Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 507: The First Virtual Experience Center in an Inland City
It was early May, the third day of the holiday, early in the morning.

In a third-tier city in central China, Kang Zelin stood in front of the gate, looking at the huge sci-fi sign "Lincheng Virtual Experience Hall" above his head, feeling excited and expectant.
When Zhiyun Group first released the virtual device in December last year, Kang Zelin was very curious about it. Although he tried to buy it, unfortunately he failed to get it and could only wait in line for the delivery.

However, as a senior game enthusiast and online novel enthusiast, especially many years ago when he loved reading various virtual online game novels, he has a natural expectation for virtual games.

Although he failed to grab the virtual machine immediately, Kang Zelin still made an appointment and made a special trip to Shanghai to experience the virtual game!
The virtual gaming experience that Yun VW virtual machine brought to Kang Zelin made him intoxicated.

After experiencing it personally, Kang Zelin contacted the staff of Zhiyun Group to discuss purchasing Yun VW virtual machines to open a virtual experience center.

Kang Zelin's family is also in business, but he has no interest in his family's traditional manufacturing business and has no intention of taking over. He used to try to do e-commerce on his own, but e-commerce is not easy to do and the competition is getting increasingly fierce.

After seeing the Yun VW virtual machine, Kang Zelin decided to invest in opening a virtual experience center and start his second business in life.

His father was not an old-fashioned person. After listening to Kang Zelin's ideas, he personally learned in detail about the situation of the Yun VW virtual machine and some support policies of Zhiyun Group for virtual experience centers.

Later, I went to Shanghai with my son to experience the local Zhiyun’s self-operated virtual experience center.

Finally, the father and son conducted detailed market research and investment planning together!
In the end, his father sponsored him 20 million yuan!
With the funds sponsored by his father and the money Kang Zelin earned from e-commerce in recent years, he raised more than 30 million yuan to start his second business!

In February, we officially signed a virtual machine procurement contract with the business department of Zhiyun Group.

What follows is a long wait!

Yun VW from Zhiyun Group is now the hottest black technology product in the world. Since its release, it has been in short supply, both in the consumer and enterprise markets.

The monthly production capacity was only a few thousand units at the beginning, and then gradually increased to more than 10,000 units per month, and this production capacity had to supply the global market... A large group of wealthy people who were looking forward to virtual games were lining up for Yun VW, wanting to enter the virtual world and experience it as soon as possible.

There are many investors like Kang Zelin who are also waiting for Yun VW to open a virtual experience center.

In this case, it will still take quite a long time for the forty Yun VW virtual machines ordered by Kang Zelin to arrive.

While waiting, Kang Zelin found this large store located in the city center. It was surrounded by high-end residential areas and the CBD center was not far away. The people nearby were young and had strong purchasing power.

Although the rent of the shop was very expensive, Kang Zelin chose to rent it, and then began to renovate it and recruit people.

I also took several technical personnel from the recruitment to Shenzhen to receive technical training from Zhiyun...at least they should be able to use and maintain the system on a daily basis.

In March, he also got a flagship virtual machine that he purchased personally and had an in-depth experience with virtual games.

He also opened self-media accounts on multiple platforms, promoting virtual games as a virtual game player. While promoting to local people, he also revealed the news that he had opened a virtual experience center.

He will also hold regular draws to give local netizens free virtual game experience time. After all, it is his own personal device and he can give it to anyone he wants.

This has attracted a lot of curiosity and expectations from local young people!
After seeing his videos, many local people will pay attention to it and look forward to Kang Zelin’s virtual experience center opening as soon as possible... so that they can also experience the virtual experience center nearby.

After all, for most people, although they are very interested in virtual games, they cannot afford virtual equipment, and it is even difficult to go to big cities to experience virtual games.

I don’t have the time or energy, and it’s also difficult to make reservations at virtual experience centers in big cities.

As for their third-tier city, there has not been even a single virtual experience center so far. Only a few wealthy people like Kang Zelin have purchased virtual machines privately.

For 99% of the people in this city, virtual games are still a kind of black technology that only exists on the Internet. They have never seen it in real life, let alone experienced it!

It is too expensive for individuals to buy virtual machines. Most people cannot afford it or are reluctant to buy it!
As for the virtual experience center, this is not easy either!

The investment in a virtual experience center is not small. Even if it is a small-scale virtual experience center with dozens of machines, and even if Zhiyun Group provides relatively favorable wholesale prices for investors in virtual experience centers, the investment in setting up a decent virtual experience center will still cost tens of millions!
There are many people with a net worth of tens of millions, but not many of them can take out tens of millions in cash for investment.

Kang Zelin is also the first person in their city to invest in a virtual experience center, so many local people are actually looking forward to the virtual experience center created by Kang Zelin.

However, even though we acted early, virtual machines were in such short supply that we had to wait until the May holiday to get them!

As soon as the equipment arrived that day, Kang Zelin led his people to start installing and debugging the equipment. Kang Zelin wanted to open for business before the holiday was over.

In the previous few months, he had already completed all the company procedures for the virtual experience center, the venue had been decorated and prepared as required, and even the staff had been recruited and trained in advance.

Just waiting for the equipment to arrive and open for business!

Because it was a holiday, Zhiyun's equipment installation and debugging engineers had to take a vacation. In order to encourage them to work during the holiday, Kang Zelin gave them extra bonuses and served them all kinds of delicious food and drinks.

After working hard for two days and one night, we finally completed the installation and debugging of all equipment at midnight yesterday.

Now, just waiting for the official opening at nine o'clock in the morning!
Thinking of this, he picked up his phone and filmed the contents of the virtual experience hall again, then said to the camera: "After two days and one night of hard work, our virtual machine has been installed and will officially open for business at nine o'clock this morning!"

"Friends who want to experience virtual games, please go to our official mini program to make an appointment. Remember our name 'Lincheng Virtual Experience Hall'. Our virtual experience hall is open 24 hours a day. Welcome all friends to come!"

After shooting and sending the short video, Kang Zelin called his assistant and asked, "How is the appointment going?"

The assistant said excitedly, "Boss Kang, the reservation is very good. Since the reservation was opened three days ago, all 37 of our machines have been reserved. Only three machines are left for the reporters who will come later and the internet celebrities we invited to use for experience promotion!"

Although he already knew that the appointment was in good condition, Kang Zelin was still very happy to hear the news from his assistant.

"When we open the business, we will arrange for people to do all kinds of filming. At the same time, we will try our best to get our customers to actively help us post on WeChat Moments and post dancing videos for promotion. The small gifts prepared in advance must be fully prepared!"

"We have also arranged for reporters and influencers, prepared red envelopes and gifts, and prepared copywriting, photos, and videos in advance. This time we want to make it a big hit and let the whole city know that we have a virtual experience center in this city."

The assistant said, "Don't worry, Mr. Kang. We started preparing these publicity plans two months ago, and there will be no mistakes." As time passed, more people came. Most of them were Kang Zelin's friends in the business world, who arranged for people to send flower baskets to congratulate him.

But besides those who sent flower baskets to congratulate, there was another flower basket that was more conspicuous because it was sent by the local business subsidiary of Zhiyun Group.

Kang Zelin’s virtual experience center is the first virtual experience center in the local city. Zhiyun’s local staff attached great importance to it and specially sent a flower basket to congratulate the opening, and some people were present.

Although the person who came was only at the lowest level M5 management within Zhiyun Group, the M5 level was nothing in Zhiyun headquarters, but in some ordinary subsidiaries outside, it was already considered quite important.

After all, many ordinary middle and low-level managers in subsidiaries are actually still at the N4 or even N3 employee level.

Zhiyun Group is too large, and many middle-level managers in ordinary subsidiaries, such as department managers, sound like they are also management, but in fact they are generally at the N4 level.

And this is only for the internal affairs of Zhiyun Group. For outsiders, an M5 level is already enough to give face to Kang Zelin... This is also because Kang Zelin invested in opening the first local virtual experience center.

If it were in the past, Kang Zelin would never have come into contact with such people.

It was Kang Zelin's father who was able to get in touch with the serious M-level management of the local Zhiyun Group...but they were just casual acquaintances.

Although Kang Zelin's father is rich and has a net worth of over 100 million, traditional manufacturing has nothing to do with Zhiyun. If there is no business dealings, the M-level management of Zhiyun Group will not bother to pay attention to you!

People from Zhiyun are actually quite arrogant outside... Not just because of the platform they are on, but because they themselves are top business elites and have a broader vision!

Kang Zelin warmly welcomed the guests from Zhiyun's subsidiary, but they did not stay long and left soon.

After everyone left, Kang Zelin's father came over and said, "I heard that the appointment was good. Come on, this virtual experience center has great potential and is more promising than the previous e-commerce business!"

"E-commerce was very profitable in the early years, but you entered the market relatively late, and by the time you entered, the competition had become very fierce, so you wasted several years of hard work."

"As for the virtual experience center, you have taken the lead. This is the first one here. And I have inquired that there will not be a second virtual experience center here for at least two months. Zhiyun's virtual machines are in very serious shortage. The equipment of the other two local virtual experience centers will conservatively arrive in two months!"

"These two months are your chance!"

“Provide good service and build word-of-mouth, so that when other virtual experience centers open, customers will continue to choose to come to you!”

“After all, this is a service industry!”

Kang Zelin said: "Dad, I understand!"

Kang Zelin's father looked at him again, nodded, and then went in to take a look himself.

Kang Zelin continued to greet several guests and prepare various tasks. Now many people who had made reservations have come one after another, and there are even more people who did not make reservations but got the news and came over to see.

There are also a large number of people who keep asking how to play!
In this regard, the staff of the virtual experience center need to constantly introduce the experience to visitors and remain patient.

"You can scan the QR code to make an appointment on our official mini program. In addition, we have also launched VIP users. You can become a VIP member by recharging 5,000 yuan and enjoy exclusive appointment quotas for VIP members."

In order to attract as many customers as possible, especially a number of stable, long-term high-net-worth customers, Kang Zelin did not choose to simply make advance reservations like the virtual experience center operated by Zhiyun Group. The reservations are limited to three hours and the price is very cheap, only one hundred yuan per hour.

Zhiyun Group's official self-operated virtual experience center is used for publicity purposes. Its purpose is to allow more people to experience the virtual world, rather than for people to go there every day to play virtual games.

Kang Zelin's virtual experience center wants to make money, so not only is the fee higher, the entry-level model costs 150 yuan an hour. Kang Zelin plans to make a profit at a high price first, and then lower the price later through recharge discounts and other means.

At the same time, he also launched VIP membership services.

Although VIP members also need to make reservations, they do not have to compete with ordinary members for reservations, and there is no time limit for reservations... As long as there is enough money on your VIP membership card, you can charter a flight for a month!

Well, the cost of virtual experience centers is still relatively high, and most people are reluctant to play for a long time. The entry-level model in Kang Zelin's store costs 150 yuan per hour.

Therefore, we don't have much money in our pockets and only come to play occasionally, so we have to accept individual travelers who are similar to tourists.

But long-term customers with money in their pockets must hold on even more!
This is how VIP membership service came about.

As the doors officially opened at nine o'clock, dozens of guests who had made reservations in advance came in. Some of them had made reservations for several hours later, but they were in a hurry, so they came over to see!
Kang Zelin personally arranged the staff and took them to register and board the plane. After watching the customers boarding the plane one after another, Kang Zelin's heart suddenly settled down.

Forty machines, all entry-level virtual machines, costing one hundred and fifty yuan an hour.

Six thousand yuan an hour means one hundred and forty-four thousand yuan a day!

It's just one day!
There are 365 days in a year. If the restaurant is packed every day, the total revenue would be more than 52 million yuan... enough for him to recover the initial investment cost of more than 30 million yuan, and the rest would be pure profit.

Of course, Kang Zelin also knew that it would be impossible for the place to be full every day in the future.

But considering the current popularity of the virtual world, plus the fact that there are several million urban populations in the area, he thinks business won't be too bad.

In addition, the supply of virtual machines will be in severe shortage now and for a long time in the future, which means that there will be few competitors for virtual experience centers.

The most important thing is that most people will be shocked once they have experienced the virtual world...Kang Zelin is very confident in the virtual world, especially the virtual games in it.

Whether it's a shooting battle game like Armageddon or a role-playing game like Kingdom Come, they both have great appeal in this era... not because of how good the game content is, but because these two are the only large-scale virtual games currently available.

Just like the Legend and CS back then... no matter whether it was good or bad, it was very popular once it was launched.

People haven't seen anything like this before!
Against the backdrop of the virtual era’s arrival, Kang Zelin, as the first local person to reap the dividends of the virtual era, still has great confidence!
(End of this chapter)