Stream over, Gus Harper checked the time—12:30 AM.
Yawn.
Stretching, he said, "Man, it's late. Wash up, hit the sack. Picnic's tomorrow, right?"
"Hmph," Zoey Parker groaned, slumped like a zombie on the sofa. "You go. I'm gonna… lie here a bit…"
Gus squinted at her, stood, and poked her forehead.
"What's that for?" Zoey didn't budge, glaring up with big eyes.
"You sound half-dead. You sick or something?" Gus checked for a fever. Nope, her forehead was cool.
"You're the sick one!" Zoey bared her teeth, snapping at his finger like a feisty pup.
"You've got some shady vibes, dude!"
"Whoa!" Gus yanked his hand back, dodging her bite, grinning. "You're giving rabies vibes. Get a shot, quick."
He caught the cushion she yeeted, plopped it on her head, and chuckled as he headed to wash up and crash.
Zoey leaned into the cushion, fuming at Gus's smug laugh. She was this close to losing it!
$40,000! Four hundred thousand tokens!
Factor in the 20% platform cut and her 11x rebate multiplier—
Her rebate pool took a $350,000 hit from one stream!
Poison!
Zoey flopped on the sofa arm, eyes lost in confusion.
This wasn't the plan!
Wasn't APEX's pay-to-win model just a test, not guaranteed to rake in cash?
Weren't no-stat cosmetics supposed to flop at squeezing wallets?
Wasn't the goal just hype and praise, not profits?
So what's this mess?
The "no pressure, no scams" model won players' hearts, sure. Hype achieved.
But profits? It's not just profiting—it's a gold rush!
Piggie dropped $40,000!
This "free" game's pricier than a paid one!
$40,000 in four hours from one player—enough for 200+ Titanfall copies!
Zoey didn't dare check the system. One glance, and she'd explode.
After half an hour of sulking, she dragged herself up, washed up, and collapsed onto her bed with a thud.
"Forget it, forget it…" Zoey muttered, taking a deep breath. "Day one, everyone's hyped. Piggie's a whale outlier. Most won't spend like that. It's fine, Zoey, you're just a workhorse…"
"Picnic tomorrow. Sleep, Zoey, sleep…"
She shut her eyes.
But—bam!—voices flooded her head:
'Free game, huh?'
'I'm all about that big spending!'
'I'll pay for dope games!'
'No way I'm not getting it today!'
'500 boxes! Nah, 1,000 this time!'
Zoey shot up like a vampire from a coffin!
No way!
Hold it in, you stew. Back off, you rage!
She flung off her blanket, slipped into her Strawberry Bear pajamas, stormed to Gus's door, and planted her hands on her hips.
Knock knock knock!
"Gus, you up? I can't sleep!"
Gus was out cold, dreaming of dollar bills after Piggie's stream. Players loved the new monetization model—he was counting cash in his sleep!
Bang!
Zoey's voice shattered his dream. Gus propped himself up, half-awake, confused as hell.
"Huh? Can't sleep?" He rolled his eyes. "Take some melatonin, you'll be out in no time."
He flopped back down.
Zoey's voice kept coming: "I want barbecue! I'm starving!"
"Barbecue? At this hour?" Gus groaned. "What's wrong with you?"
"WindyPeak!" Zoey shot back, fibbing on the fly. "I'm craving barbecue! Saw a spot online—BBQ Haven! I need it!"
"We driving to BBQ Haven on a company holiday?"
Zoey doubled down: "Nah, there's a joint on Second Street, open 'til 3 or 4 AM."
"Get up, come with me, I'm hungry!"
"Nope!" Gus pulled his blanket over his head. "I'm good. Order takeout."
Zoey, outside the door, wasn't fazed.
Her eyes glinted with mischief, a sly grin spreading.
Clearing her throat, she said, "Fine, Gus. I'll go alone!"
"It's 1:10 AM…"
"I'm out. A girl, alone, hitting the streets for a midnight snack…"
"In my Strawberry Bear pajamas…"
"Sleep tight, sweet dreams…"
"Catch you later, Gus. Hope I'm not in the news tomorrow…"
Her voice faded as she shuffled toward the living room.
Click!
Gus's bedroom door swung open.
His exasperated voice followed: "Get back here and change! We're going!"
"Hehe!" Zoey spun around, beaming like her trick worked perfectly.
Then, with a fake pout, she pressed a finger to her lips: "Oh, no need, big bro. I can handle it. You rest. The company needs you for all the big stuff. Don't worry about lil' ol' me…"
"Too much, Zoey," Gus deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "That act's a zero. Way too obvious."
"Heh, cut me some slack. First time playing the damsel," Zoey said, scratching her head, bowing dramatically. "I'm new at this, bear with me!"
Nighttime in Seattle, quiet except for a soft breeze.
Two figures strolled down empty downtown streets.
Gus walked chill, hands in pockets.
Zoey bounced ahead, stepping on his shadow under the streetlights: "Ha! Got your head! Pow, uppercut!"
"Chill out," Gus laughed, watching her punch and kick his shadow. "Weren't you 'wiped out' at home?"
"Moving gets the appetite going! You wouldn't get it!" Zoey stuck out her chin, smug. "I'm recharged, full of vibes and poetic flair!"
"Oh, please," Gus scoffed, teasing. "Recite me a poem then."
"Hmph!" Zoey didn't flinch. Hands behind her back, she strutted: "On a crisp fall night in WindyPeak's second year, Zoey's wide awake, and so's the old grump…"
"What, I'm some poet from the 800s now?" Gus chuckled.
"Haha, yup!" Zoey grinned.
Next morning, the gaming world was buzzing!
"$40,000 Spending Spree! What's the Magic of WindyPeak's APEX?"
"Respecting Players Pays Off! APEX Tops Free-to-Play Revenue Charts in Four Hours!"
"Pure Cosmetic Monetization! We'll Pay Even Without Stats!"
"APEX Pass Wins Hearts! Players Thank WindyPeak's Dedication!"
"Rebel Vibes! No-Stat Pass Earns Rave Reviews!"
Piggie's $40,000 heirloom haul went viral!
Players were hyped, forums on fire!
"This monetization's legit. Don't wanna spend? Don't. No stats, no balance issues."
'Bet you never played, bro (lol).'
"No balance? You flex when you kill, but get no flex when you're downed. That's unbalanced!"
"Haha, mental balance counts too…"
"No spending? Nah, impossible. I'd rather swipe than miss out. I'm trash, but my skins gotta shine!"
"Real talk, APEX skins are next-level, plus the Titanfall nostalgia. $38 pass? You'd be dumb not to grab it."
'Can't play without, can't live without.'
"Don't sleep on the skin quality. This is WindyPeak's standard—Normal King vibes."
"Whoa! The Left 4 Dead mod legend?"
"No wonder! It's that guy!"
"Guess this is payback for all those free mods. I'm buying in."
"Pass incoming!"
'…'
Players loved the monetization!
No stat boosts, but WindyPeak's polished skins—made with heart, no scams—had wallets opening gladly.
Critical and commercial slam dunk.
Media gave APEX glowing scores:
Tate's Gaming Scoop (9.7/10): "A fresh take. Bold skills set it apart from PUBG!"
Global Esports (9.7/10): "Heartfelt care and top-tier quality. Addictive!"
SNG Review (9.8/10): "Armor-break sounds are chef's kiss!"
Gamers' Hearth (9.7/10): "Diverse skills, upgradable armor, slick marking—WindyPeak never settles, always pushes!"
OldSam's Reviews (9.9/10): "Was gonna say 9.8, but I pulled an heirloom in 20 boxes (lol)."
MotionTech Post (9.9/10): "Upgrading motion-assist tech ain't easy! This is a test run. What's WindyPeak cooking next?"
Players? Obsessed!
Some went hard, using terrain for chaos—
At Artillery Fortress's gas station, a player lurked above a small room's alloy door, stocked with batteries, health kits, gold gear, and an airdrop shotgun.
A trio rushed in, eyes on the loot, missing the figure perched above.
Clank!
A poison gas grenade rolled at their feet.
The lurker—Caustic—dropped, bolted out, locked the door, and sealed it with a gas trap!
Hiss!
Gas filled the room, the trapped team screaming!
Caustic cackled outside: "Sorry, dudes! My bad, my bad! Haha!"
Others played dirty, just to troll—
"Yo, how many bullets you got? Hook me up!" On a waterfall cliff, Pathfinder and Wraith squatted, one gripping a Havoc rifle.
The Havoc, a charged sniper, deals 45 damage across 15 ticks, plus 45 on impact. Its zizz charging sound earned it the "sizzle sniper" nickname.
No bullet drop, long range, point-and-shoot. It chips health and armor, annoying as hell.
"Got some," Wraith tossed two ammo packs to Pathfinder.
They exchanged grins.
"Heh…"
"Heh…"
"Yo, targets over there!"
"On it, light 'em up!"
Zizz-boom! Zizz-boom!
"Hey, this is fun…"
"Still dodging? Where you going?"
"Haha, three armor ticks per hit. Let's see you tank this!"
"Too good… Wait, what?! Valkyrie's squad—flying at us!"
"My bad, bro! I'm done trolling!"
Rat-tat-tat!
Then there's the grinders, rushing ranks early season, chasing Top Hunter—
"Break armor, break armor! Xue, charge!" In the water treatment plant, new streamer Pete147 barked to Raizy Xue on voice chat.
Pete's rapid-fire burst shredded a Bloodhound's red armor across the building!
Xue's execution was clutch. She slammed the door open, rushing out!
Grapple fired, locked to the ground, sliding into a mid-air leap, swift and slick!
Pete, hyped on adrenaline, launched off a ramp, soaring like an arrow!
Pathfinder and Octane's mobility shone through their moves!
Whoosh!
Like rats, they stormed the enemy building.
The opposing team, reviving a teammate, froze in shock. No way they closed that gap so fast!
Rat-tat-tat!
Boom! Boom!
Gunfire erupted in the tight two-story!
In seconds, three enemies were loot boxes.
Xue caught gunfire on the nearby plain: "Pete, fight over there. Let's crash it!"
"Bet!"
Who's zipping the line? Me!
Boom!
Pathfinder's ultimate zipline deployed, and the two, with top-tier movement and aim, charged toward the next kill, hunting Top Hunter!
Pure fun!
Fast pace, smooth comms, wild strategies, flexible plays!
Add a fair cosmetic shop and a cheat-free somatosensory cabin?
APEX owned the new-gen cabin market, dominating battle royale with unstoppable swagger!
PUBG led the charge, now APEX sealed it!
WindyPeak aimed to lock in "King of Battle Royale"!
The company was buzzing!
Zoey Parker? Shaking!
But waiting for final numbers in seven days felt like forever!
Then, a letter from Komina E, Japan, landed on her desk.