Chapter 701: Miracle MU
And what Lu Yiming said was indeed not wrong. Taobao's model is a light-asset C2C model. It is just a simple shopping platform that does not directly connect with users, but allows sellers and buyers to trade.
In comparison, Luming Mall’s model is B2C. It is not only a trading platform, but also a seller itself. It has its own logistics system. It not only costs money to purchase goods, but also to establish warehousing and logistics systems across the country. This is definitely a heavy asset investment.
To put it simply, Taobao is taking the extensive route, hoping to gain market share first by relying on a light-asset model.
Luming Mall, on the other hand, follows the path of Amazon, making steady progress by intensively cultivating logistics and warehousing. Although the initial development speed will be relatively slow, it will require a lot of funds and is destined to suffer long-term losses.
But once the scale expands, the subsequent development potential will be amazing, and with a solid foundation, it is not afraid of competition from latecomers.
After much persuasion, Jack Ma was finally sent away.
As soon as Jack Ma left, Li Yiwen walked in, slapped a folder on the table, and said expressionlessly: "This is the marketing expense of Luming Mall during this period. Take a look. On average, it costs several million every day. This is too generous. Are you so sure that Luming Mall can develop?"
Compared to investing in Tengyu Logistics, Lu Yiming obviously spent more money on the logistics system of Luming Mall. It can be said that it was a large investment, involving billions of funds. This was considered very risky by Li Yiwen.
What he couldn’t understand the most was that since he had already invested in Tengyu Logistics, why did he have to spend so much money to build his own logistics?
Too much money to burn?
That's not the way to burn it.
However, Lu Yiming also had his own difficulties!
At this time, Dong Ge was still selling CDs in Zhongguancun. Lu Yiming originally wanted to wait a few more years before investing in JD.com. However, plans could not keep up with changes. The leeks were cut too hard in the United States. The money in his hands was depreciating every minute and every second. If he did not invest, he would lose a lot.
So Lu Yiming was too lazy to wait any longer and directly founded Luming Mall. Then he found Wang Juntao, a tough guy, to occupy the position first.
"Of course it can be developed. You have known me for a long time. Don't you believe in my vision? Wait, I will definitely surprise you."
Lu Yiming looked at the documents sent by Li Yiwen and couldn't help but sigh: "The daily marketing expenses can't even cover the interest, not to mention the depreciation caused by inflation... Cousin, you don't know, rich people also have their own troubles..."
Li Yiwen: “????”
Is this human language?
Li Yiwen felt greatly shocked and simply took the folder and left.
"Goodbye!"
Just then, Tan Jun sent a QQ message.
"Mr. Lu, recently "Legend of Mir 2" has encountered a strong competitor, which has snatched away a lot of users."
When Lu Yiming heard this, his first reaction was not surprise, but curiosity: "Oh? A game that can snatch users from "Legend of Mir 2" has been released? Which company produced it? What's its name?"
The concept of "Legend of Mir 2" is very advanced. In the time and space before Lu Yiming's rebirth, it was popular until 2012-2013, and then it was gradually squeezed out by "LOL" in the Internet cafe ecological niche. But even in 2020-2021, the web game developed based on Legend can still achieve a turnover of over 100 million.
At this point, a competitor appears?
Interesting, really interesting!
Tan Jun said: "The game is called "Miracle MU", and the developer is Webzen from South Korea."
This familiar name immediately brought back Lu Yiming's long-lost memories.
"Miracle MU" is a tough game that can be compared with the big brother "Legend of Mir 2" in the online game market in Xia country. With its unique art style, it even influences generations of domestic players and game manufacturers.
"Send me the official website address."
Soon, Tan Jun sent the address over, which reminded Lu Yiming of something else - it was really a pain in the ass to not have a search engine!
When you enter the website, the iconic light pollution skills and big wings come into view.
"These are the tears of my time. They still taste the same as they did back then."
Like "Legend of Mir 2", "MU: Legend of Mir 2" is also an "enduring" online game. Even after the game itself is gone, private servers and various modified versions still emerge in an endless stream more than ten years later, such as the most famous one "Greasy Senior Sister".
Around 2018, "Miracle MU", renamed "Sword of the Archangel", entered the mobile game market. Its revenue exceeded 100 million in 28 days after its launch, and its daily revenue exceeded 20 million. By evoking players' youthful memories, its revenue crushed many of its mobile game peers.
Judging from these records, "Miracle MU" is indeed qualified to be the rival of "Legend of Mir 2".
But not much.
Tan Jun went on to say: "Miracle MU, like our Legend of Mir 2, is an online game that was developed based on the gameplay of Diablo 2. However, the art style is more exaggerated and cool, with very eye-catching light effects for both skills and the equipment on the characters."
Compared to "Legend of Mir 2", "MU Miracle" is better in terms of showing off. In the game, the higher the level of equipment, the more significant the light effect. Compared with "Legend of Mir 2", where you click on the character and then slowly check the equipment, "MU Miracle" is more simple and crude - if a player with dazzling lights all over his body walks over from a distance, he must be someone important.
Especially the gorgeous special effects of the Excellence Set, which are simply blinding the players' eyes.
In addition to the special effects, the game's map design is also very beautiful, with leaves falling in the wind, swaying grass, the underwater world of Atlantis, and the snow-capped Icewind Dale. It can be said that this style of "Miracle MU" is unique.
But we have to admit that Korean game companies are really good in this regard.
The game characters in "Miracle MU" all use extremely cool skills.
After browsing the official website, a wave of memories came to his mind, and Lu Yiming felt a little confused.
I remember this game was released several years later than Legend , right? Why did it appear now?
It's not scientific.
There can't possibly be someone who will be reborn with me and then be born in Korea to make games, right?
Or maybe someone asked 9you to introduce the game in advance?
Lu Yiming asked Tan Jun: "Who is the agent of this game?"
Tan Jun said: "The agent is Tamron Games."
"Tamron Games?"
Lu Yiming thought carefully, but after a long time, he still couldn't figure out where he had heard of this name.
As a ten-year-old fan of "Miracle MU", this shouldn't happen.
Tan Jun added: "The boss of this company is Ma Teng."
Lu Yiming: “???!!!”
"I'm so fucking..."
Lu Yiming now felt like a thousand horses were running to his mouth.
This Xiao Ma Ge, without QQ, started directly as a game agent?
Tan Jun continued, "I have investigated. After Miracle MU was launched in South Korea in 2001, it immediately became the most popular online game of the year. The developer Webzen also became the online game giant in South Korea, second only to NEXON and NCsoft. And in February of this year, during the Chinese New Year, Tamron obtained the agency rights for Miracle MU."
I have to say that Mato is worthy of being the king of games. After selling QQ, he did not fall into despair, but immediately went to South Korea to investigate the market. He accurately found a hit like "Miracle MU" from a pile of garbage.
After paying the money to obtain the agency rights, Ma Teng rushed back to China without stopping and immediately started the public beta in mid-February.
"In just two months, Tamron is said to have successfully earned back its agency fees. According to our research and forecast, Tamron's revenue this year will definitely exceed 600 million yuan, and the number of registered users will exceed 10 million."
This data is not made up by Tan Jun. The development momentum of "Miracle MU" is second only to "Legend of Mir 2". With a slight comparison, you can guess how amazing the other party's revenue will be.
Li Yiwen stood behind Lu Yiming, watching him chatting with Tan Jun. He said, "Are we feeling like we are being besieged from all sides now? The MSN issue has not been resolved yet, and "Legend of Mir 2" has also been attacked. What if we go from being the industry leader to the second-largest player? How embarrassing would that be?"
Lu Yiming said calmly: "Don't worry, the fun of a game is not just about the graphics. As a 2.5D online game, it is normal for the graphics of "Miracle MU" to be better than "Legend of Mir 2", but this does not mean that the other party has a sure win."
"so?"
"So I decided to launch a surprise attack instead of following martial ethics."
"???"
In the evening, Lu Yiming called Li Qiu.
"Old Li, let me tell you something."
Over there, Li Qiu heard Lu Yiming's voice, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face. He hurriedly said, "Boss Lu, what's the matter?"
Lu Yiming said: "Last year, the turnover of "Legend of Mir 2" exceeded 700 million, and the net profit was as high as 320 million."
"???"
Li Qiu's face was full of question marks.
What does this have to do with me? You won't give me any money.
However, out of professional ethics, Li Qiu still asked: "So, Mr. Lu, what can I do for you?"
Lu Yiming said: "I hope you can go to South Korea."
"What are you going to do in Korea?"
Lu Yiming said: "There is a company in Korea called Webzen. They made a game called MU Miracle, which is very popular. Recently, they were introduced to China by Tamron."
Li Qiu understood immediately and asked with great interest, "Mr. Lu, do you plan to buy Webzen, or do you plan to buy Miracle MU from Webzen?"
Lu Yiming said disdainfully: "I am not interested in the game company in South Korea, and if it was just an ordinary business acquisition, I would not ask you for help."
Li Qiu thought for a moment and said, "That's right."
He himself is a person who wanders in the dark, so Lu Yiming looking for him is naturally not an ordinary matter.
"So what are you going to do?"
Lu Yiming said, "I hope you can go over and bribe the internal staff of Webzen. I want the game source code of Miracle MU."
When Li Qiu heard this, he was shocked.
"Mr. Lu, this seems to be illegal, right?"
"so?"
"It costs extra money."
As the developer of "Miracle MU", Webzen itself is actually a small company with little experience in management. Simply put, its management model is quite extensive, and any employee can easily access company secrets such as the game source code.
After Li Qiu arrived in South Korea, it took him only one day to contact an employee working at Webzen.
This man's name is Park Baek-chang. He graduated from Hanyang University, but failed to get a job in a big chaebol. In the end, he joined Webzen's game development team and became a corporate slave.
Although he participated in the development of a hit game like "Miracle MU", his salary did not increase much, so he could not afford a few decent barbecue meals every month. So when Li Qiu offered to treat him to barbecue, he came happily.
Outside the barbecue restaurant, Park Baichang wandered back and forth stealthily for a few times, and when everyone around him was away from his sight, he slid into the barbecue restaurant like a loach.
"here."
In a corner, Li Qiu was sitting on a reclining chair with his legs crossed. When he saw Park Baichang coming in, he waved.
After making sure that there was no one he knew in the store, Park Baichang took two quick steps to sit down opposite Li Qiu, his entire body sank into the shadow of the concrete pillar.
Looking at the crackling grill and the table full of fresh meat plates, Park Baichang's eyes were shining.
Li Qiu calmly asked in the local dialect: "Did you bring the things?"
Hearing this, Park Baichang's eyes dimmed a lot, and his face showed hesitation and entanglement. To be frank, he didn't want to be a traitor, and if he sold out company secrets, once it was exposed, it would not be a matter of just a few scoldings. Being fired was the lightest punishment, and he might even have to go to jail.
Seeing that he hesitated, Li Qiu whispered, "You should know how popular "Miracle MU" is now. I am definitely not the only one who wants to buy it, and you are definitely not the only one who wants to sell it. If you don't want to take the money, then someone else will take it."
Hearing this, Pu Baichang's eyes suddenly became determined and he took out a USB flash drive.
"All the things are in here, where's the money?"
Just as Li Qiu said, so many people in the development team have access to the source code of the game. Even if he doesn't sell it, can he guarantee that other colleagues won't sell it either?
Since you have to sell it anyway, why can't it be yourself?
At worst, I could just quit after getting the money and go abroad. Anyway, the money was in the company, and working hard was only enough to pay for three meals a day - instant noodles.
"Here is 50 million Bang Yuan."
Li Qiu took out a canvas bag.
Park Baichang took a look and handed the USB drive to Li Qiu.
"Eat slowly, I'm leaving, I've already paid."
Li Qiu smiled slightly, stood up, patted Pu Baichang on the shoulder, and walked out.
Park Baichang carried the canvas bag forward, clamping it tightly between his stomach and the table. Not to mention that it was taken away by someone, it would be impossible to pull it out even if he pulled hard.
On the plane back to China, Li Qiu looked at the black USB drive and shook his head slightly.
"They sold the game source code for less than 300,000 yuan, which is not even as much as the reward for my trip. Sigh..."
The largest denomination of the Bangyuan is 50,000. Fifty million Bangyuan only has 1,000 notes, which can only be put in ten bundles, which cannot even fill up a small canvas bag.
A few hours later.
Li Qiu put the USB drive on Lu Yiming's desk.
"Here, I brought the things for you."
Lu Yiming plugged in the USB drive, checked the files, and said with a smile: "I knew it would be reliable to let you do it."
If someone else gets the game source code of "Miracle MU", they might be able to come up with some cool tricks, such as making a private server or plug-in.
But Lu Yiming is the richest man in Asia. If he dares to play like this, he will probably not make much money in the end, but will lose himself instead.
Li Yiwen asked curiously, "What are you going to do with this?"
Lu Yiming said: "I don't need to do anything, I just need to post the source code of Miracle MU on the Internet. After all, whether it is making private servers or plug-ins, it is illegal, and why would I do something illegal?"
Li Yiwen: “…”
Brother, strictly speaking, publishing the source code is against the law, right?
In the group of Internet bigwigs.
The popularity of "Miracle MU" has also aroused heated discussions among everyone.
Ding Sanshi: "@Ma Teng, you are so lucky to have picked up a hit like "Miracle MU". I was also very optimistic about this game at the time, but I was not as quick as you, Brother Ma."
Ma Teng made a smug expression and said, "This wave of luck is really good."
Ding Sanshi behind the screen couldn't help but smile slightly, and then directly @ Lu Yiming: "@ Lu Yiming, Mr. Lu, are you under a lot of pressure? The development momentum of "Miracle MU" is very strong, and I'm afraid it will take away half of "Legend of Mir 2"'s market share."
"Haha, Fatty Ding, are you trying to cause trouble on purpose? But I like it."
"@Lu Yiming, President Lu, look at this fat guy, he's hitting you in the face. I'm not trying to cause trouble. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be able to stand it."
“@Ma Teng, come on, defeat the big devil “Legend of Mir 2”.”
"You guys just shout slogans, I've already downloaded it, and I'm supporting Brother Ma with my actions."
Because we are on the Internet, everyone speaks more casually.
Lu Yiming's previous "attacks" on people had attracted enough hatred, and coupled with his title as the richest man in Asia, he was naturally "attacked" by everyone.
Lu Yiming, who was being @ed in various ways, finally showed up after a few minutes.
"Hey, the group is so lively today, let me see what happened."
Seeing Lu Yiming appear, Ding Sanshi jumped out directly: "Mr. Lu, what do you think of the popularity of "Miracle MU"?"
Lu Yiming made a thoughtful expression and said, "I'll sit by the window and watch."
Jack Ma: "@Lu Yiming, Mr. Lu, your "Legend of Mir 2" is going to be diverted."
He wanted to say, "It's just like you setting up Luming Mall to share my Ahri's business," but then he remembered that Ahri was also invested by Lu Yiming, so he silently deleted this sentence.
There's nothing I can do. I have to take advantage of others.
Lu Yiming: "What? Do you think I will lose? Impossible, I have never known what it means to lose since I was a child. @Ma Teng, just come on."
"Fuck, that's so domineering. I like @Ma Teng. Why don't you accept it?"
They are obviously a group of big guys, but they are as noisy as a group of primary school students in the group, and the atmosphere is very lively.
