Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

Chapter 201 - 201: 199: Metropolitan All -Pass

In the live broadcast room, countless question marks filled the screen!

For a time, the screen was filled with nothing but “???”, and no other comments could be seen.

But even more absurd things were about to happen—

Music played, followed by lights emerging from all around, which converged in front of Lincoln, forming into an achievement trophy.

The trophy was made of wood and didn’t look valuable at all.

As always, the trophy’s base was engraved with the name of the achievement— ‘The Sun Still Rises’

[Description: Wesley is taken away by the police, while all the thugs are killed. Sloan has no idea what happened this night, but he knows that Cross is dead, and the threat from the Alliance is gone. Wesley’s life returns to normal.] Main mission—completed!

Seeing this absurd description, the audience was completely dumbfounded.

“Ending? The mission is over??” “What’s this? A hidden ending?”

“I can’t accept this!”

“You’re ruthless! You’re heartless! You’ve got no conscience!”

Of course, many fun-loving people are already celebrating and playing gags:

“Lincoln: redefining the speedrun!” “I am your father! Domineering!” ‘”Only One Shot”‘

“Fathers are kind, sons are devoted.” “Putting justice before family.” “Anyone who disturbs my quiet life must die!”

‘”Played, but Didn’t Play Everything”‘

After redefining the concept of a speedrun, Lincoln didn’t brag about it but tried to persuade the audience instead: “This kind of approach is a serious act of ditching the game, and I strongly advise against using it.”

“The reason I played like this was to demonstrate a special method for everyone, and to open up some new ideas.”

Lincoln walked out of the Metropolitan Police Department and, while walking down the street, said: “As you can see, while this strategy might finish the quest line, in reality, you cannot experience the core content of the game.

[Assassin Bloodline] cannot be activated, so there’s no bullet time or short-term physical explosiveness.”

Furthermore, without the teacher’s guidance, even if you meet the requirements for [Shooting Expertise], you won’t be able to unlock [Curved Shot].

The loss is too great; it’s basically like not playing the game at all.”

During the conversation, Lincoln walked into a convenience store and began to pick out a drink from the fridge.

Following his words, commenters added: “And no rewards! Like right now, you walked into the convenience store and forgot you don’t have a single cent on you!”

Lincoln casually grabbed a can of coffee and turned to leave.

As he reached the entrance, the cashier tried to stop him but backed off when Lincoln pulled out his screwdriver and waved it menacingly.

Then Lincoln walked casually out of the convenience store.

—The Metropolis Police, as part of the game’s mechanics, greatly differed from reality.

Forget about the screwdriver; even if you were caught with a gun, it would be returned to you once you were released.

After all, the system couldn’t just arbitrarily confiscate a player’s assets.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Lincoln once again addressed the comments: “Many players have limited mindsets. What is the most critical item in the starting room of the game?”

“Many people just look at their virtual girlfriends, and some might dig through their stuff to find money, but they don’t know…” Lincoln shook his head, raising his screwdriver-like tool, “This is the most practical item!”

“If you’re holding a knife, many security guards and employees will be on alert when they see you from a distance. But this is completely different, it can even pass through security checks!”

“With this in hand, you can enter 80% of the stores in Metropolis and enjoy free services!”

“Do you know what this is called?”

Lincoln glanced at the comments, frowning: “What screwdriver! This is called the Metropolitan All-Pass!”

As he spoke, Lincoln once again demonstrated for the audience – walking into a comprehensive outdoor supply store by the street, swiping his All-Pass screwdriver, and purchasing fishing gear and a bicycle.

After securing the tools on the back seat, he rode his bike towards Central Park in the city.

According to the data Lincoln saw, Central Park was still an unpopular area.

Most players were wandering around the city, and no quest line would guide them here. Nor was there any chance for battles. Very few casual players would come here to paddle a boat.

Lincoln had played around with the quest line, turning it into a dead end, but having tested the combat scenario earlier, he was reluctant to play it again. So he continued with this save file.

Only by playing unfamiliar content can he feel the fun.

He had put a lot of effort into the park, but the fishing system was entirely created by his employees. He was quite interested in it.

So, he rowed the boat, brought the fishing gear, and began leisurely fishing on the calm lake. Occasionally, he chatted with the audience in the live streaming room, feeling very content.

The in-game time, of course, would not be perfectly synchronized with reality. In fact, if you are not on a mission, the sun would move quite fast.

The sky gradually darkened, a crescent moon hung in the night, and the stars were reflected on the mirror-like lake surface. A lone boat silently floated by, causing ripples and the stars to gently sway.

The comments in the live streaming room became sparse. Many players discovered for the first time that in this “prosperous” Metropolis, besides fighting and chaos, there was also such a tranquil and beautiful side.

Some couldn’t wait to log in, also wanting to come here, paddle a boat, and clock in at this place.

Of course, it would be even better to invite friends to join them!

Lincoln ended the live at the right time: “Thank you all for watching. Finally, I would like to tell you that Metropolis has many things worth seeing, far more than just what’s shown in the main missions. I hope everyone can find happiness in this game!”

Among the flowing “88” and “Good Night” messages, Lincoln ended the live stream.

But he had no intention of logging out. The next moment, Mavis leaped out of thin air and jumped into his arms.

“Master! Mavis wants to fish too!”

“Alright.” Lincoln agreed without hesitation, rubbing Mavis’s pink head and handing her the fishing rod, “No cheating allowed!” “Don’t underestimate Mavis! Mavis doesn’t need to cheat!”

“Good, good. Go Mavis!”

After saying that, Lincoln lay down on the boat with his hands as a pillow, staring blankly at the stars in the sky.

He finally felt truly relaxed.

Was he busy today? He always said he wasn’t – just attending meetings and thinking. Most of the time, it was merely talking.

The reason he felt so exhausted was that he had been tense for a long time.

For more than two months, although he had always tried to slack off and rest, his mind was always full of things: making games, producing equipment, continuous R&D tasks, learning, and getting a driver’s license…

Countless issues came one after another, even when he was lying in the virtual world, his mind was full of various things.

The sudden wave of fatigue that hit him after returning home today was an explosion after a long period of accumulation.

Lincoln didn’t realize this until now.

In fact, if it weren’t for the influence of this fatigue and irritability, he wouldn’t have directly ended the mission by killing Firefox and Cross in the very beginning.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be so cruel to the virtual characters

ne created.

He needed a real, “wholehearted” relaxation.

Now, looking at the stars in the sky and listening to Mavis sitting next to him, humming an unknown ballad, and holding the fishing rod while expectantly watching the calm lake, he put all his worries aside. He finally felt the long-lost relaxation and ease..