Chapter 3

"Seven computers, three office desks, seven computer chairs, one water dispenser, one refrigerator..." An hour and a half later, the staff member began to report item by item to the woman and Kaga Shozo.

Kaga did not speak. In his view, this was just a purge by Nintendo. IS, a small company with no famous works, had no right to speak. Although nominally under Nintendo, they were just a game developer for the Famicom. But Nintendo was making its developers go bankrupt, which clearly showed that IS had no value to Nintendo at all.

Qin Yuanfeng watched Kaga's changing expression indifferently, sneering inwardly. In the world of electronic entertainment, being a step ahead meant being ahead for life. Nintendo had already become the industry leader by launching the Famicom first. Whether IS wanted to participate or not, Nintendo had dozens or even hundreds of subsidiaries. Did they really need one more IS?

"Three suspected planning books, one daily record..." The woman had been verifying the items, and Kaga Shozo had been spared the trouble until he heard this. He then calmly said, "Let me see the planning books."

Qin Yuanfeng felt as if he was seeing a perfect blend of the scene before his eyes and the one from before he came to this world. If he hadn't appeared, Kaga Shozo would have planted the seeds of victory at this moment. Within a year, IS would have entered Nintendo's quality lineup.

But now, everything had turned to bubbles. Kaga Shozo would never realize that the opportunity to become a gaming giant was right in front of him, in the belt of one of his subordinates, pressed against his skin.

But he would never know.

"What does President Kaga want to do?" the woman asked, puzzled. "A small company like this can't have any good ideas. Otherwise, they wouldn't be going bankrupt but becoming famous."

"There's an old saying in China," Kaga Shozo replied calmly. "Better to kill a thousand innocents than to let one guilty person go. I'm just being prepared."

Qin Yuanfeng watched Kaga Shozo carefully flipping through the three planning books with a mocking smile. The more he read, the more disappointed Kaga looked.

Although he had known that such a company couldn't have any good ideas, it was never easy to see one's suspicions confirmed.

After a long while, he sighed, put down the three books, and got into the car without a word.

They still had to stay in the U.S. for a day to verify the items with the former head of the now-bankrupt TOP company. Qin Yuanfeng, on the other hand, was sent back to Japan early to report the liquidation process to his superiors.

He naturally agreed without hesitation. Moreover, he wanted to understand the environment he was in as this impostor.

Fortunately, he was fluent in both Japanese and English. He had to admire the body he was in; it was truly a high achiever. In this era, those sent to study abroad, like in Hong Kong, were mostly people with high IQs and influential families. He had not only been admitted to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology but had also been an exchange student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In this era of rapid change in China, he was already considered a top talent.

He took a taxi to the airport and bought a ticket for the evening flight.

San Francisco at night was a sea of lights, exuding a sense of luxury. Qin Yuanfeng looked down at the city from the plane, feeling a wave of emotion.

His "real self" had never been abroad, but he was now in the world's most powerful country in 1987—America. Yet, he felt no desire to stay.

He missed his homeland, where food still required ration coupons, cloth needed cloth tickets, and alcohol was carried in military canteens. The country where the slogan "One child is best" was written on bowls.

After all, that was his root.

"Farewell, San Francisco." He muttered these words, then turned his gaze away and fell into a deep sleep.

The flight landed in Kyoto, Japan, at 9 a.m. The city was not too bustling but was home to one of the world's most famous game giants—Nintendo's headquarters!

Stepping out of the airport, he took several deep breaths of the fresh air, which was indeed clearer than in San Francisco. He then took out his phone book and looked at it carefully.

Sure enough, he found a number labeled "Dad."

At that moment, he felt a bit awkward calling a stranger "Dad," but he dialed the number anyway.

"Xiaofeng? Why are you calling me?" The man's voice on the other end was cheerful. "If you have something to say, just say it. International calls are expensive. Lately, some comrades have been criticizing me for sending you abroad, saying I've been seduced by the capitalist sugar-coated bullets."

Qin Yuanfeng was momentarily stunned, then remembered the environment in China. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Nothing... well, something..."

"Say it if you have something. You're a child, just say it. Long-distance calls are expensive. I always run to an empty office to answer your calls to avoid being seen by other comrades..."

Although he said this, he didn't hang up. The father he had never met began to ask about his well-being and diet.

After a long chat, Qin Yuanfeng finally found a chance to speak. "Dad, have you thought about what I'll do after graduation?"

"I can end my exchange program and return to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in a month. Then what?"

"Then?" The man on the phone was taken aback. "Then you'll come back and join the Land Bureau, taking over from me. You're young and a high achiever. The country is now very supportive of high-tech talent. But your two years in Japan might be seen as a political blemish..."

Qin Yuanfeng sighed inwardly, deciding not to hide his intentions. "Dad, I want to start a company."

Silence. After a long while, Qin Xiangdong asked, "Xiaofeng, are you sick?"

"I'm not sick." Qin Yuanfeng was frustrated. In China at the time, the idea of starting a business was still unheard of. However, he knew that after 1992, when the President's southern tour sparked a wave of entrepreneurship, the idea would become widespread. Now, his thoughts seemed unrealistic.

"I just want to do something while I'm young."

Being young is a capital!

Qin Xiangdong didn't speak. The political climate in Beijing was tense, and he had heard about some major events. However, as one of the first university graduates after the Cultural Revolution, he was relatively open-minded and had some courage that ordinary citizens lacked.

"What kind of company?" he asked in a serious tone.

"A game development company, for now." Qin Yuanfeng quickly added, "It's just a preliminary plan."

Qin Xiangdong was even more silent.

Since 1985, Nintendo's influence in China had been significant. The Famicom, cartridges, and various learning machines were everywhere, with brands like Xiaobao and Jinzi being the most prominent. The profits they made were substantial, and Qin Xiangdong, as a government official, had heard about it.

Hundreds of thousands, even millions!

In 2014, this would be equivalent to tens of millions of assets!

And this was just their annual, or even monthly, earnings!

In an era when the average salary was a few hundred yuan, this was an astronomical figure!

The profitability of the gaming industry was evident, leading many state-owned electronic factories to produce pirated Famicom cartridges.

"You've grown up..." Qin Xiangdong didn't outright refuse. "The gaming industry is indeed a highly profitable one... The government has issued several adjustment orders, but they haven't been effective. The domestic gaming industry is still underdeveloped. If you want to start a factory in Beijing..."

"Dad, I'm not planning to start a factory in Beijing." Qin Yuanfeng carefully said, "If possible, I want to start one in Hong Kong!"

"Why!?" Qin Xiangdong was surprised. "I still have some influence in Beijing. If you start in Hong Kong, it's not part of China, and negotiations would be very complicated. Moreover, its special status means China doesn't allow excessive foreign interference!"

Qin Yuanfeng shook his head. "Dad, I have my reasons for starting in Hong Kong. First, the domestic environment is not suitable for the gaming industry. It's a new industry worldwide, and the current factory system in China is not conducive to new industries. If I succeed, it would be seen as a capitalist tail. Especially since the Japanese gaming industry dominates the world, if I want to enter the market, I would have to partner with a Japanese company, which wouldn't be good for you."

"What about America? Europe? Why Hong Kong?"

"It's different." Qin Yuanfeng was also frustrated. "You might not be aware of the development of the gaming industry. I've traveled a lot in recent years, and I can explain it to you."

"The first game console was not Nintendo's Famicom but the Atari console, which dominated the European and American markets, and even the world. Japan was also a major market for Atari."

"However, Atari sowed the seeds of its own downfall. It didn't control the game approval process, and as the industry grew, by 1983, the market was flooded with copied and poor-quality games. Once a game passed the review team, it could be released on Atari cartridges. You might not know what this means, but it means the industry was ruined because there was no clear regulation. In 1983, all users spontaneously boycotted Atari, leading to almost zero sales during the Christmas season. At the same time, Nintendo developed its own console, the Famicom, which is now ubiquitous in China."

Reflecting on this early history of the gaming industry, Qin Yuanfeng felt a sense of regret. A dominant opportunity was lost by the West to Japan, and the collapse of Atari led to the complete failure of the Western gaming industry.

Without Blizzard to save the day or a giant like Avatar in the film industry, only Nintendo's six generals rapidly rose to dominate the market.

The Western government issued several laws to discourage the public from investing in the gaming industry, and countless experts claimed it had no future. The result was that no game company could survive, and venture capitalists would never fund a game company. Games had become a taboo in the West.

The 1983 Atari disaster had a profound impact on the industry, but it also provided valuable lessons, leading to the rise of the Japanese gaming industry.

However, in China, people had no concept of electronic games at the time.

"So, the domestic situation is too tense for investment, and no one in the West will fund it?" Qin Xiangdong summarized, feeling complex.

He couldn't help but feel complex. Suddenly, his son was talking about these matters with a mature tone, without any emotional outbursts. He understood the causes and developments clearly, and even knew things he didn't.

People always have a sense of awe towards the unknown, and Qin Xiangdong was no exception. This feeling of respect for the unknown made him choose to believe.

"Yes, the only other option is Japan, but I don't want to work under the Japanese. We are all human; why should they be superior? I want to prove that Chinese electronic entertainment is not inferior to foreign countries! Nintendo now controls the entire gaming industry, and Sega can't compete. Their only strategy for new companies is to either submit or be destroyed. I can't challenge this giant now. Instead of being constrained in Japan, I'd rather develop peacefully in Hong Kong."

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