Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

"Yeah?"

Lu Bowen revealed a meaningful smile.

"You all didn't know, did you?" He deliberately dragged out the words. "I only found out this morning myself."

"Tell me already, stop keeping me in suspense!"

Tan Ming asked anxiously.

"The Angry Birds and Fruit Swords we used to play on Qiu Zihao's iPhone..."

They were all made by a Chinese company called "Zhengtu Technology".

Including this Conqueror Z1 I have here.

"What?!"

All three roommates looked surprised.

"Absolutely true!"

Lü Bowen then explained.

It's clearly stated on the official website.

The company is located in Hangzhou.

And do you know how I found out about this?

"How did you find out?" Tan Ming pressed.

When this was mentioned, Lü Bowen's desire to share immediately arose.

"As you all know, I like to visit Cheng Lin's QQ space when I have nothing to do."

"Huh—"

The three of them gave Lü Bowen a disdainful look.

"But when I looked at it today, I found something different."

Cheng Lin took a series of photos using an MP4 player.

That atmosphere... I only learned what a sweet girl is today.

"Get to the point!"

Seeing that the three were about to explode, Lü Bowen began to get to the point.

"Okay, okay, the MP4 Cheng Lin is using is this Conqueror Z1 in my hand."

I searched online!

Good guy!

On the homepage of Journey Technology's games, Angry Birds and Fruit Swordsman are featured.

"this……"

Qiu Zihao was speechless.

He never imagined that the game he was so obsessed with day and night actually belonged to a Chinese company.

It actually belongs to a Chinese company.

Meanwhile, Tan Ming, standing to the side, was already getting excited.

"So, does that mean I have a chance to get into this company?"

He never expected that the factory of his dreams would be located in Hangzhou, not far away.

"Yeah, and their new game is even on it!"

As he spoke, Lü Bowen showed it to the three of them.

Sure enough, there was a brand new icon, depicting a cartoonish zombie.

Below it reads "Plants vs. Zombies".

"Open it and take a look!"

After the first two games, people had an inexplicable trust in the game "Zhengtu".

Just like the saying "Blizzard products are always top-notch".

It gradually gained a good reputation among players.

Qiu Zihao couldn't resist the temptation either and squeezed next to the group.

Meanwhile, he wasn't idle either, secretly searching for the English name of Plants vs. Zombies in the App Store.

"Holy crap! 63 yuan!"

"What?"

Qiu Zihao's voice attracted the attention of the three.

"Look, Plants vs. Zombies is selling for 63 on the App Store."

The three of them saw the game that Qiu Zihao had found, and the icon was the same as the one on the Journey Z1.

"Never mind, let me see if the game is fun first."

Qiu Zihao silently put away his phone.

"It's definitely fun! I've been holding back from opening it since I left the mall, just so you guys could see it too."

"Good brother!"

The opening featured the familiar "Z" shaped logo.

"Really? They're exactly the same."

See the opening animation.

Only then did everyone fully believe what Lü Bowen had said earlier.

As a light yet slightly eerie piece of music played, the screen lit up with vibrant colors.

A road is divided in two: on one side are brightly colored anthropomorphic plants, and on the other side are zombies that have broken through the fence and are staggering in.

Once the progress bar completes, the game will enter the main menu.

Under a large tree, the tombstones are labeled: Adventure Mode, Mini-Game, Puzzle Mode, and Survival Mode.

"Hiss... This feels a little scary."

Wang Xuan said.

"We're all together, what's there to be afraid of!"

Lü Bowen directly clicked on Adventure Mode.

"Knock knock knock!"

Suddenly, a rotting arm burst from the ground, accompanied by the zombie's hoarse, eerie laugh!

"Depend on!"

The group trembled with fear.

Lu Bowen almost threw the MP4 away.

"This...this...this isn't a horror game, is it?"

"I don't think so, the art style looks pretty cartoonish to me."

Although Lu Bowen was startled, he chose to continue playing.

The first stage is the tutorial stage.

Plant a pea shooter according to the instructions.

Then a zombie appeared at the right end of the lawn and staggered over.

"It's here! It's here!" Wang Xuan was even more nervous than Lü Bowen.

The Peashooter begins firing peas with a "poof poof poof" sound.

The green beans hit the zombies with dull "thump" sounds.

Sunlight streamed down from above.

"One isn't enough! Plant another one!" Tan Ming shouted.

Lu Bowen frantically collected sunlight and added a pea shooter to the second row.

Plant a few pea shooters, and you'll quickly pass the first level.

The reward for passing the level is a sunflower.

"...It produces sunlight? I see."

After reading the entry once, Lü Bowen basically understood how to play the game.

"Isn't this just resource management!"

Tan Ming figured it out.

"Plant cash crops first, then produce attack units."

"really."

Qiu Zihao's attention was also drawn to it.

Then came the second level, the third level... the game difficulty gradually increased.

New plants have also appeared: Cherry Bomb, Nut Wall, and Potato Mine.

The types of zombies have also increased, including pole vaulting zombies, bucket zombies, newspaper-reading zombies, and so on.

The atmosphere in the dormitory became serious.

Tan Ming dragged a chair over and sat to Lü Bowen's left, his brows furrowed.

"Sunshine! Add sunflowers to the fifth column first; we can't afford to lose our economy!"

Wang Xuan stood on the right, shouting loudly:

"To the right! That barrel zombie on the right! Quick, drop cherry bombs! Blow it up!"

"Damn it, stop yelling!"

Lü Bowen became the operator, his fingers flying across the screen, clicking and dragging.

Gradually, the game became more difficult.

In the nighttime pool level, one of the zombies that had slipped through finally entered the house.

"No!!!"

With a scream, the screen displays a ghastly green message: "The zombies ate your brains," and the game ends.

"Hiss...you know what, it's actually a little scary."

Lu Bowen touched the goosebumps on his arm.

As the game progresses.

The later levels get increasingly difficult.

The group played from day to night.

The game is more than halfway through.

Tan Ming began to carefully study the "Encyclopedia" and "Shop" functions in the game.

"Hey Lao Lü, look, there are still a few plants here that haven't been unlocked yet."

"Hmm? Let me see."

Sure enough, there were several black plants in the encyclopedia.

Their cards were purple, standing out starkly against the surrounding plants.

"Damn, so you have to pay to unlock it."

After some fiddling around, Tan Ming discovered these plants that were not yet unlocked in the shop.

"How about I top up my account with some money?"

Lu Bowen looked around.

"Let's forget about it, we're almost done with the game."

"Indeed, it seems like you can beat this game without spending money."

Wang Xuan tried to dissuade him.

"It's okay, it's okay. Apple products are so expensive, this little bit of money is nothing."

In the end, Lü Bowen could not resist the temptation.

As he spoke, he immediately recharged six yuan and bought a corn cannon.

With powerful plants, you can clear levels much faster.

As Dr. Zombie King's robot exploded, he raised the white flag.

Cheerful music began to play.

"Level cleared!"

"Awesome!"

Wang Xuan slammed his hand on the table in excitement.

Tan Ming looked at the settlement screen and felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

This game offers a perfect blend of strategy, skill, and tension.

It was absolutely unique in 2008.

Although Qiu Zihao was initially stubborn, he became fascinated once he got his hands on it.

Lu Bowen rubbed his sore eyes, then something occurred to him:

"well?

Haven't you noticed?

These unlocked plants have no impact on the game progress.

The whole game is free to play.

"That's really incredibly generous!"

……

Just as the group was lamenting in their dormitory.

The Z1, with its sweeping national momentum, has stirred up a storm.