Chapter Seventy-Six: Built-In Upgrade of Version 0.0.2

"I really can't stand these comments anymore." Huang Yunshuo's eyes lit up as he noticed a button for splitting the chat interface into different channels, so he clicked on it. He checked the detailed explanation of the effect, then confirmed his choice.

Instantly, in the upper left corner of the chat window, two new chat channel options appeared, labeled "1" and "2." Huang Yunshuo entered channel "2," finding it identical to the main chat room. Entry notifications began to scroll in, and within moments, hundreds of players had joined.

"We should've had this a long time ago! With more than twenty thousand people packed into one chat room, it's impossible to follow any conversation—everything just gets lost!" an audience member exclaimed, their comment immediately met with a flood of praise and agreement.

"Ha, this is much better," Huang Yunshuo murmured contentedly, narrowing his eyes. After mining for so long, he needed a break, so he planned to end his stream early.

"I'll log in to the game in an hour and give away twenty tier-nine iron ores on stream. The giveaway will use rare gifts from the social media platform—still shooting stars and stardust. You can earn a few for free every day by completing tasks, and you grabbed so many treasure chests earlier—there should be plenty in there."

Scanning the fan leaderboard, he assigned moderator privileges to Chenlu Qingshuang and a few others. Surprised, he noticed several friends had also sent him gifts, visible on the leaderboard, so he made them moderators as well. After glancing over the chat's response, he ended the broadcast.

By now, Li Nan, Jin Xiong, and the others had already taken off their Hurricane Helmets and started chatting.

"I just posted an advertisement with our town layout on the official forum. The response was great—over two thousand replies in thirty minutes. We probably drew in quite a few viewers," Li Nan said, smiling.

"I posted a guide on luring the Little White Goose using the Tiger Leap Gorge Warrior's vision. Got over a thousand replies," Jin Xiong added cheerfully, his face brimming with pride.

Zhao Shengsheng said awkwardly, "I posted a cutesy video and got even more replies than you guys. I must've brought in the most new people."

Huang Yunshuo chuckled. "Your promotion methods are too slow and tiring. I still think a server-wide announcement has the biggest impact. Find a way to get another one out, and our stream will only get more viewers."

Chen Juangfeng grumbled, "Seriously, what were you thinking? Why not just stay in Starfield where it's comfortable? You could just lie back and the viewers would pour in."

"You don't know a thing," Huang Yunshuo retorted, rolling his eyes. He blew on his jasmine tea, drained it in one gulp—almost scooping out the tea leaves with his tongue—then patted his side and headed to his room.

"Time for the usual afternoon nap! You all get some rest, too." Everyone was exhausted from a sleepless night and rose to leave, except for Jin Xiong, who was left on duty and headed for the cockpit, responsible for monitoring the Kongsang fighter now drifting thirteen light-minutes away.

[Server-wide Announcement: "Era Reforged" in-game version upgrade 0.0.2, upgrade duration 60 minutes, players need not log off. Contents of this update: 1. Launch of the major competitive instance 'Space-Time Odyssey'; 2. Main storyline—Kogoro's Revenge, countdown to Monster Siege begins; 3. Universal server shop opens; 4. Brotherhood feature goes live; 5. Additional leaderboard optimizations.]

...

The server-wide announcement flashed three times in the game, catching players off guard and halting their activities. Most showed excitement and anticipation.

Everyone loved these in-game updates—no need to log off! The entire community waited anxiously for the upgrade, the most eye-catching part being "Monster Siege," a classic event in nearly all games, though no one knew what form it would take here.

"Brotherhood feature, online now?" At that moment, many players sensed something was about to change.

On the forums, as if by prior agreement, within two minutes of the announcement, a storm of recruitment, promotion, and advertising posts erupted like mushrooms after a rain, sweeping through every section and corner of the official forum.

Meanwhile, in-game, many players began recruiting, adding friends, and forming circles. Guilds started rallying their members, aggressively headhunting skilled players.

In no time, countless player groups sprang up in towns and even starter villages. Teams formed for PK, monster grinding, and territory control. Players quickly realized the world had changed and their minds raced with uneasy ambition.

Ultimate-class starcruiser, Sword and Rose.

"Shuangshuang, so, are you joining Thunder Divine Court this time, or will you come to Sovereign Glory later?" A pleasant, melodious voice came from the light-energy tablet in Chenlu Qingshuang's hands.

She smiled. "I've got a big shot to rely on here for now; whether I come over later, we'll see."

"A big shot? Is he really that much of a 'thigh' to hug?" the other woman teased.

"Very much so... You'll understand when you meet him," Chenlu Qingshuang replied.

The woman asked, "Is he a free agent?"

"Seems like it—just a small group of real-life friends."

"Shuangshuang~" The woman suddenly whined affectionately. Caught off guard, Chenlu Qingshuang nearly dropped her tablet, a wry smile spreading across her face.

"Alright, alright, you win. I'll keep an eye on him for you."

"You're the best! Give me a kiss!"

Old Liao frowned, putting down his tablet with a dark expression.

"There's no way to find any information about this woman. Her privacy settings are so strict—I can't even tell which player in Glacier Glory she is. Not a single clue." He sighed, troubled.

The in-game update had caught the Grand Tang Mist guild off guard. With the guild recruitment drive starting early, every minute they delayed dealing with Nightly Radiance meant missing out on who knows how many elite players—a loss they couldn’t tolerate.

At this moment, the burden of communication weighed heavily on Old Liao.

"Wait, search for that Starfield streamer's username," he thought, quickly picking up his tablet and tapping in seven characters.

"Aside from following the channel, there's no info at all."

"drz02825."

He entered the only channel followed by Nightly Radiance, and the screen switched—Old Liao entered a blacked-out stream.

"Did that idiot really bail? Seriously, that's way too reckless."

"At first, I thought he was being self-destructive, but it turns out he knows how to manage things. His popularity's not bad over there."

"How high is it?"

"Almost forty thousand followers now. When the black screen suddenly came to life, there were twenty-three thousand viewers. Stop hesitating and go follow him."

"I just think it's a bit of a hassle, since I mostly watch streams on Starfield... but fine, I'll go give him a follow."