Chapter 375: Players Enraged (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 375: Players Enraged (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Gazing at the morning sun, and at the deer standing nearby,

Song Ren, who had always considered himself a tough guy—despite his name suggesting otherwise—was now sobbing uncontrollably, fully showcasing what it meant for a tough man to shed tears.

When Arthur was diagnosed with tuberculosis during the game, he had merely felt shock.

That news came in the late game, and as the story progressed, Song Ren believed he had emotionally armored himself completely.

He thought he wouldn't be broken.

Yet, in less than half an hour of the ending sequence, he had his hyper armor broken three times in a row.

The first time was when Arthur rode his beloved horse toward the camp—the scene, paired with nostalgic flashbacks and emotionally charged background audio, immediately brought tears to his eyes.

The second was during Arthur's escape, when his horse died. The scene of Arthur affectionately stroking his horse's body shattered Song Ren's defenses completely.

And finally, Arthur handing his cowboy hat to Marston, staying behind alone, and quietly dying on the hillside.

Three consecutive breaks.

Although the game hadn't ended—switching instead to John Marston, seemingly hinting at a continuation—Song Ren no longer cared. At least not right now.

The story arc of Red Dead Redemption was extremely long. Throughout it, Song Ren hadn't gone fishing, hunting, or played Texas Hold'em.

Aside from occasionally helping strangers he encountered on the road, he had focused entirely on the main quest.

Even so, he had spent nearly 40 hours.

The next portion of the game would clearly shift to John Marston's perspective,

showing players the ultimate fate of the Van der Linde gang—the gang Arthur had devoted his entire life to.

But right now, Song Ren had absolutely no patience left.

He eagerly exited the game and opened Chen Xu's official Weibo account.

Because his resentment was practically overflowing.

Where was the promised good ending?

Along the way, he had actively helped anyone in distress, greeting people on the streets.

He'd practically completed "Wild West Greetings."

His honor level was maxed out right before death.

All in hopes of achieving the good ending.

But was Arthur lying on the cliff, watching the final sunrise, really what counted as a good ending?

Song Ren wasn't alone. After experiencing this storyline, numerous players logged into the official Weibo account and @-mentioned Chen Xu.

After investing dozens of hours, embodying Arthur and enduring so much in the Wild West,

most players had formed deep emotional attachments to the character.

But this ending? It felt like a heart attack!

Chen Xu's official Weibo post was flooded with player discussions about the ending.

'I played through the entire game five times just to save the Chihuahua—this is the so-called good ending?!'

'I feel equally screwed. I thought the final ending would be Arthur teaming up with Sadie, or maybe retiring peacefully with Mary. Never imagined Arthur would actually die on the hillside!'

'You dying on the hillside watching the sunrise isn't even the worst— I chose the money option, and ended up getting stabbed to death by Micah!'

'Don’t even talk about getting stabbed by Micah—you must’ve done every evil thing possible!'

'I chose to go to the cave for the money, then watched the sunrise back at camp.'

'Whatever, we all end up dead anyway—either killed by Micah, or peacefully watching the sunrise until we die.'

'I can tolerate anything—but getting killed by Micah? That I can’t accept!'

'F***! Just thinking about Micah and Dutch surviving at the end makes me furious!'

'+1! Knife in hand, kill Micah!'

Under Chen Xu's official Weibo post, players were absolutely enraged.

Before this, many players had instinctively assumed the game would have two different endings:

A good ending where Arthur survives, retires peacefully, and leaves the outlaw life behind; and a bad ending where he dies.

Even after learning Arthur had tuberculosis, players still fantasized that in the good ending, Arthur could live out his final years in peace.

Tuberculosis might be terminal, but with proper care, he could still live several more years.

But they never expected there were actually four endings in total,

and in every single one, Arthur dies.

The two high-honor endings—where Arthur does good deeds and helps John Marston escape—end with Arthur fighting Micah and dying while watching the sunrise.

Choosing to go to the cave for money ends the same way—killed by Micah in a sneak attack, then quietly watching the sunrise as he dies.

But the bad endings made many players grit their teeth in anger.

Because in those, Arthur gets either shot in the head or stabbed to death by Micah.

Especially when Micah stabs Arthur in the back—many players felt it wasn't Micah stabbing Arthur, but Chen Xu stabbing them directly.

………………

In Nebula Games' office, with the New Year approaching and most of the online mode work already completed,

the team was currently enjoying a relatively relaxed pace.

In the lounge, Ruan Ningxue, Yang Xin, and Qin Yi sat beside Chen Xu, each scrolling through online player reactions on their phones and tablets.

"Mr. Chen, look at this fan-made comic strip someone drew for you online!" Ruan Ningxue giggled, turning her tablet horizontally.

Leaning back in his chair, Chen Xu glanced over—and instantly went Speechless.

The work was titled 'Warrior of Love,' but the content...

The first panel showed a cartoon version of Chen Xu wearing a cowboy hat and dressed as a Wild West cowboy, pulling out a revolver from his pocket.

The second panel depicted the 'Dead Eye' mode from Red Dead Redemption, but this time, the illustrated Chen Xu faced a crowd of characters.

Staring closely: Johnny and Liva from 'To the Moon'; Emile from 'Valiant Hearts: The Great War'; Soap, Ghost, and Roach from Task Force 141; plus characters from 'Outlast,' 'Silent Hill,' 'Dark Souls,' and other games developed by Chen Xu.

Below them, different attributes were labeled: 'To the Moon,' 'Valiant Hearts,' 'Call of Duty' were marked as Magic (attack type); 'Dark Souls,' 'Monster Hunter' as Physical Damage; 'Outlast,' 'Silent Hill' as True Damage.

The third panel featured Overcooked and It Takes Two, labeled with 'dimension-reducing strike.' In the fan art, Chen Xu breaks the fourth wall, aiming his revolver directly at the player sitting at their computer.

"What does this mean? It means I love my players deeply—and they love me just as deeply. Name another game designer who gets this kind of fan art? Unique in the entire gaming industry!" Chen Xu said with a light cough.

He didn’t bother claiming players misunderstood him.

After all, everyone here was one of their own. After so many years, he figured no one would believe that excuse anymore.

Hearing Chen Xu, Yang Xin and the others rolled their eyes.

Keep bluffing. Keep going.

"Still, we should respond to the players. This uproar’s making my heart race a little," Chen Xu sighed, opening his official Weibo account and posting a message.

'Please savor the ending quietly. The final outcome will surely satisfy everyone.'

After sending it, Chen Xu didn’t look back.

(End of Chapter) <>