The order was placed that afternoon, and the goods arrived early the next morning.
Henry rolled up his sleeves and pitched in himself, helping the delivery workers unload four new Metal Gear Solid machines from the truck.
"Whew."
He let out a long breath. At last, all the machines were positioned against the wall.
But when he plugged them in, the arcade machines showed no response at all.
"Mr. Henry, here are the Metal Gear Solid boards. Please confirm receipt and sign for them."
The delivery worker handed over a properly packaged cardboard box with "METAL GEAR" printed on it.
"Huh? So after all that, I still have to put them together myself?"
Henry took the box and opened it. Inside, four beautiful arcade boards were neatly arranged.
There was also an itemized list.
[Itemized list] [Universal arcade cabinet (small) x4]: □ All supplied [Metal Gear Solid x4]: □ All supplied [Price] [Arcade machines: $4,800] [Shipping: $100] [Additional service fee: $100] [Special promotional discount: -$500] [Total]: $4,500 (paid in full)
His gaze lingered on the arcade cabinets and boards listed there, especially the word "universal."
Normally, when he ordered arcade machines, he always paid for complete units.
"Sir, what does 'universal cabinet' mean here? Didn't I buy four complete machines?"
Henry stopped the delivery worker, who was about to leave, and pointed at the list as he asked.
"GAMENOVA improved the manufacturing process. No more complete units from now on. Everything's plug-and-play."
The delivery worker was in a hurry to deliver the next shipment and gave him an impatient, offhand answer.
Then, with no intention of explaining further, he shut the cargo compartment and climbed straight into the driver's seat.
Watching the Silicon Oasis delivery truck hurry away, Henry stood rooted to the spot for a long while.
He turned and went back inside, trying to remove an arcade machine's access panel.
The spot where the board should have been installed had been replaced with a fixed mounting slot. Judging by the arrangement of the clips, it supported boards of several different sizes.
The power connector extended up from below, while the video cable dangled down from above.
Simple and clear, understandable at a glance.
Something stirred in Henry's mind. He tried fitting the board into place, then switched the power back on.
Buzz...
With a flicker and the noise of power flowing through it, the screen did indeed light up.
The title Metal Gear appeared on it. The entire image consisted of a front view of the protagonist, Snake, holding a pistol fitted with a suppressor.
"Morning, Henry."
"Got some new machines?"
Henry heard two young men's voices behind him, surprise in their tone.
The only reason they had chosen not to go to the shop on 14th Street was that they preferred Henry, a manager with a human touch.
"Yes, Metal Gear. Want to give it a try? Only fifty cents a game."
Henry smiled politely, hurried around to the storeroom, and brought out a few new stools, wiping them down with meticulous care.
"Of course, Mr. Henry. Of course."
Hearing that it was a new game, both of them rubbed their fists and flexed their palms, then approached the new machines.
They inserted their coins and started the game. Snake parachuted down into a forest.
Henry brought over snacks and drinks, then pulled up a stool himself and sat beside them to watch.
"Use grenades, Henry! Use grenades!"
The streetlights outside were already on. At some point, the sun had set.
ArcadeArea was packed with people, all gathered around the four new machines, their cries rising in wave after wave like roaring mountains and surging seas.
Henry had rolled up his sleeves and was wholly absorbed in his machine.
On the screen stood a thoroughly futuristic mech called "Metal Gear."
The Snake he controlled darted and dodged across the map, constantly slipping between pieces of cover.
Boom!
He pulled out another rocket, swung out from behind a shipping container, and scored a direct hit on the enormous Metal Gear.
"Whoo!"
Seeing Henry actually defeat Metal Gear, the entire arcade erupted in cheers.
He had never expected to become the first person to clear all thirteen stages of the main story.
"Everyone! ArcadeArea's staying open twenty-four hours today! Drinks and snacks are all free!"
"Hooray!"
Laughing heartily, Henry gave up his seat to the next player, who had been waiting for a long time.
He went over to the telephone and dialed Silicon Oasis without hesitation.
"Hello, I'm calling from ArcadeArea. Do you still have Metal Gear in stock? You do?! Then I'll order another four!"
"Lin, do you really think pouring a large amount of money into home console development right now is a good idea?"
Gerald put down the N Language specification document, a trace of worry lurking in his eyes.
Although Metal Gear's tremendous success had brought GAMENOVA substantial revenue, that money could currently do little more than cover the earlier development costs.
If they wanted to keep investing in developing a complete home gaming console, their cash flow, which had only just recovered, would probably come under strain again.
He glanced at the end of the N Language document.
With his discerning eye, he could clearly tell that this language had been prepared for the console they would develop themselves in the future.
"Of course."
Lin Lixin nodded.
A home console had always been a matter of sooner or later. Now, with help from Gerald, Vivian, and Ho Kwok Yuen, the project could finally begin in earnest.
"Gerald, you've played several of our games. I'm sure you understand that being able to play them at home would only make them more fun!"
The earlier games alone had not made it clear, but after seeing the full two hundred complete stages Lin Lixin had made for Metal Gear, Gerald fully understood what kind of monster Lin Lixin really was.
At the same time, he had also seen from it that Lin Lixin's ambitions did not lie in arcade games at all.
No matter how he looked at it, Metal Gear was a game better suited to a home console.
Whether it was saving progress or gameplay designed to require settling down and thinking things through carefully, both were better suited to this medium that the times had already cast aside.
"Lin, of course I understand. What worries me is the financial return. Mr. Ho, what do you think?"
Gerald looked at Ho Kwok Yuen, hoping he would take his side.
In his view, arcade machines were the kings of gaming now, blazing like the sun at its zenith.
Atari had burned him so badly that he hated the Atari 2600, the machine that had ended the history of video games in North America, to his very bones.
Ho Kwok Yuen hummed thoughtfully a couple of times, his eyes meeting Lin Lixin's.
Unlike Gerald, beyond being an engineer, he was also a businessman with a keen nose for business.
"You want to take on Nintendo's Famicom?"
The corners of Lin Lixin's mouth lifted, and he nodded.
In 1985, the American version of the Famicom, the Gray Console NES, would enter the North American market and achieve the staggering feat of selling over thirty-three million units across North America.
Whoever could occupy players' living rooms and bedrooms would win the future.
And after building themselves up through several hit arcade games, Lin Lixin was certain they were ready.
In both technology and funding, they now had an opening.
He took out a document he had prepared long ago.
[NovaBox]