The influence of Science and Technology Daily was evident, plus Lu Shaojun had paid to get it trending.
The interview immediately sparked widespread discussion.
Then, public skepticism from Yao Chunming, CEO of Baotong Technology, a well-known domestic metaverse company, caused the trending topic to explode.
Yao Chunming posted on his blog, saying: "When developing technology, one must not be overly ambitious and unrealistic, and certainly must not deceive the public."
"I only have one question: May I ask Chaowei Technology, have you actually achieved the interface for humans to enter the virtual world?"
"If not, then don't try to impress people with flashy claims and make yourselves a laughingstock."
Immediately, other big names in the tech industry also emerged to voice skepticism.
For example, Yan Tao, General Manager of Huali Technology, a domestic metaverse equipment manufacturer, publicly shared his views on Chaowei Technology's virtual world.
"At the current level of technology, attempting to achieve the kind of virtual world depicted in science fiction movies is unrealistic and frankly, laughable."
Yan Tao continued, "Today, the closest thing we have to a virtual world might be the effects produced by AAA games through hardware and software rendering."
Finally, Yan Tao stated very seriously, "When pursuing technological innovation and development, one must be pragmatic and grounded in reality, guarding against arrogance and impatience."
"China missed out on many major technological revolutions in the past precisely because there were too many companies like Chaowei Technology."
Yan Tao's remarks, especially the final sentence, received strong backing from many leading figures in the tech industry.
Seeing the industry leaders weigh in, tech bloggers across major online platforms, not wanting to be left behind, also began publishing posts criticizing Chaowei Technology.
In an instant, Chaowei Technology transformed from a promising company with high expectations into a pariah, reviled by everyone.
In the office, Xu Zhijun wore an expression of innocence and helplessness.
"Mr. Lu, I think I might have messed up this time."
Lu Shaojun chuckled and said, "I think it's great. Who says 'anti-fans' aren't fans?"
Xu Zhijun looked a bit awkward.
What kind of strange reasoning was that?
"Mr. Lu, shouldn't we really do some public relations?"
Lu Shaojun waved his hand dismissively, "Public opinion has already whipped up into a storm. Anything we do now is useless. The best way to dispel skepticism is to let the facts speak for themselves. Just wait. When the virtual BCI is released, the online sentiment will completely change."
Xu Zhijun considered it and figured that staying silent for now might indeed be the best option.
Moving past the matter, Xu Zhijun took out a document.
"Mr. Lu, the internet cafe renovations have begun. This is the initial renovation plan."
Lu Shaojun took the document, glanced through it briefly, and was quite satisfied. "The membership system design for the internet cafes is very reasonable."
Putting the document down, Lu Shaojun asked, "How is the design coming along for the reclining chairs that will accompany the virtual BCI?"
Xu Zhijun pulled a document from a stack. "We've designed three models. However, an employee suggested we could design 'hibernation pods,' which might pair better with the virtual BCI."
Lu Shaojun objected, "Hibernation pods look like coffins. What's good about that?"
Xu Zhijun said with a smile, "I thought the same thing."
Lu Shaojun continued, "How is the training going for the virtual BCI installation technicians?"
Xu Zhijun replied, "I've contacted the factory. The first batch of trainees has already passed the assessment."
Lu Shaojun said with satisfaction, "When it comes to technicians for installing and maintaining the virtual BCI, the more, the better. Once the BCI is released, we need to ensure there's at least one technical team in every city."
Xu Zhijun frowned. "You'll need to talk to the factory about that. I heard the technicians there are quite difficult to deal with."
Lu Shaojun's expression darkened.
He got annoyed just thinking about those bionic robots.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this."
After discussing some other business matters, Lu Shaojun headed towards the game department.
The game department was currently in a heated argument.
After asking, Lu Shaojun understood the situation. The debate was about whether to incorporate a mythology system into the virtual world.
Supporters believed that Chinese people have a natural fascination with mythology, and adding a mythology system would be a major selling point for the virtual world.
Opponents argued that mythological power systems are too vast, the number of mythological figures is too large, and Western mythology systems are too complex.
Lu Shaojun joined the discussion and offered his own perspective.
"I believe we can incorporate the power levels of mythology systems, but not the mythological figures themselves. We can use the peak power levels from mythology as the ceiling for player progression."
After Lu Shaojun finished speaking, an employee whispered, "Boss, but if we do that, given the skills of our Chinese players, they'll hit that ceiling very easily."
The other employees nodded in agreement.
Chinese players really were terrifyingly skilled.
Lu Shaojun smiled and shared his view again, "I don't think they'll reach the ceiling easily."
"Our game is a true virtual world. We're abandoning the traditional 'pay-to-win' model where spending money makes you stronger."
Lu Shaojun continued, "In the virtual world, if players want to become stronger, they either need heaven-defying luck to be chosen by the BCI system, or they need to be hardworking enough and have incredible opportunities."
"Additionally, we can extend the game's background and setting."
All the employees looked intently at Lu Shaojun.
Extend the background and setting?
Lu Shaojun walked to the whiteboard and wrote vertically: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms.
Beside it, he wrote another vertical list: Kingdom, Royal Dynasty, Imperial Dynasty, Celestial Dynasty.
Then, as he elaborated further, Lu Shaojun explained, "Although the dynasties before the Three Kingdoms are history, their rulers haven't disappeared. They've simply gone to another continent."
"On that other continent, these historical rulers of China are still carving out territories, striving to establish the ultimate Celestial Dynasty."
"The Three Kingdoms period is just the starting point for players. Traveling to the other continent to compete on the same stage as these ancient figures is the ultimate goal."
Lu Shaojun's description made the employees' eyes light up. Everyone started brainstorming freely, gradually fleshing out and refining the setting.
The virtual BCI was scheduled for official release on September 10th, leaving only twenty-two days.
Time was tight, but the actual workload wasn't enormous.
This was because, for the virtual BCI, they only needed to provide the settings and framework; the rest could be generated by the BCI system itself.
On September 1st, an official Weibo post from Chaowei Technology quickly shot to the top of the trending list.
"September 10th, 6 PM. Virtual World. See you there."
The accompanying image on Weibo was a hazy silhouette of a helmet.
"No way, is Chaowei Technology actually serious about this?"
"Serious or not, it's definitely fake."
"Ten days from now, just waiting to see Chaowei Technology get proven wrong."
"..."
Meanwhile, figures in the tech industry and the media world all received invitations to Chaowei Technology's launch event.
Adhering to the principle of enjoying the drama and not minding a bit of trouble, everyone who received an invitation confirmed they would attend punctually, adding they hoped Chaowei Technology wouldn't disappoint them (implying they expected failure).
At 9 PM on the evening of September 9th, at the location of one of Chaowei Technology's internet cafes in Tianhai, all the network administrators, shift leaders, and the manager, Lin Fang, were waiting by the entrance.
The internet cafe had already been renovated and upgraded five days prior; they were just waiting for the new machines to be delivered and installed.
Whether it was the newly hired administrators or Lin Fang, who had worked in internet cafes for ten years, everyone was puzzled by the interior decoration style and layout.
They realized that, no matter how they looked at it, this layout didn't seem designed for placing typical computer hosts, monitors, and keyboards.