Age of Legends

Chapter 242 New Friends and Gathering

Unlike Zhang Chen, who tutored Shen Nuoyi before evening self-study, Wang Shuowei would go to the internet cafe with Zhang Chen every afternoon after dinner. The internet cafe was filled with the constant beeping of QQ chat, coughing, and the sounds of explosions like "fire in the hole!" and AK-47 fire. After Half-Life, Counter-Strike had become the most popular game in the internet cafe.

Don't assume that students at a top-tier high school like Yude High School never skip classes. In the final year of high school, there are plenty of students who even skip evening self-study sessions to go to internet cafes to play Counter-Strike and surf the internet. Wang Shuowei also skips a few days of classes from time to time, but of course, the teachers really don't care.

Every time Wang Shuowei came back from playing games, he would describe how exciting it was to Zhang Chen, hoping to draw Zhang Chen into the world of games. But this guy was like someone who had kicked a drug habit; he showed absolutely no interest in the games Wang Shuowei described. He really wanted to get into a good school! This made Wang Shuowei afraid to skip evening self-study sessions anymore, and he buried himself in his work.

However, Wang Shuowei did meet some people at the internet cafe. It wasn't anyone he played CS with, but rather three young men playing an online game called "Lineage" next to him. They said they were graduates of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and were now working, playing games at the internet cafe after get off work. Wang Shuowei would watch them play, occasionally asking them questions about the game, and before long, they became acquainted.

These three replaced Zhang Chen as Wang Shuowei's buddies at the internet cafe after dinner, and they often bought him water and offered him cigarettes.

Wang Shuowei wasn't actually short of money, but they just didn't want him to pay. After all, he was just a high school student, and it would be a bit awkward for a group of working adults to ask a high school student to treat them.

After they got to know each other better, Wang Shuowei brought up the story of "I have a good friend named Zhang Chen," which made the three of them very interested in Zhang Chen. So they arranged to have dinner with the two of them one day so that they could get to know each other.

Zhang Chen didn't refuse such a thing. After hearing from Wang Shuowei that the other party was worth befriending, Zhang Chen didn't shy away from expanding his social circle. After all, that's how Zhao Tao and his group of brothers met.

The restaurant was a stir-fry restaurant built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. When Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei came over after class, the three of them had already finished get off work and were waiting for them there.

One of the three men had a thin face, wore glasses, a work shirt, a leather belt, and a keychain. He was the kind of office worker you often see in internet cafes, except he was unkempt and had a thick mustache. Wang Shuowei introduced him as Jing Qinming, nicknamed "Zeze" because his online name in the game "Lineage" was "Ze Bei Tian Xia". He now assembles computers in a computer mall.

One was a tall, thin man named Xie Yu, nicknamed "Chai Chai" probably because he was as thin as a piece of firewood. After graduating from university, his family had connections and got him a job at a notary office. The other, slightly chubby guy was named Luo Chengyue, who sold insurance at an insurance company.

All three graduated from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. They used to share a large six-person dormitory room and were the closest of friends. They played games together and remained best friends after graduation, often meeting up after get off work to play games and socialize.

Speaking of Luo Chengyue, don't be fooled by his appearance in a loose, wrinkled Brazilian suit sitting at an insurance company. His family is actually very wealthy. His father is the CEO of an insurance company and owns many shops and properties in Rongcheng. He collects rent from various places every month and lives in a villa, but he still drives a small Alto.

This guy looked sloppy in college, but everyone was shocked when he left the school. He was actually from a wealthy family with tens of millions in assets. In college, he was just a well-pretended rich kid.

Luo Chengyue just smiled.

"You're the best friend Weiwei mentioned! I heard that the Rising Star in Rongcheng was orchestrated by you, and you also organized that Digital Entertainment Festival. Our company even participated in the exhibition, collaborating with Microsoft. We sent out hundreds of computers that day! I was forced to work overtime, wondering which organizer was so foolish as to do this kind of thing. Turns out, you're the mastermind behind the computer crooked!" Jing Qinming's eyes widened.

They were already acquainted with Wang Shuowei and found it amazing that the child's father was the celebrity Wang Bowen. But what Wang Shuowei was most proud of was not having a celebrity father, but his best friend Zhang Chen. After hearing about Zhang Chen's exploits, they felt they had to get to know him.

Now that things are out in the open, I have a very good impression of Zhang Chen.

In Koei Tecmo's Romance of the Three Kingdoms game, there is an attribute for generals called "compatibility." Generals with compatible compatibility are easier to persuade to surrender or recruit, and are more likely to be convinced to join your side.

It seems that this hidden attribute also exists in reality. Zhang Chen actually feels that he is compatible with them, after all, Wang Shuowei is certified, and he usually becomes good friends with him.

Jing Qinming and his friends opened some beer. Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei could also drink a little. They chatted over beer and food. Jing Qinming talked about their college experiences, such as catching couples on campus while on duty, and crashing the computers in the computer lab, which led to the school sending in senior students to fight them.

They were simply introduced to computers through playing games, which led them to get into the University of Science and Technology of China.

Jing Qinming said, "Back then, I was playing puzzle games on my dad's computer. At that time, it was still called Computer Fan Magazine. Later, Popular Software would often come with some game discs. Now it's even better. Sesame Open Door game discs are only ten or twenty yuan each, which has brought the price down. Before, many of them sold for 39 yuan each. When I was in high school, I saved up to buy a copy of 'Uncharted Waters' to play!"

Xie Yu said, "I like Heroes of Might and Magic. When I first entered university, there were no computers, so I often stayed up all night in internet cafes and played that game."

"I still prefer strategy games, like StarCraft and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The most classic one is Romance of the Three Kingdoms V. Although it's the seventh generation now and has introduced character development from Taikou Risshiden, I feel like it's missing something. They say they're going to change it to 3D later, but that's bullshit. This ink-wash style is the most comfortable!" Luo Chengyue said indignantly.

“I also think that if we change it to 3D, it will be a pile of crap!” Jing Qinming said fiercely.

Everyone was arguing endlessly about the game's plot and characters. Zhang Chen, on the other hand, was stirred by distant memories; of course, seeing the current development trajectory still felt quite dated. Speaking of software CDs, this period was rife with piracy, and it was also the time when home computers in China began to become widely available. This year, there are 350 million personal computers in China, and next year, in 2001, this number may grow to 7 or 800 million. The growth rate was extremely rapid, and it was also the time when these CDs began to proliferate wildly.

Zhang Chen had already endorsed this data when he was planning the Chengdu Digital Culture Festival, so he knows all of this information clearly now.

Actually, if you wanted to start a business and make money at that time, making pirated CDs was a good business. Just like the "Open Sesame" CD that Jing Qinming and others said benefited countless game players, the founder of Zhengpu Company behind it was Yao Zengqi, who was admitted to the University of Science and Technology of China at the age of 15 and was hailed as a "prodigy" by countless newspapers and media at the time.

After graduating with a doctorate, he found research uninteresting and followed Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour speech to enter the business world. Initially, he developed enterprise application software and sold hardware such as game controllers and stock cards. Later, he transformed into the software industry and by 1996, he had established a nationwide software sales network, setting up six major software wholesale centers and more than 3000 agents.

They initially negotiated with game developers to dump their inventory at low prices, then used the slogan "low-priced genuine copies" to combat piracy, while actually selling a mix of genuine and pirated versions. By 02, they had captured 15% of the Chinese home software market, becoming one of the largest publishers.

By the way, he also founded the 2688 e-commerce trading platform around the same time as Jack Ma.

However, he later aroused envy and was reported for bribery, which also implicated him in a tax case. As a result, he was sentenced to prison.

Otherwise, given Dr. Yao's abilities, the "Father Ma" that people jokingly refer to in later generations might have become "Father Yao," or perhaps another "Rich Dong."

In addition, there is a library also known as "Gamez88 Group".

With a unified logo and cover design, and regular updates to its publication number, it has formed a publishing rhythm similar to that of a genuine periodical. It has even launched a companion magazine, "Zangjingge Game Strategy," which provides game previews, strategies, and mail-order catalogs.

This team used compression technology to cram multiple games onto a single disc, along with crack patches and emulators.

The discs are of stable quality, with a failure rate far lower than other pirated discs of the same period. They even have built-in anti-piracy programs. When a non-original disc is detected, the installation progress will get stuck at 1% and a message will pop up saying "You did not buy a GAMEZ88 CDROM, please return the disc".

This CD, which initially enjoyed an excellent reputation, saw a flood of counterfeit versions with fake covers appearing on the market, but the content was far inferior. The Gamez88 team was forced to use technical means to combat their pirate counterparts, creating a "piracy prevention" situation where they had to shut down their competitors.

If Zhang Chen really wanted to start a business, he would definitely go for this kind of boutique model. He would gather the group of people in front of him, including "Zeze" and Jing Qinming. They were all graduates of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, so they had the technology. They only needed a small amount of start-up capital. With his perception of the future, he would have no problem making it big and strong.

If I didn't have my first pot of gold, this wouldn't be a bad option; I could just make my first fortune and then get out. But things are different now that I have money, so it's not worth it. Continuing down this path will only lead to my downfall.

Moreover, piracy has indeed had a significant impact on some games. It's one thing for foreign games to be affected since they don't make much money in China anyway, but high-quality domestic games like "Qin's Legacy" and "Blade & Sword" were on the verge of collapse due to the impact of piracy. This path is indeed somewhat unethical.

Moreover, to put it bluntly, this is at the lower end of the industrial chain, making it easy for them to be attacked from above.

As Bill Gates famously said, "Let them pirate our system; ten years from now, we'll find a way to reap the benefits."

In reality, the cost is much higher.

However, they still enjoyed communicating with Jing Qinming and the others. Not to mention, after interacting with Zhang Chen, they realized that he was not an ordinary high school student at all. Zhang Chen's knowledge, vision, and conversation made them feel that he was not a high school student at all. Sometimes he knew more than them. The group was completely overwhelmed by Zhang Chen's advanced knowledge of gaming computers.

They both felt they had met too late.

While Jing Qinming didn't pursue his passion for programming after graduation, he instead worked assembling computers at a computer store. Xie Yu got a stable job through a family connection, ensuring a secure income regardless of circumstances. Luo Chengyue coasted along at his father's insurance company.

None of them considered themselves insignificant. They even saw Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei as heroes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, destined to conquer the battlefield and achieve great things.

This is a gathering of computer game enthusiasts.

If this were a novel, it would definitely include the line: "Later generations called it the Gathering of the Five Tigers."

(End of this chapter)