Chapter 81: Esport Facility Officially Live

I framed it purely as a high-tier organizational requirement, though in my head, the math was clear—dropping serious capital on a state-of-the-art squad HQ would push our hardware budget higher, driving that cashback multiplier even further.

Amanda stopped in her tracks, looking back at me with a mix of surprise and intrigue. "What are you suggesting?"

"I’m talking about building you a permanent, high-performance base right inside Zenith HQ," I replied smoothly, sweeping a hand toward the upper floors of the building. "A dedicated center where all four of you can boot camp, run scrims, stream, analyze VODs, and live comfortably under one roof."

Piercer’s sleepy eyes actually widened for once, while Amanda looked like she had just been handed the keys to a kingdom.

Angelo scratched the back of his neck, looking around the pristine lobby with genuine hesitation. "Wait... an entire private HQ just for the four of us? Isn’t that... way too much, Ethan?"

Before I could answer, NightEye elbowed him sharply in the ribs, shaking her head with a grin. "Shh! Angelo, shut up! When a big man wants to spend his money, you just shut your mouth and let him spend!"

Amanda burst out laughing, while Piercer gave a subtle nod of approval.

"She’s right," I smirked, pulling out my phone to dial Tiana’s personal line. "It’s not ’too much’—it’s standard for a championship roster. Let’s go pick out your floor."

We went up to the top floor of Zenith HQ, guided by Tiana. The moment the elevator doors slid open, we were met with a massive, clear floor space with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the city skyline. It was wide, open, and had incredible natural light—a blank canvas just waiting to be turned into a pro-tier esports lair.

Tiana gestured around with a warm smile. "This space hasn’t been allocated yet. If it fits your vision, Ethan, it’s all yours for the team."

"It’s perfect," I said, looking across the vast room.

NightEye walked over to the windows, taking in the view before turning back with a smirk. "You know... instead of just buying pre-built PCs off the shelf, why don’t we build our own rigs from scratch? Custom liquid cooling, personalized cases, top-of-the-line components... that would be insane."

I shrugged casually. "I don’t mind. Whatever you need to perform at your peak."

Before I could even finish my sentence, Piercer was already tapping away on her phone, her fingers moving at lightspeed. "Way ahead of you. I’m already ordering customized parts, ultra-wide monitors, ergonomic desks, soundproofing panels, and high-end peripherals to make this space ours."

Amanda and Angelo jumped right in, collaborating on the layout, network setups, and lounge amenities.

I pulled out my card, placing it in Amanda’s hand with a calm, decisive look. "Your total budget for the buildout, hardware, and customizations is capped at 2 million dollars. Don’t hold back."

NightEye gasped, while Angelo just stood there with his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"Two... million?!" Amanda squeaked, looking at the black card in her hand like it was made of solid gold.

"Two million total," I confirmed smoothly. "Get whatever you need to make this facility world-class before the week is up."

Hours later, a fleet of delivery trucks pulled up to Zenith HQ. The squad sprinted down to the lobby like kids on Christmas morning, wheeling up massive crates of high-end PC parts, custom liquid-cooling loops, server racks, and ultra-wide monitors.

When the total hit my card, it came out to $700,000—not even reaching the $1 million mark, but still an absolute fortune in gaming tech.

As they started unboxing and assembling everything, I watched a team of movers wheel in a fully stocked vending machine, a miniature snack bar, and a massive, top-of-the-line Japanese massage chair.

I turned to Piercer, raising an eyebrow. "A massage chair? Really?"

She leaned back against a crate, popping open a soda. "Duh. Ergonomics, boss. High-intensity gaming ruins your spine."

Angelo was staring at his new custom rig in complete, speechless shock. He gently touched the tempered glass side panel, whispering, "My old PC couldn’t even run this game on low settings... this looks like a spaceship."

NightEye walked over to me, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish grin. "Um... boss? Not to sound greedy or anything, but... since we only spent 700k out of the 2 million budget... can I get my leftover share added to my weekly salary?"

I chuckled, crossing my arms. "Nice try, but nope. The rest stays in the bank. If you guys actually win this tournament, I’ll spoil you a bit after. But for now, this is all you get."

Amanda wiped a smudge of thermal paste off her cheek and burst out laughing. "Ethan, you’ve already spoiled us beyond belief! Look at this place!"

By evening, the glowing neon lights of the setups reflected off the floor-to-ceiling windows. The Zenith esports facility was officially alive—and the countdown to their debut match had officially begun.

Once all four custom rigs were fully assembled and glowing, I called the team over to the center lane of the room.

"Alright, enough admiring the hardware," I said, pointing toward the monitors. "Time for test runs. We’re doing 1v1 ladder drills."

I set up the match pairings: Angelo against Amanda, and NightEye squared off against Piercer.

The second the matchups hit the main display, Piercer threw her head back with a loud groan. "Are you serious, boss? I want a rematch against Luna! She barely scraped by last time, and I need to put her in her place for that team leader spot."

"Not happening," I replied smoothly, shutting her down before she could even start. "You don’t get your rematch until Angelo beats Amanda, and NightEye beats you."

"Wait, what?!" NightEye yelped, her eyes widening as she looked over at Piercer’s calm, predatory smirk. "You’re feeding me to the apex predator?!"

"It’s simple math," I said, leaning against the main desk with my arms crossed. "Amanda and Piercer are the two strongest players in this room. Neither of them knows how to take it easy, and neither of them is willing to lose—even in a casual scrimmage."

Amanda grinned, adjusting her headset and settling into her ergonomic chair. "He’s right. I’m not holding back, Angelo."

Angelo gulped, nervously clicking his mouse. "G-Got it, big sis... I’ll do my best."

"By forcing you two to clash directly against them at 100% intensity," I continued, looking at Angelo and NightEye, "your reaction times, crosshair discipline, and clutch instincts are going to skyrocket in half the time. If you want to survive on the main stage next week, you need to get used to the pressure right now."

Piercer cracked her knuckles, a cocky smile spreading across her face as she loaded into the custom lobby against NightEye. "Alright, replacement. Let’s see how long you last."

"Let the boot camp begin," I said.