“The VR headsets and the game will be sold as a bundle, not separately.”
Chen Jiajun paused for a moment before continuing, “As for the price, I think it shouldn’t be too high, nor too low.”
Shen Yingying looked at him. “What’s the exact cost of the headset?”
Chen Jiajun pondered for a moment.
The actual cost of the headset was 100 reputation points.
But reputation was something that simply couldn’t be converted into real-world currency.
“What do you think… selling the bundle for fifteen hundred?”
He asked tentatively.
To be honest, Chen Jiajun felt this price was quite reasonable.
An era-defining online game that could combine dreams with sleep—if handed over to Penguin or Pig Farm to operate, the virtual headset alone would cost more than that, not to mention game access. You wouldn’t even get through the door without dropping eight hundred to a thousand yuan.
And yet, he was offering the entire set for just fifteen hundred.
“How much?”
Shen Yingying shot to her feet, almost convinced she had misheard.
“Fifteen hundred!”
“Too expensive?”
Shen Yingying’s expression immediately became quite odd. “Bro, *The Sims* next door costs three thousand even on sale, and *Creed Origin* with a necklace or some peripherals dares to price itself at five thousand seven hundred.”
“We’re bundling a genuine VR headset, and you want to price it at fifteen hundred? Are you crazy???”
Chen Jiajun let out a soft sigh.
He had his reasons for this pricing.
The reputation system was built on the recognition of others; if the price was set too high, it would inevitably affect reputation growth.
He would rather earn a little less to cast a wider net.
“I just want more people to experience this game,”
he said sincerely. “Letting everyone understand scams, be vigilant against scams, and calling on the whole nation to combat and prevent fraud—this was my original intention in making the game.”
After a brief pause, he said solemnly:
“If you think the profit is too low, I can give you some of my share of the dividends.”
Giving up profit truly hurt, but the studio was a partnership after all, and Shen Yingying had put up the lion’s share.
He couldn’t block others’ paths to wealth just because he wanted to earn reputation.
“I didn’t mean that.”
Shen Yingying waved her hand. “It’s just that 1,500 is indeed pressing the price too low. There will be discounts later. After deducting the cost of the headsets, the profit margin is truly limited.”
She had previously had someone inspect the VR headset Chen Jiajun sent over.
Although the specific technology couldn’t be fully analyzed, the expert clearly stated that whether in terms of materials or craftsmanship, this VR headset was absolutely top-tier.
Price it at 1,500?
She even suspected Chen Jiajun was selling at a loss just to attract attention.
“Don’t worry, there’s still profit.”
More than that—the net profit of a single headset alone was as high as 1,500!
Chen Jiajun was afraid saying it out loud would scare her.
“It better be.”
“I’ll be checking the books regularly.”
Shen Yingying glanced at him and said with feigned sternness.
Though she said this, she still trusted Chen Jiajun deep down.
After all, the two had been working together since university; they had long since developed a rapport.
“Right, the game CG is ready. Do you want to take a look?”
Chen Jiajun suddenly remembered something and turned to look at her.
“So fast?”
“It’s only been one night.”
Shen Yingying, who had been scrolling through videos on her phone, looked up, somewhat surprised.
“Throwing money at things solves most problems, including efficiency.”
Chen Jiajun shrugged.
The background setting and framework he provided were already complete. Combined with cash-on-delivery, the rendering speed naturally went up.
“I’ll take a look.”
Shen Yingying got up and walked over to him.
Chen Jiajun skillfully operated the computer, opened the final version of the promotional CG, then yielded the seat to her.
The screen flashed.
The camera cut to a heavily guarded fraud compound.
The square was packed with people, all listless and hollow-eyed.
They were called “dog pushers”—the lowest-level cogs in the fraud compound.
On the podium,
a manager in a checkered shirt held up a megaphone.
“To succeed, first go crazy!”
The crowd below waved their arms mechanically like marionettes. “Charge toward money without caring about anything!”
“Gamble once, rich for three generations!”
“Only by risking your life can you avoid failure!”
The shouts echoed throughout the compound.
“Start work!”
At the manager’s order.
Shen Yingying watched this segment several times over.
She was shocked by the manager’s ability to manipulate people on stage—no complex scripts needed. Simply raising his arms and shouting a couple of slogans could mobilize everyone’s enthusiasm.
If Chen Jiajun knew what Shen Yingying was thinking, he’d probably burst out laughing.
Who dared not to be enthusiastic?
Those who dared not be enthusiastic would starve and be beaten…
The camera turned.
Dense keyboard tapping sounds rang out.
What met Shen Yingying’s eyes were dozens of tightly arranged computer desks.
On the screens were scam templates like “investment rebates” and “online gambling.”
Bright red slogans were plastered on the walls: Failure to meet quotas = no food.
Instant noodle cups and cigarette butts were scattered everywhere.
“Stock trading, crypto mining, online games, e-commerce, gambling…”
“Beautiful dealers dealing cards online!”
“If I want him to win, he wins.”
“If I want him to lose, he has to lose.”
The scene shifted again.
Under the spotlight, surrounded by beautiful women, restless music, singing and dancing.
“Nude chat!”
The camera panned down to a young man with glasses, his face filled with terror.
The manager, with women on both arms, grinned. “Want to join?”
“Join… what?”
“The scam business!”
The video suddenly switched.
The young man was locked in an iron cage, curled up like a trapped beast.
A scarred man with tattooed arms opened the cage door and held a phone to his face.
“Come on, let your family know you’re safe.”
“It’s beautiful here… I’m having a great time with my colleagues…”
He spoke trembling, his voice dry.
The scene switched again.
This time it was a scene of punishing the dog pushers.
Electrocution, brass knuckle beatings, needle pricks, nail picking…
“Our line of work, calling it a business with no capital and ten-thousand-fold profits wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“The risks are smaller than drug trafficking, the profits higher than drug trafficking.”
“There’s nothing we can’t do that you can think of.”
“People have two hearts: one is greed, the other is unwillingness to accept loss.”
“The end of temptation is a trap; the end of fear is despair.”
The screen gradually darkened.
Subtitles appeared.
“Don’t believe, don’t be greedy, don’t be impulsive!”
“One more person experiences, one less person gets deceived.”
“*Blood-Stained Golden Triangle: Survivor* launches today.”
Shen Yingying stared at the dark screen, dazed for a long time.
Even knowing this was just a game CG, the images of those dog pushers being brutally beaten still brought her incomparable shock, lingering in her mind for a long time.
This was fraud?
She couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
What happened to those dog pushers later?
Why didn’t they escape?
Would they die there?
So in the game story, after players were kidnapped at the start, they would be sent to a place like this.
At this moment,
she desperately wanted to know what happened next.
She wanted to know how players would escape from there.
She wanted to know how those dog pushers had fallen step by step to this point.
The fraud methods appearing in the game were so cruel they were unheard of on Blue Star.
Because she had never seen them, she couldn’t imagine
how terrifying it would be if these happened in reality.