The King's Avatar Following its launch, the game's excellent reputation drove its player base to grow exponentially. At first, the total number of players online worldwide was less than 100,000, but in under a month, it had surpassed one million. The number kept climbing, catching the attention of many investors, who turned their eyes toward the game.
After hiring experts to assess it, major investors soon began contacting Future Technology to ask whether Future Game needed an infusion of capital.
Future Technology wanted to take Glory global, and one company alone couldn't manage that. But the game had only just launched, and Future Technology had more than enough resources to build it into a major success on its own.
Once Glory had become a smash hit, any investors who came aboard would have to put in several times—or even dozens of times—as much money to get the same small share they could have gotten now.
So, despite the pressure, Future Technology firmly rejected the overtures from the major investors, earning their enmity in the process.
As a result, the two Future Technology subsidiaries overseas became targets, too. Future Technology's Singapore branch was already talking with local investors, making it difficult for foreign capital to get a foothold there. But Zhao Guanghua was the only one the British branch had been in contact with, so it was easier to gain influence there—and the branch was hit harder.
Zhao Guanghua had of course seen this coming. In truth, he had his eye on Glory, and planned to use the trouble He Ziqiu was facing to curry favor with him and buy a stake. So when Future Game's UK branch ran into difficulties, Zhao Guanghua stepped in to help, hoping to earn He Ziqiu's goodwill.
Zhao Guanghua was no saint. While offering help,