Chapter 19: Evaluating the Immortal Dog Master

By the time the video reached this point, it was no surprise that the comment barrage had exploded. Refreshing the page confirmed it—the video’s view count had already surged past one hundred thousand.

This momentum was skyrocketing; it was bound to go viral.

The comment section was now flooded with casual viewers explaining, “Don’t criticize yet, there’s a twist coming.” Some helpful users even posted timestamps, directing others to the moments where the male lead mistreated the female lead.

Opening the latest comments, all that appeared were:

“Wuhu—”

“Opening the door to a new world!”

“Tai Ku La!”

“This is so interesting, I’m canceling my refund and re-downloading the game.”

“He’s back—the old Maodou is back again!”

Wonderful. The reputation had reversed.

Even without watching, Gu Meng could predict that soon, under his father’s various accounts, the comment sections would be flooded with apologies like “Sorry for not believing you.”

If his father were still alive, only a small fraction of netizens might recall to apologize.

But since the legendary Feitian Laodeng had already passed away, the dead always command respect; if people misjudged him, more would likely come forward to apologize.

Though even if Feitian Laodeng knew, he probably wouldn’t care—his whole family had ascended to the heavens.

Good luck in another realm, bad luck in hell.

From now on, Earth’s affairs no longer concerned him.

Besides, the video wasn’t made by him; it was Gu Meng, following in his father’s footsteps, trying out a new kind of false advertising.

Gu Meng casually copied templates from the internet for lines like “showcasing our indomitable spirit and consistent attitude” and “sure to leave players with unforgettable memories,” and so on…

These would surely be dissected by “Douxue scholars” for all kinds of deep reading interpretations.

Like how the “fish eyes emitted a strange glow” would be analyzed beyond its surface meaning—Gu Meng himself might not even realize the hidden implications of those lines.

Still, something felt off…

Yes, this, this wasn’t right!

Suddenly, Gu Meng realized—could this development be problematic?

Previously, the tacit approval of the male lead casually interacting with multiple female characters to form a harem was barely acceptable… more or less normal.

Maodou had always flirted with the borderline, and Gu Meng’s predecessor had played all the male leads in Maodou’s works.

This time, after the bug appeared, the harem feature and intimate interaction options were more abundant, and the writing more detailed. There was no need to feel embarrassed.

Later, once he climbed out of the mess, he could easily blame Feitian Laodeng for the borderline content.

If someday he became the God of Games and someone asked him:

“God of Games, why did your first game as a part-time producer have such borderline content?”

Gu Meng could simply say that the initial draft he received was like that.

He was just paying homage to his father, and others would praise him for filial piety!

But now, there was an unprecedentedly twisted buff method in the entire Maodou series. In comparison…

Gu Ritian’s previous games had been mostly normal, not this flashy.

How come after Gu Meng took over, the student surpassed the master?

If this was the first release, what would others think of him?

This was no longer Gu Ritian’s problem—it was Gu Meng’s!

If someone else made this game, Gu Meng would think it was so twisted and cool.

But since it was his own game?

He was aiming to become the God of Games.

Even the crooked-mouth Dragon King had an image to uphold.

Suddenly, his reputation felt…

Forget it, Gu Meng gave up struggling.

It was better than before.

The irreparable black history that would have been nailed to the pillar of shame was now just a slightly shady start.

At this point, reputation didn’t matter. Surviving this wave was what counted.

Taking a step back, for Gu Meng, who aspired to become a giant in the gaming industry and achieve greatness again—

Never mind the slight perversity, even having a reputation for making adult games was better than making trash games!

…

After Gu agreed to showcase this special gameplay,

he unlocked another earlier save file, teaching players how to meet Teacher Tong and obtain a key item.

Actually, Teacher Tong’s initial favorability was quite easy to raise. He was a gold-medal lecturer at a short-term vocational training school, skilled in human nature.

Some advanced skills related to emotional intelligence had to be learned from him.

He had a teacher’s personality, so becoming ordinary friends was not difficult.

Sometimes, Teacher Tong would remind the male lead not to overwork himself; when others praised the male lead for “loving dedication,” he would advise the protagonist to take care of his health.

However, maxing out favorability to obtain the key item, “Teacher Tong’s Diary,” was rather troublesome since it was a rare golden legendary item in the game.

It required completing a somewhat tedious side quest.

There was also an Easter egg: three years into the game, if the player controlled the male lead to visit Teacher Tong for a chat,

they would learn that Teacher Tong had taken a position at an entertainment company in Donghua City run by his elder relative. The company was called Maodou Media, and the CEO was known as Big Ri Ge.

Undoubtedly, this was an homage.

Scrolling through the profile pictures, Gu saw that Gu had submitted a series of follow-up full-length videos titled “Pure Love Warrior Simulator Complete Walkthrough Collection.”

The first half taught players how to operate the game and rack up as many achievement points as possible in the first playthrough.

Other content creators had already made videos covering early gameplay.

Gu’s advantage was that he had also prepared a strategy guide for the gameplay following the bug trigger.

That is, after the male lead whips the female lead to become the god of humanity, what else could be played within the game?

No need to teach the extravagances of spending money—throwing cash around Youth City’s high-end venues;

buying houses and cars, customizing interior decoration, changing car wraps;

recruiting other NPCs, reforming fallen women en masse to become personal assistants to the protagonist’s life…

Having money was truly a thrill—shopping at supermarkets without checking prices, adding eggs and grilled sausages to breakfast.

Gu mainly taught how to make big money after raising the male lead’s attributes to super high levels.

The game’s industries were highly interconnected, and the gameplay depth far exceeded expectations.

Though many industries had capped customer flow limits since the main map was just a small town with an increasingly sluggish economy,

careful management could still yield impressive profits.

For example, in the restaurant industry, the guide explained how to quickly become a top-rated chef with super high intelligence and physical stats.

Then where to max out skills like management and employee training;

how to recruit high-potential employees from the talent market, close the store for training to reach two stars or more before reopening;

which dishes were most popular during early, mid, and late game;

how to cultivate head chefs and managers capable of independent operation to prevent profit loss during delegated management…

All packed with valuable insights.

Even playing the game early, one could tell Gu was truly dedicated.

He had no official strategy guide and had to figure it all out himself, probably spending sleepless nights researching the game.

He was a true godsend!

Gu Meng would remember him forever—for turning the tide, this content creator was the prime mover.

A super lucky star!

As for compensation, not only would he get a hefty bonus this time, but Maodou games would always seek him out for promotion.

When Gu Meng eventually became the God of Games, he would never forget to bestow, uh… what was his name again?

Glancing at the nickname beneath the avatar—

he would surely grant “Not Xun Yu but Dog Goods” the honorary title of “Master Reviewer Sage Dog.”

…