"Abstract? Nah, it's solid."
Gus Harper set down the dividend agreement, following Zoey Parker's gaze to the notebook.
A round frying pan, tilted, with four letters etched on the base:
PUBG
Nice!
Gus had poured serious brainpower into picking the Asian Esports Development Conference project.
To avoid a flop and chase the Crown Award, they needed second-gen FPS and fresh gameplay.
Battle royale was the move!
Gus first thought of Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Their pace and polish were battle royale perfection.
But—
Both were spin-offs.
Apex leaned on Titanfall for gun data and skills.
Warzone? A mode tied to Call of Duty's core.
Per system rules, releasing a spin-off before the main game doubled the emotion points needed.
Games costing 300,000–400,000 points became untouchable luxuries, rivaling CyberSmith's cost.
Gus was stumped.
But then—
It clicked.
Apex and Warzone weren't pure battle royales.
Legend skills, kill streaks—they built on the formula.
For this world, a second-gen FPS battle royale was a kingmaker.
So, Gus picked PUBG, the OG!
Its impact here would outshine its debut in his past life!
Of course!
That was Gus's time-traveler vision.
For Zoey…
"So… we're making a cooking game?"
Zoey held the notebook, mimicking a spatula flip:
"Chef Showdown? Asia's top cooks duking it out in a kitchen?"
Zoey was clueless about Gus's plan!
A frying pan screams cooking to 99% of people!
She was no different!
A $50M motion-sensing esports game!
A cooking contest?!
Zoey was floored.
But Gus Harper? Even more shocked.
Do I look that dumb?!
In a world obsessed with guns, cars, and sports, with WindyPeak's "MFGA" slogan owning the U.S. gaming scene, why would I ditch shooters for a chef-off in a motion-sensing pod?
James Carver would lose it!
But—
On second thought—
Calling PUBG a cooking contest wasn't that far off.
What's that line?
This game's spicy, with chefs cooking up a storm!
"Kinda…"
Gus chuckled, nodding, picturing PUBG's iconic pan moments:
"I guess you could say that."
"Whoa—!!!"
Zoey's eyes sparkled!
What a freaking dumb game!
She'd skimmed past conference winners. Except the first, all were guns, cars, or sports.
But Gus wants a cooking simulator?!
Cooking Master Simulator!
If this doesn't tank, what will?
"Brilliant idea!"
Zoey flashed double thumbs-up at Gus…
And so!
The conference project was locked in this chaotic "you say skyscraper, I say rocket booster" vibe.
Codename: PUBG. Logo: a goofy frying pan. Director: Gus Harper. Deputy directors: Luke Bennett and Jake Rivers.
Next month, WindyPeak had three priorities:
First, cash.
Raising $50M by month's end on WindyPeak's revenue? No shot.
Parker Capital flat-out refused funding.
So, Zoey's piggy bank was the play.
Her fresh $10M from Chapter 81 had to go, still warm.
But—
Zoey didn't care!
A $50M cooking simulator? She'd lose it all blindfolded!
She even told Chloe Quinn to deduct any shortfall from her dividends if the $10M wasn't enough!
This time!
I, Zoey Parker, am gaming the system for a fortune!
She always said—
Left 4 Dead 2's $10.85M bet got her $10M back!
Now, PUBG's $50M could net $100M!
Funding? Handled!
Second, the game plan.
PUBG was just a concept.
The real kickoff was at the conference in Tokyo, end of the month. They'd submit a full plan to the committee and lock $50M into their account.
So, Gus had to draft the plan this month.
By month's end, with 350,000 emotion points, he'd unlock PUBG's full data from the system to flesh it out.
No sweat for Gus.
With WindyPeak's five hits and PacificTech's Vice Chairman backing them, emotion points were steady, and no policy issues would mess with prior games.
Points? Locked in!
Funding, check. Plan, check.
Last, staffing.
Yup.
PUBG was massive.
Too big for outsourcing alone.
First, scope.
Huge maps, complex terrain, dynamic chaos, 100-player battles—insane workload.
Code, graphics, systems, levels, characters, lighting, UI, effects, animations, rigging…
Outsourcing all that? Gus, Luke, and Jake would just babysit vendors all day.
Second, cost.
Outsourcing was pricier than in-house staff.
Vendors missed out on WindyPeak's bonuses and dividends, so they charged more.
Before, Zoey loved outsourcing—WindyPeak had cash to burn.
But now?
$50M drained the company, Zoey's savings, and her dividends.
Not a penny left.
Plus, PUBG was a multiplayer tactical shooter, not a single-player or casual game.
Operation and maintenance were critical.
You couldn't outsource that, and Gus's trio couldn't babysit one game forever.
So!
With Zoey, Gus, and the execs aligned—
WindyPeak was hiring!
But—
Gus and Zoey clashed on who to hire.
Gus, with his industry chops, saw WindyPeak's rep as a draw.
As pioneers of psychological horror and second-gen FPS, with Gus's supernova status, a job post would pull in seasoned pros ready to work.
Industry hires were the way.
But—
Zoey wasn't having it.
WindyPeak was a one-year-old startup, too green to vet applicants' motives.
Money-seekers? Fine.
Competitor spies? Trouble.
The Asian Esports Game Developers Conference was their biggest gig, backed by PacificTech's Vice Chairman!
A screw-up could tank WindyPeak's rep and future.
So!
Zoey pushed campus recruitment.
Hire fresh grads like they were—clean slates, starry-eyed, naive!
Plus, train them right, and they'd be WindyPeak's loyal core.
Zoey's pitch sounded passionate, all-in for the company!
But deep down, she knew the real play—
Hire rookies to sabotage the project.
Fresh grads, clueless and dreaming of "disrupting the workplace," were perfect for tanking.
Veterans? They'd make Gus unstoppable!
"I trust I can handle pros. With James Carver backing us, no rival's dumb enough to send spies and piss off PacificTech."
Gus frowned, shaking his head at Zoey's campus plan.
"But what if one slips through? One bad apple could wreck us. Plus, building a core team now sets us up long-term, right?"
Zoey stood firm, doubling down on campus hires.
Stalemate.
Luke Bennett and Jake Rivers, watching nearby, squirmed.
Under the table, their phones buzzed:
Jake: Why not back Boss Harper? If he says it's fine, it's fine.
Luke: Screw that, I'm not dying with you. Gus can face off with Zoey, but I'm out.
Jake: This standoff's bad, though. They're about to throw punches!
Luke: Bet on Zoey.
Jake: 'Cause she's the boss?
Luke: 'Cause of love.
Jake: QuestionMark.jpg
Luke: ShibaWink.jpg
Jake: How do you know?!
Luke: Twenty-three ex-girlfriends, bro…
But—
As Gus and Zoey bickered, and Luke and Jake gossiped—
Knock, knock, knock—
The conference room door.
"Come in!"
Zoey called out, and all eyes turned.
Chloe Quinn stepped in:
"Ms. Parker, sorry to interrupt. We've got a visitor for you and Director Harper."
"For us?" Gus and Zoey exchanged confused looks: "Who?"
Chloe smiled: "Professor Linden, vice president of Portland University's School of Electronic Engineering."
Oh crap!
Gus's heart sank.
Worst timing!
No question—
Professor Linden was here for campus recruitment season!
Graduation was near, and Portland University's annual job fair was kicking off.
As a top-tier school, it drew tons of companies.
The fair targeted grads, with some internships for juniors.
And WindyPeak?
As Portland's fastest-growing tech outfit, with Gus as an alum, they were on the radar.
Gus smacked his lips.
Dang, this is bad.
But Zoey's eyes lit up!
Jackpot!
Whatever you wish for comes true!
Zoey smirked at Gus, raising an eyebrow:
"Let's wrap this meeting, yeah? Come on, Boss Harper. Time to meet your old mentor and hear what goodies Portland University's got for us."