Ajal.
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Chapter 243: Lose Big, Win Bigger!
🕑 Added 2025-09-02 11:39:57 +0000 UTC“Brush it one way, dummy. You’re just smearing it everywhere…”
After dinner and a quick breather, Zoey Parker, seeing there was still time, set an alarm and pulled out the rose-gold nail polish she’d grabbed earlier.
She stuck out her foot, insisting Gus Harper paint her toenails.
“It’s not even summer,” Gus protested, baffled. “It’s practically winter. You’re not wearing sandals—who’s gonna see?”
“Me,” Zoey shot back, like it was obvious, wiggling her toes. “And maybe you, for kicks.”
Well, alright then. Paint it is.
No way Gus could say no to that.
But, man, was he clumsy at it. He’d never tackled anything this fiddly before.
“Ugh, let me show you!” Zoey sat up, grabbed his hand, and dipped the tiny brush into the sparkly polish, swiping it across his pinky nail.
“Whoa, hold up—is this okay?” Gus stared at his now-glittery nail, cringing.
“What’s the problem?” Zoey leaned back, admiring her work. “Looks awesome!”
“Uh…” Gus muttered, unconvinced, then gently pulled her foot closer. “Suits you better.”
Under the warm glow of the lamp, with the humidifier puffing gentle mist and Debussy’s Clair de Lune drifting from the Harman Kardon speakers, the room felt cozy and sweet. Zoey sank into the plush velvet couch, feeling the warmth of Gus’s hands as he carefully painted her toes.
His focused gaze was like an artist crafting a masterpiece, intense and steady.
Zoey leaned her head back, nibbling her lip, a soft smile spreading. She grabbed the Polaroid from the side table.
Click.
The moment was captured.
Gus glanced up, grinning. “Sneaking shots of me again?”
“You looked kinda cool just then,” Zoey teased, sticking out her tongue.
For a second, Gus froze. The soft light traced the perfect curve of her face, like a rose in full bloom or a moonlit flower, radiating a sweet glow. The faint blush on her cheeks was the cherry on top.
Her playful tone hit him like an arrow, bursting into a dreamy haze of pink bubbles.
“Why’re you staring?” Zoey’s cheeks reddened more as she caught his dazed look. She lifted her foot, her pale toes now sparkling with rose polish, delicate as dew-kissed petals. She tapped his chin with her foot, nudging his jaw shut, her eyes twinkling like a starry sky. “What’s that look for?”
Gus snapped out of it, mimicking her tone. “Just… you’re kinda pretty, you know.”
He lifted her foot, blew on the polish to dry it, and studied his work like it was a fine painting.
Zoey grinned, joining him in admiring it. “Not bad.”
“Of course,” Gus nodded. “Check out the artist.”
“Climbing that pole, huh?” Zoey gave him a playful kick, smirking.
Then—
Buzz—buzz—
Her alarm went off.
Zoey took a deep breath. Showtime. Money time.
“Quick, pull up the sales dashboard!” she urged, nudging Gus toward the projector screen. “It’s time! Your ‘fall from grace’ moment!”
Gus nearly tripped. “My what? Can’t you root for me for once?”
“Nope!” Zoey perched on the couch, hands on hips, joking. “I’m all about that tragic genius vibe!”
“You’re a real ray of sunshine…” Gus muttered, rolling his eyes as he grabbed the remote and lowered the projector screen.
One minute to go.
While they waited, Gus turned to her. “You know, I’ve always wondered—why’re you so obsessed with these sales milestones?”
He remembered two years back, catching Zoey in the conference room doing some weird ritual after work. It was during Left 4 Dead’s launch. They’d made a dozen games since, big and small, and she was still glued to the numbers. It was… puzzling.
Zoey froze, a cold sweat breaking out. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Her mind raced.
What do I say?
If she didn’t come up with a solid answer, Gus’s sharp mind might sniff out her secret system. If he figured it out, the system would self-destruct on the spot.
This was a close call.
She needed a perfect lie.
“Because I want to share your wins and carry your losses,” Zoey said, her playful grin fading into a steady, earnest gaze. “Real talk, Gus—you’re the best game designer I’ve ever seen. You were born for this. We’ve fought side by side, and I love seeing you crush it. I want to be the first to celebrate your hits, hear you geek out about how awesome your games are. But I also worry. You’re unstoppable, but when a setback hits, I’m scared you’ll waver. I can’t feel exactly what you feel, but I want to be there, taking it on with you.”
Silence.
Long, heavy silence.
Gus’s expression shifted from shock to warmth, his eyes softening like moonlight.
Then, with a soft “Hey,” he pulled her into a hug, his hand smoothing her hair.
“Thanks,” he murmured. “I’ll try to keep winning, so we only share the good stuff…”
Zoey’s heart sank. Can I take that back?
“Uh… you don’t have to always win,” she said, patting his back, trying to lighten it. “A little loss here and there’s fine…”
She trailed off, biting her tongue. Saying it was just a throwaway line felt too harsh, especially imagining herself in his shoes—a genius designer hoping every game’s a hit.
Gus let go first, giving her a small smile. Zoey tugged her flushed ear, shyly returning a grin.
Just then, the webpage refreshed with a click.
The new sales data popped up. Both turned to look.
Zoey’s plan was simple: if Garden Warfare’s total sales stayed under 731,000 copies, she’d secure her rebate.
And she wasn’t disappointed.
Garden Warfare 7-day total sales: 718,900 copies.
Her brain kicked into gear.
718,900 copies at $9.30 each equaled $6,685,770 in revenue. After a 20% platform cut, they’d net $5,348,616. With a $5,436,787 production cost, that left a loss of $88,171.
Multiply that by the 15x rebate, and…
Her mind flashed the settlement:
Subproject: Plants vs. Zombies - Garden Warfare
Investment: $5,436,787
Settlement Period: 7 days (+0 days)
Rebate Multiplier: 15x (+0x)
Current Revenue: $5,348,616
Estimated Rebate: $1,322,565
Remaining Settlement Time: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds
Then—ding!
Her phone lit up: Your debit account 1118 received a mobile banking transfer of $1,322,565. Balance: $1,686,016…
Over a million bucks.
Zoey swallowed hard. Holy… a million-plus?!
It’d been ages since she’d seen a payout this big. The last time her account hit eight figures was two years ago with Left 4 Dead’s rebate. This wasn’t just a win—it was a new peak.
No, not a peak. A fresh start.
Her system’s potential was far from tapped.
Then—ding!
Another chime in her mind: Detected host has achieved 5 total losses, unlocking achievement: “Turning the Tables.”
Reward: Loss Project Multiplier Purchase Voucher x1
Reward issued, usable anytime.
A voucher? For hitting five losses? Zoey was floored.
Today really is a good day!
She reached out, pinching Gus’s thigh hard.
“Ow!” Gus yelped, clutching his leg, glaring. “What was that for?”
“It sold over 700,000 copies…” Zoey blurted, covering. “Just checking if I’m dreaming.”
“Dreaming? So you pinch me?!” Gus groaned. “Pinch yourself!”
“That’d hurt!” Zoey rolled her eyes. “Duh.”
She hopped off the couch, slid into her slippers, and bolted to the bathroom. “Gotta hit the restroom!”
Ignoring Gus’s baffled look, she locked the door and pulled up her system interface. She needed to check this “Loss Project Multiplier Purchase Voucher.”
Her past achievement rewards—like shorter settlement times or higher multipliers—were gold. This one sounded big.
Focusing, she opened the voucher’s details:
Loss Project Multiplier Purchase Voucher
Description:
A voucher allowing the purchase of additional multiplier rates for settled loss projects. After starting a derivative project from a previously loss-making game, the host can use this voucher to boost the rebate multiplier beyond time-based adjustments by spending rebate earnings. Every $1,429 increases the multiplier by 1x.
Note 1: The derivative project ignores the original project’s loss type.
Note 2: The derivative project’s multiplier has no cap, but the purchased rate is final—no additions or reductions.
Zoey gasped. This is wild!
The rules were clear. She’d racked up five loss-making projects: Vampire Survivors, Left 4 Dead, Apex Legends, To The Moon, and Garden Warfare. Some were main projects, others subprojects—didn’t matter.
Now, she could pick one, start a derivative game, and use her rebate cash to buy a higher multiplier.
How much cash did she have?
Vampire Survivors: $50 (her lucky bill, untouchable).
Left 4 Dead: $10.43M, sunk into PUBG’s success, gone.
Apex Legends: $75,429.
To The Moon: $35,714.
Garden Warfare: $1,322,565.
Total, minus the $7: $10,433,751.
With the voucher, she could turn any derivative project’s multiplier up to 1,003x. Add Garden Warfare’s base 15x, and she’d hit 1,018x.
What did that mean? Lose $1, gain $1,018.
If the next project, like Garden Warfare, had a $5.43M budget and lost $85,714 in the settlement period, she’d rake in $87,256,852. Even a $14,286 loss—peanuts for a game—would net $14,543,148.
For Garden Warfare’s $9.30 price, $14,286 was just 1,536 fewer copies sold. No need for a massive flop—just a tiny dip for a nine-figure payout.
Zoey nodded, deep in thought. This was her first shot at a thousand-fold return.
Game on.
