Chapter 61 "False Marketing"
[Someone seems to be at my door. Wait a moment, don't start this game yet.]
Wu Yucun sent a message to his teammates, then walked towards the door with a puzzled look in his eyes, where he saw a man standing there who seemed out of place in the surroundings.
His small courtyard was located on the edge of the county town. His family ran a hardware store on another street and occasionally did some scrap recycling business. The courtyard was surrounded by piles of metal sheets and long pipes of all sizes, making it look like a dwelling dug out of a garbage dump.
The man in front of them was dressed in a high-quality dark gray casual suit and had a handsome face. You might not even encounter someone like him in the center of the county town, let alone in this desolate little courtyard.
Seeing a luxury brand private van behind the man, Wu Yucun reached up and scratched the corner of his eye.
If they weren't both men, this plot would be like the beginning of a simplistic teen movie. It feels like the next step is for the poor but resilient female protagonist to give in to the CEO's money-spending spree and fall sweetly in love.
“Uh, brother, you’ve gone the wrong way. You have to go straight along this road to get to the county town. It’s about 30 kilometers away.”
Fang Zhuo addressed Wu Yucun through the fence in front of the courtyard gate: "You've come to the right place. My name is Fang Zhuo, and I'm the manager of the JR team. I saw some highlights of your gameplay in the PC version on a short video platform a couple of days ago. I was wondering if you'd be interested in trying out for our team?"
If the other party had approached him for some other reason, Wu Yucun might not have exposed the scam so quickly, but this reason was far too clumsy, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"What era is this scam from? It hasn't been updated in ten years, has it?"
After saying that, Wu Yucun turned to leave.
Summer vacation is a good time to make money, and he usually goes live every day before 3 pm. Today, he was interrupted by this scammer and it's already 3:15 pm.
Fang Zhuo frowned. Based on BC35's experience, the key to Wu Yucun's failure to be discovered lay with that coach. However, this time he used the exact same words as the coach in the original text, and the other party actually suspected him of being a fraud.
Knowing that the other party was a smart and wary academic high-achiever, Fang Zhuo didn't rush to explain the rationale for coming here. Instead, he deftly showed Wu Yucun the team operation qualification certificate on the terminal, while reminding him:
"You should have seen the recent matches or game clips of CHE, the new player with long and short blades. I spoke after the last match of the SixC Star League. You can watch that video now. I am indeed the manager of the JR team."
Wu Yucun scanned the QR code on the team's qualification certificate with some skepticism. After confirming that there was no problem, he opened the terminal and clicked to search for the original video of that match.
As a top-ranked player in the PC game "MechWarrior," which is the same game as the competition, he usually reads a lot of gossip about the competition, so he knows that a new genius has recently emerged out of nowhere.
There are all sorts of strange rumors circulating online about the owner of the JR esports team.
Some say the boss borrowed a large sum of money from the bank and planned to go all in, while others say he was always a big shot with plenty of money, but just hadn't paid much attention to the team division before.
There are also widespread conspiracy theories that JR has secretly changed its behind-the-scenes owner, and that the new owner has a complicated background and special identity, and can only profit by investing in other people's teams.
But one thing is true: this company really offered the team's entry-level support staff a base salary of over 40,000 yuan and even persuaded a well-known coach from Star Alliance to take charge.
Wu Yucun repeatedly compared the boss in the official competition video with the person in front of him, and also compared the license plate model of the van with that in the contestant's entrance video.
After confirming that all the information matched perfectly, he lowered his guard, shooed the big yellow dog aside, and quickly opened the yard gate:
"I'm sorry, boss, I misunderstood... My house is a bit messy, I'll go get you some water."
He first respectfully invited the big boss into the house, then quickly walked behind the water dispenser and pulled out a stack of disposable paper cups.
After carefully selecting the middle cup from the stack of paper cups and thoroughly checking that there was no dust inside, Wu Yucun politely filled the cup with three-quarters water for the owner.
He's even walking a little unsteadily now; he never imagined this scenario would actually happen to him.
A domineering team has taken a liking to me, and a cold and arrogant CEO comes knocking on my door. How is this any different from what's shown in idol dramas?
He stopped mocking his sister for watching those mindless CEO dramas. There was a reason why those dramas were popular; he used to scoff at them simply because the target audience wasn't him.
Even the support staff of the JR team earn more than 40,000 yuan a month, so he couldn't even imagine how much the official players would earn.
Good heavens, that must be at least seven or eight million a year...
Wu Yucun felt his brain was about to malfunction just thinking about it, and looked at his boss with anticipation.
Fang Zhuo was also quietly observing the room.
Although the place is old and cramped, all the facilities are in good order, and the family's life, though somewhat difficult, is well-organized.
From the narrow living room, you can see Wu Yucun's bedroom at a glance. The bedroom is specially separated by two huge metal plates, and the area is so small that it can only fit a single bed that is 90 centimeters wide and a computer.
The motion capture equipment placed in front of the computer is the standard model commonly available on the market, priced at around two thousand.
In the PC version of the mecha game, the top-ranked players are mostly using higher-end motion capture equipment. Fang Zhuo never expected that Wu Yucun had been using such rudimentary peripherals all along.
Fortunately, the seventeen-year-old boy did not show obvious developmental delays due to poverty. He was nearly 1.8 meters tall and did not look very thin, so he was not too far behind in physical fitness.
"Boss, when do we leave?"
Fang Zhuo sent a message to Tao Tao, then looked up at Wu Yucun and said, "Now."
Wu Yucun's home is located in the remote suburbs of another backward competition zone. Including the time spent taking the interstellar train, it takes more than two hours to get to Star 6C.
After setting the destination in the autonomous driving module, Fang Zhuo chatted casually with Wu Yucun:
"I did see your clips on short videos, so why did you suspect I was a scammer from the start?"
Wu Yucun said with some surprise, "Boss, don't you know? The coaches of the Star Alliance teams stopped scouting for potential players in the game several years ago."
“In the past, those coaches would send private messages to some high-ranking players. It seems that it started about four or five years ago. Anyone who was found to have played games for more than two years would basically be rejected by the big clubs.”
Fang Zhuo raised an eyebrow; he really didn't know.
Before coming here, he originally thought the problem lay with the coach who had discovered Wu Yucun, since that coach was now on the male protagonist Lin Yuzheng's team.
But he didn't expect this change to be industry-wide; the coaches of all Star Alliance teams had stopped poaching players from the game several years ago.
This phenomenon is actually quite strange. There are only a few channels for ordinary people to become mecha pilots. Getting familiar with mecha through PC games is the best way. If we don't recruit people from the game, wouldn't we be losing a lot of potential newcomers for no reason?
He leaned back in the driver's seat, watching the scenery rushing past, and briefly closed his eyes.
The turning point in Cheng Che's storyline was the ability test.
After bringing Cheng Che back, Fang Zhuo could clearly see from his performance on the field that Cheng Che's talent and ability were still outstanding. His physical strength, honed from working in the fields all year round, was not so bad that it would cause him to be so slow to develop that he would fail the test.
Since the problem doesn't lie with people, eliminating other possibilities, even the most outlandish one will be the only correct answer.
Someone tampered with the unified ability test across the entire Star Alliance.
The person who changes the plot is not only powerful enough to alter the results of official tests, but also has the ability to influence the talent scouting methods of the entire industry. There are very few suspicious individuals who can do all this.
Moreover, this person insisted on changing the male protagonist's teammates in the original book, which further narrowed down the selection range.
Fang Zhuo already had a rough list of suspects in mind.
The two-hour journey passed quickly while researching information. The van stopped at the entrance of the training ground, and Fang Zhuo opened the car door first, introducing Wu Yucun to Tao Tao:
"Professor Tao, this is the newcomer I mentioned in my message. Could you please help me assess his abilities?"
Unlike Fang Zhuo's testing method of directly throwing people into the game, Tao Tao was clearly more experienced.
Tao Tao first took Wu Yucun into the upgraded full-coverage motion capture equipment, allowing him to gradually adapt to the synchronization between the character on the screen and his own movements, before sending him into the virtual pod.
Wu Yucun adapted to the change from D mode to A mode even faster than Cheng Che, who had never played a game before.
Even after Tao Tao shifted the gear to S, Wu Yucun still gave a thumbs-up from inside the cabin, indicating that there was absolutely no problem.
Tao Tao was completely convinced.
He really didn't know where President Fang had picked up so many geniuses. Did the Star Alliance originally have so many talented newcomers, and he just didn't have the eye to discover them?
Is this some kind of passive skill for being a boss, where your vision improves based on the decimal point of your bank account balance?
"Mr. Fang, where did you find this person? It seems he hasn't tried out for any major teams before."
“I haven’t had a trial period. I’m a high-scoring player on the leaderboard of the game ‘MechWarrior’,” Fang Zhuo replied while subtly observing Tao Tao’s expression.
All the coaches are not scouting players from the game. Something must have happened behind this unusual situation. Even just for the sake of this salary contract, Tao Tao couldn't help but reveal some of the secrets from back then to him.
Tao Tao's face couldn't contain any emotion; he hesitated for a long time, wanting to speak but ultimately couldn't help but remind him:
"Mr. Fang, you may not be aware that it's best not to bring people out of the game."
Seeing that Wu Yucun was about to emerge from the virtual reality pod, Tao Tao disregarded everything else and whispered in President Fang's ear:
"The game has some side industries, you know, most of the high-scoring players in it participate in some gambling, they can get money by throwing a game, and this bad habit will be brought to the competition."
"Five years ago, several players who came from gaming backgrounds were exposed for participating in bookmakers' manipulation of the market and helping bookmakers fix matches. At that time, a large number of people were banned. These are all recognized minefields in the industry, and all coaches have long stopped picking players from games."
Fang Zhuo patted Tao Tao on the shoulder: "Thanks for the reminder, but Wu Yucun is not that kind of person. I vouch for him with my reputation."
Seeing that the other party still looked worried, Fang Zhuo changed the direction of his assurance:
"If he throws the match, I'll definitely lose everything. Don't worry, I'll vouch for him with my own savings."
Tao Tao's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
As an adult, he would certainly not trust the reputation of any capitalist, but he believed that no big boss would let his money go to waste.
Fang Zhuo leaned against the virtual pod and spoke the moment Wu Yu saved up:
"Your annual salary is 30 million, the same as Cheng Che's. Other new players signed by the JR team will also be paid the same price. There will be bonuses if you perform well."
Wu Yucun's eyes widened like copper bells.
Even top teams will never pay their debut players more than ten million in salary for the first year.
Where did this 30 million come from? Are they that rich?
With that kind of budget, wouldn't it be better to just poach those top players? How could such a good opportunity fall into the hands of a complete newcomer like him?
There was something fishy going on. Based on experience, such a good thing was definitely a scam, but he couldn't imagine what purpose the boss would have in deceiving a poor high school student like himself.
He couldn't care less about anything else. Seeing the zero after the annual salary amount in the contract signing section, he finally understood why the innocent assistants in CEO dramas always had a confused expression.
So they were stunned by the wages they received.
Wu Yucun received the contract from the terminal in an almost kneeling position, quickly reviewed all the terms, and signed his name after confirming that everything was correct.
"My lord, I will dedicate the rest of my life to you, even if it means going through fire and water."
Wu Yucun quickly recalled the idol dramas he had watched with his sister at the dinner table, and was so moved by the amount that his eyes were filled with affection: "I would give you my life."
Fang Zhuo: "...Thank you, but it's not necessary."
We've finally found the audience for Xinghan Media's short dramas; it turns out they're here.
[Investment Target Number Three: Wu Yucun]
[Intelligence: 89][Stamina: 91][Appearance: 52][Emotional Intelligence: 60][Loyalty: 92]
[Recommended Careers: Mech Pilot, Mechanic, and Related Training Industries]
[Skill Talents: 93]
[Initial valuation: 53200]
Upon seeing the successful investment notification pop up from the system, Fang Zhuo beckoned to Wu Yucun with his finger: "Get on board."
Seeing that Fang Zhuo had set the destination as the central shopping mall of 6C Star, Wu Yucun declined:
"My lord, there's no need to take me shopping for daily necessities; I can shop online myself. By the way, I heard your company has employee dormitories of over 90 square meters; are they genuine?"
Seeing that the person was becoming more and more cheerful, Fang Zhuo simply replied, "Don't flatter yourself, I'm not buying you daily necessities."
"The dormitory is real, but it is only for employees. If family members need it, they can stay in hotels in the city center at any time, and the company will reimburse them all."
Wu Yucun clasped his hands together above his head, his expression extremely devout: "My lord, you are a great benefactor, I want to enshrine you."
Fang Zhuo: "...I appreciate the thought, but there's no need for that."
Three minutes later, the van finally stopped in front of the largest shopping mall in the city center. Fang Zhuo led his people straight to the electronics counter: "Do you have the latest computers and motion capture equipment?"
As a tech company that also operates mech battle teams, since not all employees have the ability to connect to the virtual pods, they should at least be allowed to play the same game.
Aside from mechs, technological advancements in this world haven't extended to home environments on a large scale, and employees still rely on physical computers for work.
The only difference is that the computer host is no longer sold separately like BlueStar, with components such as graphics card, CPU, and memory. Instead, it is integrated into a mini host the size of a shoebox.
The saleswoman at the counter only needed a quick glance to tell that this boss was definitely not short of money, and a smile quickly spread across her face:
"Yes, yes, let me introduce it to you. If you need a device that can handle both gaming and office work, I recommend this high-performance mini PC from Huarui."
"This model was just released last quarter. It's only 20*15*12 cm in size, smaller than any other desktop computer on the market, but with superior performance. The current price is 52,000 yuan."
"If you still need motion capture equipment, I highly recommend this upgraded full-wrap motion capture peripheral from Inview Technology."
"It now boasts the lowest latency among all devices on the market, closely mimicking the real virtual pod, and even offers three adjustable settings, with the highest setting being very close to the D setting in the virtual pod, making it very easy for people who have never been exposed to mechs to get started."
"It's just been released, so this motion capture device is a bit more expensive than the older models, priced at just over 100,000. There are discounts if you buy in bulk. How many do you need, boss?"
Fang Zhuo looked at Wu Yucun. He had brought him over to help discuss the parameters of the motion capture peripherals. Deep gamers were definitely among the most knowledgeable about peripherals.
Wu Yucun realized it was time for him to step in, so he quickly leaned closer to his boss and whispered:
"My lord, don't buy this. New equipment always has a very high premium in its first year on the market."
“We can buy the 2013 model that Yingjing released last year. The price is almost half, but the performance is only about 20% different, so there is not much difference.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhuo knew that the equipment was good, but its only drawback was that it was too expensive.
He is essentially without flaws.
"I need forty of each. Please calculate the total price for me."
Noticing the envious glances from her colleagues all around, the saleswoman at the counter was overjoyed.
Who understands the feeling of getting a big order just before the end of the workday? Her heart will soar all night long.
She wasn't mistaken; a boss who always wore a full suit, no matter where he went, was indeed a very efficient shopper.
"The total is 5.9 million. I've given you a 5% discount and rounded it down. Please come again next time if you need anything."
On the delivery slip handed over by the salesperson, Fang Zhuo filled in the delivery address for two of the sets of equipment as Wu Yucun's hometown:
"We also sent two sets of equipment to your family so they can use them anytime. We hope that another genius will emerge from your family."
"Your first month's salary has already been deposited into your salary card. It should be enough to help you move out of your old house. Work hard, the company will always be there for you."
Wu Yucun wanted to say a few more playful words, but when he opened his mouth, his voice was choked with emotion: "Thank you, my lord."
Fang Zhuo promptly interrupted the touching atmosphere: "No need to thank me. I'll be planning a fake marketing campaign about you in the next few days. Try to stay positive and hold your nerve no matter what people say online."
Through the experiences of these two contestants, Fang Zhuo has roughly pinpointed the source of the interference in the plot.
If I'm not mistaken, after this post is published, that person will definitely take some action, and then he can take advantage of that action to find out who the mastermind is.
Wu Yucun made a salute gesture:
"Don't worry, I'm in a great mood and I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
On an ordinary Saturday night, after Cheng Che's team had already led the team to four consecutive victories in the Duxing League, the ID that had previously posted on the player forum posted another controversial revelation:
[@StrawberryBoboMilkBead: Speechless. Why does the boss always make these kinds of messy decisions? The team was just starting to improve, and suddenly the boss is very insistent on replacing the support position with an inexperienced newbie.]
I heard that newbie is a top player on the leaderboard of the game "MechWarriors"... Can a game and mechs be compared? That's a bit of a pipe dream.
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