Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

Chapter 360   354: Lincoln... has a problem, right?

Ye Lang a bit big was not alone.

At this moment, the members of the "Speed Chase" development team were paying close attention to the game's sales data, watching the players' posts on social networking sites, and focusing on the live broadcast rooms of several influential anchors.

Lincoln and Xiaomeng were no exception.

Even on Friday, the sales of the game took off quickly after its release, reaching 3.5 million copies in just ten minutes!

However, most of these sales did not log in immediately after purchase.

Under Lincoln's decision, the price of "Speed Chase" was still set at 500 dollars.

That means that in just over ten minutes, the sales amount has exceeded 1.75 billion dollars!

In the gaming industry, there is no doubt that this is a miraculous sales speed.

However, neither Cloud Dream internally nor the financial and gaming media in the outside world was surprised anymore.

After "Assassins' Alliance" broke through 15 million sales and became the top-selling large-scale game in the world, Cloud Dream released several congratulatory pictures.

However, after the sales reached 20 million, they stopped publishing more at Lincoln's request.

But everyone knows that the sales of "Assassins' Alliance", as the first major work in virtual reality and the only major work before the release of "Speed Chase", could not possibly stand still as the sales of Mirage consoles continued to climb.

After all, when the sales of "Assassins' Alliance" reached 20 million, only 35 million Mirage consoles had been listed, which was a very disproportionate ratio.

And now? The sales of Mirage consoles have exceeded 100 million!

How many copies of "Assassins' Alliance" have been sold?

Cloud Dream no longer discloses this to the outside world, but external speculations have been rife.

30 million? 40 million? Or... 50 million?

Doesn't that mean... it can challenge the best-selling sensual games?

Not only in total sales amount but also in the number of copies sold, it can directly challenge them!

Of course, the top three should still be unreachable. The sales of the top three sensual games are all worldwide simultaneous releases, with a minimum of 80 million copies sold and the highest astonishing 120 million copies!

Opinions on these achievements are divided among industry insiders.

Some believe that this is a milestone in the gaming industry, indicating the enormous potential of the gaming industry.

However, some people think that letting some indecent games occupy the sales peak, making it difficult to talk about with outsiders, is a shame for the gaming industry!

Lincoln didn't have much of an opinion on the matter.

He simply downloaded all three of the sensual games and, with a critical eye, gave them a try.

Before the trial, he reminded Xiaomeng not to peek.

"Hmph! Xiaomeng doesn't care!" Xiaomeng disdainfully disappeared from Lincoln's sight with a flip of her hair.

But unfortunately-

Although these three games had their merits in terms of character design, plot, character shaping and gameplay, they were still too outdated, resulting in a severe lack of expressive power.

"What a pity." Lincoln shook his head with a sigh at the time.

"If it weren't for the fact that virtual reality can't make sensual content yet, I would definitely get the developers of these games to come over and develop a 'High Definition Virtual Reality Remastered Edition'. Wouldn't that be a classic reborn? It would sell like hotcakes!"

With all this said, it's just to say that Cloud Dream's user base is now incredibly exaggerated, and their enthusiasm is exceptionally high.

Even on a weekday morning, many players didn't hesitate to buy the game even if they couldn't play it right away.

Of course, there were also plenty of players who entered Night City for the first time, with numbers already exceeding one million.

These million players have all gone through a similar emotional journey with Ye Lang a bit big.

This time, even for female players, Cloud Dream did not specially open a separate line, modifying it to be a female version of John Wick, forming a same-sex couple with Helen or something.

Instead, they received the same treatment as male players: everyone still had their own bodies, but when looking in the mirror, the reflection was all John Wick's face.

Camille Victoria commented on this, "It's not a problem, as long as I can stick to Helen, I can handle it!"

All the players drove, following the mission guidance marker in their view, slowly advancing in the morning drizzle.

The next moment, the car passed the sign and entered the cemetery, with rows upon rows of tombstones not far away constantly coming into view.

Ye Lang blinked in astonishment, a strong sense of unease in his heart, but couldn't help reassuring himself, "What is my wife doing in the cemetery so early in the morning? Mourning a relative? Sigh, she could have called me to join her!"

In response to the players' urging comments, Ye Lang a bit big insisted: "This is my car! It's so new! What if I scratch it?"

Players only inherited John Wick's identity but did not inherit John Wick's skill template, as they were now in a blank state.

Driving skills were beginner-level at Level 1, entirely based on real-life experience.

Even so, they were getting closer to their destination bit by bit.

It was just as the car passed a gate, Ye Lang a bit big glimpsed a sign-

[Green Wall Cemetery]

The next moment, the car passed the sign and entered the cemetery, with rows upon rows of tombstones not far away constantly coming into view.

Ye Lang blinked in astonishment, a strong sense of unease in his heart, but couldn't help reassuring himself, "What is my wife doing in the cemetery so early in the morning? Mourning a relative? Sigh, she could have called me to join her!"

"It's hard to say, maybe she was kidnapped, yes, that makes more sense."

...

However, no matter how he tried to find reasons, he could not stop the truth from coming.

As the car slowly arrived at the destination, Ye Lang a bit big saw the crowd gathered together.

Feeling a bit incredulous, he held up a black umbrella, still holding another umbrella for his wife in his hand, and took one step at a time towards the crowd.

The crowd noticed his arrival, silently lowering their heads and making way for him.

He walked through the crowd and saw the black wooden coffin in front of him.

The mission guidance cursor hovered above the coffin, silently flickering slightly.

Rain fell from the sky, hitting the coffin, and the beads of water silently gathered and slid off.

After entering the Green Wall Cemetery, the ominous feeling finally came true.

After the arrival of the deceased's husband, the staff also began to move, slowly lowering the coffin into the grave.

Ye Lang a bit big stood there, holding an umbrella, dumfounded, as if struck by lightning.

He didn't know how to react, still clutching the umbrella he had brought for his wife tightly in his hand.

Only then did he understand why the system had guided him before he left to change into a solemn black suit.

After all, you're attending your wife's funeral and seeing her for the last time, so how can you not wear a proper suit?

"Wait!" Ye Lang a bit big suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked at him.

Ye Lang took a couple of steps forward, crouched down, and slowly placed the umbrella in his hand on the coffin. After a moment's pause, he slowly stood up again.

"You may continue now."

So everything continued.

Filling the grave.

Praying.

...

The crowd left with heavy expressions in pairs.

Besides the rain, none made any other sound. Everything happened in silence and ended in silence.

Only Ye Lang, holding an umbrella, stood before the new grave. A funeral wreath of yellow and white chrysanthemums stood beside him, conveying a silent mourn and farewell.

This silent funeral cost the developers a great deal of effort.

Without any words, they conveyed the sadness of Helen's death through everyone's sorrowful expressions and subtle actions.

And their eyes fell on the players, all revealing sympathy and compassion for the players' loss of their wives.

Adding the environmental rendering, the rain, trees, sky, and even the duration and rhythm of the coffin slowly descending, everything had been meticulously adjusted.

They even cheated by using neural modulator-demodulator to carry out virtual emotional transmission to the players.

Under the combined effect of all these, every player inevitably immersed themselves into the identity of John Wick, even producing real sorrow and empathy, just like all the NPCs attending the funeral.

*

"Lincoln... has a problem, right?"

Long silent, Ye Lang finally found an opening and started with a personal attack.

At the same time, numerous players had similar doubts.

"Has Lincoln suffered any psychological trauma?"

"Lincoln's mental condition must be unhealthy!"

"Either he has suffered a mental trauma, or he wants to take revenge on society. Lincoln has at least one of these, or both!"

These words were still relatively polite.

Many players not only spoke out but also opened their panels on Spiritual Rhinoceros and the Game Forums and posted frantically:

"What's wrong with Lincoln? Not to mention 'Green Hat Alliance' before, in 'Speed Chase,' I thought he knew his mistakes and changed. But now the wife just dies out of the blue? Are you fucking sick?"

"Why does Lincoln have so much malice towards married men? If the wife doesn't cheat, then she dies? Is this the resentment of a single dog?"

"Do you think it's possible, I mean, it's possible that after being trolled by NetDragon and cyberbullied by netizens, Lincoln's mind has become twisted? Making games with only one goal—to take revenge on society! To counter-attack every player indiscriminately?"

"Now that you mention it, it suddenly makes sense! So, is it really Lincoln's fault?"

"It makes sense, my ass! Look at 'Light Encounter,' look at 'Paradise'! How could he be set on taking revenge on society?"

"So we can only endure it?"

"No! This is clearly NetDragon's fault!"

"Fuck, lets storm NetDragon!"

...

Storming NetDragon, of course, was a joke.

But the players' grievances against Lincoln had accumulated. There was no chance of hearing any positive comments at this time.

Even Super Tomato, who claimed to be a "Cloud Dream die-hard fan" and "has a close personal relationship with Lincoln," couldn't cover for him. They could only awkwardly laugh it off and skip over it.

Following the task prompts, players casually chatted with Marcus, who called himself an "old friend," and accepted his condolences.

By the way, they learned that Helen died of illness.

No surprises, no conflicts, and no targets for revenge.

Just an ordinary, helpless death from illness.

There was nowhere to vent their anger.

After this, they just drove home to receive a "package."

Only Yi, unfazed by the anger, went against the strong disapproval of Lincoln in the live broadcast room and brazenly praised, "As expected of Lincoln, I finally understand why he's so amazing!"

The comments in the live broadcast room paused, and a bunch of question marks floated by.

Yi, however, sighed in admiration, "Without a woman in his heart, his sword is naturally divine!"

"We're to become the king of assassins, so we can't be distracted by women!"

Immediately, this out-of-this-world remark aroused a strong response from the live broadcast audience:

"???"

"Are you serious?"

"Divine perspective!" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I can't just see Lincoln being abnormal, but the anchor is also abnormal!"

"God, he's ready to stay away from women! So are you also planning to avoid women?"

Yi immediately retorted, "I just don't want my wife to hold me back, I still need women. Don't we still have Huayin Bubble Bath?"

"Yi: No need for a wife"

"Recorded!"

"Yi, this will be the video played at your wedding!"

Yi quickly denied, "I mean in the game! In the game! In reality, I still want to have a wife..."

...

Mavis was watching the online public opinion and was a bit worried for Lincoln.

Lincoln, however, scratched his chin nonchalantly.

All of this was anticipated before the game launched.

If it weren't for this, John Wick's pursuit of revenge later would lack persuasiveness!

Only by experiencing this funeral now can the sadness and nostalgic feelings be transferred to the little dog.

Only then, when the little dog also suffers a misfortune, can the flames of revenge be truly ignited.

By then, not only will John Wick's fiery vengeance be ignited.

But also—

The fire of vengeance of the players!