Chapter 62: The Path to the Summit (Part One)

Evening.

The setting sun cast its dying rays across the sky.

Liu Ruohan walked out of the meeting room, exhausted after yet another grueling session.

The core of the discussion remained the persistent issues surrounding "Legend."

On one front, negotiations with the Korean developer had hit a stalemate. They stubbornly demanded an increase in agency fees, threatening to halt all updates and refuse to crack down on botting and private servers if their demands were not met.

On the other front, Terra Technology’s "Warcraft Battle" was surging forward aggressively, having already captured a massive share of the market and setting its sights squarely on crushing "Legend."

Compared to "Legend," "Warcraft Battle" boasted far superior production values, richer storylines across the board, and rumors even whispered that this September, Terra Network would partner with American developers to create the gaming industry's first true cinematic promotional expansion pack, boasting an immersive magical world that would make players feel as though they had stepped directly into fantasy...

Facing such a colossal marketing gimmick, how many players could possibly resist?

"We need a two-pronged approach!"

"If the Koreans keep this up, we'll develop our own version of 'Legend' from scratch—let's call it 'Legendary World'!"

"Furthermore... I've decided that all new registrations for 'Legend' will no longer use prepaid cards. The game will be entirely free-to-play, and the same goes for existing users!"

Unnoticed by Liu Chongshan, a middle-aged man in glasses had recently joined his inner circle.

He was a gaming evaluator hired all the way from America, and he had introduced a revolutionary, cutting-edge concept:

Free-to-play, with in-game store item purchases!

Upon hearing the proposal, Liu Chongshan had slapped his thigh in sheer excitement and made the decision on the spot without a moment's hesitation.

Liu Ruohan did not know much about game operations.

Yet she couldn't shake the lingering feeling that Mulan Technology had shifted from a democratic decision-making process involving shareholder votes to a system of symbolic approvals, with her father calling all the shots entirely on his own.

The original shareholders... had almost all retired by now, hadn't they?

Although power was becoming more centralized, she remained unsure whether this was ultimately a blessing or a curse.

Returning to her office, she placed a call to Shen Yi, who had already stepped down.

On the other end of the line, Shen Yi fell into a long, heavy silence.

"I can't say for certain what the future holds, but I know Mr. Liu carries a tremendous amount of hostility. Under his leadership, Mulan feels like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, hurtling headlong toward an abyss..."

"Of course, its foundational capital is still intact, so major catastrophes shouldn't happen right away..."

After hanging up with Shen Yi, Liu Ruohan began browsing the gaming news headlines.

When she saw that Zhang Yang was still pinned to the front page of the gaming news, being viciously vilified by the public—with the faint shadow of Liu Yun lingering behind the backlash—she frowned slightly.

Liu Yun had officially assumed the position of HR Department Director today, effectively succeeding Shen Yi in a practical sense.

Her father held her in high regard, believing that her execution skills were exceptional, capable of immediately implementing whatever orders he issued.

Yet...

While this woman appeared poised and reasonable on the surface, speaking with calculated logic, her pettiness was boundless.

As Liu Ruohan continued scrolling...

Her eyes suddenly fell upon Zhang Yang's name once again.

Only this time, no one was cursing him. Instead, Zhang Yang's new student-edition game, "God of Walkthroughs," was sweeping the charts completely!

Reading through the news report, she subconsciously clicked on the standalone game download rankings.

What?!

Over seventy thousand downloads in nine hours? Ranked second?

Trailing only Terra Games' newly launched standalone title, "Lone Island Gun God," which sat at one hundred and forty thousand?

What was happening here?

One had to realize that "Lone Island Gun God" had only managed a total of one hundred and forty thousand downloads over its entire first day!

And he had hit seventy thousand in just nine hours?

"How on earth did he pull that off?"

Liu Ruohan’s jaw dropped. She could not fathom how these numbers could possibly be so insane!

Curiosity getting the better of her, she clicked into the user reviews.

"This game is truly magical. My son is about to start junior high, and after just four hours of playing this, we were stressing endlessly over his English. To my absolute shock, he can now independently write out all twenty-six lowercase and uppercase English letters from memory! He's even picked up some basic spelling. Oh God, it's incredible—he's actually following along and pronouncing the words with the computer!"

"Seeing all the vicious online curses, I genuinely thought it was trash. But since we bought a Bluebird computer, this game came bundled as a complimentary disc. At first, I didn't dare let my kid touch it, but children are slippery—while I was away at work, he sneaked in and played it... When I got home and caught him gaming, I was furious, ready to grab my belt and teach him a lesson. But the moment I glanced at the textbook beside him, I felt like I was dreaming..."

"Same here. The absolute genius of this game is that you actually have to internalize and master the knowledge in your textbooks just to play it; otherwise, you literally cannot progress at all... Doesn't this, in a roundabout way, spark a genuine interest in learning for children?"

"The difficulty is brutally high, though. Unless you're a straight-A top student, getting a high score and high attribute stats is practically impossible!"

"Haha, do you guys even know who is sitting at number one? The number one ranked player is my kid, Jiajia..."

"Good lord, you mean Jiajia from Hang High School?"

"The very same!"

"I go to Hang High School too! Oh my god, I never imagined such a brilliant little girl would be playing this game. Forget it, I'm getting it for my kid too. Downloading it isn't even expensive—only fifteen bucks!"

"That's right, though we got ours free with the computer purchase!"

"A Bluebird computer?"

"Yeah!"

Liu Ruohan was utterly stunned!

***

Terra Technology.

Chen Qing松, head of the operations department, felt the color drain entirely from his face as he watched the skyrocketing download figures of "God of Walkthroughs"!

He stared fixedly at the data!

The gap between this game and his own "Lone Island Gun God" was rapidly closing!

Worse still, its download growth rate was exploding with terrifying velocity, having already surpassed that of "Lone Island Gun God"!

"What the hell is going on with this game?!"

Before its official release, the company's newly developed title, "Lone Island Gun God," had undergone a thorough series of market evaluations.

The projected market rating had been top-tier!

Not only Chen Qingsong, but even the senior executives at headquarters held astronomical expectations for this title!

They had envisioned using this game to shatter the single-day record of one hundred and eighty-one thousand set last month by "Human Butcher," thereby forging a new myth for domestic standalone gaming!

And yet...

Its first-day downloads had ultimately capped out at one hundred and forty thousand!

While one hundred and forty thousand had dealt a slight blow to their confidence, the number was still respectable.

After all, software piracy was rampant in the current market, so securing one hundred and forty thousand legitimate buyers was considered a decent achievement.

However...

"God of Walkthroughs" was completely ignoring the laws of physics!

Especially considering its creator, the infamous Universe Technology boss Zhang Yang...

"That bastard Zhang Yang is still being cursed out on the gaming headlines right now! His public reputation is still in absolute ruins!"

"How in the world is this game acting like a runaway freight train?!"

"Are they falsifying the download counts?"

When Chen Qingsong checked the metrics again, he discovered that the download count had already blasted past seventy-three thousand!

He stood frozen in sheer disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"This growth speed is completely deranged!"

Not long afterward.

His phone rang.

"We've broken the record!"

"Including the bundled sales figures with Lianzhong Technology, the total installation base for 'Lone Island Gun God' has officially surpassed one hundred and fifty thousand!"

"It has shattered our company's historical record for standalone games!"

"Director Chen, should we release the press statement now?"

"Release it!"

The call was from his assistant, who sounded positively ecstatic.

Hearing this, Chen Qingsong felt an adrenaline shot steady his previously anxious nerves!

Though it had missed breaking the record set by "Human Butcher," these figures were still worthy of celebration!

After giving the green light, he hesitated for a moment before impulsively calling his assistant back to inquire about the installation metrics for "God of Walkthroughs."

"The total installation base for 'God of Walkthroughs' has also crossed ninety thousand?"

"Wait... does that mean Bluebird computers are selling even better than Lianzhong Technology's hardware?"

"This..."

Chen Qingsong's eyes widened in horror.

He refused to believe his own ears!

***

Lianzhong Technology.

The entire team sat frozen in a collective trance, staring blankly at the latest computer sales data.

A dull buzzing echoed incessantly inside their heads!

General Manager Xu Chuanzhi would never in his wildest dreams have imagined that Bluebird Technology’s computer sales figures for August 1st would actually crush his own!

He had sold ten thousand units!

Yet Bluebird Technology’s "Bluebird" computer had moved a staggering seventeen thousand units!

In a single day!

Had everyone lost their minds?

These figures belonged in the realm of mythology!

This was the year 2005, for crying out loud!

How could this possibly be happening?

Did Zhou Yang possess such terrifying market pull?

General Manager Xu Chuanzhi felt his mind completely go blank.

***

Night fell.

Zhang Liang and his production crew stepped out from the home of teacher Su Bin.

Su Bin's expression was complex.

He had historically been a staunch opponent of video games.

Yet tonight...

His worldview felt thoroughly upended.

For a moment, he found it difficult to process.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang began pondering the central theme for the upcoming episode of "Today."

Online gaming was a double-edged sword.

It possessed its dark sides.

And yet...

It also harbored positive aspects.

How, then, could they bring this episode to a fulfilling and well-rounded conclusion?

Ideally, by injecting a healthy dose of controversy.

After a brief moment of hesitation...

An idea struck him just as he climbed into the vehicle.

"Xiao Liu, can you get in touch with Zhang Yang's company? Set up an appointment!"

"Pardon?"

"I want you guys to take a crew and interview Zhang Yang... If we can head over tonight and grab a slot, do it tonight!"

"Understood!"

***

Universe Technology!

The office was ablaze with light.

"Seventy-five thousand!"

"Seventy-seven thousand!"

"Eighty thousand!"

"Eighty-two thousand!"

"Ninety thousand!"

"..."

"We're at the top!"

"Number one!"

"We've hit the summit!"

Even with decent soundproofing, Zhang Yang could hear the unified roar of cheers echoing from the bullpen.

Fortunately, there were no other companies sharing the floor, and the location was not a residential zone.

Otherwise, noise complaints would have been guaranteed.

Right at that moment, everyone was staring breathlessly at the leaderboard, eagerly anticipating the crown of victory...

Even though it seemed they still had a stretch of road left to climb!

Zhang Yang smiled.

Though his team was shouting themselves hoarse, their enthusiasm was understandable.

Still, one had to remain calm!

To face the winds and tides with a cool, detached smile.

The ring of Zhang Yang's desk phone shattered the reverie.

He picked up the receiver.

An expression of utter astonishment washed over his face!

His heart skipped a beat!

He realized he could no longer maintain his composure!

Bursting out of his office with lightning speed, he revealed a thrilling expression before the gaze of his entire staff!

"Everyone!"

"There is a chance—I said, there just might be a chance!"

"We're going to be on television!"

"Everyone, tidy up your clothes..."

"The reporters are on their way!"