Crane Interactive, CEO's Office.
At that moment, Ivy Harper was lounging in an expensive ergonomic chair, her fingertips gently tapping the desktop.
She wore wireless earbuds, listening to her assistant's report.
"Yes, Ms. Harper, we've contacted the designer Blake Weiss as instructed and provided him with the information and address."
"He said he'd think it over and give you an answer tomorrow," Ms. Ellis's voice came through the earbuds.
"Very good." Ivy's voice was cool and devoid of emotion.
Ending the call, she sighed softly. Her gaze fell on a virtual interface only she could see.
[Infinite Loss System]
[Current Main Quest: Recruit a universally recognized trash game designer and help him create a game with explosive (negative) public reception.]
[Quest Reward: $700,000 cash]
[Quest Progress: Designer contacted (Blake Weiss). Game not yet produced.]
"A universally recognized trash designer..." Ivy rubbed her temples. "This Blake Weiss is simply the perfect candidate."
"Just a few days ago, he released Pinball Simulator, Color Maze with only three colors, and Infinite Scrolling—which is literally just a looping image..."
"His games are more abstract than the last, and each one is more devoid of fun than the previous."
"He's practically a natural disaster in the gaming world."
She came from a prominent family, and her own abilities and vision were exceptional. Running this small company was merely a hobby—making money wasn't difficult for her. Once wealth reached a certain level, it was hard to lose money unless you were an idiot.
But precisely because of this, she understood how precious this "Loss System" was—how could making money ever be as fast as losing it?
As long as she completed these seemingly absurd tasks, she could directly obtain large amounts of cash. This efficiency was higher than any investment.
"I hope Mr. Weiss doesn't disappoint me. He must maintain his standard and create an epic flop that will drown in player curses." Ivy's lips curved into a smile of anticipation. "Then seven hundred thousand dollars will be in hand, and I can start the next quest. Perfect."
The next afternoon, Blake arrived at Crane Interactive according to the address.
The company was indeed small, but it was decorated with a modern aesthetic, indicating the founder had some taste.
After checking in at the front desk, he was quickly led to a small meeting room.
A moment later, the meeting room door opened.
A young woman entered—tall, and not dressed particularly formally. She wore a black mask and a baseball cap pulled low, revealing only a pair of clear eyes.
Although most of her face was covered, her inherent presence couldn't be hidden.
Blake, meanwhile, wore a simple casual button-down and slacks today. Clean and fresh—neither too casual nor overly formal.
"Hello, Mr. Weiss. I'm Ivy Harper, CEO of Crane Interactive."
The woman spoke, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. After greeting him, she extended her hand.
"Hello, Ms. Harper." Blake stood and shook her hand lightly, noting that this boss was quite mysterious—wearing a mask even for a meeting.
He didn't think much of it, though. Maybe she just had a cold, or simply didn't want to show her face.
The two sat down. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got straight to the point.
"I've seen all of Mr. Weiss's works," Ivy said directly, trying hard to feign admiration in her eyes. "Especially Infinite Scrolling. I deeply admire the courage to break conventions and push players' patience to the absolute limit."
Blake's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
He himself wanted to laugh when he looked at Infinite Scrolling. This CEO's "appreciation" angle was truly unique.
He became even more convinced the other party had some special ulterior motive. Although the system's prompt of "no adverse records" had slightly reassured him, his guard remained up.
"Ms. Harper, you flatter me. I just make some... well... different attempts," Blake said modestly.
He decided not to reveal any information about games from his previous life yet. That would be too shocking, and it was still too early to make grand promises.
He planned to use the finished product, Desert Bus, to test the other party's true intentions and tolerance first.
"I wonder if Mr. Weiss has any new creative inspiration recently? Crane Interactive can provide full support."
Ivy revealed her true intentions. She was eager to know when the other party's next epic flop would be served up.
"What a coincidence." Blake smiled slightly, seizing the opportunity. "I actually just finished and released a new game recently. It's called Desert Bus."
"It expresses a philosophical reflection on modern people moving forward through nihilism, searching for meaning..."
He began to bullshit with a straight face, wildly stacking conceptual buffs onto a game that was essentially just driving, listening to music, and watching the odometer.
That's right—he'd added milestones and a radio to that game. Otherwise, it would've been a pure exercise in suffering.
However, Ivy's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Philosophical reflection? Moving forward through nihilism? Sounded incredibly pretentious! Incredibly boring! Incredibly off-putting! Perfect!
She suppressed her excitement, feigning calm as she nodded. "That sounds very profound!"
"I believe this will definitely be a memorable game."
Both had their own ulterior motives, and their conversation was "delightful"—each believing they had found the perfect partner/tool for losing money.
Meanwhile, in Vinny's livestream.
While Blake and Ivy were testing each other, a small event was occurring in the gaming world.
SharkStream Platform, Gaming Section.
Popular streamer "Vinny" was routinely browsing Steam's new releases list.
Although there was no PUBG in this world to launch him into superstardom, through his humorous commentary and persistent attempts to play various bizarre new games, he'd accumulated over 400,000 loyal "shovelware connoisseur" fans.
"Oh, wow, not bad."
"Chat, Steam's got a bunch of new stuff today. Let's dig for treasure... oh wait, let's savor some shovelware." Vinny skillfully scrolled through the page.
Suddenly, a game cover caught his attention: a vast yellow desert, a lonely road stretching to the horizon, an old bus parked by the roadside.
Game title: Desert Bus.
Developer: Blake Weiss.
"Desert Bus? That name's kinda interesting, huh?" Vinny clicked on it, and the first thing that appeared was the price—extremely cheap. Only $0.99.
Then he habitually clicked on the developer's other works.
Fun Pinball Simulator, Color Maze, Infinite Scrolling...
"Hiss—" Vinny's expression instantly became priceless. "Chat, it's fate."
"It's this legend again. Blake Weiss. Do you still remember his Infinite Scrolling?"
"Yes. It's that broken image you can scroll until your mouse wheel catches fire and still not reach the bottom."
The chat instantly exploded:
[Holy crap! It's him! The Shovel King is back!
Infinite Scrolling made me laugh so hard. My mom asked me why I was scrolling my mouse for half an hour in front of the computer.
Buy it! Buy it! I can't wait to see Vinny lose his mind!
This game name... could it really just be driving a bus?]
The chat was filled with gleeful anticipation. Everyone was ready for a shovelware-tasting journey.
"Looks like it's time to taste some trash again today."
"Chat, send a wave of subs to give Vinny courage." Vinny deadpanned as he clicked purchase. "Although this game looks like a massive trap, for my chat, I'm going all out."
"Let's see what the Shovel King's latest masterpiece is all about."
The game downloaded, and Vinny, with the air of a man walking to his execution, clicked launch.
He didn't know that what he was about to open wasn't pure shovelware—but shovelware wrapped in chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar.
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.