Chapter 19: The Forgotten Truth

"How is this possible?!" Seeing the impossible ID on the screen, Snow and I exclaimed in unison. wENxUEmI. cOM I hesitated for a moment, pushed through the crowd, and climbed the stairs leading to the second-floor competition area.

After the chaotic crowd dispersed, I stared blankly at two empty chairs.

Who on earth is it? They ran so fast! I thought resentfully.

At that moment, at a stairwell corner not far away, two people were watching the situation here and exchanging bitter smiles. The one with black hair sighed, "If that guy hadn't shouted so loudly on the first floor, we might have been caught."

The other person disagreed, "Who would have thought my cousin would bring them here... Besides, we would have met sooner or later. Why are you so nervous?"

The black-haired youth shook his head, "You don't know this guy's temper. If he bumped into us in this situation, we might be bitten to death by him... He hates being played the most."

I, who was obliviously being compared to a vicious dog, walked down the stairs gloomily, only to find that Lily and Ling Tian both looked very depressed. Snow was sitting in front of the computer, glaring with her beautiful big eyes, pouting her cute little mouth, and grinding her teeth while operating furiously. Curious, I walked behind her to take a look. It was truly unbearable to watch. Her opponent was reduced to just the main base and the aura, politely typing "gg", yet Snow, lacking any humanity, used a large group of stimmed marines to force the opponent to quit immediately.

"Hah!" Snow leaned back in her chair and exhaled heavily. "Beating noobs is indeed the best way to vent emotions." Then she turned her head, staring directly into my unguarded eyes. "Anger is the enemy of a woman's beauty, especially when getting angry over unworthy things. Don't you agree, Li Lin?"

"M-maybe..." Looking at Snow's innocent and calm face, I stammered. I didn't even notice the change in how she addressed me.

This was the first time she had called my full name completely.

"Lily, let's go back." Snow finally turned her head, stood up, and walked straight toward the door. I hurriedly paid the bill and followed everyone up.

Everyone was silent on the way, making the moonlight seem somewhat heavy. Finally, Lily couldn't hold back and tried to break the silence: "Ling Tian, why do you also look so worried? Did you fall for a girl?" Dizzy, is that something a girl should say?

Ling Tian answered very seriously, "No. I'm thinking about the match. KID's strength is still a bit stronger than mine. If his partner is really that demon, my cousin and I probably have no chance of winning."

Snow glared at me viciously, then asked Ling Tian, "Didn't you always want to challenge that person again? Have some backbone, okay? We aren't necessarily worse than that Lucifer."

Ling Tian was a bit distracted in his thoughts and replied casually, "If he can maintain the strength he had when he defeated me back then, then you and he still have a considerable gap, cousin. His unpredictable tactics combined with KID's steady expansion and suppression... I really can't think of a way to counter them."

Lily and Snow shook their heads together, "So there are people who understand the situation even less... It seems ignorance has its own troubles too."

>>>>>>

Dinner was as lavish as usual, and KID's smiling face was as brilliant as usual. But before we finished eating, this brilliant guy put down his bowl and ran off in a hurry.

I used the last small piece of bread to wipe the meat juice from the plate into my mouth, then chewed thoroughly, ensuring every bit of food would be well digested before completing the swallowing action. After this series of ritualistic actions ended, I patted my stomach, politely thanked KID's parents, and then... walked to the door of a certain room.

Knock, knock, knock. With my gentle knocking, the slight movement inside the room stopped immediately, and then there was no movement for a long while. But when I used an even gentler voice to say that if the door wasn't opened, I would use my feet to take over the work of my hands, KID's slightly tired face immediately appeared behind the door.

"What is it? I'm very tired and want to sleep." KID averted his eyes from mine.

I waved to stop KID, walked straight to the center of the room, and said in a deep voice, "You have three flaws."

"First, there are two cups on the table containing unfinished drinks."

"Second, the extra blanket on the sofa."

"Third, that jacket on the coat rack... Come on, you've been wearing that jacket for over two years, and the 'LOST' written in ballpoint pen on the cuff is still visible." I glanced around, "You can't hide it; there aren't many places in this room to hide someone..."

"Your observation is still that sharp... Captain." Someone slowly crawled out from under the bed. "I could never hide from you before."

"Xiao K?!"

Xiao K gave a bitter smile, "Captain, you've gotten fat. And your hair is shorter too... You really look like a teacher now."

I also gave a bitter smile, "Weren't you learning to farm in Gansu? How did you end up here?"

"Farming has no future, so my dad entrusted someone to throw me abroad."

"Have things been good for you this past year?"

"Just so-so."

"Do you have any news about Yang Mo and the others?"

"Yang Mo is learning programming in Lanzhou. He had a phone call with Andy, and it seems she found a girlfriend too. As for Lao Qiang, I don't know how he's doing."

"Is that so..." I picked up the drink on the table and took a sip. "Then we can end the catching up." As I spoke, my face quickly grew cold.

"You'd better give me a satisfactory explanation. You know I hate being played the most." I spun the cup in my hand. "Otherwise... you should know the consequences."

That clear and familiar voice interrupted me again at this moment, "Speaking of explanations, I think you should give us an explanation first, Li Lin, Te... acher?"

I turned around. Lei Xue and Ling Tian had somehow already stood at the door of KID's room.

Ling Tian still had his cool expression, "I just want to know, was it you who played StarCraft with me on the school network that time?"

"It was me."

"No wonder... What about that L? That was you too, right?"

"Mm."

"I understand." After saying this, Ling Tian turned and was about to walk out of the room.

"Hey, hey, this guy tricked you for so long. Aren't you angry?" Snow was very confused. "He even made you write some battle report essays, obviously just playing with you."

"Wait..." I groaned weakly. Snow's ability to fan the flames was indeed not to be underestimated.

Ling Tian stopped but didn't turn around, "After the WCG stopped at the semi-finals that year, my skill improved a lot, but after returning to school, I hit a bottleneck again. Without opponents, there is no progress. That was the realization of my essay." He paused here. "Then, on the afternoon I submitted the essay, I finally lost. I was defeated even while in an advantageous situation. KID might be right; learning to lose is what makes a person truly mature."

He finally turned around, "I have no reason to be angry, nor the energy to be angry. Actually, I should thank Teacher Li, because the two failures he gave me prompted my growth."

Snow was still somewhat unwilling, "Didn't you always keep talking about revenge? Don't you remember?"

Hearing this, a glint finally flashed in Ling Tian's eyes, "I remember. And I clearly know that the opportunity for revenge is right in front of us." After saying this, he walked out of the room without looking back, "Sorry, I need to go back to my room to prepare for the match."

"Remarkable." I praised with a click of my tongue. "A pure and persistent desire for victory; perhaps his future achievements will surpass ours."

"Don't change the subject. Your problem hasn't been explained clearly yet." Snow's expression now, if paired with the eight big characters "Confess and be lenient, resist and be severely punished," might have been even more perfect.

"I hid my identity precisely for you, Snow." I tried to look aggrieved. "Ling Tian can understand me; can't you, with your orchid-like heart and wisdom?"

Snow listened, a bit confused, "For me?"

"Yes! Isn't it nice for us to chat and joke naturally like usual? I didn't want that seemingly dazzling halo to affect the relationship between us." I looked heartbroken. "I even planned to stay away from my beloved game for this..."

"Nonsense." A black object flew at me with the sound. I quickly reached out and caught it. "Then how do you explain this?" Lily had actually run over to join the fun.

I examined the object in my hand. It was a box one foot square. "What is this?" I asked in confusion.

"This is the pair of wings you once used to fly."

I gently opened the box. On the half-new 1030 mousepad lay the incredibly familiar black Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer. The IE3.0 was too big after all, and the Intellimouse Explorer, which was the right size, had performance that was no inferior, and most importantly, was much cheaper, had once been my favorite. As for my set of mouse, headset, and keyboard, I had given them all to my teammates when the team disbanded. Xiao K was the youngest in the team, and this mouse was exactly the farewell gift I gave him. (Note 1)

Gently stroking the mouse that had once accompanied me in battles across the four directions, I seemed to return to that busy and happy era...

"If you hadn't already decided to give up the game, would you have given all your equipment away?" Lily pressed on.

I finally nodded helplessly. "Yes, I admit I've long had the thought of quitting the game."

"Why?" This time, not only Lily, but also Xue'er, Xiao K, and KID all felt curious.

I looked at them with a strange expression. "Do you really want to know?"

The bunch nodded in unison.

I let out a long sigh. "It's very simple. Because I can't afford to play."

"I'm not like you, KID, with a wealthy and lenient family; nor am I like Xiao K, with a well-connected father. If I were still just the player Li Lin, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to keep this job at Mingqing Academy."

Xue'er thought of her own father and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"After all, I have to make a living. For me, the game can ultimately only be a hobby that brings no income. To become a professional player in China is simply nonsense!" I lightly flicked my hair, letting it fall to slightly cover my eyes. "Rather than suffering while barely surviving, it's better to simply choose to give up."

"So I'd like to ask a favor. Please, spare your words and don't let the director or the principal find out about this." I forced a bitter smile, not knowing how many times it had been. "I still want to continue teaching."

"I'm afraid that principal already knows..." Xiao K stammered, adding, "I recognized you from the photo album at his house."

I was stunned. "How do you know that guy?"

"Captain, did you forget?" Xiao K looked very shocked. "My name is Ling Ke. Ling Qing is my cousin."

"What is all this about..."

"Precisely because I recognized you at Qing-ge's house, he asked me to look after you. It just so happens that my school isn't too far from here."

"No way..." I felt despair.

Xue'er pondered for a moment, then said firmly, "It doesn't matter. I will help you. As long as my father doesn't know, there's still a chance."

I felt slightly relieved and asked Xiao K weakly, "Then why did you impersonate my ID?"

"That was Lily's idea. She's your fan." Xiao K was also helpless. "Anyway, I used to get beaten by you often, and I'm not weak in StarCraft either."

Lily clapped her hands excitedly. "Now that things are clear, why don't you really partner up with KID? It will definitely be interesting."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but exchange a glance with KID, and in each other's eyes, we both saw a trace of excitement and expectation.

"King Crimson" and "The Demon on Lost Temple" as partners?

Then it looks like someone is going to be in trouble...

>>>>>>

Note 1: The Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer (IA 1.1) is slightly smaller than the IE series, lighter in weight, and even cheaper by a tier, but its optical engine is the same as the IE and IO series, with basically similar performance.

IntelliMouse Explorer optical engine performance specifications:

Resolution: 400 DPI (400 dots per inch)

Scan rate: 6000 times per second

Maximum movement speed: 37 inches per second (rounded to 40 for calculation convenience)

CMOS matrix: 22 pixels * 22 pixels

Of course, the most important thing is that this is the one I actually use in real life, so...

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