Good!
After months of development and polishing!
Just two and a half months after the grand promotion at the USEA's 10th VR Game Design Media Conference, which Zoey Parker was completely unaware had succeeded!
Left 4 Dead 2 finally completed all projects, fixed all known bugs as much as possible, and passed the U.S. somatosensory cabin entertainment electronic product safety assessment!
Got the release number.
It was scheduled to launch on the IndieVibe Tech platform on Memorial Day!
$10,850,000!
This was WindyPeak's first project exceeding $10 million since its founding!
To complete it, WindyPeak had gone all-in!
Nearly all profits from prior games, including Phasmophobia's $8,850,000, were poured into this project!
From Zoey's perspective, this was a life-or-death gamble!
Holding a 100x rebate card, if the game flopped, she'd instantly gain $1,085,000,000!
By then, she'd achieve financial freedom, live without ties to relatives or friends, break free from her father's plans, become a woman as free as the wind, buy her own yacht, sail the seas, and travel the world!
As for WindyPeak!
Of course, she wouldn't shut it down. She'd pull $10–20 million from her funds to inject as restart capital.
Then, she'd hand it to Gus Harper, letting him rebuild, chase his dreams, and reach life's pinnacle!
If the company profited, Gus might toss her $100,000–$800,000 in dividends yearly.
If he didn't, no matter. She wouldn't rely on that anyway.
This was Zoey's ideal scenario.
On the other hand, the Iron Triangle's side!
The trio—Gus, Luke Bennett, and Jake Rivers—saw this as a do-or-die battle!
As the pioneer of second-generation FPS!
The Iron Triangle had WindyPeak's full support, so they had to repay that trust with stellar results!
In their eyes, this was a gamble that could only succeed!
On one hand, the gaming market was brutal—success or failure turned on a dime.
If Left 4 Dead 2 hit big, second-gen FPS would become legendary; if it flopped, it'd be the gaming world's biggest joke, never to recover.
On the other hand, they didn't know about Zoey's cheat-level system!
To them, this project, draining nearly all company profits, would devastate WindyPeak if it failed!
What about Mr. Parker backing Zoey?
They knew better than anyone!
Mr. Parker was a figurehead!
From the company's founding, he hadn't given a single cent, and he never would!
If it failed!
Zoey would return home, maybe inheriting the family business or entering a disguised business marriage!
The trio would seek jobs elsewhere!
Although!
This worst-case wasn't that bad.
Zoey wouldn't lose everything, and Gus, a supernova in the U.S. gaming scene, would be in demand. With his talent, he'd bounce back.
But!
Gus couldn't accept that ending!
For reasons he couldn't name.
He just felt, deep down, that failure was unthinkable!
Absolutely not!
The wind rises on Memorial Day!
Eight o'clock in the evening!
With IndieVibe Tech's full platform promotion and recommendation!
Left 4 Dead 2
Online on time!!!
…
"It's a party! It's a party! It's a party!!!"
At 8 p.m., ShuBro appeared in the Twitch live broadcast room on time!
Wearing a custom extra-long watermelon-striped plush headgear, she got to work!
"Family… who gets it…"
"Left 4 Dead 2 is finally live…"
"No missed payments… I'm so happy…"
The barrage went numb, flooding with [bad luck]!
"You're such a fool!"
"Tch, opened Twitch and saw Watermelon Girl on the homepage. Bad luck…"
"Damn! ShuBro's still the queen of chaos!"
"Can't you… do something normal?"
"Others fake the abstract vibe, but you and Yin are the only true chaos agents on the platform."
"Abstract? Who's abstract? (SlickRick pokes in)"
"Hahahaha, yup, and WindyPeak too."
"This Memorial Day launch timing is wild. Only WindyPeak would do this."
"Stop yapping! Quick! Summon Captain Yin! Survive!"
"Can't survive a single day this April! Been waiting for today!"
"Days without Left 4 Dead 2, I felt ants crawling all over me. Finally, it's here (yawning, tears streaming, body twisted)."
"Dude, your withdrawal symptoms are intense…"
"Make! FPS! Great! Again!"
"…"
Highly anticipated! Long awaited!
Before the stream started, gifts flooded the room, and ShuBro couldn't help but get hyped!
She tossed the watermelon stripes!
"Been practicing my aim daily for over two months! Today, I prove it!"
"Special Forces Soldier ShuBro! Ready for battle!!!"
Before she finished!
Pineapple's phone call hit:
"ShuBro! ShuBro! We're waiting! Hurry up!"
"Oh, oh! Coming!"
Soon!
The survival team reassembled!
Same as before: Yin leads, with Jada Brooks, ShuBro, and Pineapple as teammates.
After two months away, Yin felt a rush standing on the rooftop again!
With WindyPeak's recent polish, the game's visuals were visibly sharper.
Scene modeling details, lighting, gun glare—all leveled up.
Though, as Gus said, budget limits kept it below Apex Interactive's Fearless Sniper quality.
Still, the overall quality was solid, with an immersive feel.
"Say a few words!"
Yin rallied his team, clearing his throat in team voice:
"Two months of grind! Our skills have made a quantum leap!"
"Today! It's time to prove it!"
"Let's shout our slogan—!!!"
And then!
ShuBro, Jada, and Pineapple roared in unison:
"Three points in a line! Aim and shoot!"
Pfft—
The barrage burst out laughing!
"My verdict—hard to survive."
"Hahahaha, what trauma did this cause the boss…"
"Was drinking water, now it's all over my keyboard."
"Mom told me to get out!"
"This is better than Ghostbusters."
"Beats the Oscars!"
"This slogan radiates bad juju."
"I already see the ending…"
"…"
The stream audience lost it.
But Yin was pleased with his team's spirit: "Good! Very spirited!"
He grabbed a fire axe and waved:
"Open the door! Follow me, charge!"
Bang!
The rooftop door swung open, and the group descended the stairs, reaching a familiar yet new stairwell.
As they moved, the level name faded in on their HUDs—Death Center.
Familiar, because the stairwell matched the demo's setup: blocked paths, closed fire door.
Unfamiliar, because the official version added flame effects to obstacles.
The stairwell was ablaze, smoke curling.
Just looking choked you up.
The team tensed, chaos in the air.
Squeak—
Yin pushed the fire door open.
Above the corridor, flames roared, crackling, with thick blue-black smoke rolling across the ceiling.
At the corridor's end, that familiar zombie lurked.
This time, Yin skipped the pistol, gripping the fire axe.
He'd wanted to try melee in the demo but got shot down by his "loyal" teammates.
Now, he'd feel the close-combat vibe.
"This zombie's too close to the horde,"
Yin turned, warning:
"Kill it, and the zombies swarm. I'll lure them. You guys, make sure to—"
"Aim and shoot!!!"
Yin, clearly scarred by his team, stressed it again.
"Okay!" Jada nodded.
"No problem!" Pineapple swore.
"Captain Yin, go for it, don't worry!" ShuBro cheered.
Yin opened his mouth: "…Why does that not sound good?"
Muttering!
Yin didn't hesitate. He gripped the axe, creeping behind the zombie.
His arm raised slowly, gathering strength!
A subconscious move in the VibeX1 pod.
In this immersive vibe, instinct took over.
Of course!
To Yin, it was just mental prep.
In past games, melee weapon strength didn't vary by force.
It was just blood splatter, ragdoll physics, and a thud to the ground.
Then, Yin bellowed!
"Hi—!!!"
Buzz—!
Snap—whoosh—snap!!!
A round swing, cleaving like a mountain split!
The next second, the fire axe sliced the zombie in half from top to bottom, like chopping wood!
Pfft—!!!
Blood gushed like a bucket tipped over, splashing Yin's face, filling his vision with red!
As the split body fell, gore coated the corridor floor!
Yin's pupils shook!
Then!
He recalled, before the disclaimers, WindyPeak and USEA had marked it clearly.
Mature (M) rating!
Good!
Two years ago, to regulate the market and foster healthy VR cabin games, USEA and authorities rolled out a rating system.
Left 4 Dead 2 was restricted to 17+ for its bloody, violent scenes!
Yin hadn't cared at first. He'd seen gory shooters—big deal.
But he never expected!
With Gus's genius "limb amputation system," the zombie death was outrageous!
Most importantly!
WindyPeak nailed the gore balance!
The blood volume, severed limbs—perfectly between real and virtual!
It didn't sicken; it felt… like chopping melons???
"Ward! Fa!!!!"
Yin was stunned!
Never having felt this kill feedback, he cursed on the spot!
And the next second!
Bang!
The stream was blocked—
[This anchor is suspected of violating regulations and is undergoing rectification. Please wait…]
The barrage exploded!!!
"Holy shit! That's a bloodbath!!!"
"Hahahaha, one axe killed the stream…"
"When mythic heroes chop, it's not this wild. You're more awesome than a legend!"
"WDNMD, this is too much! Seriously, this effect is insane!"
"Worthy of M rating! Deserves it!!!"
"Fuck… this game… fuck…"
"Words can't capture this (funny)."
"First, I'm not a perv; second, this is so satisfying (crying)."
"No support for that…"
"MFGA!!!"
"Thought ragdoll was the peak of kill effects, but this limb system is nuts. Beyond nuts…"
"Okay, boss, I'm done! If you're not playing, I'm jumping in!"
"Team up, team up… Drop your IDs, brothers!"
"Ants crawling all over me…"
"Withdrawal symptoms hitting hard…"
"…"
As VibeX1 stream viewers geared up to play!
"I'm back, I'm back, damn…"
Yin resumed streaming:
"Sorry, folks, didn't check the rating at first. Super admin reminded me the stream's now rated and can go on."
The audience saw the stream's popularity drop by tens of thousands—under-17 viewers auto-kicked.
But!
The stream stayed lively!
Rated viewers were a small fraction!
The barrage was hotter than ever!
"Praising the rating system forever!!!"
"Thanks, USEA! Without ratings, this game wouldn't have passed!"
"No talent here, just a thumbs-up for USEA."
"Kowtow to SlickRick. This limb system is fucking wild…"
"Thumbs-up to the art and modeling team. Visuals are unreal…"
"Props to the programmers. Performance is top-notch…"
"Kowtow to Zoey, thanks for producing…"
"It's Memorial Day! Entered the stream and saw a graveyard party…"
"Haha…"