BXBX NOVEL Chapter 74 - Journey To Vancouver
A gentle breeze swept through the open-air decks of The Longhorn on its journey to Vancouver.
The West Coast climate lent itself well to the yacht\'s amenities like the massage parlor overlooking the ocean.
Future Tech performed a few upgrades on The Longhorn, such as a remote data access node and an Infinity LAN center where 3D Jaden and Wonder Alice can stream or edit videos. Paulos was mad with excitement and relief when he found out Vince was buying the new Lurssen Yacht concept.
After breakfast, Vince took Leah for a quick and private conversation in the lounge deck after the entire group.
"What did you want to talk about, son?" Leah inquired.
"I can tell you\'ve noticed my relationship with Hailee, especially now that she completely vacated her stateroom and moved into my bedroom. Why haven\'t you said anything?" Vince asked curiously.
"Come on, Vince. I won\'t judge you for sleeping with an older woman as you\'ve never inquired about my relationship with Sera. But, after being sick for so long, I\'ve come to appreciate life more, and I want you to enjoy yours." Leah explained caringly.
"Thanks for the clarification. I didn\'t want to ignore the subject, and I feel more at ease now." Vince replied honestly.
[Though I\'m 15 years old at the moment, Hailee is still a few years younger than my age before I reincarnated. Still, relating emotions and experiences with her feel natural, and I can\'t stop forming relationships until it\'s 2021 again.] Vince pondered as he watched the water ripples around the yacht.
They both returned to the dining area, and Vince heard Hailee\'s hysterical laughter echoing through the corridor.
"What\'s so funny, Hailee?" Vince inquired in interest.
"I was telling her about your disagreement with Apple two years ago after she asked why you disliked their products. She started laughing when I mentioned we destroyed them in court as a much smaller company back then." Jessica interjected.
"Yeah! I couldn\'t believe those pompous suits in Silicon Valley got their asses handed to them by you guys." Hailee stated.
"So the Silicon Valley douchebag stereotype has some truth to it, I suppose," Vince replied.
"True that. Those jerks think they can buy anything, including me," Hailee replied in disdain.
"Don\'t worry about it. After Vince\'s run-in with the assassin, he has always kept us safe with security details. Harassment from asshole suits won\'t be a problem if you stick with us." Sarah said in support of their new friend.
"I grew up with a big brother, and he treated me like a boy all the time. So it\'s nice to feel a bit of sisterly love finally." Hailee replied in gratitude.
"We try to avoid talking about our professional lives because we\'re on vacation, but I\'m curious what you\'re next movie will be," Jessica stated.
"Lionsgate wrapped up the film shooting for Ender\'s Game last week. So that\'s why I have free time to join you guys." Hailee replied.
"It\'ll be a blockbuster hit for sure! I know you can\'t reveal your upcoming projects because of contracts, but I appreciate the inside scoop about Ender\'s Game." Jessica said.
"The next movie I\'ll be acting in is pretty is hard to say because my agents are still negotiating deals for next year. Will Future Studios make a new game now that Everlife is released?" Hailee asked.
"Vince wants us to focus on AR and VR media like movies and a social media network for the Hypervisor. A new triple-a game won\'t be too likely soon because now we have two enormous products to maintain. War Online is worth continuously updating considering how the APL is so popular." Kyle commented.
"Oh, I always thought things like video games were a one-and-done type thing. So we\'ll be watching War Online Arena this coming weekend, right?" Hailee asked excitedly.
"Almost all video games are released once and never updated except for DLC, but live service games like War Online and Everlife Online are different in that respect. We\'ll be watching the APL Finals, a professional league for the Arena players. Kind of like the NFL or the NBA, but more profitable, surprisingly." Kyle explained.
"I always had faith in our esports sub-division. Vince was meticulous in preparing a suitable platform for the league by funding live streams and various other media as a promotion." Rick interjected.
"Streamers weren\'t as respected as it is now. Future Tech was the first company to support the new wave of entertainment, and I even made a bit of money through the Bitcash Market from fans sending me top-tier gear." Alice commented.
"Hold on to your Bitcoin, and never spend it. That is all I will say." Vince stated seriously.
[Last time I checked, Bitcash boomed the crypto market, and BTC is now worth $25 thousand each, already half of what it was in 2021. And even more, people are engaged in the market now.] Vince pondered.
"Thanks for the advice. I heard Future Tech owns most of the supply, so if you\'re not selling, there has to be a good reason." Alice replied sincerely.
"Fiat currency is fucked. I spend most of my billions as fast as Future Tech earns because materials, commodities, and labor will always be king in our society." Vince explained his point of view.
"That\'s funny cause we made so much cash from bartering Bitcoin and digital goods the old-fashioned way. Five goats for a cow." Jessica commented.
"It would be a nightmare for accounting if the government taxed Crypto like the Dollar, but President Obama assured me this wouldn\'t happen during his administration," Vince replied.
"Wow! Do you speak to the President often?" Hailee asked curiously.
"Only during emergencies, and mostly about government policy and the campaign in Afghanistan. All of us here has met him in person at least once." Vince explained.
"Interesting. I only knew of Future Tech because of the first AIM mobile phone released last year that some of my friends use, and Future Studios because of War Online. So you can tell I don\'t pay much attention to the news." Hailee replied, a bit embarrassed.
"Really? So you honestly never knew much about Vince before meeting him at E3? Most people instantly change their attitude when they hear Vince Dalton\'s name whenever we\'re traveling." Leah commented.
"Yup. That\'s why I was surprised to meet Elon and visit the SpaceX headquarters. Though I was too embarrassed to mention it." Hailee replied.
"We sell more than crypto, video games, and consumer electronics. Or else I wouldn\'t be able to afford a yacht like this. You should visit Austin to see for yourself what Future Tech is all about." Vince suggested.
"Though you can\'t expect much attention from him when he\'s in his office. Always busy with work and all. But Sera and I can keep you company." Leah bantered.
"Mom, I\'m learning and managing most of our projects. And, of course, I\'ll be busy when I\'m in work mode." Vince bantered in his defense.
"I\'m just kidding, Hailee. For sure, Vince will love to keep you company. His penthouse bed is quite large." Leah continued the banter.
Everybody started laughing as Hailee\'s face began to blush after understanding what Leah meant.
The rest of the trip to Coal Harbour Marina was a blast for all the passengers. Massages, a dip in the jacuzzi and swimming pool, watching movies in the cinema and admiring the upper deck lounge view of the Pacific Ocean.
Jaden, Alice, and the rest of the youngins invited Hailee to play some War Online and explained the Arena Mode more in-depth to prepare her for watching the APL Finals.
Hailee even created a Twitch account and co-streamed with Wonder Alice while playing after getting to know each other more, amassing millions of concurrent viewers.
Vince decided to purchase Twitch before Amazon made an offer and called David to set up the deal for a maximum of $1 billion, a hundred million more than the deal from his past life.
Vince joined the fun and streamed Arena games with Jaden, carrying him in their matches.
[Damn, Arena players are no joke. It\'s like everybody is playing to win the APL Finals in pugs.] Vince pondered in frustration.
"Jaden, I think your rank is too high to party with me. I keep getting destroyed at mid." Vince stated.
While he was complaining, Marco entered the LAN center and notified him of their arrival in Vancouver.
[Another day, another new place to visit. British Columbia, better get ready!] So Vince thought as The Longhorn\'s massive structure slowly found a free space to dock.
Stats last time checked:
Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion
15 million BTC (currently trades at $25,000)
$8 Billion cash in Future Tech
105,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics, Future Education, SpaceX)
20,000+ operators under Future Security
Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner, The Longhorn
Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)
Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i.e., Instagram, Twitch)