Chu Yue had played his fair share of horror games. In the most famous one, Vampire Castle, the iconic scenes featured classic elements like ancient castles, crows, and a blood-red moon.

But hanging bloodied tongues on a wall? What kind of creative logic was that?

Chu Yue couldn’t wrap his head around it at all. However, as a college student doing grunt work to earn his living expenses, the paying client’s demands were absolute.

Swallowing hard, Chu Yue typed: “Does the boss have any other requirements?”

Little Sailboat: “Two test drafts. The key element of the first piece is ‘tongues.’ For the second, a rain of blood-red scissors falling from the sky. You can use your imagination. Show me the sketches first; I’ll pay the deposit directly through the site.”

Before Chu Yue could even react, a system notification popped up: User [Little Sailboat] has sent you a test draft invitation and paid the deposit. Accept?

Chu Yue hurriedly clicked accept.

Paid test drafts were a common commissioning method for many projects. Chu Yue had no idea how many artists this boss had asked to test, so there was no guarantee he’d ultimately be chosen.

But since the other party had prepaid the deposit, he might as well draw the two sketches first.

Pulling himself together, Chu Yue quickly grabbed his drawing tablet, opened his software, and got to work.

---

Meanwhile, Xie Yunfan continued browsing the homepage for character artists.

The artist named “Scaling Mountains” [Chu Yue] painted environments beautifully, but his character art was only average. Game character modeling required a very high level of precision for facial features and clothing; he still needed to find a more specialized character concept artist.

After patiently scrolling through a few pages of featured showcases without finding a style he liked, Xie Yunfan simply posted a project in the recruitment section.

[Game Concept Art Recruitment]

[Requirements]: Game character concept art. High completion rate, detailed clothing required. Fast output, willing to revise. Commercial buyout. Starting pay is 4,000 per piece; exceptional work is negotiable. Artists, please apply with character sample art and be available for real-time replies.

The recruitment post refreshed on the front page of the Artist’s Garden. Soon, several artists submitted their portfolios. Xie Yunfan politely declined a few who didn’t fit his needs and waited patiently for the right talent.

“Better to go without than settle for less” was his motto. If he couldn’t find anyone today, he would keep looking later. Eventually, he’d find someone whose style caught his eye.

---

Tuesday, 2:00 PM, Imperial Capital X-ONE Game Company.

A girl with clean, pretty features was looking down, packing up her belongings. She had a neat, short haircut and wore a loose brown sweater paired with blue jeans. Her sleeves were rolled up, giving her a highly capable and efficient look.

The intern beside her asked softly, “Master, are you really resigning?”

Ning Sha replied flatly, “Yeah. There’s no point in staying at this company anymore.”

The intern bit her lip and whispered her complaints, “The team leader’s professional skills are nowhere near yours, and he’s constantly making things hard for you. I think he’s just jealous…”

Ning Sha patted the intern’s shoulder. “Xiao Xue, don’t say that. Just focus on finding a good job after your internship ends. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime.”

The reason she was resigning was indeed due to a clash of philosophies with the art team leader.

Sometimes, relationships between colleagues were full of scheming and ostracism.

She had been at the company the longest. Given her abilities and seniority, she was undoubtedly the prime candidate for Art Director. But instead, a “paratrooper” was suddenly dropped in to become her direct superior.

Rumor had it this paratrooper was the boss’s cousin. She swallowed that pill.

But what she couldn’t tolerate was that this new “Art Director” had absolutely no talent. All he did every day was hold meetings, throw his weight around, and make her constantly redo her work.

One character design was revised ten times, only for him to say at the very end: “Let’s just use the first version.”

She was utterly sick of it.

Not throwing her drawing tablet at his face was already her showing utmost politeness.

Carrying her cardboard box, Ning Sha walked out of the office and bumped right into the team leader at the door.

The man, not even forty but already sporting a beer belly, gave her a plastic smile. “Shasha, our project is going into public beta soon. You’ve been with it for so long, isn’t it a pity to leave now? Want to reconsider?”

Ning Sha said coldly, “No. I haven’t been feeling well lately. I’m resigning to go home and rest for half a year.”

Without another word, she clicked away in her heels, walking out the company doors without looking back.

---

3:30 PM.

A few artists had applied to Xie Yunfan’s recruitment post, but after looking through them, he wasn’t satisfied with any.

Experienced, senior concept artists usually signed long-term contracts with game studios. They couldn’t even finish their own company’s projects, let alone have the time to take on “private gigs” online.

Therefore, most of the online applicants were quite amateur.

I’ll wait a bit longer.

Just as Xie Yunfan was about to close the browser page, a system message popped up in the bottom right corner: There is a new applicant for your project. Click to view the artist’s profile.

Xie Yunfan clicked in. The artist’s avatar was a girl with short hair, ID “Shasha”. Her personal commission page was completely blank. Clearly, she didn’t usually rely on the artist platform to take commissions and likely had a full-time job.

Her profile only included one sample piece and a single sentence: “I have five years of experience as a game concept artist. I have some free time recently to take commissions. Boss, please take a look and see if my sample meets your requirements.”

Five years of experience?

Xie Yunfan took a closer look and, sure enough, this artist was incredibly professional.

Some of the previous applicants had actually sent headshots or bust portraits, which left Xie Yunfan not knowing whether to laugh or cry. But this artist named “Shasha” submitted a complete set—including front, back, and side profiles of the character design, as well as the clothing models.

Her sample was a young girl with exquisite, beautiful features. Even her eyelashes and strands of hair were drawn with crystal clarity. It also came with three different outfits.

Xie Yunfan’s spirits lifted. He immediately replied: “Hello! I saw in your profile that you have five years of experience as a game concept artist. May I ask, are you currently employed at a game company?”

Shasha: “Hello, I just resigned and am at home. I have plenty of time right now.”

Resigned and at home? Even though he didn’t know why she quit, as long as it didn’t involve integrity issues like “plagiarism,” he could work with her.

Xie Yunfan: “Are you okay with a paid test draft?”

Shasha: “No problem.”

Xie Yunfan: “Please draw an old woman. She should be hunched over, leaning on a walking stick, slightly stooped. She’s holding a bowl of soup in her hands. Make the wrinkles on her face realistic, and give her a bizarre, eerie smile.”

Ning Sha paused.

A hunched old woman holding a bowl of soup with a bizarre smile?

This was definitely the first time a test draft required her to draw an old lady. Still, game character settings were diverse; she guessed it was for an NPC.

Ning Sha quickly agreed: “No problem. I’ll show you the sketch tomorrow.”

Xie Yunfan casually transferred the test draft fee over, then leaned back in his chair and stretched.

His luck today was pretty good. Environment artist, character artist—he had found two people in one afternoon. Quite a bountiful harvest.

Of course, some artists had beautiful samples but worrying actual skills. He hoped these two would meet his expectations. As long as the core quality was there, any parts that didn’t match his vision could be revised.

---

The next day, Xie Yunfan attended his classes on time. His Wednesday schedule was packed; he was in class all day and didn’t get back to his apartment until 5:30 PM.

The moment he walked in, his phone buzzed: You have a new message on the Artist’s Garden.

Xie Yunfan immediately sat at his computer and opened the site. Sure enough, there were files uploaded by “Scaling Mountains.” They were the sketches for the “Tongue-Ripping Hell” and “Scissors Hell” environments, accompanied by a message: “Boss, the sketches are done. Please take a look.”

This artist really did have talent, and his output speed was incredibly fast.

Even though his sketches were extremely rough—almost “stream of consciousness” with chaotic lines everywhere—the overall compositional logic was excellent.

The tongues on the walls varied in length and looked lifelike, giving off a strong sense of discomfort. In the sky raining scissors, the scissors he drew were a bit too small; those details would need adjusting.

But the concept was flawless. He had a rich imagination, and the absurd, grotesque horror style basically hit all of Xie Yunfan’s marks.

If casual sketches were already at this level, the final line art and colored versions would look amazing.

Highly satisfied, Xie Yunfan replied: “Not bad. I’ll send you the contract and the environment reference documents first. We can discuss the necessary revisions later.”

In a student dorm room, Chu Yue, sporting a short blonde ponytail, lit up. He pumped his fist in excitement. “Awesome! The test draft passed!”

A roommate who had just walked in heard this and leaned over curiously. “Test draft? Ah-Yue, did you get a commission?”

The computer screen was on, displaying a zoomed-in sketch of a screen full of tongues…

The roommate was dumbfounded. “Holy shit? What the hell did you draw?”

Chu Yue raised an eyebrow, saying meaningfully, “The paying boss has very unique tastes. You wouldn’t understand.”

As they were talking, another message arrived on the site.

Little Sailboat: “Read over the contract first. If there are no issues, we can sign it online. I’ll print it, stamp it, and mail the physical copy to you.”

Chu Yue quickly typed: “Understood, boss!”

Little Sailboat: “There are 18 environment concept pieces in total. You’re an art student, right? You can find assistants to help you, as long as the art style remains consistent. Try to finish them as soon as possible according to the deadlines in the contract.”

Seeing this, Chu Yue literally jumped out of his chair. “18 pieces?! At 4,000 a pop, that’s… 72,000?! Holy shit! I’m gonna be rich!”

His roommate looked at him like he was crazy. “A 72,000 RMB commission? Are you dreaming?”

Chu Yue took a deep breath. “I’m not dreaming! Look, he even sent the contract. Hurry, go get all the bros back here! Our dorm is going to pull off a massive heist this time! The four of us will collaborate and finish these pieces ASAP. I’ll take a 50% cut, and you three split the remaining 50%, sound good?”

The roommate, who was originally just watching the drama, widened his eyes. “Damn, you’re a legend! You really landed a gig this huge?! 70 grand?!”

Chu Yue beamed. “Yup, the boss is generous! If I make money, I won’t forget you guys. Go get them!”

There was too much art for him to finish alone. His roommates were all art majors; if the four of them collaborated, it would massively boost efficiency.

Chu Yue sat back down just as two documents were sent via private message.

One was titled [Confidential Project Game Concept Art Contract].

The second was [Environment Design Reference Document].

Have to admit, this boss worked fast!

Chu Yue opened the contract and read it carefully. The terms were highly professional, specifying deadlines and milestone payments. Most importantly, he retained the right to be credited as the artist. Having a published game project on his resume would be a huge advantage when job hunting later.

It was truly a pie falling from the sky; he had hit the jackpot.

Rubbing his hands together, Chu Yue felt he was only one step away from “sudden wealth.”

A few moments later, his roommates pushed the door open. A red-haired guy said excitedly, “Ah-Yue, you’re the man! Remembering us when good things happen. Quick, quick, let’s see what scenes your boss wants us to draw so we can divide the work.”

“Come, let’s look together,” Chu Yue said, opening the document.

Four college students huddled excitedly around the computer, pressing their heads together to read.

[Game Environment Design Requirements]

“Scene 1: Primarily black and red tones, emphasizing a bloody, horrific aesthetic. The walls are completely covered with bleeding human tongues.”

“Scene 2: A red room. A rain of scissors falls from the sky. The scissors must be drawn large—giant scissors capable of cleanly snipping off a human head in one go.”

“…” Chu Yue froze, muttering quietly, “Scissors that can snip off a head? Guess I drew them too small.”

“Your boss’s requirements are… a little weird,” one of the roommates commented, though their curiosity pushed them to keep reading.

“Scene 3: A vast, desolate scene tinted green. In the very center stands a massive, rusted iron tree. Dense branches shoot straight up into the sky like sharp blades. Human corpses are impaled all over the branches.”

“Scene 4: A dark brown room surrounded by dilapidated bronze mirrors. Inside the mirrors are the pale faces of the dead—some crying, some smiling, their expressions eerie and bizarre.”

“Scene 5: A white room filled with thick fog. The entire environment is like a giant, steaming bamboo steamer. Scattered throughout the steamer are cooked human corpses.”

…

After suppressing their nausea and finishing the descriptions for all 18 scenes, the four of them stared at each other in stunned silence.

The most timid roommate couldn’t help but shiver, his voice trembling. “Ah-Yue, where did you find a gig like this? Is your boss… a psychopath?”

Scratching his head with a bitter expression, Chu Yue replied, “I thought so too… but he’s paying way too much.”

There was no “most” psychopathic, only more psychopathic.

He thought a wall full of tongues was weird enough, but it turned out today had even spicier things in store.

Scissors cutting off heads, iron trees hanging corpses, steamers cooking human meat…

What the hell was all this?

Boss, do you have anti-humanity tendencies?

Help! Why is being an environment artist so hard?!