CHAPTER 73: TIFA CRAZE

Apart from the NetPack, giants like Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Meta also held emergency high level meetings the moment the New World platform went live. Some of them even began taking action behind the scenes, the dispatching hackers was no coincidence.

They all saw the same thing, New World was too aggressive, too ambitious. The Owners goal wasn’t just to shake up the gaming industry, he wanted to rewrite the entire online landscape!

Yes, the New World platform was still brand new. The ’Second World’ shown in the trailer was far from being realized. But Tony had already thrown out a giant, irresistible promise, dangling it right in front of the players.

And it worked.

In just a few hours, thanks to the hype from the trailer and Tifa’s debut, downloads for the New World platform skyrocketed into the tens of millions, and were still climbing fast.

Tony sat back on the sofa, watching the numbers soar on the backend. His mood only grew brighter by the minute.

When the download counter broke through the 100 million mark, he couldn’t hold back anymore, he leapt up, raising both arms and shouting proudly,

"I, Tony, will light up this dark world with a new world!"

After his little dramatic moment, another thought crossed his mind. "Right, Cortana, how’s the official website holding up?"

"Still under heavy attack," Cortana replied promptly, "but operating smoothly. Nothing I can’t handle."

Tony nodded. He had expected as much. After all, he had stirred up more than enough hostility, plenty of people wanted to crush him, or at least steal a piece of the pie.

That was why he’d stationed Cortana as the website’s bodyguard, weaving in layers of cutting edge anti hacking systems straight into the code.

DDoS, CC floods, database injection, didn’t matter. Everything bounced harmlessly off.

Still, there was another problem. Now that the platform was live, they needed more games, fast.

At the moment, New World only had two titles: Silent Hill and Subnautica. For a platform claiming to be the future of gaming, that was far too bare.

He’d have to create something new, something exclusive, to bolster the lineup.

With that thought, Tony slid into his chair, fingers already flying over the keyboard.

---BREAK---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the screen, players who had just logged into New World, still buzzing from the trailer, found their attention inevitably drawn back to Tifa.

After all, the future shown in the video might be exciting, but right now there was a stunning woman standing right in front of them.

Her flawless face and... frankly dangerous figure made it impossible for them to sit still. These weren’t monks, they were gamers. And in their own private VR space, no one could see what they did anyway.

"Player, do you have any instructions?" Tifa asked softly, her eyes sweeping over the rather... questionable expressions on some of the male players’ faces.

"Ahem... Can you call me something other than ’player’? Like... maybe ’husband’?" one of them blurted out.

"No." Tifa’s lips curved into a polite smile. "A player is a player. I cannot change your title at will."

That threw them off. Why could Cortana act all familiar, but Tifa refused?

Another player quickly tried his luck. "Then... can I hug you?"

He remembered something important, New World was a full sensory game. Aside from taste and pain, every other feeling could be replicated perfectly.

If the sensation of ocean water in Subnautica was so real, then surely... the touch of an AI would be just as convincing? Of course, he wasn’t thinking of anything improper. This was purely... for testing game technology.

"No." Tifa shook her head again, still smiling. "I’m just an AI assistant. Please calm yourself."

The players froze.

Not good? Not good again?! And please calm yourself? That was basically calling them out to their faces!

How were they supposed to calm down after that?

Some of the more reserved players gave up immediately. If she said no, she said no.

But the bolder ones? The rejection only made their blood boil.

Fine. If she already knew what they were thinking, why hold back?

With a collective roar, a group of them lunged forward in a full on tiger pounce, after all, no one else could see!

But before they could even touch her, Tifa’s leg swept up in a swift kick, her body flipping gracefully backwards over their heads.

When they spun around, dazed, she was standing behind them again, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Her voice was calm, almost teasing.

"Player, please respect yourself."

The players were dumbfounded. What was going on with this Tifa? She was... way better than they expected!

"Hey! I still don’t believe it!"

A group of flustered players started chasing after her like madmen.

But Tifa was like a graceful cat, effortlessly dodging every attempt. No matter how fast they lunged, not a single strand of her hair could be touched.

By the time their legs felt like jelly and they collapsed to the ground, panting like dogs, Tifa was still standing tall. She gave them a calm smile and said,

"Players, please... respect yourselves."

The players were speechless. What they didn’t know was that this Tifa, created by Tony, wasn’t just a beauty copied straight from her source material. He had also given her the combat ability of a top tier fighter.

Getting close to her? Not a chance.

After the launch of the New World platform, people worldwide were obsessed with two things: First, speculating about the grand vision the platform promised. Second, was Tifa!

The buzz online was overwhelming. A brand new Tifa Forum appeared overnight, and major message boards were flooded with threads about her.

"Tifa is perfect. She’s exactly my type, everything I’ve ever dreamed of!"

"The dev is a genius! How can someone design such a flawless beauty?"

"Since I met Tifa, every other character model looks like garbage."

"I’m announcing it now, Tifa is my new wife. Cortana can take second place."

"Get lost! She’s my wife!"

"You’re both wrong. She’s everyone’s wife!"

Even the famous concept artist, OldGerson, posted on social media.

"When I heard New World picked my work as the winner, I was thrilled. When he later said he wouldn’t use it, I’ll be honest, I was annoyed. I’ve been in the illustration scene a long time, and I know my designs can stand with the best. But... when I saw Tifa’s final model, I was convinced. The dev’s skill in character design... I can’t even put it into words. Let’s just say, she’s the definition of beauty. Also, thanks to the dev for letting me experience my perfect beauty dream... and for the $100,000. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go spend time with my wife, Tifa!"

The post made everyone laugh. It seemed no man was immune to Tifa’s charm.

But as the discussions went on, things began to... drift off-topic.

"Tifa’s great and all... but does anyone know how to actually interact with her?"

"Uh, I have a friend who wants to hold her hand. Just her hand. Totally innocent."

"Innocent my foot! You’re all just pervs."

"Fine, I admit it, I want her body. But she’s too fast. I’ve tried to catch her multiple times and failed."

"Maybe there’s an affection meter?"

"This isn’t a dating sim, genius."

"You sure? The dev is unpredictable."

"He’s evil. He makes the perfect woman, then won’t let us touch her!"

"Bet he can in his own build of the game..."

"Don’t even joke about that. The mental image is making me mad."

One post shot to the top of the forums.

[Warning to Players: I Was Kicked by Tifa!]

The OP complained.

"Her hair looked so soft, I just wanted to touch it. She refused, but I kept chasing her. After a few minutes, she suddenly turned around and kicked me! I flew across the room! What kind of assistant NPC does that?!"

The replies exploded.

"That’s your assistant, not your wife. Stop chasing her like a creep!"

"Wait, you got kicked by Tifa?! I want to try that!"

"Same. This might be the only way to get physical contact with her."

"I chased her for ages and she never kicked me. How did you trigger it?!"

"Yeah! Is this a hidden easter egg?"

1399 Words.