In a mid-range residential complex, Alisson Susanne stared at the flashing message on her communication app, glanced at the digital tablet beside her, scratched her head, and finally leaned back in the chair, no longer bothering about her appearance.
As a contracted cartoonist for Plotbound Media, she knew too well that the company was in crisis. Rumors of bankruptcy had been circulating for weeks, and she had even heard whispers that some of the more capable colleagues had already started quietly seeking new jobs.
Her comic series had not been axed yet, but with the company's instability, who could say how long it would last? It wasn't that she hadn't considered switching publishers, but the problem always came down to the same thing: salary. Other companies didn't offer manuscript fees as high as this one, and that was the issue that troubled her the most.
As for royalties from adaptations or copyright development, she had never seriously thought about them. She wasn't a star creator. What mattered most to her was simple: securing a higher serialization fee.
"Woof, woof, woof!" While she was lost in thought, her Husky, who had woken up at some point, was spinning in circles chasing his tail and barking.
"Stop making a racket! If I lose this job, you won't even have food to eat, and you're still making noise!" Susanne scolded, kicking lightly at the Husky's backside with her slipper.
The dog leapt away, staring at her in puzzlement for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, it went right back to spinning after its tail.
This idiot! Watching the Husky run in circles, Susanne could only sigh in exasperation.
"Ding-ling-ling…"
Just as she was marveling at his boundless energy, the phone on the desk rang. She glanced at the caller ID, saw it was her editor, and quickly picked up.
"Susanne, I need to tell you something. The company has issued a directive, all comics currently being serialized must be wrapped up."
Susanne froze, eyes widening in disbelief. She had been mentally prepared for the possibility of her series being cut, but for all comics to be ended at once?
Before she could voice a question, her editor continued: "Don't misunderstand, it's not bankruptcy. On the contrary, our company has been acquired by a major publisher. They want to restructure and invest heavily. The new owner is PixelPioneers Games; you can look them up yourself. For any works forced to conclude early, royalties will be paid at three times the usual rate. The acquisition was mainly to expand IP development linked to their games. There will also be an internal assessment soon. I've sent you the details by email. Be sure to prepare yourself."
The line went dead, leaving Susanne staring blankly at the phone. So her comic company had been acquired by… a game studio? And now they were forcing every ongoing series to conclude just to clear the way for game-related projects. What kind of bizarre strategy was that?
Still, her initial shock quickly faded. She opened her browser, searched for PixelPioneers Games, and skimmed the results.
Five minutes later, she let out a "Damn."
Susanne wasn't a gamer; outside of the occasional mobile game, she hardly touched them. But even from a glance online, it was clear: this company wasn't small. PixelPioneers Games had a reputation for spending big and moving aggressively into the entertainment market.
Remembering her editor's words, she straightened in her chair. The acquisition didn't matter much to her, as long as they paid her on time, she didn't care. What did matter was the assessment. That was the real challenge.
Opening her email, she found a compressed file. Inside was a Word document, a set of guidelines, and, most importantly, an introduction to a new game.
"Resident Evil? Is that the title of the game?" Susanne muttered to herself.
The file even included a platform account and a tutorial on downloading the game. Without hesitation, she followed the instructions, installed the client, and launched the game. After all, if she wanted a shot at adapting Resident Evil into a comic, she had to understand it first.
"Why does it have to be a horror game!" From the moment the eerie atmosphere set in, goosebumps pricked her arms. She nearly screamed when, in the opening, the female zombie struck by the truck suddenly staggered back to life.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Startled by her scream, the Husky jumped to his feet and barked nervously, as if ready to fight off invisible enemies.
But she had already forgotten him. Her eyes were glued to the screen.
"Wait, is this the protagonist? He's so handsome!" Leon's features, parted hair, and rugged jacket gave him the look of a fresh-faced young action star. Her fear melted instantly into wide-eyed admiration.
Meanwhile, at the newly rebranded PixelPioneers Comics Media, other contracted artists were also being pushed to explore PixelPioneers titles. At the same time, in the broader gaming community, countless players were buzzing about the reactions of overseas fans to The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.
It might not have seemed related to Susanne's world, but there was an undeniable sense of pride whenever a game developed at home gained worldwide recognition. Seeing foreigners praise it endlessly brought a strange, shared excitement.
But even as the chatter spread online, John and his team were preparing something far bigger, a surprise update for players worldwide. The new DLC for Skyrim had been completed, even including an experimental online mode.
Yet, on Armani's advice, they decided not to make a flashy announcement. Instead, they quietly pushed the update live, letting players stumble upon the new content themselves. The discovery would ignite curiosity and hype organically, while their marketing teams fanned the flames afterward.
At the same time, mobile game projects were entering late-stage development. Titles like Red Alert,Auto Chess, and the upcoming Resident Evil 2 remake were already lined up.
But just before players uncovered the hidden Skyrim update, John received unexpected news from Armani, something so startling that at first he thought it was a joke. Only when Armani confirmed it did John realize the truth.
He sat frozen in his office chair, staring wide-eyed at Armani. After a long silence, he finally muttered: "You… you're really something."