A Strong Start

Online public opinion continued to ferment. That very night, quite a few articles appeared, starting to smear Marching Ant Company. The label of hunger marketing was slapped directly onto Ant Army Company, followed by articles gradually emerging about how the waterproof port was not actually waterproof.

However, more articles discussed Butterfly Eye's performance. Its specifications were roughly on par with Big Rice's latest phone, while its price was slightly higher. But whether the Army Ant System's performance claims were true was the key issue.

If they were true, then its performance would undoubtedly surpass Big Rice's latest phone. Butterfly Eye would become the most cost-effective phone, and it also had waterproofing. In terms of appearance, it outclassed countless other phones, undoubtedly making it the most beautiful phone of the year.

Amid countless people's anticipation, Ant Army's online sales channels officially opened at ten the next morning.

Zhao Min stood backstage, staring at the technician's computer. "What's the current number of visits to the official website?"

"Over ten thousand, and it's still rising."

"What about the Black Cat Mall flagship store?"

"Over one hundred and thirty thousand. Traffic is still increasing."

"List them on both platforms simultaneously. Remember, one phone per account."

Zhao Min did not want scalpers to ruin their launch. Otherwise, the online backlash would surely drown them. They had already been branded as engaging in hunger marketing; if scalpers jumped in too, they would be criticized even more viciously.

"Understood."

"Keep a close watch on it. If there's a problem with the official website, fix it immediately."

Smack!

The moment Zhao Min finished speaking, the official website display on a staff member's screen instantly crashed and turned into an error message.

The technicians immediately tensed up. "President Zhao, our official website has just suffered a traffic attack. The server has crashed."

"How long will it take to fix?"

"It's a little troublesome. Someone is targeting us. Even if we restore it, we'll still be attacked."

"Don't worry about that. Fix it as quickly as possible." President Zhao frowned. The thing she had been worried about had finally happened. "Release an announcement: the official website has suffered a malicious attack and is undergoing emergency repairs. Cancel the listing on the official website. Delay the phone launch by fifteen minutes and list it through the Black Cat Mall flagship store."

"Understood."

After yesterday's press conference, Ant Army's official Weibo already had more than eight hundred thousand followers, and they were all active followers. The moment Ant Army's official Weibo posted the news, the comments below instantly exploded.

"Someone's jealous."

"Those who aren't envied are mediocre."

"They were targeted before sales even started. Is something about to happen?"

"Clouds rise over the stream as the sun sinks behind the pavilion..."

"They deserve to be attacked for using hunger marketing."

Within just ten minutes of the announcement being posted, all kinds of news appeared across major news apps.

After all, the Army Ant Butterfly Eye, hailed as the most beautiful phone, was going on sale today. Yet it was attacked just as sales were about to begin, giving people a sense that something unusual was going on.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Those who had originally logged onto Ant Army's official website had all shifted over to Black Cat Mall.

"List it now," Zhao Min said calmly.

As soon as she spoke, everyone fixed their eyes on the computers.

"Hackers are attacking the company's computers," said the person in charge of the company's network security.

For a moment, everyone tensed up.

Zhao Min's face darkened. The phones had not even started selling, yet they had already suffered two attacks. No one would be in a good mood after that.

"Is everything okay?" Zhao Min asked.

"It's fine. We were prepared," Wang Sijia said.

"The phones are listed."

The staff member's voice once again drew everyone's attention back to the computers.

The instant the phones went up for sale, the stock of thirty thousand units began dropping frantically. Orders in the backend also refreshed at a mad pace.

The speed at which orders were coming in made the backend staff's eyelids twitch.

The response caused by yesterday's press conference had far exceeded their expectations. In various social media circles, images of the Butterfly Eye Phone had already been turned into memes.

It could be said that overnight, the Butterfly Eye phone had become popular across the entire country.

But the ordering speed before them was simply terrifying. They had been mentally prepared, but they had never expected such an effect.

Li Guo checked the time and suddenly remembered that the Butterfly Eye Phone was going on sale today. Without a second thought, he grabbed the phone beside him and opened TaoBao.

The number of phones Ant Army Company was releasing this time was too small. If he did not rush in and try to grab one, he might miss the first batch.

After logging into Ant Army's Black Cat flagship store, Li Guo immediately opened the phone's sales page. He kept praying that it would not sell out too quickly, or he could forget about getting into bed tonight.

"Come on, come on."

The moment Li Guo entered the page, he quickly selected the most expensive Butterfly Eye model and immediately tapped to pay.

This product no longer exists.

What? Li Guo was instantly dumbfounded and hurriedly returned to the phone's sales page.

Sold out?

"Damn, that's not fair. It's only been a few minutes."

Li Guo looked miserable. The sale had only started a few minutes ago, yet the most beautiful Butterfly Eye model was already sold out. The other solid-color models were exquisite too, but his wife definitely would not like them.

Forget it, he would buy another one first. If his wife did not like it, he could return it.

But when Li Guo tried to select another model, he was dumbfounded again. He discovered that every phone had sold out.

The same dumbfounding scene played out in every corner of the country. Those who got one were overjoyed, while those who failed to grab one wore gloomy expressions.

Five minutes. A mere three hundred seconds. Thirty thousand phones sold out—an average of nearly one hundred units per second from beginning to end.

Not even the Singles' Day sales were this insane, right? Those who had failed to get one were wailing frantically in their hearts.

Everyone watched the inventory dwindle all the way to zero, and only then did they finally let out a breath.

The whole process had been like a roller coaster. For those brief five minutes, everyone's heart had been in their throat.

"Start shipping now, and release the preorder announcement." Zhao Min let out a breath. "Julie, have the factory increase phone production. Make sure the procurement of components prioritizes quality. I don't want any major quality issues. Use up all the battery inventory we ordered before."

After saying that, Zhao Min headed back to her office.

Although they had sold thirty thousand phones in five minutes, Zhao Min knew this was only the beginning. They had safely cleared the first hurdle; the real test came next.

The Butterfly Eye phones had only just sold out when the news reports appeared. Thirty thousand units sold in five minutes, with many people still unable to buy one. If sales were fully opened up, would the numbers not be even more terrifying?

Among newly launched phones, this sales pace could only be described as terrifying.

The current phone market had already become rigid, with only a few major brands competing for dominance. It was nearly impossible for other brands to grow unless there was a major breakthrough. Companies like Lian Xiang and Geli had tried to enter the market, only to end in failure.

Yet this time, Ant Army Company had used a single Butterfly Eye model to pry open a gap in the phone market, leaving many people envious—and even jealous.

Still, this batch had indeed been a little too small, making the company seem somewhat petty. The label of hunger marketing was immediately slapped onto Ant Army Company.

Zhao Min set down the document in her hand and turned to look out the window.

The preorder announcement had already been released, and preorders had reached as many as two hundred thousand units. For a company that had just entered the phone market, such a massive preorder volume was undoubtedly tremendous news.

Just as Zhao Min was considering how the company should develop next, the desk phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.