Chapter 75: The Benefits Brought by a Dreamlike Collaboration

As the most popular game among young people today, Battle Kings boasts the largest fanbase, with daily active users exceeding one hundred million. On this particular day, when everyone logged into the mobile game Battle Kings, they were surprised to discover that their battle anthem had changed!

“I love you for walking alone through the dark alleys,
I love you for refusing to kneel,
I love you for standing against despair,
Unwilling to shed a single tear,
I love you for your tattered clothes,
Yet you dare to defy the gun of fate,
I love you because you’re so much like me,
Even our scars are the same.
Will you go? Are you worthy? In this ragged cloak,
Will you fight? Fight! With the humblest of dreams,
For the sobs and roars in the night,
Who says only those standing in the light are heroes?”

“What the hell? How did Lone Brave become the new battle anthem for Battle Kings?”

“I’m just as baffled. Somehow it feels like Lone Brave fits this game even better?”

“Damn, I love it! Will you fight? Fight! With the humblest of dreams! I’m going for a pentakill today!”

It was then that everyone noticed a scrolling message at the top of the game screen:

“Battle Kings and ‘Lone Brave’ have joined forces in a dream collaboration! At the finals of the Battle Kings Annual Tournament, Su Bai will perform ‘Lone Brave’ live for everyone.”

Countless Battle Kings fans went wild upon seeing this announcement.

Many among them were already fans of Su Bai and had recently participated in his battles. Even those who weren’t his fans had become aware of Su Bai through the recent wave of online events, and were now extremely curious—what would a live performance by Su Bai actually be like?

But this wasn’t the real reason for their excitement. What truly thrilled them was that their beloved idol was collaborating with their favorite game. That was the heart of their excitement.

Su Bai’s live performance at the finals was a special benefit that Wang Lin secured for the players after finalizing the partnership with Su Bai. Although Wang Lin’s feelings had subtly changed since then, she still ensured that the promised benefit was delivered.

“Guys, have you noticed? When this new battle anthem plays, my gameplay is on fire! I’ve never played Han Xin this well before!”

“For real! Even as a support, I managed a pentakill!”

“Yeah, right! What, was the other team’s healer asleep or something?”

“Pfft…”

This dream collaboration between ‘Lone Brave’ and Battle Kings set both entities ablaze with renewed popularity. Originally, many of Su Bai’s fans weren’t mobile gamers. But after seeing countless posts online about Lone Brave and Battle Kings, their curiosity got the better of them, and they downloaded Battle Kings.

The influx of new players was something Wang Lin had never anticipated.

A strange phenomenon quickly emerged in the game:

“Seriously, are you a noob? Don’t you know to push towers? All you do is chase kills, and you can’t even get those! Just mindlessly hitting minions—what kind of operation is that?”

“Sorry, teammates! I’ve never played before. I only downloaded it because I heard my idol Su Bai was doing a dream collaboration with the game. Still learning the ropes.”

“Oh, no worries! So you came here because of the captain’s song? It’s fine, come, I’ll teach you!”

Scenes like this began to appear in teams everywhere. Soon, all kinds of videos featuring these moments flooded the internet.

From then on, Su Bai unwillingly earned himself the nickname “Captain of Battle Kings.” Truth be told, Su Bai had never actually played Battle Kings. In fact, he hadn’t played games in years. In his youth, he hadn’t had the means. Later, when he finally had the time and resources, his curiosity about games had faded. He never expected to one day be dubbed the captain of a popular game by netizens.

Previously, there had been some Battle Kings gameplay shared on Douyin, but not much. Now, the short video platform was inundated with hilarious clips of Su Bai fans trying the game for the first time. Although the players’ skills were questionable, a surprising sense of understanding spread throughout the community.

There emerged an unspoken rule: newcomers who joined because they were Su Bai fans were met with extraordinary patience.

Gradually, a misconception took root: “Wow, I’ve never seen a singer make a game this popular!”

Then, of course, the naysayers appeared.

“If you don’t know what you’re talking about, just stay quiet. Battle Kings was already insanely popular before Su Bai blew up!”

“It’s had over a hundred million daily users for ages—are you kidding me?”

“Bro, Tengfei Group makes billions every year from this game. You think it wasn’t popular before?”

“Have you been living under a rock? Just came down from the mountain?”

“Maybe get better internet up there before posting online!”

Naturally, some of Su Bai’s fans argued back.

“But isn’t it Su Bai who gave Battle Kings a second wind?”

“At the very least, without Su Bai, plenty of people still wouldn’t know about Battle Kings.”

“It was Su Bai who introduced more people to this game!”

Both sides held their ground. Still, no one could deny that this dream collaboration between Battle Kings and Su Bai had brought heat to both parties. Some people who’d never cared for music and only played games now found themselves searching for Su Bai on Douyin, curious to learn more about him.

In a way, both sides won. But the effect was most immediate for Battle Kings—their downloads soared beyond the usual.

At the Tengfei Group video conference, the executives didn’t hesitate to praise Wang Lin: “Wang Lin, you did an excellent job. Not only did you save twenty million in PR expenses, but this collaboration also injected new life into Battle Kings! Next, you need to strengthen ties with Su Bai. Try to maximize interaction with him—his popularity is just off the charts now!”

Wang Lin nodded. Although she had her reservations, it was an undeniable fact: Su Bai was on fire, and nothing could change that.

When they first partnered with ‘Lone Brave,’ it was partly because the song was a perfect match for a tower-pushing game like Battle Kings, and partly because Su Bai’s popularity was already considerable. Even though he wasn’t as famous then as he was now, Su Bai had maintained a consistent level of fame since his debut—something no other star had achieved. Now, reality had proven them right.

After the video conference ended, however, Wang Lin fell into deep thought. How could she further strengthen the collaboration with Su Bai? The only problem was—the man was a bit of a scoundrel.

With a jolt, Wang Lin shook her head. She was supposed to be thinking about work, so why was her mind wandering to his character? This was a business deal, not a search for a soulmate.

Wang Lin slapped her forehead with both hands, feeling a sense of frustration.