Similarly, the stunning animations and near-perfect characters make players feel that the characters in this game truly match the images of Jin Yong's characters in their imagination.
SMMH has once again become a hot topic, with mainstream media now calling him a "god hidden behind the internet." Because ask any programmer, and they'll tell you that every field is a different world. Even Kevin Mitnick, with his formidable knowledge of computer hardware and software, is already impressive. SMMH's hacking skills are beyond question, but the fact that he could create software for developing games… everyone knows that. Luckily, the software was automatically uninstalled within a month; otherwise, if it had been leaked…
Then all game companies should just shut down!
Players' DIY products can be more exquisite than the painstaking works of major game companies. Isn't this cutting off people's livelihood?
Therefore, game companies all over the world have awe and gratitude towards SMMH, grateful for the one-month time limit, otherwise they would really have had to go out of business.
As for those from other industries, no one dared to utter any more nonsense at this point, because who knows what else this guy might do?
However, many people who are interested in finding SMMH directly define SMMH as a group or organization, rather than an individual.
Experts have discovered that the game's graphics, character models, and other visual elements exhibit a wide variety of styles. While it's possible for one person to be proficient in countless art styles, such a possibility is highly unlikely.
There were actually quite a few people interested in this software. Hexie University received a message that XX Company was willing to donate 100 high-configuration computers to the computer interest group, but they had to take back the computers they were no longer using.
This company was actually just a shell company, but it did have a hundred brand-new, high-end computers. It was formed after discussions among several major game companies, with the aim of trying to find fragments of that software by recovering the hard drive. Unfortunately, their efforts were all in vain. SMMH used some unknown technique—the hard drive wasn't even formatted, and the computer management information still contained usage records of the software—but no matter how they tried to recover it, nothing could be found!
It's as if that software never existed...
Ultimately, these game software companies had no choice but to give up, their awe of SMMH's terrifying technology only growing stronger...
Chapter 70 December
For the next month, Chen Xu, Gao Xiaojie, and others spent their time busy.
Interviews with major media outlets, meetings with school leaders, and then a special program on the local TV station—one or two of us, all made up and dressed up like human beings, sat in a studio, making me feel like a monkey in a zoo.
However, there are advantages too. First of all, fame is a given... For this generation of college students, fame is not a bad thing. They can enjoy the attention of others and hear people whispering, "Hey, he's one of the developers of 'The Legend of Jin Yong: Rebirth,' I know him!"
This feeling is so good!
The feeling of becoming famous isn't actually like the terrifying monster depicted in many online novels, where the protagonists are all low-key and afraid to show their faces. For young people aged 18 or 19, in the prime of their lives, who doesn't want to be more outstanding than their peers and enjoy the attention of others?
So although it was tiring, overall it felt like a bittersweet experience.
This time, the students had made such a name for themselves, bringing great honor to the school. Overjoyed, the school reimbursed the tens of thousands of yuan in food expenses, and the school leaders even hosted a special banquet for the students, treating them to a delicious meal at the prestigious International Hotel.
There were quite a few school leaders present this time. In the words of their counselor, Mr. Chen, even he was never qualified to sit and dine with so many school leaders before. However, being in a large private room with the leaders always felt uncomfortable. He didn't dare to drink too much alcohol, afraid of accidentally saying the wrong thing. He also didn't dare to light a cigarette, and could only sneak off to the restroom to smoke.
However, there were some advantages. For lower-year students like Chen Xu, it meant extra points for scholarships. For some seniors preparing for graduate school entrance exams, it was a great opportunity to build relationships with the school's leaders and professors... Unsurprisingly, once these graduate school applicants passed the competition, they were recognized by the professors during the subsequent interviews, and getting into graduate school became a natural outcome.
The most famous are not Chen Xu, but Gao Xiaojie and Guan Yi.
As the game's planner, Gao Xiaojie naturally attracts a lot of attention. Her appearance is already striking, petite and endearing, so when her photos were posted online, they caused countless "wolf howls."
Guan Yi's performance was even more exaggerated. Although she wasn't involved in the game's development, her stunning jump and dashing figure amazed the players present. After the photos were posted online, she caused an even bigger sensation than Gao Xiaojie, becoming a fanatical idol hailed as a showgirl comparable to Ding Beili. Reportedly, many advertising companies also wanted to discuss advertising opportunities with her.
This turmoil lasted for a long time, and by the time it gradually subsided, it was already December.
During this period, Chen Xu's father's pharmaceutical sales also entered a stable phase, with current orders being quite low. However, the money he had already earned was enough to make Chen Xu's father beam with joy. He then heard that Chen Xu had recently participated in the production and distribution of a game… because he was also a Jin Yong fan, he downloaded and played the game and found it quite good. Upon hearing that his son had been involved in its development, he immediately became incredibly excited, shouting and telling everyone he met about it. When Chen Xu recounted the game's development process, mentioning that he and another girl had covered the food expenses, Chen Xu's father felt his son was very loyal, reminiscent of his own youthful spirit. Although the school later reimbursed that expense, he still transferred another 500,000 yuan to Chen Xu's account, saying they could use it later if needed.
Upon seeing the photos of game creator Gao Xiaojie and Zhan Jing, Chen Xu's father excitedly exclaimed, "Son, are these all your classmates? And is that fairy from last time one too?" I replied, "Son, I think all three are quite nice. Why don't you bring them all back?"
Then Chen Xu just stood there speechlessly looking up at the sky, while his dad was being pinched by his mom and yelling "Aww!"
There is a very important holiday in December... Of course, this holiday is not important to Chen Xu, but for girls, December 25th, or more precisely, the evening of the 24th, is a very important day.
As someone once said, for women, the three most important days of the year are their birthday, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. Although having two foreign holidays here might be a bit off-putting, there's nothing we can do about it... It's not that girls are obsessed with foreign things; it's just that many people around them celebrate these two holidays, so it's just a matter of joining in the fun.
Chen Xu is now struggling with how to spend this day.
Honestly, if it were just him, there wouldn't be much to say about the day; it would probably have been the same as usual, just staying in his dorm room. But the problem is, looking at his phone, there were at least ten text messages asking if he was free that night… all from girls!
Chen Xu's appearance wasn't exactly handsome; at best, he was the kind of person who wasn't unpleasant to look at, but rather ordinary. However, his nickname, "Chen the Half-Immortal," was incredibly popular, and coupled with the previous gaming incident, it was difficult for him to avoid being famous at school. Furthermore, many people knew that Chen Xu's father was the developer of the "rabies killer" drug, making this previously unknown figure a highly sought-after individual in many people's eyes…because he was rich.
Chen Xu was quite disgusted by girls who held such thoughts. Although there was nothing wrong with it, he didn't want to let his feelings be tainted by utilitarian motives. At this moment, he thought of Guan Yizhanjing and Gao Xiaojie—one alluring, one quiet, and one flamboyant. He always felt very peaceful when he was with the three of them.
However, these three people definitely wouldn't take the initiative to ask him out, so Chen Xu scratched his head and sent Guan Yi a text message: "Hey girl, how many people are asking you out on Christmas Eve?"
Guan Yi quickly replied: "Sir, I'm so busy deleting text messages that my hands are sore, I almost deleted yours too. By the way, I have a lot of chocolates that the livestock brought over, want to finish them off together?"
Chen Xu smiled upon seeing the message. Being with Guan Yi was always relaxing; this woman was very good at talking, not only able to withstand jokes but also willing to play along. He remembered that time at the gym, when they were discussing movies, the conversation inevitably drifted to horror films, so Chen Xu asked Guan Yi if she was scared. Guan Yi said no. Chen Xu then asked, "Aren't you afraid of cockroaches and rats?" Guan Yi said no, there were plenty of cockroaches and rats in the dorm, weren't there?
So Chen Xu said he particularly despised women like you who weren't afraid of anything. How could men show off their bravery in front of you? Don't you know about the movie theaters and hotels near the school? Horror movies are more popular than porn. Porn is too direct and will scare girls away, but watching horror movies together is fine. When girls are scared, it can even help to get closer... When you watch horror movies, should I snuggle into your arms or lean on my shoulder?
Then Guan Yi said that it depends on the occasion. If I were really with my boyfriend, I would pretend to be scared and snuggle into his arms if there was thunder.
So Chen Xu replied, "Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve? I've been too busy this past month and haven't had time to practice. How much of that routine have you practiced?"
"I've gotten stuck on the forty-seventh move, so I'll just have to familiarize myself with the ones I already know. What, you want to ask me out?"
"Who would want to?" Chen Xu stubbornly insisted, "I'm just asking out of concern as a friend. I get invited by so many people, do you think I can't find someone?"
"Hehe, but no one here is as pretty as me, right?"
Chen Xu scoffed and replied, "You're way too narcissistic, aren't you?"
Guan Yi was laughing so hard he was doubled over. They could have easily called each other; text messages cost 10 cents each, while phone calls cost 20 cents a minute. Putting aside whether they cared about the cost, calling was definitely cheaper. But they both really enjoyed texting; there was a special feeling between them.
"So-so, third in Hexie University. Women are always a little narcissistic, or to put it nicely, confident."
Chen Xu was speechless and said, "Sister, I really feel like throwing up. Looks like I have to punish you. So let's do this: treat me to dinner on Christmas Eve!"
"That's so rude! How can you let a girl pay? If I'm treating, what are you going to treat me to?"
"I'll treat you to karaoke. By the way, I've never heard you sing before."
Actually, Chen Xu didn't have any particular thoughts; he just felt that Guan Yi was the girl he could chat with the most, so he just wanted to pass the time.
Guan Yi chuckled and replied, "Okay. But I heard there's a perverted man who slits throats lately, so you'll have to protect me."
"Come on!" Chen Xu knew this woman's abilities perfectly well. The others probably only saw her gracefully leap down from the two-meter-high platform, like a swift goose, but he knew this woman had learned a great deal since childhood. Besides dance and musical instruments, she had also learned self-defense techniques for women, and supposedly even had several dan and belt levels in karate. Now, with this new set of moves, her strength, agility, and flexibility had greatly increased. Before he entered virtual combat, two or three of him might not be enough to defeat her!
However, this perverted throat-slitting man is indeed quite horrific. He first appeared around mid-November, wandering around busy pedestrian streets and other places frequented by girls. He would quietly approach girls from behind and slash their throats with a razor blade. So far, five girls have been victimized, all of them quite pretty and with good figures. This has caused quite a stir in the city, but the problem is that this guy is extremely cunning; no one has ever seen his true face. The police's wanted poster only has a two-second clip of him walking by captured by a single CCTV camera at the China Merchants Bank, making it impossible to see his true face clearly, except that he appears to be a man…
So Chen Xu replied, "Sure, I'll protect you, brother. How about this? I heard there's a 10,000 yuan reward for this bounty. You lure him out, and we'll catch him together and split the reward, how about that?"
Guan Yi chuckled and replied, "It's settled then."
Chapter 71 The Date
Christmas Eve.
Chen Xu has always felt that the real Christmas should be the 26th, not the 25th, at least for Chinese people. However, Christmas Eve sounds nice, and praying for peace on Christmas Eve is probably something many people hope for.
The 24th happened to be a Tuesday. The afternoon class was originally a lab class, but there was no time to go after the lab class. So Chen Xu had lunch with Guan Yi in the cafeteria, and then they went to the city's most bustling pedestrian street in the afternoon.
Most medium to large cities have a famous commercial street, such as Nanjing Road in Shanghai and Wangfujing in Beijing. These commercial streets generally do not allow vehicles to pass through; both sides are lined with shops, primarily selling clothing, making them a favorite among women.
Some say that if you want to see beautiful women in a city, you have to go to its pedestrian street, squat down at the intersection, and wow, especially in summer. Just a glance upwards and you'll feel a fragrant breeze, and a casual glance will reveal fair arms and beautiful legs. The scenery is so beautiful... basically, all the so-called "eighteen scenic spots" can't compare to this kind of man-made scenery.
Chen Xu and Guan Yi are now sitting in the KFC on the pedestrian street, eating fries and looking at beautiful women.
The two found a seat by the window, next to a huge floor-to-ceiling window offering a clear view of the beautiful women passing by. However, to Chen Xu's dismay, because it was already late December and the weather was dry and cold, the women were all bundled up. Everywhere he looked, there were trench coats. While it's true that beautiful women look good in anything, there's a significant difference between a trench coat and a dress. Chen Xu stared for a long time but couldn't find a single glimpse of fair, white thigh, and vented his frustration on the Orleans-style chicken wings in front of him.
"Hey, hey, hey." Guan Yi glared at him and said, "I'm sitting right in front of you, a beautiful and delicate woman, and you're not even looking at me? Are you trying to have your cake and eat it too?"
Chen Xu munched on a chicken wing and said, "Hey beautiful lady, I think you've been looking at me way too much. It wouldn't hurt to glance at me a little less."
However, despite saying that, Chen Xu didn't actually have the courage to look.
This vixen was dressed incredibly stylishly today, truly deserving of the description "radiantly beautiful." She wore a long black trench coat over a high-necked, form-fitting top, and a necklace hung high on her chest, making it impossible to look away. She wore a short skirt over tights and black knee-high leather boots. Her once straight hair had been permed, and she wore light makeup, looking utterly alluring, like Medusa.
And because the KFC was air-conditioned and quite hot, the woman took off her coat and placed it on the chair. Her dark, tight-fitting sweater perfectly accentuated her stunning figure. In the half hour the two of them sat there, not to mention the admiring glances from the men around them, at least three people accidentally knocked over the table and twisted their ankles just from staring at this gorgeous woman!
With such a monstrous beauty, how could Chen Xu dare to stare at her?
Guan Yi didn't know if he understood what Chen Xu was thinking, so he wasn't angry after hearing what Chen Xu said. He just sat there chuckling without saying a word.
Chen Xu looked at a few more beautiful women and then said, "These high-top leather boots are quite popular this year, aren't you cold wearing skirts in the middle of winter?"
Guan Yi rolled her eyes at him and said, "You men can prioritize style over warmth, so why can't women care more about their appearance? Besides, aren't you wearing tights? They're quite thick, like thermal underwear, and you're not cold." After a pause, the woman added, "And what's so special about that? When I went to Japan, I saw women there who were completely fearless. In freezing temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius, I was bundled up in a down jacket and didn't dare go out, but they were all wearing short skirts, or at most knee-high cotton socks, with their thighs completely exposed, and they didn't seem to mind the cold."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu perked up and asked, "You've been to Japan? What were you there for?"
Guan Yi rolled his eyes and said he was going to be a human bomb. He originally wanted to blow up the Yasukuni Shrine, but he didn't end up going in.
The two laughed together, then Chen Xu frowned and said, "Aren't women a bit too scary? They can't risk their lives just to look pretty, can they? Wearing so little in this cold weather, aren't they afraid of dying?"
Guan Yi said seriously, "Then you don't understand women. It's not just Japan that dresses like this now; some girls in China are doing it too. You know, this kind of out-of-season clothing is very eye-catching. Some girls don't care about anything else just to attract attention; they just want to get noticed." Then Guan Yi said, "Actually, I also think this is pretty silly. Those Japanese girls wear this in the freezing cold, their thighs get sore from the cold that they all have to go get the fluid drained in the spring. Plus, kneeling is popular in many parts of Japan, which is quite harmful, causing many to develop bowlegs. Basically, when they get older, they'll all have rheumatoid arthritis, and they'll be suffering for the rest of their lives!"
Chen Xu laughed and said that if there were a drug that could treat rheumatoid arthritis, it would definitely sell like hotcakes in Japan.
Guan Yi said, "Forget it, if that's the case, there will be even more girls who would risk their lives for beauty."
The two chatted casually for a while, and Chen Xu discovered that this woman was incredibly talkative. She seemed to know a lot, from the 2006 World Cup to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from Jin Yong novels to Faye Wong and Li Yapeng's relationship—they could connect seemingly unrelated topics. What Chen Xu found even more appealing was that this woman wasn't like some girls who were eager to show off and constantly interrupted to express their differing opinions. Even when she disagreed, she would patiently listen until he finished speaking, and then the two would discuss it calmly.
This feeling is quite good.
After chatting casually for a while, their conversation naturally drifted to Guan Yi's identity. Chen Xu was very curious: what kind of family could raise such a charming girl? Chen Xu had always known that this girl came from a very good family and should be quite wealthy, as evidenced by the fact that she had her own invoice book. However, just how wealthy was she? That was what Chen Xu was very curious about.
However, Guan Yi only briefly touched on the topic, saying that her family was quite wealthy, and that was all. Chen Xu was a sensible person; seeing that she didn't want to elaborate, he didn't press the matter further.
After eating and drinking to fill their stomachs, the two went to the "Happy Hometown" KTV next door and booked a private room... However, the name of the room was quite ambiguous, because the waitress saw that there were two of them, a man and a woman, and strongly recommended a "couple's room".
Whether they are lovers or not, even the two of them probably can't say for sure.
Nominally, these two are far from being a couple, but honestly, it doesn't make much sense for a lone man and woman to go out on a date and go shopping together on a special day like Christmas Eve... But is this a date?
Just now at KFC, Chen Xu asked this vixen, "Girl, do you think we're on a date?"
Then the fairy rolled her eyes at him and said, "What do you think?" Before Chen Xu could answer, Guan Yi said, "Basically, none of the guys who ask me out have ever taken me to KFC for a date."
Chen Xu was a little embarrassed and asked, "Where do you go on dates?"
Guan Yi thought for a moment and said, "We mostly eat at Western restaurants and hotels, and for tea, we usually go to places like Shangdao Coffee. When ordering food, we basically just order the most expensive items, regardless of whether they taste good or not. To be honest, I feel there's not much difference between eating shark fin and eating vermicelli. Bird's nest and the like don't taste as good as roadside barbecue and spicy hot pot. Shangdao Coffee is pretty good, much better than instant coffee, although it's not authentic Blue Mountain coffee. But the cheapest pot costs over a hundred yuan, and it feels like it weighs two pounds, but a pound and a half is the weight of the pot..."
They laughed again. Actually, Chen Xu didn't really think it could be called a date. He always believed that dating was only between boyfriends and girlfriends, but the problem was that his relationship with Guan Yi was rather ambiguous; it definitely couldn't be called a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Although this vixen seemed to treat him somewhat differently, Chen Xu knew all too well that Liu Lingtian was a beautiful trap. From her words, it was clear that countless poor men had fallen into it, and Chen Xu didn't want to be one of them.
They entered the couple's private room, which featured a long sofa, a coffee table, and a bar. The screen was projected, and it looked quite nice. So Chen Xu honestly and without hesitation went to select a song. As usual, the first song he chose was Eason Chan's "Ten Years," his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to clear his throat.
Chen Xu was quite confident in his singing voice. Although he hadn't formally practiced and couldn't hit very high notes, it was enough for most pop songs. Seeing Guan Yi's somewhat surprised expression, Chen Xu felt a surge of satisfaction. However, the woman's next words immediately dampened his enthusiasm. She said, "You sang quite well, didn't you? To be honest, I was mentally prepared for a tough afternoon with a male duck!"
Chen Xu broke out in a cold sweat and protested, "Hey, you can't say that! Am I really that worthless? Also, don't use the word 'duck' to describe men, it's easy to cause misunderstandings!"
Guan Yi laughed heartily, his body trembling with laughter. Since the air conditioning was on in the private room, the woman had taken off her coat, and her curvaceous figure made Chen Xu's heart pound wildly. He wanted to look but dared not, so he could only look at the screen and continue singing, though he was already off-key.
Guan Yi could easily see his embarrassed expression. After laughing for a while, the woman suddenly asked, "Hey, do you think I'm pretty?"