Chapter 100: Sweeping the Nation (Part 1)

Plants vs. Zombies had no pre-launch hype, nor did it have any excessive promotional campaigns.

The Universe Technology official website simply posted a single sentence: “This is a world-class game.”

And then…

They released a few character designs for the plants.

The most prominent plant was the Peashooter, which had a large mouth and looked incredibly cute and adorable…

As for the zombies!

They looked dull-eyed with twisted, swaying bodies, looking exactly like the zombies from Hollywood movies!

Yet, such a simple concept art attracted countless people who waited in anticipation.

November 13th, early morning.

When the download channel for Plants vs. Zombies finally opened…

Those waiting clicked in immediately, desperately smashing the download button.

The file wasn’t large, about 500MB, which was less than half the size of Road Rash.

However…

The official website still experienced some lag.

Even though the Universe Technology website used the latest servers, it was still overwhelmed by the surging tide of players.

The sheer number of people was simply too high!

TCA’s failure…

It had stirred a wave of indignation within the Huaxia gaming community. Even many people who didn’t play games saw the news and couldn’t resist downloading Plants vs. Zombies!

……………………

1:00 AM.

In his office.

Ding Ziguang wasn’t sleeping. Instead, he was quietly watching the Universe Technology website and the online Tieba forums.

Even though it was the dead of night, he could already feel a fanatical tide surging through the darkness.

Without exception…

Every topic and news item was about Plants vs. Zombies, accompanied by countless roars of excitement across the internet.

On the download charts…

In just one short hour…

Plants vs. Zombies had reached the top five with a hundred thousand downloads!

When he refreshed again, that hundred thousand instantly became a hundred and twenty thousand, and its rank had jumped from the top five into second place!

Despite being mentally prepared, Ding Ziguang still felt his scalp tingle at the sight.

This was terrifying!

Data like this had never been achieved by God of Conquest or Human Killing Machine!

Were there really this many players in Huaxia?

Was this the “underdog’s victory” effect?

Once the Universe Technology website was no longer as laggy, he instinctively went online and downloaded Plants vs. Zombies.

After the download finished…

He clicked in immediately.

Then…

A tense and slightly eerie piece of music drifted out from the game.

It started with a giant tombstone. Carved into the stone were options like “Start Game” and “Adventure Mode,” along with a help section.

Ding Ziguang instinctively clicked on “Help” to understand the game.

Then…

“When the zombies appear, sit back and do nothing. When the zombies enter your house, you win…”

Huh?

Ding Ziguang narrowed his eyes when he saw this.

Was this a mission to escort zombies into the house?

He then clicked into Adventure Mode.

Following the prompt, he silently did nothing…

As the zombies appeared, the music around him became more tense and terrifying. Ding Ziguang felt his heart tighten for no reason.

Then…

He watched as a zombie walked toward him step by step.

And then…

He heard a scream.

Immediately after!

He saw “Game Over” displayed on the screen!

???

“What?”

Ding Ziguang shook his head vigorously. After backing out, he finally noticed a line of small text at the bottom of the help prompt: “This is a letter from the zombies.”

Once he saw that clearly, he stared at the screen with a strange expression.

He had apparently been pranked by the game!

Later, when he logged back into the game, he saw the actual system help prompts telling him to click the “Peashooter” and place it on the lawn. Then, the system prompted him to plant a Sunflower. Sunflowers could produce sunlight; once the sunlight value reached a certain level, he could click to summon another Peashooter. The Peashooter would then spit out peas to shoot the zombies that came wobbling toward him…

At this point, the music was gentle and full of a cartoonish feel.

However, as Ding Ziguang gradually became familiar with the controls, the system prompted: “A huge wave of zombies is approaching! Prepare yourself…”

Accompanied by a more eerie and tense track, the zombies that had previously come one or two at a time suddenly increased in number.

The music acted like a psychological suggestion, making his breathing tighten. He couldn’t help but stare at the Sunflower, desperately hoping it would produce more sunlight so he could summon more Peashooters to attack the zombies!

……………………

In this world, although there were similar mini-games, there were no true tower defense games!

The appearance of Plants vs. Zombies was a revelation to many players!

In the quiet of the night, accompanied by the eerie and tense music, many people subconsciously thought of a movie in this world: Zombie Tide!

That movie had been a global hit. Those swaying living dead on a lonely island, devouring human flesh, were like monsters!

The protagonist struggled to survive under the siege of zombies. The shots were mostly heart-pounding; the wobbling zombies seemed to move slowly, but every time they reached out a hand, it made people choke with tension.

In the movie, people felt a certain level of immersion.

In the game, however, this immersion was even stronger!

Many players who had seen the movie felt both tense and excited while playing. This tension didn’t last forever; once a level was cleared, the music became soft again.

The alternating tension and relaxation of the music controlled the players’ emotions perfectly…

At the same time!

The game was anything but repetitive.

The Peashooter had upgraded versions, and defensive weapons like the Wall-nut appeared. Naturally, the zombies upgraded as well.

Furthermore, the zombie upgrades were incredibly diverse and bizarre.

“Damn!”

“What kind of zombie is this?”

“…”

Across the internet, as many players cleared the simple levels, they began to encounter a vast array of inexplicable zombies.

They were shocked.

Among the ranks of the undead, they saw zombies carrying poles who vaulted over the Wall-nut defenses to devour the Sunflowers bite by bite.

There were zombies wearing metal buckets on their heads, granting them a brief period of near-invincibility.

In truth, these were all fairly standard.

But then came Level 3-1.

“Tell me, what the hell is this zombie?”

“Do zombies drive BMWs now?”

“And what’s the deal with this one?”

“…”

At three in the morning, a player posted several screenshots.

In the images, everyone saw a zombie driving a BMW, slamming directly into a Wall-nut and sending it flying.

Then they saw the next screenshot. Netizens stared at the “Telephone Zombie.” These zombies usually appeared before a massive wave. They would pull out a “Phelps” phone just as they were about to die, and in a total lack of martial decorum, they would shake the phone to call for backup. With one shake, a massive swarm of zombies, all holding “Phelps” phones, would suddenly appear.

The Wall-nut was tough; at least before the third stage, it could withstand the gnawing of ordinary zombies for a long time.

However, when the “Phelps” phone zombie finished its call and violently hurled the phone at the Wall-nut, a chunk was instantly blasted out of the defense. The normally expressionless, cartoonish Wall-nut looked pitiful, tears streaming down its face, while the “Phelps” phone on the ground remained completely unscathed.

Many people were entertained by this colorful cast of zombies.

Then…

Someone else shared the art style of the plants in Plants vs. Zombies.

“Is this shampoo really that powerful?”

“What’s with the Peashooter using shampoo? Can this stuff actually grow hair?”

“…”

Everyone saw that when the upgraded Peashooter appeared, it would rub shampoo into its “hair.” After the application, its head would shine brilliantly, and it would fire peas in double bursts. Against ordinary zombies, its power was doubled.

When many balding players saw this scene, their eyes went wide.

This stuff…

Could it actually have some miraculous effect?

Should they buy some and try it out?

It seemed…

Did this shampoo have a real brand name?

After taking a screenshot of the shampoo, the group noticed a brand logo and searched for it online.

Well, what do you know?

They discovered that the product actually existed in real life!

The morning sun shone down upon the land.

Ding Ziguang stared blankly out the window, then looked back at his computer screen in disbelief.

Heaven knows!

Initially, Ding Ziguang had only intended to test the game for an hour at most.

But as he played, he suddenly realized the game was incredibly addictive.

Almost every level introduced new elements. As the stages progressed, the difficulty increased steadily, evolving from a simple game into a strategic challenge.

The basic tactic of simply placing Sunflowers in the back row no longer worked. Every plant had different attributes, and you needed to find the right combinations to face different types of zombies.

As more plants became available in the later stages, you had to maintain a sufficient supply of sunlight while ensuring your offensive power was perfectly calibrated, all while considering the unique traits of each zombie. Otherwise, you simply couldn’t clear the level.

Ding Ziguang was the type of person who loved a challenge.

This was a massive test of tactical deployment!

Without realizing it, he had played from the early hours of the morning until dawn.

Even as the sun hit his face, he remained immersed in the game, his mind filled with plant combinations and chaotic zombies.

“This game… is not simple.”

Ding Ziguang sighed deeply.

After his moment of reflection, he hesitated for a second but didn’t close the game. Instead, he continued to the next night level.

The background of the next map seemed to have changed.

He suddenly realized something.

One of the map backgrounds looked remarkably like the TCA venue in Japan.

And he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination…

But the zombies in that map looked remarkably like…

They looked remarkably like certain high-level executives from Huaxia game companies.

“Liu Zhongshan,” “Liu Lei,” “Xu Hailong,” and…

Wait!

This…

This phone-wielding zombie couldn’t be…

It couldn’t be…

Ding Ziguang’s spirit jolted.

He stared intently at the zombie holding a phone and making a call.

No matter how he looked at it, the zombie looked exactly like him!

Holy crap!

In an instant, Ding Ziguang’s expression became incredibly complicated.

No wonder he’d felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he saw this zombie.

It turned out…

The model was based on him?

Liu Zhongshan wasn’t playing the game.

He wasn’t busy with work either; he had gone to bed early.

Unfortunately, he was suffering from insomnia.

Reasonably speaking, as a capitalist, everything should be measured by profit.

Moreover, if the awards were truly given to Zhang Yang, wouldn’t Zhang Yang’s popularity in Huaxia become terrifyingly high?

What would happen to the dignity of established companies like theirs?

However…

Whenever he closed his eyes, he thought of the massive crowds at the TCA and the parting words Zhang Yang had spoken.

“I’ve suddenly become a bit angry. Everyone who needs to be ready should get ready…”

Zhang Yang’s silhouette had looked somewhat lonely, yet exceptionally stubborn.

Regarding Zhang Yang, Liu Zhongshan’s emotions were actually quite conflicted.

It was undeniable that his feelings were a mix of loathing and disgust, yet they were simultaneously laced with a thread of admiration.

His daughter Liu Ruohan’s voice, screaming at him, still echoed in his ears.

He actually felt guilty…

A man who had dominated the business world for so many years, a man capable of ruthlessly casting aside even his oldest friends, was feeling a pang of guilt at this very moment!

He couldn’t even understand it himself.

Early the next morning.

The first thing he did was turn on his computer to check the download numbers for Plants vs. Zombies…

Plants vs. Zombies had already reached the top!

The download count had hit a staggering four hundred thousand!

It had left the second-place contender in the dust with a lead of hundreds of thousands!

And more importantly!

This wasn’t the total for a full day, but the result of a mere seven hours!

At this rate, wouldn’t the daily numbers skyrocket toward the million mark?

Once that figure surfaced in Liu Zhongshan’s mind, he gasped in sheer disbelief.

Not long after…

He received a phone call.

Following the call, his expression turned grim.

He opened his email inbox and found it filled with numerous screenshots.

In those screenshots…

He saw a slow-moving, pot-bellied zombie holding a newspaper. It looked incredibly hideous…

After being killed by the plants, it suddenly slumped to its knees…

That zombie looked exactly like him.

Bang!

He suddenly lost control of his temper and flew into a rage once again!

He slammed his hand against the desk, feeling as though his lungs might burst from pure fury…

…

Hypocritical supporters are born at the peak.

Devout believers are witnessed at the twilight.

What didn’t kill them would only make them stronger!

No one at Universe Technology had slept a wink…

Even though Zhang Yang had forbidden them from working overtime, they stayed at the office anyway to witness the birth of a miracle!

By noon, the download count had broken a staggering seven hundred thousand!

“The wind is rising!”

That single phrase echoed in everyone’s minds.

And then…

“We’re going to take back everything they took from us!”

“We’re going to show everyone!”

“We are about to create an era!”

“…”

After seeing the data, Zhao Hang raised his hand and spoke those words with exhilarating fervor!

(End of Chapter)