Chapter 162: I Quit, I'm Throwing the Ace of Spades! - Part 1

"Cheers!"

The crisp clinking of glasses sent golden liquid tracing a graceful arc through the air. After a session of negotiations, the North American theater owners finally reached an agreement with Ethan that both parties could accept.

The North American theater owners collectively ordered eight thousand "Star Wars" arcade machines in exchange for an eight-week exclusive gaming period following the film's release. They also promised that, in the first week of the movie's release, the total number of "Star Wars" screenings would not be less than thirty-nine percent, with prime time slots not falling below forty-three percent.

Since they could only accommodate six thousand arcade machines, Ethan's Destiny Game only needed to supply them with the agreed number before the movie's release. The remaining two thousand units would be fully paid for within a week after the film's premiere, not for delivery, but to be stored at Destiny Game's facilities until they found buyers and arranged for pickup.

In essence, these people were leveraging an advance payment of over four million dollars for four weeks of exclusivity. When they sold the "Star Wars" arcade machines, the money paid to Ethan would flow back into their pockets through other merchants. Ethan had no major objections to this cunning plan, since selling the machines was the goal, regardless of the buyer. However, to curb the North American theater owners' greedy tactics, Ethan also demanded a storage fee of one hundred dollars per machine per month, starting from the moment the contract was signed.

This meant that even if the theater owners sold the additional two thousand units quickly, their cost would still rise to four million four hundred thousand dollars. This form of indirect agency, priced higher than the original manufacturer's price, was Ethan's way of implementing price control. After all, as even the layperson knows, monopolizing maximizes profits. Letting middlemen make a markup only results in products languishing in storage.

With the agreement in place, everyone went their separate ways.

Just as Ethan was about to head home, George Lucas, the bearded man, pulled him aside.

Initially, Ethan thought Lucas needed something from him, but when he realized Lucas merely wanted to express his gratitude, he waved it off, saying there was no need.

"Oh, George, you're too kind. I merely did what a friend should do."

"And I genuinely believe your movie is fantastic. Trust me, just hang in there, because in a month, you'll see the dawn of success."

Lucas smiled bitterly, "I hope so."

"Ethan, just so you know, I've already booked my ticket. After today, I'll be heading to Hawaii for a while. Since there's no premiere for the movie now, we don't need media coverage or interviews, my work here is done, and the rest is in God's hands."

Unlike the modern practice of hosting premieres for blockbuster films, Hollywood at that time was 'frugal,' or rather, both Fox and Lucas felt that "Star Wars," a film disparaged by various industries, was better off without a premiere.

The primary purpose of a premiere is to invite media, film critics, and industry friends for screenings, and after doling out favors and perhaps some financial incentives, ask them to publish positive reviews widely. But with "Star Wars" already criticized by many, when the whole of Hollywood, or rather all of North America, had only two people praising the film, hosting a premiere would be an exercise in futility.

And with the North American public already aware of the upcoming film and theaters agreeing to show it, not hosting a premiere and saving the storm of public opinion for last was exactly what Fox wanted.

Looking at Lucas, who had lost his confidence, Ethan didn't know how to console him.

After a long pause, all he could offer was a pat on the shoulder and a wish for a pleasant journey before he, regretfully, embarked on his way home.

Though Ethan pondered the power of words on his way back, upon returning to the company, he immediately set aside those thoughts, for a tough battle awaited him.

The date was April 23rd, with only thirty days left until the official release of "Star Wars" on May 25th. Producing six thousand arcade machines in this time frame posed a significant challenge for Destiny Game.

Despite the factory operating at full capacity since the game's packaging began, resulting in one thousand two hundred forty arcade machines produced by sixty-two frontline workers at a rate of two per day over the past ten days, filling the gap of four thousand seven hundred sixty units in the remaining month seemed impossible.

This would mean each worker, without a day off, would need to work an additional four hours daily for thirty days, even if the "Labor Standards Act" allowed it. But the idea of working twelve hours a day, every day, for a month was only conceivable in talks of dedication.

Faced with this dilemma, Ethan immediately convened a meeting with Destiny Game's administrative manager Eulise

 Noble, production manager Michael Blanco, and his sister to discuss strategies.

After describing the company's predicament, Eulise Noble was the first to speak, suggesting immediate recruitment.

"The assembly of arcade machines is straightforward. With a few days of training, new hires can be ready to work."

"As long as we recruit enough people, we can definitely keep up with the production capacity."

However, her suggestion was promptly vetoed by Evelyn Johnson, "No, that won't work."

"We can't recruit now."

"We can't guarantee the reliability of workers hired at this time."

"With Warner and Philips watching us, they could do anything."

"If they have someone set fire to our warehouse, even winning a lawsuit later wouldn't compensate for the lost opportunity..."

Indeed, this was Ethan's greatest concern.

He wanted to recruit but dared not take the risk.

At such a crucial juncture, his biggest fear was the underhanded tactics of the larger corporations.

As for outsourcing production?

There were many companies in North America capable of taking the order, but how many could be trusted?

When Evelyn pointed out the issue, the Destiny Game office fell silent. Ethan, Evelyn, and Eulise pondered a breakthrough, while Michael Blanco...

He hesitated but seemed eager to speak.

After some deliberation, the middle-aged man with graying hair raised his hand like a schoolboy.

"Ethan, I have an idea."

Ethan, lounging on the couch, looked up in surprise, "Oh Michael, what's your thought? Just speak up; we're all family here..."

Before he could finish, the two ladies turned their attention to him. Under their gaze, the biggest man in the room, blushing, said somewhat sheepishly:

"Ethan, I don't think we need to hire more people."

"If you need us to work overtime, we can actually handle working sixteen hours a day. We've lived through this kind of life before, always on high alert."

"When we were deployed to the battlefield, it was non-stop. Now, we're just continuously assembling circuit boards, soldering them together, and then assembling the machines..."

"This kind of work is actually very easy for us. And with over twenty of us working an extra eight hours a day, we could indeed make up for the missing production capacity, right?"

"After all, the rest of the crew isn't idling either."

Ethan was stunned by this proposal!

He stared at Michael Blanco for a long moment, then stood up, smiling, and embraced him, "Oh Michael... thank you... really, thank you..."

"Thank you for being there for me at this time..."

"Don't worry, the wages due to you will not be shortchanged, and overtime will be calculated at triple the rate, with your year-end bonuses doubled!"

"Ethan, you don't have to thank me..." Michael shook his head, "It's you who welcomed us, giving us a new environment. What I want most now is to keep this new home going, and I believe, they all feel the same..."

Since last Christmas, when Michael Blanco told Ethan that some of his fellow veterans also wanted to make a living here, thirteen of them had gradually joined.

Although the total number of these troops was still less than the original workforce, on the battlefield, these bloodied hands feared no one.

The quickest among them understood the assembly of arcade machines in just a day, and after a week of trial, his production speed was comparable to that of a veteran who had been working for months.

If these men were willing to face endless repetitive labor to solve Ethan's problem, then the so-called production shortfall would be nothing but a joke to Ethan.

And indeed...

That was the case.

When these socially ostracized veterans with no place to belong heard that their comrade's son needed their help, the brightly lit factory in San Francisco at four in the morning was their best response.

On the first day, they assembled a hundred arcade machines with only six hours of rest per person!

On the second day, fueled by determination, they produced one hundred and twenty units!

On the third day, their bloodshot eyes and relentless work ethic scared the younger employees!

When a fallen generation meets a forsaken one, the former clearly cannot outdo the latter.

And by the fourth day...

Just as Ethan was getting out of bed, he received a call from Eulise Noble, who had stayed at the company for work. She urged him to turn on the TV, and that's when Ethan saw a report that marked the beginning of a new chapter.