“But you can rest assured that Tengda will continue to allocate funds to ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ and promote the other industries. “You’ve done very well and have worked hard throughout. Have a good rest.”
Chapter 569 - DGE Esports Club, Unfriendly Opponent!
Yu Pingan felt dizzy. He never thought that Boss Pei would say something like that!
‘Top Student, Come Quick’ had completed its mission?
It can now come to a graceful end?
You can have a good rest?
That meant to leave the project this way? Don’t try to save it anymore?
Yu Pingan had thought of such a possibility before, but it came as a complete surprise to him for those words to come from Boss Pei.
Wasn’t Boss Pei invincible?
Yu Pingan was shocked. He came to Boss Pei because he thought he would be able to obtain a lot of useful experience from Boss Pei to stop the decline of the ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ application.
However, after careful consideration, Boss Pei’s attitude was very clear. Moreover, it was indeed a way to accept reality.
The ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ application had indeed served its purpose very well. Boss Pei had made at least tens of millions of yuan in the capital operations. The advertisement revenue it generated was immeasurable.
For it to come to a graceful end would not really be a pity either.
It was just that Yu Pingan found it a little hard to accept emotionally as the person-in-charge of this project. He was silent for some time before he finally nodded. “Okay Boss Pei, I understand.
“Then… Boss Pei, what do I need to do now? Work on other projects?”
Work on other projects? No, no, no, definitely not.
Pei Qian knew deep down that Yu Pingan was capable. The ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ application had good application development capabilities. What would happen if he were to work on other projects and made another hit?
Pei Qian coughed lightly. “Stay in ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ and guard its corpse to provide nourishment for Tengda Corporation. We do not need to do much more, but to continue regular updates and debugging. We cannot abandon our users.” Yu Pingan nodded. “Alright, Boss Pei.”
Pei Qian sent Yu Pingan on his way with contentment.
Time to get off work!
July 6th, Wednesday…
The DGE Esports Club arrived officially in Shanghai! Many domestic clubs had established GOG divisions as well; most of them were in Shanghai.
That had a historical reason.
In the early days, a few members formed a team without bosses, without sponsors. They were casually competing in internet cafes; rewards were very low as well. Sometime later, some manufacturers organized tournaments, and some bosses invested in teams. These slowly became clubs. However, the initial clubs were very immature. The training venue might be rented computers in the internet cafe or in a rented flat.
In theory, competitive esports only required internet connection. It did not matter where they set up, but Shanghai was an economic center. It had the best financial, network, information, and media resource. It was more convenient to go abroad for competition, but the condition of the internet was good as well so most clubs gathered in Shanghai. In this process, more clubs gathered in Shanghai. It was inevitable for it to become the center for esports. Many of them were veteran teams who had already gained initial fame domestically.
For example, the first club that they were visiting this time, H4 Esports Club, was an old club that existed since the Starcraft time. It was also the place where many internet-addicted teenagers aspire to join.
The exact meaning of its name was HERO4, which literally meant four heroes. They only had four members when they first established. They mainly participated in single-player esports events.
Taking into account everyone’s level of English by then, such a name was considered relatively well-thought-out. Many club names were more casual than this.
The DGE Esports Club had 13 members. Zhang Yuan arranged for a minibus for transportation to different clubs, considering that they would be staying for some time in Shanghai.
The fatigue of the members was wiped out after a night of rest. It was replaced by the excitement of fighting the H4 Esports Club and other clubs.
Jiang Huan and Huang Wang were the captains of DGE Team One and Team Two respectively.
They had completely opposite personalities. Jiang Huan was silent and cherished his words. When he spoke, he gave very concise instructions. To describe him in Huang Wang’s words would be ‘a dog that bites does not bark’. He was the kind who played tactics with the enemy.
He would completely suppress his counterpart and pay attention to everything on the field, commanding the Nakano twins and those in the lower lane when he was obviously a top-laner. He was a ‘real abnormality’ in Huang Wang’s words. The members of Team One placed great trust in Jiang Huan and carried out his tactical arrangements unconditionally. The entire team was very united.
Huang Wang, on the other hand, was an active and talkative person. He was talkative no matter whether he was commanding or not. Huang Wang appeared quiet when he first arrived at DGE Club, but his nature was exposed when they became familiar with each other.
However, he was obviously inferior to Jiang Huan in terms of tactics. As a mid-laner, he often needed Old Zhou, who was playing a command position (auxiliary), to help to share the responsibilities.
The auxiliary in GOG was called ‘command’ simply to improve the status of the auxiliary players and let more people play it. In fact, the person with the most aptitude for command would command in the end.
This position might be the most suitable for commanding, but there were fewer operations for auxiliary heroes and required them to constantly wander around to observe the movements in the field. However, not everyone who played auxiliary had the commanding ability.
If some of these players had poor reading ability and could not seize the timing, it would distract the commander and their own operations. It would be a disaster for the entire team if they forced him to command. The election of Captain and commander was the natural result of a certain mock competition. Huang Wang and Old Zhou commanding together was still not enough to defeat Jiang Huan. Therefore, Team Two had significantly more training than Team One. No significant results could be seen in the meantime, but the difference in muscle mass was obvious once time took its course.
It could be seen purely from their appearance. Team One basically maintained a slim figure while some members of Team Two were already ripped.
It was now summer; they were all wearing T-shirts. Huang Wang felt even more similar to a personal trainer now. He had the most extra training as the Captain after all.
Jiang Huan was resting while Huang Wang and Old Zhou were discussing their excitement to compete with the H4 Esports Club in the back row.
“Actually, I heard about the H4 Esports Club when I skipped class for gaming sessions. I was so excited when I saw the members of H4 obtaining glory in international arenas. I dreamed of joining this club to be a professional player one day.”
“To be able to look at the H4 Club is like fulfilling my dream.” Huang Wang’s face was filled with excitement.
Old Zhou nodded. “Indeed, the H4 Club is an old brand here; they can rival many foreign clubs as well. Many people want to join.”
Huang Wang said expectantly, “I wonder what their training base looks like. People on the net say that it seemed to be rather big and was more formal than most clubs here.”
Old Zhou: “We’ll know when we see it. However, I think most of our members and coaches want to use this opportunity to observe and learn the management concepts and experiences of old brands like H4. Why else would we all come here in person when we can compete online? Waste of money.”
Huang Wang nodded. “Yes, there is definitely such a consideration. We’re a newly established club after all.”
They
arrived at H4 Esports Club while they chatted.
H4 Esports Club was housed in an apartment in the suburbs of Shanghai. To be precise, it was a villa. The entire community was quiet and had complete supporting facilities. The H4 Esports Club often organized fitness activities like basketball matches to keep fit.
The bus got through the guards and went into the compound of H4 Esports Club.
Esports clubs during this period were basically housed in rented apartments or villas. Those who built their own buildings and training bases were things that happened only after many venture capitalists entered the market. A club housed in a villa like this was already very respectable.
Zhang Yuan and Coach Yaling got down the bus first, followed closely by Ma Yang. The leader of H4 Esports Club, Xiao Su, was waiting downstairs for them.
Zhang Yuan went up to him immediately.
“Leader Su! Nice to meet you, let me introduce them to you: this is our personal trainer, Ms. Li; this is…”
Zhang Yuan was a little stuck when introducing Ma Yang. He did not know what position was suitable for Ma Yang.
Strictly speaking, Ma Yang was a calefare without any title. However, he was one of the experienced leaders of Tengda. It would probably not be giving him face if he said that he was a calefare, right?
“This is our special tactical coach, Coach Ma.” Zhang Yuan thought up on the spot. Leader Su was in awe. This DGE Esports Club was a new club, but their entire support team was rather complete! A team leader, a personal trainer, and a special tactical coach?
In contrast, the GOG division of the H4 club was just established. There were only one team leader and five members. As for the personal trainer… sorry, that was not popular among domestic clubs yet.
The team leader was basically responsible for ordering takeaways. Even if there were mock competitions, the team leader was responsible for commanding, reviewing, and summary.
As far as the current environment went, the team leader was only responsible for ordering takeaways without doing anything else. By doing that, he was at least better than 70% of his counterparts. Many team leaders did not do anything or bring their members out for entertainment. Some of the more excessive ones even brought their team to play cards, which had no positive effect at all.
Therefore, someone like Team Leader Suwho ordered takeaway conscientiously and did not engage in other stuff—had a good conscience.
They shook hands warmly.
Team Leader Su felt something was wrong. Why was the strength of this sweet-looking female coach with a long-sleeved thin jacket so strong?
He did not know why, but he could feel a suffocating sense of oppression from Coach Li. As a female and as a personal trainer of this team, she must possess a unique understanding of this game! How else would she be able to train them?
However, this Coach Ma did not look very smart. Was he really able to coach them on tactics? Or was he a person who hid a knife in his smile whose strength was completely hidden?
This team… looked really unfriendly!
Chapter 570 - Image of the Old Clubs Collapsed
The ten team members got out of the bus after the handshake.
Team Leader Su was shocked once again. He looked at the small bus, to Zhang Yuan, and then finally at the players.
Those who did not know would think that this was the car of some sports delegation! These members were all tall and muscular. They were more like gymnasts than esports players. The five in front were alright; they looked normal. However, what was with the five muscle monsters at the back?! They seemed to be good at fighting.
Team Leader Su thought to himself silently. This looked totally different from what I imagined!
No other esports club had such types of members? What kind of training did you undergo usually?
Question marks floated over the head of Team Leader Su.
It was just that it was obviously impolite to ask these questions so Team Leader Su suppressed his curiosity forcibly. He brought Zhang Yuan and his team into the H4 Club.
They would first visit the club and then find an internet cafe nearby for a mock competition according to the previously finalized itinerary.
Zhang Yuan really wanted to visit the other esports Club and learn from their experiences.
The DGE club had been training very well according to Boss Pei’s methods, but Zhang Yuan was still feeling unreliable. He wondered if he could glean some experiences from these old brands.
Huang Wang and some other members were obviously particularly excited. They were finally unveiling their adored H4 Esports Club! Were they able to meet their favorite players and ask for autographs?
Everyone followed Team Leader Su into the training hall of the club.
It was said to be a training hall, but it was actually the original living room. There were seven computers placed in a circle around the living room.
It was not big originally. Now that computer tables and seats squeezed into it, then there was only a small area of about two meters by two meters left in the middle. There was also a coffee table, but these seven people had no more space for movement. There was an H4 Club poster on the wall, but they looked old and out of place.
The tables, chairs, computers, etc. nearly made the eyes of Huang Wang and the others fall out of their sockets.
It was a little too shameful!
They were all very old-fashioned computer desks. Other than being narrow, they did not consider the most important ergonomic factor.
The position of their hands was significantly higher than the elbow, and the range of the mouse was not enough. One would be very uncomfortable if they played for an extended time.
The computers were obviously not new either.
That was because, for some clubs, the main esports games they played were all old games. Even for the new games, to ensure that everyone had the same experience, the configuration would not be very much different.
Therefore, when purchasing computers, many clubs would save some money in this area to ensure that the games could run smoothly. Why did one need to add a few thousand yuan per laptop to get the highest specifications?
However, in Huang Wang’s view, these training computers were from the Stone Age when compared to the ROF Computer-Installation.
The configuration of these system units was definitely not good since there was no light on the chassis!
Huang Wang whispered to Old Zhou. “We are not going to use these computers to compete right? Please, no, I’m afraid that I wouldn’t even be able to utilize 50% of my strength with these computers.”
Old Zhou replied quietly, “I don’t think so, there are not enough computers. We’ll probably be heading to the nearby internet
cafe.”
Huang Wang was relieved. “That’s great.”
Team Leader Su began introducing the base to Zhang Yuan enthusiastically. In fact, the approach was similar to DGE Esports Club, but the club definitely rented the villas or apartments to save costs. The residences were similar. It was nothing more than to change the living room into a training room and the bedroom into the players’ dormitory.
But, that did not mean the experience was similar even if the approach was.
This villa might be in the suburbs of Shanghai, but every inch was worth its area in gold therefore these villas were not very spacious. It was a huge difference compared to Ming Yun Villas.
The training hall of DGE Esports Club was spacious and comfortable. Here, it was even squeezier than a normal internet bar. The DGE Esports Club had two to a room; here, they had upper and lower bunks which could squeeze four in a room. Only meritorious players could enjoy the treatment of a single room.
During the visit, Huang Wang met his favorite Starcraft professional player and obtained his signature happily. However, his good impression of H4 had completely collapsed.
Where was the good old club? Where were all the formality and high standards? These players were originally internet-addicted
teenagers who joined DGE Esports Club when they first started playing professionally. They were really surprised by the superior environment when they first started training at Ming Yun Villas. It also gave them the illusion that good domestic esports clubs were the same. Everyone suddenly realized that their training conditions were too good after visiting the H4 Esports Club. Moreover, eating here seemed to rely purely on takeaways. Don’t be mistaken; it was not like the Fish-Catching Take-Outs, but random takeaways. They would throw it away if it was not nice and order again when they were hungry.
That made Huang Wang and the others feel incredible.
That was because Coach Yaling repeatedly emphasized the concept of nutrition. It had taken deep roots into everyone’s hearts and was completely in accordance with fitness standards. Eat at least five small meals a day, including extra meals and all sorts of food to maintain balanced nutrition.
Looking back to where they were here, wasn’t it just a huge dubious internet club?
No one would have felt that anything was wrong if they had not been in the DGE Club. One could achieve a seamless connection from an internet club like this.
However, after enjoying such a good training environment and supporting facilities in the DGE Club, they immediately felt that the conditions here were too scant.
The players looked at each other and understood that they were all having the same feeling from each other’s faces.
That was too disappointing!
Of course, they would not say anything. They understood basic courtesy.
The players of H4 Club were also secretly observing them while they were visiting. Many of them showed shocked expressions on their faces.
The first reaction was: What was this? Is our club going to be associated with the gym? What was this? Why so many guys? The group of people had strong muscles and had tall statures. They felt as though they would burst their clothes in the next second and shout ‘the Sacred White Sword, follow me’, it made them scared.
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