On a certain commercial street in the Eastern Hemisphere-or, more accurately, inside an ordinary residential building—Hans unexpectedly received an unimaginable phone call, from nobody else but the Bounty Tribe.

He clearly remembered when the Bounty Tribe initially revealed to the media its intention to cooperate with Star Wars. He had brushed it off, thinking it was a joke. But who could have foreseen that his ailing company would get the chance to work with the Bounty Tribe? It was nothing short of a lifeline, a resurgence of vigor. The Bounty Tribe indicated that a commissioner would personally pay him a visit soon.

To keep Star Wars operational, Hans had blown nearly all his savings. Being deep in debt and forced to repay his creditors daily, Hans had no choice but to sell off most of his possessions. Everything related to the Revenge Shadow Rider was the only thing that he couldn't bear to part with.

In particular, one invaluable item or, rather, virtual good, had always been preserved by Hans—an opportunity to interact with Revenge Shadow Rider, which originally came with a signed contract of warranty.

Someone once suggested that Hans should sell that too. After all, Star Wars was no longer the popular military online game of yore. How long it could last was uncertain, and in the end, it was just a virtual good. Anyone buying the interaction would only be buying it for sentimental value. But Hans, being bullheaded as always, was determined not to sell. He insisted that Revenge Shadow Rider would surely log in, and Star Wars could not stay down forever. After all, God wouldn't just stand by and watch.

Hans's persistence finally paid off. The Bounty Tribe sent someone over, and to his surprise, they called him around noonas soon as he hung up the phone in the morning, telling him to stay home.

Of course, Hans wouldn't go anywhere; even though he had no idea how the Bounty Tribe got his address., However, it didn't matter since he still believed that the world was mostly filled with good people.

Knock, knock, knock—the sound of knocking echoed from outside...

Caught off guard, Hans hesitated on whether or not to open the door. At the same time, he pondered over countless forms of phrasing, wondering how he should present his arguments during the negotiation to seal the deal. As a businessman, Hans knew having a shrewd tactical mind was indispensable. But would the Bounty Tribe exactly fall for that? If they were that naive, they wouldn't have achieved their current status.

Perhaps the Bounty Tribe was looking for an ally who was purely passionate about Shadow Rider. But that was not it, because there were better ways to express devotion towards Revenge Shadow Rider than by approaching a bald man like him. Maybe the Bounty Tribe was looking for a reliable ally who was experienced and passionate about this industry? That was the only explanation that would account for their interest in him.

Before Hans could snap back from his contemplation, he was startled by a loud thud from outside—someone had kicked the door open. How much force must that have taken?

In his daze, a near-perfect, jade foot caught Hans' eye. Its symmetry with the crystal high heel was so captivating. So were her legs—he could admire them for a year.

"Why didn't you open the door, you old timer, and don't stare at me so lustfully, okay?"

Oh crap! Hans was dumbfounded. Was it now trendy to negotiate with people who acted like this? Hans chuckled, "Sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please come in." As he raised his head, he was taken aback. This woman was unbelievably gorgeous, especially her nearly perfect complexion and flawless figure. "Breathtaking" was the only apt description for her. Hans felt an immediate reaction down below.

As expected, the old man couldn't control his urges. The woman smirked to herself, knowing he couldn't resist her charm. She casually pulled out a card and dropped it before Hans, "Here's the sponsorship fee from the Bounty Tribe. There's 50,000 Federal Coins loaded on it as your startup fund, which you can check right now. Then we can sign an online contract."

"Hold on? Is that it? I mean, just signing a virtual contract wouldn't make it legally binding," Hans stammered, "Miss, isn't this a bit... informal?"

"Don't worry. Everything is recorded and validated under real-time verification by the Lattice."

Hans scanned the card and verified a loaded balance of 50,000 Federal Coins. When it came to sealing the deal, however, a slight mishap took place. This so-called sponsorship was filled with mixed objectives—equity investment, high-interest loans, and various other charges. Initially, Hans didn't scrutinize the contract closely. But upon reaching the end, he realized what was going on, which caused him great shock. He couldn't possibly sign this agreement—it was too outrageous.

However, without signing, he wouldn't get the funds. Without funds, he wouldn't have a startup capital, and without startup capital, how was he going to make profits? It seemed like a vicious cycle. Initially, Hans was dead against the idea, but the enchanting woman, with her devilishly provocative persuasion, eventually persuaded him—landing herself right onto his lap with a seductive look.

"Let's get to know each other better, okay?" Her breath was scented and warm, hitting Hans' face repeatedly, which lulled him to keep saying "yes".

"Heh-heh, yes, yes, yes, let's get to know each other better."

"But first, you have to sign."

"No, let's get acquainted first."

"Get to know each other?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Then sign first."

"Let's get acquainted first."

"Sign first."

"Get acquainted first."

They pulled and pushed, but it didn't seem to get anywhere. Seriously, Hans was a seasoned businessman, having been in the industry for years. A test like this wouldn't hold him back. But this woman certainly had an alluring charm, so much so that it could be described as heavenly. Hans was almost enchanted by her.

"Stinking old man, you've performed pretty well. This contract, this little miss here will sign it with you."

"Wait, you are...?"

"Blade Warrior, Check the Combat Power Tester online, and you'd know who I am."

Being a businessman, Hans always kept an eye on every change in trend. He wasn't unfamiliar with the Combat Power Tester. So, the enigmatic lady in front of him was the owner behind the scenes? As for Blade Warrior's olive branch, Hans gladly accepted it. He wondered what the look on Francis's face would be when he found out. However, this was not something Blade Warrior had to worry about. Of course, the previous contract had to be modified. Blade Warrior could only become an investor in this case. But considering their...interactions, she still insisted on getting a larger share of the pie from Hans.

With financial crunches mitigated, Star Wars immediately issued an emergency maintenance announcement to expand servers that night. From two struggling servers, they increased to twelve. The game depended on its online users. The more players, the higher the revenue. As for the media, players would do the promoting gradually. Money wasn't to be wasted on fruitless media campaigns.

In order to attract players, and also out of geniality, four well-known commentators cast aside their busy schedules and gave Star Wars a free promotion. It goes without saying, celebrity influence does have a significant impact. After Star War's decline, the player online rate had never exceeded one hundred thousand. Surprisingly, after the promotion, the player online rate gradually exceeded five hundred thousand during prime time.

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