Chapter 88: Universe Technology’s Baffling “Welfare System”?

“Holy crap!”

“My god, how does President Zhang have another new game already?”

“Road Rash hasn’t even cooled down yet, so why is there already news of a new game on the official website?”

“This efficiency is terrifying. Is President Zhang’s plan just to have us play his company’s games forever?”

“Plants vs. Zombies? What on earth is that? Why don’t I even understand the title?”

“Huh?”

“…”

On the internet.

People were right in the middle of enjoying Road Rash.

Suddenly, many netizens saw this startling announcement from Universe Technology.

For a moment, they were all a bit shell-shocked.

When they thought about it carefully!

From the founding of Universe Technology in June until now, damn it, they had already made five games!

Even though Desert Bicycle and Beat the Grass Mud Horse were temporarily taken down for a certain degree of rectification…

It didn’t change the sensation they had once caused among players!

As for the subsequent games…

Many players immediately looked at the download charts for domestic single-player games!

Their eyes widened instantly!

The Standard Version of God of Conquest occupied fourth place on the download chart.

The Romance Version of God of Conquest held third place.

Road Rash was ranked second!

Among the top five, three of them were games from Universe Technology!

This was simply staggering!

When netizens looked at the number one spot, Soul of Racing, they couldn’t help but feel that its two million downloads looked incredibly fake!

It felt like someone was desperately trying to save face, like being forced onto a roasting spit.

The former king of Huaxia’s single-player games…

Had it really fallen so far that it had to rely on this method to maintain its dignity?

This was truly!

Pathetic?

…

The morning of October 8th.

“According to the laws of probability, it’s impossible for Zhang Yang’s new game to be another hit…”

Ding Ziguang looked at a series of data analysis sheets.

He silently said these words to himself.

“However… with their current momentum and popularity…”

After saying that, he felt an inexplicable lack of confidence.

In all his years in the industry, this was the first time he felt such a sense of powerlessness and despair.

He remembered that year, when their team was developing an immortal cultivation¹ themed game, how high-spirited they were.

They had once sworn to revitalize domestic single-player games and not let foreigners conquer the Huaxia market!

And now?

Relying on insignificant, fake data to lie to themselves?

Was it really that hard to admit failure?

Ding Ziguang looked at the online rankings, which suddenly felt like an eyesore again.

He gave a long sigh, lit a cigarette, and stared out the window.

Recently, the single-player game department of Dadi Technology had been in a state of lifelessness. Some of the veteran employees didn’t even dare to speak loudly anymore.

Although a few were still stubborn and felt they hadn’t lost, the morale of the majority had indeed taken a hit…

There was far too much mockery on the internet, as if people treated them like clowns who had become a massive joke.

Netizens were very realistic.

The more glorious they had been in the past, the more loathsome they were now.

The feeling of falling from a great height was indeed hard to accept!

In the office.

After an unknown period of silence, he walked out of his office.

He then glanced at everyone…

Some were angry, some clenched their fists, some were tapping away at their keyboards to fire back at netizens, and some were clearly dejected, staring blankly out the window…

However, at the very least, under the high salary and welfare benefits Zhang Yang had inadvertently triggered across the industry, not a single person in his team had mentioned leaving.

This was good!

Ding Ziguang nodded silently.

“Let’s have a meeting!”

“Discuss the new game!”

“This time, we aren’t competing with anyone. We’re going to put our hearts into the game…”

“Everyone, perk up! It’s just one failure, isn’t it? Since we started this business, who hasn’t failed!”

“Don’t look at how Zhang Yang is sailing smoothly now, charging forward with unstoppable momentum. He’ll eventually run out of tricks!”

“We’re just starting from scratch!”

“…”

“…”

Perhaps because they had experienced failure once.

This meeting was completely different from the last one.

During the meeting to develop Soul of Racing, everyone had been excited and raring to go, acting as if they were going to crush Zhang Yang and show him that there was always someone better…

They had been arrogant, never taking Zhang Yang seriously.

But this time…

Everyone was listening intently as the game analysts broke down the markets for various single-player game sectors, as well as various factors in the piracy market…

Fighting games, adventure games, story-driven games…

They listened very seriously to the series of data provided by the analysts, holding back a surge of energy, wanting to reclaim their honor!

…

In the morning.

Universe Technology was overcrowded.

The number of job seekers was countless.

Many people had jumped ship from other game companies.

With a quick glance.

These two floors of the office building were clearly no longer enough.

Zhang Yang had rented all the floors below and immediately brought in a construction team to continue with simple renovations.

At the same time, he purchased a batch of the latest computers from Bluebird Technology, along with brand-new desks and chairs.

Of course…

He also purchased a large number of servers from Bluebird Computer.

Zhang Yang did the math!

In just four short months.

His company had grown from a ragtag crew of a few people to a team of about a hundred.

Although it still couldn’t compare to those large corporations, the staffing for each department was very complete. It was about time their enterprise moved toward a more formalized path.

“President Zhang, without rules, there is no order. Personally, I feel that a company still needs to be bound by regulations!”

“If it’s too free, this company doesn’t feel like a company…”

“…”

President Chen Weiwei of Bluebird Computer had called Zhang Yang this morning.

On the phone, Chen Weiwei’s tone was as calm as ever, but her voice was very sincere.

Zhang Yang thought about it for a long time…

Suddenly, he felt that what Chen Weiwei said made sense.

As the company grew, it was only natural that corporate rules and regulations had to be implemented.

He had received the company regulations she sent to his email.

However…

After looking at them for a while, he suddenly felt that these regulations were completely meaningless for his company.

Mandating work hours?

Penalties for being late or leaving early?

Was there any point to that?

Every single employee in the company was working more proactively than the last. Many were even volunteering for overtime. Compared to those issues, Zhang Yang was suddenly more worried about their health.

If someone suddenly dropped dead from overwork, wouldn’t that be a huge problem?

In his previous world, Zhang Yang often heard about programmers dying suddenly because of their bosses’ exploitation…

“This part needs to be changed…”

“…”

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, then silently opened a document and began typing a series of words.

After he finished, he nodded.

Then…

Zhang Yang spent another long while mulling over the regulations before finally starting to write again, his fingers flying across the keys.

………………….

October 8th, 10:00 AM.

Universe Technology held its first truly significant staff meeting.

Before the meeting even started…

The first-floor lobby was packed with people, everyone craning their necks to stare at the temporary rostrum.

“Is it starting?”

“Soon, soon!”

“What exactly is this staff meeting for today?”

“I heard President Zhang is announcing the management system…”

“A management system? Oh, that was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, the company is on the right track now. Many things need to move toward formalization so the company can go further…”

“Exactly, I think so too.”

“Sigh, I guess we won’t be able to leave early or slack off at work anymore. There might even be fines…”

“Haha… it makes no difference to me. I’ve never slacked off anyway…”

“He’s here, he’s here!”

“President Zhang is here!”

Waves of discussion rippled through the lobby.

The old employees generally felt it was necessary for the company to introduce relevant systems and strategies like other enterprises to make management easier.

Meanwhile, the new employees immediately began to clap wildly the moment they saw Zhang Yang take the stage, dressed in a sharp suit.

Their eyes were filled with excitement and a hint of adoration!

In their hearts, Zhang Yang was a god-like figure…

On Tieba, stories of Zhang Yang’s rags-to-riches entrepreneurial journey were everywhere.

His entrepreneurial experiences, along with some of the inspiring words he had said a few months ago, had even been made into videos that many called the “Entrepreneurial Bible”!

Now that they had joined the “God’s” company and were seeing him speak in person, how could they not be excited?

Soon!

Amidst a round of applause, Zhang Yang walked onto the stage with a smile, holding a stack of papers.

“On this auspicious occasion, I would like to say a few words…”

“Well, this morning, I listened to the suggestions of President Chen from Bluebird Technology and felt greatly inspired. Thinking about it carefully, she’s right!”

“As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order!”

“Universe Technology has developed to this day and now has a long history of four months…”

“Cough, cough… Now, I want to announce some of the company’s management regulations. I hope everyone can abide by them and supervise each other!”

When Zhang Yang mentioned the words “long history,” he suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment.

He immediately skipped over the messy self-praising fluff. Much of the content he had downloaded from the internet to fill space sounded strange when spoken aloud.

“First item!”

“The company’s working hours must be standardized!”

“Unless you are a colleague officially on a shift rotation, no employee is allowed to work past midnight…”

“Before, we were holding our breath and pushing ourselves. We still need to push now, but not like that. We must respond to the national call and vigorously promote the spirit of sustainable development!”

“Furthermore, there will be no overtime pay for any hours worked beyond the limit!”

“…”

When Zhang Yang solemnly announced the first regulation…

All the colleagues who were ready to applaud stood there dumbfounded, their minds going blank.

Holy crap!

What was going on?

No overtime allowed?

What kind of company has a rule like that?

Sustainable spirit?

Is that how you use that phrase?

“Second item… every six months, employees must go to the hospital for a physical examination. You must provide a detailed report from the hospital before you are allowed to continue working…”

“This checkup includes both physical and psychological health. You must pass both!”

“…”

Zhang Yang looked at everyone with a very serious expression.

The crowd was dazed again.

What did this mean?

Every six months?

A medical report?

What kind of company has a rule like that?

“Third item: you must not do anything that endangers the safety of company personnel or property. Strict safety measures must be taken regarding fire prevention, theft prevention, and electrical safety…”

“…”

After hearing this, everyone felt like Zhang Yang was stating the obvious.

Why did this sound so much like the fire safety rules in an internet cafe?

“Fourth item. This one is mainly for the new colleagues. The company has a base salary for the internship period, though it won’t be much, around five hundred yuan. However, as long as you participate in a company project, you will receive a certain share of the profits. If you can independently complete the planning for a game, and that game is launched and receives good market feedback and becomes profitable, then you’ll be set! You can negotiate a separate profit-sharing agreement with the company, potentially receiving up to forty percent of the profits! Well, this applies to all departments. If, and I mean if, you can independently plan and complete the entire production of a game, then the company can offer a maximum split of seventy-thirty. You get seventy, and the company gets thirty…”

“…”

“Fifth point: Company rewards. For every new game the company releases, we will hold an online player vote. They will vote on aspects like graphics, technical performance, and gameplay mechanics. The department that receives the highest rating will be awarded a cash bonus…”

“…”

They had initially thought this was a meeting to announce new management policies!

But…

Sun Lili, Su Nuannuan, and the others felt more and more that something was off as they listened!

By the time the staff meeting ended, they were still in a daze, unable to make sense of the situation.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an announcement of management policies?

Why did it sound like an announcement of employee benefits?

They thought about it more carefully…

Many of the rigid rules found in other companies – penalties for being late or leaving early, bans on workplace dating, requirements to wear suits, and so on – Zhang Yang hadn’t mentioned a single one.

What did this mean?

Was it actually fine to be late or leave early?

Could a company really operate like this?

Wouldn’t it go bankrupt?

By the afternoon, the employees watched in a daze as the defunct restaurant downstairs was rented out and a sign was hung up: “Universe Restaurant.”

Then, they saw Zhang Yang directing people to begin renovations.

Although he called it a renovation, it was really just moving things in, tidying up a bit, and adding some tables and chairs…

The tiles and everything else were already there, so not much work was needed.

Before long, they saw trucks delivering kitchen equipment, followed by several staff members dressed in chef’s whites…

“Does our company have its own cafeteria now?”

“It looks like it…”

“Wait, President Zhang is spending a fortune today? Is this really a game company? Why do I feel like this company is going to go broke just from giving out perks? I feel like I’m living in a dream!”

“…”

Just when everyone thought Zhang Yang couldn’t get any more ridiculous, something even more absurd happened!

October 8th, evening.

Zhang Yang brought in a young man named Tong Wei.

Along with him were several large crates.

Then, when they opened the crates, they saw a phone that looked incredibly high-end.

Then, right in front of everyone, he took a phone out of its packaging and dropped it into a transparent bucket of water!

“This is a mobile phone.”

“Its name is the Phelps².”

“It has a very powerful feature: it’s waterproof. At the same time, it supports dual SIM cards³, features surround sound speakers⁴, and has a camera with a two-megapixel resolution…”

Everyone stared with wide eyes at the phone, which was still working while submerged in water.

This phone was that incredible?

Wait!

Could it be…

Zhang Yang’s next move shocked everyone.

He actually announced that every key employee in every department would be issued this waterproof “Phelps” phone for free!

What was he trying to do?

Was he really working hard to make the company go bankrupt?

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes