Chapter 19: This Is a Good Era!
Chapter 19: This Is a Good Era!
“This is a game!”
“But at the same time, it’s electronic sports!”
“Just like real-world sports competitions, the only difference is that it exists online!”
“...”
“I hope that one day, many of us will stand on the arena, competing alongside friends from various countries under the eyes of the world!”
“We will have opponents, strong opponents!”
“We will have teammates, teams, clubs like those in football, with our own honor, dreams to fight for, and resounding battle anthems!”
“...”
“...”
In the forum.
Zhang Yang’s heartfelt speech was being live-texted continuously.
Occasionally, a photo of Zhang Yang would appear.
In the photos, Zhang Yang stood in a place where all eyes were on him, holding a microphone, passionately delivering these words.
The year 2005 in this era shared many similarities with Zhang Yang’s world: no smartphones yet, color-screen phones were rare, and live streaming was unheard of...
Yet, many things were different.
Payment systems were fairly well developed; capital had long ago established a complete online payment system, gradually used for online top-ups, bank withdrawals...
The concept of online shopping was also beginning to mature, with many e-commerce sites emerging.
But...
There was no Warcraft, no Three Kingdoms Conquest, no League of Legends, no Honor of Kings!
Competitive games existed, but the concept of electronic sports never took hold...
There were fighting games like The King of Fighters, but no one ever thought of hosting international arcade fighting tournaments; at most, a few enthusiasts would pool some money to watch exciting matches.
This was a good era.
But...
It was also, at the same time, a challenging era!
In the forum.
Many players who originally came just looking for cheats found themselves unconsciously drawn to this text...
At first glance, they felt nothing.
Because it seemed utterly unrealistic.
They thought it was just bragging.
But...
For some reason...
Even knowing it was unrealistic, they continued to follow the live text in the forum...
More and more people watched.
As they read, a flicker of longing suddenly lit up their minds.
A future...
Clubs?
Clubs like in football?
National game teams?
Comrades fighting side by side?
World-class competitive battles?
Zhang Yang seemed to be painting for them a very beautiful future...
“...”
“We live in this era...”
“Please cherish this era, and also pay attention to our Universal Technology...”
“We will grow alongside this era...”
“No matter how many storms we face in the future, I hope we will be like wild grass—unconquerable by fire, revived by the spring breeze!”
“To those who love games and strive to prove themselves through them, I salute you!”
“Please, witness this!”
“...”
In the internet café.
The crowd watching grew larger.
In truth, text live streaming had far less impact than vivid, on-site narration.
Many players felt a lump in their throats; the internet café owner, Li Zongnan, though thinking Zhang Yang’s words were somewhat grandiose and empty, couldn’t help but applaud...
As their applause rose, the players’ emotions were stirred.
Suddenly, someone cheered loudly...
The entire place erupted in a powerful wave of feeling.
Someone stepped forward and asked Zhang Yang...
“President Zhang, do you really think such a day will come? I’m a player of Global Fighting; we’ve also hoped for that kind of competition... This game actually has many players both at home and abroad... but it’s said before, yet it never really happened!”
“Yeah, President Zhang, how far off is this future you speak of? We’re afraid we can’t keep up with the times...”
“...”
The players were excited.
They sensed glory and a bright future.
But they also felt a hint of unreality—excited, yet anxious and uncertain.
Zhang Yang chewed his gum, a smile touching his lips.
“If I were a liar, I would say, ‘In the distant future...’”
“But I am not a liar!”
“Global Fighting tournament, is it?”
“Give me one month. In one month’s time... this is Universal Technology’s Q-Dog group; I need some player data about Global Fighting!”
“...”
“...”
In the internet café.
Zhang Yang was surrounded by more and more people.
He seemed like a savior to all...
---
Under the night sky, Yanjing City could hardly conceal its prosperity.
Streets and alleys glowed with street lamps, and in the bustling distance, there were always some busy souls.
At a barbecue stall, smoke curled in the air.
Ge Yumiao ate skewers, feeling a bit dazed, but kept wiping his nose.
His eyes were red-rimmed.
Beside him sat Zhang Yang and Wu Zhuang.
Respect is needed between people.
Yet respect was something Ge Yumiao had never truly known.
All his life, he had been looked down upon—relatives and friends called him hopeless, teachers called him a bad student...
He had grown numb to it, thinking of himself as neither fully human nor ghostly, believing that if one day he died on the street, his parents would at most cry twice before moving on...
But on this day, when he received his prize money, he suddenly felt like a person.
He sent twenty thousand yuan home.
At that moment, his family thought he had robbed a bank or sold a kidney.
When they finally learned the truth...
They were still stunned!
“Is this real?”
“You can make so much money playing games?”
“...”
Their shock made Ge Yumiao’s heart surge with joy.
He felt an unprecedented comfort.
Soon after, he noticed his parents began to care for him more, asking how he was doing in Yanjing, and so on...
This chain of changes made him feel reborn!
At the barbecue stall.
Ge Yumiao was still immersed in this thrilling mood.
Just then...
“Ge Shen, are you interested in working with us?”
He looked up and saw Zhang Yang smiling at him.
“Yes! There are nearly twenty thousand people following you on the forum now... Come work for our company as a game internal commentator!”
“Can I really do that?”
“If you can’t, why would I invite you?”
“Alright, alright, I’m in!”
“...”
At the barbecue stall, Ge Yumiao stood up excitedly.
Half an hour later, drunk and stumbling, Ge Yumiao arrived at Universal Technology...
He instantly sobered up.
“President Yang, this rented place is our company, not a dormitory?”
---
Late at night.
Mustang Technology.
Human Resources Department.
After a full day’s work, Shen Yi opened the Desert Bicycle forum.
Everywhere in the forum, countless mentions of electronic sports were flooding the screen.
Many players cheered!
After reading the forum, Shen Yi’s eyes lit up, goosebumps rising all over him!
He immediately stood and took out his phone.
“Hello! Xiao Liu, have you contacted Zhang Yang and the others yet?”
“...”
“What? Not yet? You must have found some contact info, right?”
“...”
“Still not? Well then, please help find it. Thanks for your hard work!”
“...”
After the call, his mood remained restless.
As an executive, he keenly sensed that the concept Zhang Yang proposed was more than just a concept...
It was the future of the gaming industry!
Then...
He excitedly took out his phone again.
“Hello, Director Liu, have you seen this? Have you checked the forum? The gaming industry’s future is electronic sports; this is the big direction...”
“...”
After hanging up, his enthusiasm did not fade.
Soon after, his phone rang again.
A moment later, his excited mood turned cold.
“What did you say? He once came to our company for an interview? And we didn’t seize the opportunity?”
“...”
(End of Chapter)