Chapter 94 - 90 Greetings from Kirin Industry
As providers of the all-in-one gaming console, their display case saw people excitedly running over every ten or so seconds, asking if their console came pre-installed with “Healer,” and if so, could one be delivered within fifteen minutes if they purchased now?
Upon learning the answer was no, these individuals would instantly go from filled with hope to brimming with despair, then leave disheartened and discouraged.
Although there were many inquiries and few purchases, the high traffic volume meant that even pigs might fly.
The fourteen units sold earlier were already quite remarkable, but before long, the influx of attendees had wiped out all the stock in the display case, even the sample machines intended for display were sold.
The manufacturer’s orders began to skyrocket, creating an unusual situation that led the president of Kirin Industry to personally call to inquire about what was happening.
A rapid increase in orders in a short period was not necessarily a good thing. Because it was uncertain whether this surge in orders was sustainable, and expanding the production line required additional time and economic costs. If they expanded production rashly and orders decreased later on, this part of the production line would become a burden, with daily machinery wear and factory costs amounting to a significant sum.
Yet if they didn’t expand, the continued accumulation of orders would impact the company’s reputation, making it a difficult dilemma.
After understanding the situation through the phone, the president immediately flew from the south to Mo City, and upon landing, was driven straight to the expo by staff.
Seeing the expo’s bustling crowd, the president nodded and remarked, “Mo City truly lives up to its reputation, always so lively.”
“It wasn’t this busy yesterday; most of them came today after seeing the game review reports and have come here out of admiration,” someone replied.
“What game is so fun?”
“‘Healer.’ Look, the organizers gave the rights to use the big screen to Fang Cheng Studio free of charge, even begging them to let them show it.” The president furrowed his brows, feeling that this matter was a bit magical. He had heard of Fang Cheng Studio; though they had several popular titles, it wasn’t enough to warrant such treatment from the event organizers.
But looking out the car window, he clearly saw the game screen displayed on the large screen in the square.
The expo’s big screen measured 55.536 meters wide and 31.008 meters high, facing directly onto the expo square, making it a highly visible spot.
The off-season rental price was as high as 170,000 per day, and during the expo, it was priceless, as all sorts of industry bigwigs were eager to showcase their products for even a few minutes to demonstrate their strength.
Now, it was being overshadowed by a new game from a studio, making the president realize the gaming industry was indeed full of miracles.
The president had the car parked to the side, and upon getting out, discovered the square was already packed with people.
They were craning their necks, mouths agape, eyes wide open as they fixated on the live game footage on the screen, their gaze as if welded in place, motionless.
This spectacle resembled kids playing with an iPad for the first time, their linguistic abilities vanished due to the intense impact, with just one thought in their heads: Amazing, amazing, amazing!
After standing and watching for a while, the president’s eyes had widened as
he, too, forgot what he was supposed to do.
Behind him, a gamer whose view was blocked twisted around for some time before finally remembering he had a mouth.
“Mister, could you not stand there? You’re blocking my view,” the gamer said.
“Oh, sorry about that,” the president apologized.
Only then did the president snap out of it, promptly sitting down to watch along with the others.
If he observed the scene from a third-party perspective, it would indeed appear quite fantastical at this moment.
In the center of the square was the large screen playing “Healer,” to the left were idol singers performing cheerfully, and to the right, a large cosplay event. However, they weren’t the stars of today.
The gamers in the square were silent, simply watching the game screen intently.
They all wore numbered badges on their chests and when their turn came, they would step into the VR all-in-one machines to experience it, then get a new number and queue up again.
After watching for over two hours, the president was awakened by his staff and received the numbered ticket they had helped to queue for that morning. He quickly headed to the corresponding all-in-one machine. After enjoying it for ten minutes, the president emerged in a daze.
Incredible…
It was just too incredible!
The game was fun, but what was even more terrifying was the person who ported the game.
He knew the capabilities of his own machinery the best.
Yet, the game “Doctor” somehow managed to harness 100% of the machinery’s capabilities, leading him to discover that the theoretical limit and practical limit actually coincided that day.
The programmer of “Doctor” was definitely a mythical figure in the field!
Although it was a bit embarrassing and a bit sneaky, he decided that he had to get this person on his team!
With this programmer, the software shortcomings would be completely overcome, and Kirin Industry would soar, breaking international barriers in one year, establishing a foothold internationally in two years, dominating the world in three years, and exploring the universe in four years!
With him, he could expand the production lines as much as he wished, produce as many units daily as desired, the company size would be as large as he wanted, and the stock prices after going public would be as high as he wished.
Those game manufacturers who were indifferent to him today would know what it meant to be out of their league tomorrow.
With that thought, even the shock from the game seemed to fade.
He quickly found a staff member nearby and said to this exceptionally handsome man, “Excuse me, are you an employee of Fang Cheng Studio?”
The man, who had been chatting with a stunningly beautiful woman, stopped and nodded, “lam.”
That s great, has your studio’s lead programmer arrived? I have a few questions to ask.”
Fang Cheng and Xu Qingling exchanged puzzled looks.
However, he still said politely, “That would be me.”
“That’s fantastic!”
The president eagerly shook his hand, moving it up and down excitedly, and then handed over his business card.
“lam the president of Kirin Industry, Gao Tianyun, with a 77% controlling stake in the company, and I have the final say in everything. Kirin Industry is an established enterprise based on VR devices, originally Kirin Heavy Industries, with many years of insight in gaming machine equipment. Starting with arcade game boards, we have significant expertise in physical industries. Our company’s philosophy is…”
Interrupting him, Fang Cheng asked with a puzzled face, “Excuse me, what can
I do for you?”
“Sorry, I got too excited. Here’s the thing, I’ve seen the strength of your software, the ability to fully exploit the potential of gaming machines is truly amazing. So, I wanted to ask, are you interested in switching tracks? To put it more clearly, are you interested in working for our company as the head of the technical department, as a vice president?”
“I knowyou might hesitate, but hear me out. VR is one of the future trends of gaming development, and it’s a key milestone towards virtual reality. But it lacks a breakthrough, a point that could truly ignite the trend. I thought this point would accumulate slowly, only coming in ten years. But then I saw you. You are heaven-sent, a deity in the software world.”
“Please, let me finish. Your capabilities shouldn’t be limited here; you could contribute so much more, much greater. You will be the pioneer in the VR field, and the history of game development will record your name. And in your chapter, you should be associated with VR gaming and virtual reality, becoming a target of reverence for every gamer.”
“But…”
“Worried that your studio’s boss won’t let you go? No problem, I’ll talk to Fang Cheng myself. Not to brag, but I do have some connections, and I know your boss too; we are quite familiar with each other in private. As long as you agree, I can offer you 25% of the company’s shares, and I absolutely won’t mess with ’ you with any underhanded contracts, it will be notarized at the notary office. And even if you don’t produce any results, I dare to offer you an annual salary of up to a billion.”
Grasping Fang Cheng’s hand firmly, Gao Tianyun earnestly persuaded, “Don’t hesitate, come with us to Kirin Industry. By the way, where is your boss? I’d like to have a few private words with him.”
Off to the side, Xu Qingling was holding her stomach, nearly dying of laughter.
When she finally recovered, she walked up to Fang Cheng, wrapped her arm around his, and said with a laugh, “This is him; he is the very Fang Cheng you said you ‘re familiar with.”
Gao Tianyun stopped talking.
He looked at the nearby subway entrance and started to consider whether he should just dive in and flee back home.