Chapter 7

Yang Yun restarted the game and pointed at the monitor, saying, "This is the first version of Super Mario, probably the oldest one. I... cough, cough... never played it when I was a kid. The game's movements are very stiff, the plot is very thin, the production is rough, and the background music is terrible. I want to improve on this and redesign a new Super Mario."

This version of Super Mario was very different from the most classic version Yang Yun remembered from the future. For example, at the beginning of the game, after taking a few steps, the classic version would have you encounter a small monster, which you could jump over or stomp on, then hit a flashing brick to get a mushroom that makes you grow.

But in this old version, there were no such elements. As soon as you started, there was a row of ordinary bricks you could hit, and the background music wasn't the classic tune. The character models were very rough, and it was hard to tell that it was a plumber.

This was exactly where Yang Yun's confidence lay. He couldn't compete for the first release, but he could compete for the classic version!

Zhao Yongping and Aleksey exchanged glances and suddenly started speaking in Russian.

Usually, the three of them spoke English, so speaking in Russian made Yang Yun feel very uncomfortable.

Was this deliberately to prevent him from understanding and to exclude him?

Aleksey kept shaking his head, his voice getting louder, as if he and Zhao Yongping were arguing heatedly.

In the end, Zhao Yongping sighed and said, "Little Yang, I'm afraid I can't support you this time. We should focus on expanding production to save the factory! The distributors from Shenzhen will visit tomorrow, and they might order over ten thousand cartridges! As for this Super Mario, let's put it aside for now and wait until we have more money!"

What!

Abandon Super Mario?

This decision was like a bolt from the blue, making Yang Yun's hair stand on end.

This was unacceptable! No one could abandon Super Mario! Do you know how crazy this game will be in the future? Do you know how crazy the sales of its merchandise will be? Do you know how important it is in the history of games?

This was the biggest blow Yang Yun had received since his rebirth!

"Why?" Yang Yun's eyes turned red.

"Uncertain market prospects... and the potential for copyright disputes..." Zhao Yongping stammered, perhaps more concerned about the first reason.

Zhao Yongping didn't have Yang Yun's decades of experience, so he couldn't see the market potential of this game. Even if it sold over a million copies in North America, what did it have to do with him? Chinese people might not like it, and whether the Chinese market would accept it was still uncertain!

It was better to focus on the current tasks!

As long as the learning cartridges with the Snake game sold 50,000 copies, he could earn 1 million yuan for Huamao Electronics Factory!

But a knockoff Super Mario might offend the giant Nintendo, bringing unnecessary trouble, and Zhao Yongping was unwilling to take that risk.

Hearing this, Yang Yun seemed on the verge of anger!

Seeing Yang Yun's expression, Aleksey quickly stepped forward, pressing his shoulder and劝道: "Let Nintendo do Mario. We can develop better games. Think about it, our factory is tiny, like a small pixel on a screen, while Nintendo is a giant, occupying the entire screen!"

Under Aleksey's persuasion, Yang Yun gradually calmed down. Aleksey was right; if they were to oppose Nintendo now, it would be like an ant trying to shake a mountain, or a mosquito trying to pry the Earth.

He had been a bit impulsive, mainly because he was too attached to Super Mario, feeling very reluctant...

He had another suggestion he hadn't mentioned, wanting to persuade Zhao Yongping again, but seeing them start discussing the development platform and the maximum cartridge production, he sighed inwardly and held back his words.

If he were the leader, this might have been possible.

Being controlled by others was truly terrible, making him hesitant and unable to do anything!

Once this thorn was planted in his heart, it would be hard to remove.

On the surface, Yang Yun cooperated, but in his heart, he had already made up his mind. If working under others was so troublesome, he didn't mind going out on his own!

The next day, the game cartridge wholesalers from Shenzhen started arriving one after another. Zhao Yongping, representing the factory, warmly welcomed these merchants.

This was how the sales channels were established. As long as the product was good, there was no need to worry about selling it or getting a high price. The entire Huamao Electronics Factory was filled with joy, and even the vice manager of the parent company, Zhongyi Group, came to inspect.

At this time, a uniquely Chinese situation occurred.

Huamao Electronics Factory had only one set of burning equipment. The master from Shenzhen stayed for three days, teaching Yang Yun and Aleksey how to crack it. After the master left, the two of them worked for three more days to produce the 1,000 cartridges, averaging less than 300 per day.

The maximum monthly production was about 10,000 cartridges, but that was far from enough!

When the distributors learned of this, they panicked. To compete in the market, speed was crucial, and the products needed to be novel, with quick turnover.

The first distributor was from Hunan Province, speaking with a rapid and urgent accent: "2,000 sets! I, Mao Daxin, will take them!"

2,000 sets, a week's worth. The second distributor was unhappy: "I'll take 3,000 sets!"

Well, that pushed it back another ten days, and the remaining distributors became even more agitated!

Seeing the situation, Ma Dayong, the head of the sales department, put down his sales order and quickly signaled to Zhao Yongping. The two of them discussed in the inner room and made a decision.

The cashier and Zhao Yongping quickly made out several dozen delivery notes, each for 1,000 cartridges, specifying the delivery dates. Zhao Yongping wrote the notes and signed them, and Ma Dayong and the cashier also signed. Finally, they stamped the notes with the financial and factory manager's seals, completing the delivery orders.

"Recognize the notes, not the people! Deliveries will be made on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month!"

This practice was not new; many manufacturers did this for popular products.

Refrigerators, water heaters, wool fabrics, leather boots, and steel from steel mills were all handled this way, as the supply was far from meeting the demand!

This caused a commotion among the distributors, as they did not all arrive at Huamao Factory at the same time. The first few got a big advantage.

Especially Mao Daxin, who was very quick-witted. Although he only planned to take 2,000 cartridges, he understood that Huamao Electronics Factory's production capacity was insufficient. If he followed the queue, he would be far behind, only able to collect goods three times a month, and if his luck was bad, he might have to wait a month to get his order.

Mao Daxin stretched out his hand, pushing aside the hesitant distributors, and said, "I'll take 6,000 cartridges!"

He then dumped a pile of 100-yuan bills from his bag, all new and crisp, the latest fourth series 100-yuan notes from the second half of 1988, like garbage on Ma Dayong's desk. He took back two stacks and said indifferently, "180,000 yuan in total!"

180,000 yuan, 18 stacks of 100-yuan bills, instantly blinded everyone.

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