From gaming to becoming the richest man, it all started with his counterattack against XunTeng.

When the Overwatch cinematic finished playing, it was almost 4 a.m. in China.

Those who can stay up until this hour to watch their screens are either night owls with their days and nights reversed, or the major game streamers and hardcore gamers in China.

At this moment, Teacher Ma's live stream was broadcasting the entire opening night of Gamescom, with the screen still frozen on the highlight shot at the end of the CG.

Just three minutes ago, the live stream was flooded with comments criticizing the formulaic and perfunctory production of "Thunder Fortress 7," creating a somber and perfunctory atmosphere. But after a short CG sequence, the viewers' attitudes changed drastically in an instant.

"The swarm game is never absent!"

"I knew the bee colony was planning something big!"

"Now, CEO Yang is no longer satisfied with hardcore tactical offense and defense; he's moved into the sci-fi hero arena, like chimpanzees fighting robots!"

"What is a Hive Animation Company?! (Leans back tactically)"

"I thought Rainbow Six Siege's animated CG was Yang's peak, but I didn't expect there were still masters out there!"

"I got so excited by what a gorilla said, I got goosebumps all over!"

The female characters are beautiful and charming, and the male characters are beginning to take on human form.

"This god is beginning to take on human form! It's absolutely laughable!"

"Germany, their mobilization capacity... wow—!"

Looks like another FPS! The swarm might just stick to one track forever!

"Didn't the host say it's a hero shooting game? And they really don't consider Plants vs. Zombies a game at all!"

I don't understand German.

That's English, for crying out loud!

"They're really losing their grip! XunTen and NetEase are both FPS games, are they planning to clash?"

"To be honest, judging from the CG, XunTeng's *Tactical Special Forces* still has a fighting chance, while NetEase's *Terrorist Hunt* is simply a pile of garbage."

"They really can't even copy Thunder Fortress properly!"

"It might not be so bad after all. By incorporating all the currently popular gameplay elements into one game, the resulting ultimate Frankenstein's monster might not be so bad after all."

Just as viewers were buzzing with discussion and the live chat was lagging, the stage lights for the Cologne opening night suddenly came on. The host, still beaming with excitement, raised his hand to signal for silence.

"Isn't that shocking enough?"

"Let's give a warm round of applause to Yang Yi, Chairman and Chief Game Producer of Beehive Technology!"

As the spotlight illuminated the side stage, Yang Yi, dressed in a well-fitting suit, walked confidently and steadily onto the stage, shaking hands politely with the host.

The cameras of the global live broadcast instantly focused on him.

Facing the camera, Yang Yi paused slightly, her tone calm yet her words firm and resolute:

"We are delighted that Overwatch can be on stage at Gamescom Opening Night and meet players from all over the world."

"Some viewers may not know that Hive is a very young company."

Everyone has a period of youthful arrogance, and I'm no exception.

"I used to think that the gameplay of FPS games on the market was rigid, monotonous and boring, so after I made my first pot of gold, I developed what I thought was the perfect FPS game, Rainbow Six Siege."

"But I am well aware that Rainbow Six Siege has too high a barrier to entry and a niche style, which ultimately cannot meet the expectations of all players and leaves many regrets."

"So today, I've brought another hero shooter game developed by my team to Gamescom, hoping it can make up for the shortcomings of Rainbow Six Siege and resonate with more gamers."

He leaned slightly forward, his clear voice carrying throughout the entire venue:

Overwatch officially launches its global open beta on September 15th!

"This world needs heroes! It needs Overwatch!"

"Are you coming or not?!"

Perhaps the impact of the CG hadn't faded, or perhaps the enhanced immersive power of the system had amplified the experience, but a few simple words from the speech ignited the passion of the audience from all over the world, who responded with enthusiastic shouts of agreement.

"Come!"

"Don't worry, we'll definitely get there!"

"Wardfa, you're saying you developed Rainbow Six Siege? That's my favorite game!"

"Rainbow Six Siege was perfect enough, and this game dares to claim that it makes up for its shortcomings! I can't wait to try Overwatch."

"We're determined to save this world!"

Seeing the atmosphere reach its peak, Yang Yi didn't hesitate and took the opportunity to promote the bee colony booth with a smile:

"During Gamescom this year, the Hive booth will be open for early access to Overwatch. All players are welcome to come and experience it."

These words made Teacher Ma, who was already itching to join in, completely unable to sit still in the live broadcast room.

He immediately picked up his phone and quickly checked the nearest flights to Cologne, Germany, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"My visa was approved a long time ago. I wasn't feeling well these past few days and was already planning to skip Gamescom."

"But Mr. Yang specifically asked me to go, so I have to go! Brothers, wait for me, tomorrow Lao Ma will bring you the latest firsthand news from the hands-on demo!"

Teacher Ma slammed down her phone, got up, pulled out her suitcase, and started packing, without delaying her trip in the slightest.

"I won't chat much longer. I have to catch my flight after the opening night, just in time for tomorrow's media day. I'll be live-streaming the gameplay for you guys!"

However, there weren't many comments responding to Teacher Ma. Clearly, the audience had no time to pay him any attention; everyone's focus was still on Yang Yi's passionate speech, and the atmosphere in the live stream was completely captivated by the new game from the swarm.

"Mr. Yang's meaning is very clear: Overwatch is no worse than Rainbow Six Siege, and might even be more fun!"

"Ugh, almost a month until we can play! This is even more agonizing than waiting for Rainbow Six Siege!"

"I can't stand staying here even for a single day this month!"

"If the gameplay video comes out tomorrow and it's really that fun, I'll be crawling with ants!"

"Crawling ants." ×999

"It's simple, just don't look!"

"If you decide not to watch, cockroaches will immediately start crawling on you!"

'6!'

"Mr. Yang's speech was worthy of a Munich pub; it was all very ordinary, yet it was incredibly inspiring."

"I hope Yang Yi didn't design a separate CG for each operator again this time!"

"What kind of operator? This time, we're calling for heroes!"

"Hey bro! Do you even know what a Beehive Animation Company is?"

"Yang Yi's first pot of gold was probably given to her by Boss Ma!"

"Judging from the development timeline, to be precise, it was practically snatched from Mr. Ma."

"Don't portray my genius producer as a robber; it's just a unique method of protecting their rights."

"You know what, if it weren't for XunTeng, how could Mr. Yang have developed Rainbow Six Siege and Plants vs. Zombies? You know, Gunfire Monologues was only so-so, far inferior to the games that followed."

"Knowing shame leads to courage" is a valid point.

"Quickly, say thank you, XunTeng!"

"Thank you, XunTeng." ×999

And so, with netizens creating all sorts of jokes and memes, XunTeng was unexpectedly propelled to the top of the trending searches in an extremely bizarre and hilarious way.

The entire internet is flooded with the phrase "Thank you, Tencent," and the hashtag is becoming increasingly popular, with its popularity soaring, leaving casual observers completely bewildered.

J1 Studio head Ji Feng was in high spirits after Tactical Squad received a good response at Gamescom opening night and slept soundly.

The next morning, he opened his eyes, picked up his phone with a light heart, and habitually wanted to check industry reviews and trending topics, ready to feel the joy of his game going viral.

Sure enough, XunTeng is trending on social media!

It looks like my year-end bonus is basically guaranteed this year!

A moment later, the smile on his face froze instantly, and he stood there dumbfounded.

The sky has fallen!

The screen was filled with "Thank you, Tencent," and the comment section was a uniform frenzy of memes.

Ji Feng stared at the screen, unable to recover for a long time, only a desperate cry echoing in his mind:

What does "Thank you XunTeng" mean?!