ca-book Chapter 6 * They've taken the bait!
Chapter 6 * They've taken the bait!
"Please, act normal! We're going to be thought of as crazy!"
Lin Lixin laboriously pried Sam off the arcade machine, gave the newcomer a slight bow, and awkwardly greeted him.
"Beautiful lady, would you like to try out our new arcade game?"
This is absolutely the most bizarre meeting in the world.
Vivian's lips twitched, and she involuntarily took half a step back, inwardly cursing her bad luck.
I've run into two hardcore gamers!
I've often heard that these people have eccentric personalities, never participate in school group activities, and waste their precious youth by spending all their time in those game stores!
"I shouldn't have gotten involved. Did I become part of their game?"
"Uh... haha, I was just passing by, I didn't even bring any coins. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
She wanted to escape this place as soon as possible.
"It's alright, ma'am, first-time visitors get free admission." Lin Lixin called out to Vivian as she was about to leave, pulling a 25-cent coin from his pocket with an expression that couldn't be more sincere.
Vivian knew what arcade games were and what video games were.
It's nothing more than a new type of scam that deceives consumers' sentiments.
only……
This was the first time she had ever seen someone set up an arcade machine in front of their own apartment building.
Shouldn't this thing be placed in front of a convenience store or bar?
Looking at Lin Lixin's harmless smile, and then at Sam on the ground whose eyes were practically drooling as he stared at the arcade game, Vivian wavered a little.
When curiosity takes over the mind, all reason should give way.
"Hmm... it's free anyway, so why not give it a try?"
As she thought about it, she stopped running.
As Vivian took the coin from Lin Lixin, she felt, for some reason, that there was an unspeakable emotion hidden in his smile, as if he were gloating over someone's misfortune.
"Is it really free? Could it be a scam where they suddenly force you to pay later?"
Caution led her to ask one more question.
"Honest and fair, miss." Lin Lixin nodded. "25 cents a game."
Vivian pulled up a stool and sat down, carefully examining the machine for a few moments.
The body of the machine is painted with a large "TETRIS" lettering, as if it were painted directly with a pen, and the paint is not even dry yet.
Further down, there's an eight-digit LED display, clearly used to show the player's game score.
The monitor was a bit old, but the image on the screen was still visible; it was just a bunch of simple squares.
The control panel displays a few lines of text that clearly explain how to play the game.
However, Vivian's attention was not on that.
She moved to the right following this set of buttons, only to see another set of buttons with the same layout over there.
"There's a multiplayer mode?"
Although Vivian rarely plays games, she is still familiar with popular titles like Pac-Man.
Pac-Man features a design where challenges are alternated.
Lin Lixin smiled, then took out another coin and tossed it to Sam.
Sam knew that Lin Lixin had finally allowed him to play, and he happily sat down on another stool.
"If you don't mind, we can have a competition."
The fact that the arcade machines would be made available for everyone to try out was already a fait accompli, and he had no choice but to accept it.
Although he can no longer have it all to himself, he can still be the one who loves Tetris the most!
Vivian didn't know why, but she always felt that Sam had an inexplicable hostility towards her, as if she had stolen his beloved wife.
This inexplicable feeling also made Vivian angry. She clearly came to help Sam, and she could accept not a thank you, but why was she being so hostile?
She's determined to win this time!
We should teach this rude bastard a lesson.
Vivian inserted a coin, and the screen displayed an option to skip the wait to enter single-player mode.
As Sam also inserted the coin, the options disappeared, and the game screen, now split in two, began to function.
Lin Lixin yawned, revealing a satisfied, mischievous smile from an angle unseen by the two.
Unexpectedly, Sam's bout of illness brought him his first customer.
Setting up a nest for 25 cents is incredibly affordable.
"Sam, I'm going back to sleep now. Remember not to hog the machine. If someone comes to play, you should give up your spot."
He gave a brief explanation, then dragged his barely open eyelids onto the bed.
Converting this arcade machine into a two-player mode is no easy task.
Both the code and the hardware need to be completely overhauled.
Especially when he ported the version he wrote on C64 to this Z80, even with the help of the system, it was still incredibly demanding for him.
The acquisition of hardware knowledge made Lin Lixin realize the huge opportunities that existed in this area.
A machine that supports two-player mode can double the coin insertion rate.
At the same time, the competitive spirit generated by this battle-style gameplay can trigger a mentality of "winners getting carried away and losers being dissatisfied," turning into a series of coin-operated battles.
Lin Lixin collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he was suddenly awakened by the incessant system notifications in his mind.
【Ding! 】
[Milestone Completed]: 10 players gave positive reviews after playing the arcade game.
[Reward]: 5 Free Attribute Points
[Milestone Achieved]: Completed 100 rounds of gameplay in the arcade.
[Reward]: 5 Free Attribute Points
[Milestone Achieved]: Return rate exceeds 60%
[Reward]: Skill Pack x1
[Milestone Achievement]: Completed one all-night work session.
[Acquired Skill]:
[Cirrhotic Liver]: [Maximum Stamina Increased, Rest Efficiency Increased]
……
"Huh?"
Lin Lixin rubbed his throbbing head and got out of bed. Suddenly, he felt a cool sensation travel from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, instantly washing away most of the side effects of staying up all night.
There was someone making a huge fuss outside the window, it was so noisy.
Sunlight streamed through the thin curtains, telling Lin Lixin that it was already midday.
He stretched his joints, which ached from his bad sleeping posture, before dragging his flip-flops to open the curtains.
The view outside the window was like a jolt of energy, instantly waking him up completely.
The neighborhood where Lin Lixin and his friends lived was a typical residential area. Apart from two convenience stores and an arcade on the corner that had already closed down, there were no other shops.
If you want to go to other places, you basically need to take a car or ride a bicycle.
For this reason, this street has always been an incredibly quiet resting place.
But now everything outside has completely changed!
Several young men and women sat casually on the side of the street, chatting and laughing under the midday sun, seemingly oblivious to the heat.
Many more people formed a line that stretched out all the way.
What they were willing to queue up under the scorching sun for was the Tetris arcade machine in front of the door.