Chapter 10: Rickshaw Rush — The Countdown Begins
Delhi – February 23, 2009 – 5:30 AM
The quiet hum of the early morning was now Shiva's most loyal companion.
No alarms were needed anymore.
His mind woke him before his body did, already racing with plans.
Today, Rickshaw Rush would move closer to reality.
Today, the game that could fund his empire would finally take shape.
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6:00 AM – Sprint Planning
In the dim light of his room, Shiva outlined the final sprint before launch:
Rickshaw Rush Sprint Goals:
Finalize Level 1 design (Old Delhi theme)
Debug physics engine (rickshaw bounce optimization)
Integrate first ad placement (test AdMob early)
Design splash screen and logo
Deadline: March 1st for beta testing.
Launch: March 25th.
Failure was not an option.
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7:00 AM – Secret Meetings
At school, Shiva and Rohit met in the back corner of the library.
Under the pretense of a group project, they huddled around Rohit's clunky laptop, whispering fiercely.
"I fixed the cow collision bug," Rohit said proudly, showing how the rickshaw now properly bounced off a stray cow instead of freezing mid-air.
"And look," he added, "I added random traffic jams at higher levels!"
Shiva clapped him on the back. "Brilliant. Make it chaotic. Make it funny."
If people laughed, they'd share.
If people shared, Rickshaw Rush would go viral.
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2:00 PM – The Whiteboard Revolution
After school, they snuck into the unused computer lab again.
On the dusty whiteboard, Shiva drew a massive flowchart:
Rickshaw Rush Core Loop:
Start -> Navigate Obstacles -> Pick up Passengers -> Collect Tips -> Upgrade Rickshaw -> Survive Longer
It was simple but addictive.
Shiva knew the future belonged to games that people could play in two minutes while waiting for a bus — not just epic RPGs that demanded hours.
"Short loops, endless hooks," he muttered. "That's the formula."
Rohit nodded, scribbling notes furiously.
They weren't just coding a game.
They were crafting a dopamine machine.
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4:30 PM – Hustling Freelance
While Rohit fine-tuned animations, Shiva toggled between tabs.
Mr. Sharma had sent him admin access to his coaching center's website.
Shiva worked quickly, optimizing page titles, adding meta descriptions, embedding the right keywords.
At the same time, he applied to two new freelance gigs:
Writing blog posts for an American tech startup.
Designing a basic WordPress site for a bakery in Bangalore.
Every side hustle fed into the main dream.
Every rupee earned was a brick in the NovaEdge foundation.
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7:00 PM – Branding the Game
Back home, Shiva spent hours experimenting with Rickshaw Rush's visual identity.
He sketched rough logos:
A rickshaw with flaming wheels.
A cartoonish driver with sunglasses.
A speeding auto bursting through a cloud of dust.
He settled on a bold, colorful design: a bright yellow rickshaw with a mischievous face.
Eye-catching. Memorable.
The kind of icon you'd notice on a crowded app store.
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9:00 PM – Fear and Fire
As he reviewed the to-do list, Shiva felt a flicker of fear.
What if no one downloads it?
What if people hate it?
What if I fail so badly I can never try again?
He let the fear sit there for a moment, cold and heavy.
Then he stood up, walked to the mirror, and stared at his own reflection.
"You're allowed to be scared," he whispered.
"But you're not allowed to stop."
Brick by brick.
Byte by byte.
No excuses.
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11:30 PM – Manifesting the Future
Before sleeping, Shiva scribbled furiously in his journal:
> "March 25, 2009 \u2014 Rickshaw Rush will launch.\nWe will hit 10,000 downloads in six months.\nWe will learn, iterate, grow.\nWe will be unstoppable."
He didn't know if every word would come true.
But he knew this:
Dreams without deadlines were just wishes.
Dreams with deadlines were blueprints.
And Shiva was no longer in the wishing business.
He was building an empire.
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[End of Chapter 10]