Chapter 268: Hopefully, It Can Become a Model for All Web Games!
Mingyun Private Kitchen, top floor.
The faint intoxication from the red wine, mixed with the cool night breeze, made Pei Qian feel a little dazed.
He took out his phone, downloaded the Shenhua Mobile App Store again, and rechecked the rankings—the mobile version of Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition was indeed still sitting firmly at number one.
Alright. So everything that just happened wasn't a hallucination.
Pei Qian quietly let out a long sigh.
Ah, what melancholy…
The disastrous news had hit him like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky, leaving him somewhat disoriented.
Fortunately, he was already used to this sort of thing.
After all, this wasn't the first or second time he'd flipped the cart—he had, in fact, developed a whole system of coping mechanisms.
Or rather, to be precise—he had mastered the art of adjusting his mentality after flipping the cart.
"Earning an extra four or five million a month… actually, that's not too bad."
"There's still time before the final settlement. I can still rush the opening of the 'Against the Wind Logistics Station.' I can hold on."
Today was September 20th. The settlement date was October 31st—more than a month away.
One rule was that there couldn't be any unreleased projects in the week before the settlement period. In other words, as long as a new project was launched before October 24th, it would still count as a valid expenditure.
For example—Moyu Internet Café and Against the Wind Logistics.
As long as he could rent ready-made venues and have them operational before October 24th, it wouldn't affect the settlement.
"Shangyang Games caught me off guard, but on the bright side—at least they're efficient."
"If they had only finished developing the mobile version of Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition by late next month, I'd be completely screwed."
"But now, there's still time to fix things. As long as I can find a way to spend the money fast enough, everything will be fine!"
This wasn't exactly a flash of brilliance—Pei Qian had planned for such contingencies long ago.
After flipping the cart so many times, he had learned his lesson.
From the very start of this cycle, Pei Qian had already prepared two plans.
If the game lost money—perfect. If it didn't, then he had his trump cards ready.
Right now, the only businesses Pei Qian still trusted were Terminal Chinese Web, Moyu Delivery, Against the Wind Logistics, and Moyu Internet Café.
Among them, Terminal Chinese Web was something Pei Qian didn't dare touch lightly.
Sure, web novels could burn through money fast—he could throw ten million at Infinite Chinese Web to poach a few top-tier authors, or buy out dozens of mid-level writers outright.
But the problem was—that was way too risky!
What if doing that made Terminal Chinese Web more popular? Wouldn't that be drinking poison to quench thirst?
In the web novel industry, content is king. Once you have good stories, you get readers; with readers, you get subscription money; with money, you attract more authors.
Everything would spiral into a positive cycle!
Pei Qian thought it over and decided to temporarily pass on that option—it was too unstable and could cause long-term trouble later.
Moyu Delivery, on the other hand, wasn't bad—it was still losing money at the moment, but it mainly operated in conjunction with Moyu Internet Café.
If it weren't tied to the cafés, he'd have to rent separate spaces for kitchens and dish sterilization—which would be a hassle.
Moreover, Moyu Internet Café might be losing money, but not enough money. Relying on it alone wouldn't be sufficient for Pei Qian's emergency "spending spree" plan.
After thinking it through, the fastest money-burners were still physical industries like Against the Wind Logistics and Moyu Internet Café.
Moyu Internet Café had disappointed him time and again, but on the bright side, it could be paired with Moyu Delivery to increase losses—and Moyu Internet Café 2.0 was about to launch soon.
If he could tweak the "money-losing model" of Moyu Internet Café just a little, there might still be hope of reviving it as a true financial sinkhole.
As for Against the Wind Logistics, that was the business Pei Qian trusted the most.
The only downside compared to Moyu Internet Café was that it didn't burn money fast enough.
To open a single Moyu Internet Café, the upfront costs for rent, renovations, computers, and so on would total at least three million.
Meanwhile, opening a single Against the Wind Logistics Station only cost around thirty thousand.
You'd have to open a hundred courier stations to match the spending of just one internet café—their money-burning speeds simply weren't in the same league.
Although Against the Wind Logistics Stations could theoretically be opened indefinitely, there was still the problem of where to open each one.
You had to sign rental contracts for every location, interview and hire staff—that was a massive workload.
Opening one or two wouldn't be a big deal, but opening a hundred at once? Lu Mingliang and his team would probably be overwhelmed.
So after thinking it through, Pei Qian decided to play it safe and launch both Against the Wind Logistics Stations and Moyu Internet Cafés simultaneously—doubling up on money-burning efforts.
As for things like location selection, staff recruitment, or operational details, Pei Qian had only one requirement:
All of them must be open and running before October 24th.
As long as the money was spent and the settlement cycle wasn't affected, that would count as mission accomplished.
With that thought, Pei Qian immediately called Zhang Yuan and Lu Mingliang.
Time was tight—every second counted.
. . .
At the rooftop stairwell, Ye Zhizhou cautiously poked his head out and glanced around.
"President Pei sure is busy," he murmured.
"Still working this late, making phone calls about business."
A pang of guilt hit Ye Zhizhou.
Even though the mobile version of Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition had helped ease some of President Pei's burdens, Tengda's industries were simply too many to manage.
The thought that President Pei was still hard at work while he himself was here eating made Ye Zhizhou feel a bit ashamed.
Then again, he quickly reasoned, President Pei had always been this diligent—that's why Tengda could grow so successfully.
Just as Ye Zhizhou was about to quietly slip away, Pei Qian hung up the phone and turned around. Their eyes met.
Ye Zhizhou cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem, President Pei, you haven't shown up for a while, and everyone was worried that maybe you'd had too much to drink or weren't feeling well, so I came to check on you."
"I didn't expect that even this late, you'd still be busy with work."
Pei Qian, whose anger had mostly subsided, instantly felt his temper flare back up.
You think I'm still working this late because I want to?
If it weren't for you guys suddenly pulling this kind of stunt, would I really be here frantically calling Zhang Yuan and Lu Mingliang, arranging an emergency money-burning operation overnight?!
Eating my food and still stabbing me in the back—how outrageous!
Pei Qian was furious.
But of course, that was something he could only scream internally. He couldn't actually say it out loud.
Seeing Pei Qian's expression darken, Ye Zhizhou asked with concern, "President Pei, are you alright?"
Pei Qian forced out a strained smile. "It's nothing, just a small hiccup at work."
Ye Zhizhou nodded earnestly. "I see—well, there's no way a small issue like that could trouble President Pei."
Pei Qian was speechless.
He wanted to speak—then didn't. Then wanted to again—and gave up.
After a pause, he decided it wasn't worth it.
No matter how he explained, it would be like chickens and ducks talking past each other.
No one could possibly understand the sorrow buried in President Pei's heart.
He could only sigh inwardly.
Forget it. No point in getting mad anymore.
Getting angry over this wasn't worth it—better to just eat something nice.
He had felt full from rage earlier, but now that his anger had faded, he realized he was hungry again.
With a face full of melancholy, Pei Qian returned to his seat, ready to turn his grief into appetite and properly enjoy his meal.
He had just sat down and peeled a large lobster when Lin Wan suddenly came running over, looking thrilled.
"President Pei, look! We just got featured on the official platform! And not just anywhere—we're on the front page!"
"Pfft!!"
The sip of red wine Pei Qian had just taken nearly sprayed out of his mouth.
What the hell?!
A game like Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition—featured on the official platform? You've got to be kidding me!
Pei Qian was completely dumbfounded. How was that even possible?!
Official platform front-page recommendations had very clear criteria.
For a regular profitable game, you might get a small side-slot recommendation at best.
But the front-page? That was reserved only for games the officials considered "healthy, positive examples"—the kind that benefited the industry's development.
Just like Game Producer before it.
But Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition was originally just a traditional web game—a war-themed title all about fighting and killing.
How on earth could that kind of game earn official recognition and even make it onto the front page?
Could it be… that they were giving Tengda some face?
No way. The game wasn't even published by Tengda—it was released by Shangyang Games.
How could it possibly get this kind of treatment?
Pei Qian was completely lost, frozen in place with a lobster in hand, utterly speechless.
After a long silence, he finally asked, "So… what does the recommendation say?"
Lin Wan couldn't suppress the smile on her face as she began to read aloud:
"As a traditional web-based game, Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition has made major innovations in gameplay."
"By cleverly replacing the original recharge system with the 'Chosen One' system, this game fundamentally changes the pay-to-win, hate-driven business model of web games, allowing all players to enjoy the game with a more relaxed mindset. It greatly improves the value orientation of web game players."
"For a long time, the excessive pay-to-win tendencies of web games have left players with a deeply negative impression of the genre, pushing it off the path of healthy development."
"Through masterful design, bold reform, and exceptional production quality, Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition completely overturns the traditional reputation of web games in the minds of players. While retaining the core fun of classic web gameplay, it strives to reshape unhealthy spending habits and plays a highly positive role in promoting the overall development of the industry."
"What's even more admirable is that the original version of Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition was an ordinary, outdated game. Yet the design team didn't give up on it—they meticulously reworked and refined it, breathing new life into the project."
"We hope that Blood War Anthem will be the last traditional web game, and that Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition will become the first of a new generation."
"We hope Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition can serve as a turning point for the domestic web game industry."
"Therefore, we give this game a special recommendation, hoping it can become a model for all future web games to follow."
"We also hope players can set aside their preconceptions and give it a try—perhaps they'll discover the true fun that web games can offer."
After reading the recommendation, Lin Wan smiled brightly at President Pei.
Ye Zhizhou, standing nearby, was so moved his eyes began to glisten.
The game had actually received official recognition!
Now, at last, the label of "trash game" was washed away—Blood War Anthem: Enhanced Edition had achieved both financial success and critical acclaim!
And with the official endorsement and front-page feature, it was sure to attract even more attention, draw in more players, and generate even higher revenue!
Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but sigh in amazement—good news was coming one after another.
Today truly was a blessed day!
So this was what "seeing the moon after the clouds part" felt like.
He couldn't help but recall what Director Lin had once said:
President Pei wanted players to stop being slaves to money. His goal was to change player habits—to let every gamer, even without spending a dime, experience the thrill once reserved for the rich.
To go against the tide was always risky. Failure seemed inevitable.
But now—President Pei's "defiance of heaven" had actually succeeded, and even received official validation!
That was a definitive recognition—unquestionable and absolute.
Everyone who had participated in developing the game felt like they had just witnessed history being made.
After all, they had joined President Pei in trying to change the entire web game industry!
Their eyes were full of respect and gratitude.
'If it weren't for President Pei, we never would have believed we could accomplish something like this.'
Meanwhile, Pei Qian's emotions were even more intense than everyone else's…
Just in the complete opposite direction.
He looked at the lobster in his hand, then quietly set it aside.
Forget it. He'd lost his appetite again.
Once more—he was full from sheer frustration!
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