Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 569 World Esports Tournament
"The market?" Su Duo frowned. "How could the market eliminate them?"

Cheng Yi lit a cigarette and handed one to Sun Baxin and Fei Zhengyu, saying, "It'll be soon, the market will be optimizing them soon."

"?" Su Duo couldn't help but ask, "The market you're talking about isn't you, is it?"

"How could that be? How could I represent the market?" Cheng Yi laughed. "What qualifications do I have?"

"Tch." Su Duo pouted and said, "You're too insincere. You always hide everything you do."

"Do you understand the principle that if a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers, and if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life?" Cheng Yi said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

At this moment, Lin Yongxing pulled up next to Cheng Yi in his Audi A6. Cheng Yi glanced back at the group and said, "Alright, it's getting late. You all probably have missions tonight, so I won't be a third wheel anymore."

Cheng Yi's words made Li Xiaoya blush.

Cheng Yi got into the car, and the Audi quickly merged into the traffic on the main road, heading towards the Momo Technology Industrial Park, which symbolizes the emerging power of China's Internet industry.

The neon lights outside the car window shone brightly, reflecting Cheng Yi's calm profile.

He closed his eyes, and images of the internet cafe flashed through his mind.

The popularity of Audition Online has led to a surge in illegal internet cafes; it's time to leverage market forces to regulate them.

The next day, in the president's office at KFC's China headquarters.

Clark's face had long since lost its initial apprehension, replaced by confidence and ambition.

The assistant just delivered the latest data report, and every number on it is mesmerizing.

The success of the service center far exceeded his expectations, not only in terms of soaring sales and customer loyalty, but more importantly, in the fact that the name KFC has been given a completely new definition in the minds of China's younger generation.

It is no longer just fast food, but has become a social and entertainment center.

KFC loyalty coupons have become a form of hard currency, with some people even buying them at high prices.

“Mr. Clark,” the assistant said excitedly, “the marketing department reports that our service centers are currently mainly concentrated in the core business districts of first-tier cities, and our coverage is still limited. However, consumers in second- and third-tier cities seem to be more vocal, and many potential investors in these cities are asking when the service center model can be extended to their areas.”

Clark turned around, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

Success in first-tier cities is just the beginning; the vast second- and third-tier markets in China are the real blue ocean.

And in their hands, they happen to hold a crucial pass—a franchise license for internet access service venues obtained through Lianjiang Group.

This license is one of the three national licenses that Lianjiang Group painstakingly obtained back then, and its value is self-evident.

It is not only applicable to internet cafes, but also to any place involving internet access services, including but not limited to hotels, fast food restaurants, and even entertainment venues.

In theory, as long as it complies with the regulations for internet service venues, it can be applied anywhere in China and in any industry.

"Notify the Strategic Development Department," Clark said. "Have them use the successful model of the existing service centers as a blueprint for standardized and modular design, reducing the investment and operational barriers for individual stores. The goal is to leverage the valuable national license of Lianjiang Group to cover the core business districts of all prefecture-level cities in China within the next year, so that our KFC brand can sweep across every corner of China."

He walked up to the huge map of China, his expression excited as he stretched out his finger, slowly moving it from the shining red dots of Jingzhou, Zhonghai, and Shenxia to the vast areas that had not yet been marked. His eyes were filled with excitement as he said, "Momo Group has covered China with internet cafes. We at KFC can also use the 'fried chicken + games + internet service' model to create another offline entertainment social network that covers the whole country."

The secretary said in a trembling voice, "If we invest in the membership service center separately, the investment might be too large."

"This is an opportunity. It's okay to invest more, as long as we agree on the revenue sharing with Microsoft." Clark had tasted the success of fast food + social media and was no longer satisfied with his previous promotional methods.

Clark had expected Momo Group's counterattack to be very strong, but to his surprise, Momo Group only symbolically addressed the issue of online values ​​and did not take any strong action against KFC.

Clark knew very well that Momo Group was afraid of Microsoft.

After all, the truce agreement between Momo Group and Microsoft has less than two months left.

Whether Microsoft will make a move two months from now depends on Momo Group's performance.

Therefore, they must set up more member service centers as soon as possible within these two months; otherwise, if Momo Group backs down or joins Microsoft, their situation will become very uncertain.

Since we've already signed a three-year license plate rental agreement, we have to strike while the iron is hot.

These past few days, on the streets and alleys, inside and outside the campus.

The buzzwords "Audition Online" and "KFC" have practically permeated the lives of China's younger generation.

It's alright at university; the university computer labs on campus don't have the game Audition Online.

But high schools are in a terrible situation.

Almost every class was talking about this game, and the fact that it was labeled as the first game suitable for minors gave Audition Online an immunity to punishment.

"KFC points accepted! 20% off! Bulk discounts available!" At the gate of a high school after school, several boys in school uniforms held up cardboard signs and shouted loudly.

They were surrounded by many students in the same school uniform. Some of them took out crumpled physical points vouchers, and after some bargaining, the transaction was quickly completed.

The students who received their points coupons excitedly rushed to the nearest KFC membership service center, ready to once again battle the virtual beauties in the dance arena.

"We had so much fun crushing the Shining Star Clan last night! They didn't even dare to use their megaphones anymore. All the top players in their clan were silenced by our clan's top players!" On the bus, two girls excitedly discussed their game stats.

"My mom bought me a dance package again today, haha, I can spend half a day at the service center this weekend!" another girl said happily.

"I heard that a KFC service center is going to open here, so we won't have to go to the city anymore!" A post on a forum in a district of a first-tier city sparked a heated discussion.

On the streets, KFC's red and white signs and posters featuring the virtual idol from Audition Online are everywhere.

MSN's blue butterfly icon, along with downloads via QR code and in-game binding, has quietly flown into the phones and computers of countless young people.

The rhythmic background music of Audition Online seems to have become the most powerful background sound this summer.

The popularity of Audition Online has spread like wildfire, reaching an unprecedented level.

This path of bundling fast food, games, social networking, and offline entertainment is so powerful that it has drawn the attention of all onlookers.

Meanwhile, Momo Group's once seemingly indestructible internet cafe empire, under the dual impact of Microsoft's indirect approach and KFC's centralized model, has for the first time shown signs of its foundations being shaken.

However, while the popularity of Audition Online continues to rise, this craze has also brought a significant side effect: the rampant growth of various illegal internet cafes in the gaps of regulation. Most of them are hidden deep in old residential areas and urban villages, with simple or no signs, basic facilities, and all running pirated Windows XP systems. The only thing they have in common is that they can run Audition Online smoothly.

These illegal internet cafes have become gathering places for countless minors, who bang the spacebar on their keyboards loudly every day and play various dance songs on a loop through cheap headphones.

This unconventional approach propelled Audition Online's online player count to a new peak—surpassing one million concurrent users.

Even on weekends, the peak reached nearly 1.2 million.

Microsoft Asia Pacific President Johnson and Samsung's Lee Jae-young both wore long-lost smiles as they looked at the report card.

Meanwhile, the "Blizzard Cup Global Esports Tournament," co-organized by Universe Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment and fully supported by the Singapore government, finally opened grandly at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore after extensive pre-event publicity and fierce selections in various countries.

Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore.

Beneath the enormous dome, the air was filled with the clamor of voices.

Top esports teams from 78 countries and regions around the world gathered together, representing the highest level of Warcraft III.

The venue was meticulously decorated in a futuristic style, and photographers from Universal Vision captured every brilliant move by the players and the enthusiastic reactions from the audience in real time.

The air was filled with the excitement and tension unique to esports.

As one of the hosts and a core sponsor of this competition, the logo of Universal Vision is almost ubiquitous.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuxi, director of the Huaxia Operations Center of Universal Vision, was standing in the backstage control area, looking down at the entire main stage through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass.

She was dressed in a well-tailored off-white business suit, her hair was neatly pinned up, and her eyes were sharp and focused. She was no longer the high school graduate who was full of curiosity about sales.

At this moment, she was using a headset to conduct final coordination and confirmation with the broadcasting team at the China Broadcasting Corporation's operations center in fluent English.

"The signal source delay is controlled within 50 milliseconds to ensure synchronous narration."

"Reconfirm the satellite dish signal coverage in the western region, especially the Qinghai-Tibet region."

"The audio level in the commentary booth is too high; the technical team will adjust it immediately."

Her voice was clear and calm, carrying an unquestionable authority.

On the main stage, the lights suddenly focused, and a stirring symphony began.

Several hosts announced the official start of the opening ceremony in multiple languages.

Political figures from various countries, heads of major capital groups, the president of Blizzard Entertainment, the CEO of Universe Entertainment, and other heavyweights took turns to deliver speeches.

When the host introduced Du Yusheng, chairman of Momo Group, many people in the audience looked at the camera. On the camera, a chubby man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a well-tailored dark suit nodded slightly to the crowd with a perfectly reserved smile on his face.

Sitting next to Du Yusheng were Johnson, President of Microsoft Asia Pacific, and Mike, President of Enze Capital, who had come from the UK.

Offstage, among the teams representing China, the Momo team, with Sun Baxin at its core, was particularly eye-catching.

Sun Baxin was wearing a red and blue national team uniform, his expression unusually serious.

"Old Ba, don't be nervous, just treat it like a regular training session." Su Duo stood next to Sun Baxin and said in a rare gentle tone, "Don't be stage-frightened."

Sun Baxin took a deep breath, gulped down his drink, and said with feigned ease, "Nervous? I'm afraid that if I win too easily, some people will think that the money was wasted."

He glanced at the South Korean team's seats not far away, where his old rival, Moon Jang Jae-ho, was sitting.

Soon, the competition officially began.

On screens across the stadium, footage of intense battles between teams from various countries kept switching.

The sounds of keyboard and mouse clicks, the commentator's passionate shouts, and the audience's thunderous cheers and sighs converged into a wave of sound that swept across the entire venue.

The satellite signal from Global Vision also simultaneously transmitted this image to every corner of the world.

Inside the control room, Zhao Gang, who was in charge of global live streaming, kept his headset on almost non-stop.

"Mr. Zhao! ESPN North America has made suggestions regarding the slow-motion replay angles of the CS:GO overtime match just now..."

"Mr. Zhao, our local Indonesian partners have reported that some satellite dishes in remote areas are experiencing snow..."

"Mr. Zhao, Japan's NHK wants to increase the length of their interviews with their athletes..."

Despite being well-prepared, Zhao Gang was still extremely busy.

"Note ESPN's suggestions and discuss them during the post-match technical review. Regarding the signal issue in Indonesia, should we contact our local technical emergency team to activate the backup link? As for NHK's request... tell them that all teams must have the same interview length for fairness and impartiality—this is a principle of the tournament! Want more time? They'll have to pay more!"

Zhao Gang handles problems with great decisiveness and efficiency, and still maintains the boldness of an undercover reporter.

In the VIP section, Mike whispered to Du Yusheng, "Mr. Du, the viewership data for Universal Vision is experiencing explosive growth in the Asian region, especially in the Asian countries we are focusing on. The Rothschild family representative just privately expressed that they are very satisfied with their initial investment and inquired about the possibility of further increasing their stake."

Du Yusheng nodded slowly and said very seriously, "Regarding this issue, we must adhere to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and conduct in-depth, pragmatic, and constructive discussions with an open mind and a developmental perspective."

"?" Not only was Mike stunned, but even the Rothschild family's translator next to him was a little confused.

Mike couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Du, does this mean you agree?"

"No, let's go back and have a meeting to discuss it before giving a reply. This matter needs to be studied, advanced, optimized, and breakthroughs made."

"?"

"?"

"?" Mike and the others were completely confused.

This statement feels like an answer, yet it also seems like it doesn't answer anything. Is this the art of language?

(End of this chapter)