Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 609: E-sports
At Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport, Zhou Dongsheng walked out of the airport with nothing in his hands, relaxed and at ease. A beautiful lady followed closely beside him, carrying a suitcase in her hand, looking very well-behaved.
This attracted envious glances from the men passing by the airport. Not only did he have such a beautiful woman by his side at such a young age, but he also knew how to carry his own luggage!
It’s impossible not to be envious of this treatment.
Of course, given Zhou Dongsheng’s current reputation on the Internet, there are still some people who frequently surf the Internet who recognized him at a glance. Isn’t this the young man who is as famous as Principal Wang on the Internet?
It's no wonder that this is the case. After all, the girl next to Principal Wang also knows how to carry her own bag...
Afterwards, there were many people who secretly took out their mobile phones, took a few photos, and prepared to show off their experience of meeting Zhou Dongsheng on the Internet.
Besides that, people who recognized Zhou Dongsheng kept a respectful distance from him. After all, he was not a big star, and he couldn't sell his autograph for money. If he angered him, he would definitely suffer the consequences...
After the novelty of being the center of everyone's attention wore off, Zhou Dongsheng had already gotten used to it and even joked about it with Li Jiana who was standing beside him.
"It is said that wealth should not be exposed, for fear of thieves. Given my current situation, do you think I should consider hiring three or two bodyguards to protect my life safety?"
"What if a group of thugs come out and kidnap me? Who can I turn to for justice?"
Li Jiana covered her mouth and chuckled, "I think the boss's concern is very reasonable. Given the boss's current wealth, it is still necessary to have a few bodyguards!"
"Okay, then let's find some bodyguards. Isn't protecting me also protecting you?"
While chatting, the two walked out of the airport. An ordinary Rolls-Royce Ghost was parked at the door. When the window was rolled down, Principal Wang's spirited face was revealed.
"Why are you taking so long? Hurry up and get in the car, the competition is about to start!" Principal Wang scolded with a smile.
Zhou Dongsheng sat in the co-pilot seat with ease. The two big bosses sat in the front, while Li Jiana, the assistant, sat in the boss' seat in the back. She was already used to this.
After all, Principal Wang loves to drive Rolls-Royces and doesn't like to sit in one, so Zhou Dongsheng wouldn't feel comfortable sitting in the back.
"Hey, as soon as I sit in the passenger seat, I can smell the scent of powder. Apart from the little internet celebrity, I guess I'm the only man who can enjoy this treatment, to be picked up and dropped off by Principal Wang's car, right?"
Zhou Dongsheng joked with a smile.
"You are so beautiful. If it weren't for Nana, I wouldn't bother driving this car here. I would just use a sports car to pick you up." Principal Wang said unhappily.
"Oh, then I am also taking advantage of my assistant. Thank you so much."
In the midst of jokes, the Rolls-Royce weaved through the traffic like a fish in water. Even in the Oriental Pearl City, drivers of a Rolls-Royce can still be treated with respect by other vehicles.
But within a moment, the car stopped outside a crowded sports stadium. I got out of the car and looked at this familiar place. Isn’t it the old venue before the LPL league moved to the Hongqiao Performing Arts Center?
Before the move, Zhou Dongsheng had come here to watch a game, so he was naturally familiar with the place.
"How is it? Brother, I'm really nice, right? It took a lot of effort to get this venue. It's not only used to host the finals of the National Internet Cafe League, but also for the domestic PUBG League later on!"
Principal Wang introduced it with great enthusiasm. Obviously, as one of the direct beneficiaries of the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Principal Wang really took this matter very seriously and was not perfunctory at all.
"The principal is the principal. He did an impeccable job. It was high-end and classy!" Zhou Dongsheng gave a thumbs up and praised.
"That's right, but the most important thing is that the national Internet cafe league has received a warm response. On several live broadcast platforms, the cumulative number of online viewers has exceeded 10 million. The official league has not even started yet, but the starting point is already far beyond the LPL league in its infancy..."
"Even this time, I thought using the stadium as a venue was a bit of an overkill. It was mainly for preparations for future league matches. I didn't expect that the ticket sales this time would far exceed expectations, and we actually sold thousands of tickets..."
"Our game is really a huge hit!" Principal Wang couldn't help but sigh with empathy. After all, he does have a certain say on this issue.
Whether it is e-sports or live streaming, he has sincerely felt the unique charm of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds", and as a player, he has a deeper understanding of it.
That's right. The more popular this game becomes, the more Principal Wang sincerely admires the investment vision of Zhou Dongsheng, the initiator of the game.
How can we be sure that any project we get will make us a lot of money?
Principal Wang was puzzled by this and the only explanation was to classify Zhou Dongsheng as a gifted investment genius.
Just like a talented e-sports player, he was born to do this job, otherwise it would be hard to explain. Judging from Zhou Dongsheng’s current performance, he is almost catching up with him.
The resources he possessed were not comparable to those of Zhou Dongsheng...
"Hey, this is just the beginning. After the second set of zodiac skins were launched, sales exceeded 100 million on the first day, and the performance continued to rise for several days. The real money support from players is enough to prove that our game is indeed popular..."
I thought that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' record of selling over 100 million copies a day was enough to make people overjoyed, but I didn't expect that it was just the beginning, and in the next few days it actually achieved a rare reversal...
The unprecedentedly enthusiastic support from players also proves one thing from the side, that is, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" is indeed very popular. This fire has spread across the country and is still continuing to ferment.
"I know you're capable, let's go watch the game. Today we're both important guests, which is enough to add some excitement to the game. Then we can go up together and present the award to the winner..."
Principal Wang put his arm around Zhou Dongsheng, and the two of them walked inside arm in arm. However, before they had taken a few steps, Zhou Dongsheng caught a glimpse of a bright orange color in his peripheral vision.
Turning around, I saw several particularly familiar Mobike bicycles parked there quietly, and at a glance, I saw groups of three or four users riding Mobike bicycles.
Judging from the cyclists’ inured expressions, it’s clear that these little orange bikes have become a common sight on the streets of Shanghai, and everyone has become accustomed to them.
"It seems that the development of Mobike is much better than I imagined. The money comes quickly and I'm worried about where to spend it. I might as well add fuel to the fire and make the storm of shared bicycles even more violent..."
Zhou Dongsheng was pondering secretly in his heart, but on the surface he was still joking with Principal Wang as he walked towards the inside of the gymnasium.
At this time, the inside of the venue was already bustling with activity. As a venue that has hosted the LPL League, it has sufficient experience in hosting e-sports competitions, and there are no problems with equipment and other hardware.
What's more, with the help of Banana Games under Principal Wang, the national Internet cafe league of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" can win directly at the starting line, and the objective conditions in all aspects have reached the level.
The fact that the final was able to be filled with thousands of spectators in the auditorium alone already surpassed many sports events, not to mention the broadcast through several major live streaming platforms, which attracted millions of viewers online.
It is precisely because of this huge audience base that e-sports, a new competitive sport, has developed rapidly in the past few years, with each passing year changing.
At first glance, thousands of spectators may seem like a negligible number, but only when you are there can you truly appreciate the weight of these thousands of people.
After all, most people can usually directly experience large scenes with thousands of people, usually either in school or when traveling to popular tourist attractions during the Golden Week (funny).
It was definitely a grand scene with "red flags waving, huge crowds of people, and loud gongs and drums..."
Thousands of people gathered together, and the noise made in the gymnasium was buzzing. This was Zhou Dongsheng's first intuitive feeling after following Principal Wang through the green channel into the scene.
It’s really hot!
"Let's go, there's a spot reserved for us. Let's see which team will win the National Internet Cafe League Championship. I want to make it clear in advance that if there are any good candidates, you are not allowed to snatch them from me!"
Principal Wang said this seriously, and it was obvious that he .
"Okay, I won't compete with you!" Zhou Dongsheng agreed readily.
After all, Zhou Dongsheng has already snatched a world champion team from Principal Wang. If he were to snatch someone else from him, even Zhou Dongsheng, who is thick-skinned, would feel a little embarrassed.
However, speaking of the contestants, Zhou Dongsheng had an idea. He could try to contact the contestant who put down his bow and arrow in the canyon and picked up a sniper rifle on the island.
Anyway, Zhou Dongsheng is not short of money now. If the price is right, he can buy it in advance and form this chicken-eating team with "Mo Zi + Wei Shen" as the core...
It has the popularity and the traffic, and the key is that its strength is not weak. With two more combat-ready players, it may be able to challenge for the championship of the first World Invitational, right?
In that case, perhaps the IM Club could also have the double honor of the Immortal Shield and the Summoner's Cup like IG, except that the Immortal Shield was replaced by a frying pan.
In a sense, the two are similar in nature.
And because of my intervention, Principal Wang in this life still has the Immortal Shield, but I am afraid that I will miss the Summoner's Cup...
But it’s not certain. It’s already April, and the LPL league is about to have a “one-minute BO5” incident that will go down in the history of e-sports…
At that time, as long as Principal Wang makes a little effort, it will be as easy as taking candy from a sack if he wants to recruit another hard-working Korean player in the LPL region.
Thinking of this, Zhou Dongsheng, who was sitting in the audience, happily raised this question to Principal Wang.
"Principal Wang, do you still remember our previous discussion on heroes over tea among the players from the LPL region?" Zhou Dongsheng mentioned it casually.
"Hey, of course. The spring season is almost over, and I'm still worried about IG's performance!" When it comes to this issue, Principal Wang said with a little distress.
After Zhou Dongsheng took away the cornerstone of the championship, Principal Wang chose to make drastic changes to the IG team, putting the twin stars back in the middle lane, and boldly using new players. The Rain God arrived in the bottom lane as promised, plus the original Xiao Shiguang, and two support players She Keke and Mo...
There are four players in the bottom lane alone, and a top laner who is a popular player on the road was also introduced. The entire team is almost starting from scratch.
The IG twin stars in the midfield and jungle worked together to train a group of new players in the spring season, but the results were lackluster. The new players did not bring any new atmosphere to the team, but instead struggled...
In fact, even with Song Yi Jin in the middle lane, IG in 2016 followed the same script, with crazy trial and error and rotation of lineups. At one point, the number of players in the team reached as many as twelve, and they could fill three mahjong tables alone.
This is enough to indirectly reflect Principal Wang's wealth.
"From what I know, after the introduction of Uzi, QG's performance was good, but not long ago, news of internal discord within the team was exposed, and it seems to be getting worse. Who knows when it will break out!"
"In this case, we can think about it during the transfer period!"
Zhou Dongsheng said with a smile that when he was bored he did pay attention to things happening in the e-sports circle, so naturally he paid attention to the news about the discord between the midfielder and jungler of the QG team.
Obviously, although LPL has added IM, the impact is minimal and not enough to change the original league structure, so the drama that should have happened is still there...
"You've noticed all this. You're quite thoughtful. I'll ask the club manager to keep an eye on it. If it works, I'll treat you to a meal!" Principal Wang said with interest.
Then he seemed to have thought of something, and said apologetically, "Now that we're here, there's something I need to tell you in advance. Didn't you tell me about the age limit before?"
"I originally thought that this matter would not be difficult to handle. After all, the current veteran players all debuted at the age of fifteen or sixteen, including the Korean side. After all, the golden age of e-sports players is only a few years... "
"I just didn't expect that the wild growth of e-sports has attracted the attention of the higher-ups. The impact of this age issue in particular is even greater than I imagined..."
"The relevant regulations have been drafted. It is a foregone conclusion that players under the age of 17 cannot play in the game. Only youth training and lower-level leagues can relax the regulations appropriately..."
Zhou Dongsheng was not surprised when he heard this. He originally thought that he could use Principal Wang's identity to carry out a covert operation, but he did not expect that he still could not keep up with the speed of the policy.
Then this unpolished gem can only continue to be kept in a low profile in my hands...
"It's okay. We're both in the same boat now. Both teams are the same. Let's just focus on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds..."
Zhou Dongsheng smiled and said that although he could always trust Song Yi Jin, it was obvious that one spring season was only enough for the team to get used to each other.
Before the chemical reaction occurs, the current performance of the IM team is almost the same as that of IG.
At the same time, the finals of the National Internet Cafe League has already begun.
Hundreds of contestants on the stage, divided into 25 teams of four, have begun a battle of wits and courage on the island.
