Outdated Thinking

The battle ended amid a profound silence.

The clock hand had already pointed to twelve. The battle for Tianmu Star had drawn to a close. For the next year, this planet would still belong to the Tianmu Gang.

The 350 skilled gamers removed their headsets in slight bewilderment, shifting their gazes away from their computer screens and feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Had the battle been intense?

It had.

Had it been large in scale?

Very. More than ten thousand onlookers had even come specifically to watch the battle, and people were livestreaming it on the forums.

Every one of them had been participants in this battle.

But what had they actually done? Thinking carefully, it seemed like they had done nothing at all.

There was no sense of participation, no sense of achievement. It was all rather dull.

The experts were not thrilled by the victory. Instead, they felt somewhat downcast.

So this was what victory tasted like? Heh.

The experts silently rose and headed toward the computer room's exit.

At the door, Lü Yangsheng's face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. Beaming, he shook hands with each departing gamer and personally handed over the compensation they had agreed on earlier.

Only after receiving the money did the experts' moods recover somewhat.

Well, no matter what, money was always real.

"Everyone worked hard today! Through our combined efforts, Tianmu Star has been defended. Tianmu Star is still ours!"

Scattered applause rang out through the hall.

Holding a microphone in the hall, Lü Yangsheng spoke with fervor in his voice. "It's getting late, so I won't say much more. I've booked the Yunguang Bar next door—go have fun to your hearts' content! I've also arranged rooms for everyone at the Yunguang Hotel!"

Hearing this, the experts finally became enthusiastic again.

"Now, let's drink until we drop!"

After seeing off the experts, Lü Yangsheng looked at Han Yang. "President Han, shall we get something to eat?"

At the celebratory banquet, Lü Yangsheng was in high spirits and completely uninhibited. Several representatives of the experts, the organizers of the battle, logistics personnel, company executives, and others all flattered one another. The atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

After a few drinks, Lü Yangsheng was already a little drunk. "When all is said and done, I really have to thank you, President Han. It's a shame your buddy has social anxiety and doesn't want to meet people. Otherwise, I'd definitely have a few drinks with him and properly thank him.

As for the equipment you asked for, don't worry about it. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for people to coordinate everything. At the latest, it'll be built within half a month and delivered to you. All costs will be waived."

Han Yang finally felt the weight lift from his heart.

What had he worked so hard for all this time? Wasn't it for this?

Lü Yangsheng eventually got drunk and stubbornly insisted on personally calling the owner of Revival Game Studio to express his gratitude. Han Yang repeatedly tried to decline, but could not refuse him.

With no other choice, Han Yang operated the computer in the core area of Fuxing Base. Using an online calling app, he picked a voice that sounded slightly shy and introverted, exchanged a few words with Lü Yangsheng, and claimed that Han Yang was his sworn brother and that anything could be handled through Han Yang. Only then did he manage to placate Lü Yangsheng.

After the celebration ended, Lü Yangsheng still clung to Han Yang and refused to leave. With no choice, Han Yang could only stay and continue listening to him ramble.

As he spoke, Lü Yangsheng actually began to cry.

"Brother, my heart hurts."

Lü Yangsheng sniffled. "The old man is getting old and handed the company over to me. I've been walking on eggshells, never daring to relax for even a moment, terrified that the company will be ruined in my hands.

Things aren't like they used to be. Now the Ita are in power. If we don't maintain good relations with the Ita, the company can't keep operating. I've exhausted myself trying to build connections with them.

Do you really think I like playing games that much? Bullshit! I just play casually when I have nothing to do. How could I possibly have that much time to stay immersed in games? With that time, I'd rather play with a couple of young models! When you get down to it, wasn't it all to build connections with the Ita?

Morpheus from the Earth Industrial Committee likes playing games too. Tell me, isn't this game an opportunity to get closer to him?

How could I not seize it?

The old man doesn't understand. He's still stuck in that old way of thinking, always believing that as long as we do our own work well, provide good service, improve quality, and lower prices, our business can grow bigger.

But times have changed! They're not what they used to be! Those old methods don't work anymore!

A single standard casually set by someone from the Earth Industrial Committee could bankrupt my family! A single rating could make us filthy rich! Tell me, can I afford not to build connections?

My family's factories employ tens of thousands of workers! If our factories go bankrupt, who will pay them and support them? By then, I'm afraid all of them will end up in the slums!

I've lowered myself and gone to every length to suck up to Morpheus. Even a whore has more dignity than I do. My heart is bitter! And the old man still doesn't understand me. All day long, he either beats me or curses at me. Boohoohoo..."

Lü Yangsheng cried until his face was covered in tears and snot, pouring out all his grievances. Even after Han Yang and the company's vice president escorted him into his room, he was still shouting things like, "I'm not drunk! I want another drink!"

After settling Lü Yangsheng down, Han Yang returned to his own room.

Lü Yangsheng truly was wealthy and generous. The room he had arranged was among the best in the city. Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's nightscape lay spread out before him.

Under the night sky, countless neon lights flickered. Endless vehicles flowed along the roads, while numerous Flying Cars sped back and forth through the sky.

The city exuded an air of prosperity, wealth, and peace.

Han Yang stared blankly at the nightscape, his expression calm and unreadable, no one knowing what he was thinking.

After a long while, Han Yang yanked the curtains shut, threw off his clothes, rolled onto the bed, and muttered, "Sleep."

When he woke the next day, the weather was fine again. Han Yang did not linger in the city. After finalizing the detailed specifications of the equipment he needed with Lü's Industrial Group's vice president and setting a delivery date, he hurried back to Fuxing Base in the Vegetable Market District of Da Jiang City.

After being away for several days, nothing here had changed. The hundred computers were still working tirelessly, and enormous amounts of cash were still flowing in without end.

The equipment matter was finally settled. All he had to do was wait for it to be shipped over in a while. Next, he needed to address the matter of learning.

He could not abandon self-study, nor could he abandon the method of seeking help from Zhang Dong and other experts to deal with urgent needs. Likewise, he could not abandon the systematic basic education that would come from gathering experts and professors from numerous fields and disciplines.

At this point, the online learning website Han Yang had been preparing was already registered, and the cloud servers, site structure, and everything else had been resolved.

"At first, I'll invite Professor Zhang Dong and the others to join, have them create some lecture videos, then gradually use them as the core to invite people around them to join. They work at universities, after all. Their colleagues are all experts."