Chapter 40: This Game is Going Viral (Part 2)

If anyone were to rank the most controversial game companies in Huaxia, Shengteng Technology would undoubtedly be near the top of the list.

Holding the reins of Q-Dog, the premier chat software in Huaxia, Shengteng Technology charged through the gaming industry like a prehistoric behemoth. Backed by terrifying levels of software traffic, they showed every sign of establishing a total hegemony over the market.

Human Killing Machine!

This was a high-end, narrative-driven sci-fi shooter released by Shengteng Network.

As the developer behind this title, Chen Qiang held extremely high expectations for its performance.

The day before the game’s release, he had even slammed his hand on the table during a meeting at the gaming headquarters.

“Over two hundred thousand user downloads on day one!”

“We will create a sales myth for legitimate single-player games in this industry!”

He still vividly remembered the thunderous applause and cheers that followed his bold declarations.

While his blood had been pumping with excitement, he also felt a mountain of pressure.

Shengteng Technology didn’t just face external competition; the internal rivalry was just as fierce.

Currently, the management of Shengteng Technology was split into two camps regarding the massive gaming market.

One side focused on independent research and original creation. The other side worked hand-in-hand with the legal department, engaging in “referential”¹ trend-based creation.

The two departments were constantly at odds. Each hoped their side would become the dominant voice within Shengteng Technology, yet neither could quite gain the upper hand.

In truth, competition was everywhere within the company.

Even within the single-player game department, several game studios were thrown into the mix.

Under the massive umbrella of Shengteng, they maneuvered and competed against one another, each desperate to become the undisputed leader.

Chen Qiang was the head of Dream Dragon Studio.

He yearned to make a stunning impact.

“President Chen, it’s been six hours, and our downloads have already surpassed eighty thousand!”

“We’re still a hundred and twenty thousand short of the goal!”

“The download speed has started to slow down. User feedback across all sectors is positive, the data looks good, and the experience is rated well. The traffic conversion effectiveness is evaluated as medium.”

“We expect to reach a hundred and eighty thousand downloads by noon tomorrow. Breaking the record won’t be an issue…”

“However, it likely won’t reach the ‘explosive hit’ status you were aiming for.”

His assistant reported the real-time download data to him.

She looked at Chen Qiang with a slight sense of regret.

After reviewing the data, Chen Qiang’s brow furrowed slightly.

The momentum wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped.

A hundred and eighty thousand by tomorrow noon?

No!

That was far from enough!

According to the data analysis, Human Killing Machine was already on track to break the record for single-player game downloads.

But it was still twenty thousand short of the goal he had so boldly proclaimed!

How could this be acceptable?

He didn’t just want to break a record!

He wanted to create a data myth that other single-player game companies wouldn’t be able to touch for an entire year!

“President Chen, the target data report is finished. Are there any other instructions?”

“I see. You should go get some rest. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Understood.”

The assistant nodded efficiently, gathered her documents, and walked out on her high heels.

Chen Qiang hesitated for a moment, then opened his computer to check the rankings.

Inadvertently, his eyes fell upon Beat the Grass Mud Horse again.

Instantly, his eyes widened.

He saw that Beat the Grass Mud Horse had jumped from thirty thousand downloads at the five-hour mark to forty-five thousand in just one hour!

Its growth rate hadn’t slowed down at all; in fact, it had surged. Its base numbers were now only half those of Human Killing Machine.

How could this game be so aggressive?

Following the link, he subconsciously clicked onto the Universe Technology official website.

When he prepared to download it and saw the file size, he felt a bit strange.

This was a small single-player game under 1GB?

Once the download finished and he ran the program, he found that the overall graphics were quite crude. Aside from the excellent sense of impact during combat, everything else was mediocre.

However, as he played, he found himself becoming immersed.

He discovered that this game offered a unique sense of satisfaction, a way to vent.

Every method of venting you might have imagined in real life seemed to have a shadow within this game.

An hour later…

He exited the game and checked the rankings again.

He found that while his Human Killing Machine had surpassed a hundred and thirty thousand downloads and held the number one spot, Beat the Grass Mud Horse had already fought its way to eighth on the single-player charts, with downloads exceeding fifty thousand!

This growth rate was staggering.

One had to remember that Human Killing Machine was being promoted through Q-Dog, giving it access to an infinite pool of clicks and users.

But Beat the Grass Mud Horse had no such traffic support. It wasn’t even under the banner of a major gaming company!

This game was from Universe Technology?

What kind of company was Universe Technology?

Chen Qiang immediately began searching the internet for information on the game’s designer, Zhang Yang.

He found Desert Bicycle.

“What? Is this for real?”

A month ago, this guy was just a nobody who couldn’t even find a job?

And the way Desert Bicycle was operated…

He was shocked!

How was this possible?

This…

A nobody actually possessed such terrifying business intuition!

This…

This…

Time ticked by.

From day to night, the data for Beat the Grass Mud Horse continued to update. It seemed to be going absolutely viral!

Four hours later.

Human Killing Machine surpassed a hundred and seventy thousand, still holding firm at number one. Meanwhile, Beat the Grass Mud Horse had climbed to sixth place, with downloads breaking seventy thousand.

Chen Qiang felt a bit numb.

Another six hours passed.

It had been exactly one day since the games were released.

Although Human Killing Machine hadn’t reached the target he’d staked his reputation on, it had indeed set a new record.

But Beat the Grass Mud Horse had already surpassed eighty-five thousand!

The data had forced its way into the fifth spot!

The number of game reviews had already exceeded a hundred thousand.

The data was going insane!

“This guy is a genius!”

“Exactly!”

The moment the thought struck him, he didn’t care about resting. He rushed out of his office and sprinted toward the department head, Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu was the executive specifically responsible for communication between Shengteng’s internal game studios and the headquarters.

“Little Chen, what’s going on? We’re in the middle of a meeting…”

“Mr. Xu, sorry to interrupt, but I need a few minutes of your time to discuss something…”

“What is it? Did your Human Killing Machine break two hundred thousand?” Mr. Xu saw Chen Qiang’s expression and felt a surge of pleasant surprise, following him out immediately.

Breaking two hundred thousand!

That was a major milestone worth celebrating!

“Uh, it didn’t break two hundred thousand… I might have bragged a bit too much. Actually, Mr. Xu, I want to talk to you about a person named Zhang Yang. He developed a game called Beat the Grass Mud Horse…”

“Little Chen, you’re too late!” Mr. Xu cut him off.

“Huh?”

“Our meeting just now was evaluating an acquisition and investment deal. In fact, I’ve been watching this young man since Desert Bicycle. He has a sharp intuition for the market and understands operations perfectly. To be honest, I’m quite impressed…”

“????”

……………………….

Shengteng Network was keeping a close eye on Zhang Yang.

They were preparing to take over Zhang Yang’s team.

Meanwhile, Mumaen Network was embroiled in a fierce internal conflict.

At a shareholder meeting, Shen Yi presented an investment agreement.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal.

Acquiring a studio for a few million was nothing more than a drop in the bucket for a top-tier Huaxia internet company like theirs.

However, after he presented the contract, he faced unanimous opposition from the shareholders. They didn’t even give him a chance to continue speaking before they steered the conversation toward the updates for Legend.

He seemed to have been completely marginalized during the meeting.

When he spotted Liu Yun standing off to the side, his brow furrowed.

Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Liu Yun to appear in a setting like this.

And yet, here she was…

What did that imply?

After the meeting ended, he noticed that Liu Ruohan’s office was empty.

Today of all days.

Why hadn’t Liu Ruohan come to work?

What was going on with that little princess?

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Just then, he received a phone call from President Liu, Liu Zhongshan.

………………….

At Universe Technology.

Everyone was immersed in a state of pure euphoria.

Their hearts pounded harder with every passing minute.

When the download count surpassed eighty-five thousand, the office erupted in unprecedented screams!

Someone shook up a beer and sprayed it wildly against the wall in the main hall…

Someone else was jumping up and down like a monkey, letting out bizarre, high-pitched shrieks!

A few people were locked in tight embraces…

Everyone was losing their minds!

This was the download count for a single day!

This was a massive milestone for their company!

“President Zhang! President Zhang!”

“We’ve hit the jackpot! With these numbers, I’ve heard news!”

“Shengteng Technology might want to acquire us or invest in the company!”

“They might even give us a much larger, brighter office space! Everyone could get a high-end PC worth at least ten thousand, plus high-capacity servers!”

“President Zhang!”

“We’re going to be involved in real game development! We’re becoming part of the regular army! We’re one step closer to our goal!”

“In the future, we could get traffic redirected from Q-Dog! As long as we make good games, we’re set for life. We might even get some shares in Shengteng Games!”

“President Zhang?”

“…”

“…”

Wu Zhuang pushed the door open.

He saw Zhang Yang sitting at his computer, staring at the sunlight outside.

He appeared incredibly calm, showing no signs of excitement over their extraordinary success.

He looked at Wu Zhuang.

“Old Wu.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what I’m thinking about right now?”

“What?”

“I’m thinking that one day, Director Shen from Mumaen Technology will come to our company… and one day, people from Shengteng will come here too. Not because we’ve become a part of them, but because they’ve become a part of us.”

“Holy crap…”

Wu Zhuang’s eyes widened as he looked at Zhang Yang, who had stood up with a perfectly composed expression.

This…

This…

(End of Chapter)

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Translator’s Notes

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1. “referential”: The source term jièjiàn (借鉴) literally means to use as a reference. In the context of the Chinese gaming industry, it is a common euphemism for cloning or copying successful game mechanics from competitors, which explains the department’s close ties to the legal team. ↩