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墨書 Inktalez
The difficulty of the Virtual Pod was much simpler compared to the Virtual Helmet.
After all, the blueprints provided several expandable options. They only needed to assemble the wiring and fit it into a different container. This was not an impossible task for them.
In contrast to the simplicity and convenience of the Virtual Helmet, the Virtual Pod appeared much bulkier. This also meant that its manufacturing difficulty was lower than that of the Virtual Helmet. Of course, it would take a considerable amount of time. After all, the Virtual Pod was designed for wealthy individuals, and precious materials were naturally expensive.
With more materials involved, although the difficulty was not high, the time required to manufacture a single Virtual Pod could easily be used to produce hundreds of Virtual Helmets. This led Li Hong to never consider making the Virtual Pod a mainstream product from the start.
The high price and only slightly better experience compared to the Virtual Helmet were enough to turn away most customers. Their main focus remained on the Virtual Helmet.
“Sir, what are the differences between this Virtual Pod and your Virtual Helmet?” a reporter asked curiously.
Mark awkwardly replied, “Of course, the technologies used in both are fundamentally different. However, we considered that some users might not prefer head-mounted Virtual World Access Devices. Therefore, we specially designed this Virtual Pod to meet the needs of most consumers…”
Although he understood that this product was essentially just a status symbol and that the actual technology was quite similar, Mark proved himself to be an excellent salesperson, quickly inflating the reputation of this seemingly useless Virtual Pod.
Of course, not everyone believed Mark's sales pitch. The so-called Virtual Pod was clearly just a luxury version of the Virtual Helmet meant for rich people; they couldn't let those wealthy individuals wear silly helmets like Salty Fish, could they?
The special craftsmanship and luxurious materials Mark mentioned only confirmed their suspicions.
Thus, after the initial commotion, no one paid attention to the seemingly high-end Virtual Pod anymore.
It was obvious that this thing was expensive and aimed at fleecing gullible customers; they were not part of the target demographic for such a product.
While they envied the stronger experience and greater comfort that Mark mentioned, they also knew it was something they could not afford.
Compared to the clearly unaffordable Virtual Pod, the approachable appearance of the Virtual Helmet and its more portable features intrigued them even more.
In the so-called Internet Era, there are no absolute secrets, and news is no exception.
When the news of the Virtual Helmet's debut broke, major media outlets around the world quickly shared the story within ten minutes.
"The Virtual Era Has Arrived!"
This shocking headline certainly captured a lot of attention.
After reading the report and learning that an inconspicuous company in a mysterious eastern land had developed a groundbreaking Virtual Platform, everyone was buzzing with excitement!
This was not like the dawn of the Internet Era, when many visionary individuals recognized the potential of the future but most people remained skeptical about whether the Internet would lead to a new age.
However, the virtual world is different; as long as this technology can truly be realized, the next era is destined to be dominated by the virtual realm.
Everyone could envision what the world would look like after the emergence of the virtual world. This was not a vague concept like those sold during the early days of the Internet; it was something tangible and visible.
Some were in tears—these were entrepreneurs in the Internet or technology sectors. Just as they were poised to create a new landscape for the Internet, the Internet Era had come to an end.
Others were laughing—most of them were ordinary people who loved technology. They had originally thought that concepts like the virtual world would take at least twenty years to see any progress. They never expected practical projects to emerge so quickly.
Some were going crazy—these were mostly stock investors who had poured money into various tech companies. Many tech firms, including those in the Internet sector, were inflating their values, boasting about futures that had yet to materialize. But with the advent of the virtual world, their constructed visions of a bright future had completely turned into bubbles…
Now, everything was over!
The last rays of the Internet Era cast their glow upon the earth, and excitement erupted across the globe.
At Nasdaq, hailed as the focal point of the Internet Era, the market quickly responded.
Since the Financial Crisis in 2008, the Nasdaq Index had been rising year after year. On January 9, 2018, even before the opening ceremony, there was a slight increase.
76106!
The last glimmer of the Internet Era halted at 76106.
Then news of the Virtual Helmet spread, and panic began to spread through the market. Everyone knew that Intel was finished, Microsoft was finished, and nearly all companies in the internet industry were on the brink of collapse...
A wave of massive sell-offs appeared in the market, with once-envied stocks of well-known companies plummeting like cabbages at dusk, desperately devaluing themselves to be sold off.
A sell order for 1 million shares of AAPL at $150 was placed!
The market was nearly going insane. No one knew about AAPL, but it was the stock code for Apple Inc. This also meant that the major players behind Apple were starting to exit!
In, SF, GGL, AZN, FB...
One by one, names that once shone brightly on the Nasdaq—Intel, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook...
If someone had sold a large amount of stock at a low price before this, they would have surely been called fools. But now, as long as it could be sold, who cared about the price?
The mechanism of American stocks allows for same-day buying and selling. Although there is a circuit breaker mechanism that means funds from sales reach accounts three days later, this mechanism barely made a ripple amidst the grand wave of sell-offs.
Huaxia A-Shares were not without internet companies either; however, they had already hit their limit down and smoothly ended their turmoil.
The tide of American stocks continued. Americans are skilled investors; they would rather have no money at all and even owe banks a lot but still buy two stocks to ease their nerves.
Before this, the internet had always been a highly sought-after sector. It’s easy to imagine just how many Americans were deeply entangled in it.
The Nasdaq was in chaos, and Chairman Aydana Friedman didn't even have time to request a market halt from the President before receiving a warning from her assistant.
"Sir, you've personally purchased a significant amount of internet company stocks. If you don't sell them now, you'll incur serious losses."
"But if we don't halt trading, America is finished," Aydana Friedman said, cradling her head in despair.
Her assistant, a distant cousin with beautiful golden hair, replied playfully, "If America is finished, what does it have to do with us? As long as we don't suffer losses on our investments, that's what matters."
Aydana took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right; America's fate doesn't concern me. Fine, quickly help me sell all the stocks I hold, even if the methods are unscrupulous. Once that's done, I'll immediately request a market halt from the President!"
"Understood, sir!" The assistant clicked her heels as she hurried out of Aydana's office.
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