Chapter 475: Chapter 230: Explosion of Orders, the Star Sky Preacher
The hired trollsâ offensive was fierce. They attacked relentlessly from every angle. Besides trying to suppress the topicâs popularity, their main goal was to muddy the watersâideally, to ruin Night Cityâs reputation so that he couldnât sell a single order.
In response, Li Changâan just sneered.
Because not only did the trollsâ attacks fail to cool down the post, they actually fanned the flames of its popularity. After all, without contrarians and trolls, how could you generate more buzz?
Of course, to say these trolls had no effect at all wouldnât be entirely true.
After all, most of the Reincarnators who came to the forums to watch the drama were just casual observers. Some lacked the ability to think for themselves; they were easily swayed by whatever they heard. When the trolls claimed Night Cityâs products were faulty, they believed the products were faulty. When the trolls said Deng Ankangâs post was photoshopped because heâd taken a promotion fee from Night City, they were quick to believe that too.
But then again, with the massive exposure this post was getting, Li Changâan and the Night City Military Technology Group were definitely profitingâand profiting handsomely.
Thinking of this, Li Changâan couldnât help but burst out laughing.
He had been worrying about how to open up sales channels for the weapons produced by Night City.
Traditional channels were no longer a viable option. The Gu Family had already coordinated with their upstream and downstream industry partners to issue a sales ban against Li Changâan and Cangxuan City. It would be difficult for Night City to create an opening in their rivalâs home territory.
But then, just when he needed it most, a solution appeared out of nowhere. Deng Ankangâs post had once again thrust Li Changâan into the spotlight, making him quite the hot topic.
After a moment of thought, Li Changâan suppressed his smile and quickly made a call to Deng Ankang. "Elder Deng," he began gratefully, "youâve really done me a huge favor this time!"
Hearing Li Changâanâs call, Deng Ankang was clearly in a great mood as well. He praised, "Whatâs this? I just made a post, thatâs all. The most important thing is that the products you manufacture are of excellent quality, isnât it? If anyone should be thanking anyone, itâs me thanking you. Two shots to kill a Tier Five Special Mutant Creature! If it werenât for the Super Electromagnetic Cannon and the Energy Particle Beam Cannon you sold me, Iâm afraid it wouldâve taken a great deal of effort just to kill or drive it away. I might have even suffered heavy casualties!"
It had to be said, as a well-known "big brother" figure in Linjiang and the recognized leader in the local chat groups, Deng Ankang was impeccable in both his character and his actions. He really knew how to make people feel at ease.
Li Changâan didnât waste any time and got straight to the point. "How about this, Elder Deng? Youâve helped me out so much, and I donât have much to thank you with. Let me start by sending you five Energy Particle Beam Cannons and five Super Electromagnetic Cannons. From now on, whenever the Night City Military Technology Group produces any new advanced equipment, youâll be the first to know. And as the president of the Night City Technology Group, Iâll give you a twenty-percent discount on all weapons!"
As the old saying goes: One good turn deserves another.
By a very conservative estimate, Deng Ankangâs single forum post would save Li Changâan millions, if not tens of millions, of Rebirth Points in marketing costs.
Compared to such selfless help, Li Changâanâs offer to send a few cannons was truly just a small gesture.
The real point of the offer was the future sales channel for Night Cityâs advanced military technology products.
If Deng Ankang could acquire the goods at a twenty-percent discount, he could resell them and make a profit of around twenty percent. That was where the real money was.
However, Deng Ankang just waved his hand, politely refusing. "Brother Changâan, I know how you operate, but thereâs no need for the gifts. I really just made a post, nothing more. The real reason youâre back in the spotlight is because of the advanced, high-quality products you manufacture..."
He paused, then suddenly added with a chuckle, "Besides, if I actually accepted, wouldnât I become exactly what those trolls are calling meâa product-pushing streamer who took a promotion fee to run an ad? I canât afford that kind of embarrassment!"
Since Deng Ankang had put it that way, Li Changâan couldnât very well insist. However, he made a mental note of the matter. It was Deng Ankangâs choice not to seek anything in return, but Li Changâan couldnât just pretend it never happened.
He decided he would find an opportunity in the future to repay the kindness and support shown to him today.
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries.
Just as they were about to end the call, Deng Ankang suddenly sighed, speaking with a great deal of emotion. "Changâan, our Linjiang has always been a remote backwater. We have no real say even within Xiangnan Province, let alone on a national scale. Weâre completely obscure!"
"The big cities devour all the top talent from small places like ours, then they have the nerve to turn around and blame us, saying weâre not as good as them because we arenât hardworking or smart enough... Now, Linjiang has finally produced a Demon like you. You have to keep pushing forward. Win some glory for yourself and for all of us in Linjiang City!"
Deng Ankangâs words struck a chord with Li Changâan. He nodded at once and said, "Rest assured, Elder Deng. Linjiangâs future development will not disappoint."
After hanging up, Li Changâan opened the forum again.
Using his own account, he posted a message at the bottom of the thread, telling any Reincarnators interested in purchasing or inquiring about the advanced weapons from the Night City Military Technology Group to contact him directly.