Chapter 319: A New Money-Losing Venture

This time, the offline Extreme Survival tournament had successfully put the Sky Pavilion Club on the map.

Led by Jiang Jiu, their club’s team easily secured third place in the competition.

And the reason it was “easy” was, of course, because he had instructed Jiang Jiu to aim for that specific rank.

After all, Extreme Survival was still a relatively new game. Aside from their own club, no other professional teams had been formally established. Most of the other participating teams were either random amateur squads or hastily assembled groups from other clubs with no systematic training.

But Extreme Survival wasn’t just about individual skill. Strategy played a major role too.

When to enter the safe zone, which route to take, where to position during a particular circle phase—these decisions required in-depth analysis and planning.

Among all the teams in the tournament, only their club had done this kind of research.

As a result, Sky Pavilion’s team dominated the elimination rounds and semifinals, consistently maintaining a significant lead in points.

However, considering they were the event organizers, if their team had taken first place and claimed the one-million-yuan prize, it would have looked like they were just pocketing the money themselves.

So, after some thought, he had Jiang Jiu deliberately hold back during the finals, ultimately landing them in third place.

After all, their goal this time wasn’t to win the championship—it was to boost the club’s visibility.

And the results had been excellent. Businesses had already started reaching out to discuss potential sponsorships and collaborations.

Once they started landing commercial deals, the club would have another revenue stream. It was a sign they were finally on the right track.

“This is a good start. But the few promising players we had our eyes on yesterday have already been approached by other clubs. Looks like those clubs are also planning to form professional Extreme Survival teams,” Chen Cong said lazily from the side.

“That’s great news. Once more clubs start forming their own Extreme Survival teams, the next tournament will be even more exciting. And by then, the game’s popularity will have skyrocketed. If Sky Pavilion Club can win the next championship, our reputation will soar again,” Du Ziteng said, taking a slow sip of tea, his eyes full of anticipation.

By the time the next offline tournament rolled around, Sky Pavilion’s team wouldn’t need to hold back anymore. Most of the competing teams would likely be professionally trained squads from other clubs.

And since they’d all be professional teams, winning the championship wouldn’t be such a walk in the park.

But if they did take the title, the club would instantly gain a wave of new fans. That wouldn’t just mean more business deals—they could also start releasing club merchandise and other related products. Those would be huge profit generators.

The two of them chatted excitedly, envisioning the bright future of Sky Pavilion Club.

Suddenly,

Chen Cong’s phone started vibrating.

After a while,

He ended the call and looked up at Du Ziteng.

“President Chen from the Mingri Group is planning to start a gaming club. He called to ask about the details. I’m heading over there now. You’ll take care of things at the club for the time being.”

“Got it.”

Du Ziteng nodded. He hadn’t expected Mingri Group to enter the gaming scene too. That would definitely make future competitions more interesting.

From what he knew of President Chen, he would definitely aim to build a top-tier club. In the next tournament, Mingri’s team could very well become their biggest rival.

…

Chen Cong left the hotel, thinking over how best to explain the process of starting a gaming club.

When he arrived at Mingri Group, he went straight to the top floor and entered the CEO’s office.

“Come, I just brewed some tea.”

Chen Mo greeted him warmly, leading him to the tea table by the floor-to-ceiling windows and pouring him a cup.

Chen Cong quickly took the cup and placed it carefully on the table.

“President Chen, setting up a club is actually pretty simple. It’s not much different from registering a company.”

“But when it comes to hiring, that’s where things get tricky. For a gaming club, the most important hires are the management team, the coaches, and of course, the professional players.”

…

Chen Cong went over the details of setting up a club step by step.

Chen Mo nodded slightly as he listened. Chen Cong’s explanation reminded him that, just like with the players, he needed to pick incompetent people for management and coaching as well.

That way,

With weak coaches and slacker players, the club would be doomed from the start.

If the coach was useless and the players were all freeloaders, how could the team possibly win a championship?

“By the way, President Chen, do you already have someone in mind for your management and coaching staff? If not, I actually know a few people with a lot of experience running gaming clubs. If you’re interested, I can introduce them to you,” Chen Cong offered enthusiastically.

As for President Chen, he was someone worth getting to know. If there was a chance to help him out, he was more than willing to lend a hand.

Besides, their club already had a working relationship with Cangxue Games, a company under President Chen’s name.

“As for that, I haven’t really thought it through yet. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.”

Chen Mo didn’t even hesitate. He turned him down politely but firmly.

With his wealth of experience, this kind of suggestion went completely against his recruitment philosophy. There was no way he would agree to it.

For the key positions in the club, he had to make the selections himself. Only by personally excluding all the competent and capable candidates could he ensure things went according to plan.

After discussing a few more details with Chen Cong, they finally ironed out all the specifics for establishing the club.

Then he casually arranged for Chen Cong to have lunch at the company cafeteria. As for treating this sixth brother to a high-end hotel meal? Not even a consideration.

Once Chen Cong was sent off, Chen Mo returned to his office.

He sat down and took a short break before adjusting the call bell on his desk to connect with the Legal Department.

Since the club was going to be established, all the legal procedures could be handed over to Tang Qiu.

At this point, nearly all the companies under the group had been handled by Tang Qiu. She was more than familiar with the process and could handle it with ease.

“President Chen, you called for me?”

Tang Qiu walked briskly into the office, her face lit up with excitement. It had been a long time since President Chen had given her a task. If he called her in today, it must mean there was something to be done.

She just hoped it wasn’t another legal awareness campaign or some routine paperwork.