Chapter 440: Make CNFPS Great Again! |
"No need to imagine, no need to guess, no need to keep longing!"
"Because the future is here — total war is standing right before you!"
"Once, when we attended a game expo for the first time, I stood on a tiny stool and yelled out that line: Make FPS great again!"
"And now, standing once more on this land of sincerity, I have the confidence to raise my arms and shout again—"
"The BATTLEFIELD—"
"Make CNFPS Greaaaaaaaaaat Again!!!"
Boom—!!!
Explosions!!!
That incendiary slogan thundered through the Shanghai International Convention and Exhibition Center!
Today!
Was the opening day of this year’s Huaguo International Digital Interactive Entertainment Expo!
As one of the world’s four major game expos!
This year's CJ Exhibition invited a total of 748 game and digital companies from around the globe!
The entire expo runs for five days, and within its massive 220,000 square-meter exhibition hall it’s expected to receive over a million visitors and more than a hundred media outlets from around the world!
At 9:00 a.m. Zhongjing time!
The exhibition opened!
And the very moment countless media and international visitors poured into the venue—
The four characters "opening thunderstrike" sprang to life before their eyes!
The majestic central tower collapsed!
The sky-high Pearl Tower toppled!
Fighter jets circled and crossed overhead, heavy tanks rumbled through and bombed between buildings!
On huge LED screens, the trailer for Battlefield Storm: Rise looped!
Scored by Hans Zimmer and performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, the theme symphony rolled through the surround Dolby sound — majestic, ominous, and overwhelming!
Visitors and media went berserk!
An unprecedented super booth!
Sixty-four new Yiyou X2 Pro units were neatly arrayed around the main stage like guardians!
Even with thoroughly professional and experienced security on site, it still took a full twenty minutes to forcefully clear and disperse the jam-packed crowd at the entrance!
Countless players eyed this exhibition stand—an artwork—carefully.
"Too! Freaking! Awesome! Holy! Moly!!!"
"Pearl Tower! Central Tower! I just walked past those!"
"OMG—GW’s imagination for aesthetics is simply breathtaking!"
"This is terrifying. Is this what home-field advantage looks like?"
"This is over the top! With lighting, this static explosion effect is insane!"
"It instantly gives that battlefield vibe!"
"So cool, bro! Unreal!!!"
Under the flashbulbs, media outlets showered the booth—which utterly surpassed expectations—with the most stunned praise—
"War Aesthetics! Golden Wind Booth Reaches New Heights of Shock!"
"An Unprecedented Exhibition Experience! This Company Turned a Game Expo Into an Art Show!"
"Battlefield Storm: Rise Stuns Attendees! Booth Design Leaves Onlookers Breathless!"
"Making a Big First Strike! Golden Wind’s Battlefield Booth Sparks the First Wave of CJ Excitement!"
<.....
A barrage of visual impact hit from the very start!
As for CloudPower and Komera’s booths nearby?
Huh?
CloudPower and Komera?
You mean those booths used as temporary resting spots for visitors coming to see Golden Wind?
Are those supposed to be CloudPower and Komera booths?
I don’t think so!
And that embarrassing level of being completely ignored grew even more severe an hour later, when Gu Sheng appeared on stage accompanied by the grand symphony!
Look around!
Floors one, two, three, four...
Right now, across all four floors of the huge exhibition hall, every vantage that faced the Golden Wind booth was packed with people from top to bottom!
One "Make CNFPS Great Again!"
And the assembled media and audience erupted into a thunderous roar of shouts, applause, and deafening energy!
So powerful.
Isn’t it?
At this moment, Moriya Tetsuya, standing backstage, watched Gu Sheng pumping his arm onstage with eyes full of admiration and even reverence.
He was fearless and decisive, rich with astonishing imagination and creativity, always calm and collected while maneuvering through change.
Worse still, Gu Sheng understood human nature deeply — like an orator he knew exactly what to say and when to say it to achieve the most stirring effect.
Just like now.
The crowd had gone mad.
When a slogan that shook the gaming scene four years ago was mentioned again and paired with this spectacle, nostalgia and exhilaration soared to a peak!
The whole CJ Exhibition felt like Golden Wind’s own new-game launch!
After his rousing speech, media members couldn’t resist seizing the chance and raised microphones to ask Gu Sheng questions one after another—
"President Gu, could you introduce the features of Battlefield Storm: Rise?"
"We noticed there are 64 motion-sensing pods here. Are you going to organize group playtesting on site?"
"President Gu, previously the 'Golden Engine development team' suddenly disbanded. Was it because development hit a roadblock, or had development finished and they dissolved on their own?"
"What do you think is the Golden Engine’s biggest strength?"
"Will the engine’s features be showcased in this work?"
"Why were no more promotional materials released after the trailer? Are you preparing a surprise today?"
.......
A mix of Eastern and Western questions came flying at Gu Sheng like snow!
But he didn’t flinch in the slightest. He only smiled, waved his hand, and said:
"I can see you’ve all been saving these questions for a long time."
"Whether it’s about Battlefield Storm: Rise or the Golden Engine, everyone wants answers."
"And as you can all see—"
Saying that, Gu Sheng motioned to both sides of the stage.
Everyone’s gaze followed his gesture and landed on the motion-sensing zones on either side of the stage.
"Well, as you’ve all seen, today we specially prepared many brand-new Yiyou X2 Pro motion-sensing pods for everyone to try."
Then Gu Sheng continued:
"Let me tease a bit first."
"Whether it's the game’s features or the engine’s strengths, I can responsibly tell you: they’re all embedded in the game."
"And from the discussions I’ve seen so far,"
"Whether the guesses were good or bad, it seems no one has yet guessed the game’s biggest feature."
"So then, why not jump into the game and find out?"
At this point!
Gu Sheng suddenly shifted tone:
"And for today’s playtesting session, we’ve also made some special arrangements."
"Some sharp-eyed media friends just noticed that this time, we’ve set up 64 brand-new Yiyou X2 Pro motion-sensing pods as the test machines."
"This is the number of players a single Battlefield Storm battle can support,"
"On a 32v32 battlefield, the possibilities are endless."
"And next, we will fight alongside four teams of guests specially invited today to personally experience and witness this—"
"Battlefield Storm!"
Finishing his words!
Gu Sheng spread his arms and took two steps back.
Then.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone!
Four squads of four people each — sixteen in total — walked onto the left and right sides of the stage respectively!
The crowd and media erupted into cheers and thunderous applause the instant the guest teams appeared!
Because now!
Standing on the stage’s left side was the team led by Qiezi — XTT, Ma Teacher, and Tuanzi — the "former PUBG Asia Invitational exhibition champions" team, alongside a small team led by well-known PUBG streamer A+!
And on the stage’s right side, even more heavyweight!
Led by Octane — hailed as "Golden Wind’s foreign mascot number one," "the last Pilot alive," and "Power Father" — was his squad appearing live.
Beside Octane’s group stood a team composed of PUBG pro players Shroud, just9n, chadd, and top streamer taco!
Two major camps!
Four teams!
Sixteen well-known players and streamers!
An unprecedented star-studded lineup swept east to west and detonated the atmosphere on site instantly!
"OHHHHHHH—!!!"
The venue erupted in cheers!
"Goddamn! This is insane! A PUBG and APEX mega-gathering right here?!"
"Fuck, this lineup is ridiculous..."
"I even suspect if Old Thief wanted to purely boost the show effect, he'd stuff both sides with famous streamers and teams."
"Absolutely. Not to mention, just the pros from OW, PUBG, and APEX alone could put on multiple shows."
"This lineup is too strong. Damn, our slot’s so late, we probably can’t join the test."
"We can still watch from outside—better show effect anyway."
"True..."
Amid waves of excited cheers!
The four invited teams greeted the on-site players.
During the ensuing playtest, they would be divided into two camps.
A+ and Qiezi’s squad would join the red side representing Huaguo.
Octane and Shroud’s squad would represent the blue side, the United States faction.
As for the game map—
"From the setup here you can tell,"
Gu Sheng indicated the on-site layout and began to introduce:
"As an internationally renowned economic metropolis, this eastern pearl has now fallen into a crisis, isolated and helpless."
"The once-prosperous metropolis has become a key strategic location."
"Pearl Tower watches over everything here, and the Central Tower will witness the final outcome of this crucial battle."
"The smoky winds of artillery have already blown in from the riverbank."
"The upcoming campaign is called—"
"The Siege of Shanghai."
Saying that!
Amid flashes of camera shutters!
Gu Sheng stepped off the stage.
As the four guest teams mounted the motion-sensing pods and finished preparations,
the remaining 48 player slots were filled in the blink of an eye according to team order.
The onlookers pressed in thick as swarms; don’t speak of finding 48 players — even finding 480 players would have been snapped up instantly.
Interestingly, the matchups made the sides obvious.
All players joining the blue side were foreigners, not a single Huaguo native.
All joining the red side were Huaguo players, not a single foreigner.
Some Huaguo players who were queued for blue-side teams, though they had a chance to test, immediately ceded their spots to the international visitors behind them.
Very quickly!
Both sides assembled!
In real life, it was late spring moving into early summer — a lively, thriving scene in Shanghai.
In the game, also late spring moving into early summer, the streets had been cleared, armored vehicles stood ready, main battle tanks rumbled, helicopters waited to take off, and fighters readied to enter!
Amid this grim atmosphere!
As the battlefield countdown hit zero!
Rumble—!!!
The tense symphony of rising winds and clouds!
The flood of war burst forth from the red and blue bases!
At a command, nearly simultaneously within both armies, one shout rang out—
"Control point! Control point! Charge—!!!"