Chapter 87: A Great Menace!

Shengteng Technology.

On a day of national celebration.

Yan Yun was still in the office working overtime.

He had just finished his tasks and was preparing to swap shifts with a colleague so he could head back to his hometown for a two-day break…

Then he saw a news report.

The moment he saw the news, his expression froze.

The triple pay that had previously excited him suddenly lost all its charm. He slowly closed his eyes.

He was not happy at all!

Five years ago…

He had been a young man in his prime, arriving in the sprawling metropolis of Shenzhen with wide-eyed innocence to become a programmer.

He worked incredibly hard, pouring all his talent and effort into his job, desperate to take root in this city.

But…

Five years later!

His once thick, black hair had vanished, leaving behind only a shiny, oily scalp.

The compensation at Shengteng Technology was actually quite good. Compared to other companies, their pay and benefits had always been top-tier in the industry.

He had been living a happy life, and he felt he had “face.”

Every year when he returned to his village for the Lunar New Year, he could see the envious looks of the villagers.

“College students really are different. I heard his annual salary is seventy thousand!”

“And there’s insurance… right, I heard there’s some kind of gold… the Five Insurances and One Gold¹?”

“Yeah, I heard that after working for five years, he’s saved up over two hundred thousand. If he scrapes together a bit more, he’ll be able to buy a house in Shenzhen!”

“The Yan family produced a real office professional. He’s made it, he’s really made it…”

“…”

“…”

Such voices had always surrounded him.

Though he had sacrificed his hair, he had won a constant stream of admiration!

He was only twenty-seven!

He was still young!

He felt that in another five years, he could save enough to buy a house in Shenzhen outright, get married, have children, and become a true city dweller.

The mere thought of it…

Filled him with motivation!

Three months ago.

He had happened to see a piece of news online.

The report was about Zhang Yang at a job fair, loudly proclaiming that anyone who followed him would get “ten thousand a month, a hundred and twenty thousand a year!” He claimed it wasn’t a dream.

Back then…

Everyone on the internet treated Zhang Yang like a clown with a clumsy scam!

No one believed it was real!

Was he joking?

Ten thousand a month? A hundred and twenty thousand a year?

Even the management at some companies in Yanjing didn’t necessarily earn that much, right?

Let alone ordinary employees?

If this wasn’t treating people like fools, what was?

Yan Yun had laughed along with them, even joining the mockers on Tieba. He had used his own salary at Shengteng Technology as a real-world example to debunk the claims…

He still remembered how he felt at that time.

He felt a sense of superiority. Even now, he could recall the awe and envy of the netizens when they saw his salary!

But…

A month later…

When he accidentally saw the bonuses issued by Universe Technology, Yan Yun felt his sense of superiority vanish instantly.

However, he still comforted himself, thinking they were just on a lucky streak. It was normal for a game to become a massive hit, or even two.

A company like Shengteng Technology was the most stable path.

Two months later…

He saw the bonuses again!

He stopped trying to comfort himself…

He just felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort, though he couldn’t pinpoint where it came from…

All he knew was that he wasn’t as proactive at work as he used to be.

Today, three months later…

He saw the news again!

“Two months of work, bought a BMW!”

Yan Yun finally couldn’t take it anymore.

He felt even worse after seeing Sun Lili!

Sun Lili was from the neighboring village.

In his memory, Sun Lili was a junior college graduate from a very mediocre school. Her background was worlds apart from a career in gaming!

And yet!

He never dreamed that one day…

She would be in the same industry as him, and!

Yan Yun immediately took out his phone and called home.

“Mom… that Sun Lili from the next village, did she really buy a BMW?”

“Yes, she did. She even sent photos. The Sun family is so proud now, wandering around the village every day showing everyone the pictures of their daughter’s car. They said she’s driving it home tomorrow. Look at how he’s gloating! I wasn’t even that smug when you got into university! It’s just a BMW, and I heard she bought it on a loan. What’s the big deal?”

“…”

Yan Yun’s face darkened the moment he heard this.

He hung up the phone.

In the vast office, the more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.

A junior college student could get this lucky, while I, a graduate of a prestigious university…

A whole year of my work can’t even match two months of hers?

Dammit!

This…

His mindset was beginning to crumble!

Especially after seeing that almost everyone at Zhang Yang’s Universe Technology had bought a BMW, he lost his balance completely.

It wasn’t poverty that bothered him, but the inequality. He was so envious his eyes were practically popping out of his head.

He finally couldn’t resist calling Universe Technology in Yanjing…

When he learned they were still hiring…

An idea instantly took root in his mind.

He picked up his resignation letter and walked toward the HR department.

“Manager Liu? I…”

“Xiao Yan, don’t tell me you want to resign too!”

“Manager Liu, I feel that your company…”

“Do you want to jump ship to Universe Technology?”

“Huh?”

Before Yan Yun could finish making up an excuse, he saw the big-headed Manager Liu glaring at him with an irritated look…

He subconsciously looked down at the desk.

And then…

He saw a pile of resignation letters.

Are they all…?

The thought flashed through Yan Yun’s mind!

“Never mind you, I damn well want to resign myself! This is too infuriating…”

“???”

“Just leave your resignation letter here. I’ll talk to the higher-ups and see if they’ll give us a raise. If not, I’ll just quit with you!”

“???”

Just then, Yan Yun saw the complicated expression on his supervisor Manager Liu’s face again.

………………………………

Every industry has its own rules.

The gaming circle was no different.

Liu Zhongshan’s face darkened when he saw that the latest batch of interns had nearly all jumped ship again.

That wasn’t even the worst part. The most outrageous thing was that just moments ago, several lower-level managers from various departments had come to him, dropping subtle hints that they hoped the company would give them a reasonable raise.

They weren’t asking for two hundred thousand a year!

But surely they should at least be making a hundred and twenty thousand?

Look at Zhang Yang’s place; even a regular programmer makes more than we do. How is that right?

Although Liu Zhongshan had smoothed things over with a smile and promised the managers a raise…

…the moment they left, he was absolutely livid!

He hated being threatened more than anything else in the world.

Once he identified the root of the problem and saw the employees of Universe Technology flaunting their new cars and bonuses all over the internet without the slightest bit of humility…

…he wanted nothing more than to take a knife and stab Zhang Yang to death!

The man was a complete loose cannon², a troublemaker who utterly ignored the rules of the game!

Dammit!

If he played like this, what were the others supposed to do?

What were the employees of other companies supposed to think?

They didn’t mind him entering the market, but trying to rewrite the rules was unacceptable!

In an era where everyone exploited their employees, this guy was refusing to follow protocol!

“From now on, every new employee who joins must sign a Non-compete Agreement!”

“And… Universe Technology is renting our servers, right?”

“Starting now, reclaim all of them!”

“Furthermore, no one in this company is allowed to play any games from Universe Technology!”

“And get Liu Ruohan in here!”

“…”

………………………………

October 2nd.

The employees of Universe Technology were once again showing no mercy, shamelessly posting photos of themselves picking up their new cars!

Even…

The official BMW Group website even posted photos of them out on a scenic drive!

In the photos…

…everyone was beaming with joy.

Many people recognized a few familiar faces in the pictures!

Ge Yumiao, once known as a bottom-tier internet lowlife, was now dressed in a sharp suit and sunglasses, looking every bit like a wealthy heir.

The slightly stuttering Zhong Chongwen was leaning against his car under the setting sun, staring into the distance with a practiced, brooding air.

And then there was…

Zhao Hang, whose legs weren’t quite right, had it a bit tougher.

He couldn’t buy a car.

So, he could only post a photo of his bonus slip!

“Sigh… I’m so jealous of everyone getting their cars. I can’t drive in this life, so what’s the use of all this money? Man, I really long for that feeling of racing through the wild!”

“…”

On the bonus slip, although some information was covered and the photo was blurry, five zeros were clearly visible. As for whether the digit in front of those zeros was a two or a three…

…that part was impossible to make out.

Regardless, whether it was twenty or thirty thousand, it was enough to keep onlookers awake at night with envy!

Seeing this…

…many people gritted their teeth in frustration while simultaneously wanting to cry from pure jealousy!

They vaguely remembered the job fair back in June.

At that fair…

…these employees were the ones rejected by the big corporations.

They had been overlooked, standing alone with their resumes like discarded trash.

But now!

As much as they had been mistreated then, they were just as triumphant now!

Shengteng Technology, Mumaen Technology, Dadi Technology…

These giants could still manage.

Even though they detested Zhang Yang and wanted to tear him apart, they could still stabilize their situation by begrudgingly offering slight raises.

However…

…the smaller game companies couldn’t hold on!

They all began cursing Zhang Yang at the top of their lungs.

They were cursing him so thoroughly they might have woken his ancestors from their graves.

Their employees had no heart for work.

Many were constantly refreshing Universe Technology’s recruitment page, some even having their resignation letters already written!

How could the bosses not be furious?

But…

…even if they were angry, what could they do?

“Dammit!”

“Shit, I think that menace actually sent us a resume once!”

“Why didn’t we hire him back then? If we had, none of this would be happening!”

“Fucking hell!”

“…”

Yinlun Game Technology.

A young man looked at several resignation letters and gave himself a sharp slap across the face.

After the slap…

…it still wasn’t enough to vent his frustration, so he slammed his fist onto the desk, making it thud loudly.

If he had just hired Zhang Yang back then, all those games Zhang Yang developed might have belonged to him.

Not to mention, he wouldn’t have to deal with his current employees clamoring to quit.

It was infuriating!

…………………………

Universe Technology.

The place was currently bustling like a marketplace, with countless people flocking from all directions to apply for jobs.

Zhang Yang stood in his office, looking down at the crowd of applicants with a smile on his face.

“President Zhang… they…”

“As long as they aren’t bound by contracts with their previous companies and can prove their ability, we’ll take them all!”

Zhao Hang looked at Zhang Yang, then nodded and left the office.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang gazed into the distance.

As long as they were capable, he would take anyone!

The more true talent, the better!

He had so many games in his mind that hadn’t been developed yet; he hadn’t even stepped into the realm of true online gaming!

Once he entered that field, there would be even more for him to explore!

He closed his eyes.

He knew that every game company CEO in Huaxia saw him as a thorn in their side.

He knew even better that he would face countless attempts to sabotage him in the future.

But…

…he didn’t care!

“So, why didn’t you hire me back then?”

“If I had possessed two hundred mu of land in Luoyang, how could I have ever worn the seals of the prime ministers of the six states?”

“…”

After his moment of reflection, he quietly poured himself a cup of coffee and savored it slowly.

Once…

He had been confined in a cage, unable to vent his frustrations.

Now…

He was like a Beast breaking free from its shackles, staring at the world with a frantic, ravenous hunger…

This world seemed to be filled with his prey!

Half an hour later.

He took out his phone and called his landlord, Brother Bao.

“Brother Bao…”

“Huh? Zhang Yang? Oh, I should call you President Zhang now…”

“Brother Bao… the floors below us haven’t been rented out yet, right?”

“A few people are coming to look in a few days. Why?”

“Rent them all to me!”

“What?”

“I’m renting them all!”

“Alright, alright. That works out perfectly. I won’t have to run between floors as much if I’m only collecting rent from one person.”

“Brother Bao, do you have any other properties?”

“I do!”

“Rent a few floors to me for staff dormitories?”

“No way!”

“Huh?”

“I’ve got it all scheduled. I collect rent here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and over there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. If I rent them all to you, I won’t feel like I’m going to work anymore. Life would be so boring!”

“…”

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang was suddenly speechless!

Damn it!

……………………

National Day.

A segment of the game companies in Huaxia was in a state of panic.

Many bosses were fuming with rage but felt utterly helpless.

To keep their talented employees, they had tried everything and ultimately had no choice but to offer raises!

Giving raises felt like carving meat off their own bodies.

They hated Zhang Yang to the bone!

That bastard Zhang Yang!

Everyone else harvested the players like leeks.

But him!

Why did he specifically choose to harvest the capitalists?

Once National Day ended.

Although the employees of Zhang Yang’s Universe Technology finally grew tired of showing off and stopped their posturing.

The bosses breathed a small sigh of relief.

However…

Dammit!

He had invisibly driven up the average salary for the entire gaming industry.

Many bosses felt their blood pressure rising!

But there was nothing they could do. They could only pin their hopes on their new games…

Some bosses even considered pivoting to follow Zhang Yang’s operational model!

Then…

Just as they were considering new game designs…

On October 8th, they heard another bombshell announcement from Universe Technology’s official channels!

“A new Storm has appeared! How can we stand still?”

“Our new game has officially entered the development phase!”

“We expect to meet everyone in early November, or mid-November at the latest!”

“The new game will still be free! Free!”

“The name of the new game is Plants vs. Zombies!”

“…”

“…”

……………………….

“Damn it!”

“What’s with this guy?”

“Again?”

“How can new game ideas be so cheap to him?”

“I don’t believe it!”

“I don’t believe his next game can be a hit too!”

“Damn it, I really don’t believe it!”

At Shengteng Technology.

Chen Qiang, who was struggling to come up with a new game and couldn’t figure out a single mechanic, felt his mental state collapse upon hearing the news!

He shook his head violently!

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes