Players—especially male ones—immediately gave a thumbs-up to the guy on stage. Was this not the question they all wanted answered the most?
Zach Carter hadn't expected a question like that and was momentarily speechless.
Tsk tsk… these ISP degenerates still found a way to make it in here…
After thinking for a moment, Zach decided to deflect with a fabricated explanation.
"Ahem…" Zach cleared his throat and said, "Here's the thing. In my design, Tifa is a martial arts master—she's extremely agile and strong. If you want to interact with her, you'd need martial arts skills of your own. So, I'm sorry to say this—but you're not qualified yet."
Upon hearing this, the audience suddenly understood:
"Ohhh, so Tifa's character is a martial artist—no wonder she's got that figure!"
"I don't know why, but just hearing the words 'female fighter' got me hyped!"
"Hey, isn't that just the old thief's way of saying we don't stand a chance? Damn it!"
"Exactly! I love strong women like Tifa—it's a shame we can't win her over!"
"Heh, if I let you guys interact freely, the Censorship Bureau would be banging on my door…" Zach muttered under his breath before announcing, "Alright, time to draw our final lucky player!"
After another random draw, the fourth player appeared on stage.
This player's avatar was distinctive. Though his facial features were rough, he had long, jet-black hair that flowed down to his waist.
Now standing on the massive stage, the long-haired man looked utterly shocked and confused. He had never expected to be chosen!
Because… he was actually a high-ranking executive from Phoenix Games (formerly Goose Factory). He and CEO Trevor Han had come to the conference together—and he was the one who got picked!
"Hello there! Do you have a question for us?" Zach asked with a smile.
This Phoenix exec had experienced his share of major events and responded quickly. He immediately saw this as an opportunity.
After a brief moment of scheming, he spoke up.
"Producer," he began, "as the head of a game studio, do you really care about your players?"
"Of course," Zach replied without hesitation.
"If that's true, then I think you should make your studio's game engine public—share it with the world!" the exec declared loudly, his voice echoing throughout the venue. "That way, other developers can create immersive and realistic games like yours. Wouldn't that be better for all of us who love games?"
With that, he raised his arms and turned to the crowd, shouting: "Right, fellow gamers? Don't we all want more games like this?!"
Shameless? Sure—but anonymity was on his side. Over a billion people were watching this press conference, but no one knew his real identity. That was the beauty of the internet.
So what if the long-haired man was an idiot on stage? That had nothing to do with the Phoenix Games executive behind the avatar.
With zero shame and full confidence, he tried to rally the audience. He wanted to put the New World Studio in a difficult position and score some brownie points with CEO Han while he was at it.
But…
The entire venue remained silent.
Not a single cheer. Not one word of support.
Instead, the players stared at him with confused, disapproving expressions.
"Where did this clown crawl out from?"
"No idea. Shouldn't he be fighting Batman in Gotham or something?"
"What a joke—why should New World share their engine with other studios?"
"Yeah, how is it generous to hand over your hard work to others for free?"
"LMAO! Look at him trying to stir the pot like he's giving a TED Talk."
As boos and laughter spread throughout the venue, the Phoenix exec began to panic.
Wait, what happened to my plan? Shouldn't they be on my side?
He had clearly underestimated just how loyal New World fans were.
Zach's expression turned frosty. "Say, buddy… you wouldn't happen to be from another game company, would you?"
The implication was obvious—only a competitor would ask such a shameless question.
The exec broke out in a cold sweat and quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no! I'm not! Don't say that!"
Too bad—it was already too late.
Zach, suspicious, opened his admin panel to check the player's data.
All VR devices had built-in heart rate monitors, and he had access to this guy's vitals.
It didn't take long to find it.
The guy's heart rate spiked the moment Zach said "Phoenix Games."
"Oh? So you are from Phoenix Games," Zach grinned.
Crap…
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