CHAPTER 38 - ESCAPE POD #2

[A.N Changing upload times 3-4 Chapters at night instead of morning, so Chapters early]

At that moment, Natalie yawned as she shuffled into the living room.

Last night, after building the Sea Moth, she completely lost track of the game's main storyline.

Instead of progressing, she went on wild joyrides doing barrel rolls, sharp turns, 360-degree spins, and showing off fancy maneuvers. She was having so much fun piloting the craft that she forgot all about the plot.

The two sat down again for breakfast.

"Tony, I've realized something, you're seriously a genius! How did you even come up with this game? It's insane!" Natalie said, chewing on a bacon strip while looking at her younger brother with genuine admiration.

She had always thought her little brother was talented, but after last night's gaming session, she realized she had still underestimated him.

Tony gave a small smile and tapped his temple. "Sorry. Mortal minds can't comprehend a genius's brilliance."

"Pfft!" Natalie rolled her eyes. Suddenly, something popped into her head. "Oh right, Tony, how many Leviathans are there in the game? Where are they all hiding?"

"You've run into one already?" Tony asked.

"Yup! I met the Island Leviathan. That thing was huge! I even walked around on its back for a while..." she said, eyes wide.

"Oh, that's the Reefback. It's the most common Leviathan in the game," Tony explained with a chuckle. "There are quite a few different Leviathans overall, and their locations? Totally random."

"Random...?" Natalie frowned. That made it harder. No way to predict or avoid them.

"Then, how many of them are dangerous? Like, actual man eating monsters?" she asked nervously.

Tony held up a single finger.

"Only one?!" Her eyes lit up.

"...Only the Reefback is safe," Tony added.

Natalie blinked.

"You're out here trying to kill the players, huh?"

"What's the point of playing a thrilling survival game if there's no real danger?" Tony shrugged.

"You're such a troll!" Natalie immediately caught on to the joke from the meme and laughed.

As they chatted and munched away, Natalie casually opened Twitter on her phone. She was scrolling for a few minutes, but what caught her eye was that her notifications had exploded, tons of users had tagged her.

Ever since she became the spokesperson for New World, she'd gotten used to being @-tagged constantly. She was about to ignore it when she noticed something odd, this time it wasn't just fans. It was celebrities.

"Natalie! Ask New World, can we save the woman in Pod #2?! I restarted like five times trying to rescue her and still failed. Is it my fault or is the game rigged?! I'm going crazy!"

Attached was a screenshot, the player was tangled in seaweed near Pod #2. Beside it loomed a terrifying sea crocodile.

The post was by a Twitter user named Jacksepticeye. A name everyone knew well.

Below the post were floods of comments.

"I tried the same! Tried over and over again, still couldn't save her..."

"This is totally a sick joke by the devs. She can't be saved, it's meant to make players feel guilty! Also, can this game get multiplayer? Playing alone is terrifying, but the alien world is too beautiful. I don't wanna give up..."

"If this is the same director as Silent Hill, then forget it. No multiplayer. Just fear."

There were tens of thousands of replies, a tidal wave of celebrity fans and regular players freaking out together.

"Tony! Tony!" Natalie suddenly shrieked. "Jacksepticeye just tagged me about the game! DanTDM commented too!"

"Wait, how many celebs are playing Subnautica?!" she muttered, frantically typing.

She quickly searched and was stunned to find that tons of stars had posted gameplay videos, all raving about Subnautica.

"Oh my god... so many celebs..." Natalie muttered in awe. She hadn't expected this kind of reach.

"Calm down," Tony said calmly, sipping his drink. "Why wouldn't they play a good game?"

And Subnautica wasn't just good, it was next gen. It had top tier graphics, immersive gameplay, deeply interactive. It was no surprise even the best were hooked.

But as the topic of celebrities came up, a sly idea popped into Tony's mind.

What if his game engine could be used in TV or movies?

It was just a thought, though. For now, Tony wanted to focus purely on games.

"Tony," Natalie asked, "about Jack's question... should I respond?"

"Sure," Tony nodded.

"What should I say?"

"Tell them she can be saved."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Natalie's jaw dropped. "You mean... that woman in Pod #2... she really can be saved?!"

Tony nodded calmly.

"You could've told me that earlier!!!" she screamed, slapping her thigh. "If I knew, I would've started a new save file just to do it!"

That woman's death had haunted her. She thought it was an unchangeable part of the plot, just another one of Tony's cruel emotional traps.

But he actually left a hidden path open!

"Don't get your hopes up. It's extremely hard to save her," Tony said with a smile. "Even if you restart, it's likely a waste of time."

"...Ugh. Fine." Natalie calmed down slightly, comforted by the fact that it was technically possible.

She posted a new update.

"Just checked in with the dev team at New World. The woman in Pod #2 can be saved... but the difficulty is insane. I suggest you all let her rest in peace."

The post went viral instantly.

"HA! Slap in the face to everyone who said she was scripted to die!"

"Wait... she can be saved?!"

"I tried. It's impossible! Time's way too short!"

"Natalie, can you share the trick?"

"Maybe we just suck at swimming..."

But Tony only smiled. He had no intention of spilling the secret. That woman in Pod #2? She was an easter egg. A puzzle meant to be uncovered only by the most dedicated.

After breakfast, Tony was about to head back for a nap when his phone rang.

The call was from a bank.

Turns out, the entire central branch of the bank he used had been in a frenzy since early morning.

Just after 8 PM the previous night, an ordinary personal account in their system had started receiving massive transfers. One wave after another. The total now? Over $400 million dollars.

Not a company account, a personal one.

The president personally checked the transaction history. The recipient's name, Tony Willis. A regular guy. Never had over 100k in his account before.

But now?

Hundreds of millions.

From a game platforms.

And the timestamp matched perfectly with the launch time of Subnautica.

The president's jaw dropped. "New World... it's THEM!"

He immediately made the call.

"Hello, is this Mr.Willis?"

"Yes," came a clear, calm voice.

"I'm Liam, president of the bank. May I ask where you currently reside? We'd love to pay a visit regarding the recent transfers."

"No need," Tony interrupted. "You just want me to keep my money in your bank, right? Relax. I'm not planning to move it anytime soon."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Liam sounded like he'd just dodged a heart attack. "To show our appreciation-"

"Don't," Tony interrupted again. "No gifts. Just one condition, you don't tell anyone about me. Not any person, not any company, you do and I move bank. Got it?"

"Understood! Of course! Absolute confidentiality!" Liam quickly promised. He knew exactly who Tony meant, the mastermind behind New World.

"Good. That's all."

The line went dead.

Liam stood there, stunned. Was this what modern geniuses were like?

Still, he was thrilled.

He was absolutely keeping this man happy.

As for the request?

Nonsense. For hundreds of millions in deposits, he'd keep this secret even if his own life was on the line!

1281 Words.