October 18, 1977
That day, Lin Baicheng arrived in Los Angeles with Miyamoto Etsu, several bodyguards, and his team.
Waiting for them at the airport was Eric Davis, a man in his early thirties. He had a background in sales and had been hired through a headhunting agency to lead Star River Games' U.S. branch. The previous branch manager had been dismissed by Lin more than two weeks earlier.
"BOSS!"
Eric Davis greeted him energetically. The two had met once before, when Eric had visited Hong Kong.
Lin nodded, glancing at the two people standing behind Eric—likely new hires.
They exited the airport together. Eric had brought three cars, enough for everyone.
Their group checked into a hotel not far from the branch office. Although Lin was now a wealthy man, he didn't splurge on luxury hotels like the Hilton. To him, it was still too early to indulge in extravagance.
Despite the long flight and jet lag, Lin asked Eric to stay behind for a private talk.
"Eric, how's the preparation I asked you to handle?"
They sat in the hotel room alone. Thanks to several weeks of intensive English tutoring, Lin—who already had a basic foundation—could now manage daily communication in English, as long as it wasn't too technical.
"Everything's ready, BOSS!" Eric replied confidently.
"As per your request, I've recruited twenty employees for the branch and trained them thoroughly. They're now familiar with the features, gameplay, pricing, and market competitiveness of Hong Kong Blocks and Pac-Man. I'm confident that at the trade show the day after tomorrow, they won't disappoint you."
"Very good, well done."
Lin nodded approvingly. He had paid a high salary to headhunt Eric for this position, and it seemed worth it. Of course, all of this depended on whether Eric was telling the truth—but Lin didn't think he would lie about something that would be exposed in two days anyway.
Eric continued, "The twenty Pac-Man arcade machines you air-shipped here last week are currently being stored at Phil Trading Company, as you instructed. After our team finished familiarizing themselves with them, we arranged with Mr. Phil Smith to pick them up on the morning of the trade show. We'll also borrow twenty Hong Kong Blocks arcade cabinets from his stock and deliver all forty to the exhibition hall."
"As for trucks and movers—I was planning to hire them externally, but Mr. Smith offered to lend his company's personnel. We can use his team to handle the transport, unless you prefer otherwise."
"No need," Lin said, waving his hand. "Since Mr. Smith offered, let's use his people."
He saw no reason to refuse the man's kindness. Lin had already told Phil Smith about attending the Los Angeles trade show. Naturally, Smith—who held exclusive distribution rights for all of North America—was eager to help. The more popular the games became, the more money he stood to make.
Smith had been extremely cooperative—not only lending twenty arcade units for display but also promising to attend the event himself to see if he could lend a hand.
Lin asked, "Eric, what's your plan for promoting our products at the trade show?"
"BOSS, the Los Angeles Trade Show attracts all kinds of industries, but since we're in gaming, our real competition will be other game companies," Eric said.
"Our Hong Kong Blocks may be selling well in the East, but here in the U.S. it's only been on the market for a short while. Not many people know about the game—let alone our company, Star River Games."
"Because of that, here's what I'm thinking."
"We can hire local gaming enthusiasts—people who frequent arcades in Los Angeles—and have them come play our games at the exhibition. To avoid any legal or ethical issues with other companies, I think we should only pay them to play, not to praise the game publicly. If it ever got exposed that we were paying for positive comments, it could backfire badly."
"But if the games themselves are genuinely fun, those players will naturally draw crowds. Whether it's international distributors or individual fans, anyone who takes notice of our games is a win for us."
"However…"
Eric hesitated, then continued, "That depends entirely on the quality of our games. If people don't like them, the effect could be disastrous—it could hurt sales and make later promotions much harder."
Lin smiled confidently. "Don't worry about the quality. I'm sure people will love the games we've made."
"Eric, let's go with your plan. It's the most suitable for our situation."
"Yes, BOSS!"
Eric looked pleased that his proposal had been approved.
After discussing several logistical details about the trade show, Lin dismissed him for the night.
The long flight had worn him out, and with jet lag setting in, he needed proper rest before the big event.
The next day, Phil Smith came to visit. This time, as the host, he took Lin around the city.
Since the trade show was only a day away, Phil didn't take Lin out partying. Instead, he showed him some of Los Angeles's famous landmarks—most notably Hollywood, the city's crown jewel.
As they toured places like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Universal Studios, Lin's mind wandered to the entertainment industry—both in America and in Hong Kong. He knew both scenes well.
His understanding of the game industry came from his education in his previous life, while his familiarity with show business came from the Hong Kong entertainment novels he had written before his rebirth.
And in that era, anyone writing about Hong Kong entertainment couldn't avoid mentioning Hollywood—so Lin was well-versed in both worlds.
The entertainment industry, he thought, wasn't just a money-making business—it was also a powerful tool for publicity. Not to mention, it was full of beautiful women. Naturally, Lin planned to get involved in it someday—but not yet.
He would wait until he had even more capital. Then, he would make his move.