Followers of an Evil God

Not to mention that arcades and computers haven't been developed yet in this world, even if they were, gangs would only be responsible for collecting protection money; it would seem like putting the cart before the horse to personally engage in business.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a video game console in this world. Let alone arcade machines, handhelds, or electronic pets, even the most primitive game, "Pong," hasn't been invented yet—two players each control a white strip "ping-pong paddle" fixed on either side of the screen, hitting a moving white square "ping-pong ball" back and forth on the screen. If one player misses, the other player scores a point. In short, it's an electronic version of "ping-pong," and also the earliest video game on Earth.

Given the technological level of the Su State, especially those Edict Circuit and intelligent systems that Si Ming considers to be cutting-edge technology, they could easily assemble a computer, so there's no reason why they couldn't develop the first-generation game console.

Sea Continent isn't a world of plagiarism, where famous works are raped by the "will of the universe." It boasts highly advanced technology and a strong sense of copyright, yet entertainment is scarce, just waiting for the protagonist to plagiarize... Could there be some reason I haven't figured out?

"Entertainment, games..." A thought flashed through Si Ming's mind, "Right, have you ever heard of claw machines?"

"I've never heard of it, but I can imagine what it's like just from the name."

Si Ming then explained the principle of the claw machine to Yu Shuying. It was a very simple thing, and she could understand it with just a demonstration.

After understanding, Yu Shuying questioned, "This thing doesn't seem to make much money, and it even has gambling implications?"

"No, no, no," Si Ming held up a finger and waved it smugly, "It's not about making money from claw machines, but about using them to guide users. For example, you spend ten yuan to play the claw machine, and you don't get a toy, but the machine will give you a ten-yuan voucher, which you can then use at several designated stores."

"It sounds like I haven't made any money, and I'm even losing money," Yu Shuying frowned. "Even if you set a date for the vouchers or limit them to certain items, I'm afraid there will be very few invalid vouchers... No, that would actually affect the claw machine business. You can't be that short-sighted, can you?"

"Of course not. The money comes from the customers themselves. We don't make money from the claw machines; we collect franchise fees from stores that allow the use of vouchers. Think about it: from the customer's perspective, they lose nothing, and if they're lucky, they might even get a toy or two. Why wouldn't they take advantage of such a free reward? But it's different from the Merchant School's perspective. Stores that accept vouchers get more customers, while stores that don't accept vouchers lose customers. To prevent this, they have no choice but to franchise."

Yu Shuying, being an exceptionally intelligent person, naturally understood immediately. "Branded stores may be irreplaceable, but supermarkets, farmers' markets, and ordinary shops are all alternatives. From the customer's perspective, it doesn't matter where they buy it. Especially since housewives are often responsible for purchasing daily necessities, they are the type of people who are most greedy for small gains and certainly cannot tolerate missing out on free rewards. Moreover, claw machines don't necessarily use toys as prizes; they can be exchanged for all sorts of other goods."

"The initial stage of this plan is the most difficult, but since you are a gang, you can force a group of stores to join. Once these stores have tasted the benefits, other stores will naturally ask to join. Moreover, the plan will become smoother as it progresses, because the last few stores that do not join will lose most of their customers because they cannot use the vouchers, causing their businesses to fail."

Si Ming became more and more excited as he spoke. What was originally an idea that came to him on a whim now seemed quite feasible.

Yu Shuying drew inferences from this example. "This plan can also expand the gang's influence. Although our Green Snake Gang claims to occupy five major counties, we actually only control about 40% of the territory. The rest is divided up by smaller gangs. Once the claw machine project is launched, those streets that are not under our control will suffer reduced income because their customers are being taken away. From the merchants' perspective, they might even hope that our Green Snake Gang will take over their territory."

Si Ming laughed and said, "The biggest flaw of this plan is that it's easy for others to copy it, because claw machines don't really require any technology, but that's not a problem for your gang at all."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shuying smiled knowingly. If other gangs or Merchant School dared to follow suit, she would simply come and smash their doors. What difference did it make if the technology was different, or if there was no registered patent? Borrowing was not plagiarism... Who cared about that!

The legitimate world needs to uphold the law, while the underworld only relies on force. They'll smash one machine after another, what can the underworld do? How much money can they get from a lawsuit? Besides, for a gang, seeking help from the courts is a shameful thing in itself.

"This is a good idea, a path to wealth. I'll take it. By the way, could you come up with a name for it? Since there's a franchise fee, it naturally needs a name for the main alliance, and it can't be openly associated with our guild."

"Although it's called a voucher, it's actually equivalent to a short-term cash deposit, and in a sense, it also functions as a bank. In that case, let's just call it 'Silver Alliance'."

Yu Shuying wasn't particular about names, and besides, Silver Alliance sounded quite prestigious, so she didn't nitpick and made the decision without hesitation.

She'd been busy lately, and was about to leave after resolving her issues when she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way," she said, "I'll give you a free piece of underworld information, not as a favor, but the diva is supposed to hold a concert at Linked Mountains University, right? It seems someone's planning to sabotage it."

Si Ming asked gravely, "How credible is the information?"

"It's hard to say. Maybe it's just a prank, or maybe it's a feint. Anyway, in my opinion, because the source of this news is so mysterious and hasn't spread widely, it's actually more credible."

"It seems like there's no news from the Mohist Knight Guard side?"

"Snakes have their ways, rats have their paths. The Mohist Knight Guard are ultimately a legitimate organization, so it's inevitable that they'll miss out on intelligence from the underworld. That's why I joined the gang. Anyway, you need to be careful. The other side might be deliberately using the flippant term 'sabotage' to mislead your judgment. They might actually be trying to create a big scandal."

Chapter 415 Cultists of Evil Gods

Soon it was time for Yuezheng Yao's concert. The streets near Linked Mountains University were closed to pedestrians only. The streets were covered with posters of the diva, and everywhere you looked there were crowds of people, many of whom were holding support items.

Along the street, a bunch of people were selling glow sticks and various drinks. Glow sticks that usually cost two yuan each were now selling for five yuan each. What's worse, when you got to the venue, you would find that the security check at the entrance wouldn't allow you to bring in any items. You could drink the drinks on the spot, but you could only throw the glow sticks into the trash can. Those vendors were just taking advantage of your lack of information—they might have only found out about this after they bought the goods, but to make up for their losses, they had to go against their conscience.

After passing through security, Si Ming and his group entered the gymnasium of Linked Mountains University. This gymnasium, which is known as the third largest in the Su State, was now packed with people. As far as the eye could see, it was filled with people.

"I have provided the intelligence to the Mohist Knight Guard in Linked Mountains City, but since it's unsubstantiated information, I can't guarantee they will take it seriously."

Si Ming looked around but found nothing unusual. There were no signs of criminals or further tightening of security by the Mohist Knight Guard; everything seemed normal.

The Mohist Knight Guard have no geographical boundaries; you can work and take on missions wherever you want. However, the Mohist Knight Guard's influence is geographically limited. Si Ming's words carry weight in Tange City, but outside of Tange City, no one will pay him any attention.

Although mentioning Yan Jinghong's name would surely put these people on high alert, even Yu Shuying, the source of the information, couldn't guarantee it was 100% accurate. Si Ming didn't want to embarrass his master, so this was all he could do. Even if he stepped forward and said he would take responsibility if the information was false, others would only scoff, unless he had the identity of Heavenly Ultimate Mohist Hero Guard.

The Mohist Knight Guard is an extension of the martial arts world. People in the martial arts world care about reputation, even more than actual strength. Even though Si Ming has the martial arts power of the Spirit Transformation level, he is ultimately not a proper Spirit Transformation Grandmaster.

"Right now, we can only rely on our own investigation. If the news is true, we can stop a riot and save many lives. If the news is false, it's just missing a concert..." Si Ming thought for a moment and asked, "Is there anyone who really wants to go to the concert?"

Murong Qing, "In the face of matters of life and death, let's put the concert aside for now. It's better to have a false alarm than to sit idly by."

Hongdou pretends to vomit. "There are so many people! All sorts of body odors are mixed together... Ugh... Can I go home now?"

Liu Qingqing said, "I don't care, I just don't really like Yuezheng Yao's songs."

Yu Shuying sneered, "Those fanatical and foolish faces, completely lost to themselves. The stupidity index here is even higher than that of a madhouse. Thank goodness I don't have to sit with those rutting donkeys, otherwise I don't even know if I would lose my mind."

Ying Zhou arrogantly declared, "I have no interest in those effeminate love songs. I'll only be infatuated with others if they're infatuated with me."

Si Ming was speechless. "So, what exactly are you all here for in the first place?"

He also felt a little uncomfortable, mainly because this was the first time the entire team had been mobilized. The lineup consisted of two men and four women, which wasn't an exaggerated ratio, but the fact that all the women were high-value beauties made it easy to attract attention. Ying Zhou, on the other hand, hadn't fully developed yet, so there was a clear age difference. Therefore, all the hatred was focused on Si Ming. The men passing by kept casting thorny glances at him, and occasionally muttered comforting words like, "It's okay, I still have Goddess Yuezheng."

"In short, let's split up and proceed according to our previous groups. If you find anything suspicious, contact each other immediately using your communicators."

The six people were divided into two groups: Murong Qing Si Ming, Hongdou, and Yu Shuying were in one group, and Yu Shuying Liu Qingqing, Liu Qingqing, and Ying Zhou were in the other. This grouping was mainly based on interpersonal relationships. Yu Shuying and Hongdou had a good relationship, Murong Qing and Liu Qingqing were best friends, and Murong Qing was able to keep Ying Zhou in check.

Inside a high-rise building, a middle-aged man with an extraordinary demeanor stood on the balcony, holding binoculars to observe the situation at the open-air gymnasium of Linked Mountains University. Although concentrating his inner True Qi into his eyes could increase his eyesight, his Internal Cultivation was not yet at the level that allowed him to traverse distances of several thousand meters, so he had to rely on tools.

Behind the man was an entire floor of office space that had been rented out under the name of an advertising company registered on a whim. The employees were a group of ruthless assassins, all dressed in black and expressionless as they polished their weapons. To avoid attracting attention, the floor was dark, but to a master of night vision, it made no difference.

"The plan went very smoothly, and no one noticed anything amiss..." He put down his binoculars, revealing a pair of bright yet reserved eyes, and sighed, "It's a pity I can't be there in person to witness that poignant scene of carnage up close."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the room behind him suddenly shattered, and dozens of Sword Qi energies shot out wildly and chaotically, like a torrential rain and a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen assassins fell, their blood splattering everywhere.