Believe me, I really am a professional League of Legends player.

Chapter 86: A Whirlpool of Traffic! Terrifying Popularity! (Please Subscribe)

After Li Fan finished running through the shadow, he didn't stream for very long. He said goodbye to the viewers in the live stream and ended the broadcast.

The reason is actually quite simple: most people in the live stream room are no longer interested in watching the live stream; one or two of them want to go and try their hand at QQ Speed.

Another reason is that it's too late now, and if I don't go back to sleep, it will affect my performance on tomorrow's live stream.

I've gotten used to all the locations over the past three months, and if it's suddenly disrupted, I'll feel uncomfortable for a long time.

The state of mind will also be greatly affected.

Although he doesn't play ranked games, he actually maintains an excellent level of performance at all times.

The audience greeted each other as the screen went black.

[Brothers, I'm going out too. I'm waiting for 100,000 yuan.]

[Congratulations to the brothers on winning the 100,000 yuan bonus!]

Almost simultaneously, countless players who had been waiting for a long time, whether they were curious passersby, confident veterans, or professional experts like Jiang Zhangchuang and Liang Haihui, all entered this string of code into the Shadow Challenge system in the game with lightning speed.

However, shortly after the challenge began, cries of despair and incredulous exclamations flooded the live streams and social media platforms of major gaming forums.

[Holy crap! What kind of starting strategy is this?!]

[I just activated the nitrous oxide, where did it go? I can't even see its taillights anymore!]

[Is this really a flatbed cart? It's faster than my A-class car after starting!]

[I was already almost a straightaway ahead by the first corner? What the hell?!]

For the vast majority of ordinary players, and even many who consider themselves experts, the challenge was already over as soon as it began.

Even if you're mentally prepared, the sheer despair you feel when you actually see the shadow is overwhelming.

Even the taillights are out of reach... that's the ultimate despair.

Li Fan's new running technique and subsequent smooth route allowed the two to completely widen the gap on the uphill sections.

Their screens were empty in front of them; they could only watch as the record time was constantly refreshed, without even the right to imitate it.

Of course, these players mainly talk about these things here to make memes.

I know my own skill level all too well.

Running in two and a half minutes in spring is already fast enough.

A difference of two and a half to a little over two minutes is something that even cheating might not be able to overcome.

Despair, utter despair.

So running this map is mostly just for fun.

But when more people join in the fun, it only fuels the fire, making the hype even bigger.

This attracted even more people to join in.

Those who are truly interested in the huge prize money are actually the professional players.

Everyone had a furrowed brow...

To be honest, many professional drivers haven't yet mastered Li Fan's super drift cornering technique; they still rely on tire lock-up cornering at this stage.

The record for most professional athletes is two minutes and ten seconds. Only top-level athletes can break ten, and this is a record that is impossible to achieve in daily life.

It was Li Fan's innovative running style that completely changed this situation.

But now... even a handcart can finish in under two minutes and five seconds.

The experiences of these professional players were even more profound and desperate.

Jiang Zhangchuang frowned as the screen showed the starting sequence of his A-class car, Renault, and Li Fan's cart, their shadows running side by side.

His start was perfect, and he even had a lead thanks to the car's absolute stats. However, when Li Fan used the extra two boosts, he not only caught up but also used a super drift on the acceleration strip!
On the screen, the blue cart seemed to break free of its restraints, transforming into a blue afterimage that instantly left him far behind, the distance between them widening rapidly...

"Damn, why is he moving so fast on this map? Is he using a cart like a supercar?"

Even driving a basic car, you can't catch up. You're a League of Legends player, why don't you just stick to playing League of Legends? Why do you have to come and play QQ Speed?

Liang Haihui, who was next to him, had a similar expression and state of mind.

"How can anyone learn this? This running style is something that no normal person can replicate. His nitro management and route selection... are just too incredible."

The two of them, the number one and number two drivers of the same team, never felt this powerless when facing other professional drivers.

"Can we remove this map when we reach the quarterfinals?"

"Will the official team remove this map? I feel like if he gets out there, we're completely finished."

Liang Haihui shook his head at this moment.

This is still very difficult, because among the top eight contestants, Unreal has the most buzz.

I didn't see that this challenge event was organized; they only contacted him and didn't choose anyone else. You should know that Luo Wei, the three-time champion, was also among the top eight.

However, the fact that Luo Wei was not chosen to come already shows the official attitude.

Then, given the immense popularity this image has generated, how could they possibly remove it during the competition?
On the contrary, I really hope this map appears in the competition...

Professional drivers like Hu Xu and Luo Wei, whether using a basic car or their own top-of-the-line racing car, all achieved similar results.

In the early stages, they might be able to keep up, but once they enter the acceleration zone and start drifting excessively, they will be mercilessly left behind, and in the end, they can only look on with envy at the record of 2 minutes and 04.88 seconds.

"Holy crap... how can he run so fast? Monkey, can you catch him?" Hu Baibing looked at Yin Junlin beside him.

"No way, I can't even see the taillights. Hall! He's too awesome. If he really joins QQ Speed, he'll undoubtedly become QQ Speed's favorite son."

"It seems like QQ Speed ​​is getting popular again. How about we stream QQ Speed ​​when we have some free time?"

"Let's give it a try. There's this challenge going on, so let's stream our run on this map."

"Wait, let me ask Liang Haipeng how his run is going."

Hu Baibing thought for a moment, then took out his phone and made a call.

"..."

This seems to be no challenge at all, turning this image into a learning resource for professional players.

Li Fan's shadow in this game has become the ultimate tutorial.

In just one night, posts appeared one after another on various forums.

Is the Unreal Challenge in QQ Speed ​​even passable by a human?

The original poster is devastated. They've been playing racing games for three years and consider themselves pretty good, but they can't even finish half as fast as him!

[+1, I didn't even see how he went through the first bend...]

[Even professional players would struggle with an S-class car, right? This record is outrageous!] [Rational discussion: Is this Unreal Engine 2 record the most absurd record in QQ Speed ​​history?]

[It feels like there's no one like it before, and it's unlikely anyone will ever do it again...]

It seems the government won't be able to give away that 100,000 yuan.

[Unreal: I'm only listing this 100,000, not because I think it's worth it, but to let you know that you can't take it away.]

Help! Unreal's shadow is a dream I can never catch up with in this lifetime!

[Haha, I got the backdrop for the participation prize! A total steal!]

[Me too, I came for the backdrop. Challenge? What's that? Why not just give out a participation prize?]

[The backdrop looks great! Unreal Engine is awesome! EDG is awesome!]

A wave of challenges sweeping through QQ Speed ​​and the entire gaming community has officially begun!

The failure of the challenge did not dampen everyone's enthusiasm; on the contrary, its unattainable heights generated tremendous buzz and a significant spread.

Countless people shared their experiences of being tortured, complained about Li Fan's inhuman actions, and happily showed off the co-branded backdrop for the participation prize.

This has led to an impact on the online player count of other games, especially the currently popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

It's worth noting that PUBG has been running for half a month, and the number of concurrent online players has remained stable at around one million.

However, the number of online users dropped by one million last night. Although the reason was hard for everyone to believe, it was indeed due to this wave of impact!
Similarly... Li Fan's influence shocked countless game companies.

This is a bit too exaggerated. How could one person possibly achieve this level of accomplishment?

How can a game attract so many players?

Can it still curb the immense popularity of PUBG, which they now believe will become the ultimate hit?

This unusual phenomenon naturally attracted the attention of major game operators.

TiMi Studio of Honor of Kings: "Although our daily active user data has not decreased, the growth curve has obviously flattened. Discussion forums and fan groups are full of Unreal and QQ Speed... The Linlang Tianshang group has successfully contacted EDG. I think our Honor of Kings can also do it, and we can cooperate with them even better. Anyway, they are all MOBA games, so they should be easy to pick up."

The Dungeon & Fighter project team: "We're as stable as a rock, but... the popularity of QQ Speed ​​is just too outrageous! This number of new downloads is equivalent to half a year's worth of their usual promotions, right? How about we release a video and beg Unreal Engine to play Dungeon & Fighter? If they actually do, wouldn't that be a huge profit?"

The JX3 (Sword Net 3) project team: "We're so envious! Such an amazing crossover collaboration! Should we find an esports star too...?"

Suddenly, in the eyes of game industry executives and operations personnel, Li Fan was no longer just a professional player with a large following, but a nuclear-level resource that could truly influence the battlefield.

QQ Speed ​​successfully took the first bite of the crab.

Many people know that Unreal has become incredibly popular because of playing other games, and he almost trends on social media after every EDG match.

But nobody actually goes out of their way to discuss collaborations.

As for the last time PUBG was mentioned on Weibo, the official response was simply a thank you.

This gave many project companies a lot of ideas at this time.

Everyone wanted to see if there was a chance to collaborate with Li Fan.

The main reason is that they were also impacted by PUBG.

Everyone wants to launch an event and maintain daily active users.

Among the many companies, the one that regrets it the most is the project team of the pig farm, "Land of the Brave".

Looking at the data reported by his subordinates and comparing it with the phenomenal growth curve of QQ Speed, Wang Zhe, the project leader, was filled with regret.

The deliberate hiring of online trolls to stir up trouble surrounding Li Fan did indeed generate some buzz and bring a brief period of attention.

But what happened next? Although Li Fan is still playing, he almost never mentions it in his live streams anymore, and his huge fan base has lost interest in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

That wave of enthusiasm, like water without roots, came quickly and went even faster.

The current rise is not as significant as before, and there has even been a decline.

In contrast, QQ Speed's collaboration is textbook perfect.

Leveraging Unreal Engine's persona as a gaming genius, and through a high-prize challenge format that is highly topical and engaging, they not only instantly generated buzz but also genuinely translated into astonishing downloads and daily active users!

The 100,000 yuan prize may seem like a lot, but compared to the publicity effect of this campaign, it's just a drop in the ocean!
"Why did we only think about taking advantage of that opportunity back then?" The head of the operations department of Rise of Kingdoms rubbed his temples, his tone filled with regret. "There were clearly better ways to cooperate..."

They unilaterally buy traffic and generate buzz, which benefits themselves but harms others.

There was silence in the office.

When the decision was made to let things run wild or even secretly push for a backlash against Unreal Engine, no one expected that Unreal Engine's potential and influence would be this great.

“Minister Wang…” an operations manager began cautiously, “Is it too late to salvage the situation? He might only have a suspicion, but there’s no evidence that we did it. Could we contact the EDG club and formally discuss a collaboration?”

Wang Zhe narrowed his eyes; this was actually the question he was thinking about right now.

But others aren't stupid either. Otherwise, given the huge controversy that erupted back then, why did the game "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" stop streaming? If they were to get involved now, they would definitely have to adopt a very humble attitude.

Other games continue to be streamed as usual, no matter how harshly they are criticized.

In this situation, there is a resistance mentality, and it's uncertain whether cooperation can be achieved.

However, looking at the enviable data of QQ Speed, the huge potential profits ultimately outweighed saving face.

"Contact them immediately, lower your stance and show sincerity. At least change the current situation and get Unreal to be willing to stream Rise of Kingdoms."

He then opened Li Fan's live stream.

Once you click in, you'll see that Li Fan is very responsible; he came to run the map early in the morning.

The main reason is that QQ Speed ​​offers just too many rewards.

You only need to run one shadow run to get 300,000... and there will be additional bonuses depending on the subsequent results.

To be honest, this money came too easily; it's almost too hot to handle.

Since that's the case, Li Fan has decided to use QQ Speed ​​as the opening theme from now on.

Anyway, a game only lasts two or three minutes, so it doesn't affect anything.

"Hey, does this challenge count? I did it all on my own, and I beat it in one go... This is way too easy!"

The words "Challenge Successful" have appeared in the center of the live stream screen.

2 minutes 04 seconds 54!

"As expected, I wasn't in great shape yesterday. If I were in this condition today, I don't think anyone could achieve this result."

Unreal Engine, I'm impressed!

[You don't need to feel anything anymore. No one can beat your current record. I've watched a lot of racing streamers, and even with an S-class car, they can't beat you...]

"Hehehe, QQ Speed ​​check-in complete. Haven't played CS:GO in a while, guys, wanna check out a high-level match?"

　Thank you so much for the generous donation of 10,000! Thank you, boss!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)