Chapter 67: What on Earth! What Is This?

Three hundred thousand!

In less than four days, the game had sold three hundred thousand copies!

After seeing these staggering figures, Liu Ruohan didn’t know what to say.

The numbers were still skyrocketing…

Was he about to create a legend that no one could ever surpass?

She sat there for a long time, still unable to process it.

She opened her computer.

The entertainment sections were completely flooded with news about “Common Jasmine Orange”. On every major music platform and Soudu Music, “Common Jasmine Orange” had already claimed the top spot!

“Shocking! Zhang Yang has blossomed!”

“Shocking! Zhou Yang and Zhang Yang, they actually…”

“He is actually a songwriter! The viral hit came from his hands!”

“A young man who didn’t even graduate high school wrote such an incredible hit song…”

“Is a legend of single-player gaming about to be born?”

“…”

Amidst the sea of “Common Jasmine Orange” posts across the screen, Zhang Yang’s name was everywhere.

In disbelief, Liu Ruohan opened the credits for “Common Jasmine Orange”!

She saw the composer’s name written clearly: “Zhang Yang.”

Has this guy literally activated some kind of cheat code?

………………………………

Magic City.

Inside a study within a villa, rows of books like “Sunshine” and “Like a Dream” were lined up on the shelves.

The author of these books was Ming Han¹.

He had found fame at a young age, basking in glory as the idol author for a generation of youth. But nowadays, when people spoke of him, they often attached labels like “rebellious,” “restless,” “cancerous,” or “misfit.”

Ever since the last episode of “Today” aired, he had been swept up in endless controversy online.

On the show, he had been like a lonely island, facing countless alienating stares. He was shy; he occasionally argued for himself without backing down, but in the end, he was drowned out by a multitude of voices.

While many people used sharp tongues to criticize him, they would simultaneously praise another girl, a piano prodigy.

Compared to that girl…

He, huddled in the corner, seemed like the “bad student,” the “side character with no future,” the “outcast to be punished and ridiculed.”

To this day, he could clearly recall every scene from that program.

It felt cold.

But then again…

It was just a cold feeling. People who walked their own path in this world were bound to face endless controversy.

“This song is really beautiful!”

At this moment, he was in his study, listening to “Common Jasmine Orange.”

He was deeply intoxicated by it, obsessed with the melody and the atmosphere it created.

Afterward, he started listening to other songs.

When the song “Dream Chaser” began to play…

Ming Han saw the music video.

Accompanied by Zhou Yang’s beautiful vocals, Ming Han saw a cramped, shabby room where ordinary young men in cheap clothes were working desperately in front of bulky, old-fashioned monitors.

“Hello everyone, my name is Zhao Hang. I’m from Shenyang… I’ve had polio since I was very young. I have a dream, and that’s to make a game that gets players all over the world excited!”

He saw a young man with a slight physical disability who had difficulty walking, leaning toward the camera and forcing a bright smile.

“My name is Zhong… Zhong Chong…wen. I’m! A stutterer… I ha-have a dream…” A young man wearing glasses struggled to finish a complete sentence, looking both excited and restless.

“My name is Wu Zhuang, I’m from the Northeast. Does dreaming of making money to marry a wife count?” Wu Zhuang, a burly man from the Northeast, chuckled at the camera before rubbing his hands together sheepishly.

“My name is Ge Yumiao! I want to become a world-class Game Planner, oh yeah!” Ge Yumiao made an excited gesture.

“My name is Sun Lili, I… I just joined the company, I… I will work hard!” A girl’s face turned beet red.

“…”

“…”

“My name is Zhang Yang. Our story is only just beginning!”

This was a group of young people, green and inexperienced, yet bursting with vitality.

They were in a dilapidated house.

Striving and fighting for their dreams!

Ming Han looked at Zhang Yang.

He suddenly felt that this person was, in a sense, very much like himself.

Controversial, also didn’t attend university, equally stubborn… well, at least he felt Zhang Yang was an incredibly stubborn person!

“Our story is only just beginning!”

That sentence echoed in his mind.

He suddenly felt that he was no longer alone.

“They are on their way!”

“I am on my way too!”

“My story is also only just beginning!”

He logged onto his social media account.

He wrote a passage on his page:

“He has endured the darkest, coldest polar night…”

“The hardships he has walked through must have been heartbreaking!”

“When endurance reaches its limit, there are surely times when the light cannot be seen!”

“Full of talent, yet ignored and misunderstood!”

“Others dismissed him, thought he couldn’t do it, thought he was trash!”

“He is bound to show everyone, bound to prove it to them all!”

“Congratulations to him! Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Yang! And thank you, Mr. Zhang Yang!”

“His story has just begun, and my story has just begun as well!”

“…”

He took a screenshot of Zhang Yang’s words from the music video and set it as his computer wallpaper.

He checked the time.

It was eight o’clock in the evening.

To the shock of his parents, he left his study and turned on the television.

Zhejiang TV’s “Today” was officially starting its broadcast.

This had once been the program that caused him the most pain, the thing he was least willing to face.

He had been ridiculed there. Young people are proud; being subjected to mockery and misunderstanding is inevitably painful and leads to self-doubt.

This was the darkness he didn’t want to face.

For a long time, he hadn’t even dared to touch the remote or go near the TV.

But now, he desperately wanted to see what this program was going to say, and he desperately wanted to know what Zhang Yang intended to do!

The program began shortly after!

This episode was titled “Opium and the Internet Age².”

The title was as provocative and eye-catching as ever.

As the show opened…

The production team conducted several undercover investigations into internet cafes.

In many of these establishments, minors were still found surfing the web. Even worse, the computers in private booths displayed sordid scenes of men and women stripping and brawling…

“Games are addictive. They have no business existing in this era!”

“My child is addicted to games. He used to be a great student, always in the top five of his class. But ever since he got hooked on games, his grades have plummeted. He’s been ruined by them!”

“Mine too!”

“I believe ninety percent of juvenile delinquents are the result of playing games. Just look at the games out there now, like Beat the Grass Mud Horse… is that something a normal person would play?”

“This Zhang Yang person, I think he’s just an opportunist!”

“…”

In the snippets of interview footage, Ming Han saw a barrage of negative news regarding video games.

There were also countless parents speaking ill of Zhang Yang…

They used tones of righteous fury to condemn him.

Suddenly, Ming Han felt a strange sense of shared experience.

Until!

The interview moved to the home of Su Bin, an elderly teacher from Hangzhou No. 1 High School…

And the God of Conquest appeared on screen…

Time ticked by.

Ming Han watched Su Bin’s expression shift from disdain and resistance to curiosity, then to wonder, and finally to utter disbelief…

It was the most authentic portrayal captured on camera!

He suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction!

It was a sense of validation—the feeling of being misunderstood, only to be finally recognized after someone truly engaged with the subject.

He felt that same resonance!

Then…

After the interview with Su Bin’s family concluded, the camera cut to Yanjing.

It shifted to the office building of the new company, Universe Technology!

On the television, Ming Han saw the building ablaze with lights…

As the elevator slowly ascended, Ming Han could faintly hear the cheers and excitement of the young people inside…

Then he saw Zhang Yang!

He saw Zhang Yang’s solo interview.

“I don’t know what went wrong…”

“I’ve always felt that everyone is under a misconception, thinking that games are a product of the modern era…”

“But in reality, games have existed since primitive society. They are a reflection of human social progress…”

“They are a form of solace amidst grueling labor, a way to relax the mind…”

“Eagle Catches Chickens³, Drop the Handkerchief⁴—can you say those aren’t games?”

“Running, jumping rope, the high jump—these athletic activities are competitive. So, why aren’t games considered a form of competition?”

“It’s just that the medium has changed. They’ve moved from reality onto the computer…”

“When we face them, we act as if we’re facing a flood or a savage beast. We feel that once someone is tainted by them, they’re finished!”

“But…”

“I want everyone to know that while they may have had negative impacts, they aren’t entirely harmful. It all depends on how we guide people…”

“Maxim Gorky once said: Play is the way children know the world in which they live and which they are destined to change!”

“…”

“…”

“Perhaps many people don’t understand right now, or find it hard to grasp, but please, leave all of this to time!”

During the interview, Zhang Yang spoke at length to the camera.

Though his voice rose and fell with emotion, every word seemed to carry an undeniable weight of authority.

Yet his expression remained very calm.

He didn’t try to whitewash games, nor did he go out of his way to beautify them…

He spoke as if he were simply stating facts.

Even though Ming Han had never heard a single one of the famous quotes Zhang Yang cited.

“Well said!”

That didn’t stop him from standing up to applaud and cheer for Zhang Yang!

The program…

Came to an end as the credits rolled.

He pulled back the curtains.

In the night sky, the stars were scattered everywhere.

They were so brilliant and beautiful.

The grand ambitions in Zhang Yang’s music video had swept away all his previous gloom!

He suddenly began to shout and yell at the top of his lungs toward the distance!

He startled a chorus of barking dogs, which was followed by a barrage of cursing from downstairs and the sound of a child crying.

But he just laughed out loud.

Fine then, let’s compete!

That piano girl!

No…

Why should I compete with you?

You were never the one I was measuring myself against!

Zhang Yang’s story was magnificent!

It was as if a certain spirit was inspiring him.

And soon!

His own story would be just as magnificent!

That piano girl was merely a piece of insignificant scenery along the way.

“Exactly! Games shouldn’t be treated like some kind of monster. Many parents are just irresponsible; they can’t blame that on games!”

“Right! And I admit many internet cafe owners allow minors in just to make money, but that’s no reason to say games shouldn’t exist. They shouldn’t be the scapegoat for juvenile delinquency…”

“I just looked up some data. Most juvenile delinquents come from divorced single-parent homes or families where they’re raised by grandparents… Parents are just looking for excuses for their own failed education. They never think about their own personal failings or why their children ended up like that!”

“Family factors are crucial. Games are just an outlet for them…”

“Also, I keep hearing that the post-90s generation is a ‘lost generation,’ but which era didn’t have its share of lost people?”

“…”

“…”

Once the episode of Today aired, a massive wave of gaming discussion swept across the internet!

Countless young people reposted Zhang Yang’s words on Tieba, and various screenshots began to go viral…

It was as if they could finally hold their heads high, venting thoughts they had kept bottled up for years.

The front pages of every major gaming Tieba were filled with Zhang Yang’s statements and quotes.

At the same time, the trend spread to many pop music forums as well.

In the span of a single night…

The search volume for the name Zhang Yang reached a staggering three million hits, skyrocketing into the top ten trending terms on the Soudu⁵ charts!

What was more, the numbers were still surging!

For a time, he eclipsed the trending topics of numerous celebrities, nearly catching up to Zhou Yang himself.

…

Universe Technology!

“Three hundred and fifty thousand!”

“Three hundred and seventy thousand!”

“Four hundred thousand!”

“Holy crap!”

“…”

Ge Yumiao, Zhong Chongwen, and the others felt as if their blood was boiling.

They watched as the download numbers for God of Conquest went absolutely viral.

With every blink of an eye, it felt as though they were witnessing the birth of a legend.

Meanwhile, Sun Lili was at the front desk, answering one call after another.

The reception line was ringing off the hook!

Countless reporters were asking to visit the following day, and many had even rushed over that very night, standing guard at the base of the office building.

Sun Lili finally caught a break when the phones quieted down for a moment, and she glanced toward the private office.

Zhang Yang had brought a middle-aged man and a younger man into the office, and they had been talking for a long time.

She had no idea what they were discussing.

…

Inside the office.

“I need some information. Mr. Tong, I want you to head to the States and see if they have the Apple phone over there, or something similar… Mr. Tang Lei, let me see the phone you’ve assembled.”

Amidst the clamor of this grand era.

Zhang Yang took a freshly assembled mobile phone from the middle-aged man.

Once the device powered on, he fell into deep thought.

Then…

After confirming that this world did indeed have the Apple phone, his eyes lit up!

“How about we call this phone the Pineapple phone⁶ for now?”

“The what?”

“America has Apple, Huaxia has Pineapple!”

“Or we could call it the Phelps Waterproof Phone⁷. A professional machine—it’s just better!”

“…”

“When the time comes, we’ll market the phones and the games together! I’ll run advertisements for the phone inside the game.”

“Don’t feel embarrassed about it now. Seizing the market is what matters most!”

“We could even call it the Dalang phone. The startup screen could be: ‘Dalang, it’s time for your medicine⁸,’ with a bit of background music!”

In the office…

Tong Wei and the middle-aged man felt completely numb.

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes