Chapter 16: The Grand Prize Promotion (Part 1)
Chapter 16: Grand Prize Promotion (Part One)
Star Internet Café.
On the counter of the café, a piece of paper was posted, featuring a link and an invitation code for the game "Desert Bicycle."
Below it hung a poster.
The poster read: “Universe Tech S1, waiting for your participation!”
At the bottom of the poster stood a young Black man in a suit, flashing a dazzling white smile and gesturing invitingly, exuding an international flair...
Boss Li Zongnan repeatedly instructed the network manager, Xiao Wang, to mention the game to every customer who came in to surf the web. If they showed interest, he urged them to download it immediately.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t miss it.”
Before the grand prize is distributed, it was crucial to attract as many players as possible.
In truth...
Xiao Wang didn’t even need a reminder from the boss; he had already downloaded the game and was secretly playing it at home.
Over the last few days, this game suddenly exploded in popularity. Everywhere you went, people were talking about it.
Even those die-hard fans of slot machines and lottery tickets eagerly flocked to the internet café to play "Desert Bicycle."
They often heard news of someone hitting a jackpot, or friends casually playing a bit and earning enough for cigarettes, and even tales of someone winning thousands of yuan...
While a few thousand yuan might not seem like much years later, for now, it was a substantial prize.
“How many downloads today?”
“Thirty so far.”
“Good.”
On June 23rd,
Li Zongnan roamed through the internet café, asking about the download numbers. Upon hearing thirty, he nodded approvingly, then turned a corner, finding a machine to use his points to revive and continue playing.
Not long after...
A commotion erupted in a corner of the café!
Hearing the noise, he instinctively glanced toward the corner.
He saw a crowd gathered, countless people with wild eyes, excited expressions, some with flushed faces and clenched fists.
Many players of "Legend" abandoned their tasks to join the gathering.
“Almost there!”
“Damn, God Ge is amazing! So close, just a bit faster!”
“Dodged it! Survived the twentieth stage!”
“Revive, keep running… faster, faster!”
“New record!”
“...”
Li Zongnan stood up.
He remembered that corner was where the night-owl legend, Ge Yumiao, usually sat.
He pushed through the crowd and stared at the screen in shock!
On the display, Ge Yumiao, the legendary player, was controlling the game with an unbelievable rhythm, riding his bicycle at high speed across the road.
Getting off, repairing the bike, getting back on, dodging the sandstorm...
All these actions flowed seamlessly!
More astonishingly, the points displayed were staggering!
He already had one million points!
Li recalled that Ge Yumiao had spent these days inviting relatives and friends, playing the game with their accounts...
He had been switching accounts in the corner, and when tired, would lie down and nap for a few hours before returning to play...
A whole bucket of purified water had been entirely consumed in just a few days.
“You have earned 1.3 million points. Would you like to cash out, or sacrifice all points to unlock the final stage?”
“As the first player to complete this side quest, a system reminder: if you fail at the final stage, you will lose everything...”
“Additional reminder: after you cash out, other players will no longer receive side quest cash-out rewards but can still compete for the ultimate grand prize!”
“Countdown: twenty seconds, nineteen, eighteen...”
“...”
Everyone watching grew tense.
If the countdown ended without a cash-out, "Desert Bicycle" would automatically enter the final stage!
So far, apart from Ge Yumiao, no one had made it past the tenth stage.
Moreover, no one had received rewards from the tenth stage because the prizes had been claimed by Ge Yumiao.
The frustrating part of this game was that the first to clear the level received a hidden grand prize, while others could only earn a few dozen points.
One careless mistake meant using those points to revive.
Only the truly focused few could pass without errors—and such players were extremely rare.
“Cash out! That’s over ten thousand yuan! You should cash out!”
“Yes, cash out! You can’t get both the quest rewards and the completion prize on one account!”
“Exactly!”
“Cut your losses. That much money will keep you happy for a year!”
“Yeah! God Ge, listen to us!”
“...”
Many around were dazzled by the million points and began to urge Ge Yumiao.
But Ge Yumiao seemed deaf to their voices, eyes bloodshot and dark-rimmed, fixed on the screen.
The countdown ticked down second by second.
He hesitated for a long while, then gritted his teeth.
“Let’s do this!”
“...”
He clicked to proceed.
Under the astonished, bewildered, and speechless gazes of all, he clicked forward...
Everyone watched the million points instantly vanish, leaving a hollow feeling inside.
They all wished they could cash out on his behalf!
Even Li Zongnan, the owner, was at a loss.
The moment he clicked next,
The screen once again displayed the bicycle and the endless yellow sand.
The rhythm difficulty had reached extreme levels.
The sandstorm raged relentlessly.
The bicycle swayed continuously, often breaking down and needing repairs that seemed never-ending.
He had to dodge spikes below frequently.
A second’s delay meant failure!
The final stage allowed no revives, no mistakes, no break in rhythm—not even for a moment...
It was simply inhuman.
Ge Yumiao was drenched in sweat...
But he kept his eyes fixed on the screen!
More and more people came rushing to the café upon hearing the news.
The place became packed, overflowing with spectators...
“He’s going to clear it!”
“Damn, he’s really going to clear it!”
“Holy crap, this broken game actually has someone who can beat it!”
“This guy sacrificed all his points to unlock the final stage!”
“Unbelievable!”
“...”
Half an hour later...
The entire internet café erupted in wild cheers.
“Congratulations! You’ve beaten all the levels!”
“Congratulations on winning the Universe Tech S1 Season Grand Prize!”
“...”
When these words appeared on the screen, Ge Yumiao felt as if he had emerged from water, soaked in sweat!
He exhaled deeply!
His whole being was overwhelmed with excitement!
The final stage, nearly impossible for any human, was completed by Ge Yumiao!
Soon after...
A banner appeared on the official Universe Tech website!
“Congratulations to the world’s number one, winner of Universe Tech S1 Season Grand Prize!”
“Congratulations!”
“...”
……………………………………
Mu Ren Studio.
“What’s going on with Zhao Song? He hasn’t been seen for two days!”
“No idea. Ever since he provided the cheat data, he disappeared...”
“Hmm... whatever. By the way, has the cheat been uploaded for sale? How are the sales?”
“Our cheat seems to be unusable now. They deployed a patch that wipes all points if you use cheats to clear the game. It also says...”
“What the heck?”
Inside Mu Ren Cheat Studio, a young man with glasses stared blankly at a screenshot provided by another.
Especially after reading those words, he was utterly dumbfounded.
“You’re too amazing. Points mean nothing to you anymore. You’re so good you probably don’t even care about the leaderboard. Earth can’t contain you—go to outer space!”
“...”
Shortly after, another young man came through the door.
“Brother Sun, bad news. Another payment assist software appeared. This cheat is even more powerful than ours. It seems completely undetectable... Though it can’t win prizes, it can still make it onto the final leaderboard. How the hell is that possible?”
“What is that?”
……………………………………………
Universe Tech.
After Zhao Hang and Zhong Chongwen installed the assist cheats, they immediately rushed to the office.
Several hours later...
Zhang Yang dressed sharply in a suit, excitedly holding a “30,000 yuan” grand prize plaque and a trophy engraved with Universe Tech S1.
He rented a camcorder and, along with Zhao Hang and Zhong Chongwen carrying megaphones, left the small, humble office.
They had obtained the winner’s consent.
Zhang Yang would act as a reporter, conducting interviews and promotional work afterward.
……………………………………………
Star Internet Café.
From a distance, everyone heard the sounds of drums and gongs, especially the blaring shrill of a suona horn!
When people realized what was happening...
They saw several young men carrying megaphones, bursting into the café joyfully, brimming with festive cheer.
“Congratulations to God Ge! Congratulations!”
“...”
(End of Chapter)