The virtual empire starts from the game

Chapter 617: The game is free, but the keys are charged! (Please vote with monthly tickets!)
Karn was caught red-handed, and it was certainly not unjust.

The intelligence agents aren't here to play games.

In reality, at this very moment, in every city that the spaceship invaded—Paris, London, New York, Sydney, Moscow—there were a large number of intelligence personnel and researchers on the move.

Even as Zhu Meng was discussing this propaganda plan with government agencies in various cities, many intelligence personnel had already quietly become involved.

Ordinary people may view such large-scale holographic drone swarm operations as a performance or propaganda tool, but the government cannot.

The defense and intelligence departments responsible for national security are even less likely to be involved.

Refusing is, of course, the safest option.

But technology has already been developed, and burying an ostrich's head in the sand won't solve the problem.

They will always have to face this problem.

If one wants to accurately assess the potential and destructive power of [holographic technology + drone swarm operations], this promotion by Zhumeng is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The gains from this "performance," which allows us to assess the threat posed by Xia's new technologies and tactics, are far more important than the money Zhu Meng paid!
This is also the key reason why local governments are willing to bear some risks and losses in order to cooperate in building this dream.

Xu Meng, Wu Shuang, Yin Zhiyuan, and others were all well aware of this.

However, for the Xia Kingdom at present, absorbing technology, upgrading industries, and expanding into the virtual world are all of paramount importance.

What we need most is peace.

So Xu Meng pulled off this big move to send a shockwave through these countries, making them realize that peace is better than war and is a very worthwhile thing to do.

And now, this goal has been achieved 200%!
—If a drone swarm built by Zhumeng can conjure up a giant spaceship spanning several kilometers out of thin air, then hiding a heavy bomber formation would be a piece of cake.
It can even be equipped with refueling aircraft to operate as an all-weather stealth bombing platform—stealth not only from radar but also from optical satellites.

Who can bear this?
There are also stealth fighters, stealth aircraft carriers, stealth tanks, and even stealth soldiers...

In addition, Xu Meng's dominance in information warfare...

What the hell is this?

You should be extremely grateful if you don't get beaten up!

It can be said that through this technological demonstration, Xu Meng has made a Nobel Prize-level contribution to world peace!

It's just that ordinary people don't realize this.

Ordinary people today are still marveling at the visual spectacle before their eyes.

After the initial surprise, I took the initiative to learn more about Zhumeng.

Unsurprisingly, the number of newly registered users of Zhumeng saw a huge increase, jumping from 700 million to 760 million within 24 hours!
Holographic display devices in warehouses around the world sold out instantly.

The [Dream Machine], which was specifically mentioned in this advertisement, has seen its pre-orders soar once again!
Yes, it's still by reservation.

To this day, the dream-making machine is still in a state where every single one produced is sold out.

Even with continuous capacity expansion, demand still exceeds supply.

Even so, seeing that the global pre-orders for the Dream Machine have exceeded 3000 million units and are still rising, Xu Meng and all the employees in the hardware department are overjoyed.

The number of Dream Machines activated worldwide has now exceeded 8800 million, and with pre-orders, it has reached 11800 million!

And its potential is far from exhausted!

How could this not be exciting?

Based on this alone, Xu Meng has already made a fortune from this large-scale promotion!
However, netizens and players don't have this perspective, and they even worry that Xu Meng might be losing out by doing this.

The official live stream room was not closed, and the chat was still flooded with messages:
"I declare—this is the most awesome game advertisement ever!"

"I just want to ask: How much money did Xu Meng actually invest? Will she really be able to recoup her costs?"

"Boss Xu: As long as I can show off, money is no object!"

"To be honest, what is the connection between this whole event and 'Under the Rock'? Why were they brought in together?"

"It was just a quick thing, hahaha."

"@Richard Moreno, Xu Meng looks down on you!"

……

Xu Mengren was still in the cockpit of the Zhenyue mech, slowly sitting down so that the players below could take photos and group pictures.

Seeing the barrage of provocative comments in the live stream, I shook my head speechlessly.

He explained, "Don't spread rumors. I've also designed a large-scale promotional campaign for 'Under the Rock'."

"But Richard rejected him."

"He didn't even let me finish speaking!"

Xu Meng still feels a little regretful when she thinks back on her "real-life cave exploration" plan.

Upon hearing this, the audience immediately became extremely interested in the publicity plan that had been abandoned.

They all urged him to explain what the plan was.

Xu Meng shook her head: "The game is out, friends, aren't you going to check it out?"

The audience exclaimed, "We love listening to your nonsense!" Xu Meng was speechless and could only shake her head again: "If you want to chat, let's wait two hours."

"We will hold a small press conference to talk about the launch of new games, updates to old games, and some new hardware news."

"Everyone can look forward to it."

"Alright, that's all for now. I need to get ready."

See you all in two hours.

Xu Meng waved to everyone at the camera.

The camera then moved away from the cockpit and quietly broadcasted players taking photos with their mechs and spaceships in the park.

At this point, the number of viewers in the live stream began to drop rapidly.

In cities where no spaceships crashed, players activated their dream machines to return to the virtual world and watch the newly launched games.

As soon as I appeared in my login space, I saw a newspaper in front of me.

The newspaper headline was the news of the game's release:
[New progress in the Great Frontier! "Echoes of the Deep" and "Under the Rock" launch simultaneously!]
"I'll see, I'll see."

Qi Huahua picked up the newspaper.

Just as we guessed, both "Deep Space Echo" and "Under the Deep Rock" are priced at 168 yuan.

"All players who activate the game before its launch will receive the title of [Pioneer Pioneer] and a Platinum Pioneer Commemorative Medal."

"this is not bad!"

Qi Huahua excitedly opened her email to claim her title and badge.

The platinum pioneer commemorative medal, engraved with an exquisite spaceship, felt wonderful to the touch, which pleased her greatly.

Conversely, the viewers in the live stream were wailing and lamenting that they had missed out on this rare and precious item.

Qi Huahua continued reading:

"Players can purchase the game to obtain login keys for both games, as well as a set of corresponding themed clothing and furniture."

"This one's not bad either!" Qi Huahua was about to place her order when her eyes fell on a line of text below—

[After the game's launch, players who successfully traverse the rainforest and find the Lost Ship/Misty Mine will enjoy a 50% discount when purchasing the game and will receive a Golden Pioneer Commemorative Medal.]

Qi Huahua stopped what she was doing, a look of great confusion on her face:

"Is this really a good deal, or a trap?"

"Isn't this just a ploy to lure players onto the [Road to Death] and torture them?!"

She knew very well how difficult this path was!

"How many lives can this 84 yuan buy..."

Seven Flowers had already foreseen the horrific scenes that would unfold on the [Road to Death] in the coming week.

However, many players lack this awareness.

They realized they had missed out on the Platinum Commemorative Medal, and now they are even less willing to miss out on the Gold Commemorative Medal!

At this moment, tens of millions of players around the world put down their newspapers and are about to embark on another challenge!

More than half of the players who received the Platinum Badge immediately placed an order to buy the game.

—They did indeed qualify for a permanent free-to-play status, but…

Without the teleportation key, it would be too much trouble for them to travel back and forth between the Lost Ship and the Sprawling City!
It often takes two or three hours, and there's still no guarantee of success...

In comparison, spending 168 yuan to buy a key is such a great deal!

—If the person is already inside the spaceship, it might only cost 84 yuan!
After the valiant sniper finished paying, two keys appeared out of thin air in front of him and clattered onto the table.

[Login Key (Deep Space Echo)]: Use this key to open any door. Pushing open the door will take you to your login space in Deep Space Echo.

[Login Key (Beneath the Deep Rock)]: ...

After the two keys appeared, they began to tremble slightly and move closer together, hinting to the valiant sniper that they could be combined into one.

The valiant sniper didn't do that; instead, he put away the key to "Echoes of the Deep Space" and picked up the lock from "Under the Deep Rock" that he had inserted into his own bedroom door.

Close it, then open it again.

Behind the door was no longer a bedroom, but a small stone hut built of rocks.

He stepped inside.

Close the door, remove the key, and then open the door again.

The outside world is now a new world shrouded in a thick fog.

Zhu Meng calls this place: Misty Mine.

(End of this chapter)