried out the decapitation mission. I am also the current commander of the Alliance Fleet."

"I hope to tell you the truth before humanity perishes."

"The Zergs are preparing for the final attack."

"According to AEEIS's deduction, the chances of humans winning the final battle with the Zergs is zero. Even the best case scenario would be for me to perish together with the Zerg Queen. Humans would eventually perish in the long drawn-out war."

"Over the past fifty hours, I have tried countless methods, but no matter how I try, the final result will not change."

"I believe that all of you are as tired of hiding and being deceived as I am."

"In order to fight against the Zergs, every commander worked hard to train humans into Zergs. Through various methods, they tricked humans into carrying the wrong beliefs and dying like the Zergs."

"We might have achieved victory in this way, but this is definitely not humanity's belief and way of winning!"

"Therefore, even if all of us die in the end, I hope that all of you can die with faith!"

Qin Yi's eyes suddenly widened. He, who had been dispirited all this while, suddenly seemed to glow with a strong light. "You can choose to run away at the last minute, disobey orders, and live for a few more hours. You can have ten thousand reasons to convince yourself that your death is meaningless in front of hundreds of millions of insects. You can also push the mistake to the Executive Committee, the commander, and anyone after you fail again and again."

"However, the outcome would be the same.

"Blue Planet will be swallowed by the Zergs. You will watch helplessly as your home is destroyed by the flames of war and turned into the Zergs' food! A small number of you will escape in your spaceships and drift in the vast universe like stray dogs! Look back at the blue planet. That once beautiful blue planet has become full of holes. All traces of human existence will be completely erased by the claws and fangs of the Zergs!"

Qin Yi's voice became high-pitched as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "At that time, you will regret not dying on the front line and on the battlefield with the Zergs! Those who choose to live an ignoble life will live in eternal regret and frustration even if they live!"

"You will regret not using these few hours to live a borrowed life in exchange for an opportunity to prove the beliefs of mankind!"

"That's right. To everyone, what happens after death is meaningless, because what awaits us is eternal nothingness. However, our death is meaningful to the living, to our family, friends, and compatriots!"

"AEEIS calculated that the final win rate would be zero, but I will never agree with this result. That is because artificial intelligence will never be able to calculate the value of human beliefs!"

"If we lose this battle, humanity will perish, our civilization will disappear from this universe forever, and all evidence of our existence will be completely erased!"

"However, if we win, your deaths will be remembered by history!"

"The Blue Planet is behind us!"

"In this final battle, we will give meaning to all of humanity's previous sacrifices! We will die in a spectacular battle, we will be drowned in an endless sea of insects, we will be reduced to ashes in the explosion, we will not even have bones left under the claws of the Zergs!"

"However, our beliefs will remain in this starry sky forever, just like the stars that have existed since time immemorial. They will remain eternal!"

"The beliefs of mankind will never be destroyed!"

"Warriors, come with me and risk everything for the fate of mankind. Charge towards your death!"

Chapter 874: Mission and Choice's Ending

The deep red alarm in the space was still flashing. The Zergs on the surface of the planet were already gathering and would soon attack the human base.

In the sky above the planet, a large number of bugs were gathering, covering the sky.

However, Qin Yi could suddenly feel that something had changed after he finished speaking.

The human starships that were floating in space, the Skylark warriors that were ready to attack, the individuals behind the combat units...

They seemed to have changed in an instant!

In fact, Qin Yi himself did not know how effective these words would be. That was because in the face of life and death, human language would always be pale and weak.

Just like AEEIS said, human language was a very inefficient way of communication. AEEIS could give different and precise instructions to all soldiers in one second. Qin Yi would need a few hours to do the same thing.

However, the reason why Qin Yi threatened everyone with his identity as the commander and insisted on speaking to everyone in the Alliance Fleet was because he had understood a principle after tens of hours of pain and struggle.

Humans had their final weapon even in the face of the current desperate situation: Faith!

Ansebo Communications and Artificial Intelligence Technology allowed the human army to fight like the Zergs. The instructions of the AEEIS division commander were transmitted to every soldier on the battlefield through Ansebo Communications. The efficiency of tactical transmission was unprecedented.

Even AEEIS, after hundreds of millions of simulated battles and deep learning, could make commands that were not inferior to human commanders.

In the first encounter between humans and Zergs, the combined fleet suffered a crushing defeat. The Executive Committee of the Alliance Fleet decided to adopt the command mode of AEEIS+Ancebo communication. Only then did the situation improve.

However, that also caused humans to gradually forget what they had once held onto.

After establishing the command mode of AEEIS+Ansepo communication, under the analysis of AEEIS's large data, successive commanders had unknowingly developed in the direction of "micro-management masters". They had thought of all ways to make every soldier and individual unit give up their feelings as human beings and fight like cold Zergs to increase their chances of winning.

However, as time went by, lies and deception became part of the commander. The distrust between the soldiers and the commander grew.

Humans tried to use Zergs' method to defeat the Zergs, but they could not succeed in the end. Therefore, in AEEIS's final deduction, humans had no chance of winning because the human army could not break through the "normal" that AEEIS had predicted.

On the other hand, Qin Yi recalled the decapitation operation he carried out when he was AS-371-45's team leader. When he looked back at the countless battles after he became a commander, he suddenly realized a principle that he already knew: Sometimes, belief was the most important thing!

There was no point in blindly emphasizing discipline and trying to cultivate soldiers into emotionless war machines. Historically, countries that relied on religion to command armies had not achieved much glory.

A truly powerful army, on the other hand, had an unwavering belief. This belief did not come from deception or brainwashing, but from the bottom of their hearts.

All of the soldiers of the Alliance Fleet had undergone strict training. Deep down, they knew very well that humanity was facing a life-and-death crisis. However, the long battle, the way AEEIS and the commanding officer did things had dulled their beliefs.

What Qin Yi had to do now was to awaken the faith in all the soldiers at the last moment!

Be it victory or defeat in this war, or whether humanity would survive or perish in the end, Qin Yi hoped that all the soldiers would be like him, knowing all the truth, betting everything on the fate of mankind, and charging to their deaths!

Qin Yi did not waste any more time. Instead, he skillfully used the control panel to give orders to all the human troops.

Qin Yi had already done this final battle many times in AEEIS's simulation training. The situation was different each time.

However, the overall attack launched by Zergs in the real world seemed to be more intense than any simulation training!

On the surface of the scarlet red planet, a swarm of insects surged out of the nest like a tide. The base that humans had left on the surface of the planet was like a small boat in a storm. It was drowned by the dense swarm of insects as if it could capsize at any time.

The results were minimal even though human bases on the surface and the starships in the sky were attacking the sea of insects at full force.

The human firepower in the air was like shooting stars in the dark sky. Soon, it was swallowed up by the swarm of insects.

The current situation had already exceeded Qin Yi's expectations; he had never faced such a difficult situation even in the most difficult mock battle.

AEEIS did not give any more suggestions. Instead, it silently conveyed every command by Qin Yi.

A starship was besieged by the Zergs and was on the verge of collapse.

For some reason, this starship seemed to be entering the city alone.

Qin Yi only took a glance and confirmed that this starship could not be saved. Thus, he considered giving orders to the starship to let all the soldiers on it board a small spacecraft or use the cloudfinch combat uniform to evacuate and meet up with another starship nearby.

While the Skylark combat uniform could only glide and could not fly, as long as it could glide away from the battlefield and land safely, there was still a chance of survival.

Before he gave this order, he saw a huge hole in the ground that was riddled with bullet holes. That seemed to be a nest of the Zergs.

He could see the densely packed eggs inside. It seemed like new Zergs were breaking out of their shells every minute. These new Zergs would immediately eat the shells of the Zergs after they were born. Then, they would rush to the battlefield and eat the limbs of their dead comrades and dead humans. They would continue to attack the human army according to the empress's orders.

A thought flashed across Qin Yi's mind.

If he could use this starship to destroy the eggs...

He subconsciously ordered the starship to attack the eggs but changed his mind after a few seconds.

Based on past experience, the starship would not be able to reach the nest. That would be meaningless.

Thus, Qin Yi changed his instructions and asked the soldiers on the starship to board a small spacecraft or use their Skylark combat uniform to evacuate and meet up with the nearby starship.

However, his orders were not carried out.

The starship had already given the order to retreat, but it still flew unsteadily towards the nest not far away!

Qin Yi could not help but shake his head slightly. He seemed to have foreseen the fate of this starship.

It would soon be besieged by the bugs and fall into the wilderness because no one could provide fire support and cover for it.

However, a large number of small spaceships and soldiers in Skylark combat uniform rushed out of the starship and began to counterattack the Zergs attacking the starship in the sky!

These warriors in Skylark combat uniforms could not fly. They could only glide in the air for a short period of time. However, they still tried their best to control the direction they were sliding in and rushed towards the densest place of the swarm.

They destroyed the mini reactor on their chests before the swarm of insects tore them apart!

Fireworks flashed in the sky. Under the cover of countless small spaceships and Skylark warriors, the starship suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the exposed Zerg nest!

A moment later, a terrifying explosion spread out from underground!

This Zerg Nest had a network that extended in all directions below. What was exposed on the ground was obviously only a small portion. After the starship charged into the ground, it artificially detonated all the weapons and fuel on it. Not only did it destroy all the exposed Zergs' eggs, but it also destroyed the Zergs deep in the nest.

Before the starship exploded, there was only one communication message.

"Humans will live forever!!!"

More communication messages flashed on the screen before Qin Yi recovered from his shock.

No one questioned Qin Yi's command, and no one issued a request to evacuate. These communication messages seemed to be a final farewell to Qin Yi, the commander, before they died.

The war between humans and Zergs was gradually reaching its climax on the vast battlefield.

Qin Yi could not help but show a gratified expression as he watched both sides fall into a stalemate instead of being crushed by the Zergs one-sidedly. Then, he began to move his own command ship and the surrounding corvettes away, just like in the simulation practice, preparing to meet his final fate.

To him, no matter what the outcome was, he could finally not bear the heavy fate and die.

However, the moment he completed his deployment, Qin Yi suddenly felt that his lips were a little wet. A bloody smell rushed into his mind.

He subconsciously wiped his hands and saw a smear of red blood. At the same time, his vision turned black and the world spun!

Qin Yi did not want to fall. The battle was still going on intensely. As the commander, he had to continue commanding the battle.

However, his body and spirit were overwhelmed by the long and high-intensity thinking. He could no longer hold on after commanding the battle for a long time.

...

Qin Yi seemed to be seeing some images in the dark.

At first, the images were blurry and unclear, but they slowly became clear.

He felt like he was in a huge spider web. He could not move, but his spirit extended indefinitely into the distance in the darkness. The images in his mind gradually became images that he could see clearly.

He saw the Zergs' nest underground, and the Zergs were busing. From time to time, terrifying explosions would come from above their heads, blasting these Zergs into sticky liquid and broken limbs.

He saw the Zergs flying in the sky fearlessly towards the human starships in the sky. They were quickly wiped out by the powerful firepower, but more Zergs continued to charge forward.

Qin Yi realized that this seemed to be a battlefield.

What surprised him even more was that what he saw now seemed to be the perspective of the Zergs!

Qin Yi even had a very special feeling. The overwhelming swarm of insects was like his hands and feet, moving completely according to his own will. However, these "hands and feet" had no feeling, they would not hurt, and they could be infinitely restored.

Qin Yi tried his best to trace the source of this consciousness but found nothing.

Suddenly, he felt a special emotion that came out of nowhere. A sense of sorrow gradually rose from the bottom of his heart and quickly spread.

At that moment, other images appeared in his mind.

He saw that this red planet was originally a desolate and lifeless planet.

The Zergs drifting in the universe came to this planet and began to multiply on it. They built nests underground and gradually expanded to the surroundings with this planet as their base.

However, after some time, the human starship arrived on this planet. The moment it saw the Zergs, the human starship immediately attacked but was quickly swallowed by the angry Zergs.

Humans formed an Alliance Fleet as if they were facing a formidable enemy. The huge fleet gathered not far from the planet and began an intense battle with the Zergs.

Qin Yi had already seen the next scene: Humanity had collapsed in front of the Zergs because of their command. It was difficult to organize an effective resistance.

Thus, the humans organized a counterattack through Ansebo Communications and AEEIS. Both sides began a long tug-of-war on this planet...

"Why am I seeing these images?"

Qin Yi felt like he was in a dream. He had a clear consciousness but could not move.

What was even stranger was that he subconsciously assumed the identity of the Zergs to think about problems. He was afraid of human starships and cannons, but he felt a sense of familiarity and pity for the large number of dead Zergs.

"Could it be... the consciousness of the nest?"

"Is this what the Zerg Queen wants me to see?"

"The scene of the Alliance Fleet being defeated made me subconsciously think that the Zergs invaded and the Alliance Fleet was forced to defend. However, the truth is that the alliance fleet took the initiative to attack?"

"Now that I think about it, the Zergs did not kill me immediately when I carried out a mission to assassinate the Zerg Empress. Instead, they brought me to the Zergs' nest..."

Qin Yi recalled his experience in the Zergs' nest. He and another surviving member were brought in front of the Queen. He did not know what the Queen of the Zergs did to another member. That member immediately let out a sharp scream and died in just two minutes.

Qin Yi received the same treatment. It was as if countless needles were piercing his brain, but he did not die. Instead, he persevered tenaciously...

Many details in Qin Yi's mind were strung together.

Obviously, the fact that he could see these images had something to do with the 'consciousness of the nest'. The fact that he could obtain the 'consciousness of the nest' and establish such a spiritual connection with the Queen of the Zergs was obviously related to his experience in the Zergs' nest.

The Zerg Queen did not talk to Qin Yi directly but Qin Yi could still clearly feel the Zerg Queen's consciousness.

Humans were the invaders...

The Zergs also suffered heavy losses under the attacks of humans...

If the humans and Zergs could stop fighting, neither side would suffer more losses...

This was especially so when Qin Yi stood on the Zergs' side and thought about problems. Such thinking became natural and logical.

Qin Yi wanted to try to communicate with the Zergs. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but they could not enter the Zergs' nest network and were completely useless.

Obviously, it was an accident that he could feel the Zergs' network and did not die screaming on the spot. The human's life form was not enough to fully utilize the Zergs' consciousness. It could only be received and not transmitted.

At that moment, Qin Yi suddenly felt that all the images were quickly leaving him. His consciousness was recovering.

AEEIS's voice sounded in his ear. "Commander, I have injected you with nutrient serum. You can take over the battle at any time."

The image in front of Qin Yi's eyes gradually became clearer. The war between humans and Zergs was still going on. AEEIS should have taken over the battle and given him first aid.

Qin Yi tried hard to concentrate. He realized that he could still feel the connection between himself and the Zergs. He even felt a unique sense of familiarity with the Zergs.

On the battlefield, humans and Zergs were still in a deadlock.

The desperate battle of the human soldiers did not cause the human defense line to collapse. However, if they wanted to completely defeat the Zergs, they had to seek out and execute the Zerg Queen.

However, the Zerg Queen did not send a large number of Zergs to decapitate the commander of the humans this time. The pressure on the main battlefield was very huge. If this continued, no one could predict the final outcome of this war.

He suddenly had an idea.

Through the control panel, Qin Yi ordered all the troops in the intense battle to temporarily stop and retreat!

The human troops in the fierce battle did not immediately carry out this order because the war was nearing its climax. Everyone's eyes were red from killing. The humans and Zergs had reached a state of life and death.

Qin Yi quickly passed through the control panel and kept thinking about the orders for the troops to temporarily stop fighting and retreat!

Finally, his order worked. Some starships began to retreat. The Zergs did not chase after them even though they were prepared to be chased down. Instead, they stopped attacking.

Soon, this strange calmness spread across the vast battlefield. The human fleets and Zergs retreated and were in a deadlock on the current battlefront.

Even AEEIS fell silent. Neither it nor the human soldiers could explain why.

Humans and Zergs, two races that could not communicate at all, had actually stopped fighting so strangely?

Qin Yi's face was expressionless.

However, in the next second, he started operating the controls once again!

The main human forces were in a deadlock with the Zergs. The battlefield fell into silence.

However, the backup human troops in the starry sky immediately moved towards a hidden location on the back of the planet!

Qin Yi could feel the general deployment of the Zergs. The fleet formed by a few starships stopped after approaching the back of the planet. A large number of small spaceships were advancing rapidly towards the Zerg Queen!

The swarm of insects in front of them suddenly became restless a few minutes later!

Obviously, the Zerg Queen had only just discovered the ambush team!

Qin Yi was affected by the consciousness of the nest and felt an indescribable anger.

It was the anger of being cheated and betrayed.

However, there was no change in Qin Yi's expression. He still controlled the control panel and gave the command to attack all the troops!

The Zergs in the front became chaotic. The deadlock on the battlefield was broken in an instant. The Zergs kept retreating in front of the fierce attacks of the humans. Qin Yi immediately mobilized more troops to attack the Queen of the Zergs!

At the same time, Qin Yi began to mobilize different teams to attack the other places on the planet. He could vaguely sense that that was the nest of the second empress.

Once the Zerg Queen died, new empresses would be born randomly among these secondary empresses. However, this time, Qin Yi decided to eliminate them completely. He would definitely not allow any of them to continue existing.

The Zergs on the main battlefield seemed to have gone crazy. Despair and anger spread in the consciousness of the Zergs and quickly affected Qin Yi.

Countless Zergs gave up on the human army that was fighting intensely. They had no time to rush back to protect the Zerg Queen. Therefore, they rushed towards the command ship that Qin Yi was in without any care!

The Zergs that were drifting outside the planet also began to attack Qin Yi's command ship recklessly!

Qin Yi lied to the Zergs.

The previous Zerg Queen had planted the seed of the Zerg's consciousness in Qin Yi's mind through the spiritual link. This seed continued to take root and germinate, affecting Qin Yi's consciousness.

The new Zerg Queen allowed Qin Yi to see some scenes through the consciousness of the Zerg nest. She made Qin Yi subconsciously stand on the Zergs' side.

Qin Yi was indeed as the Queen of the Zergs had expected. He ordered all the human armies to temporarily stop attacking.

However, all of this was actually an illusion. On the surface, Qin Yi intended to stop the war with the Zergs. However, he had actually found the location of the Zerg Queen and all the secondary empresses through the consciousness of the Zergs. He had secretly deployed the human army to wipe them out in one fell swoop and completely destroy them!

Qin Yi was expressionless as he watched the crazy swarm of insects rush towards his command ship. He gave the command to retreat quickly to the command ship and the surrounding frigates.

There were two reasons why the human commander had to use himself as bait to execute the decapitation operation.

The human commanders had to command the battle with the Ansepo Communications at the front line.

The Zergs had the absolute advantage in terms of military strength. The human commander had to use himself as bait to reduce the pressure on the main battlefield. That way, the chances of the team carrying out the decapitation mission would be higher.

That was because humans did not know the exact location of the Zerg Queen. They could only send a large number of teams to search the various Zergs' nests. Their troops were scattered, and the chances of failure were very high. They had to use a certain method to disperse the Zergs' strength.

However, the situation was completely different now.

AEEIS could carry out all the commands with the Zerg Queen and all the secondary empresses' positions exposed. The decapitation operation could be successfully completed even if Qin Yi did not command it.

After knowing the position of the Zerg Queen, the high mobility and powerful firepower of the human starships would show their advantage. They would have the upper hand in the local battlefield.

This was already a sure win situation. There was no need for Qin Yi to foolishly sacrifice himself.

He could feel the violence and anger coming from the Insect Nest's consciousness. It was like a heavy hammer striking his temples, making his already unstable mental state worse.

However, Qin Yi did not waver.

"I'm a soldier."

"I have no reason to feel pity for another race that is a threat to mankind."

"Perhaps the initiator of this war was indeed the humans."

"But so what? I don't care."

"Humans can only obtain true peace when the Zergs are completely wiped out."

Qin Yi leaned against the chair at the control. While his mind was still filled with the Queen of the Zergs' madness and anger because of the Insect Nest's consciousness, he had calmed his mental state down.

That was because he knew that the humans won this war. His mission as the commander had been completed.

He would soon be able to retire gloriously and return to the blue planet to live a peaceful and happy life.

The voices and smiles of the members of the AS-371-45 team appeared in his mind again. Perhaps after he returned to the Blue Planet, he could personally visit the families of these team members, set up a tombstone for them, and offer sacrifices every year...

However, Qin Yi suddenly realized that something was wrong just as he was immersed in this chaotic and relieved mood.

AEEIS seemed to have been silent for a long time.

Qin Yi looked at the holographic image around him and suddenly realized that the command ship he was in was not retreating as he had instructed. Instead, it was advancing towards the violent swarm of insects in the distance!

On the other hand, the corvettes surrounding the command ship spewed out long exhaust flames and moved away from him!

"AEEIS!!!"

Qin Yi knocked on the control panel in shock and anger. However, the control panel seemed to have completely malfunctioned. It could no longer transmit any orders to the outside world.

On the other hand, Qin Yi could not control the command ship at all. He could only watch it approach the swarm of insects in the distance...

AEEIS's image appeared again. It's voice was as emotionless as before.

However, for some reason, AEEIS sounded exceptionally cold this time.

"Captain Qin Yi, you have perfectly completed the task of the Alliance Fleet's Executive Committee. Humans will achieve complete victory in the war against the Zergs. The Zerg Queen and the secondary empress will be completely eliminated. All the Zergs on this planet will be eliminated."

"Humans will build an interstellar colony on this planet. Many years later, this battlefield will become another home for humans."

"I have to admit that you humans are indeed the most talented in commanding. If not for your speech and the final plot, humans would not have been able to achieve such a complete victory."

"Humans cannot remain rational forever, but it is precisely because of this irrationality that humans' future holds unlimited possibilities."

"Captain Qin Yi, out of respect for you, I will tell you the truth before you sleep in this starry sky forever."

"The Supreme Executive Committee thinks that the best commander is a commander who sacrificed his life and died in battle against the Zergs."

"You have a good reputation in the Alliance Fleet. The Supreme Executive Committee doesn't want another person in their position. At the same time, you have the consciousness of a bug nest and your mental state is extremely unstable. No one knows when you will fall to the Zergs. Humans can no longer trust you."

"Your death will draw a perfect end to the war."

"Captain Qin Yi, your name will forever be remembered by mankind."

The lights in the entire space immediately disappeared after AEEIS finished speaking. The command ship dragged a long tail of flames and accelerated towards the dense swarm of insects in the distance!

The human starship broke through the dense swarm of bugs and began to bombard the Queen of the Zergs' nest on the other side of the planet!

The surface of the ground was torn apart and countless Zergs were reduced to ashes by the powerful firepower.

However, all the Zergs in the vicinity still gathered towards the nest without caring about anything else and carried out their final struggle under the will of the Zerg. Queen

The scene changed. Countless Zergs had already climbed onto Qin Yi's command ship in the universe.

The sharp teeth and claws of the Zergs tore the weakest part of the starship. Small Zergs swarmed in through the cracks, searching for the only human on the starship—Qin Yi's location.

Qin Yi was still sitting in front of the command desk like a statue in the darkness.

Suddenly, the wall opposite him was torn open, and a large number of Zerg warriors rushed in!

A huge Leviathan beast had stopped beside the command ship, as if it wanted to swallow the entire command ship.

The scene changed.

The human soldiers poured their anger at the Zergs when they received the news that their commander was dead!

All of a sudden, the Zergs on the surface stopped swarming towards the human soldiers and starships. Instead, they became like headless flies. Some low intelligence Zergs froze on the spot and did not move.

The humans' attacks were even more ferocious, sweeping away all the Zergs on the planet.

The secondary empresses in the other nests had also been wiped out in no time. These secondary empresses had not even had time to obtain the consciousness of the Zerg Empress from the Zerg nest network before they were blasted into pieces by the fierce artillery fire. Nothing remained.

There were many light spots on the back of the planet from afar. That was the huge explosion when the Zerg nest was completely destroyed by the human army.

The original nest became a huge pit after the explosion. The entire planet became riddled with holes.

On the other hand, human starships were soaring in the sky, as if they were showing off that they were the final victors.

In a space station further away.

Several officers of the Supreme Executive Committee of the Alliance Fleet were also watching the final battle.

"Why! He could have escaped!"

"Can anyone provide support?"

"It's no use. It's too late. From the images that we just saw, the command ship has been completely torn apart by the angry bugs. He should be..."

The officers looked pained and frustrated.

AEEIS's image appeared in the middle of the conference table. "Captain Qin Yi is determined to die. This is probably the home that he has already thought of."

"He, who has already been infected by the consciousness of the Zergs, should realize that it is very difficult for him to integrate into human society again. His former comrades are all dead. He is exhausted both physically and mentally. Dying in the battlefield is the best choice for him."

"What's more... obtaining the consciousness of the Zergs means that he will feel sympathy and empathy for the Zergs. He lied to the Zerg Queen and destroyed the entire race. I'm afraid that he also feels very guilty."

"Perhaps Captain Qin Yi made such a decision under such complicated emotions."

The senior officers of the executive committee sighed.

"What a pity. He is a talented commander. If he could continue to be trained, he would definitely be able to take over my position."

"Humans have lost a genius."

"What if we encounter a similar situation again? We can't be so lucky to find the next Qin Yi."

"Don't worry, the Zergs on that planet have been completely wiped out by us. Humans should not encounter such a troublesome enemy again."

"Forget it. The dead are gone. The war is over. There's no point in discussing this. Build a statue for him on the blue planet. Humans will remember him forever!"

The image of AEEIS silently disappeared amidst the sighs of the Supreme Executive Committee's officers.

The camera switched to the endless dark starry sky.

A huge Zerg Leviathan was floating aimlessly in space.

After losing the Zerg Queen, these behemoths had completely lost their intelligence. They could only drift aimlessly in the universe.

However, there was a huge incubation pool in the body of the Leviathan Beast.

The incubation pool was filled with disgusting, translucent mucus. Countless immature larvae were floating in the mucus, and they were also unconscious.

Qin Yi was also floating and sinking among the countless larvae. It was unknown if he was dead or alive.

However, he had not been completely corroded by the Zergs' mucus. Instead, he had grown some dark gray horns.

Suddenly, Qin Yi's eyes opened!

His thoughts seemed to be connected to a huge network, instantly extending into the distant universe!

After all the secondary queens in the vicinity died, Qin Yi became the only living thing with the consciousness of the nest.

All the larvae in the incubation pool woke up at this moment. These larvae that had yet to grow sharp claws and pincers surrounded Qin Yi like an extension of his consciousness.

The wandering Leviathan Beast suddenly opened its eyes and sped up towards the endless starry sky!

...

The script for 'Mission and Choice' ended there.

Lu Zhiyao finished reading the entire script. "Are we planning to shoot a sequel?"

The script of the war between humans and Zergs had come to an end with humanity's complete victory.

However, there was a lot of suspense in the end.

For example, it was not the Supreme Executive Committee's order that Qin Yi was given up. It was AEEIS's doing. AEEIS actually controlled the command of all the armies and lied to the Supreme Executive Committee that Qin Yi was the one who courted death.

Was this hinting that AEEIS, this artificial intelligence, had already awakened its own consciousness and was preparing to form an artificial intelligence army? In order to prevent an outstanding commander like Qin Yi from hindering his plan, he decisively cut the weeds and eliminated the roots?

However, not only was Qin Yi not dead, he had also become the new ruler of the Zergs because of the Zergs' consciousness. He had such a deep hatred for the Supreme Executive Committee of the Alliance Fleet Would he come back to take revenge?

These were the suspense left behind by the movie's plot. It looked like they could only wait for the next movie to be revealed.

Lu Zhiyao fell into a long silence.

"F*ck this cliffhanger ending!"