Chapter 3 - Xi Cheng Falling in Love – Part 2
Xi Cheng squatted under building 2 of the residential community, smoking and checking his watch – Three minutes till seven. He sprints toward his motorcycle, and takes off his fur coat to reveal a clean and luxurious suit. His mother’s jaw almost dropped to the floor when Xi Cheng left the home in this suit. She eyed Xi Cheng suspiciously: “You didn’t even dress this nicely when we arranged that date with Xiao Hui, what are you doing today?”
Xi Cheng: “I’m going to visit a patient, so I gotta keep clean, right?
Mom is even more suspicious, this kid is scared of blood and needles since a child, he’d scream like a pig about to be killed just from going near hospitals, how could he visit a patient? She said: “Xi Cheng, not only is Xiao Hui Minister Wang’s daughter, she is also pretty and thoughtful, you can’t let her down!”
Xi Cheng is now getting annoyed: “Mom, stop bothering me. There is nothing between me and her, just you adults trying to pull strings. Besides, dad is the vice minister, think about what people would think if he tries to establish ties with the minister in this way.
Mom: “Why you! What are you saying – The adults really think you two are a good match, even Minister Wang praised that you two looks like the perfect couple together!”
Xi Cheng replied as he ran out the door: “Just go rest, mom. I will take care of my own things.”
Xi Cheng’s mom held her hand to her chest as she complained: “This kid, he will be the death of me one day!”
Seven-o-clock has finally arrived. Jing’Er came down the building dressed neatly, she even put on light makeup. She took a look left and right, and did not see anyone. Perhaps she was disappointed, perhaps some other reason, she let out a long sigh. Just as the listless Jing’Er was about to throw away the trash and go home, Xi Cheng suddenly appears in front of her again, with another Lily in his hands.
Jing’Er let out another startled yell, then smiles again: “Why do I always get startled by your appearance?”
Xi Cheng came well prepared today, and there was no awkward moment. He passes the lily to Jing’Er: “What a coincidence, we ran into each other again.”
Jing’Er: “The best part is that you happen to hold my favorite lily flower in your hand.”
Xi Cheng: “Heh, when I passed by here, my hand just wouldn’t listen to me, it had to buy a bundle of flowers. Who knew I’d bump into you again. Here, take this flower. You appeared just at the right time.
Jing’Er: “This is under my home, of course it is easy to run into me.”
Now Xi Cheng is at a loss for words again. The usual him had conquered many girl’s hearts with his handsome appearance and talkative nature. Yet in front of Jing’Er, that mouth of his just couldn’t get running. He reassures himself: “Steady, don’t panic, don’t panic! Time to execute plan two.”
“Know what day it is tomorrow?” He winks and asks Jing’Er.
Jing’Er tilts her head and thinks about it for a moment: “Our class is going on a trip on the great wall.”
Xi Cheng: “Heh, I am not talking about small things like this, I am talking about a major event, major event in history.”
Jing’Er pouts: “But we’ve all been waiting for this spring trip for a long time, as the general affair committee member, I spent a lot of effort to plan and organize this trip.
Xi Cheng: Yes, yes, I am wrong. That is really outstanding. But your teacher had to make you all go to the Great Wall. Everyone’s been there so many times since their childhood, brainless!”
Jing’Er: “It’s not the teacher’s decision, I suggested it to everyone, and the class voted for it. Because many students from other provinces never had the chance to visit the Great Wall…
Xi Cheng: “Good taste!” The Great Wall represents the best of ancient Chinese culture, it is a symbol of our Chinese race and seven wonders of the world. The Great wall is great, it is the only man-made building visible from the moon. Besides, you are so kind to think so much for others.”
Jing’Er Smiles: “You really know what to say……. Oh right, what were you trying to say?”
Xi Cheng cleared his throat, and spoke gently with his elegant voice: “Tomorrow, or April 18th, 2002, is the 47th anniversary of the death of the great physicist Albert Einstein.”
He continued on with an emotional voice: “Einstein graduated from ETH Zurich in 1900, and immediately went into unemployment. With his friend’s help, he found a job in the Switzerland Federal Office for Intellectual property. After 5 years of work, he obtained his PHD at ETH Zurich, and became an associate professor in 1909, and professor of the university of Prague in 1911. Two years later, he became the director of Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, professor of the university of Berlin, member of the Prussian Academy of Science. He left Germany in 1933 to avoid prosecution of Adolf Hitler and settled in the US in October.
Einstein have made many contribution in various areas of physics, such as investigation of capillary phenomena, clarification Brownian motion, establishment theory of special relativity and then extended it into theory of general relativity, proposed the quantum concept of light, and fully explained the photoelectric effect, radiation process, solid specific heat with quantum theory, and developed quantum statistics, and finally won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921"
“…..Just as historians believed that the latter half of the 17th century is the age of Newton, the first half of the 20th century is usually seen as the age of Einstein. As his theory of relativity opened a new era for physics, it can be said that almost all the discoveries of 20th century physics are guided by his hand. People often say, “Einstein is a genius”. Of course he is, “Genius is 99% of sweat and 1% of inspiration.” Einstein achieved greatness because of his infinite hard work, because of his willingness to explore and innovate. Not only is Einstein infinitely hardworking, he is also a great scientist not bound by traditional thoughts, willing to challenge established boundaries, and create new theories. He is willing and able to cast aside superstition, liberate thoughts, and ceaselessly discover……”
Jing’Er waited until he finished speaking, and then smirked: “I didn’t know you are so knowledgeable about Einstein. He truly is one of the greatest scientists in human history. Who would have thought we both love Einstein this much……”
Xi Cheng almost passed out from reciting his speech. Yet his spirit returned the moment Jing’Er spoke. He smiles humbly: “I love to read the biography of these great people in my free time. Never liked to do boring things like chatting online or playing CS.
Jing’Er: You don’t? That’s a shame. I really like this CS game, though I am not good at it. Every time I watch a tournament or watch someone else play, that kind of intense and exciting feeling is really immersive.
Xi Cheng: “What a coincidence. Though I don’t care much for playing CS, I am pretty good at it. I am especially good with the AWP, they all call me JohnnyR*1 of China.
Jing’Er: “Really? My brother also likes to play CS, though he never talks about it at home, since my parents are against it.
Xi Cheng: “How many girls under this heaven can have tastes like yours, this cultured and romantic……What about... I take you to a net café and I can teach you how to play?
Jing’Er happily responds: “Sure!” Then she thinks about it for a moment: “Nevermind, there will be plenty of chances in the future. I have to get up early tomorrow, spring trip is important.”
Xi Cheng: “Yes, it is important. Then you go rest early. I’ll come find you again tomorrow?”
Jing’Er: “This……we can talk about it later.” With that, Jing’Er waves her hand and leaves.
A disoriented Xi Cheng sent Jing’Er on her way.
Pig Head 3 finally arrived before Liu Zuo and Big P
Even years later, this classic scene of encounter is still etched in their memory.
“Someone is knocking.” Liu Zuo says to Big P
“It’s your turn to open the door” Replies Big P, without moving his head from his screen.
Liu Zuo: “It was me last time, now it is your turn”
Big P: “Eh, how come I don’t remember? I opened the door when they came with the water bill, that was tiring!”
Liu Zuo: “How tired can you get from opening a door, you go!”
Big P grumbles: “Don’t think my memory is bad just because I am older than you. After the water bill was the electric bill, I opened that one too.”
Liu Zuo: “Annoying, let's just rock paper scissors, loser goes.”
Big P: “Fine, I’ll go open it! Never beat you at that! Might as well go get it over with myself!”
Big P lazily went to the door: “Which prick is knocking?”
A slightly tender sounding voice replies: “I am Pig Head 3, you two asked me to 1v1.”
Big P: “Then speak the password.”
The person outside is amazed: “Who else would have a name like Pig Head 3?”
Big P: “This kind of vulgar name is indeed rare in this world. But what you don’t know, brother, is that we haven’t paid this month’s rent, what if that crafty landlord is pretending to be someone else in order to come ask for rent.”
The person outside: “Do I really have to repeat that complicated code?”
Big P: “Don’t waste my time, I was clear yesterday, why are ya so slow on the uptake!”
The person outside sighs, then spoke up:
Youth aspires to fulfil life’s worth,
Devotion to nation is heaven and earth.
Though the armor sundered and torn
Chipped blade’s edge far from forlorn
The door swung open with a creek. Big P smiled as he opened the door: “Correct password, it really is you.”
The person outside: “Who else could it be? That evil landlord chasing his rent?” Pig Head 3 walks in.
Liu Zuo turns around from his seat, Pig Head 3 looks rather small, his height closer to a middle schooler, and indeed there is no resemblance to what one would expect from the name Pig Head 3.
Big P pats Pig Head 3 on the shoulder: “Handsome boy.”
Pig Head 3 Rages: “I am in my first year of university, 17! Don’t call me boy, or I’ll call you gramps!”
Big P: “Ho, you got some character, swag.”
Pig Head 3: “Get to the point, let’s play.” Then he walks inside, suddenly he stops, sniffs the air cautiously: “You forgot to turn off the gas.”
Big P: “We haven’t used propane for a long time.”
Pig Head 3: “Then what is that smell?”
Liu Zuo and Big P took a careful sniff, then Big P turned to Liu Zuo, shocked: “Don’t tell me you…”
Liu Zuo nods in pain: “Yes.”
The two remained silent for a moment, then Big P suddenly spoke up: “Don’t mind, just bear with it. It was Liu Zuo’s turn to wash the socks, but he forgot. One month’s worth of socks, naturally have a bit of…smell.”
Pig Head 3 sat in front of Big P’s computer.
Liu Zuo: “It is mostly me who wanted to play you, so I’ll be your opponent.”
Big P adds: “If he can’t beat you, I’ll go, we will wear you till you are down, then wear you till you are out, then wear you till you are dead…”
Pig Head 3: “Doesn’t matter who, let’s go.”
Big P and Liu Zuo’s computer had been connected for a long time. With LAN connection, the two machines should have nearly the same ping, thus making the match quite fair.
Pig Head 3: “What map?”
Liu Zuo: “Let’s have a short and quick one, what about bloodstrike?”
Pig Head 3: “Which team are you from?”
Big P: “We are freelancers, no team.”
Pig Head 3 smiles: “Without the blood and sweat of team training, I wonder how strong you two can get – But you can’t use that hack you wrote.”
Liu Zuo: “When did the two of us write…”
Big P quickly covers Liu Zuo’s mouth and smiles: “Nobody cheats, let's start!”
Pig Head 3 appears in the world of BloodStrike. He is playing as T, while Liu Zuo is CT. This is a tiny map with a perfectly symmetrical layout. Besides four short walls with staircases, there are two corridors with two sets of red brick walls. The T and CT spawn on the two sides of the corridors, with an impassable wall in the middle.
Because this is not an official match, Liu Zuo set the starting fund to $16000, so they can buy any guns they’d like.
Without hesitation, Pig Head 3 bought an AWP and replaced his glock 18 with a desert eagle. He tallied his equipment and darted to one of the corridors and scoped in. Nothing is in his sight. He smirks under his breath, that means Liu Zuo must be coming from the other corridor. Pig Head 3 stayed where he is, and turned to look towards the other exit, the moment Liu Zuo peeks his head out, he will be dead.
“These freelance players will be no match for me without their hacks.” Pig Head 3 thought to himself : “This is my chance to regain my confidence. Go for it, Pig Head 3, forget the pain, start anew!”
Liu Zuo still hasn’t appeared.
Pig Head 3 waited patiently, switching between the two angles to observe for enemy movements. Snipers spend their life waiting, waiting for the moment their prey appears in their sight, and then deal the deadly blow. That one instant, if you grasp it, you win; if you don’t, the consequence will be hard to imagine. Pig Head 3 waited patiently.
Liu Zuo and Pig Head 3’s computers are placed face to face, which means the players are sitting back to back. Unless someone turns their head, there is no way they can see the other player’s screen. Even so, Pig Head 3 still can’t help but try to listen for the sound of Liu Zuo’s keyboard – There is no sound at all, the game world is silent as well.
After Pig Head 3 rotated between his aiming angles for over ten times, he finally saw Liu Zuo. The latter was squatting on the short wall like a monkey, creeping up without a sound. After the deep sound of silenced M4 shots, Pig Head 3 understood. The opponent took their time to track how often he rotated his aim, and darted out of his blind spot when he looked away.
Pig Head 3’s body was sent flying, and then fell to the bloody ground. That precious AWP too, fell upon the floor. Pig Head 3 felt a shiver across his body, memory from that dark and terrifying night passed through his head like lightning.
“No, that’s a coincidence. Coincidence. Next round I will charge with AK, take to nades, kill him! Pig Head 3 repeats in his mind, “Take two nades, take two nades, take two nades……”
Pig Head 3 carried his AK on his back as he charged out holding his grenade high with a cry of “Fire in the Hole”. What Pig Head 3 did not expect was that Liu Zuo did not camp, but rather charged down the same corridor as Pig Head 3. Pig Head 3 fell to the ground the moment he threw his grenade.
He watched as his body hit the floor, and mumbled in disbelief: “You are kidding, I just showed a bit of myself and he headshotted me?” He turned to look at Liu Zuo, and the latter is calmly reloading, without any smug expression. (The smug one is Big P, who is observing the match from the side), as though this kind of terrifyingly accurate shooting and headshots are nothing out of the ordinary. Pig Head 3 felt a sense of sad anger: “I’ll charge, charge again, I can definitely get this guy!”
20 rounds later, the score is 1:19. Liu Zuo killed Pig Head 3 19 times, and Pig Head 3 only got him once.
Big P said lazily: “Kid, can’t take it anymore, right? Don’t be stubborn, just admit defeat!”
Pig Head 3’s voice is low: “I want to trade sides, let me try M4.”
Liu Zuo: “Okay.”
Pig Head 3 switched to CT as he wished. Compared to the AK47, the M4 is more accurate, especially once the silencer is added, but it doesn’t quite match the AK in damage. CSER had long been eager to debate which faction’s signature weapon is stronger. Generally speaking, when accurate shooting is required to take out an opponent within 3 shots, M4 seems to hold the advantage. Yet a player that truly mastered the AK will use the weapon to unimaginable effect. Regardless of distance, its massive firepower and ability to kill with a single headshot makes it a terrifying gun. Though at this point, fans of the M4 will argue that a M4 without the silencer can achieve the same. Regardless, any gun is a dangerous weapon, but it takes the right player to unlock their real potential.
Pig Head 3 did not turn anything around with the M4. Rather, he dug himself into a deeper hole. If Liu Zuo needed about 3 shots to take him out in the first 20 rounds, now he can kill him with a single long-distance headshot. Pig Head 3 had no chance, Liu Zuo gave him no chance. At this point, the matter is crystal clear in Pig Head 3’s mind: Liu Zuo did not cheat in Cheater’s Heaven, this guy without cheats completely dominated cheaters like him.
“Could he be that person?” Pig Head 3 thought to himself, “But it is also different. Liu Zuo is more dominant than that person, giving no quarters. That person, to that person the final victory is what matters, unlike Liu Zuo who clamps down hard right from the start. But both of them are terrifying, they are both people I can never hope to match……”
Left without hopes of victory, Pig Head 3 grits his teeth and casted M4 aside to use the MP5. MP5 is a small submachine gun with 30 round clip, rapid rate of fire but significant bullet spread. This is the favored weapon of new players, as while a hit won’t kill instantly, they can pin the opponent in the spot until the clip runs out. Many people are pinned in place as they get mowed down by the cheap SMG. Some pros also prefer this gun, especially fraggers or CSER that require significant mobility. They can often cause significant confusion by hit and run attacks with this agile SMG.
“I was the king of MP5, let me recover the last of my pride with it.” Pig Head 3 thought. He charges out with his MP5, running from covers to cover, shifting his location after every shot, and even putting a smile on Liu Zuo’s face. Even Big P commented: “Yes, fight like this, this is the only chance you have at beating him.”
Right when he finished that sentence, Pig Head 3 died again. He gritted his death and kept on going. Combining running and camping is a very important technique. Many new CSER either hate to camp, or are complete campers. Neither of which truly brings out the key strategic thought in CS. The battlefield is ever changing, a player must be willing to adapt to the battle.
While Pig Head 3 hasn’t yet mastered the combination of mobility and camping, he does have a very clear idea of what he is doing. Liu Zuo nods and thinks to himself: “This kid is actually causing me a bit of a headache. Though he is not my opponent now. But his potential….He really is a CSER with a lot of potential.
After 40 rounds, Pig Head 3 puts down his mouse: “That’s it.”
Big P: “How is it, 4:36, you convinced now?”
Pig Head 3: “I admit defeat. I….can’t beat you.”
Big P: “Gee, who was the one that spoke big when he first got here, now you know where you are at, right? Hahahah, you haven’t even played with me yet, after that you will know who the real devil is…..”
At this point, Big P stopped. To his surprise, Pig Head 3’s big eyes are filled with tears. Even though he is trying his hardest to fight it, the tears are still coming down his cheeks.
Big P quickly says: “I’m the type of guy who just talks rough, and is a big softie inside, don’t cry…..If I said something wrong, please forgive this old fart.”
Pig Head 3 shook his head, bit his lip, and blew his nose. He kept wiping his tears away with his sleeve. In this sunny afternoon, two men and a boy sat silently in this room as time passed. The setting sun outside is shining into the room, the dusts in the room flying with the light, fading in and out of existence. The three of them remained silent.
Liu Zuo passed a napkin and Pig Head 3, who used it to wipe his tears and said thanks in a quiet voice, then he continued quietly: “Sorry, I am not the kind of person who can’t take a loss. I just couldn’t hold it in that moment.”
Liu Zuo: “Real CSERs are all like this. They may not all cry, but that miserable feeling in their heart when they lose is all the same.”
Pig Head 3 calmed down a little after crying it out. Big P pours him a cup of tea and gently puts it beside him.
Pig Head 3: “You two didn’t cheat in Cheater’s Heaven, right?”
Liu Zuo and Big P nods.
Pig Head 3: “Actually…. I also hated cheating. Don’t think less of me. I wasn’t a cheater two months ago. If I saw a hacker, I’d go after him until he buzzed off from the server. Yet something happened one day, something that changed my life.
Pig Head 3’s eyes are getting red again, he tried his best to control himself: “You must have heard of the team Black Heaven, right? Maybe you wouldn’t believe me, but I was one of the team’s founders and captain. Me and most of my teammates were students in Nanjing High Schools.”
“Things went fairly smoothly for our team from founding to growth. Though only we knew how much hard work went into it all. We worked very hard, and we really loved CS. The end of last year, we even won the Jia De Cup Nanjing Regional and 2nd place in Jiang Su Province. Yet this all turned into a nightmare two months later.”
“…… A team X·FILES from Beijiing came to challenge us – They were last year’s champion in the Beijing region. We played 3 maps against them on February 15th, 2002, full 24 rounds per map……We lost. We lost in a very pathetic manner. We didn’t win a single round. They completely defeated us on all three maps.”
“I worked as hard as I can as the captain, but I had no chance against their strength. I still remember that chilling feel of despair. At the end, we really became Black Heaven. It really was terrifying….. Things we held with pride suddenly shattered by others, and we don’t even have the strength to fight back. Especially their captain A Jie and sniper Xi Cheng, no one survives under their guns. They are so much taller than us, it is as though we can never catch them no matter how hard we tried……”
At this point, Pig Head 3 suddenly tears up again. This boy seems to be letting all the sorrow that was building up inside him out at once. He continues: “After that match, our team disbanded automatically. Everyone broke down in front of their mountainous pressure. We lost completely, we even lost our team. All my other teammates went to play “Legend of Mir”. Only I, I still love CS，I can’t leave CS. Yet I can’t play it normally anymore. So…..I became a cheater. I was able to get some confidence back under the protection of cheats, to muster a bit of courage to face my opponents.”
“Before I arrived here today, I told myself I’d play against these two hackers without cheating. If I can win, it means I can continue to survive in CS. If not, it is time to truly leave. Sorry, I must look pathetic…. with all this crying…it seems, it is time to say goodbye to CS.
Pig Head 3 stood up, he isn’t very tall, and despite his energetic build, he stood with sadness, his comely face covered in tears. Yet he smiles, and says to Liu Zuo and Big P: “Even if it is saying goodbye, you still have to be cool about it, right? Thank you.”
Liu Zuo plays with the mouse in his hand: “You really are a….”
Big P follows: “Pure kid…..”
Pig Head 3: “Pure my ass, just got dumped by my girlfriend.”
Big P: “Wow, getting into a relationship when you are just 17? ….. Hey, where are you going?”
Pig Head 3: “Back to school ofcourse.”
He then smiles at Liu Zuo and Big P: “Liu Zuo, you played really well. If I hadn’t met A Jie, I’d have thought you are the strongest CSER in China. Playing against you reminds me of A Jie – I wonder what would happen If you are to fight against him. Anyways, I won’t be able to see that. I am leaving, good bye!”
Just as Pig Head 3 got to the door, Liu Zuo suddenly spoke: “We lost too.”
Pig Head 3 turned around, surprised: “What did you say?”
Liu Zuo stares at him right in the eye: “Dangerous Fart and I played against X·FILES, we lost too. I felt the same kind of despair as you did. But, I did not give up.”
Big P jumps in: “That’s all me. I gave him a good proper scolding and talked him out of quitting. We still lost, of course…….but at least we made 60 bucks.”
Liu Zuo ignored Big P and continued to Pig Head 3: “If you back off now, you will always be a loser. I want to play against him again, do you?”
Pig Head 3 remained silent for a long time at the door, and finally turned to leave.
Big P sighs: “What a nice kid, ruined like that.” Then he rumbles on: “It will be quite nice if he joins us. For one, we can take on bigger orders. He can also split the utility bills, especially this damned expensive monthly broadband internet fee. Three people will at least make it a bit more worth it….but it is over for the kid, they scared him good.”
Liu Zuo: “He will come back. He is a real CSER.”
Big P: “Shit, If he comes back, I’ll do all the socks this month.”
An hour later, someone was knocking.
Big P opened the door, and a comely looking boy stood by the door, covered in sweat and holding his computer.
Big P turned around and lamented to Liu Zuo: “Pig Head 3 is back. Aren;t your prophecy came true a bit too quickly….Holy shit, one month's socks…”
That is how Pig Head 3 entered their life.
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