Why Can’t I Make Games C89
by MarineTLChapter 89: Fuming with Rage!
Mumaen Technology.
Legendary World was already under development…
This development process was much simpler than that of an ordinary online game. In reality, they were directly applying the framework of the game Legend, so there was no need to figure out the basic attributes or the game core themselves.
Of course, simple development did not mean low investment!
Liu Zhongshan was investing quite heavily in this game. His vision was that in the future, whether it was the graphics, the special effects of combat skills, or even the core gameplay, this game had to be more extreme than Legend. He had even decided to enhance Legendary World with new 2.5D graphics!
At the same time, the game featured a more complete social system, including marriage, guilds, and master-disciple relationships1, all of which were significantly strengthened compared to Legend.
“The communication cost between us and the Korean side is simply too high…”
“The initial investment might be a bit larger!”
“But in the long run, it will definitely be more profitable than Legend…”
“Of course, my personal suggestion is to continue contacting the Korean side and temporarily satisfy their demands. After all, Legend currently still has the highest number of users in Huaxia. Once the new game can replace Legend, it won’t be us looking for them anymore…”
“…”
Game analyst Lin Jun silently walked out of Liu Zhongshan’s office with his notebook.
Inside the office.
Liu Zhongshan nodded, his gaze fixed deeply on the view outside the window.
Outside…
A leaf fell.
He watched the leaf.
Suddenly, he felt a sense of melancholy that autumn had arrived.
Another year was about to pass.
He took a deep breath, feeling an inexplicable sense of irritation this October.
He was a man with a strong desire for control; he liked to keep everything firmly in his grasp…
However, there were always so many messy things this year that he couldn’t control.
When he turned back, his eyes landed on the game news on his computer desktop.
“Shocking! Universe Technology rolls out various benefits!”
“Shocking! Universe Technology strictly forbids overtime? No overtime pay for work past midnight? Even more shocking, Universe Technology has no system for tardiness or early departures?”
“Zhang Yang is skipping merrily down the road to bankruptcy! Not only is he renovating the employee cafeteria, but he’s even giving every official employee a Phelps waterproof phone!”
“…”
After seeing these news reports, his anger flared up. He wished he could rush over to Universe Technology right now and wring Zhang Yang’s head off!
No set schedule for employees to start or finish work?
No overtime allowed after midnight?
And giving employees all sorts of commissions?
What the hell!
This guy Zhang Yang was not only seeking his own death, but he was also dragging the entire industry down with him!
If you want to die, don’t take us with you!
Dammit!
This was truly a nuisance who harmed others without even benefiting himself!
The more Liu Zhongshan thought about it, the more he hated it, his teeth gritting in anger!
Just because of Zhang Yang’s sudden “Buy a BMW in two months” stunt, a huge number of employees at Mumaen Technology wanted to resign!
In the end, he had to forcefully raise salaries by ten percent just to stabilize the situation…
According to analyst Lin Jun’s estimates, this would even affect the development costs of Legendary World!
Wasn’t this like carving the flesh right off his bones?
It wasn’t just Mumaen Technology that had raised salaries; even companies like Shengteng and Dadi Technology had raised them across the board!
Fortunately, this was a civilized society. If this were the old days, they would have already sent someone to take care of Zhang Yang for good!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the more he couldn’t understand it!
Zhang Yang was buying BMWs and giving away phones!
What was he trying to do?
With Zhang Yang’s personality, it was impossible that he didn’t want to make money, right?
In fact.
It wasn’t just Liu Zhongshan who couldn’t figure it out.
Other game companies also couldn’t understand what that damned shit-stirrer Zhang Yang was up to!
Liu Lei of Dadi Technology stared at the news, trying to find some hidden meaning, but he couldn’t understand what Zhang Yang was doing at all.
If you said he was harming others to benefit himself, that would be one thing.
The essence of a businessman is to seek profit. Everyone understands that, and it’s normal. He had done some unscrupulous things himself in the past.
But…
What are you after, Zhang Yang!
You work hard to make a game, give your employees a cut of the profits, treat them all like shareholders, and then you even give them free phones!
Is your brain broken, or did a nerve snap?
If you said Zhang Yang was crazy, the various tactics he had used before didn’t make him look crazy at all.
But if you said he was normal?
The series of things he had done recently defied all logic!
Could this be normal?
…
On the internet…
The employees of Universe Technology began a new round of bragging.
It was infuriatingly boastful!
“President Zhang’s new benefit today: a Phelps waterproof phone!”
“See this? This is the phone. It’s much more advanced than any other phone on the market!”
“OH MY GOD!”
“It even has a loud speaker!”
“Do you know what’s even more exaggerated? This phone fell off a pedestrian bridge and remained completely unscathed!”
“Heavens!”
On Tieba and social media…
Many Universe Technology employees showed off their Phelps phones through videos.
The phone’s streamlined design looked quite good, feeling small and exquisite in the hand. Moreover, the music playback was incredibly loud, and it came with built-in marquee lights. For some reason, it looked quite cool.
Furthermore, the phone’s quality was rock-solid. Someone even specifically filmed a video of the phone being thrown off a bridge and remaining undamaged!
In addition, the phone had a camera function with two megapixels. Although it wasn’t among the top-tier camera phones, it was still very attractive to others!
And then there was the logo…
The long string of English letters for the phone’s logo dazzled everyone.
It gave off a high-end vibe, as if it were an imported phone!
And that wasn’t all!
Some pretty girls started taking repeated selfies with the phones. After taking them, they specifically posted the photos online, making netizens extremely envious…
Sun Lili was even wearing sunglasses, sitting in her red BMW 3 Series and taking various selfies with her red Phelps Phone.
Then…
She posted a message on Tieba.
“Today’s selfies have arrived…”
“Family, just a reminder that there’s a bit of rain in Yanjing today. Remember to bring an umbrella when you go out…”
“…”
Countless shut-in fans saw this, and after seeing Sun Lili’s long legs, they all started howling with excitement.
Meanwhile, many female netizens felt their eyes turn red with envy when they saw those photos!
They were incredibly jealous.
This was exactly what a successful woman should look like!
“Brothers, I can’t take it anymore. This phone looks so high-end. Where can I buy one?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been searching online for ages and can’t find anything. Is it an import?”
“It must be an import. President Zhang’s company even gave out BMWs, so the phones have to be high-level imports, right?”
“Imported from America?”
“Looking at the English letters, it really does seem like an American import…”
“Oh my god! This is so frustrating. I want a phone like that too. Argh, can someone tell me how to buy one!”
“…”
No one could have imagined it.
The employees of Universe Technology were just showing off, but they ended up triggering a massive wave of price inquiries for the phone.
However, what the netizens didn’t expect was that not only could they find no information about this phone online, they didn’t even know which country manufactured it.
They just felt, for no reason at all, that this phone looked very high-end!
Furthermore, on the market…
There really wasn’t such a cool-looking phone currently available.
…
Dadi Technology, Mumaen Technology, Shengteng Technology.
Many employees were staring at Tieba, practically drooling!
They didn’t have BMWs, and they didn’t have those phones.
They really wanted them!
People were starting to get restless.
Meanwhile, the management teams were keeping a death grip on Zhang Yang’s movements!
They saw Zhang Yang’s employees showing off in various settings almost every single day.
The matter even broke out of their circle, alarming some media outlets who came over specifically to conduct an exclusive interview with Universe Technology.
From October 8th to October 15th, the management of the major game companies cursed Zhang Yang almost every day, wishing they could skin him alive.
Many company bosses couldn’t eat or sleep. In the middle of the night, they were either startled awake by nightmares of employees resigning or simply woke up fuming for no reason!
It wasn’t until October 15th…
That things got slightly better, as the people from Universe Technology finally stopped showing off.
At the same time, starting from this moment…
Many people discovered that a mobile phone store in Yanjing called A-Wei Mobile had started selling a Phelps professional waterproof phone. The first person to discover this was a netizen named “Zhao Zilong of Shenyang2.”
This netizen happened to pass by the A-Wei Mobile Store and suddenly saw the words “Phelps Professional Waterproof Phone.”
His eyes instantly widened!
A person’s reputation is like the shadow of a tree3!
How could he not know about the phone that had been all over the internet?
He instinctively walked into the phone store and then saw that the quoted price for the phone was actually only 998!
Yes!
The original price tag of 3888 had an X drawn through it, changed to 998.
This discount wasn’t just big, it was staggering!
His hands instantly itched to buy it. He shared it online and even mentioned the price of the phone.
Unexpectedly…
Once he shared it, his post became an instant hit.
A phone with such a high cost-performance ratio simply didn’t exist on the market yet.
Afterward, more and more people who had heard of the store began to swarm the A-Wei Mobile Store. On October 15th, this phone actually sold out!
Late at night.
After another phone was reserved, Wang Wei felt both excited and lost.
A few months ago.
Tong Wei was still a shut-in living in a rented room, being mocked behind his back.
And now…
“People on the internet are quite well-informed. After a few days of promotion, I’ve already received many orders from mobile phone dealers. However, I’ll let you sell it for one day first. Tomorrow, this phone will be distributed all over the country…”
Wang Wei recalled those words and then thought back to Tong Wei’s high-spirited appearance.
His feelings were very complicated.
Originally, Zhang Yang had approached him about making phones. He had even told him about the future of the mobile market and how to operate it. Zhang Yang had told him everything.
Unfortunately…
He had ultimately chosen to give up.
He sought stability.
Later, Tong Wei went to find Zhang Yang.
Tong Wei disappeared for a while.
When he returned, he brought back this Phelps smartphone.
A phone that seemed to have great performance was actually entirely assembled from parts!
The cost was less than a third of the price!
And now, it seemed a mobile phone craze had indeed emerged!
…
The night of October 15th.
“Don’t tell me Zhang Yang is actually secretly selling phones!”
“Damn it!”
“Are those guys named Tong Wei and Chu Meng partners of Zhang Yang?”
“The boss behind the Phelps Phone is Zhang Yang!”
“…”
In the office.
After seeing a set of data, Liu Zhongshan was completely stunned!
He was shaken to his core!
He couldn’t even calm his emotions for a long time.
He felt like he was going crazy!
Truly going crazy!
A few days ago, he had also been somewhat interested in this Phelps phone.
The appearance seemed decent, and the English letters of the logo really gave off a sense of status!
The functions seemed quite powerful too.
But…
He never would have dreamed that the phones the Universe employees had been showing off every day lately were actually created by Zhang Yang himself!
And!
According to the records, Tong Wei and Chu Meng had taken Zhang Yang’s money, toured the United States, and then rushed off to Guangdong to set up a mobile phone assembly plant!
The factory had only registered a trademark, and there wasn’t even a sign hanging outside the building…
Judging by the photos from the investigation, it was nothing more than a shady, unlicensed operation4!
And…
The items being produced inside that factory were “Phelps” phones!
Liu Zhongshan felt his face suddenly grow hot, as if he had just been slapped across the cheek.
At this moment…
He finally figured it out!
Zhang Yang, that troublemaker, had seen the massive success of the BMW collaboration and the wave of hype it generated. Now, under the guise of providing employee benefits, he was using his staff to help promote the phones online!
The company itself was already a lightning rod for controversy…
Add to that the fact that the phone was actually quite well-made and paired with the marketing concept of luxury cars and beautiful women…
With this kind of promotion, he had actually managed to pull it off!
Just as Liu Zhongshan was reeling from the shock…
A knock came from the door.
“Dad…”
“Ruohan, what is it?”
“Dad, Zhang Yang said he’s giving you a phone to thank our company for the support we gave him before…”
“Ruohan! Didn’t I tell you to stay away from Zhang Yang? Did my words just go in one ear and out the other? And that phone, you… you’re going to be the death of me!”
Liu Zhongshan glared at Liu Ruohan, who was currently sucking on a lollipop.
He immediately saw the pink phone in her hand…
He nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood5!
“Zhang Yang gave it to me. I really did help him a lot before, and he seemed very sincere, so I had to accept it. Besides, my phone is a Phelps limited edition. It has a two-megapixel camera. I heard you can’t even buy one for ten thousand yuan on the market… Dad, I don’t think there’s any need to be so hostile toward Zhang Yang. His business mind is actually quite good. Also, the suggestions he gave our company before seemed very reasonable to me. He’s always been respectful toward you, too. This phone is a gift he prepared for you; he hopes for a chance to cooperate with us. Look, this is a limited edition too, and it comes with a commemorative coin. It’s quite well-made…” Liu Ruohan looked at Liu Zhongshan strangely, then unwrapped the phone…
Inside the box, there was also a thank-you letter!
After seeing that thank-you letter…
Liu Zhongshan’s blood pressure spiked instantly!
In an instant, the world seemed to spin around him!
How dare that scoundrel!
(End of chapter)
Translator’s Notes
- master-disciple relationships: Refers to the ‘shitu’ (师徒) system, a common social mechanic in Asian MMORPGs. It formalizes a mentorship between veteran and novice players, often providing both parties with unique rewards, experience bonuses, or exclusive items as the ‘disciple’ levels up. ↩
- Zhao Zilong of Shenyang: A reference to Zhao Yun (courtesy name Zilong), a legendary general from the Three Kingdoms period celebrated for his valor. Using the names of famous historical or literary figures as online handles is a common practice in Chinese internet culture. ↩
- A person’s reputation is like the shadow of a tree: A literal translation of the Chinese proverb ren de ming, shu de ying. It signifies that a person’s reputation or a product’s fame is substantial and precedes them, just as a large tree cannot help but cast a shadow. It implies that once something becomes famous, its influence is felt everywhere. ↩
- shady, unlicensed operation: This translates the Chinese term hei gongchang (black factory). It refers to illegal workshops that operate without business licenses, tax registration, or safety oversight. In the context of Chinese electronics, these are often associated with “shanzhai” or counterfeit manufacturing. ↩
- coughed up a mouthful of blood: A common trope in Chinese fiction (吐血, tǔxuè) where a character physically reacts to extreme emotional shock, frustration, or anger. It represents a metaphorical expression of internal distress rather than a literal medical condition or injury. ↩
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and then rushed off to Guangdong to set up a mobile phone assembly plant!
For reminder, Shenzhen is the capital vity of Guangdong Province.