Chapter 1423 Playing Matchmaker

Xu Hu personally stepped up and experienced both the Module 2 and Module 3 driving tests.

He passed them both on his first try.

Li Shi couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "President Xu, you're still as skilled as ever!"

Xu Hu chuckled. "I'm a gold-medal instructor at my own driving school. How could Module 2 and Module 3 possibly stump me?"

"But, President Li, this simulator really is different. It's nothing like the ones I bought before. I was completely ripped off!"

The obvious differences between the two simulators were apparent from the outside.

The simulators that Xu Hu had previously purchased were ugly and easily reminiscent of those old, bulky computer monitors. They just screamed of compromise and outdated technology.

The Safe and Civilized Driving Simulator, on the other hand, with its three-screen LCD monitor, its square direct-drive steering wheel base, its sports car-like steering wheel, and its all-metal pedals and gear lever... all exuded a sense of modernism and technology.

These were not products of the same era!

The difference was even more pronounced once you actually got behind the wheel.

Xu Hu said, "I had a lot of complaints about the simulators we bought for our driving school before!"

"The steering wheel had no power steering, just a belt drive inside. It could barely return to center, and that was it. The pedals were loose and wobbly, with no feedback at all. The gear lever broke all the time and was always loose, with no feeling of actually shifting gears. The seat didn't have any g-force feedback, and to make matters worse, the simulator's software was terrible. It looked worse than a game from a decade ago!"

"I wanted the manufacturer to make changes, but they said it was impossible. That was the best they could do. It would cost too much and be too difficult to modify."

"I thought it was just a technical limitation, that this was the best they could do. I looked at other driving test simulators online and they were all about the same level, so I gave up."

"But now I know, it wasn't because it cost too much or was too difficult. They just didn't want to spend the money, and they didn't want to provide any after-sales service for the machines they sold!"

Li Shi smiled slightly. "President Xu, I think you might be mistaken about them."

"They probably just lacked the capability."

"These simulators are made by small teams. How could they produce any good products?"

"Can they order in bulk and drive down the price of the supply chain? Can they hire professional designers to design the product? Can they thoroughly analyze the driving simulation equipment on the market and provide the best possible solution? Can they, like Tengda, have a team of top-notch game designers to create a game with exquisite graphics and realistic physics engine?"

"Obviously, they can't!"

"How can these small teams compare to Tengda? They're just small workshops. Tengda is a regular army. When they enter the field, it's a complete mismatch!"

"Actually, all the components in this simulator can be produced domestically, but the question is whether they have the ability to integrate them all, to stockpile them in bulk with a large amount of capital, to use their strong voice to make suppliers and OEMs change to their desired designs, and whether they can develop the corresponding software to perfectly utilize the strength of the entire hardware."

"Take the force feedback and simulated vibration built into the simulator, for example. These have to be coordinated with the game content!"

"As of now, this equipment and this game are unique to Tengda. Some of the top driving simulation games overseas also have force feedback and vibration feedback, but the problem is that they're all driving and racing simulations. Even if they serve a real-world purpose, they're all designed specifically for race car drivers and have no driving test functions."

"So, let alone in the short term, I conservatively estimate that no new product will surpass this equipment for at least two years!"

Xu Hu was very happy and asked, "What about the after-sales service?"

Li Shi smiled. "You can rest assured about the after-sales service. Tengda's after-sales service has always been top-notch! Now, Tengda's Moyu Internet Cafe and Nifeng Logistics are all over many cities across the country, so on-site maintenance or free replacement are very convenient."

"Most importantly, the game *Safe and Civilized Driving* will continue to release new content, such as new car models, and driving test rules specific to each region..."

Xu Hu's eyes lit up. "Oh? That's good!"

Previously, the biggest headache for Xu Hu was that the test content in the simulator was not quite the same as in reality.

Of course, it wasn't entirely the simulator's fault, because the test content and methods do vary slightly across the country.

Module 1 and Module 4 were just doing questions, and the question banks were the same.

But Module 2 and Module 3 could be very different in different cities. This was a historical problem.

Some cities had very advanced equipment but very outdated test content. For example, they had fully electronic driving tests, with no safety officer in the car. The students had to drive the car back to the finish line on their own, but there was no speed requirement. Apart from having to complete a gear-shifting operation, it didn't matter if they crawled the entire course in second gear at idle speed. Other cities required them to run quickly, with third gear as the bottom line, and it was normal to run in fourth or fifth gear at sixty or seventy kilometers per hour.

Including the order of the items in Module 2, there were even differences between new and old sites in the same city. Most test centers had parallel parking as the first item, but some test centers had parallel parking as the last item.

When chain driving schools like Hengyuan Driving School opened driving schools in new cities, they had to find out about the local test rules in advance. Whether it was building new test sites or specifying teaching standards, they had to adapt to local conditions.

But it was impossible for simulator manufacturers to make it so specific. They could only make it according to the local driving test rules, or the driving test rules of major cities.

For Xu Hu, he could only make do with it. The students practiced driving, which was just a psychological effect.

But *Safe and Civilized Driving* was different. It could completely adjust the driving tests in the game according to the different driving test rules in each region, and launch versions for each city. When players entered the game, they only needed to select the corresponding city, or locate it according to their IP address, and they would naturally take the test according to the local rules.

This would be more conducive to integrating the simulator with real-world driving test teaching!

Xu Hu immediately made a decision. "Great, Tengda's equipment is definitely trustworthy! That's it!"

"Let me calculate how many units I need."

"Currently, our group has more than 1,000 training vehicles and nearly 200 stores and training grounds. We can put one or two units in the stores and a dozen units in the training grounds."

"So, that's... let's order 1,000 units for now!"

"Two hundred of them will be the deluxe version with g-force seats, specifically for use in the stores to attract students. The other 800 units can be the standard version, for use by students at the various training grounds."

"Is there enough stock?"

Li Shi smiled slightly. "Stock? Don't worry, I asked General Manager Chang of Ootu Technology, and the stock is definitely guaranteed!"

"Tengda has always been a stock-hoarding maniac. Take this Safe and Civilized Driving Simulator, for example. There's stock in warehouses in major cities across the country, and the stock in Jingzhou is even more impressive. Several large warehouses are already filled to the brim!"

"As long as you pay, we'll ship immediately!"

"I'll send you the contact information for General Manager Chang of Ootu Technology right away."

Li Shi patted his chest, acting like the "Sales Spokesperson for the Safe and Civilized Driving Simulator".

After sending the contact information, Li Shi suddenly thought of something and added, "Oh right, General Manager Chang is still suffering on a deserted island and won't be back until the end of the month. I'll also send you the contact information for the person in charge of the driving simulator business at Ootu Technology. Contact him first, and I'll introduce you to General Manager Chang when he gets back."

Xu Hu was a little confused.

Good lord, he's still suffering on a deserted island?

What kind of strange company is Tengda? Is work more important or suffering more important?

However, Xu Hu was too embarrassed to ask more questions. He stood up and shook hands with Li Shi cordially. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'm really out of the loop. If President Li hadn't specifically informed me, I wouldn't have known that technology has progressed to this extent, that there are such useful things!"

As the owner of a driving school, Xu Hu was usually very busy, so he didn't pay attention to the gaming circle.

The game *Safe and Civilized Driving* was only relatively popular in the gaming circle, and had not yet had such a huge impact in reality, so it was normal for him not to know about it.

Of course, he would eventually find out about this news as *Safe and Civilized Driving* became popular in reality, but it would be too late.

If he knew, other driving schools would naturally know as well.

What first-mover advantage would there be then?

But now, buying the Safe and Civilized Driving Simulator in bulk sooner would allow him to build a reputation earlier, which would better attract the main group of driving school students: young people.

Xu Hu said, "President Li, you've done me such a big favor. I really don't know how to thank you. Just tell me if you need any help in the future, and I'll do everything I can!"

Li Shi smiled slightly. "President Xu, let's be frank. I do have a request."

"I heard that Hengyuan Driving School is seeking a listing? Although I haven't heard any follow-up news, Hengyuan Driving School's current scale means that the approval application should be a matter of time. I intend to play matchmaker and have Fuhui Capital and Tengda's Yuemeng Venture Capital invest some money together so we can all make a fortune. How does that sound?"

"After the listing, Hengyuan Driving School will have sufficient funds to open more branches in cities across the country, and Ootu Technology will naturally prioritize the supply and subsequent maintenance of driving simulators."

"For the students of Hengyuan Driving School, they'll be able to use better simulators. For us, we can all make a fortune. Isn't that wonderful?"

Xu Hu was very happy. "Sounds good!"

If any other investor said they wanted to invest, Xu Hu would most likely refuse on the spot.

Are you kidding me? My company is about to be listed. Do I need you to invest?

What, you see that I'm about to be listed, so you're running over to invest a little money just to sell the stock and cash out after the listing, without taking any risks at all, just picking the fruit? Do you think I'm stupid?

That's not how you fleece a sheep!

But Li Shi's suggestion made it difficult for Xu Hu to refuse.

On the one hand, it was because Li Shi, as an intermediary, played a matchmaking role and brought Tengda's Yuemeng Venture Capital into the game. Fuhui Capital and Yuemeng Venture Capital investing together was equivalent to putting Hengyuan Driving School on Tengda's bandwagon. This certification was very important because it would directly affect young people's opinions.

On the other hand, Li Shi and Yuemeng Venture Capital were obviously not there to pick the fruit. They were optimistic about Hengyuan Driving School's performance after the listing, and they definitely planned to hold these shares for the long term.

Since it was a win-win-win situation, then of course there was no problem!