Lin Wan raised her hand and said, “I have something to add. Human soldiers having their thoughts doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll collapse or disobey commands. They might also volunteer as suicide squads against the insects and achieve victory, right?”

“And how these humans specifically act can be linked to pre-battle strategy.”

“For example, if the commander takes certain measures that affect the soldiers’ morale and thinking, the soldiers might change from being scattered in spirit to being united as one.”

Huang Sibo nodded: “Yes, that’s a good approach.”

Everyone started taking notes. At this point in the discussion, the rough shape of the game had emerged.

This game was completely different from traditional RTS games, emphasizing pre-battle strategy rather than in-battle strategy, and emphasizing realism.

Moreover, the game placed great importance on the storyline, with the movie’s weight even higher than the game itself.

After finishing his notes, Ma Yiqun suddenly brightened: “I just thought of a story idea!”

“Mr. Pei likes gameplay that ‘breaks the fourth wall,’ and this time he’s emphasizing realism—doesn’t that fit perfectly?”

“If we hint in the plot that among all the units being controlled, there’s a real person inside each one, and every unit sacrificed is a real life… wouldn’t that achieve the effect of breaking the fourth wall?”

Zhu Xiaocai pondered for a moment: “It’s a good idea, but… a bit outdated.”

“This concept was already written into a science fiction novel back in 1985, which won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards. And that story was also about humans and insects, about a child who thought he was playing a game but was commanding an interstellar war…”

Ma Yiqun was unconcerned: “Of course I know about that—it’s a sci-fi classic. How could I not have read it?”

“But literature isn’t like saying ‘you wrote about a theme, so I can’t write about it.’ It’s like saying after ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ writers couldn’t write Western fantasy anymore? Of course not.”

“The key is to see whether it’s a poor imitation or whether it creates something new while standing on the shoulders of giants.”

“Whether writing books or making games, a good idea is just the basic foundation. Whether the idea can be utilized well depends on how you interpret it.”

“I think this idea is very suitable for this game and aligns perfectly with Mr. Pei’s consistent game design philosophy.”

Zhu Xiaocai nodded: “Hmm… you’re right. But this also means we need to find a way to tell this story with a fresh perspective.”

“If we don’t create something new, we’d just be rehashing old ideas, and the movie and game would completely fall apart.”

Everyone fell silent again.

Obviously, if they were to use this theme, they would need to find a way to surpass the classic, or at least offer a different interpretation. The difficulty was self-evident.

Huang Sibo sighed: “Mr. Pei gave us too little information this time.”

Lin Wan reviewed Mr. Pei’s requirements again and discovered a blind spot: “I see that Mr. Pei requires only one actor who doesn’t need to have expressions. Is this a hint about the movie’s plot?”

Zhu Xiaocai said: “I’ve already thought about this. There are only two possibilities.”

“Either this protagonist wears a helmet or mask throughout, making his face invisible, turning him into a symbolic figure. Some movies handle it this way.”

“Or the protagonist is naturally cold and expressionless. This would emphasize the character’s design.”

“But both explanations make sense, which makes it difficult to decide.”

Ma Yiqun thought for a moment: “Although both explanations work, they differ in terms of reasonableness.”

“If we turn the protagonist into a symbolic figure, that symbol must have referential meaning. This approach is common in superhero themes or sci-fi films that reflect social contradictions and problems.”

“But our main focus is on sci-fi warfare. What could a ‘symbolic face’ represent? It seems difficult to find a specific referential intention.”

“However, if we’re emphasizing character design, the direction is very clear.”

“What kind of person has no expression? People with strong psychological qualities who are extremely calm have no expression.”

“I remember reading a report that our country’s astronauts have incredibly strong psychological qualities. Even during spacecraft launches, their heart rates remain below 80 beats per minute. Even when they mistakenly believe they’re about to sacrifice themselves, their heart rates don’t fluctuate much.”

“Such people definitely wouldn’t have rich emotional expressions. Being expressionless would be normal for them, which perfectly fits Mr. Pei’s character requirements.”

Zhu Xiaocai seemed thoughtful: “So, Mr. Pei is hinting that the protagonist is a space warrior with exceptional psychological strength?”

“And with only one protagonist and everyone else being extras, this indicates that most of the time it’s a one-man show. Commanding battles against insects from a relatively isolated space?”

“If we combine this with Mr. Pei’s ‘breaking the fourth wall’ concept, we can roughly determine the outline of a story:”

“The protagonist is a well-trained space veteran, also a commander. Most of the plot involves him commanding fleets against insects through a screen.”

“But are the people he’s commanding real humans? Does he know this? That’s the key.”

Everyone fell silent again.

They had reasoned through most of the clues left by Mr. Pei, but still hadn’t deduced a clear enough story outline.

The game mechanics influenced the movie plot, and the movie plot in turn influenced the game mechanics. If even one point couldn’t be determined, the entire project would be difficult to execute.

Huang Sibo thought for a moment: “Should I go consult Mr. Pei again?”

“Report what we’ve come up with and ask him for more hints?”

Zhu Xiaocai shook his head firmly: “No!”

“If Mr. Pei has said this much and nothing more, it means he doesn’t plan to reveal any additional information.”

“We can’t always rely on Mr. Pei for everything.”

“‘Game Producer,’ ‘Better Tomorrow,’ ‘Struggle’—Mr. Pei guided all of these projects hands-on, but we can’t always wait for Mr. Pei to spoon-feed us.”

“We need to work hard to write a good story ourselves. Mr. Pei has already established the framework for us; we should contribute our own ideas as well.”

Everyone looked at each other, feeling that Zhu Xiaocai’s words made a lot of sense.

Indeed, they couldn’t always rely on Mr. Pei—they needed to make their own efforts!

This time, Mr. Pei had only provided a general direction without explaining too many details.

But this also meant that he had given everyone a high degree of freedom regarding gameplay and story structure, making it a perfect opportunity to try and make a breakthrough.

After several rounds of brainstorming, everyone’s papers were filled with dense notes.

Although they hadn’t completely finalized everything, the general direction was very clear.

Huang Sibo gently tapped the table: “Good, I think we’ve achieved enough today. For the task Mr. Pei gave us, we can’t expect to accomplish everything at once.”

“Let’s all go back and calm down, then review these ideas after they’ve had time to settle.”

“I’ll create a group chat where everyone can share good ideas anytime.”

“Don’t waste time during this period; prepare while thinking.”

“Xianbin, you guys should create a framework first. Get those art requirements out early, including concept art for human soldiers, spaceships, various insect units, and so on—you can start preparing those.”

“It’s the same for Fei Huang Studio. After confirming the parts that can be confirmed, start preparations in advance.”

“Prepare while thinking—who knows, we might suddenly come up with some good ideas!”

Everyone nodded and stood up.

Huang Sibo thanked everyone again, especially since Lü Mingliang, Lin Wan, Ma Yiqun, and others had no direct connection to this project and had come purely to help.

Lü Mingliang, Lin Wan, and others said it was no trouble at all—after all, these were all Mr. Pei’s projects, and everyone was duty-bound to help!

Soon, everyone left.

Zhu Xiaocai said to Huang Sibo: “Brother Huang, I was thinking, why don’t we confirm the lead actor first? Lu Zhiyao seems to be available recently.”

Huang Sibo was startled: “Lu Zhiyao would be fine, of course, but he’s a good actor. Having him play a character with almost no expression—isn’t that a bit wasteful? Besides, haven’t we not finalized the script yet?”

Zhu Xiaocai said: “I have an idea I want to verify with Lu Zhiyao.”

Huang Sibo: “What idea?”

Zhu Xiaocai said: “I plan to lock him up and have him play games for a few days to get into character. Who knows, we might find some inspiration in the process!”

…

Zhu Xiaocai went to the meeting room and called Lu Zhiyao.

“Hello? Director Zhu?”

Zhu Xiaocai got straight to the point: “Mr. Pei wants to invest in a new film, three hundred million yuan. Are you interested?”

Lu Zhiyao’s voice revealed his excitement: “Yes, of course I am!”

Many companies claim they’ll invest a certain amount in a film, but often they’re just boasting, and the money actually invested in the film itself isn’t necessarily that much.

But Mr. Pei didn’t play those word games. If he said he’d invest three hundred million, it could only be more, not less—this was definitely a major production!

Mr. Pei’s projects were absolutely good projects. Lu Zhiyao would definitely participate even if he had to take a lower fee.

Lu Zhiyao was very expectant: “Director Zhu, do you have a script? Can you send it to me first?”

Zhu Xiaocai was silent for a moment: “Uh… the script is just a little bit away from completion. Why don’t you come to Jingzhou first, and we’ll discuss it at length?”

Lu Zhiyao: “A little bit?”

Zhu Xiaocai’s tone was very firm: “Yes, just a little bit!”

Lu Zhiyao thought for a moment: “Well, Director Zhu, are there any other actors for this film? Will Uncle Zhang and the others be joining?”

Zhu Xiaocai: “Uh… for now, it’s just you. You’re the lead actor, of course. Other actors will join later.”

For some reason, Lu Zhiyao sensed something slightly unreliable.

But then he thought, this was Mr. Pei’s project after all, so there was nothing to worry about.

Lu Zhiyao immediately nodded: “Alright, I’ll get ready now and be there in a couple of days!”