Since they had signed with Silver Wing, they could not casually post their statuses on social media. However, these eight statuses were permitted.
Silver Wing did not immediately announce the identity of AliveAfter500Years. According to the people in charge of publicity and operations, the media would only continue to pay attention if they kept them in suspense. Thus, Silver Wing decided to only release news of these eight signing contracts. As for the biggest boss-level ID, they would keep it a secret for now. But they did not intend to completely hide it. Look, these eight statuses were telling the public the truth. It was just that no one would think in that direction.
Although the SilverWing50PolarLight project was a collaboration between the virtual projects department and the gaming department, the virtual projects department had the final say. The main decision maker was the virtual projects department. The gaming department only played a supporting role. After all, the team still had to be led by Fang Zhao. The SilverWing50PolarLight e-sports project was the same as the Polar Light project team. Both belonged to the virtual projects department.
The "boss" mentioned in the statuses of the eight was actually referring to the head of the virtual projects department, who held absolute decision-making power. That was AliveAfter500Years.
This way, even if someone asked why Silver Wing kept it a secret, Silver Wing could reply: It's not that we didn't tell you. We actually told you a long time ago. It's just that you didn't understand.
According to common sense, no one would think in that direction. For example, in the management of e-sports clubs, managers were managers, e-sports players were e-sports players, and the captain of the main team was also an e-sports player. They were not managers of the company or the project team. Thus, when the public saw the statuses of the eight, they would only think that AliveAfter500Years was the boss of the team and the captain.
Even if people guessed the truth, they would just be joking and not take it seriously.
The press conference was held at the Silver Wing Tower. Fang Zhao was dressed in the uniform of a company manager. His youthful face was free of the sinister scars he had in the game. He had vented all the anger he had suppressed in his heart for a long time. His oppressive aura had vanished, and he looked much gentler and more refined.
When the eight people backstage saw Fang Zhao, the corners of their mouths twitched in unison.
The burly Milo said in a low voice, "Beast in human clothing!"
"Don't talk nonsense. That's not how you use that word," Jinro said. However, he understood what Milo wanted to express. Milo wanted to say that Fang Zhao was like a ferocious beast in human skin. He also agreed with Milo's opinion. Fang Zhao was too different in real life and in the game. It was no wonder they had all doubted him. Even if they disregarded the age factor, such a contrast would make anyone doubt and find it hard to believe.
"There are so many people here!" Schwarzer said nervously. He had just poked his head out to take a look, but he quickly retracted it.
Of the eight present, apart from Schwarzer, the others were already used to this sort of situation. They weren't as nervous as Schwarzer, and could still be considered calm.
Jinro's mood was rather complicated. He had left the pro scene eight years ago. During those eight years, he had kept a low profile. He didn't even use his usual ID, always using a temporary account or a smurf. In those eight years, he hadn't encountered such a situation where everyone was paying attention to him. Now that he was in such a situation again, he couldn't help but think back to things that had happened a long time ago.
"Get ready, it's time to go on stage," a staff member reminded them.
Inside the venue, media from various places were gathered, observing the words and actions of everyone on stage, thinking about how to get the scoop.
Beside Prairie Fire's editor-in-chief, Qian Cheng, sat a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He looked rather decent, but there were plenty of entertainment reporters who looked more decent than him. There was nothing special about this person's appearance. A few glances at him would not leave a deep impression.
After the press conference had started, Qian Cheng would whisper a few words to him from time to time. If it was inconvenient to speak, they would just exchange messages.
This person wasn't from Prairie Fire, but today, Qian Cheng had brought him in as a Prairie Fire employee. This person had a disguise on his face, so it wasn't his original appearance.
He was Wang Tie, the famous "Yanzhou's Strongest Paparazzi." No one knew what he really looked like, but everyone in the industry knew that there was no news he couldn't dig up, only news you couldn't afford. It was said that his "sense of smell" didn't lose out to that of the Cemetery of Martyrs's guards.
This time, Qian Cheng had spent a large sum to invite this person over to help find AliveAfter500Years.
Qian Cheng leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything?"
Wang Tie stared at the person speaking on stage and pointed. "What's the background of this person? Virtual projects department manager Fang Zhao? How much do you know about this person? "
"You mean Fang Zhao? This kid is very capable. Silver Wing's virtual projects department came to life under his leadership. What's most surprising is that he's a composer and has some reputation in the composer world. He specializes in symphonic structures and has published a book with Great Master Xue Jing. It's sold well and he's done a global lecture tour. Why, is there a problem with him? "Qian Cheng asked in astonishment.
Wang Tie shook his head. "A composer? An artist? No wonder. "
Fang Zhao gave him a strange feeling, but when he remembered that the other party was a composer, Wang Tie felt at ease. Those who dabbled in the arts were different from ordinary people, so it wasn't strange to feel a little strange.
Seeing Wang Tie shake his head, Qian Cheng sighed. He knew it. How could Fang Zhao be AliveAfter500Years?
After Fang Zhao finished his lines, he retreated backstage. Jinro and the rest of the eight took their seats on stage.
Qian Cheng retracted his gaze from the stage and asked unwillingly, "Up until now, not a single person on stage has been suspected?"
Wang Tie frowned, his eyes still fixed on the people on stage who were being questioned by the reporters. This included the eight new Silver Wing leads, as well as Silver Wing's managers and staff. He didn't let a single one of them escape. Every time Wang Tie looked at the stage, he had a very strange feeling. It was as if he could reach out and touch the truth, but there was a layer of fog in front of him and he couldn't see clearly. This kind of contradictory feeling was very rare.
Something was strange! There was definitely something strange going on here!
But where exactly had he overlooked something?
Seeing Wang Tie's brows furrowed, Qian Cheng knew that Wang Tie had encountered a difficult problem. Seeing that Wang Tie didn't reply, he didn't pursue the matter. He just paid attention to Wang Tie's reaction and observed the minute changes in his expression.
On stage, Schwarzer usually looked very lively, but when he was actually on stage and being stared at by hundreds of reporters, he felt uneasy all over. Luckily, he had been given fewer words, and he didn't have to answer questions. With Jinro and Dorrian, these two veterans, around, the others had it much easier. Besides, among the eight people today, the reporters' focus was on Jinro and Dorrian, the two from the Big Five of e-sports. The others' tasks were much easier. Schwarzer, who had the least weight among the eight, was only responsible for smiling.
The reporters also asked many more pointed questions, but they were all deflected by the veteran Jinro. And when one reporter directly asked, "Who exactly is AliveAfter500Years? Is he here?" This time, Jinro didn't answer directly. Instead, like the other seven, he turned to the reporter who had asked the question and flashed a complicated and meaningful smile.
The reaction of Jinro and the others made the reporter think that he had just asked an extremely stupid question. After sitting down, he replayed the question in his mind a few times, but he still couldn't find anything strange about it. Could it be that the question was too direct?
"Did I say something wrong?" the reporter asked his colleague.
"You didn't say anything wrong, right?" The colleague wasn't sure either, because the reactions of Jinro and the others were really puzzling.
This question was answered by Wayne. His reply was very simple. "As for who AliveAfter500Years is, it's a secret for now."
You want to know, right? If you want to know, go check it out yourself. In any case, I'm not telling you!
Scold me? Even if you scold me, I won't tell you!
Wayne loved to see reporters stomping their feet in anger yet unable to do anything about it.
The reporters at the venue asked Jinro about his experiences over the past eight years, asked Dorrian why he had chosen Silver Wing, and asked all sorts of questions. There were a lot of revelations, but Qian Cheng, who was sitting in the venue, was not the least bit happy. He had no interest in those questions. As time ticked by, the question he most wanted to know had yet to be answered.
"Still no progress?" Qian Cheng asked again.
Wang Tie paused and still shook his head. Even if his intuition felt that he was just one step away from the truth, he just couldn't grasp that strange factor. Thus, he couldn't give Qian Cheng a definite answer.
Qian Cheng was very disappointed. "Then maybe AliveAfter500Years didn't come today."
"No, I feel that AliveAfter500Years could very well be here. Did you notice that they were a little nervous when answering a few questions about AliveAfter500Years? Especially Dark Magician Milo. He's more rational than that brainless fan Schwarzer, and he doesn't pretend to be as solid as Jinro and the others. His reaction is the most genuine and most worthy of observation. "
"Is he afraid?" Qian Cheng asked.
"More accurately, he's afraid. He's worried that he'll say the wrong thing. It's not because the atmosphere is tense, but because he's afraid of someone here! Thus, I'm guessing that the person you're looking for is here! "Suddenly, Wang Tie paused and looked diagonally upward.
"What's wrong?" Qian Cheng asked.
"I feel like someone is watching me through the surveillance cameras."
"Recognized you?"
"No idea."
In the backstage lounge, Fang Zhao's gaze met Wang Tie's on the screen through the surveillance cameras.
"Very sharp," Fang Zhao said.
"Boss, there seems to be something wrong with this person. Should we check it out?" Zuo Yu asked.
"No need."
When the press conference came to an end, Fang Zhao went on stage again and took pictures with the eight people who had signed the contract, as well as Wayne and a few other Silver Wing leaders and staff members. When everything was over, the reporters gradually left. Jinro and the other eight only relaxed when they returned to the 50th floor. Recalling the reporters' questions about AliveAfter500Years, the eight of them found it funny.
The distance between the virtual world and the real world could be very far or very close. Some people were separated by a great distance, yet they could communicate face-to-face through the internet and feel like the other party was right beside them. But sometimes, the real person was clearly standing right in front of you, yet you turned a blind eye and racked your brains to dig out the truth from somewhere else.
"SilverWing50PolarLight" was under the virtual projects department. Their future "office location" would also be the virtual projects department on the 50th floor. Regarding this, Wayne could not do anything about it. Furthermore, the space here was large and easy to plan and operate. There was enough space to open up another gaming room.
The company had equipped the eight of them with Fiery Bird's 9th generation gaming consoles. If they went online at the company, they could use them directly. Although this sort of entertainment company was not as professional as e-sports clubs, entertainment companies had more money, so there was no need to worry about equipment.
The contracts of Jinro's group of eight were different from those of the other celebrities in the company. Everyone's contracts were different, but overall, they were still considered to have more freedom, more freedom than a club's contract. This was something that had been negotiated before signing the contract. Everyone's contract was tailored to their individual circumstances.
Because the game had already started, there was not much time left. Fang Zhao gave them three days to prepare. Schwarzer, who was still a student, needed to bring along his contract with Silver Wing and return to school to handle some procedures for a long-distance course. The others also needed to handle some personal matters. However, three days was enough.
Three days later, in the gaming room on the 50th floor of Silver Wing Tower, Jinro's group of eight, plus the five from the gaming department, logged on. The team had been upgraded by Fang Zhao, and the maximum number of members had increased from 20 to 25. However, Zu Wen and the others had work to do and would not participate in any operations. Zu Wen and the others had wanted to withdraw from the team and form a new one, but Fang Zhao had vetoed the idea. Instead, he had set up a "daily military training mission for non-professional e-sports members of the virtual projects department."
Jinro was using his old account. This was his first time logging in, and because he was bound to the team, his location was set at Fang Zhao's location, the building where Fang Zhao had met them.
Milo and the others' accounts were in a different district, too far from District 79, so they had applied for new accounts. Milo's old account ID was "Black Wizard," and his new account was "Black Wizard Milo." Dorrian was also using a new account.
The five from the gaming department had not been idle during this period. Fang Zhao had assigned them a mission. The five traveled from the city district to the coordinates Fang Zhao had given them. They did not have Fang Zhao's ability to cycle all over the city in a day, so they spent a lot more time. However, they still completed their mission and arrived at the coordinates.
Jinro's group of eight, the five from the gaming department, and Fang Zhao and Zuo Yu made a total of 15 gathered at the coordinates.
After logging in, Schwarzer looked at the 0 points on his new account and asked Fang Zhao, "Boss, what is our mission today?"
Fang Zhao looked at the road leading to the city district in front of the building and said, "Let's sweep this road first."
"Alright!"
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