Chapter 242: Base Renovation! The Game Launch Worth a Hundred Million!

Chapter 242: Base Renovation! The Game Launch Worth a Hundred Million!

'Space-Time Duo' was the nickname Su Ping gave to Dong Muchuan and Ye Zhou.

One of them excelled in time-based cultivation, while the other was skilled in spatial cultivation, together forming the Space-Time Duo.

From Ye Zhou, Su Ping gained a lot of inspiration regarding time-based cultivation, and from Dong Muchuan, he gained a certain understanding and knowledge of spatial cultivation.

Previously, when Su Ping visited the Eastern Legion, he saw the spatial teleportation array that led to the spatial vortex at the legion's base.

Ever since then, Su Ping had been determined to get one for himself, even if it was a bit extravagant for his small base. After all, as the saying goes, those with dreams are extraordinary.

However, Dong Muchuan informed him that creating a spatial teleportation array was not as simple as it seemed.

The conditions were complex, and the requirements were numerous.

Material requirements were one thing, but the most challenging condition was ensuring the stability of space.

This condition alone left Su Ping feeling helpless.

The reason was simple. Previously, within the realm of the Heart of Wood, the Sword King Realm had emerged, and not far away, over ten kilometers away, there was the Pig King Realm.

Although they had both collapsed and disappeared, stabilizing the space would still require some time to gradually calm down, making the idea of a spatial teleportation array impossible for the time being.

This left Su Ping feeling disappointed.

What made him even more disappointed was that, with only a few days left until the New Year, the little crow hadn't returned.

Su Ping was worried, but there was nothing he could do.

During this time, Master Zhu Hong and Liu Fuhai's research finally came to a halt at Su Ping's request.

With only a few days left until the New Year, it wasn't worth pushing themselves to the limit. After all, everything should have its ups and downs, right?

Of course, there was another important reason.

Su Ping didn't want to deal with Liu Fuhai's issues in these last few days. Although the Breeder Association had less work as the New Year approached, there were still breeder welfare matters and year-end procurement decisions that required Liu Fuhai's approval.

However, Sun Chaorju and the others couldn't find Liu Fuhai, so they all ended up calling Su Ping.

This left Su Ping with no time to focus on his own matters.

As for Master Zhu Hong, he understood the importance of balance and had even more experience than Liu Fuhai. During this time, he took a break and spent his days relaxing at the Heart of Wood.

Su Ping, on the other hand, was busy with his own affairs, such as contemplating a crucial historical question.

However, this historical question left Su Ping feeling uncertain about making the decision on his own.

So, on this winter morning, a few days before the Lunar New Year's Eve, Su Ping decided to call his father.

"Hey, why are you calling me again?"

Su Anyong's speech on the other end of the line was slurred, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

"Su Anyong, it's almost the Lunar New Year's Eve in a couple of days. When are you coming home?"

The sound of gushing water came through the phone, and after ten seconds, Su Anyong, having finished washing up, finally spoke:

"Hey! What's so fresh about it? Home? Where's home? The Heart of Wood? Isn't that Su Ping's personal base? I'm an empty-nester, and I can spend my later years anywhere."

"Su Anyong, can you speak properly?"

"Cut the chatter. If you have something to say, say it. I still have a blind date with your great-grandfather later."

Su Ping's eyelids twitched, and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the old man who was all talk. He swallowed his saliva nervously and said:

"Su Anyong, I want to make a decision that goes against our ancestors! Don't get mad when you hear it."

As soon as these words came out, Su Anyong on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment. After about ten seconds, the sound of him taking a drag from a cigarette accompanied his words:

"Su Ping, I apologize for what I said earlier. I did go a bit too far. Why don't you take back that decision?"

"???"

Su Ping was furious: "I haven't even said what the decision is yet!"

On the other end of the line, Su Anyong pursed his lips. Although he seemed to not care much about Su Ping, in reality, through their secret communication, he had arranged for Guan Qian Shan to update him on the situation at the Heart of Wood and Su Ping's activities.

Therefore, Su Anyong was aware of the current state of the Heart of Wood, which was why he had just mentioned that the Heart of Wood was now Su Ping's private cultivation base.

This young man was boldly expanding and renovating the Heart of Wood, and he truly didn't consider his father, who was also the nominal owner of the Heart of Wood.

However, it was precisely because of this that Su Anyong also heard about an incident from Guan Qian Shan.

In recent days, Su Ping had been getting along well with two youngsters from the Megacity Academy.

This, in itself, wasn't a big deal.

Su Ping's son didn't have many friends of the same age that he was particularly close to.

But according to Guan Qian Shan, Su Ping's son had been spending more time with the pretty and age-appropriate Qin Xiaoxue than with those two boys.

Now, when Su Ping mentioned a 'decision that goes against our ancestors,' Su Anyong's heart skipped a beat.

Su Anyong's greatest fear was that this young lad would take revenge on him for his disrespectful words and do something drastic.

So, Su Anyong gave a preemptive warning:

"Then go ahead and say it. As long as it's not about disliking women and planning to cut off the Su family line, I'll agree to anything.

"Huh??"

Su Ping listened to Su Anyong's voice on the phone, which sounded aged and weary, almost causing him to sprout question marks on his forehead like Xiao Zhiren Qianyi.

What the hell is going on? Is this old guy's thought process even normal?

Su Ping was speechless, but he still voiced his thoughts:

"I want to change the name of our family's breeding base!"

"Hmm, what do you want to change it to? But you're right, the name 'Wood Heart' can no longer encompass everything now."

Su Anyong didn't seem to have much emotional turmoil. He knew that even if his father, Su Zhongguang, were to emerge from the ground and learn about his grandson's talents and abilities, he wouldn't have any objections. Instead, he would only praise and agree:

Change it! If our grandson wants to change it, then we must change it!

"Rename the entire base 'Heart of All Spirits', but the location of Wood Heart will remain as the most core area of our family and the place where I conduct research and experiments. It will still be part of Grandpa's legacy, but we'll give it a new name to encompass everything."

Su Ping thought for a moment and said.

This was something he had mentioned in a casual chat with Sang Sheng and Qin Erlong a couple of days ago.

Qin Erlong didn't hold back when discussing Su Ping's future development plans for Linzhou.

The eastern suburbs will be the core of future development.

The prestigious Linzhou University will drive this direction and trend.

Of course, even with the distance to the eastern suburbs, the intended development area, Wood Heart is still some way off.

At the same time, Qin Erlong's suggestion was to leave sufficient space for Wood Heart.

This was almost like supporting Su Ping in building a Companion Beast Kingdom here.

Creating a paradise for companion beast breeding.

With this development, Wood Heart, which represents the heart of the five elements, specifically the wood element, can no longer encompass the current Wood Heart base.

Changing the name also signifies a fresh start for Wood Heart after a year of transformation.

Su Anyong on the other end of the call thought for a moment and said:

"You can decide on this yourself. Just remember to go burn some paper for your grandpa at the intersection before New Year's Eve."

"Huh?"

Su Ping's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What do you mean? You're not coming back this year?"

Other matters might be easier to discuss, but for so many years, every year, when it was time to burn paper for Grandpa and Su Ping's mother, whom his father rarely mentioned, the old man would definitely go together.

If Su Ping were to go alone for this, it could only mean one thing.

"I'm not sure yet. We'll see when the time comes. Alright, I've got other things to do. We'll talk later."

The call ended, but Su Ping's eyebrows furrowed again.

What is the old man's identity? What's he doing in Beiyuan?

However, before he could ponder further, another phone call interrupted his thoughts, and the caller brought a glimmer of hope.

It was none other than Lin, the teacher he hadn't heard from in a long time.

Previously, Su Ping had discussed with Uncle Guan about hiring a group of people, specifically top-notch professional Beastmasters.

The kind with exceptional expertise.

This was not only to increase the challenge and difficulty for companion beast training at Cloud Heart but also to handle various emergencies that might arise within the base.

Su Ping didn't quite trust the Beastmasters in the market.

Compared to them, the retired Beastmaster soldiers from the Beastmaster Legion were undoubtedly more trustworthy in Su Ping's eyes.

However, there was another primary reason that Su Ping didn't mention to Uncle Guan.

The wolf pack breeding was about to officially begin.

He had never forgotten his initial goal.

Currently, the Lin Wolf species had been thoroughly researched by Su Ping.

Numerous evolved forms and breeding methods.

Compared to Xiao Zhiren Qianyi's unique, one-man army of evolved forms, the Lin Wolves were somewhat different.

Additionally, the Lin Wolves were the main component of the forest flood that Su Ping envisioned.

However, he didn't need to personally intervene in their breeding.

To be blunt, dedicating his energy to breeding these dozens of Lin Wolves was a bit of a waste of time.

Therefore, for the evolution and breeding of the Lin Wolves, he could control the overall direction and path.

He could choose the composition and arrangement of the evolved forms.

But the actual evolution and breeding could be left to Guan Lilili and Li Shu.

As for the training of the Lin Wolves, it would naturally be conducted by the retired Beastmaster soldiers or even non-commissioned officers from the Beastmaster Legion, who were experienced in military service.

This was one of the main reasons Su Ping wanted to hire Beastmaster soldiers.

Answering the call, Lin's cheerful voice came through:

"Su Ping, regarding what you mentioned last time, I asked around, and the situation is a bit complex..."

Su Ping's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Complex? How so?"

Hearing Su Ping's words, Lin's eyelids twitched. How complex? It didn't need to be said.

Just now, Zhang Lie had left his office.

His main inquiry was about Su Ping's request to recruit some retired Beastmaster soldiers from their Warrior Beastmaster unit.

Yes, that bastard Zhang Lie, the current Lin Wolf Regiment leader, was asking about this, and his hidden message was whether active Lin Wolf Regiment members could join in.

From his tone, it seemed that if possible, he, as the Lin Wolf Regiment leader, could go and work for Su Ping, the great breeder, during his annual leave.

Even Lin Lei could tell that if Su Ping could make a promise to this ungrateful wretch, Zhang Lie would dare to retire on the spot and go work for Su Ping.

The reason for this was none other than the nurturing of the Forest Wolf.

The power of the Forest Wolf had been evident during the Legion's Elite Competition, and they had witnessed it firsthand.

However, many still had their doubts.

For instance, what was the deal with the Forest Wolf's final light cannon attack? Unfortunately, after returning, the higher-ups issued an order prohibiting any discussion on the matter.

But now, a month ago, during the Beast Trainer Competition, they finally understood.

The Forest Wolf nurtured by Su Ping's hands, what exactly was it?

Transcendent Skill?!

Solar Heart?!

Such a temptation, even for a mere battalion commander like Zhang Lie, was enough to make his superior, a division commander, yearn for it!

A Companion Beast with such potential, once nurtured, could be described as taking flight!

But at this moment, who could use their connection with Su Ping to approach him and witness the nurturing of a Forest Wolf with a Transcendent Skill?

The difficulty was incredibly high, so high that Zhang Lie felt embarrassed to take the initiative to call Su Ping.

Despite their previously good relationship and occasional chats, Su Ping's fame had made it difficult for him to approach Su Ping.

As a military man like Zhang Lie, there were times when he couldn't save face.

However, now that Su Ping's base was hiring, it was a different story.

If there was a suitable reason and opportunity to further their relationship, no one would refuse.

Therefore, in the current situation, whether retired or not, everyone wanted to find an opportunity to visit Su Ping's base.

It wasn't about the salary; it was about their passion for the job and the desire to be close to the Heart of Wood.

"Now that you've announced your recruitment, many members of the Forest Wolf Regiment are clamoring to retire and go work as gatekeepers for you. Tell me, isn't the trouble you've caused me complicated?" Lin Lei joked with a smile.

Su Ping was also taken aback and smiled: "You can't blame me for this, but I understand what you mean, Uncle Lin. However, the requirements for nurturing the Solar Heart are vastly different from those of a regular Forest Wolf. If you want to nurture a Forest Wolf, I can do that here as well."

"But if you want to nurture the Solar Heart, it's not something I can do alone. It also requires the efforts of a Beastmaster's Companion Beast to meet the standards."

Su Ping didn't hide anything. With his guidance, the nurturing of the Forest Wolf could also be accomplished by Guan Lilili and Li Shu at the Heart of Wood, and even Sun Chao Ju's side could handle it.

But not the Solar Heart.

"Oh? Can you tell me about these requirements?"

"It's not a big deal. If there's someone who meets the requirements, they can come to me. This is my way of showing gratitude for Uncle Lin's care over the years. As long as your Forest Wolf Regiment has a Forest Wolf with the 'Sunshine Absorption' skill at the Perfect level, they can come to me. And the nurturing process will take at least several months."

"This..."

Upon hearing these conditions, Lin Lei couldn't help but smile bitterly.

A Perfect-level skill.

How could it be so easy to achieve?

Not to mention the 'Sunshine Absorption' skill.

But with Su Ping's words, what else could he say? He nodded:

"Alright, then I have to thank you. It's like Uncle Lin is basking in your glory. As for the retired personnel you mentioned, how many do you need?"

"Twenty, around twenty people will do for now. Their cultivation should be at the Overlord level. They don't all have to be from the Forest Wolf Regiment. Later, the Heart of Wood will have some other wolf-type Companion Beasts, and as long as they are Beastmasters, they can come."

The Overlord level Beastmaster rank was considered mid-tier, not exceptionally rare, but also not commonly seen.

"No problem. But in a couple of days, it will be the New Year. It's not appropriate now, but after the New Year, I'll send them to you! Rest assured, if anything happens, just find me directly! If they don't listen to you, find me, and I'll go break their legs."

Lin Lei appeared extremely generous and confident about the retired members. He didn't even ask Su Ping about the salary, although they hadn't interacted much. But Lin Lei was well aware of Su Ping's character.

Regarding salary, he didn't need to worry.

The flawless version is available at 69 Book Bar! Read it there!

The phone call ended.

With this matter settled, Su Ping let out a long sigh of relief.

Next, he waited for the New Year to pass, and then the Heart of Wood... no, the Heart of All Spirits would begin its grand operation.

However, this series of notifications, as the New Year approached, seemed almost like a prearranged plan.

Soon, another text message and link arrived.

It was from Dong Muchuan.

The message was simple:

[Yin Yin is live streaming, and the advertisements have started. The online pre-order will officially begin at 00:00 on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and this is the link:...]



Su Ping clicked on the link.

The screen was filled with comments.

"What the hell is this?"

"Damn, where did this Yin Yin come from? How come in the few days I wasn't online, a million-level streamer appeared?"

"I'm not interested in where this streamer came from, but I want to know, is this streamer live-streaming her sleep?"

Lying there, what are you doing?"

"Wearing such a helmet, are you performing performance art?"

"..."

In the live stream, messages flashed by rapidly.

Amid the dense barrage of comments, many were directed at the small window showing the live stream, featuring a girl lying on a massage chair.

On top of her head, she wore a pink mechanical helmet, although it didn't quite look like a typical helmet. It seemed more like her head was stuffed into a leather bag, with no windows to observe the outside world.

Aside from this small live-streaming camera window, the rest of the screen was pitch black.

What on earth is this thing?

Regarding this online platform, which had gained significant attention and rumors in recent days, everyone was naturally curious to see what new tricks she would pull off.

Su Ping was aware of Dong Muchuan's promotional process, and while advertising was one aspect, he remained noncommittal about the live streaming.

In his opinion, many viewers of live streams were not the target audience for Dream Heart, and streaming content about Dream Heart held little significance.

However, this was something Dong Muchuan insisted on.

Her reasoning and motivation were simple. Dream Heart was naturally targeted at a high-end user group with clear objectives.

But even in this class-segregated world, there were those who could rise from humble beginnings. Demonstrating the effects of Dream Heart to the masses could also shape the overall image of Dream Heart and Pingyun Corporation.

The significance was immense.

Moreover, Dong Muchuan was all too familiar with some people's psychology.

Dream Heart had strict online requirements. Firstly, daily online time could not exceed eight hours, and once it reached eight hours, users would be forced offline.

Additionally, if they died in the game, they would not be allowed to log in again within the day's time limit.

In such a situation, what would some people do? Watching the live stream was a normal response.

Those who owned Dream Heart were certainly not ordinary people, but regardless of their status, the joy of showing off on live-streaming platforms and social media was the same for rich second-generation types.

Among a group of ordinary people who couldn't afford to play, showcasing their Dream Heart player status would greatly stimulate many people's desire to consume.

It was highly beneficial for Dream Heart's brand marketing to the masses.

Su Ping didn't bother thinking much about whether this woman's words made sense. Since she had said so, he didn't feel like interfering further.

At the same time, after all the Dream Heart helmets were activated and had been operating for a few days, Yin Yin, aside from filming two commercials, finally entered the main topic on this day.

As expected, there were many similar questions in the barrage of comments.

But as a bright light appeared on the pitch-black screen, all doubts vanished.

The mechanical core of the helmet had a function to connect to external displays.

Therefore, everything Yin Yin saw in the game helmet could be displayed on the monitor.

On the pitch-black screen, purple and blue dreamlike lights flickered, and three words appeared in the eyes of all those watching the live stream:

【Dream Heart】

"What the heck is this?"

"Dream Heart? Is this a new game?"

"Nonsense, what game is played with a helmet?"

There were many skeptical comments in the barrage, but they quickly disappeared as the visuals and audio appeared:

【Hello, welcome to the Dream Continent. I'm your guide, Lemon...】

"Holy shit? What's this?"

"Is this really a game? How did it come about?"

"We're watching a live stream, and we can adjust the 3D perspective and first-person view?"

"The visuals are so realistic, but this Potato robot guide is a bit weird..."

"Choosing a profession... Ah, why not choose the warrior, mage, or archer profession? Why choose Beastmaster again? Do you understand how to play with pets in reality?"

Indeed, Yin Yin chose the Beastmaster profession.

It wasn't that she had a particular fondness for beast taming combat.

It was purely because of Dong Muchuan's request.

The reason was simple.

Through Dong Muchuan, Su Ping, and then Fatty, she obtained the secret cheat code for the Dream Heart's beginner-friendly simple mode.

As the Dream Heart's streamer, she couldn't be like other players, getting killed by monsters in the wild dungeons within a few moves, right? If she got killed, she wouldn't be able to log in for the rest of the day, so what would she stream? This clearly didn't align with Yin Yin's positioning.

Therefore, finding a powerful and visually appealing profession for rapid leveling was essential.

And this profession was Fatty's fantasy of his original form.

The Mechanical Warrior,

Named by Su Ping, had a hidden, imposing name:

Pillar of Heaven Basic Type. With the cheat code in hand, Yin Yin stumbled through the beginner's guide as the number of viewers in the live stream increased.

Fortunately, after these days of being taught by the top streamers, Yin Yin had gained a certain understanding and familiarity with the game, and she could be considered somewhat proficient.

After completing the beginner's guide, Yin Yin's in-game face, identical to her real-life appearance, turned towards the virtual camera and smiled:

"Dream Heart is a fully immersive virtual reality game. In this game, the majority of things can be completely realistic, and there are also many special effects!"

As expected! This sentence caused many viewers in the barrage to climax at that moment.

Virtual Reality?

Watching and playing this game are two completely different experiences, okay?

From their perspective, Yin Yin was playing an extremely realistic game.

However, if they were told that at this very moment, the scenes within the game were indistinguishable from reality, and the player's experience was identical to that in the real world, the implications would be entirely different.

Instantly, a barrage of comments flashed across the screen.

"Where can I buy this game?"

"How much does the game helmet cost? If it's less than 10,000 yuan, I'll grit my teeth and buy it."

"I can afford it even if it's less than 100,000 yuan!"

"No, don't be so intense!"

"I found it! The Dream Heart game helmet was released just two hours ago by the Pingyun Corporation. But guys, I advise you not to watch this; it might shatter your determination. Anyways, I'm out."

"Holy sht, 120 million yuan?"

"Yeah, that's right. So, I'm out."

"This Jianghai company is so greedy; they've never seen money before?"

"If I had 120 million yuan, would I still play this virtual reality game? I'd rather play the easy mode of reality, right?"

"???"

"Yin Yin's die-hard fan here. I thought she was joking when she said she was doing live streams to pass the time, but I didn't expect it to be true. She's not short of money, huh?"

"..."

The barrage of comments indicated that the price of Dream Heart was indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people.

However, it was precisely because of this that Yin Yin's live stream gained immense popularity at an unimaginable rate.

Who wouldn't want to see what a game that costs 120 million yuan is like? Not only the viewers on the live-streaming platform but also any normal person would definitely want to take a look.

Therefore, this time, without relying on the platform's recommendations or other top streamers, Yin Yin's live stream reached its peak popularity.

In fact, within a short time, many people came specifically because of the rumors.

"I heard there's a game that costs one billion yuan. I'm here to see what kind of person can afford to play it."

"I don't understand. Even if the development cost is genuinely high, can they set such a high price? Will they be able to recoup their costs?"

"I just want to see what else this game offers besides the virtual reality aspect to be worth 120 million yuan..."

The number of viewers in the live stream continued to increase, but at this moment, Yin Yin was unaware of what was happening in her live stream.

She was still exploring the game.

Soon, she arrived at the first trial.

As a basic-level player, she didn't have many choices regarding the monsters she faced.

However, as a mechanical-type companion beast, Fei Fei was her favorite.

There was even a dedicated beginner-level exploration map for mechanical creatures.

In fact, compared to the diverse game categories available in the market, Dream Heart didn't have a significant advantage.

Killing monsters and leveling up couldn't possibly offer any new twists.

During this process, many viewers in the chat once again expressed their doubts:

"A 120 million yuan game only has virtual reality as its selling point?"

"I feel the same. I can play it on my computer or phone without any issues in killing monsters and leveling up."

"True, and I also have 3D dizziness. I might not even be able to play it after buying it. Forget it, I'm not buying it."

"Since you're not buying it, I won't buy it either..."

"..."

A group of people teased each other while watching Yin Yin continue to kill monsters, level up, and collect materials on the screen.

However, at this very moment, a ripple appeared in the screen, not within the game but in the small window at the bottom left.

It was the camera feed from Yin Yin's real-life perspective.

At the same time, an indescribable sense of distortion caused the camera to ripple as well.

"What the hell? I want to see Yin Yin's sleeping posture..."

"Why did the screen suddenly glitch? Can't a rich lady who can afford a 120 million yuan game have a better camera?"

However, just as many people were ridiculing and mocking, some knowledgeable viewers explained in the chat:

"This is a psychic ripple. It usually appears when psychic power is activated. But Yin Yin shouldn't have activated her psychic power in the game, so there's only one possibility left."

"What the fck? No way!"

Someone expressed their shock and doubt.

But at this moment, Yin Yin on the screen stopped killing monsters and leveling up. She faced the camera and said:

"Just now, my beastmaster's psychic meditation level increased from Ordinary Sixth Tier to Ordinary Seventh Tier! The additional effect of Dream Heart is that it can assist in meditation and cultivation. While playing the game, the speed of increasing psychic power is even faster than during meditation..."

This statement not only caused an uproar in the live stream but also overwhelmed the unprepared live-streaming platform's server backend.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end