CHAPTER 71: GAME PLATFORM RELEASED

The viewers gasped in amazement as BlackSkull sprang into action. Without hesitation, he shoved the one meter long egg into the storage compartment of his Sea Mantis. Luckily, the mech’s trunk was just big enough to fit it.

"Listen up! The moment we grab the egg, we have to run! That Ghost Leviathan will be back any second, and a decoy bomb won’t hold it off for long!"

Sure enough, no sooner had he finished speaking than a chilling roar echoed from the depths. The Ghost Leviathan was returning, and it was coming fast.

BlackSkull didn’t waste a moment. He activated his grappling arm, fired it into the rocky terrain, and zipped away at breakneck speed.

"Damn! I didn’t realize BlackSkull was so good with the grappling hook!"

"Haha! This guy is a born egg thief, look at him go!"

Under his masterful control, the Sea Mantis swung and leapt through the water. Bit by bit, the distance between him and the enraged leviathan grew. #

"Alright, guys, here’s my advice, if you want to steal an egg, use the Sea Mantis. The Seamoth and Cyclops are way too slow, the Ghost Leviathan will catch you every time. Even with the Sea Mantis, you need to master the grappling hook. No skill, no escape."

He laughed, sounding both proud and exhilarated. "That’s it for today. If I actually manage to raise the Ghost Leviathan, I’ll make another video just for you guys!"

The video lit a spark in viewers hearts. Many began plotting their own egg heists, until another popular uploader, TenderTomato, dropped a bombshell of his own.

[A Hidden Pioneer Facility Inside the Volcanic Zone of Subnautica]

In his footage, TenderTomato piloted his Sea Mantis through the volcanic biome, eventually approaching a massive volcano in the southwest.

This wasn’t just any volcano, it was gigantic, easily over 500 meters tall, dwarfing even the Pioneers Canon. Jagged black rock jutted from its slopes, and bright red lava bubbled and spat from the crater.

"Holy... this thing is insane!"

"Who knew the ocean floor could be this beautiful?"

"This is more epic than I imagined!"

"Viewers, this is the main volcano of the volcanic zone!" TenderTomato’s voice was brimming with excitement. "And inside this volcano... there’s a Pioneer facility. The entrance is hard to find, but don’t worry, I’ll give you the coordinates."

Following his lead, the camera showed him scaling the volcano’s side. About halfway up, almost invisible among the rocks, was a narrow cave entrance.

Inside, the tunnel stretched forward, glowing faintly from the heat. After a short walk, a massive green Pioneer structure came into view, its roof crisscrossed with thick pipes that extended far into the distance.

"Unbelievable... there’s really a facility inside the volcano!"

"I’ve passed this area before, but I never imagined something like this was here!"

"That entrance is so tiny, I would’ve missed it completely!"

Stepping inside, the sound of crackling electricity filled the air. The camera panned to reveal even more pipes snaking through the building, connecting to an enormous machine at the center of the hall. Arcs of brilliant blue lightning danced over its surface, lighting the entire chamber.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the mystery is solved, we’ve found the Pioneers power plant!" TenderTomato announced. "This plant harnesses thermal energy from the volcano and converts it into electricity to power other Pioneers facilities. And guess what? There’s also a blueprint for ion batteries here. That means we can start crafting batteries from ion crystals!"

He paused, then grinned. "But that’s not even the best part. Come with me."

The camera followed him into a huge side room... and the chat collectively lost its mind.

"What the, this is all ion crystals?!"

"There must be thousands!"

"Not thousands, tens of thousands!"

"That’s basically infinite energy!"

The crystalline chamber glittered like a treasure hoard, walls and floor lined with glowing blue shards.

The chat exploded with laughter and awe. With this discovery, it was clear, the game devs had just handed them a plug in for unlimited power. The possibilities from here on out were endless.

Players couldn’t stop marveling. Just how much content had the developers hidden in Subnautica? What other secrets were waiting to be uncovered?

Curiosity burned hotter than ever, and soon people flooded Natalie’s social feed, begging her to ask the developers for answers.

Always one to humor her audience, Natalie went straight to Tony.

"Tony, bro, Hellloooo! Everyone’s asking about the game, they want you to clear up some mysteries!"

Tony leaned back in his chair, stretching lazily. "Answer them? Nah. The fun of the game is in exploring it yourself. Oh, and Natalie, later, I’ll need you to announce the winner of the Cortana avatar design contest for me. It’ll be a good time to promote my new game platform."

"You’ve already chosen a winner?" she asked, surprised. She still remembered the contest well, after all, Tony had promised the chosen artist a $100,000 dollar prize.

"Yeah, I’ve picked one," Tony said with a nod. "But I’m not going to use it. It just gave me inspiration."

"Not going to use it?" Natalie was startled. "What do you mean?"

"Because I already made something even better." Tony’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Ta-da... it’s her!"

He stepped aside so Natalie could see his computer screen.

On the monitor stood a virtual 3D woman, tall, with long black hair and clear, expressive eyes. She wore a fitted white tactical vest and sleek black leather shorts that showed off her long, slender legs.

Natalie’s eyes widened. Even as a woman, she was stunned. The face was pure angel, but the figure was pure temptation. No 3D female character on the market could compare, this level of perfection simply didn’t exist in real life.

Tsk tsk... my little brother really has impeccable taste.

Once this image went public, it would send male players into a frenzy.

"Bro, your skill in designing characters is incredible. My god... when players see her, especially the male ones, they’re going to lose their minds."

"Heh." Tony chuckled. "Let me introduce her, her name is Tifa."

"Tifa? I thought this was supposed to be Cortana?" Natalie blinked.

"I changed my mind," Tony replied, shaking his head. "Tifa is a new AI I designed to manage the New World game platform. She’s not as advanced as Cortana, but running a platform doesn’t need a super AI. She’s more than enough."

After thinking it over, he decided, Tifa would run the platfor, while Cortana managed their personal stuff.

"Tifa’s a nice name too." Natalie nodded approvingly. "I swear, you understand players better than anyone. I’m a woman and even I’m excited just looking at her. Male players? They’ll be hopeless."

"Obviously. You think I’d design something subpar?" Tony smirked. In this world, who understood an ISP better than another ISP?

"Alright then, I’m going to record a short video now. Later, you’ll post it on your social feed... oh, and make sure to give me a ridiculously handsome avatar."

Leaving those words behind, Tony walked toward the VR platform.

An hour later, Natalie posted a new video with the caption. "Attention, New World players, the dev who made ’Silent Hill PT’ and ’Subnautica’ will make his first ever appearance! Come take a look!"

With her massive following, the post spread instantly. The explosive title only fueled curiosity.

No way, the mysterious devs is finally showing himself?

People swarmed to click.

The video opened on a vast, endless ocean inside Deep Sea Trek. Suddenly, the calm waters erupted as a deafening roar shook the scene. A massive creature burst from the sea, its colossal body soaring into the sky.

It was a Sea Dragon Leviathan.

"Holy crap, that’s spectacular!"

"Wait... it can fly?!"

"Look! There’s someone on its head!"

The camera zoomed in. A young man stood proudly atop the Leviathan’s head, golden hair styled with flair, striking blue eyes, and a face so handsome it didn’t seem real.

"No way... he’s gorgeous!"

"That’s gotta be a 3D model. No real human looks like that!"

"Even in animation, I’ve never seen someone this good looking..."

Then, the man spoke directly to the camera. "Hello, players. I’m the sole developer and owner of New World."

Gasps exploded in the chat.

"It’s one person?! I thought it was a team!"

"Damn it, he’s so dramatic too, riding a Leviathan into the sky like that."

"And making himself a face like this? Shameless!"

"Tsk tsk... owning your own game really lets you do whatever you want."

Tony’s voice continued. "I’m here today for two announcements. First, is the winner of the Cortana AI design contest. The winning work belongs to a creator named ’OldGerson’."

The screen changed to show a beautiful woman in an elegant palace dress, her expression gentle and refined.

Comments poured in.

"Great choice! This art is amazing."

"I know OldGerson! Hes a famous illustrator, worked on a ton of game characters. Top notch skill!"

"This deserves full marks, well chosen!"

But then Tony’s tone shifted. "However... while this work won, I won’t be using it. IT gave ispiration to create something I consider even better. Of course, the promised $100,000 dollar prize will still be given."

Shock rippled through the viewers. Better than something drawn by one of the industry’s best? But then again... his own avatar was living proof that maybe, just maybe, he could.

"The second announcement," Tony continued, "is that the dedicated New World game platform is officially online."

A game platform? The chat erupted again.

"You can download it now from the official New World website," he said, as a glowing URL appeared in the sky beside him. "From now on, all future games from our studio will be released exclusively on this platform."

He smiled faintly. "And for all players, there’s a huge surprise waiting for you there. Don’t miss it. See you on the new platform."

The video ended abruptly, leaving netizens in a frenzy.

"This guy’s ambitious, not just making games, but his own platform too."

"With the quality of New World’s games, it’ll succeed even if it only sells his own titles."

"Enough talk, I’m downloading it right now. I have to see what surprise he’s hiding!"

1710 Words.