Reborn in America, this is my era.

Chapter 102 Caution

However, even though Ethan discovered the inspiration for *Space Invaders*, he didn't intend to create it immediately. It was only mid-June, and just over a month had passed since *Pac-Man* officially went on sale. While developing new products before reaping substantial profits is crucial for maintaining a company's competitiveness, releasing new products in sync with the times is the fundamental rule for reaching the pinnacle of the industry.

So, while "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Star Wars" were both in production and far from release...

Ethan wasn't in a hurry at all.

After realizing he wasn't interested in making movies, Ethan stopped bothering Spielberg and instead spent time with his sister in Los Angeles.

First, I went to Santa Monica Beach. While enjoying the beautiful sunshine, I also witnessed the crowds. Luckily, there was an amusement park there with attractions like a Ferris wheel and roller coaster. Otherwise, it would have been like a special forces trip, where you could just clock in and leave.

I also went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and listened to a performance by the Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the famous Zubin Mehta. When I went there, it was a Tchaikovsky concert, featuring everything from the fantasy overture "Romeo and Juliet" to "The Sorrowful Gun" in B minor. Although Ethan had never appreciated these things before, once you spend money and sit with someone, the feeling is just different.

Ethan even bought a formal suit on the spot to see the musical. Although he kept complaining about the hassle, he was genuinely surprised when he discovered that there was a Pac-Man booth near Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles!

You should know that this is a place frequented by high-end brands!

Tiffany & Co., Gucci, these brands all have stores here!

When brands that constantly talk about style appear alongside popular entertainment like Pac-Man...

Ethan couldn't believe it no matter how he looked at it!

For a moment, he didn't know whether he was being awesome or the boss here was just too clever!

When this happened, Ethan, who had initially found listening to dramas troublesome, suddenly became happy again.

Are musicals serious?

It's alright!

As time goes by, classic video games will eventually take center stage.

After spending about two weeks in Los Angeles, the two abandoned their car, bought tickets, and flew to New York at the end of June.

The upcoming 4th of July marks the bicentennial of the founding of the United States.

While Los Angeles also had its own celebrations, New York's was far more grand. In addition to the exquisite fireworks that lit up the city's skies, a large international fleet of tall sailing ships gathered there to celebrate with the people in the harbor.

Upon arriving here, Ethan not only saw the Amerigo Vespucci, made of black canvas and belonging to Italy, but also the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, the world's longest-distance sailing ship from XBY, and the weathered Krusenstein, built by Hanscat and ultimately given to Russia as compensation after the defeat in the war, among others.

When sixteen sailing ships with medieval sailing spirit lined up in a row on the azure sea, the sight was quite spectacular.

When the 113 support ships that were supposed to be with them also appeared, the overwhelming aura of the massive army pressing in left Ethan in awe.

Finally, when a powerful laser beam shot from the top of the sailboat, displaying the words "1776-1976" to the people on the shore in broad daylight, the thunderous cheers were like a thunderclap, making Ethan's eardrums ache terribly.

"Oh my god! This is so damn exciting!" Ethan exclaimed.

"That's normal, isn't it?" Evelyn laughed in response. "Who says something like this only happens once in a century?"

As she spoke, she also raised her newly bought Polaroid camera and frantically pressed the shutter, recording the history that was within reach.

Since the fleet would depart from New York and sail all the way to Boston, Ethan, who had never been on a sailboat before, wanted to experience it.

This suggestion also caught Evelyn's eye, who had never experienced it before, and she jumped up in support.

Although this international fleet does not sell tickets or carry passengers, this did not stump Ethan. After making a few phone calls, he then found a connection with Professor Ralph Bell and boarded the Hawk, a sailing ship that was once built by Hanscat and named Horst Wessel, but now belongs to the American Coast Guard due to war reparations.

Because a big shot had given him instructions, Ethan, like a curious child, looked around the entire sailboat as soon as he boarded. In the following days, under the guidance of the crew, he also learned to climb and lie on the mast. The former was like Leonardo DiCaprio on the big ship, climbing to the very top of the mast and cheering, while the latter was about spreading his arms wide on the bow mast and embracing the world.

As the ear-splitting roar erupted, Evelyn's Polaroid camera slammed shut. When Ethan got his picture, he tossed his bangs triumphantly and laughed, "I told you so, didn't I? I'm handsome! Handsome everywhere!"

Because the fleet was moving along the coast, stopping and starting frequently, it was essentially like a boat trip.

You can walk a bit during the day and then go ashore to rest at night; it feels wonderful.

That's why what should have been a journey of a few hours took them four days.

When they finally arrived in Boston, the relaxed atmosphere made Ethan think, "This is what life is all about!"

After having his fun, Ethan didn't forget his business. He bought some gifts and then went to Nashua to visit the old man who had helped him.

While chatting with the old man, Ethan also heard some news.

"Milo seems to have changed its internal operating strategy, because their recent behavior has been strange. As far as I know, around the anniversary celebrations, they made several deals, all of which were large-scale acquisitions of external gaming companies."

"They bought Midway Games, Exidi, and Ramtek's video game development division."

"It cost a total of over 20 million."

"What?" This news stunned Ethan.

But the next second, he laughed. "Oh, it seems that Mirova has realized that in the gaming industry, only content is king. Even if they make the best machine in the world, without good content to match with sales, it still won't sell."

What Ethan was talking about was actually the theory of safeguarding a masterpiece that countless companies had developed with their blood and sweat.

Why does Microsoft's Xbox sell less than Sony's PS?

The core problem is that there is too little exclusive control.

When Sony can pull out a bunch of IPs, isn't Microsoft's Xbox just a larger media player?

The current situation of Mirova is actually quite similar to that of Microsoft in Ethan's previous life.

Although it holds the title of the world's first commercially available home video game console, its ordinary games didn't really appeal to the general public. In other words, if they didn't focus on games, no matter how many machines they sold, they would eventually fade into obscurity.

And games...

Ha ha.

"So you're not nervous at all?" Ethan's reaction prompted Ralph Bell to ask with a smile.

"Oh Rudolph, why should I be nervous?" Ethan shrugged and said, "You should have heard the saying that when enemies spontaneously unite, it's not because they've figured something out, but because their opponent is very strong."

At this point, Ethan tapped his chest with his index finger and said, "I'm very strong."

Then, he spread his hands and said with a smile, "Since I'm so strong, why should I be nervous?"

"Hahahaha~~~~" Ethan's words made Ralph Bell burst into laughter.

He clapped his hands and said, "Very good, very good... Young people should be full of confidence."

Although Ethan remained outwardly calm, he still dialed the company's number after returning to his hotel in Boston. After speaking with Julie Noble, who answered the phone, he learned that the gaming industry had undergone a complete upheaval during his vacation.

First, Mirova used US dollars to pave the way by acquiring three game companies. Then Atari was eager to make a move, contacting a game developer called Kee Games and, with Warner Bros.' help, successfully acquiring it.

To be honest, Ethan had anticipated both Milova's and Atari's reactions.

After all, circuit board games and CPU games are products of two different generations, which small companies cannot afford to support.

Acquiring companies at this time would indeed be a good way to profit from a crisis.

But the coordinated actions of these guys were beyond his expectations.

Because these guys all completed the acquisitions around the time of America's bicentennial celebrations.

While major media outlets were reporting on the grand celebrations across America, and countless people were captivated by the programs, the buzz generated by these two organizations became extremely limited.

As it is now, only a few stakeholders will know about it because they are paying attention.

If only one company made the acquisition at the exact time, Ethan could understand, but when two companies simultaneously engage in a tacit agreement...

This kind of thing seems really weird, doesn't it?

After all, both of them have a history of such offenses!

Therefore, Ethan decided to proceed with caution. "Is there any other news?"

In response to his question, Julius Noble replied, "Yes, there are two."

"?" Ethan frowned slightly.

Before he could urge her, Julie Noble added, "The first one is from Chuck Pete Corporation."

"Their general manager came to the company to see you, but since you weren't there, they left a message. They said that Atari had contacted them, wanting to purchase about one to three thousand MOS 6502 chips. Mirova also inquired about prices, seeking a deal under ten dollars. If it were other buyers, they could negotiate on their own, but Atari and Mirova..."

"They're not ready to sell until you give your approval."

This fact made Ethan nod to himself.

"And the other one?" he asked again.

"Another piece of news came from Mr. Jobs," said Julie Noble. "Mr. Jobs said that Nolan Bushnell of Atari had contacted him, wanting to buy ten Apple 1s from him."

After hearing what Euryth Noble said, Ethan felt more confident.

"Have these two guys learned to keep a low profile?" he muttered to himself.

In his view, if Atari and Milova were really hiding something, they wouldn't have bothered to purchase MOS 6502 in the first place.

Because in this way, he can deduce the behavior of these guys.

For example, the 1,000 to 3,000 CPUs that Atari requested are actually the normal demand of an arcade game company.

As a legitimate arcade company, they had no idea whether a game would be a huge hit when they were developing it. Therefore, they would only stock a maximum of one thousand units at the beginning of production, just like with the original "Snake Game".

For example, when Milrova negotiates the purchase price of CPUs, it's clear that they want to research CPUs for home consoles.

Because home consoles operate on the opposite model to arcade consoles in terms of inventory, if they cannot ship in large quantities, they cannot gain market share.

Once these calculable facts emerge, the act of acquiring the property precisely during the celebration becomes much easier to understand. In Ethan's view, this is simply a manifestation of the principle of "keeping family scandals private."

Previously, Mirova and Atari were used to being arrogant, wanting to announce everything they did to the world, but all of them ended in failure.

If they continue to spout nonsense after suffering repeated setbacks, it will only damage the market's confidence in them.

"Okay, I understand." Ethan breathed a sigh of relief.

He also made a decision: "You should communicate with Chuck Pete Company and tell them that I have received the news and that I am very grateful for their concern. Although I have conflicts with Mirova and Atari, I am not a major shareholder in the company. They can make their own decisions on whether to sell or not. As long as it complies with business principles, I can accept it."

"Call Steve again and tell them to sell the Apple 1 to Nolan."

"Now that we're officially open for business, we'll do business with everyone."

Ethan paused again at this point.

After thinking for two seconds, he decided that he still had to have someone keep an eye on these two companies.

Because he always felt that the two guys who had dug such a huge pit for him would definitely have the ability to cause some other trouble.

"The last thing is to keep an eye on Atari and Milrova and document their attitudes toward this procurement."

"Although our Destiny Games is very successful, we are still just a small company with a registered capital of just over one million."

"I'll be staying in Boston for a few days. If anything unexpected happens, you can call this number now, leave a message for the hotel, or have the hotel bring me to my room. If nothing unexpected happens, then wait for me to contact you."

Ethan's orders were faithfully recorded by Eurys Noble.

When this order was given, the people on the east and west sides had different expressions.

Atari was overjoyed to have acquired 1,000 MOS 6502s and 10 Apple 1s for less than $50,000.

Then, Nolan Bushnell personally threw them into Atari's warehouse.

With a click, all the items disappeared into the darkness.

Faced with Milrova's extreme demands for lower prices, Chuck Pettor Company simply shook its head.

After they strongly refused, Mirowa left with a look of disappointment.

Meanwhile, the skinny man, having received the report, also made a phone call.

"Oh—yes, yes—we finally got news of him—"

"A week ago, he boarded the U.S. Coast Guard's Eagle sailboat and headed north to Boston. He is currently staying at..."

"Okay, okay, I think your plan is feasible, but there's one thing I need to remind you: our low-price procurement proposal was rejected by Chuck Pettor Corporation..."

"Okay, good luck..."

After hanging up the phone, the thin man went to the old man's office and reported the latest situation to him.

Then, the two of them laughed.

The next day, a middle-aged Asian man wearing a floral shirt, black trousers, and black leather shoes appeared in the lobby of a Boston hotel with a beautiful Asian woman in a white dress. He went straight to the front desk, took out his ID, and wanted to check in.

At the same time, he looked around as if examining the hotel's decor and assessing its rating. But when he saw a young white man in a white T-shirt, black shorts, and sandals, and a blonde girl in a floral dress and sun hat with flowing hair coming out of the hotel elevator, he immediately pulled down his sunglasses and stared at the two of them with a surprised expression.

Perhaps because his behavior was too abnormal, but more like how humans can always sense the gaze of their own kind, a few seconds later, the white youth and the white girl turned their heads almost at the same time, making eye contact with him.

And then...

"Oh! Mr. Jones! So it really is you?"

"Wow! I thought I was seeing things!"

An Asian middle-aged man gasped in surprise and rushed forward.

Halfway there, he felt something was off, so he turned around and waved to his female companion.

As he moved, the puzzled Asian woman quickly followed.

After the middle-aged Asian man took the other's hand, he stepped forward again and approached the young white man. He then bowed slightly and said with great pleasure, "Mr. Jones, it is truly an honor for me, Hiroshi Yamauchi, to meet you here."

(End of this chapter)