Building a Gaming Empire From Scratch

Lincoln didn’t like to keep people waiting. He didn’t even bother to change his clothes, merely cleaned himself up quickly and headed to his workspace.

Yet, as he walked in, he discovered Lorin and his female assistant were both studying the “Handheld Multi-directional Firearm Assist Device Prototype I” on the wall.

A toy gun was mounted on the device.

He had bought it once while dining at a small diner.

The diner had a splendid reputation and was said to be a heritage of three generations. He only discovered it thanks to the scattered information Mavis had compiled from the internet.

The downside of such small diners was that you never knew the right timing to go there. It was hard to hit the sweet spot on the first try.

Lincoln went too late on one occasion and found a long queue outside. Not wanting to waste the trip, he waited in line with everyone else.

While waiting, he bought this toy gun at a nearby grocery store to kill time.

After buying it, he stood outside the store, waiting for his turn while playfully shooting leaves off the trees.

The other waiting customers, too bored, started telling him what to aim at. He hit whatever they pointed at without fail, achieving absolute accuracy within a seven -to – eight-meter range.

But at a farther distance, the round plastic bullets became less accurate.

Yet this level of accuracy was enough to make all the bored men waiting in line acclaim him as “awesome”.

As a memento, Lincoln brought the gun back and casually placed it into the “Handheld Multi-directional Firearm Assist Device Prototype I”, using it as a gun holder.

Seeing the two staring at it, Lincoln, with a playful attitude, introduced, “This is the Handheld Multi-directional Firearm Assist Device Prototype I, a pet project of mine. ”

The long name was given in jest. If it had any actual use, he would have long changed it to something more user-friendly.

But the issue was that the device was utterly useless, so Lincoln didn’t bother to brainstorm a new name, as finding the right name could be quite challenging.

Perhaps sensing Lincoln’s mischief, the usually expressionless female assistant suddenly spoke.

She spoke clearly and fluently, “Handheld Multi-directional Firearm Assist

Device Prototype I? Does that mean you’ve also made prototypes Il and Ill?”

Lincoln looked admiringly at the female assistant; this woman had quite a way with words!

Lincoln felt awkward admitting he had created a useless item, so he replied, “Not exactly, it was just for fun. Even though I’m a sharpshooter, I can’t hold a gun. Since this device is of no use to me, I didn’t bother to make more.”

Lincoln then turned to Lorin, “How about we make a deal? If you can get me a special gun permit, I’ll start working on the second prototype immediately and even rush out the third one within this month. How does that sound?”

“We better not have that deal. Let’s get down to business.” Lorin rejected it without hesitation.

Military weaponry was not within his purview, and top-secret technology relating to military weapons has its own confidential channels that his security level wouldn’t cover!

Even though the device sounded fascinating, he wasn’t sure if it was of any use.

But no matter if it was useful or not, Lorin knew: a gun permit was out of the question.

Lincoln was not discouraged.

His desire for a gun was purely out of a man’s fondness for firearms, not out of necessity.

Given the high level of security in Daxia and the professional bodyguard,

Pengju, by his side, there was absolutely no need to have it for self-defense.

Lincoln picked up a rudimentary ring-shaped device from the table and handed it to Lorin. The rush for time didn’t allow him to put cover on it.

Lorin took it with both hands. Looking at the rough device with its wire and electrode exposed, he was speechless.

He had seen many research labs and audited many unique inventions, but everyone else seemed to prefer their inventions as refined as possible. Regardless of what an invention did, it gave a high-end impression at first glance.

But Lincoln was unique.

The first headband was somewhat packaged since it was intended for a video demonstration to online viewers.

But the day Lorin went into Lincoln’s home, he got a close look at the headband. It looked like a cheap plastic tube with a long power cord trailing behind it.

This time it was even worse: the device had no shell at all!

The wires, electrodes, and interfaces were all exposed, revealing Lincoln’s wild wiring style.

At first glance, it looked like an assortment of electronic waste scavenged from a junkyard. With a strong post-apocalyptic punk vibe, it did not seem promising at all.

The female assistant initially looked shocked, then her brows furrowed. Lorin finally regained his usual composure and asked, “What effect does this have exactly?”

“Just like what I said on the phone yesterday.” Lincoln tried to find the right words. “When you put it on, it helps you focus more quickly and effectively reduces distractions, allowing you to maintain focus for a longer period.” “Can anybody use it?” Lorin asked.

“I guess so?” Lincoln was somewhat uncertain. “I’m sure it works on normal people, but if there’s any neurological issues, it is less certain.” “Less certain? How uncertain are we talking about?”

“Since technically, it converts electric signals into neural signals to lightly interfere with brain activity,” Lincoln tried his best to explain, “but if there’s any neurological issue, that would affect how the interference is received. Theoretically, the worse the neurological condition or damage, the less effective it is.”

Lorin nodded. That made sense.

“Does it have any side effects?”

“If used for no more than 8 hours a day, there are virtually no side effects.

Exceeding 8 hours can lead to mild symptoms of insomnia.”

“A minor issue, totally acceptable.” Lorin wasn’t concerned. Eight hours a day was already long enough, “May I try it?”

“Sure, but focus varies from person to person. Those who can easily focus may not notice a significant effect at first.”

Lincoln helped Lorin put on the steampunk-style headband, wirelessly connected it to the Mirage system in his house, mainly to use the neural modulator-demodulator in the Mirage.

The technical drawings of the focus headband included miniaturization plans for the neural modulator-demodulator.

But due to the time constraint and the difficulty in making it, Lincoln hadn’t had a chance to study it. For now, he had to just use the modulator-demodulator in the Mirage.

But with Mavis’s help, software compatibility issues were almost non-existent. While scrolling through gossip on social networks, Mavis solved the problem effortlessly.

Seeing Lorin put on this crude headband that looked more like a relic from a dystopian world, the female assistant’s unease was apparent.

She was worried that the moment Lincoln turned on the device, it would spark.

She wanted desperately to stop this, to have Lorin take off this overly audacious headband.

At the very least, they should get a professional electrician to check the safety of the wiring before considering testing the device.

But while she was still trying to make up her mind, Lincoln had already confidently turned the device on.

Lorin, undaunted, sat down, took out a document in foreign language, and started reading it with the headband on..