Chapter 30: Victory for Tengda, Defeat for 360

Once this idea emerged, it began to spread uncontrollably through Huang He’s mind. Yes, why should he insist on acquiring Tengda? Tengda now was no longer the mere two-million-yuan Tengda; even though buying it now would still mean endless profits in the future, it would always remain Ma Ge’s Tengda, not Huang He’s own.

Of course, the most crucial point was that Huang He simply couldn't afford Tengda at present. He had, at most, thirty million yuan now, and possibly ninety million in three months. Converted to dollars, that was just over ten million—enough to acquire only twenty percent of Tengda’s shares, far short of the controlling stake of over fifty percent he envisioned.

But what if this ninety million wasn’t used to acquire Tengda, but to build his own Tengda?

At first, Huang He never considered this. After all, he was not Ma Ge, and Tengda had already gained momentum. MSN, among other competitors, would fall to Tengda in the future. Most importantly, his memories from the future gave him not only an advantage but also a kind of suppression; in his previous life, accustomed to Tengda’s invincibility, Huang He had never thought of creating his own XX or OO, or anything similar.

Now, prompted by the taxi driver, Huang He was suddenly enlightened.

Why was he so afraid of Tengda? Why did he have to buy Tengda? Why couldn’t he take down Tengda himself? Why not do it himself?

“We won’t go to XX Hotel. Take me to the nearest internet café!” Huang He suddenly said to the taxi driver.

“Ah, young people these days are so addicted to internet cafés. How can that be good?” the driver sighed, but dutifully parked in front of a café. Huang He, with Leng Zhimeng in tow, rushed inside.

“Brother-in-law, why did you suddenly bring me to surf the internet?” Leng Zhimeng asked curiously.

“I need to look up some information,” Huang He replied.

“Ha!” Leng Zhimeng gave a dry laugh; who would believe such a story? But it didn’t matter. Having been traveling with her brother-in-law for several days, she hadn’t touched a computer or the internet. Her gaming spirit was barely contained. Now that Huang He had brought her to the café, she couldn’t wait.

Afraid he might change his mind, she hurried inside, opened two temporary accounts, handed one to Huang He, and eagerly booted up her computer, connected to the net, and started playing Legend.

Unfortunately, her luck was bad today. After two hours of playing, she gained nothing and wasted her account points, leaving her frustrated. Bored, she glanced at her brother-in-law.

What! He’s actually really researching information! Leng Zhimeng discovered that Huang He was swiftly searching for all kinds of information online, jotting notes in a little notebook.

There really are people who use the internet to research things! Leng Zhimeng found it unbelievable and, influenced by her brother-in-law, felt embarrassed to play games. Wouldn’t that make her look so much worse than him?

“Zhimeng, let me ask you something,” Huang He suddenly turned and looked at her. “Can you write programs and develop software on a computer?”

“I suppose so, but not anything too complex... I’m self-taught, so my skills aren’t that strong,” she said modestly.

“What about a program like QQ?” Huang He asked again.

“QQ!” Leng Zhimeng’s jaw dropped. “Brother-in-law, are you serious? Software like QQ is way beyond me. You’re overestimating me.”

“Do you know how to find people who can handle this kind of thing?” Huang He pressed.

“That I do know! In fact, I know that among everyone in the country, besides the internal people at QQ, these folks know QQ the best!” she answered promptly.

“Oh! Such people exist!” Huang He’s eyes lit up. “Good, Zhimeng, tell me, who are they?”

“I’m happy to tell you, but they have a dream—to attend the WCG finals in person, to watch a WCG match... Of course, I’m not saying I won’t tell you unless you take me there; it’s just a wish,” Leng Zhimeng tilted her head.

“Alright, it’s just a trip to Korea. I’ll personally accompany you!” Huang He replied eagerly.

“Thank you, brother-in-law!” She gave him a big smack on the cheek, then said, “Actually, it’s simple. You must know the Coral Worm version of QQ, right?”

“Coral Worm QQ? Of course I know!” Huang He nodded. How could he not? Back in the day, he used Coral Worm QQ, until its creator was sued and jailed for three years by Tengda.

“You mean I should find the Coral Worm QQ team? That won’t be easy. They’ve always stayed well hidden; how would I find them?” Though the Coral Worm team’s sentencing was a major online event in later years, Huang He had only skimmed the news. He never bothered to learn who they were, their identities, or names—all long forgotten.

“But I know them! We’re friends on Tianya Forum and often chat and post together. I can contact them, but whether they’ll agree to meet you, I can’t promise,” Leng Zhimeng shrugged.

“Good, help me reach out. Tell them I’m willing to invest in their team, offer high salaries, and ask them to stop modifying QQ—it’s illegal. Tell them to follow me, and I’ll lead them to become the world’s strongest internet company!” Huang He laughed.

“Brother-in-law, aren’t you boasting a bit too much?” Leng Zhimeng rolled her eyes.

“How do you know I’m boasting... Anyway, if you want to go to Korea, help me set up the meeting. If not, I never said anything!”

“No problem!” Leng Zhimeng immediately became excited and left a message on the forum. However, it seemed they didn’t log in often—maybe only once a week—so patience was needed.

“Brother-in-law, are you really planning to create a QQ yourself, just because of what that taxi driver said?” After posting, Leng Zhimeng suddenly asked, realizing his intentions.

“So what if I am?” Huang He looked at her and smiled.

“I advise you not to hold onto such unrealistic fantasies. Tengda currently has ten million registered users in the country, and simultaneous online users have broken one million.”

“Do you realize how terrifying these numbers are? There are only twenty million internet users in all of China, meaning half have their own QQ number, and one in every twenty is logged in simultaneously. This is an unwinnable battle!” Leng Zhimeng said earnestly.

“Ten years from now, perhaps. But at least not yet!” Huang He shook his head, then smiled slightly. “Besides, the outcome is either winning or losing. If I win, I’ll earn trillions; if I lose, I’ll lose at most a few tens of millions.”

“If I win, Tengda is mine; if I lose, I’ll just lose a 360, so why wouldn’t I do something so profitable?”