As if possessed, Zhu Yao opened the browser.
She searched for "fisher cat".
"The fishing cat is a medium-sized feline that is nocturnal, fierce by nature, and difficult to domesticate..."
I flipped through the pages randomly, and they were all about this kind of cat.
Occasionally, questions from netizens are also interspersed, such as...
Can fishing cats be kept as pets?
What category of protected animals are fishing cats?
I clicked down randomly, and all I saw were miscellaneous messages.
Just when Zhu Yao was about to give up, she saw a question.
"Minghuai Doesn't Get a Doctor": Is the game "Fishing Cat" being abandoned?
Clicking on it, I found that the question was asked three years ago.
"Tong Family Head" replied to "Minghuai Doesn't Treat": You asked about Big Fish and Small Fish?
"Minghuai Doesn't Treat" replied to "Tong Family Head": Xiaoyu
"Head of the Tong Family": I heard there was an accident.
This post has remained unanswered for three years.
Zhu Yao scrolled through the accounts of those two people, and the one who was called "the head of the Tong family" was still posting messages recently.
After hesitating for a moment, she clicked on the profile picture of "Tong Family Head" and wanted to send him a private message, but then hesitated.
It's not really appropriate to secretly check up on your roommate's activities...
So what kind of accident happened to Yu Nan before?
Zhu Yao lay in bed, her mind wandering.
Early risers have already seen the message she posted in the group late at night; surprisingly, some people actually wanted to read a sci-fi yuri story.
Some people don't want her to change her type, thinking it will make her even more attractive to men.
The two groups started arguing in the group chat, so Zhu Yao simply put down her phone and cleared her mind.
Wait a minute, didn't one of my readers comment that the article I wrote a few days ago was very similar to a game she had played?
Zhu Yao immediately perked up and started scrolling through the comments to find that reader.
Coincidentally, it happened in a group chat, and she recognized that ID—"Yokotsu no Kabuto" (横尾的刃刀).
"Do you still have the blade? You mentioned in the comments that my previous chapter's content resembled a game. Which game exactly?"
“Yes, yes!” Blade replied quickly.
Blade seems to really enjoy playing games; he often posts game-related content in the group chat.
Zhu Yao added razor blades.
“That game is ‘Nel: The Disguiser’,” Blade replied. “Has Teacher Yao been interested in games lately?”
“Yes!” Zhu Yao replied with a cute emoji. “I’d like to know something about indie games.”
Immediately afterwards, Blade seemed to have been switched on and began to talk at length about the major independent game publishers and the TGA's best game of the year.
"Do you know any good domestic indie games?" Zhu Yao asked tentatively.
The blade suddenly fell silent.
Several minutes later, he finally replied, "Yes."
"But it's either still under development or it's a terrible game that scams people out of their money and nostalgia."
"There are currently no outstanding domestically produced indie games."
"Then... do you know about the fishing cat?" Zhu Yao finally asked the question that was on her mind.
There has been no response from the other end of the chain.
Zhu Yao felt her palms were sweaty, and she even considered retracting the message and pretending nothing had happened.
"I know." Blade's message arrived belatedly.
"It seems like a scam."
"She released a demo for crowdfunding three years ago, but the game has never been released. Everyone guesses that she has raised enough money and run away."
"However, there are also reports that it was due to health reasons, coupled with the delay caused by the license approval winter."
Zhu Yao didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"At first, everyone was full of hope that she would come back, but three years have passed without any news, and that's when everyone started to wonder if they had been scammed..."
"By the way, why did Teacher Yao suddenly ask about Fish Cat?" Blade seemed to have noticed something.
"I'm just... a little curious," Zhu Yao replied guiltily.
"But Teacher Yao didn't even get Yu Mao's nickname right. Yu Mao is a nickname given to him by his fans."
Zhu Yao felt a cold sweat break out on her back and didn't know how to explain it to the razor blade.
Does this mean I'm going to say that I'm living with a fisherman?
Did Yu Mao not give up on developing games, but instead end up in the hospital after all that trouble?
She had no right to reveal Yu Nan's privacy, and she wasn't the kind of person who would gossip.
Let's just play dumb...
"I saw someone mention Yu Mao on a forum a few days ago," Zhu Yao started rambling through the screen, "so I'm a little curious!"
“Alright.” Blade seemed to believe him. “If Teacher Yao is interested in Fish Cat, she can search for Yu Miao and Lost Garden.”
Wait, I feel like I've seen Yu Miao somewhere before...
Suddenly, Zhu Yao heard a loud noise coming from Yu Nan's bedroom across the street.
The detector did not beep.
Zhu Yao rushed out of the room and stood at Yu Nan's door, hesitatingly knocking on it.
Soon, Yu Nan opened the door a crack, poked her head out, and said apologetically, "I accidentally knocked the shelf over while tidying up."
"Are you alright?" Zhu Yao wanted to check the situation inside the house, but Yu Nan blocked her way.
Didn't we just visit it yesterday...?
Yu Nan seemed to be hiding something shameful.
"Don't worry, if anything happened, Li Yue would have already called and scolded me!" Yu Nan grinned, putting her hands behind her back. "Go back now!"
Zhu Yao was still a little worried. "Do you want me to help you tidy up?"
"No need, no need." Yu Nan pushed Zhu Yao out and quickly closed the door.
Zhu Yao returned to her bedroom, completely bewildered.
Back in her dorm, Zhu Yao discovered that Blade had sent her two links: one was a post from "Yu Miao" about releasing the demo, and the other was a download link for the Lost Garden demo.
Zhu Yao clicked on a post from three years ago.
Posted by: Yu Miao
————————
[Title: Hey guys! (My good buddies) I'm leaving Tanuki Studio to develop independent games!]
As a proud single-player gamer, I'm fed up with designing levels for that Yu Li guy's pay-to-win, reskinned, garbage game!
So I kicked Tanuki Studio out of the house, hahaha! (Laughing loudly.jpg)
Next, I'll be making an open-world action-adventure game similar to "Picnic"!
Get your money and time ready, and stay tuned!
...
————————
Zhu Yao imagined what Yu Nan would look like if she called herself "this cat".
It's so funny, like a smug cat waving its claws.
Yu Nan must have been 20 three years ago... Would she still be so immature?
Zhu Yao scrolled through the comments below.
Floor 1: Great! I've been fed up with those same old pay-to-win reskins for ages.
2nd floor: If Yu Mao leaves Li Ji Studio, will Yu Li be angry?
Yu Miao replied to the second floor: No way! This cat beat up that big raccoon, now he doesn't dare to be angry!
Reply to Yu Miao on the 2nd floor: !!! We caught the live Meow Master! Keep it up, Meow Master, you're the game planner I'll never criticize!
Yu Miao replied: Because anyone who insults me has been torn to shreds by me! (smug.jpg)
3rd Floor: Always believe in Xiaoyu!
4th Floor: Develop it quickly! My wallet is ready!
5th Floor: Waaah, Xiaoyu! My shining example of domestic indie games! My sins! My soul!
…
At first, everyone was cheering and looking forward to Lost Garden.
However, as time went on, the comments on the post began to change, and more and more voices of doubt emerged.
By the time you turn to the last page, almost no one is looking forward to it anymore.
792nd floor: Is Yu Miao still alive? (March 21st last year)
Reply from post #793 to post #792: They probably ran off with the money a long time ago. (September 7th last year)
The last reply was three months ago.
797th floor: Stop waiting, let's all disperse. Domestic indie games are dead. (February 21st of this year)