And that's exactly how it was.
The export price, though slightly higher than domestic sales, wasn't significantly more expensive.
But when these helmets were rerouted to the European bloc or Old Len Country, their prices skyrocketed by tenfold or more.
To put it bluntly, even white laundry detergent didn't yield such outrageous profits.
Money moves hearts.
It also indirectly exposed how laughably lax export controls were in those countries.
Of course,
Cao Cheng couldn't care less where these helmets ended up. As long as the money and emotional energy points rolled in, he was fine—even happy to fan the flames, letting the helmets slip into Old Len Country and similar places through gray-market channels.
More emotional energy that way.
Let's put it this way:
Buying a gold bar from a store and stealing one deliver entirely different thrills.
The subsequent fencing process also involved more steps and channels, generating additional emotional energy.
Plus, those buying under the radar were cautious, wealthy individuals—often with assets and social status—meaning their emotional energy was richer than the average person's.
So,
squeezing out emotional energy from these overlooked corners, if done relentlessly, added up to a substantial income.
Not to mention, many of these smuggled helmets ended up being disassembled, studied, and reverse-engineered.
Cao Cheng's security systems ensured these researchers were just wasting their time.
In the end, they squandered both time and research funds.
......
......
After the press conference, the controversy kept simmering, becoming common knowledge.
Abroad, certain parties amplified the outrage online, rallying international gamers who felt Miracle Games looked down on them.
But times had changed.
Only Miracle Group had these gaming helmets, and the games were exclusively from the Eastern bloc. Unless these protesters had the willpower to swear off gaming entirely, they had no choice but to swallow their pride.
Just look at who's out there protesting and boycotting Miracle Group now:
First, those who couldn't afford scalped helmets.
Second, those who couldn't afford Miracle Group's other products.
Third, hardcore nationalist bigots...
In short,
the people who could actually afford to play and embraced global openness weren't joining these rallies or boycotts.
Among the regions with the fiercest protests, John Country naturally topped the list.
Local officials there seized the anti-Miracle fervor to summon the regional head of Miracle Group's subsidiary, demanding they step in to quell public anger.
Miracle Group outright rejected the summons and issued a statement: "Matters involving our entertainment and gaming divisions have nothing to do with Miracle Cosmetics. If the local government insists on using past grievances to punish unrelated parties, Miracle Cosmetics will fully withdraw from John Country."
This escalated tensions.
John Country was furious. Extremists threatened to drive Miracle Cosmetics and other subsidiaries out entirely.
The back-and-forth dragged on for over twenty days.
During this period, emotional energy surged at an unprecedented rate—exactly what Cao Cheng wanted.
Now that Miracle Group was a behemoth, stirring up some trouble—especially when it boosted emotional energy—was a no-brainer.
So,
twenty days later,
Miracle Cosmetics announced: "Our company will completely withdraw from John within a month, enacting a full embargo on all John-based cosmetics brands and terminating partnerships... For John-affiliated brands in other regions and countries, we will enforce an ultimatum: choose between them or us."
This statement was an outright declaration of war.
The announcement sparked fury—and fear.
Especially the "choose one" ultimatum.
Everyone knew Miracle Cosmetics' market dominance. Most consumers couldn't live without it, and retailers worldwide couldn't afford to reject their products.
With this ultimatum, most countries would inevitably side with Miracle Cosmetics over John's local businesses.
In other words,
Miracle Cosmetics was going for the kill.
This wouldn't have been possible before.
But now, Miracle Cosmetics had rooted itself deep into the industry's foundation.
Crushing one regional market wasn't hard.
......
Xu Qing, the undisputed queen of cosmetics,
gave an interview with a local TV station about the situation.
"This decision was made by our European bloc's leadership, and our headquarters fully supports it."
"As for whether this will offend John Country..."
"Sorry, but I don't see an issue here!"
Chuckle...
Xu Qing chose her words carefully—after all, she represented Miracle Cosmetics' headquarters and was the industry's top figure domestically. She couldn't afford to sound as brash as some hotheaded youngster.
But
that chuckle at the end? It oozed disdain.
"Hahaha, Queen Xu slays."
"That dismissive look? Iconic."
"Xu Qing basically said: 'John Country? That speck of a place? Who cares if we offend them?'"
"LMAO—"
"Let's be real, Miracle Cosmetics isn't losing sleep over a tiny market of a few million. Even some backwater in Southeast Asia has more people—not to mention Europe's wealthier consumer bases. They don't need this one."
"I bet Xu Qing was dying to laugh out loud but held it in."
"Honestly, John Country crossed a line here. Gaming division's mess, and they expect the cosmetics branch to take the fall? What kind of logic is that?"
"Everyone knows Miracle's subsidiaries operate independently. Zero overlap. This has nothing to do with Miracle Cosmetics."
"Exactly... And why target cosmetics? Did they think Miracle Cosmetics was an easy mark?"
"Breaking news! Breaking news!"
"Big trouble! Big trouble!"
"Bros, bros—we're cooked! John's whatever department just announced they're auditing Miracle Cosmetics' finances and freezing their local accounts. Nearly 8 billion dollars in cash—GONE."
"YIKES—"
"‘Earn in John, spend in John—not a cent leaves’?"
"John's taking notes from Third Brother now?"
"Nah, nah—Third Brother learned this from their colonial daddy John. Let's get the history right."
"Fair point. Birds of a feather."
"So this is full-blown war? Freezing nearly 10 billion?"
The backlash was immediate.
Fans flooded Cao Cheng's socials, demanding action.
But Cao Cheng stayed silent—letting the fire spread.
It wasn't just fans and netizens watching. Other nations were eyeing the situation too, waiting to see how Miracle Cosmetics would respond.
If they fumbled, others might try the same cash grab.
After all, Miracle Cosmetics was raking in way too much.
......
Only after a week of silence
did Cao Cheng finally post a response...
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
