Wang Xiang started playing the game "The Legend of Jin Yong" very early on. He met Xiao Bai Meng in the cake shop when the subconscious song incident happened. Guan Yi even stole his car, but this guy wasn't angry at all. Instead, he wanted to associate with Chen Xu and the others even more.
Later, Chen Xu helped Director Wang a lot on several occasions, and Director Wang often praised Chen Xu in front of his son. So, although Wang Xiang did not have much contact with Chen Xu, he really admired this young man who was a few years younger than himself.
Moreover, Wang Xiang had already heard about what happened this afternoon from his father... and what he heard wasn't the kind of news that was being publicized, but that Chen Xu single-handedly took down eleven armed enemies with a sniper rifle!
That's incredibly awesome!
So when Wang Xiang learned that Tian Fang had gotten into a fight with Chen Xu, he almost fainted... Please, don't underestimate him just because he's a student; he's a ruthless killer! Although he understood that Chen Xu wouldn't kill someone so easily, the problem was, who knew if he had been through something that afternoon? What if he got agitated and angry...? Mentally ill people don't face legal consequences for murder, right?
With Wang Xiang mediating, the outcome was far better than if Xu Jiang had interfered. Chen Xu wasn't the type to easily hide his thoughts; in other words, he wasn't very shrewd. This was both a good and a bad thing. Therefore, Xu Jiang noticed Chen Xu's indifferent attitude, but this guy was extremely shrewd and showed no displeasure whatsoever.
This dinner was considered a success, at least on the surface, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves. Chen Xu had a good meal, received a broken stone of unknown origin, and, in his excitement at Wang Dong's return, drank quite a bit of alcohol. In the end, Zhong Ziyu had to carry him back to his place outside the school.
When Chen Xu returned to his room, he was completely drunk and unconscious. Strangely, Guan Yizhanjing and Gao Xiaojie hadn't come to stay that day. In the end, it was Wang Mingmei and Tang Bixuan who helped carry Chen Xu to bed.
Chen Xu hadn't been this drunk in a long time. When he woke up with a splitting headache, it was already past three in the morning.
Chen Xu drank a glass of water, went to the restroom, and found the door next door was closed. He didn't know who was in the next room and didn't want to disturb them. He had several missed text messages on his phone. The first one was from Guan Yi, that vixen: "You don't need to drink so much when you see Boss Wang Dong. I heard about what happened today from Mingmei. Since you handled it well, that's good. Get some rest, see you tomorrow." It was followed by a smiley face emoji. :)
The next message was from Gao Xiaojie: "You big pig head, drunk again? You're still not fully recovered, drink less. Be good, and remember to call me next time you get into a fight."
The next message was from Zhan Jing: "Zhong Ziyu has already told me about your participation in the hacker competition, and I'm willing to join your team. Gao Xiaojie also wants to participate; she's improved a lot, so let's take her along. That makes five people. In the future, drink less and fight less."
The last message was from Gao Xiaojie: "I want to participate in the hacker competition! If you dare not include me, hmph, I'll take nude photos of you while you're sleeping and post them on a gay forum!"
Upon seeing the four text messages, Chen Xu chuckled, a warmth spreading through his heart. These three girls—he realized he truly couldn't live without any of them now.
Guan Yi's understanding nature, Gao Xiaojie's witty charm, and Zhan Jing's tranquil serenity... it was truly difficult for him to choose.
Thinking about what his mother had said about his daughter-in-law today... oh dear, Chen Xu blushed again.
So Chen Xu ran off to take a shower as if to escape, and came back wanting to go back to bed. But after lying in bed, Chen Xu was very upset to find that he couldn't fall asleep!
Ugh! Being unable to sleep in the middle of the night is such a painful thing!
Nobody's causing trouble! Nobody's chatting... Chen Xu sent Gao Xiaojie a text message to wake her up to pee, but there was no response for ages. He called her directly, but her phone was switched off. Ugh, so sad!
As for Guan Yi and Zhan Jing, Chen Xu wouldn't dare to flirt with them like that.
So Chen Xu could only lie on the bed in his underwear, staring blankly, occasionally shifting his position. Hmm, so hard, what is this?
Chen Xu looked down and saw that it was the stone that Tian Fang had given him earlier that day.
Under the white light of the fluorescent lamp, the smooth surface of this black stone quietly reflects a soft, gentle light, possessing a magical quality that calms the mind.
"Could this thing really be a treasure?" Chen Xu had initially thought it was just junk and would be fine with it, but he hadn't expected it to be so valuable. Besides, money meant nothing to him now; millions or even tens of millions were just numbers. But it meant a lot to others. So, after thinking for a moment, Chen Xu raised his left hand and looked at his ever-present watch, Xiao Min, and said, "Xiao Min, can you appraise antiques and gemstones?"
Chapter 216 Cat's Eye Stone
After Xiaomin answered yes, it turned into a black box... not the kind of black box on an airplane, but a small black box. Then she opened the lid and said, "Please put the items that need to be identified into the box."
Chen Xu placed the black stone into the box, and the lid closed automatically. Chen Xu couldn't see how it worked inside. But with Xiao Min's built-in functions, such as infrared and magnetic energy vibration, completing this kind of detection should be a piece of cake.
"According to testing, this gemstone is a cat's-eye mineral with extremely high purity. Carbon-14 dating indicates that the crystal formed approximately 30 million years ago. The data for this gemstone exists in the database on this computer; it is named the Heart of Darkness. It was a token of love from Ottoman Caliph Selim III to his wife, Sofia. This gemstone appeared at an auction in France in 2034, where it ultimately sold for $2.7 million."
That's so expensive!
Two million seven hundred thousand US dollars is not cheap, I didn't expect Tian Fang to give me such a good thing.
However, Tian Fang was mistaken about one thing: this black cat's-eye stone was not a token from Ur Khan to his queen, but rather a token from the later Caliph Selim III to his queen. Coincidentally, both queens were named Sufia, but because Caliph Selim III was not a particularly accomplished monarch in history, his fame is far less than that of Ur Khan.
Simply put, the value of historical ornaments like these lies in two aspects: their intrinsic value and their historical value.
The Imperial Seal of the State is hailed as the supreme national treasure of China because its value in two aspects is unparalleled… The jade is of the finest quality, the legendary He Shi Bi jade, and the seal itself bears witness to almost two thousand years of feudal culture. Therefore, its value in this respect is unimaginable. Caliph Selim III, however, is far less renowned than Ur Khan, a difference akin to the gap between Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the items he collects naturally cannot compare to those of Ur Khan.
Even so, this treasure is still very valuable... If this cat's eye stone was once worn by Cleopatra, or even a token of love given to her by Julius Caesar, then its value would certainly increase tenfold!
That's why there's a joke that goes like this: If the straw sandals Liu Bei made back then were still around today, they wouldn't be as expensive as the glass slippers in fairy tales!
However, the thought of the Imperial Seal of the State made Chen Xu somewhat frustrated. After all, it was a priceless treasure of China. It would be one thing if he didn't know its location at all, but the fact that he knew its exact location yet couldn't find it... was worse than not knowing anything at all!
The Imperial Seal of the State passed from the hands of Genghis Khan's descendants to the hands of the Ottoman Empire, and has remained in circulation to this day. It was eventually obtained by Miwad and his group. Hmm. This black cat's-eye stone is also from the Ottoman Empire… Could there be some connection between the two?
Even Chen Xu himself knew that his idea was illogical, because there were many things left behind by an ancient empire. But Chen Xu's mind was like that of a drowning person who had found a lifeline. Even if he thought it was unlikely, he still wanted to try and investigate.
So Chen Xu asked Xiao Min, "Xiao Min, can you help me check if there was any cat's eye stone in Mivad's memory last time?"
"Okay, this requires careful comparison. Please wait patiently. We will notify you as soon as we have any updates."
"Thank you." Although he knew Xiaomin was just a program, Chen Xu still treated her as a person in many situations. A real, complete person. He also consistently communicated and conversed with Xiaomin in a human way.
"Master, there's something else," Xiaomin suddenly said. "In the past few days, the computer's recovery system restored some of the software. Because you were fully focused on training in the virtual system at the time, it didn't disturb you. Would you like to take a look at this software now?"
What aspects are included?
"The games 'Fantasy Paradise' and 'Virtual Fighting' in the virtual system have been greatly supplemented. 'Virtual Fighting' extends into virtual war simulation, where you can act as a commander to deploy troops, allocate tactics, and personally experience real war scenarios. The software also has the earliest 1.0 PC version, which, although far less powerful than the virtual system, is equally realistic."
Simply put, this thing is a live-action version of Red Alert, but Chen Xu wasn't particularly interested in it.
"The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) 'Conquer the World' has been revived on the PC platform. This game was voted the most popular online game for ten consecutive years, boasting a grand setting and exquisite graphics. After its global open beta launch in 2031, it achieved a peak of 150 million concurrent online users and 40 million stable users, marking a milestone in online gaming. The game is divided into two major systems, East and West, incorporating a wealth of historical and cultural knowledge from both East and West, perfectly embodying the game's educational and entertaining purpose. Furthermore, the game set a world record for both the unit price and total sales of in-game items. In 2034, at an in-game auction, a single item sold for 8.97 million RMB, setting a world record. The game later launched a virtual reality system on the BC platform, directly transferring users to the BC platform, where it remained incredibly popular."
Oh, it's an online game!
Chen Xu doesn't particularly enjoy online games, but that doesn't mean he doesn't play them at all. Back when Legend of Mir was incredibly popular, Chen Xu, even as a little kid, was playing it with great enthusiasm. However, his grades did drop because of playing online games, and his father forbade him from playing, which is why he stopped playing to cultivate his character.
Later, when he went to university, many students were playing games like Fantasy Westward Journey and World of Warcraft, but Chen Xu didn't play any of them. The main reason was that he was too busy; he had too many things to do and no time to play. Xiao An, on the other hand, would go to a dungeon every night at 8 PM sharp—his punctuality was even more tiring than attending classes!
So Chen Xu wasn't particularly interested in this for the time being, and then asked, "Anything else? What else is there?"
"There are also some common processing software, such as the latest media players and some future movies. Didn't you want to watch 'Transformers 2'? I've specially restored the movie files for you, so you can watch the final installment of 'Transformers 7' directly."
Hearing this, Chen Xu couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat again. That's the good thing about computers in the future, but it's also not that great.
Because for future blockbusters and games like these, especially the well-known ones, it's not fun to watch or play alone. For example, Chen Xu played "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4" in advance... This game hasn't been released yet, but it's basically finished.
As a die-hard fan of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, Chen Xu was extremely dissatisfied with the three games that followed. The second game was just a rehash, with Wang Xiaohu as the protagonist. Although the third game had some innovations, the plot was not good. What was even more frustrating was that many of the music and scenes in Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 didn't match at all and sounded very strange. As for the third game's side story, "The Tale of Love and Destiny"... well, it's more appropriate to call it "The Tale of Finding the Way." A maze that took a maze veteran like Chen Xu more than an hour to navigate was incredibly frustrating!
However, Sword and Fairy 4 almost completely broke away from the shadow of the first Sword and Fairy game, creating a completely new story. The story, in terms of both content and emotional entanglements, is refreshing and admirable! Putting aside other aspects, Sword and Fairy 4 transcends the cliché of domestic RPG games where the female protagonist almost always dies in the male protagonist's arms. Instead, the entanglements of gratitude, friendship, and love between the four main characters and the final boss, Xuan Xiao, are just as impactful as, and perhaps even more so than, those plots where the female protagonist dies!
Especially when playing the game "Illusory Realm" and Tianhe and Mengli were about to part ways, the background music was actually the theme music "Butterfly Love" from the first Legend of Sword and Fairy game. At that moment, the feeling of two classic games intertwining, and the complex and intense emotions that came with being a veteran player, almost brought tears to Chen Xu's eyes!
The problem is, Chen Xu can't share such a great game, such an epic game that leaves you with so much to say after playing it... with others!
Because no matter what software he uses, even games from decades in the future, it's fine; people won't know, they'll just think it's SMMH's genius. But how can he possibly bring out the Legend of Sword and Fairy series? Especially since Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 is about to be released.
As a result, Chen Xu almost suffered internal injuries from holding it in!
He had so much to say, a strong urge to get Guan Yizhan, Jing Gao, and Xiao Jie to play the game and discuss it together, a strong urge to post online to resonate with more players… But he couldn't do that, because besides the game development team, only Chen Xu had ever played the game. If he didn't want others to know he was a time traveler, he couldn't even mention it!
This feeling... is really unpleasant!
As the ancients said, is it joy to be alone or joy to share with others, or joy to be sparsely enjoyed?
Chen Xu was enjoying himself all by himself when he realized he was being so happy he was practically an idiot!
So it's the same with Transformers 2 now. He really wants to see it, but what's the point? He can only have a good laugh by himself. It's meaningless. Life like that is so boring.
"Anything else?"
"That's all for now. I'll let you know if there are any other software programs available."
Chen Xu hummed in agreement, and Xiao Min continued, "However, during your training these past few days, you were instructed not to let SMMH matters disturb you, so there have been many messages on your communicator that I haven't informed you of. You can deal with them now."
Chapter 217 The Results of the Great Deception
Chen Xu then remembered that, in order to reduce MH's influence on this matter, he had kept that identity hidden for a while. He had only asked Hao Aiguo to send a few bulletproof vests to the students, and later, because Chen Xu was busy training in the virtual reality world, he didn't have time to deal with these trivial matters. He figured there must be many people trying to contact him through his communicator by now.
The security of this communicator is beyond doubt, so Chen Xu doesn't need to worry about being tracked by others at all.
He swaggered onto the communicator, and sure enough, there were quite a few messages.
Several messages came from Organization X, which expressed its deepest gratitude to MH. Apparently, they had made a breakthrough in their research on a drug... Well, Chen Xu smiled strangely. It was quite normal to want to research something based on the script of that century-old scam, but in the end, they would find that everything they had done before was in vain.
Let me briefly explain this century's biggest scam.
This century's biggest hoax didn't actually start out as a hoax. It was created by many well-known scientists who studied theology and then applied it to their respective disciplines.
What they mean is to use science to explain myths, and to use science to create gods!
These scientists have gathered a great deal of evidence… such as the simplest, and now universally accepted, legend of the Great Flood. The myths of various cultures around the world record the legendary Great Flood. For example, the Chinese tale of Yu the Great controlling the floods, and the Western tale of Noah's Ark. Scientists believe that the transmission of these myths actually stems from the fact that human ancestors encountered the end of the Ice Age, when global glaciers melted and sea levels rose, causing a great flood that was thus created and passed down as myths to this day.
This is a typical example of using science to explain mythology.
Of course, there are many more.
However, the goal of this century's grand hoax is not to trace history or recreate the myths of the past. Because these researchers are mostly experts in physics, biology, chemistry, and other fields—they are not historians! Their aim is not to reconstruct a true history of human development, but to use their knowledge to recreate a legendary, mythical era!
For example, the source of divine power, why do legendary angels have wings... In fact, these things can theoretically be achieved through genetic modification.
You should know that countless segments of the human genome have not yet been deciphered, and the difference between men and women is simply due to a single chromosome!
There's also brain development, the legendary forbidden zone of God... and so on. These are all research targets of this century's biggest hoax.
Admittedly, they've come up with some really fun things.
For example, this shocking hoax described a fuel. Just a few drops of a highly concentrated liquid, mixed with water, could turn into gasoline… This is a classic example of pseudoscience: water-to-oil conversion.
There are countless fake news stories about turning water into oil, and some even claim that gasoline can be made from discarded plastic bags... etc., all of which have been proven to be pseudoscience and complete hoaxes.
However, in this astonishing scam, turning water into oil is indeed possible. Yes, the high-concentration fuel concentrate produced this way, when mixed with water, can indeed make a car run. But!
After driving it, the car's engine was completely destroyed.
This is a typical example of research that has no practical use!
This is the real reason why this seemingly outrageous scam is called a scam.
Because of the things these crazy scientists researched. They had a lot of achievements, and they even believed that these achievements were enough to change the history of human development... But as time went on, it turned out that these achievements were completely useless.
That's right, it's useless!
It's tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw it away.
Take, for example, the simple invention of turning water into oil. The raw material is so expensive that it can only be produced in laboratories, and it causes irreversible damage to engines. How can such a thing be made widespread?
There's also the legendary art of alchemy. The simplest method involves bombardment, which removes protons from metals, turning them into gold. But the problem is that this kind of gold is incredibly expensive—ten or even a hundred times more expensive than ordinary gold!