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After a grueling trek through the desert, Lennox and his surviving squad finally reached a small village.
Relief washed over them. Finally—a chance to contact the Pentagon and report what happened.
But just as they approached, a massive mechanical scorpion erupted from the sand behind them, immediately unleashing a barrage of fire on their position.
The surviving squad scrambled for cover and returned fire.
The entire battle sequence was absolutely intense—heart-pounding and visceral. Teammates dropped left and right, casualties mounting with every passing second.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, they managed to establish contact with headquarters. Command dispatched drone support from a nearby location, and the air strike finally drove the giant mechanical scorpion back into the desert.
The demo ended there.
To be honest, ten minutes really wasn't enough time to experience anything substantial or grasp the full essence of the game.
They hadn't even seen characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, let alone the legendary Megatron.
However, what they did experience was flawless.
Although Infinite Realms featured plenty of strange creatures and thrilling battle sequences, the completely original designs and character concepts of the Transformers brought a different kind of sensory experience entirely.
Especially when the armed helicopter transformed into a giant robot right in front of him—Edgar had been genuinely shocked.
It felt like witnessing aliens descending before his very eyes. Like everything was actually happening.
Moreover, according to official announcements, after the full content launched, players could choose not only human characters but also Autobot Transformers themselves. That was incredibly exciting.
Playing AS a Transformer? Definitely something to look forward to.
After his ten-minute experience, Edgar reluctantly left the VR pod for the next player.
He immediately found a quiet corner, pulled out his tablet, and started drafting his article while the experience was still fresh.
In the staff corridor of the venue, Robert Downey Jr.'s team—accompanied by Stormwind personnel—made their way quickly toward the backstage lounge of the Stormwind exhibition hall.
"Mr. Downey has arrived!"
"Please, come in!"
Staff in the lounge immediately stood to greet him, faces lit up with barely contained excitement.
They were all Iron Man fans. Seeing RDJ in person had them genuinely thrilled.
"Hello, Mr. Downey!"
"Hello, everyone!"
Nathan shook hands with RDJ, and after brief pleasantries, quickly explained the upcoming schedule and performance arrangements.
Soon after, Alex arrived at the exhibition hall as well, accompanied by Emma, Isabella, Danny, and Sophia.
Emma was naturally the happiest to meet the real Iron Man. But coming from a prominent family, she carried herself with grace—simply shaking hands and greeting RDJ politely.
Since he was busy preparing for his appearance, she didn't monopolize his time.
RDJ was going to don the Iron Man suit prop and appear in full costume to meet the fans.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please quiet down! Now, please cooperate with our staff and temporarily move to the area beyond the yellow line. Our performance is about to begin!"
The host's voice rang out through the speakers.
Staff quickly cleared the central area, making space for the show.
The audience on-site was extremely cooperative, faces showing excited anticipation.
They knew Iron Man was about to appear.
Meanwhile, visitors from other areas rushed over upon hearing the announcement. The space around the Stormwind exhibition hall was once again packed—a sea of humanity pressing against the barriers.
Once preparations were complete, the venue lights dimmed. Then a familiar BGM kicked in.
Iron Man's entrance theme.
Danny's idol group, dressed in eye-catching outfits, performed an energetic dance routine. Combined with the synchronized light show, the atmosphere became electric.
After the opening performance, Robert Downey Jr.—wearing the full Iron Man suit—made his grand entrance.
Screams and cheers erupted throughout the venue instantly.
The crowd's energy was off the charts. Pure excitement.
Walking to center stage, the Iron Man helmet's faceplate automatically lifted, revealing RDJ's familiar face.
He smiled and waved to the audience, drawing another massive wave of cheering.
"On March 1st, please support Stormwind Studios' new release, Transformers! Additionally, my Iron Man sequel is expected to release this December. I hope everyone will support it. This time, even more Iron Man armors will be making appearances—so please look forward to it!"
RDJ's appearance lasted a few minutes, followed by additional performances from the idol group.
Backstage afterward, RDJ took photos and chatted with the staff, genuinely personable and engaging.
Alex had arranged lunch for RDJ's entire team at one of San Francisco's top restaurants.
During the meal, Emma finally got her chance to really talk with RDJ—expressing her love for the Iron Man character and her admiration for his acting. RDJ was gracious and charming throughout, clearly used to fan interactions but still making each person feel genuinely heard.
The Infinite Realms Carnival proved incredibly fruitful for Stormwind Studios.
Beyond winning numerous awards, the Transformers project—exactly as Alex had anticipated—completely exploded in global popularity through the Carnival exposure, even breaking beyond the usual gaming circles into mainstream consciousness.
And Stormwind's reputation rose with the tide. Their influence expanded dramatically, becoming the most famous and impactful content developer in Infinite Realms history—the default number one in countless players' minds.
After the Carnival concluded, Alex took the employees who'd participated in the event, along with Danny's idol group members, to a beachside resort on the Southern California coast. A few days of relaxation before returning to the grind.
"The resort is all-inclusive," Alex announced to the group. "All entertainment facilities and venues are free to use. All meals are covered. For the next few days, everyone can do whatever they want. Okay—everyone's got their room keys? Go find your rooms. The next five days are completely free time!"
"YESSS!"
The idol group girls cheered loudest.
Many of them had never been on an overseas vacation before. This was their first time, and their excitement was infectious.
The Stormwind staff were equally happy. After an intense period of crunch and exhaustion, being able to relax and vacation was genuinely wonderful—especially since it was company-funded. Double the joy.
While Alex and his group relaxed at the resort, countless players worldwide were counting down to the Transformers launch.
They watched the days tick by slowly, wishing February only had twenty days.
With promotional coverage spreading everywhere and official hype from Infinite Realms corporate, anticipation for Transformers reached unprecedented heights.
The gaming community even added an official countdown feature to help players track the remaining time. Players also used the associated forums to vent their anxious excitement while waiting.
Finally, with millions eagerly anticipating, the experiential content Transformers launched globally.
Instantly, a cumulative 500 million players worldwide entered the game.
Within ten minutes, that number nearly doubled—breaking through one billion.
This essentially meant one billion players logged into Transformers immediately upon release.
Although many had predicted strong numbers, this still genuinely astonished industry observers.
Currently, Infinite Realms had approximately 2.5 billion registered players with verified accounts globally.
This meant two-fifths of the entire playerbase had been waiting for this specific launch and entered immediately.
This kind of phenomenon had only occurred once before—during Infinite Realms' very first major version update. But the player numbers and overall scale back then couldn't compare to now.
Moreover, this time Transformers achieved these numbers without any first-login rewards or promotional events. Pure organic demand. One billion players simultaneously waiting for a single piece of content to go live.
This was the kind of achievement that would be recorded in the annals of Infinite Realms history.
A new benchmark had been set.