Zhang Qian's Ambition

Zhang Qian didn't take them to a hotel first, but instead drove them directly to the company.

In a not-so-large conference room, besides Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, and Yang Zhen'er, there were only Zhang Qian, Director Lin, two other senior executives from Soaring Dragon Interactive Entertainment, and Zhang Qian's new assistant Xiao Nie.

"Mr. Xiang, Ms. Tang, Ms. Yang, if you're hungry, you can have some pastries first. We've also prepared hot drinks, including milk tea and coffee. If there's anything else you'd like to drink, you can tell Xiao Nie, and she'll have someone prepare it. I'll finish what I needed to say briefly first, and then we can go have lunch together." Zhang Qian said to the Xiang Kun, standing in front of the projection screen.

In private, she calls Nana and Zhen'er by their first names, but in more formal occasions or at the company, she uses honorifics.

Xiang Kun raised his hand to signal Zhang Qian to continue, and they all cooperated with the arrangements.

He knew that Zhang Qian had rushed them to the company for a meeting so hastily because she was afraid he would have to leave again for some reason, and then they wouldn't be able to meet again. From this perspective, he was indeed somewhat inadequate as a partner.

Zhang Qian began her presentation using the projected PowerPoint slides. The first few slides covered the game's user data over a period of time, along with player and media feedback, and the most frequently raised issues by players.

Zhang Qian had already covered most of this on the way here, so she only briefly went over it again.

Then, on the next slide of the PPT, the theme changed to something that seemed rather generalized—social interaction.

Instead of immediately introducing the content on the PPT, Zhang Qian asked Tang Baona, "Ms. Tang, what are your thoughts on 'social products'?"

Tang Baona paused for a moment, then said, "Social products? You mean QQ, WeChat, and the like? Uh, the apps we use every day, the ones we use frequently?" After thinking for a moment, she added, "They're highly monopolistic; in a single field, it's basically a winner-takes-all situation?"

Zhang Qian asked Yang Zhen'er the same question again, and the latter replied, "Douyin, Kuaishou, and Weibo, right? It seems that most of the most popular internet products are related to social networking."

Zhang Qian then asked Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun said, "Compared to other internet products, social products have higher user stickiness and are more likely to occupy users' time, which can generate many businesses. Whether it's selling advertising or expanding other businesses, they can reap huge profits. However, compared to social media platforms like Douyin and Weibo, social communication software like QQ and WeChat are more difficult to succeed. I think that only when the way information is interacted and the environment undergoes another major change will these new social platforms have a chance to challenge the old leaders."

Zhang Qian nodded and said, "Mr. Xiang is right. Compared to products with strong social attributes like QQ and WeChat, Douyin and Weibo have stronger media attributes and greater reach, but the connection and interaction between users are weaker, and the core lies in the content."

"The social products I want to discuss today are mainly strong social products like QQ and WeChat. Just as Mr. Xiang just said, every time the way information is interacted changes due to technological development, it is a period of explosive growth for social products."

When the Internet first emerged, email began to replace some letters as the way pen pals communicated. With the popularization of the Internet and PCs, more and more people learned to type, and all kinds of chat rooms began to appear. Then instant messaging software such as ICQ, OICQ, and MSN were born.

"At that time, the very act of 'chatting online' attracted people's curiosity. It was a new way of socializing and communicating, and people would actively seek out strangers to chat with."

"With the rise of mobile internet, WeChat seized the opportunity to shift social interaction from purely online to semi-real-world. People are curious about 'people nearby' and who they will see when they 'shake', so they actively use these functions to socialize with strangers and develop new social relationships."

"Nowadays, text-based social interaction is no longer novel. Few people meet strangers through pure text chat anymore; specific social scenarios and environments must be built, such as some MMO games or categorized forums. But the problem is that the connections players establish in these scenarios don't remain there indefinitely; they transfer to other commonly used communication software, such as QQ and WeChat. Even large gaming platforms with multiple MMO games, like Battle. net, struggle to develop into comprehensive, strong social networking platforms."

"Many people have explored video and voice-based social networking methods, but because they reveal a strong sense of reality, their attention is destined to continue to converge on a small number of users, forming a weak one-to-many social attribute, and thus having a stronger media nature."

"I originally thought that the next generation of strong social platforms would emerge after the popularization of VR devices and the large-scale application of VR technology. New social methods and richer social scenarios will make all users start to focus on the social experience itself, and a certain degree of virtuality will also allow people with different real-world conditions to have a relatively fair social opportunity, and allow most people to have a similar social experience."

"However, the emergence of our game... <Voice Genesis>, the game's performance data during this period, feedback from some users, and my own experience have changed my original opinion."

"It's no surprise that 'Voice Genesis' will become a hit game, but I think we can use it to do more things."

"Traditional voice-based social networking software fails because it lacks virtuality, sufficient application scenarios, and many new users are not accustomed to voice chat. Traditional MMO games fail to retain in-game social relationships because their application scenarios are too limited. However, we have solutions for both. For the former, our gameplay itself can address the issue. In the game, all users can rely on the plot and story to drive their actions. While voices may differ, everyone has the same scope for expression. Once users have developed the habit of voice communication within our game and become familiar with the sound environment, we can use voice as a social medium to develop broader applications. In this way, the latter problem can also be solved."

"<Voice Genesis> is our trump card for embedding ourselves in the social media sphere!"

As Zhang Qian spoke, she became slightly excited. Composing herself, she continued by opening the PowerPoint presentation and introducing her ideas on how to build a social network based primarily on voice communication through this sound game:

"I've initially divided our strategy into three directions: virtual, reality, and hardware. 'Virtual' refers to sound games or related entertainment applications, primarily based on 'Voice Genesis'; 'Reality' involves combining real-world scenarios, such as setting up 'voice messages in bottles' in fixed locations. For example, user A sends a voice message to the platform from a certain area of a pedestrian street, and then, at a random time within the next 24 hours, a stranger B appears in the same area of the pedestrian street and has a chance to receive A's voice message. B can choose to reply or simply 'drop' it back into the voice database, thus building a voice communication model based on a combination of reality and virtuality; as for 'hardware'..."

Xiang Kun Zhang Qian Kun couldn't help but raise his hand to interrupt, "Um... Ms. Zhang, could you elaborate on what you just said about your vision for social interaction in the VR era?"

Zhang Qian paused for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "While VR technology is developing rapidly, it hasn't reached the point of widespread civilian use yet. Related applications, such as games, are still scarce. There are many different approaches, and they all seem feasible. It's difficult for us to determine which path will lead the way and set a trend. Most importantly... we don't have any accumulated experience or advantages in VR technology and related applications. I'm talking about voice-based social networking now because of our games..."

Xiang Kun replied confidently, "Don't worry about the technical aspects. Just tell me, if you were to develop VR social networking, where would you start?"

"But we can't discuss this without considering the technology; technology is fundamental." Zhang Qian was a little confused. Xiang Kun's statement sounded unprofessional, but she knew that Xiang Kun was neither an outsider nor someone who spoke without thinking.

Xiang Kun thought for a moment and said, "How about this, Mr. Zhang, I support you in developing a voice-based social networking platform. Please list out any technical requirements you have. You can also look into VR, and then create a requirements document based on your ideal design. I'll handle the technical implementation. Whether it's hardware or software, please identify any shortcomings in current VR technology that you think might affect your plan, and feel free to point them out."

Zhang Qian was a little stunned. Xiang Kun's words didn't sound like he knew much about VR technology, but his tone made it sound like he was Doraemon or Aladdin's lamp, able to grant any wish?

That's incredibly arrogant!

"Okay, it's about time. Let's go have lunch. Look, our CEO Yang is so hungry his eyes are practically green with hunger," Xiang Kun said with a smile as he stood up.

Yang Zhen'er, who had also been somewhat stunned by what she heard, suddenly snapped out of it and snapped, "Who's got green eyes? Speak properly, this is a meeting!"

However, since Xiang Kun had already said that, the meeting naturally couldn't continue. In any case, Zhang Qian had basically conveyed all the content and meaning she had prepared. Since Xiang Kun had no objections, the specifics regarding implementation and details could be discussed later.

Zhang Qian led everyone to the restaurant they had booked in advance. On the way, Tang Baona couldn't help but lean close to Xiang Kun and whispered, "You're not just trying to fool President Zhang so we can eat faster, are you?"

Xiang Kun chuckled softly, "How could that be? Am I that kind of person?"

Yang Zhen'er leaned closer and whispered, "Chef Xiang, tell me honestly, does your secret organization possess some kind of advanced technology? Is it like a wishing well, where you can just tell them what you want and they'll create it for you?"

"That's right, but it's a secret. Remember not to tell anyone, not even to President Zhang," Xiang Kun said seriously.

"Really?" Yang Zhen'er said, "I always feel like you're trying to fool me... Chef Xiang, tell me honestly, is there really a secret organization behind you?" She had gone to spy on Xiang Kun when he was "working in seclusion" before, but found that Xiang Kun was really in the house and hadn't gone anywhere, which made her doubt her deduction that "Xiang Kun has a secret organization behind him who often carries out secret missions."

Xiang Kun looked at her. "Yes. And Lao Xia, Little Apple, Little Bell, Gold Glitter, and Egg Pie are all members."

"Okay, you were just kidding me." Yang Zhen'er rolled her eyes and said, "Is your organization called 'Chongyun Village Amusement Park'? If so, Nana and I are key members, okay!"

Tang Baona couldn't help but laugh and said, "Okay, Yang the Third, so you've been directly 'hypnotized' by Xiang Kun and become a member of the 'secret organization'?"

After successfully changing the subject, Xiang Kun began to think about Zhang Qian's earlier suggestion.

He had been quite cautious and methodical before, but as Alice fully integrated into the "Super-Sensing Item System" and its "vines" began to extend wildly, covering the entire network and numerous electronic devices, giving him absolute control over the digital world, Xiang Kun prepared to begin applying Alice's abilities on a larger scale—because this not only meant that he was better at acquiring information than others, but also that he was equally adept at hiding and altering information.

Especially after understanding how "Shenxing Technology" operates, Xiang Kun also decided to establish a technology company with huge capital and technology as a bargaining chip to communicate and cooperate with the government and "Shenxing Technology", to increase his own weight and demonstrate his own capabilities - he is different from other "Mutated Creature" and can bring more than just research value.

However, he didn't have much energy to lead these things, nor was he willing to step into the limelight directly, so letting Zhang Qian take the helm and cooperating with her was a better choice.

After lunch, Zhang Qian still managed to persuade Xiang Kun and the other two to come to the company to continue discussing her previous ideas about voice-based social networking, as well as the VR technology that Xiang Kun suddenly mentioned.

In the evening, after being treated to another meal by Zhang Qian, Xiang Kun, Tang Baona, Yang Zhen'er went to the shopping street to buy food and gifts for the Little Chubby Girl, and didn't return to the hotel until around ten o'clock.

In the early hours of the morning, Xiang Kun left the hotel alone, but instead of going to Guarding Prosperity Building, he went to a factory.

After scaling the wall, Xiang Kun went straight to a warehouse, slipped past the few staff members, and entered. As for surveillance, he didn't need to worry about it under Alice's control.

Following Alice's instructions, Xiang Kun found a black box that looked like a safe, opened it, and put thirty beads and a Black Circle Graffiti inside.

Around 2 a. m., a truck will come and take some goods from the warehouse and the box to the third basement level of Guarding Prosperity Building.

The box wasn't originally on the shipment list, but Alice added it.

According to Alice's understanding, there are many groups of staff on the third basement level, each with different responsibilities. When goods, parts, and equipment are transported from outside, they will only look for what they need. They will not touch anything that is not needed, as it may belong to another group. The entry and exit of goods are strictly handled through an electronic system.

That box, used by "Shenxing Technology" to store special accessories, has a wireless remote control module, allowing for remote control. Alice can make it open a crack, and then, with the Black Circle Graffiti as the "Emotion-Infused Object," Xiang Kun can directly enter a "Hyper-Sensory State" to guide the thirty orbs quietly into the elevator shaft and drop them deeper underground to Mr. Liang's location. Once at that depth, the "Rabbit Woodcarving" as the "Emotion-Infused Object" can take over, allowing him to continue control under the "Hyper-Sensory State."

This method is more secure and easier than Xiang Kun's previous approach of going to the second basement level of the Guarding Prosperity Building to take control.

Once the delivery is complete, Alice can change the list and have someone transport the box back to the factory warehouse, or she can have someone put the box in the warehouse on the third basement level.

At 2 a. m., Xiang Kun returned to the hotel. After Alice told him that the truck loaded with goods had entered the Guarding Prosperity Building and the boxes had been unloaded, he began to enter a "Hyper-Sensory State".

Based on the surveillance footage from the third basement level transmitted by Alice, Xiang Kun knew that the box was currently in the blind spot of the two workers who were still working, so he controlled the "Super-Linked Object" to deploy it.

After completing the deployment, Xiang Kun exited the "Hyper-Sensory State," and the remaining work was Alice's responsibility.

Previously, Alice's attempt to steal data from the storage device failed because there weren't enough "hyper-sensory items" in that underground space. This time, with so many more "Super-Linked Object," she should theoretically be able to succeed.