Chapter 100: Arriving in Droves

The shock waves unleashed by the virtual machine were matched only by its fame. As more and more people around the world learned of its existence, the traditional electronics industry suffered an unprecedented blow. Phones and computers all but ceased to sell, and countless technology firms whose lives depended on the internet felt as though a sword of Damocles hung over their heads, ready to fall at any moment and strike them dead.

No one had imagined that a product launched by a biotechnology company could have such an immense impact on the electronics industry. The virtual machine, made possible by bio-sensing technology, was unquestionably the future’s inevitable direction of development—the true gateway to the virtual world.

Whoever controlled that gateway would, in effect, rule the virtual world of tomorrow.

For now, the impact had only struck two hardware sectors: phones and computers. But in the future, as bio-sensing technology continued to advance, the virtual world would certainly undergo earthshaking change, and the countless internet companies of the present were almost certain to face a wholesale reshuffling.

Just as the shares of Apple and other high-tech giants plunged, internet companies across the world felt a tremendous crisis. Of course, there were also many who saw the countless opportunities that the virtual machine’s arrival would bring.

Everyone on Earth knew that the internet, a mere few decades old, had already created countless world-class tycoons: Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Old Ma of Taobao in China, Pony Ma of Tencent, and giants such as Google and Baidu in the search field. All of them had risen by riding the wave of the internet.

As for the second-tier companies, there were too many to count. Even Li Fu himself had started out by making games. That alone showed how vast this industry’s market truly was. Software, gaming, office tools, shopping, smart management, internet communications, dating—each and every one of these fields could give rise to a world-class corporation and a world-class fortune.

But the internet industry had already existed for decades, and much of it had long since settled into a fixed pattern. Monstrous behemoths monopolized one domain after another, and for those who wished to enter later, the door was already all but closed.

Yet the moment the virtual machine appeared, countless eyes flew open at once, as if they had glimpsed the enormous changes that awaited the internet industry of the future. The virtual network born of bio-sensing technology would be a qualitative transformation from the traditional network. Whoever managed to seize the first opportunity in this field could very well build a world-class technology company and become a world-class super-rich tycoon.

Today’s internet products were basically flat and web-based; only certain games could truly be called three-dimensional. Even then, they still had many flaws. This miraculous piece of technology called the virtual machine could directly allow the brain to link into the virtual network, and everything would be transformed beyond recognition.

Take shopping as the simplest example. Online shopping had always been convenient, but it could never quite reproduce the feeling of shopping in a mall. Once the virtual machine was applied, however, the environment of virtual shopping could be made to feel exactly like a real shopping center. One could enjoy the convenience of online shopping while, from the comfort of home, still savoring the experience of being in a mall without ever stepping outside.

Whoever could develop first in this field would undoubtedly carve out a massive share of the future virtual-shopping market, and becoming a world-class tycoon of the new era would be as easy as breathing.

The arrival of the virtual machine was enough to push the present network world toward the virtual world. It was basically as if a new world had opened its doors to countless people. Everything would be just as it had been when the internet first began to rise: whoever got in early and secured a foothold would gorge themselves until they were fat and wealthy beyond measure.

The Chinese people understood this especially well. Many of the nation’s wealthiest figures were already internet industry giants, and that in itself had shown countless people the money-making power of emerging technology. So when the virtual machine appeared, innumerable people immediately set out for Sanjiang Town without the slightest hesitation.

At the highway exit into Sanjiang Town, a Maybach 62S drew more than a few glances from the toll station staff. Luxury cars were already common enough here, but top-tier vehicles like the Maybach 62S had never before been seen. A car costing tens of millions was not something ordinary people could ever hope to own.

Inside a Rolls-Royce Phantom bearing Jiangsu-Zhejiang plates, Old Ma of Taobao had just awoken from sleep. Ever since he learned of the virtual machine’s appearance, he had felt restless and uneasy, unable to eat or sleep properly. As a trendsetter of the internet age, he possessed an exceptionally keen instinct for the industry’s development and an eye far beyond his time. Decades earlier, he had already foreseen the rise of online shopping, which only proved how formidable his vision truly was.

The arrival of the virtual machine showed him the great historical tide carrying the internet industry toward the virtual world, and he saw countless opportunities waiting for him as well. At the same time, he felt an equally intense sense of crisis. Once shopping companies began to emerge in the virtual world, there would be no room left for Taobao.

“Innovation. Innovation.” He muttered to himself. “A biotechnology company has actually developed a virtual machine. The future of this world really is impossible to predict. If I only look at my own industry, I may end up not even knowing how my company died. If one’s vision is limited to a single field, the end result will be just like Nokia.”

The long journey by car from Jiangsu-Zhejiang had left Old Ma somewhat weary, but his mind was sharper than ever. Looking out at the scenery of Sanjiang Town, he straightened in his seat, his thoughts endlessly turning over the future trends and direction of the internet.

“A virtual machine... I wonder how ambitious Li Fu really is. If Fuyun Technology Group refuses to open its interface, then all our efforts will be wasted.”

“But judging from it, Li Fu ought to be a clever man. The sooner he opens the virtual-machine interface, the better. Only then can the virtual world be perfected more quickly, and the internet age can transition into the era of the virtual network sooner.”

“And besides, this market is simply too vast, with too many entanglements and connections. He alone cannot swallow such an enormous cake. Only openness and cooperation can create mutual benefit.”

“I never expected our China to be able to dominate an emerging industry. The internet was first built up by Western countries, but the era of the virtual network will be built by us Chinese. Perhaps in the future, China will be able to rule the entire virtual-network era.”

Old Ma’s thoughts ranged very far indeed. His gaze had already moved beyond mere online shopping to the entire era of the virtual network. If China could grasp the core and key of this field, its position as hegemon here would be unshakable.

Not long after Old Ma’s Maybach left the highway toll station, a Mercedes-Benz S600L with Beijing plates also slowly rolled out from the Sanjiang Town exit. Though it could not compare to Old Ma’s top-tier Maybach, it was still a luxury car worth more than two million, not something just anyone could afford to drive.

“Li Fu really put his company in such a godforsaken place. Even getting here is no easy matter.”

Inside the Mercedes, Little Li from the Baidu company gazed at the hills and waters of Sanjiang Town. Though the place was bustling and developing rapidly, broad stretches of farmland could still be seen everywhere. In this deep winter season, the scene carried a chill and a certain desolation.

This time, he had rushed over from Beijing after first having his driver take the car to the capital of Jiangnan Province and wait there, then flying himself to Hongsu City, the province’s capital, before finally hurrying by car to Sanjiang Town.

Like Old Ma, Little Li had a very sharp instinct for the internet industry. Once the virtual machine appeared, he had even gone to experience it personally, and the new technology had shaken him deeply. Without the slightest hesitation, he set off south at once.

“I wonder whether I can reach a cooperation agreement with Li Fu this time. The door to the virtual world has already opened, and inside are mountains of gold and silver. But the key to entering this brand-new world is held in the hands of Fuyun Technology Group.”

Looking at the scenery racing past outside, Little Li’s mind never stopped turning. Having personally felt the virtual machine’s power, he seemed to see a whole new world opening its doors to him.

Not long after Little Li’s Benz left the highway exit, a Porsche Cayenne bearing Beijing plates also drove out from the Sanjiang Town toll station. Boss Lei was much the same as Little Li, having chosen the same means of travel. Since he too was in Beijing, he had personally gone to experience the virtual machine’s power.

As the boss of the well-known domestic phone brand Xiaomi Technology, the virtual machine’s appearance had also dealt Xiaomi a tremendous blow. Of course, Xiaomi was a low-end brand, so the impact it suffered was naturally not as severe as that endured by Apple; it could only be considered collateral damage.

However, Boss Lei clearly had not hurried here because of that. He had come to Sanjiang Town in search of cooperation, having seen the enormous changes the virtual machine could bring. The door to the virtual world had already been opened, and he could see countless opportunities within it. Naturally, he could not miss them.

One luxury car after another—many of them even top-tier limited-production models from around the world—carried one domestic titan after another, all of them traveling from every corner of China to this remote mountain town without complaint. Of course, there were also many who kept a very low profile; perhaps their vehicles looked ordinary, but they were no less formidable than those arriving in luxury cars.

In an instant, Sanjiang Town seemed to have become the center of China’s business circles. The top tycoons who usually appeared only in legends were now showing themselves one after another, all heading straight for Fuyun Technology Group.

As the wheels of the era turned, all roads led to Sanjiang Town.