The Red Era, the Opening University Speech

Chapter 423 Wherever You Are, That’s the Center

In response to Qian Shuyan's memories, Li Mu smiled and echoed a few words.

Seeing that Gao Jialin was studying seriously, he did not disturb him and left quietly.

Then he went to the school's game development center building.

After not being here for a few months, there are more people coming and going in the game development center.

After the software engineering major was officially established, the school welcomed 108 freshmen studying software engineering.

These students are divided into three classes, and come here every day to use the Type 3 computers discarded by the school for practical learning.

Originally, Qian Shuyan didn't want the students to disturb us, fearing that it would affect the research.

However, Shen Jianxin and Zhang Kai both said that if it were Li Mu, he would definitely agree with them doing so.

In the end, he had no choice but to nod and agree.

After listening to his explanation, Li Mu did not mind and said with a smile:
"You are right. To learn software engineering, you can't just learn the knowledge in books."

"Speaking of which, during my trip to the three provinces, I also found a place for the students to carry out production labor tasks in the future."

"Leader Wu Xue over there said that he is willing to take full responsibility for the students' daily expenses over there and will provide the best support..."

He also mentioned the promise to send people to the three provinces.

It not only exercises students' professional skills, but also saves them from having to worry about travel expenses and living expenses. No one would refuse such a good thing.

After listening to this, Qian Shuyan thought for a moment and understood, and said:
"This leader has a good plan. In this way, the three provinces will most likely become the center of software engineering development in our country!"

It can provide practice venues. As a heavy industrial base, it still has a large talent gap and is undoubtedly the best choice for graduating students.

"I think it will succeed. Maybe in the future there will be a high-tech industry in addition to heavy industry." Li Mu said with a smile.

The three provinces took this step very accurately.

If it is operated well, after heavy industry gradually declines, it will be able to seamlessly connect to high-tech industry.

In this way, those cities that suffer from the depletion of mineral resources in the future will not directly decline and become the tears of the times.

Qian Shuyan joked:
"That's hard to say. After all, you're still here."

“Wherever you are, that is the center.”

"Even if the software engineering in the three provinces continues to develop, it is impossible for them to catch up with Kyoto."

If it weren't for Li Mu, San Sheng would definitely be able to accomplish this.

But with him around, there are many more variables.

The three provinces still need time to accumulate and promote themselves before they can become research centers for software engineering.

But Li Mu doesn’t need to do that. Wherever he goes, that place will become the center.

"Okay, okay, Dean, please stop praising me. I'll be proud if you continue to praise me. Let's go in." Li Mu said with a smile.

After saying that, he and Qian Shuyan walked into the game development center together.

……

Enter the building.

It was probably time for class, and there were not many people in the hall. Only the security guard was sweeping the floor with a broom.

Hearing footsteps, the old man looked up.

His gaze first paused on the familiar old face of the dean, then looked at the young face beside him.

He smiled and said, "Advisor Li, it's you!"

"It's me. It's been a long time since I last saw you, uncle. Are you feeling well?" Li Mu responded with a smile.

When he used to go to the game development center frequently, he would bring some things over from time to time and chat with them.

This time is no exception.

As he spoke, he handed the braised meat and soju he had been holding to the other party and said, "I brought this for you. I'll come back to see you when I'm done."

"Okay, then you go ahead." The old man waved his hand and took the things directly.

In the beginning, he did refuse many times.

But Li Mu could always find reasons to make him accept the food, and told him righteously that not eating it would be contemptuous of him.

What else can he do? Eat.

……

The first floor of the game R&D center is where software engineering students study on a daily basis, so there are a lot of people there.

But after the class started, everyone went into the classroom and never came out again.

After going up to the second floor, there were visibly fewer people. I could only see a few people walking hurriedly with their brows frowned and their heads lowered.

Among them were people from the game development center and students brought by Alexei.

Li Mu took a casual glance and prepared to go up to the third floor.

At the top is the main activity place of the game R&D center including Shen Jianxin.

He came to the door of the computer room and was about to raise his hand to knock on the door when he found that the door was only half-open and not completely closed.

Through the crack in the door, you can hear intense knocking sounds coming from inside.

It almost gave him the illusion of dreaming back to the game hall of his childhood.

"Why don't you knock on the door?" Qian Shuyan, who was standing next to him, saw that Li Mu hadn't moved for a long time and came over curiously.

Then I heard a voice coming from inside.

"Strange." He muttered and was about to ask when Li Mu slowly pushed the door open.

As the gap in the door grew larger, the sound coming from inside became much louder.

Li Mu and Qian Shuyan walked into the room.

What comes into view is a group of people gathered around a semiconductor TV, playing games with controllers.

Shen Jianxin, Zhang Kai, Li Jian and other members of the game development center, as well as several students brought by Alexi, were having a great time.

Seeing this, Qian Shuyan was about to scold.

Li Mu interrupted him by raising his hand, signaling not to disturb them.

Immediately, he quietly took two steps forward and came behind the crowd.

The people who were operating the game at this time were Shen Jianxin and Alexey's student Kevin. They were holding game controllers, controlling the little people on the screen, and having a lot of fun.

Both of them are extremely talented, good at studying, and good at playing games, so the "battle" is quite intense.

However, Li Mu's attention was more focused on the games they were playing.

The pixel figures on the screen were seen fighting fiercely back and forth. Every blow would reduce the health of both sides a little.

There were 10 life points in total, and in the blink of an eye, they all dropped to the last 1 point.

As the outcome was about to be decided, Shen Jianxin and Kevin became more cautious in their fighting style, constantly testing their attacks for fear of being hit accidentally.

In the end, Kevin narrowly won with a simple straight punch, knocking the pixel man controlled by Shen Jianxin to the ground.

"Good!" The students on Kevin's side cheered.

Shen Jianxin was not upset. He shook hands with Kevin and prepared to end the game.

Just as he stood up, he suddenly saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

His eyes immediately widened in disbelief.

Zhang Kai and the others were originally teasing him about losing to Kevin, but when they noticed that his expression was not right, they couldn't help but look over curiously:

"Advisor Li!"

Someone screamed, and the computer room fell silent instantly.

All eyes turned to Li Mu, with longing and a hint of grievance in their eyes.

Seeing that he was discovered, Li Mu stepped forward and said with a smile:

"Long time no see, everyone. It seems like you guys were having a good time while I was away."

"I just watched the game. It's pretty good. It has the potential to become a classic."

"Of course, the current level is not enough. The difference between the two pixel figures is too low to allow players to clearly distinguish which one is which..."

He talked for a long time, and then stopped when he saw that no one responded.

Originally, he was planning to stop interfering in the game research here.

But when he saw Shen Jianxin and Kevin playing the fighting game just now, he couldn't help but nag a little.

After all, there are those classic arcade games in later generations, such as "Street King", "Ong Bak", "..." He was fascinated by them for a while.

"Why don't you say anything? Do you think what I said is wrong?" After Li Mu finished speaking, he saw that no one responded for a long time, so he smiled and teased.

Shen Jianxin said quickly:

"No, no, you are quite right."

"It's just that we haven't heard you teach us like this for a long time."

"This feeling is a little bit, a little bit unreal."

After he finished speaking, the others couldn't help but nodded.

In the past, they always had the opportunity to receive Li Mu’s guidance and help them solve various problems in game development.

Although I know that this kind of life will not last forever.

But I never thought that day would come so soon and without any sign.

"You have already become masters. You don't need my teaching. You can do well on your own. You must stick to your own opinions and not just follow what I say." Li Mu said with a smile.

It would be impossible to say that I don't have any feelings for the game development center that I built from scratch with great effort.

Every member of the game development center in the room was recruited by him personally, and he still remembers their names clearly.

"No, no, we still want to learn more from you." Shen Jianxin said anxiously.

The rest of Zhang Kai and others could not help but nod their heads one after another.

If I no longer care about them after I go out on a mission, it would be better not to go out on a mission.

Seeing this, Li Mu smiled helplessly:

"Okay, I'll come over when I'm free."

"But don't count on me too much. I'm quite busy right now."

"I came to see you because I was forced to take a vacation, so I had time to come here."

Hear his words.

Although everyone didn't know why they were "forced" to take a holiday, they were still very happy and immediately surrounded him and went to the meeting room.

……

After a while, all the new and old members of the game R&D center gathered in the conference room.

On the stage, Shen Jianxin was responsible for talking about the game architecture, and Zhang Kai was responsible for talking about the design ideas.

The two of them jointly introduced the game "The King of Fighters" they were developing.

After listening, Li Mu also gave some appropriate suggestions based on his own experience.

For example, adding characters that players can control, designing characters with distinctive characteristics, etc.

However, due to backward technology, it is still just a fight between pixelated characters. It is still quite difficult to attract players to buy the game or even to get addicted to it.

He thought for a while and continued:

"With the current game capacity, we want to design rich and colorful characters while also wanting the game console to be able to handle it, which is basically impossible."

"But just because there is no solution in the game doesn't mean there is no solution outside the game."

"Think about it, what method can make us like this role without any publicity?" He did not give a direct answer, but let everyone think about it for themselves.

Actually, this question is very simple.

As expected, Zhang Kai raised his hand and said:
"You can use characters from mythology, such as Zeus, the supreme god of the West, Prometheus, the god of fire, and Hercules, etc...."

"That's right. These people have already penetrated into the hearts of Western players without our promotion. They are the best choice." Li Mu nodded slightly and said.

Although it’s not impossible to create your own character.

But it is not necessary.

After the emergence of 8-bit processors, black and white game consoles were quickly eliminated, so there is no need to be too serious about it.

It is also not easy to make players like a pixelated character.

He waved his hand and asked Shen Jianxin for a blackboard.

Then he picked up a piece of chalk and started tapping on it.

Like a piece of music in the afternoon, brisk and rhythmic.

Zhang Kai and others in the audience stretched their heads, trying to see clearly what he was doing.

Just when everyone was curious.

Li Mu finished drawing the sketch, stood up the small blackboard, and said:

"Another way is to use illustrations to supplement it."

“If I can’t make the special effects for the fight, I’ll just write a name and turn it into an illustration.”

"If it sells well, maybe I can make a lot of money selling this."

While listening to his introduction, everyone looked at the paintings on the blackboard.

However, although it is called a painting, the painting method is different from traditional Chinese painting, and also different from Western oil painting and color painting.

It is somewhat nostalgic to the comics of Xiao Ri Zi, but it is also very different
The lines are very rough, the background is depicted very magnificently, and the painting is very powerful and oppressive.

The classic elements in the painting, such as lightning, eagle and oak tree, all indicate the identity of the person in the painting - Zeus.

Qian Shuyan, who was standing by, looked at the small blackboard and couldn't help but say:

"Your level is really not low, and your painting style is novel. You may even be able to establish your own school in the painting world!"

He's not really exaggerating.

As the dean, although he is not particularly good at art, he still has basic appreciation ability.

At least in his opinion, this painting has high artistic value.

"Dean, thank you for the compliment. It's just something I drew casually. I just wanted to give it to my classmates as a reference." Li Mu said embarrassedly.

He just did it on a whim, and since he had learned a little about painting before, he just painted casually.

It must be that Qian Shuyan had never seen it before, so he was so surprised.

Qian Shuyan couldn't help but laugh:

"You are just drawing casually, but Shen Jianxin and Zhang Kai will have to suffer later."

"Except for you, there is basically no other master in the country who has touched upon this style."

“When the time comes, they won’t be able to find anyone to paint.”

His words brought Shen Jianxin and others, who were still immersed in shock, back to their senses.

Yeah, who did they get to paint it?
Looking at the confused expressions of the crowd, Li Mu also realized the problem.

To him, comic style was a common thing, but in this era, Xia Country did not have such a thing at all.

Although it is not impossible to learn, it will undoubtedly take more effort.

"Then modify it." Li Mu pondered for a moment, then said.

As he spoke, he picked up the blackboard eraser and prepared to erase everything he had just drawn.

At this moment, Qian Shuyan hurriedly stopped him and said:
"Don't wipe it, don't wipe it. This is something that can be put into a museum. It would be a shame to lose it."

Not to mention the artistic value of this painting.

The four words "Written by Li Mu" are enough to make it a treasure in the National Museum's collection.

"It's just a pretense. If we really put it in the museum, it would be a laughing stock." Li Mu shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

But Qian Shuyan still insisted and hoped that Li Mu would keep the painting.

Shen Jianxin and others who were listening nearby also felt that this painting was of great significance, and they all expressed their hope that it would be preserved.

Zhang Kai said:
"If nothing else, leaving it here will at least provide a reference for students who want to learn in the future."

"And if after the revision, it's not as good as this one, we can have a backup option."

"Besides, just because you can't learn it now doesn't mean you won't be able to learn it in the future..."

He hasn't finished speaking yet.

Shen Jianxin had already run back breathlessly, holding seven or eight small blackboards.

After carefully placing the things on the table, he wiped the sweat off his head and said:
"Advisor Li, please keep drawing. If it's not enough, I'll find more."

Looking at the small blackboard in front of me and everyone's expectant eyes.

Li Mu did not insist any further. He picked up a new small blackboard and continued painting.

This time, he adopted the style of traditional Chinese martial arts, with more delicate brushstrokes.

With just a few strokes, an image of a god full of divinity, lofty and unattainable appears on the board.

After finishing the painting, Li Mu clapped his hands in satisfaction, secretly thinking that he was lucky that he had not regressed.

It can even be said that there has been a lot of progress.

He wasn't this good before.

Perhaps it was because of the improvement in his brain power that his other skills were also upgraded.

But that doesn't matter now.

He turned around and looked at the people behind him who were still staring blankly at the drawings on the blackboard, and said:
“What do you think of this style?”

"Good, very good, much better than the previous one!" Shen Jianxin immediately applauded.

Others also applauded, their eyes full of amazement.

They didn't expect that Li Mu was not only good at scientific research, but also very skilled in painting.

Although no one can tell what's good about it, it's just pleasing to look at.

After the applause stopped, Li Mu said helplessly: "I asked you to express your opinions, not to flatter me."

Of course he knew that the painting techniques of later generations were good things.

The artistic value is not discussed here.

At least the commercial value is absolutely maximized.

"I think this one is better than the previous one and more in line with our aesthetic concepts." Qian Shuyan suddenly said.

This sentence made Shen Jianxin and others who had been thinking hard suddenly realize.

They asked why it looked much better, and it turned out to be because of this.

If you look closely, you can indeed see many influences of Chinese painting in the painting.

It’s just that the style is still quite new, so they didn’t notice it at first.

Seeing that Qian Shuyan had revealed his secret, Li Mu laughed and said:
"The dean is right. Its style will indeed be more popular with our culture."

"But in the specific choices, we have to consider more what players like."

"Just like we like our own mythological characters more, players from different regions will also like them more..."

He briefly talked to everyone about the issue of cultural identity.

Although the ultimate goal of the game is cultural promotion and exporting the culture of Xia Country.

But now this grand plan is still in its infancy.

If we can't even make a game that they like now, then everything else will be just empty talk.

Of course, this "welcome" does not refer to games like "Puzzle Cube", "Tank War" and "Adventure Road".

Instead, it is a game that can subtly influence players from other countries and has the ability to export culture.

……

Listening to Li Mu’s explanation of gaming culture.

Shen Jianxin and others all felt that it was of great benefit and had more ideas and thoughts on future research and development.

After participating in their discussion for a while, Li Mu did not stay long and quickly stood up and prepared to leave.

Just as he was going downstairs.

Two figures suddenly chased down from upstairs.

Hearing the noise, Li Mu turned around.

After seeing that it was Zhang Kai and Li Jian, he smiled and joked:
"Why, are you trying to cheat me again?"

When the two of them learned that his monthly salary was nearly a thousand yuan, they often ate a lot of food from him.

But he also knew that they were not here for a meal.

But to see more of myself.

After all, ever since Li Mu gave up the game R&D center, it has been difficult for the three of them to meet again.

He was getting busier and busier. If it weren't for his excessive research, he would never choose to rest, let alone come here just to meet someone for the sake of meeting someone.

"We're definitely going to extort money from you, but we're looking for you for something else." Zhang Kai smiled and said:

"You may not know this yet, but Li Jian is getting married next month!"

Li Mu was surprised to hear the news.

He looked at Li Jian who looked a little shy and asked, "You are getting married so early?"

"It's not too early. I'm already a senior and will graduate next year," said Li Jian.

Hearing this, Li Mu finally reacted and said with emotion:
"I didn't expect time to pass so quickly. In the blink of an eye, you're getting married."

"Look at you. You didn't even tell me that you were in a relationship, and you only told me when you were planning to get married."

"Don't worry, I will definitely be there to congratulate you and have a piece of wedding candy."

As he spoke, he walked forward and patted Li Jian's shoulder heavily.

Unconsciously, the latter's originally skinny body has become much stronger.

Everyone is growing.

"Aren't you too busy? How can I come to you for such a small matter?" Li Jian explained.

Although they are friends, what Li Muping has to do is far beyond their understanding.

Maybe when they were playing games in the game development center.

Li Mu was studying some national key research project.

Not disturbing others casually is the best option.

"It's still okay to meet up even if I'm busy." Li Mu shook his head, then looked at Zhang Kai and said:

"You're not in a relationship now, are you planning to wait until you get married before telling me?"

Zhang Kai's eyes widened and he said, "No, how is this possible!"

According to psychological expression analysis, this is a typical sign of guilty conscience.

(End of this chapter)