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    ## Chapter 113: Inferior Horse? Eight-Legged God Horse!

    *2024-07-17 Author: Bulufen Warrior*

    ## Chapter 113: Inferior Horse? Eight-Legged God Horse!

    *Ssssshhh*—

    *BOOM!!!*

    A deafening explosion echoed through the air!

    Through the thick plumes of smoke, a rifleman clad in a mud-brown combat suit charged forward.

    *Tap tap… Tap tap tap… Whizz whizz… Rumble rumble…*

    The battlefield erupted in a cacophony of gunfire.

    Shrapnel from the explosions showered down, raining down on the fighters.

    The brutal factory capture was reaching a fever pitch, explosions deafening everyone present.

    *Sshhh!*

    A slide!

    The rifleman dove for cover behind a concrete bunker, intending to move forward with his team.

    But in the next instant!

    *Whoosh*— *BOOM!*

    A rocket propelled grenade whizzed through the air, exploding with a fiery roar. The concrete bunker crumbled like soft tofu, instantly pulverized.

    The rifleman was thrown back by the blast wave, crashing hard to the ground.

    *Whoa*—

    The live stream erupted in a chorus of gasps.

    ‘What the… This war scene is insane!’

    ‘Like watching a movie!’

    ‘What the… This camera work is so damn intricate!’

    ‘The immersion is strong, the rocket just hit me in the face!’

    ‘Xiaohuang’s promotional video camera work is always top-notch!’

    ‘It doesn’t seem so bad…?’

    ‘Hiss—’

    The viewers gasped in disbelief.

    At this moment!

    A young and composed male voice echoed through the speakers:

    “[In all the battles I’ve witnessed on the frontier…]”

    “[The Ironclad… are the ultimate predators…]”

    As the voice spoke, the rifleman’s blurry vision slowly regained focus.

    A flash of azure light illuminated the scene, growing larger.

    An Ironclad warrior, also wearing a mud-brown combat suit, but equipped with an armed backpack and a helmet with an X-shaped, sharp-eyed visor, raced toward the rifleman.

    The Ironclad warrior, after passing the rifleman, activated the armed backpack behind him, spewing out red and blue flames, propelling him skyward.

    Despite the hail of bullets, the Ironclad remained unfazed, their movements fluid and graceful, like a nimble hunting leopard.

    A dart flew through the air, embedding itself into the opposite bunker. A pulse wave spread out, revealing the enemies hiding behind the cover.

    The Ironclad didn’t stop!

    Weaving through the bullets, dodging missiles, leaping over self-destructing spider robots, they moved with lightning speed.

    In a *Max Payne*-esque bullet-time sequence, the Ironclad slid forward, throwing a pre-prepared grenade.

    “[They’re agile, swift, elegant, yet destructive]”

    “[They’re observant, resourceful, and ruthless]”

    As the voice spoke, the Ironclad charged through the flames of an explosion, firing their weapon with both hands.

    Enemies caught off guard were riddled with bullets.

    Amidst the flying blood, the seemingly impenetrable fire position collapsed in an instant.

    Immediately after, a grappling hook shot out, working in tandem with the thrust backpack, allowing the Ironclad to climb walls and break into the fortified building.

    In the narrow hallway, enemies poured in from all directions.

    The roar of gunfire echoed, bullets embedding themselves in the walls, kicking up clouds of dust.

    The Ironclad moved like a ghost through the dust.

    Illusions to deceive, stealth to infiltrate…

    Powerful close-combat skills coupled with a calm mind, aided by unimaginable high-tech equipment, turned them into veritable gods of war.

    *Bang bang bang!*

    Three shots rang out.

    The last enemy fell.

    Looking back, the hallway was littered with corpses.

    In a flash!

    A lone warrior against thousands!

    *Buzz*—!!!

    The bullet screen exploded.

    ‘Ahhhh???’

    ‘What the…?’

    ‘Hack!’

    ‘X-ray vision, speed boost, invisibility, flight, just missing auto-aim headshot to complete the set!’

    ‘What kind of official cheat is this? You know you can’t cheat in the sensory pods, so you just put the cheat directly into the game?’

    ‘This is so damn satisfying!’

    ‘This is way cooler than the exoskeletons!’

    ‘Holy crap, this performance is insane!’

    ‘Compared to this, the exoskeletons don’t seem that great anymore…’

    ‘Didn’t they say this installment would be terrible? What do you call this, terrible quality?’

    ‘Is Shengzi Ge’s research a success?’

    ‘If the game’s actual quality is this good, then that’s incredibly impressive!’

    ‘This is a promotional video for Golden Wind, Shengzi Ge never puts anything in promotional videos that the final product doesn’t have.’

    ‘Damn…’

    ‘Don’t get excited yet, haven’t you heard them say that only the Ironclad are this powerful, maybe we’re all just playing as riflemen…’

    ‘Who says a rifleman can’t become an Ironclad!’

    ‘I’m not going to the outer planet to fight bugs! I’m going to be an Ironclad! Xiaohuang, I order you to finish the game, don’t be a fool!’

    ‘… ‘

    The live stream viewers were floored.

    They believed that equipping exoskeleton armor in the sensory pods was already exciting enough!

    But now, this work from Golden Wind, went even further!

    The imaginative equipment and effects were jaw-dropping.

    The ever-changing battlefield scenarios and diverse tactical approaches significantly enhanced the game’s playability.

    Initially, players had prepared themselves to witness Golden Wind’s research fail.

    But incredibly, the research not only didn’t fail, but it reignited players’ interest in mechs!

    If the design of the Ironclad was this captivating, what kind of new breakthroughs could we expect from the mechs themselves?

    Of course!

    “[The biggest difference between the Ironclad, and all other infantry and machines on the battlefield…]”

    “[Lies in their relationship with the Titans]”

    A grand symphony echoed as the voice-over continued.

    The Ironclad turned, racing towards the end of the hallway.

    As the Ironclad’s perspective changed, everyone looked up to the sky outside the building.

    *Rumble*.

    The muffled sound of thunder descended from the heavens.

    Immediately afterward, a roar!

    *Thump!*

    A visible shock wave bloomed in the sky, a gigantic mech launched from near-Earth orbit, plummeting towards the ground.

    *BOOM!!!*

    A towering Titan, as tall as a two-story building, landed, its immense force impacting the building, shattering all the windows in an instant.

    Amidst the flying debris, the Ironclad leaped high into the air.

    The Titan, already linked with the Ironclad, extended its mechanical arm, perfectly catching the Ironclad and delivering them to the cockpit.

    Then, it turned around.

    *Buzz*!

    A blue energy field flared to life in front of the Titan, instantly absorbing all incoming bullets and rockets like insects caught in resin.

    Immediately afterward, the Titan took a step, swinging its arm back.

    *Sshhh ssshh ssshh*—!

    *Thump thump thump… BOOM!*

    An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!

    All the incoming fire was returned, sending the enemy forces scattering, reduced to ashes.

    Then, the Titan drew out its mounted cannon, pulling the trigger.

    The terrifyingly large cannon let loose a barrage of fire, turning everything in its path to rubble, leaving nothing alive.

    The justice of caliber was on full display.

    Warfare! Slaughter!

    A combination of technology beyond imagination and heavy, cold steel!

    The symphony of blood and fire on the grand battlefield became even more magnificent.

    The blood-boiling symphony reached its climax as the enemy Titan landed.

    Heavy steel clashed against steel, colossal bodies battled, every move exuded an immense sense of pressure.

    The terrifyingly large cannon sprayed its deadly fire, while fiery streaks of fire erupted from the earth.

    Whether it was the solid ground or the buildings used as cover, all crumbled like paper in the face of these monstrous Titans clashing.

    The deafening roar filled everyone’s ears, driving their hearts to beat wildly.

    “I… God…!!!”

    Daixiaomei couldn’t take it anymore!

    She stood up from her seat, her hands on her head, a look of utter shock on her face.

    As the rifleman spoke in the voice-over, the game’s overarching backstory gradually unfolded.

    “[The frontier has been my only home since I was a child]”

    “[For all these years, the IMC has been ruthlessly plundering our resources, polluting and destroying our planet, and slaughtering anyone who resists…]”

    “[Although we’ve achieved victory after victory on Ceres lately, we’re still far from defeating the IMC]”

    “[Right now, I’m a rifleman in the rebel army, fighting for the freedom of the frontier]”

    “[The day I become an Ironclad is still a long way off, but when I become an Ironclad, I hope to—]”

    At the final moment!

    In the rifleman’s witnessing, the battle between the two giant Titans came to an end.

    The rebel Titan on one side leaped high, delivering a powerful steel punch.

    The IMC Titan on the other side wielded a heavy alloy blade, sweeping outwards with a fierce edge.

    The screen went black!

    The rifleman’s voice brought the promotional video to a close.

    “[Well-deserved]”

    The promotional video ended. The bullet screen remained blank for three seconds.

    Then, it exploded, a tidal wave of words!

    ‘Wo! De! Fa!’

    ‘Ohhhhhhhhhh——’

    ‘What the… What am I even watching? Isn’t this just a promotional video? How did it turn into a science fiction movie?’

    ‘Come come come! Who the hell said Golden Wind chose the wrong theme? Speak!!! Oh… it was me… sorry (laughing face kneeling)’

    ‘Haters, speak!’

    ‘I thought the Ironclad was the limit of this game’s imagination, but these Titans?’

    ‘Machine guns, shoulder cannons, kinetic barriers, heavy hammers with sparks… Damn, I think I understand! The Titans in this game aren’t just mechs, they’re different models, each with its own unique skills?!’

    ‘Wo! Cao! Is that real? Mech customization?’

    ‘Holy shit! It’s like modding cars! This idea is incredible!’

    ‘Yeah, this idea is so simple, why didn’t anyone think of it before?!’

    ‘Simple? Remember, second-generation FPS designs just remove the virtual aiming reticle, making you use the gun to aim.’

    ‘Hiss— Yeah, these things seem so simple, but only Golden Wind pulled it off!’

    ‘The most important thing is, this game’s setting is incredible, for the humanoid form, the Ironclad has a bunch of high-tech gear, for the mech form, the Titans have different model equipment that can be customized, both aspects are taken care of.’

    ‘Damn, this is incredible! Incredible incredible incredible!’

    ‘DNMD I declare! Absolutely crushed!!!’

    ‘Declaration valid! The judge can bang the gavel!’

    ‘Xiaohuang: The day I become a world-class top-tier game company is still a long way off, but when I truly achieve it, I hope to—’

    In the next instant, the colorful bullet screen erupted like a tidal wave!

    ‘Well-deserved!!!’

    It exploded!

    The streamer exploded!

    The live stream exploded!

    The entire gaming community exploded!

    Not bad!

    Except for Daixiaomei!

    At the same time, countless media colleagues, even Xunteng Technology’s competitors, watched this promotional video.

    Because everyone knew!

    This was the first clash between ArtTour and Xunteng!

    In the opening battle, both parties’ influence and popularity were extremely important, even playing a decisive role in subsequent promotions!

    Originally!

    After two days of intense competition, the situation was pretty clear.

    The 26% heat difference, ArtTour couldn’t possibly reverse it with Golden Wind!

    So!

    The media had already written their articles:

    *Golden Wind struggles to turn the tide, ArtTour x2 faces a bleak future*

    *Inferior Horse, unsurprisingly, gets crushed, where will ArtTour go from here?*

    *A blow from an old partner! Zhen霆 Games locks down the first round of the competition*

    *Unsustainable! Golden Wind’s work is unsatisfactory, a detailed analysis shows you exactly where Xiaohuang went wrong!*

    On the other hand, Xunteng Technology had already prepared their next promotional plan:

    They had locked down the victory in the first two rounds, and Golden Wind was bound to be beaten by Zhen霆, their heat difference with ArtTour would further widen.

    So, next, they only needed to solidify their current position, continue to expand the status of their three FPS flagship games, and simultaneously release news to shake ArtTour’s plans in the racing and sports genres.

    As for ArtTour, they had already prepared their contingency plan:

    Yesterday’s defeat caused their market popularity to drop, Golden Wind was also a losing proposition, so, they would focus on consolidating the two categories of racing and sports, ensuring that their current market was not affected, and appropriately diverting some of the pre-determined resources for Golden Wind to Nu Yan and Kol.

    That’s right!

    All aspects of the market were actually ready yesterday.

    Then!

    Gu Sheng, with a gleeful smile, swung his arm back and slapped everyone in the face, hard!

    The sound resonated!

    The movie-quality promotional video was thrilling!

    Whether it was the Ironclad’s incredibly creative combat style, or the Titan’s customizable upgrade options!

    It completely overturned players’ stereotypes about mech games!

    It filled players with anticipation!

    The market reaction was overwhelmingly positive!

    Eight o’clock!

    The *Titanfall* promotional video was released.

    Ten o’clock!

    Affected by related unit data, ArtTour x2’s market heat comparison rose 12% to 49%.

    This rise came at the expense of the third installment of *North Pole Bear*, whose popularity fell to 51%, tied with ArtTour x2.

    Twelve o’clock!

    The heat of *Titanfall* topped the six flagship games, and quickly secured its position as the undisputed leader.

    At the same time, ArtTour x2’s heat surpassed *North Pole Bear* by six percentage points.

    Remember!

    These figures are all publicly released by Huayu Digital!

    So!

    When the clock struck twelve!

    Half of China’s gaming industry started moving, all while cursing Gu Sheng!

    First, various media outlets furiously scrapped yesterday’s articles, burning the midnight oil, working through the night, writing new drafts:

    *Golden Wind turns the tide! ArtTour x2’s prospects are bright!*

    *Inferior Horse? Eight-Legged God Horse! ArtTour reveals its trump card, a dazzling display of power!*

    *Zhen霆, don’t contact me, I’m afraid Golden Wind will misunderstand! Supernova takes the stage, drives a Titan, secures victory!*

    *Ace in the hole! Golden Wind’s new game is still strong, a detailed analysis reveals why they always win against the odds!*

    Change!

    Change furiously!

    In this moment, all the doubts and mockery turned into praise.

    The media, fickle as ever, worked overtime through the night, striking out their previous negative comments, filling the pages with “Golden Wind is awesome,” “Gu Sheng is awesome”…

    At the same time, Xunteng Technology held an emergency phone conference in the early morning:

    Chen Guangde, the then-director of Xunteng Technology, opened the emergency meeting with a single sentence: “Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?”

    Chen Guangde was numb!

    Wasn’t everyone saying mech games were unpopular?

    Wasn’t everyone saying there wasn’t any market for mech games?

    Wasn’t everyone saying your three major forces, any one of them could easily crush Golden Wind and make it a non-entity?

    How come their mech game came out, and just like that, it completely silenced us?

    After a long silence!

    Ding Kai, the head of Guangyao Studio, spoke up:

    “Actually… CEO Chen…”

    “So far, Golden Wind’s heat share among the six flagship games is only 31%,”

    “While our three flagship games combined make up 43%, we still hold the absolute advantage.”

    Honestly, Ding Kai’s words were not wrong.

    After all, Xunteng’s goal this time was to seize the FPS market, as long as they could suppress Golden Wind, that was enough.

    But!

    Chen Guangde wanted to punch him in the face!

    Do you even know what you’re saying?!

    Three major companies! Each one has a huge size and high investment!

    The combined heat of the three is only 12% higher than theirs!

    Are you not embarrassed saying this?

    Did you forget that you were bragging to me before, saying you were going to beat Golden Wind into the dirt?

    “I…”

    Chen Guangde wished he could reach through the internet and give Ding Kai, who was shamelessly spewing this drivel, a good slap.

    But now!

    He could only accept it and adjust his strategy.

    Their previous plan to try and undermine ArtTour’s sports and racing games was completely useless.

    At this rate, they might not even be able to hold onto their FPS territory.

    Although three against one was humiliating for Xunteng’s size.

    But right now, it was their only option.

    That night!

    Xunteng Technology adjusted its strategy, abandoning their previous “stable and gradual breakthrough” approach, no longer bothering with ArtTour’s other two games, and instead implementing a “focused fire, targeted attack” strategy, focusing on *Titanfall*, the Golden Wind project, officially launching a three-on-one battle!

    Of course!

    Yan Sheng, seeing the news, naturally predicted Xunteng’s moves, so he followed closely behind, quickly convening an ArtTour executive meeting…

    This night was a turbulent one for the gaming industry.

    The unbelievable reversal caught countless people off guard, and also sparked countless discussions and anticipation among players.

    Amidst this turbulent night, Shen Miaomiao slept soundly.

    In her dream, she saw Fifty sprout wings, fly out of the office, then brought back countless red banknotes, and told her that *Titanfall* was a complete loss, they didn’t make a dime, the entire 170 million investment was down the drain, and this money was the system’s rebate for her, a full 1.7 billion.

    Hee hee…

    Shen Miaomiao was overjoyed the entire night.

    Until the next morning, the vibration of her phone woke her up.

    She groggily picked up the phone.

    The caller ID read four characters:

    Yan Sheng (ArtTour)

    (End of Chapter)

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