Chapter 41: The New Game in Progress (Part 1)

"Eighty-six thousand!"
"Eighty-seven thousand!"
"Ninety thousand!"
"..."
Inside the lobby of Universe Technology, a group of people stared at the fluctuating data. Their eyes burned with fervor; they cheered for every leap in the numbers as if watching a heated sports match, as if they could see a brilliant future unfolding before them. No one hungered for success more than they did.

Zhang Yang walked downstairs. Seeing their excited expressions, he simply clapped along with a calm demeanor. He stepped out of the building, feeling the sun hit his skin, and chewed on a piece of gum, lost in thought about his next move. Before he knew it, he had reached the main street. He instinctively looked at the endless flow of traffic.

July. It was indeed a sultry season. He watched as many beautiful young women on the street wore miniskirts, showing off their gorgeous legs as they walked back and forth. Staring at their retreating figures, Zhang Yang couldn't help but lose himself in the sight, finding it exceptionally pleasing. Long legs, perky chests, miniskirts, white shirts, uniforms... the variety of beauties caught his eye.

However, the only slight disappointment was that he rarely saw girls like Liu Ruohan—the cute and pure "glasses girl"—on the streets. He rubbed his chin. "Crazy Whack-a-Llama" was indeed enjoying a bit of popularity right now. But this small spark was merely the result of the novelty factor; it was just a taste for the players and didn't seem likely to last.

He took out the day's download data and looked down at it. Clearly, the initial download numbers for "Crazy Whack-a-Llama" had been fierce, but today, they were starting to taper off. After all, it was a mini-game under 1GB; it had been vigorous on the first day, but by the second, the momentum was already showing signs of fatigue. It would be normal if there were a cliff-like drop-off next.

One hundred and thirty thousand downloads—that was roughly the target Zhang Yang had estimated in his heart.

What should the next game be? Or perhaps... Zhang Yang’s gaze drifted to the beauties on the street, a spark of inspiration flashing in his eyes.

...

After wandering around the street, Zhang Yang turned his attention to the Wei Mobile Shop not far away. Today, the shop was packed, with many people pointing at the photos displayed in front of it. The small shop owner, Wang Wei, had put up a sign designating his store as an official "Crazy Whack-a-Llama" agency site and was busy shouting out promotional pitches. A thought began to take shape in Zhang Yang's mind.

The year was 2005. China had already seen a series of knock-off mobile phones flooding the market. In the West, products similar to Apple's smartphone were beginning to sprout, but they had not yet achieved mass popularity, nor had they become the so-called "kidney phones." The true king was the "Novia" phone. "Novia" was the brand that occupied the place of "Nokia" in Zhang Yang’s original world. At this moment, it was their era.

"Reliable quality," "long battery life," "outstanding performance in all aspects," "various price tiers"—these were the advantages of this phone.

Zhang Yang stood at the mobile shop for a long time, watching as Wang Wei sold one colorful, "marquee-light" and "loud-speaker MP3" phone after another. A profound look flashed in his eyes. With the progress of the times, mobile phones were gradually shifting from the concept of mere calling devices to tools for entertainment. Their future series of games would eventually be ported into phones, becoming mobile games.

"Oh, Boss Zhang? You're here? Please, come in, come right in..."
"Haha, business is good today, Boss Wang."
"Thanks to you, Boss Zhang. Today, many customers came here specifically because of the game, fighting to take pictures, which brought in quite a bit of business, haha..."
"That's good."

Zhang Yang looked at the phones on Wang Wei’s counter, lost in thought.
"Boss Zhang, what's wrong?"
"Boss Wang, have you ever thought about making your own phones?"
"What? What was that?"
"Making your own phones!"
"Ah! No, no, no, I can't do that. What do I know about technology?" Wang Wei’s eyes widened. He was shocked by Zhang Yang’s words and stared at him in disbelief.
"You know how to repair phones, don't you?"
"I do, but software and all that? I don't understand any of it. Plus, I don't have the channels."
"If I’m not mistaken, you don't even need to develop the software. You just need to buy the parts, assemble them, slap your own brand on it, and then sell it..."
"What? This... this..."

When Wang Wei heard this, his eyes bulged. He felt the idea was too rebellious and far too terrifying.
"Currently, I've seen the Android system from abroad; it seems to have already entered China. As long as you load this system, it’ll work..." Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes, continuing to stare at Wang Wei.
"I, I..." Wang Wei lowered his head, his speech stuttering. This bombshell had left him reeling.

"Are you content with selling phones here for the rest of your life? Anyone can sell phones. But the ones who will truly become the pillars of China in the future will always be the high-tech industries, the ones at the source. This era is filled with gold everywhere; it just depends on whether you have the guts to pick it up..." Zhang Yang sat on a small stool, his eyes squinting deeper and deeper.

...

Wang Wei remained head-down, struggling with the decision. However, after a long time, he finally looked up at Zhang Yang. He shook his head. He was doing quite well now, with decent business every day. If he saved money for a few more years, he would have enough for a down payment on the outskirts of Beijing... People were, in fact, just like that. The "boiling frog" metaphor held true. If one is content with comfort, they are less willing to take risks.

"Boss Zhang, if you have any mobile phone channels in the future, I can help sell them..."
"Oh, that’s fine too."

Seeing him shake his head, Zhang Yang’s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but he quickly replaced it with a smile and stood up.

"Boss Zhang, actually, it’s not that I don’t want to do it, but I’m almost thirty, I have a girlfriend, and I don’t have much in savings. I plan to save for a few more years to buy a house..." Watching Zhang Yang stand up, Wang Wei suddenly felt an indescribable sensation in his heart and instinctively began to explain.

"Boss Wang, if I told you that in the future, you won't be able to keep up with housing prices, and even if you do, you'll regret it—what would you think then?"
"Ah, that's impossible, right? I just listened to Professor Xie’s lecture. Professor Xie said that China's future housing prices will be regulated and will fall..." Wang Wei hesitated and quickly shook his head.
"Do you believe Professor Xie?"
"Professor Xie is a distinguished economics professor at Capital Normal University. He has a very sharp eye, surely more than us..." Wang Wei said weakly.
"Oh, perhaps he is right." Zhang Yang looked at the newspaper Wang Wei pulled out featuring Professor Xie’s lecture, a strange look flashing in his eyes. He coughed lightly, waved at Wang Wei, turned, and left to return to his company.

...

As the sun set, Wang Wei closed his shop and returned home. Zhang Yang's words echoed in his ears. He suddenly felt conflicted. He felt as if he were standing at a crossroads in life: should he take a gamble, or maintain the status quo and buy a house securely?

He discussed it with his girlfriend...
"Do you not believe Professor Xie anymore? You're going to trust this game guy?"
"..."
"We need to recognize reality and be steady... Professor Xie is a legitimate academic! He can't be lying to us. And housing prices are so high now that it’s a stretch for us; they will definitely come down in the future!"

In the residential complex, Wang Wei’s girlfriend was incessantly instilling all sorts of theories about falling housing prices into his head, citing Professor Xie’s words. Just then, a young man nearby poked his head in and interrupted her.

"Brother Wang, is this really what Zhang Yang said?"
"Yes, it is. Why?"
"Brother Wang, are you sure you don't want to try?"
"Ah? Maybe... let's just leave it..."
"Brother Wang, I think you should listen to Zhang Yang. I think he makes sense, in the future..."
"Tong Wei! Why don't you go find a job instead of staying home playing games all day? What qualifications do you have to be telling our Wang Wei what to do? Don't ruin our Wang Wei’s future, okay! You’re a failure, do you want everyone else to fail with you?"

Before Wang Wei could speak, his girlfriend’s angry voice cut in. She couldn't stand shut-ins like Tong Wei, who spent all day at home tinkering with God-knows-what. Tong Wei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Finally, he hesitated for a moment, then, as if having made a firm decision, he rushed out of the courtyard like a madman.
"Stay away from people like that in the future, they have no future, you know?"

Looking at him running off like a lunatic, Wang Wei's girlfriend shook her head in disdain.