Chapter 34: The First Domino Falls
Chapter 34: The First Domino Falls
📅 Date: July 1994
📍 NexTech Headquarters, Seoul, South Korea
Jin Hoshino leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled as he analyzed the latest industry reports. Hollywood and Microsoft had officially launched their counterattack.
✔ Hollywood was blocking NexFlix from acquiring movie licenses.
✔ Microsoft was pressuring PC manufacturers to avoid NexOS.
✔ Governments were suddenly launching investigations into NexTech's business practices.
Jin smirked. "They're moving faster than I expected."
His enemies thought they could box him in. But they had underestimated something crucial.
Jin wasn't just playing their game.
He was about to change the game entirely.
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NexFlix Strikes Back – The First Original Series
📅 Date: July 20, 1994
📍 NexTech Studios, Seoul
Inside a high-tech recording studio, a team of writers, directors, and producers sat nervously. Across from them, Jin Hoshino stood, watching their reactions carefully.
On the large screen before them, the first episode of NexFlix's first-ever original series played.
🟢 Title: "Neon Rebellion"
🟢 Genre: Cyberpunk Thriller
🟢 Budget: $10 Million (A Massive Gamble for NexFlix)
The story followed a young hacker in a dystopian future, fighting against a corporate empire controlling the world's digital landscape.
One of the producers turned to Jin, his voice full of disbelief. "This… this is better than anything airing on TV right now."
Jin nodded. "That's the point."
📌 NexFlix's Counterattack:
✔ Instead of relying on Hollywood, NexFlix would produce its own content.
✔ Jin secured partnerships with top Japanese anime studios to create animated series exclusive to NexFlix.
✔ NexFlix would use the internet to distribute content, bypassing Hollywood's control over movie theaters and TV networks.
By owning the content, Jin eliminated the need for licensing negotiations.
And for the first time, Hollywood wasn't ready for what was coming.
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Microsoft's Next Move – The Attack on NexOS
📅 Date: July 22, 1994
📍 Microsoft Headquarters, Redmond, USA
Bill Gates scowled as he read the latest market analysis.
NexOS wasn't dying.
✔ More independent developers were building software for it.
✔ The Asian market was adopting it at a surprising rate.
✔ NexTech's strategic deals were keeping the OS alive despite Microsoft's pressure.
Microsoft's executive team sat in silence as Gates finally spoke. "Fine. If they want a war, let's escalate it."
📌 Microsoft's Next Attack Plan:
✔ Convince key software companies—like Adobe and Electronic Arts—to refuse to support NexOS.
✔ Pressure major PC manufacturers to stop selling NexOS pre-installed.
✔ Launch an aggressive smear campaign, labeling NexTech as an "unstable" company.
Microsoft wasn't playing fair.
But Jin had already predicted this.
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The NexPhone Breakthrough – The Device That Will Change Everything
📅 Date: July 25, 1994
📍 NexTech R&D Lab, Seoul
Inside a secret lab, the first prototype of NexPhone sat on a sleek black table.
It was revolutionary.
✔ A small, lightweight device with a digital screen.
✔ Capable of sending texts, making calls, and connecting to the early internet.
✔ Exclusive to the NexNet infrastructure, ensuring total control over its ecosystem.
Jin ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the device.
"The world isn't ready for this yet… but they will be."
While Microsoft and Hollywood were still fighting in the present, Jin was already building the future.
📌 The Plan:
✔ Launch NexPhone as a business-focused device first, gaining early adopters.
✔ Introduce a consumer version in a few years, when the world was more ready for mobile internet.
✔ Use NexNet to make NexPhone independent from Microsoft's ecosystem.
Microsoft was trying to kill NexOS.
But what if NexOS was only the beginning?
Jin was about to make PCs obsolete.
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The First Major Betrayal – A Leak Inside NexTech
📅 Date: July 28, 1994
📍 NexTech Headquarters, Seoul
Late at night, a nervous-looking employee slipped into an empty office. He inserted a floppy disk into his computer and quickly began copying confidential files.
💾 Top Secret: NexPhone Development Plans
💾 Confidential: NexNet Global Expansion Strategy
The employee's heart pounded as he transferred the files to an unmarked envelope. He had been contacted by Microsoft.
And the price they had offered him for this information was too good to refuse.
"Forgive me, Mr. Hoshino…"
📌 Unknown to him, Jin was already watching.
As the traitor walked towards the exit, he suddenly stopped.
A calm voice echoed through the dimly lit hallway.
"Going somewhere?"
Jin Hoshino stood at the doorway, his expression unreadable.
The room fell into a deadly silence.
And in that moment… the first major domino in NexTech's war had just fallen.
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End of Chapter 34