Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 509 The Primordial War Chronicles (Overseas Edition)

"What?!" Zhao He's smugness froze instantly, replaced by disbelief and shock.

Has Momo Group gone mad?
How could someone dare to do something like this under such immense public pressure?

Do they really not care about their reputation?
"Mr. Zhao, what should we do?!" The operations director was almost in tears.

Zhao He rushed into the monitoring room, where the screen clearly showed the chaotic scene and the glaring red warning.

Seeing the scene in the internet cafe, he felt a chill instantly rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

This is Momo Group's response.

Simple, crude, and direct.

There was no war of words, no legal correspondence; they simply responded in the most direct and brutal way.

His much-vaunted propaganda campaign appears utterly pale and laughable in the face of Momo Group's technology supply disruption.

Netizens can criticize Momo for its monopoly, but the most realistic and fatal blow is that players can't play games and internet cafes can't make money.

What's the difference between Momo Group and the hegemonic behavior of those IT giants?
"Damn it!" Zhao He roared like a beast, grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it against the screen, shattering the expensive monitor.

He quickly forced himself to calm down; now was not the time to vent.

He has to find a way!
The truce agreement between Microsoft and Momo Group stipulated in detail that internet cafes are prohibited from using Microsoft systems.

This means that if Momo Group imposes sanctions on them, they will have no choice but to withdraw from the internet cafe industry.

Moreover, this was a war they initiated.

Even if people talked about it, at most they would just say that Momo Group is really domineering, and it wouldn't cause any fear in other internet cafes.

If Momo Group punishes them indiscriminately, other internet cafes will feel threatened and could put pressure on Momo Group in the public eye.

But now, other internet cafes are watching the show with amusement, thinking they brought it on themselves.

Now, with trembling hands, he could only dial the number of Microsoft Asia-Pacific President Johnson.

As soon as the call connected, Zhao He quickly explained the situation, his voice tinged with pleading, "Mr. Johnson, this is the situation. Momo Group is engaging in blatant technological bullying, an illegal supply cut-off. They've severely violated business rules. I request Microsoft's intervention to put pressure on them, or to provide us with technical support to help us lift the blockade! We..."

“Shut up, Zhao!” Johnson interrupted his drawing without any politeness on the other end of the phone.

Johnson's tone was full of impatience as he said, "I warned you long ago not to provoke Momo Group during the ceasefire agreement. Did you ignore my words?"

“But Mr. Johnson, they set me up with a despicable contract first…” Zhao He wanted to explain.

"A contract?" The other party scoffed and said, "That contract was signed by Chen Zhi. It existed before your acquisition, and you can't find any legal fault with it. Momo Group was just fulfilling the contract terms. You foolishly stepped into this trap because you didn't do sufficient due diligence during the acquisition. Now, you're actually trying to use public opinion to attack him? Do you know how big a mess you've made? Do you know what our intervention means?"

"This means that we have broken the ceasefire agreement first! Not only have we lost our credibility, but we will also have to face the wrath of the Chinese government."

Johnson's words made Zhao He's heart skip a beat.

He made the call hoping Johnson would agree to allow him limited use of Microsoft systems, but now he knows that's impossible.

Microsoft is unlikely to break the ceasefire agreement for the sake of billions of dollars in investment.

As for using pirated Microsoft systems...

Microsoft has now handed over the right to sue Momo Group for allowing Microsoft systems to enter internet cafes. If Momo dares to use pirated software, it will likely be fined into bankruptcy.

“Listen, Zhao He.” Johnson’s voice carried an unquestionable authority. “Immediately stop all your stupid media attacks, publicly apologize to Momo Group, and obediently fulfill that damned 70% revenue-sharing contract! Then, release a media announcement admitting that the service interruption was caused by management problems within your Lianjiang Group and has nothing to do with Momo Group, and then announce your resignation!”

"What?!" Zhao He was struck dumb, exclaiming, "This is impossible!"

"You have no choice!" Johnson shouted sternly. "This is an order! Microsoft will not confront Momo Group head-on during the truce period for the sake of your failed acquisition. The chain reaction you trigger by angering him could seriously disrupt our plans for a year from now!"

Seeing Zhao He remain silent, Johnson sneered, "I know you have a good relationship with President Sinof at our headquarters, but remember this: I'm still in charge of the Asia-Pacific region. Even if you call headquarters, the result will still be the same!"

Johnson's words effectively shut down Zhao He's path to seek further assistance from headquarters.

"One year! The ceasefire agreement is only for one year! During this year, you must lie low. If your actions cause the agreement to break down prematurely or interfere with our plans, I don't care who you're on good terms with, I will make you disappear without a trace!"

"Snap!" The phone was abruptly disconnected, leaving only the busy tone ringing in Zhao He's ears.

He slumped dejectedly in his office chair, his face ashen.

Outside the window, the crowd gathered below the Lianjiang Group building and the flashes of the media all appeared blurry and distant in his eyes at that moment.

Johnson's cold command was like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing all his anger and resentment, leaving only a deep-seated fear and helplessness.

He lost, he lost miserably.

Not only did they lose control of Lianjiang Group, but they also lost the trust and support of the financial backers behind it.

The only thing he can do now is to follow orders, like a stray dog, bow down and admit his mistakes to the opponent he hates to the bone, and then resign and go into hiding.

Zhao He slowly closed his eyes, tears of resentment sliding down his cheeks.

He knew that his era in Lianjiang had ended completely before it even began.

The person who started all of this may be that young man far away in Jingzhou, and that young man may not even have taken him seriously.

The news was quickly relayed back to Momo Group.

Li Weiwei walked into Cheng Yi's office with a hint of satisfaction on her face and said, "President Cheng, the media's stance has completely reversed. Lianjiang Group has issued a vague apology statement, and the new president, Zhao He, has taken all the blame and announced his resignation. Their new president sent us a letter, stating that he will strictly abide by the agreements with partners and wants to negotiate with us."

Cheng Yi stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her, overlooking the vibrant industrial park under the sunlight, and smiled: "As expected, Microsoft will not break the calm surface of the ceasefire agreement for a small fish like Zhao He. Johnson knows better than us the cost of taking action now."

Sitting on the sofa, Chen Zhi gained a deeper understanding of Cheng Yi's audacity.

He had been fighting against an opponent for months without success, but Cheng Yi sent him packing in a single move.

But Cheng Yi's move was too risky. If Chen Zhi were in Cheng Yi's position, he would never have made such a decision. Chen Zhi couldn't help but say, "Although Zhao He has stepped down, you have paid a heavy price for doing this. Your sudden cutting off of the Lianjiang Internet Cafe's system will cause panic in other internet cafes. After all, Microsoft has never done anything like this. You have essentially sided with the villains."

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "That's right, I'm playing the villain."

Cheng Yi sat down in the chair, first gesturing for Zhang Lingyu to leave, and then said to Chen Zhi: "There is no such thing as gentleness, courtesy, frugality and humility in business warfare. Either you don't make a move, or when you do, you strike at the heart of the matter, striking until the other party dares not retaliate. Being soft-hearted and hesitant, saving face and morality will only give the opponent a chance to breathe and bite back."

"If you want to survive in this era, you have no choice but to become a villain." Cheng Yi tossed Chen Zhi a cigarette and said, "I'm actually a very soft-hearted and kind person, but this era has forced me to become a villain."

Chen Zhi didn't say anything, but just started smoking.

If he weren't about to join Momo Group, he would have definitely given Cheng Yi a few sarcastic remarks.

Soft-hearted? Kind? What the hell do those two words have to do with you?

Cheng Yi said, "The internet cafe industry is an independent and closed industry. I don't need them to respect me. They just need to fear me. How many of these internet cafe owners have a conscience? They're pimps, extortionists, opium addicts. If you dare to talk to them about conscience, they'll dare to feed your conscience to the dogs."

"To put it bluntly, these people are a pack of wolves."

"If they don't submit, then beat them until they do."

"If they're not afraid, then beat them until they are."

"Within this year, I must put muzzles on these wolves that fit them."

"Otherwise, no matter how good you are to them, when Microsoft makes a comeback a year later, they will still follow Microsoft and bite you."

A cold glint flashed in Cheng Yi's eyes as he said, "This is also what I wanted to tell you: 'A gentleman is not one who hates petty people, and a man is not one who is ruthless.' If you go overseas to promote the Primordial War Chronicles and don't understand these things, you won't be able to turn your life around."

Chen Zhi nodded silently.

What he had seen and heard at Momo Group these past few days, coupled with the entire process of Zhao He being instantly pinned to death, had a tremendous impact on him.

He witnessed firsthand how Cheng Yi used the most direct technical means to dismantle the opponent's resistance, and he also saw how Microsoft ruthlessly abandoned Zhao He. The business rules and code of conduct that he once believed in seemed so pale and powerless on this level.

"I understand." Chen Zhi's voice was deep and firm, and the last trace of confusion in his eyes gradually disappeared. He said, "When can I get access to the overseas version of the test server for 'The Legend of the Primordial Era'? I want to get started as soon as possible."

Cheng Yi looked at the flame that burned in his eyes, a flame completely different from before, and finally a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

He knew that the proud but somewhat pedantic eldest son of the Chen family was dead.

The survivor is a warrior of 16 sets who has been tempered by harsh reality and has begun to understand and prepare to adapt to the law of the jungle.

“Anytime.” Cheng Yi walked to his desk, picked up the internal phone, and said, “Weiwei, inform General Manager Kong to grant Mr. Chen Zhi the highest testing privileges for ‘Honghuang Chronicles Overseas Edition’. Also, arrange for the heads of the Overseas Expansion Department and the Game Operations Department to meet with General Manager Chen tomorrow afternoon to refine the implementation plan.”

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Yi laughed and said, "Come on, I'll take you to experience the overseas version of Primordial War Chronicles. The gameplay and richness are far superior to the domestic version."

"Oh?" Chen Zhi's eyes lit up.

It can be even more fun than the domestic version? Are you kidding me?
Cheng Yi brought Chen Zhi to the Momo Games Experience Center.

The experience center has a full range of computers, from low-end to high-end, with even the lowest-end model featuring a Celeron 1 processor.

"Let's choose a computer," Cheng Yi said. "The games on it are all the same."

Chen Zhi deliberately chose a Pentium 3 computer, which is now a common computer configuration in ordinary households.

The computer is running the Moc-OS system, and its software center contains dozens of online games currently available on the market.

These online games are all internal test versions, and there is even the latest version of the recently popular "Fantasy Westward Journey".

The current domestic online game market is basically dominated by three games: "Honghuang Zhanji", "Fantasy Westward Journey", and "QQ Tang".

Because they failed to acquire Actoz Group, and Actoz Group, relying on its relationship with Samsung, kept trying to revoke the license.

Legendary players were gradually drawn into the game, and the combined online player count of Legend and Legend 3 was less than 30, which was even less than half of the peak online player count of "JX Online".

Players have grown accustomed to the refined gameplay of games like "Honghuang Zhanji," and the overly primitive controls of other games have gradually lost their appeal.

Chen Zhi double-clicked the "Honghuang Chronicles Overseas Edition" button, and the game started quickly.

The interface was still familiar. He named himself Dugu Qiubai and quickly entered the game.

As soon as I entered the game, a pop-up window appeared.

Newbie gift pack.

Inside the gift package are five dazzling, luminous artifacts.

Chen Zhi received the newbie gift pack, and immediately another account starter gift pack popped up.

10000 bound ingots, 2000000 bound gold coins, return stones, sun water, recharge gift packs...

"This..." Chen Zhi had never played a game with such a rich start before.

After he received the starting gift pack, a newbie equipment gift pack popped up immediately, and the first thing that caught his eye was a Judgment Staff.

Chen Zhi couldn't help but look at Cheng Yi and said, "Is this still a legitimate game? They're giving away everything, why would players still want to spend money?"

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "This is keeping up with the times. Domestic players have been playing online games for too short a time, and our per capita GDP is not very high, so the game content needs to be developed gradually. But overseas players are different. They like to spend money to buy time, and they like to have a fast-paced experience."

"Moreover, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft is about to be released. That game is a time-based subscription game with a relatively complex gameplay. So our game aims to complement World of Warcraft. They attract players who like time-based subscriptions and complex gameplay, while we attract players who like item-based monetization and straightforward gameplay."

This game interface is much cleaner than the previous game, "Primordial Era".

Chen Zhi walked around the starting village a few steps and entered the leveling map. Once inside, he discovered an auto-battle button.

[A rare screenshot from the overseas version of "The Legend of the Primordial Era" dated May 29, 2004]

(End of this chapter)