Chapter 25: The First Player

The next day, at 10 a.m., Alex Parker had already eaten breakfast and was waiting in his game experience store.

The previous afternoon, until the store closed at 8 p.m., no actual players came in—just people looking for an internet café. Upon learning it was an experience store that charged $5 per hour, they left quietly.

Of course, the store being empty also discouraged them.

Alex was beginning to doubt himself. Was it really this hard?

"My game is going to shake up the entire gaming scene, and you're telling me you won't pay $5 to play it early?! Unbelievable!"

Determined, Alex opened the store again the next day, even preparing a cup to offer free coffee to the first customer.

However, he started to ponder what to do if he didn't get enough players over a week. Without sufficient player feedback, Alex would have to launch the game on the app market and adjust it based on ongoing testing.

He preferred face-to-face interactions with players in the store.

Just as Alex was thinking this, a tall girl walked in.

She had long black hair, stood about 5'7" without her high heels, and exuded an intimidating aura that seemed to kill any insect that came near. If given a long sword, she could easily cosplay as a character from "High School of the Dead."

The girl scanned the store before locking eyes with Alex.

Feeling a chill down his spine, Alex said, "Hello."

"Is this a game experience store? Just opened?" she asked.

Alex nodded, "Yes, it opened just yesterday."

She looked at the empty seats, "Looks pretty empty. No customers?"

Alex was speechless. Isn't it obvious? Do you need to ask? Should I answer, "No, it's full of invisible people?"

Seeing Alex's lack of response, she asked, "Is it because your prices are too high or you have too few games?"

Alex answered, "Five dollars per hour."

She nodded, "No wonder. That's more expensive than an internet café. No wonder no one's here."

Alex: "..."

She then said, "But it's quiet and not as smoky as some internet cafés. I need some peace. I'll play for an hour."

She scanned her ID at the bar and paid using her phone before choosing a machine and sitting down.

In this world, most internet cafés are self-service. You scanned your ID and paid via phone. Convenient.

As the girl sat down, Alex realized his first customer had arrived unexpectedly. Holding back his excitement, he made her a coffee and placed it on her table.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Since you're our first customer, complimentary coffee," Alex replied.

She raised an eyebrow, "Wow, the first customer since yesterday? Your business isn't doing great, is it?"

Alex: "… I'll take the coffee back."

She laughed, "No, leave it. You're really something, getting all petty with that innocent face."

Alex: "Haha."

He returned to the bar, checking her ID details on the management system.

Her name was Jessica Thompson, 21 years old, likely a student from the nearby university.

Despite her sharp tongue, Alex was glad to have his first player.

Jessica opened the computer. The desktop had one game with an exciting icon—a dirty hand emerging from the ground holding a flower.

"Plants vs. Zombies?"

The name intrigued her. How do plants fight zombies?

She double-clicked the icon to start the game. The Thunderbolt Games logo flashed by.

Soon, a loading screen appeared, showing a road with zombies breaking through a fence on the right and various plants ready on the left.

The cartoonish style was appealing. The zombies looked ugly but not gross, and the plants were mysteriously cute.

"Not bad," Jessica thought, surprised by the quality.

The UI was filled with zombie-themed elements, with gravestone-like designs blending well with the background trees and houses.

A prompt appeared, asking Jessica to register for a Thunderbolt Games account.

Though slightly annoyed, she registered without providing her phone or ID number.

After registering, she clicked "Start Adventure," entering the story mode.

A low, eerie laugh sounded as a zombie's hand emerged from the ground before a gravestone, startling her.

"... Such dark humour," she muttered, entering the game.

The screen showed a large yard resembling a backyard. A green lawn ran from left to right, taking up about one-fifth of the open space.

The tutorial was simple. It showed an arrow directing Jessica to click on a card featuring a green plant called a Peashooter.

Jessica clicked the Peashooter card and placed it on the lawn.

A small sun floated down, and Jessica collected 25 sun points by following the prompt.

As she planted a second Peashooter, zombies appeared, limping towards the plants with eerie groans.