Chapter 160: Joint Studio

Li Hongbo and his team set their respawn point in Baoding. Watching his subordinates respawn one by one, he felt like crying without tears. Determined to carve out a name for himself in the game, he established Blue Sky Studio, ruthlessly exploiting and scheming against his schoolmates and alumni just to cut costs. After entering the game, he developed with cautious steps, relying on petty cunning to complete numerous quests, and taking advantage of sheer numbers to plunder countless players, which finally gave Blue Sky Studio a certain degree of competitiveness.

When robbing players, Li Hongbo refrained from killing them outright. After surrounding a lone traveler, he would coerce the victim into handing over some valuables. Weighing their options, many players preferred to pay a toll to secure safe passage and avoid being slaughtered.

This tactic was rather cunning. When lone players carrying items or money were intercepted by Li Hongbo’s men, being killed meant not only dropping the contents of their bindle bags but also losing a level. Most people chose to suffer a minor monetary loss to escape with their lives.

While this approach drastically reduced the loot gained from each raid, it spared Li Hongbo from murder and kept him off the government's wanted lists. Through months of accumulation, the Blue Sky Gaming Studio finally began to take shape. Its members were equipped with firearms, and to facilitate their plundering, they had purchased fifty horses.

It was precisely because their strength had vastly improved that Li Hongbo dared to go to Langfang to participate in a large-scale quest. Joining the Boxers to fight the allied vanguard netted him substantial rewards. He was rational enough to know that the upcoming confrontation with the Eight-Nation Alliance was primarily for farming experience points, but the risk of death in such battles was too high. There was no need for a gaming studio to take unnecessary risks for mere experience, so he chose to undertake tasks unrelated to the allied forces.

Li Hongbo poured over extensive documentation regarding the Battle of Langfang, ultimately locking his target onto the quest to capture Nie Shicheng's family, and dispatched his men to search for clues.

He was not the only one aware of the quest to capture Nie Shicheng's family, but many players revered Nie Shicheng's integrity and chose to abandon the mission even after finding the leads. The players in Li Hongbo's studio were university students, still possessing a trace of innocence as they stepped into society. Quite a few opposed undertaking this task. However, in his eagerness to get ahead, Li Hongbo had long since discarded his moral integrity and ignored all dissenting opinions.

Heaven rewards the diligent. One of Li Hongbo's subordinates finally triggered the quest, prompting him to lead fifteen elites toward Stone Village. Along the way, he happened to encounter Chen Hao clearing the battlefield. Spotting three fine horses, greed overtook him, and he attempted to forcibly purchase the mounts using his usual heavy-handed tactics. Little did he know, he had provoked someone he shouldn't have, resulting in heavy casualties among his subordinates.

Li Hongbo had agonizingly spent a fortune on fifty horses specifically for raiding, and this single battle wiped out well over half of them. Decades of hard work were undone in a single morning. This came as a crushing blow to Li Hongbo. After a long, brooding silence, he ordered all his subordinates to log out of the game and summoned everyone in the studio to a meeting.

When all members had assembled, Li Hongbo said with an earnest expression, "Some of you may feel that many of my methods are ruthless, but I did so because reality is too cruel. None of us here come from particularly privileged backgrounds; if we want to get ahead in this world, we have to resort to unconventional methods. I was strict with all of you simply to ensure the studio's survival, so that we could unite and forge our own destiny."

"There are countless opportunities in the game *War*. We developed well in the early stages, but because we provoked Chen Baxian, we suffered a devastating loss, rendering our initial efforts completely void. Originally, I intended for our studio to remain independent, with all of us working together to build our own faction. But after this incident, I realize how naive I was."

"The game is full of opportunities, but it is equally fraught with unpredictable risks. Without sufficient capability to withstand these hazards, there is no way to develop. Some time ago, an investor approached us wishing to buy a stake in our studio, and I refused. Now, I have decided to accept their terms. For me, doing so means losing the chance at independent development, but for you, it is a blessing. Your compensation and career prospects will only improve."

Having operated the gaming studio for several months, some members were already aware of how Li Hongbo had trapped them with exploitative contracts, so his words were met with overt skepticism. Soon, someone stood up and asked, "Class monitor, you mentioned someone wants to invest in our studio. Exactly how does this investment work?"

Li Hongbo smiled and replied, "Our studio's funding will henceforth be provided by this party. Aside from our routine operations, we will also cooperate with their initiatives. I can guarantee that with more abundant capital, your incomes will double—this is a tangible benefit for all of you. The contracts I previously had you sign might have seemed harsh, but they were necessary for the sake of our studio, our future growth, and everyone's success."

Hearing that their income would double, the studio members accepted Li Hongbo's explanation, and the lingering resentment in their hearts dissipated. Those classmates who had always known the truth about being exploited had previously been dissatisfied with him, but hearing his explanation that it was all for their future development—and that he was even willing to relinquish his position as boss just to double their earnings—softened many hearts and earned him their forgiveness.

Having successfully persuaded his studio members, Li Hongbo wore a triumphant smile as he stepped out of the meeting room. These university students, who had just set foot in society, were far too easy to hoodwink. He was giving up his position as boss not for the sake of his members as he claimed, but because the recent losses were simply too catastrophic, and he lacked the further capital to invest.

A while ago, a man named Zhou Shi had contacted all the studios in the Huayang District, wishing to establish a cooperative relationship, provide development funds, and propose a coalition among them all.

Rumors had it that this Zhou Shi possessed official backing and wielded absolute, unchecked power within the Huayang District. His willingness to invest stemmed from a desire to turn the various studios into constituent parts of a faction he was building. Since the studios existed to make money, allying for mutual development held no disadvantages, and many had readily agreed to his proposal.

Li Hongbo had refused at the time. Back then, his Blue Sky Studio was thriving, fueling his ambition to become a warlord in his own right.

This latest setback made him realize that while running a studio was fine for making money in-game, aspiring to become a regional warlord was far beyond his current capacity. Agreeing to Zhou Shi's alliance to mitigate gaming risks, slowly accumulating capital, and establishing a command headquarters only when opportunity arose—that was the optimal path.

Although Li Hongbo's true motive was to shelter beneath Zhou Shi's towering tree, he had framed it during the meeting as a move to increase his members' earnings, thereby smoothing over any internal friction. Once Zhou Shi injected the funds, the players' incomes would indeed double, though in reality, it would merely bring them on par with members of other studios, given how exploitative Li Hongbo's original contracts had been.

Li Hongbo's understanding of *War* had deepened considerably. He felt there were too many variables in the game; even someone as financially formidable as Zhou Shi might not necessarily succeed. Relying on Zhou Shi for now was a safe bet; if Zhou Shi eventually rose to become a regional overlord, earning a profit through their cooperative ties would not be a bad outcome.

Conversely, if Zhou Shi failed to make a mark in the game, the studio could easily distance itself from him. As long as he retained the loyalty of his members, it would not be too late to break away and stand on his own feet. He quickly dialed Zhou Shi's number and said with a beaming smile, "Hello, Mr. Zhou! I am Li Hongbo from Blue Sky Gaming Studio. Regarding your previous proposal for all studios to unite, accept your sponsorship, and cooperate with your development in-game, my partners and I have discussed it and unanimously agree to your terms. Do you suppose we could find a time to sign the contract?"

"Hehe! Manager Li is certainly a smart man! No problem, I will arrange for someone to come over and sign the contract with you, and the first tranche of funding will be transferred to your account shortly."

After hanging up, Zhou Shi turned to Wang Yu beside him and instructed, "Go and check out what went wrong with Li Hongbo's studio."

Before long, Wang Yu returned and recounted the events that had transpired in the game. Zhou Shi chuckled, "It seems this fellow is quite ambitious, but his ambitions were completely shattered by Chen Baxian this time. He should learn to behave himself from now on!"

Wang Yu sneered, "A dog cannot change its habit of eating feces. I reckon Li Hongbo's capital chain snapped, which is why he's temporarily falling back on us to develop. Once he accumulates enough capital, if we fail to make headway in the game, he'll undoubtedly break away and set up on his own."

Zhou Shi said indifferently, "Not just him—every studio that chooses to cooperate with us thinks the exact same way. If we succeed, they will peacefully work for us and profit under our banner. If we don't perform well in the game, they will undoubtedly choose to split off or defect to other factions. So-called camaraderie among hometown folks isn't worth a damn."

Wang Yu asked with perplexity, "Boss, since you know they can't be trusted, why invest so much capital to cooperate with them?"

Zhou Shi smiled with absolute confidence, "Because I have the confidence to develop better than they do. Those under the Butcher are nothing more than a mob, and our manpower is still insufficient. I don't have the energy to build gaming studios from scratch; rallying these studios together, providing them with financial backing, and enhancing their risk-resistance capabilities allows me to mobilize their personnel when needed. It's a win-win transaction."

Frowning, Wang Yu voiced his concern, "I still feel uneasy not having these studios under our direct control. Their hearts aren't with us. What if they sell us out in the game?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Shi's eyes as he replied, "Those thugs under the Butcher may not be great at gaming, but they do have a few desperate men among them. If these studios try any funny business, we can just hand them over to those desperadoes."

A sudden realization dawned on Wang Yu. Scratching his head, he remarked, "Boss Zhou, you always think things through comprehensively. Aside from Huayang, there are quite a few studios over in Xifeng County as well. I'll visit them tomorrow to see if cooperation is possible."

Waving a hand, Zhou Shi instructed, "There's no rush for that; you can delegate it to your subordinates. Just now, Li Hongbo mentioned that the Boxers might still have the quest to target Nie Shicheng's family. My personal alignment leans toward monarchical governance, so I'd rather not entangle myself with the Boxers. Take some men and see if you can trigger a two-way quest to deal with Chen Baxian."

Looking puzzled, Wang Yu asked, "Boss, didn't you tell us not to provoke Chen Baxian anymore? Why are we crossing swords with him again?"

Zhou Shi shook his head. "Through Li Hongbo's encounter, I've come to understand Chen Baxian's personality quite well. This man holds grudges and seeks immediate retribution; the enmity between us is utterly irreconcilable. Since the hatred cannot be resolved, the only way to avoid future suffering is to ruthlessly suppress him and deny him any chance of riding roughshod over us." (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature, for better, faster updates!)