Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 395 - 39: Pretentiousness

Chapter 395: Chapter 39: Pretentiousness

2030, one day.

After many days, Xiang Shan walked into the lounge again.

Jing Hongtu seemed to have much more free time than him. Although it was just the lunch hour, he had clearly been there for a while. He was holding a controller, but the game on the screen in front of him wasn’t running.

The gaming console belonged to David. The regulations were a bit looser in the Federation, so David had brought a home console to this public lounge last year. Surprisingly, Jing sometimes played a few rounds himself.

Upon seeing Xiang Shan, Jing smiled, motioned him to sit suddenly, and then handed over the controller, rubbing his forehead, "It’s really about age. I get tired just from concentrating for a short while. It’s definitely a young person’s thing."

Xiang Shan didn’t refuse and took the controller. Jing was playing a newly released linear RPG, the traditional kind where you run through maps, farm monsters, and fight bosses.

But after resting for a while, Jing couldn’t help but say to Xiang Shan, "Stop, Xiang, stop for a second. See that corner? On the side, that corner. There’s a door there, it has gear inside. You’d better take a potion, to get your health back to full."

Xiang Shan was skeptical, but he followed the advice. Sure enough, he found a chest and inside was a fine sword.

Then, as expected, a monster slightly higher level than the character fell from the ceiling.

After Xiang Shan defeated the monster, he looked at the new weapon in amazement, "A weapon with special damage bonuses against dark magic—Teacher Jing, have you read the guide?"

"No, I can see the designer’s thought process. This part of the map has such a placement, it’s a bit abrupt, slightly different from the usual style of the scene."

Xiang Shan was a bit puzzled, "Is it that simple? I feel like that door fits quite well with the background."

"You haven’t understood the thinking behind this map," Jing stated.

In 1982, a pair of good friends were competing at a flight shooting game in an arcade in Las Vegas. The stronger man, who was once an excellent Air Force pilot with unmatched reflexes and shooting skills, thought he should have easily outperformed his bookish friend. However, he never won a single game against him.

The former pilot asked the bookworm how he did it. The bookworm explained that he had completely mastered the enemy’s movement patterns in the game. He could understand the logic behind these movements and the design, and mentioned that he could write more engaging enemies within two weeks.

The former pilot believed his friend and staked his fortune on the bookworm’s abilities.

The most legendary game designer, Sid Meier, the artist manipulating game values, took his first step that way.

"Compared to the true masters of this field, what am I? I just play a little more often—there’s definitely a creature in the water ahead, change your equipment for the fight. What are the game’s counter relationships, oh, use the one you just picked up."

As Xiang Shan controlled the character, he asked, "Have you been playing for a long time?"

"Since the time it first became available, before the very first billionaires emerged, I was among the highest living standards in the Republic. It’s pretty much the same now." Jing spoke not with pride, but with a hint of resignation, "I was young and loved keeping up with trends too. I was among the first in the Republic to get a smartphone, naturally I was among the first to encounter a home console. When these machines were introduced, I was already working, had my own house, with no parents nagging, so naturally, I thought about getting one for my home. Then my sister-in-law wouldn’t let my nephew come over to my place anymore—how did you die?"

Xiang Shan reloaded the game: "So if I play as long as you have, I can reach your level?"

"Maybe. The key is to experience more. This is just a hobby for me." Jing said, "Just like a martial artist can anticipate the opponent’s moves. You know that. When you realize that the opponent will follow a specific logic and you can see that logic, you develop a tacit understanding."

Xiang Shan nodded and walked back to the water pool.

Then he died again.

"You’re distracted," Jing shook his head, "You don’t seem very happy."

"Should I be happy?"

"You should," Jing nodded, "You’re even learning to recruit your own ’confidants’ now. That’s a good thing."

Xiang Shan was stunned, "Confidant..." Then he remembered the young girl he had caught the day before. Xiang Shan shook his head and gave a bitter smile, "You mean that little lass? What kind of ’confidant’ is she... She’s just a kid."

"A kid? A kid wouldn’t be able to pull off such a feat." Jing shook his head, "The UN Security Council’s permanent members reached an agreement, nearly involving all member countries. This isn’t something a child could manage—and she’s over sixteen, obviously not a child."

"Not yet eighteen though. A minor." Xiang Shan said, "She should live like a normal person, go to university, make some friends her age, find some normal hobbies, try everything... develop a well-rounded personality. Not to be some bureaucrat’s so-called ’confidant.’"

Jing laughed out loud suddenly.

Xiang Shan pressed the pause button, "Is what I said very problematic?"

"Well-rounded personality..." Jing shook his head, "Even after several expansions, our college enrollment rate is only thirty percent. Including vocational schools, it doesn’t reach sixty percent. Are you saying that forty percent of our youth can’t have a well-rounded personality? Even if you are from Beiping, your comment is a bit too insensitive. You don’t understand the sufferings of the world."

Xiang Shan hurriedly said, "That’s not what I meant..."

"I know it’s not what you meant." Jing said, "And I can guess what you’re trying to say. That young lady, one can tell just by looking that she’s had an unlucky life, and during her upbringing, she was exposed to some advanced things, her actions are quite extreme..."

Xiang Shan was surprised, "You knew all this? So far only her name and age have been made public, right?"

"Isn’t that obvious? A child who is truly loved by her parents wouldn’t get involved in this kind of trouble." Jing shook his head, "Only seventeen... and her technical skills are really high. When I was seventeen, I barely even used a computer. She wouldn’t normally be able to get into this type of place, given its security level."

Xiang Shan put down the controller and lowered his head, "I’m indeed quite confused, Teacher Jing. I really think, a person’s youthful years shouldn’t be spent here..."

"Sentimental." Jing scoffed, "Look at our ages. To me, all of you are in your ’youthful years.’ Should I say ’Xiang, you’re still young, you should go out and explore’?"