To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 329: Chapter 208: The Mecha Stands Tall upon the Earth (Second Update)_1

United States, California.

There were only thirty hours left until the “Fallen Mecha” competition began.

James, the head of the event, checked the equipment in various locations once again, confirmed the attendee list, rehearsed the procedure, ensuring that every aspect was perfect.

The recent sales performance of “Fallen Mecha” was very impressive, and the company’s stock price had climbed due to the game’s sales. By using the competition to stimulate another wave of sales and attract sponsors, the stock could continue to soar, and the company could fetch a good price when it was acquired.

The preparation time for the competition was short, so only some of the players were selected through open auditions, while others were invited to participate.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In this venue, they would conduct a four-day competition and decide the champion of the individual matches during the process.

After resting for three days, they would start the team competition and determine the team champions over another four days, totaling eleven days of events.

The presale tickets for the individual matches had already sold out; the initial publicity had achieved its effect, media broadcasting rights and advertising were all ready, just waiting for the competition to start.

James had hosted many esports events before. Although this one had been put together hurriedly, they had still managed to catch up.

However, for some reason, he felt a bit uneasy.

As he pondered the source of this perturbed feeling, he saw a staff member hurrying toward him. The staff member then whispered, “Mr. James, there’s a team that wants to drop out?”

“Which team?”

“Madhouse.”

James checked the list and realized that the team was not essential to invite, and the price offered to them had not been high. If they didn’t come, so be it.

However, their withdrawal at this time clearly indicated they were among the less loyal participants.

After adding Madhouse to the blacklist, James looked through the same ranking segment and then asked, “How about Zoo?”

“Just a moment…”

An email was sent to them. After waiting for a while, the staff member shook their head, “They’re not coming either, they say they have other arrangements.”

“California Boys?”

“…No good.”

“Terra Planet?”

“Can’t make it.”

After mentioning several names, James found that the teams all seemed to have other arrangements.

This situation made James increasingly vigilant. He felt as if something was about to happen.

While he was considering what might be going on, he saw that construction had started again at the venue across the street.

This opposite venue had been under construction starting eight days ago, but it was unclear what it was for.

The construction party was obviously well-funded; loads of equipment were being delivered inside the venue, including a variety of VR equipment.

The scale of the operation was even larger than his own, which led James to suspect that some other game manufacturer also wanted to hold a gaming event here, but he couldn’t find out any details no matter how much he inquired.

Standing by the window, he looked through the glass at the people entering and leaving the opposite venue, when he suddenly spotted a familiar face.

Hoffman from Cayman Company!

What was that old fox doing here?

Next to Hoffman was a Huaxia man, standing with him, chatting and laughing, apparently hitting it off quite well.

Taking out his smartphone, he zoomed in and took a picture of the Huaxia man, then started searching for him on Google. It didn’t take long before he found the man’s information.

President of Kirin Industry, Gao Tianyun.

Looking at those VR devices, each one bore the logo of Kirin Industry, further confirming the man’s identity.

Gao Tianyun had a small but notable reputation in the gaming world. When he started working on VR equipment, everyone thought he was crazy, but surprisingly, he had made it work in the end.

Moreover, he had formed a strategic partnership with a certain gaming studio. He purportedly sold quite a few VR integrated machines, and there seemed to be new developments recently.

But…

What was he doing here?

Resting his chin on his hand, James watched from afar as the two men gestured emphatically outside the venue.

And Hoffman, that old fox, was clearly persuaded.

He was speculative at times, excited at others, and after viewing something on Gao Tianyun’s phone, the middle-aged fox was so thrilled that he patted Gao Tianyun’s shoulder, his shouts of approval even reaching James.

Unfortunately, James couldn’t see what was on the other man’s phone due to the distance, which was somewhat frustrating.

After thinking it over, he asked his assistant to keep watch over the situation while he left the venue and approached the two men.

Coming before them, he politely said, “Mr. Hoffman, long time no see.”

“James, it’s you!”

Hoffman greeted James with a warm hug, squeezing him so tightly that James felt a bit suffocated.

He wanted to push the man away but feared that he might do something hasty, so he painfully allowed Hoffman to keep hugging him.

When the man finally let go, James was surprised to find that Gao Tianyun, who had just been there, had left.

However, he could still see Gao’s retreating figure. If he hurried, he could catch up and perhaps find out what Gao was doing here.

He had an intuition that the Huaxia man was definitely plotting something unsavory.

But as he prepared to go after him, he realized that Hoffman had his hand in a vice-like grip, preventing him from moving.

“…Mr. Hoffman?”

“We haven’t seen each other for so long, aren’t you going to catch up?” Hoffman winked mischievously with his left eye.

James turned his head and saw that Gao Tianyun was gone.

Wiping the smile off his face, James forcefully withdrew his hand, then crossed his arms over his chest and asked with a frown, “Hoffman, what are you guys up to? I know you like Huaxia, but I don’t think it’s good to be involved with Huaxia people.”