Chapter 168: The Malignant event and Aftermath
Translator: _Min_ Editor: Rundi
October 16, 2015.
It was not an ordinary day for Lingyu Technology.
“What is going on? Tell me what is going on!” Ling Zhongtian clung on to Qian Haiming’s collar as he roared out with bloodshot eyes.
Qian Haiming’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t say a word.
“Boss, please, please calm down. Our programmers are fixing the server. I have also called the police, the deputy a.s.sured me that he would quickly…”
“Quickly my *ss!”
Ling Zhongtian pushed Qian Haiming away as he breathed heavily. He used one hand to hold onto the table, while the other trembling hand pulled out a drawer and he grabbed his cardiac medication.
His shaking fingers took several tries before twisting open the cap.
Finally pouring a few capsules into his hand, Ling Zhongtian stuffed the medication in his mouth and chugged down some water with it.
He closed his eyes to regather his breath before finally opening them again. His emotions seemed to have calmed down.
Seeing that the boss was no longer angry, Qian Haiming who stood on the side afraid to talk, finally let out a breath of air.
But when he raised his head, he was shocked to find that the respectable boss was no longer there.
The person who replaced him was a pale looking old man that lost his ability to speak.
…
Morning.
Players from I am ATM, Dota history logged onto the game as per their usual routine to finish their daily quest. But when they logged in, they were enraged to find out that their account returned to level 0? The diamond they obtained from gold, equipment, and real money…
Were all f*cking gone?
There was only a brief explanation posted on the official site regarding this incident.
Deep regret my *ss!
The enraged players almost blew up Lingyu Technology’s customer service. The customer service representatives would receive another call immediately after hanging up.
However, there was nothing they can do to resolve the complaints of the players since they were not responsible for the operation. They could only follow the procedure of explaining the current situation to the players and asking them to remain calm. As well as a.s.sure them that the programmers were currently working to resolve the problem, and for them to please be patient…
But it was futile. For the millions of angry players, the one hundred customer service representative team was a drop of water in the vast ocean.
When the angry players saw that the problem was not resolved and that the helpline was constantly busy, they directly dialed 315 to file a violation of rights against Lingyu Technology.
They have purchased the diamonds, spent their time leveling up, and now it was all gone?
However, these complaints were meaningless against Lingyu Technology as at the time of registration, there was a clause added at the bottom to offset such incidents. The final interpretation of this agreement was up to the discretion of the Operator. Also, Han laws were ambiguous when it came to intellectual property protection, rarely would there be a case where players have won a lawsuit against a game operator.
But the negative reputation caused by the lost user data was hard to erase. Official forums had an influx of complaining players. The moderators had to increase the requirement for posting and began muting and banning people. Not only did this not control the status quo, but the players without a place to express their rage also began to flood into other forums.
Major BBS (1) forums were all pulled into the midst of this event, as the few justice seeking posts were instantly upvoted to the top.
Every post under the influence of the internet army unified their statement, and in the name of holiness, began a crusade on the evil operator.
Protecting their rights!
Everyone selectively chose to forget that Lingyu Technology was also a victim; the real person that made them suffer losses was the hacker that attacked the server.
As to how it escalated to this point, the internet army had their fair share of contribution. Once they swayed the opinion during the first outburst of anger, there was not much suspense in the remaining battle.
Lingyu Technology not only lost in skill but also public opinion.
The players part of the internet crusade realized that the operator did not compensate for their loss. The promised “1000 crystals for every player” could not compensate the loss of the players that paid for 2000.
The project department’s “lack of action” and the customer service’s perfunctory were interpreted as arrogance.
In the midst of disappointment and anger among the players, seeing that their votes by hands were useless, they began to vote with their feet.
The crusade ended, because they had already given up on the game. Instead, they chose a better mobile game.
There were better games on the market. The only reason they stood their ground on an almost out of date game was because of the emotional attachment, as well as the time and money sunk into it. But emotional attachment was certainly a fragile thing as the att.i.tude and response of the operator indeed broke the heart of the players that stood their ground.
Seeing the account that they spent countless hours on being erased was more painful than seeing the game being shut down completely.
Based on market a.n.a.lysis, the server operated by Lingyu Technology lost 89% of their users due to this data postage. While the servers operated by other companies did not receive a malicious attack, the after effect of the event resulted in a significant amount of users being lost.
As if in one night, the Lingyu Technology that forged miracles collapsed.
At the same time, the new Future Technology was using its era-defining – to rise to dominance.
The stars seemed to have aligned.
New Era was foretelling the end of the old era.
…
Within the international airport at w.a.n.ghai City.
“Come back early…” Yan Xiaoyan’s eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears. She gently bit her lip as she gazed into the teen’s eyes.
“Mhmm. I will.” Xie Lei felt his face burn from her stare.
Zhang Chao hooked onto his neck with a smirk, “Nice buddy. When did you get together with Xiaoyan. She is so violent-”
A deathly stare shot over as Zhang Chao backed away, causing a forced a laugh.
“Sorry….”
Xie Lin frightenedly stood behind Xie Lei and held onto her brother’s hand.
It was her first time being on a plane. Though she has also never seen plane before.
Xie Lei seemed to have sensed his sister’s anxiousness as he gently squeezed her hand. The pale face that lacked sunlight displayed an unfitting tenderness.
With her head lowered and face blus.h.i.+ng, Xie Lin had a lot of things to tell her brother, but she could only faintly squeeze out one word.
“Mhmm.”
Xie Lei had a relieved smile as he rubbed his sister’s head.
He didn’t know when Lu Dahu walked up to him put felt him pat his shoulder.
“Take care.”
“Mhmm.” Xie Lei nodded firmly.
Jiang Chen looked at the group of four from afar as he exclaimed arrogantly, acting on his seniority, “It’s good to be young.”
Ayesha who stood beside him tilted her head. Her cold face displayed a confused expression.
The goodbye was over.
Xie Lei took his sister’s hand, took a deep breath, and walked in Jiang Chen’s direction.
“Ready?” Jiang Chen smiled amiably.
Although this teen did orchestrate a plan against him, surprisingly he did not hold any grudges.
Perhaps because he didn’t suffer any material damage? Or perhaps because he thought this person wasn’t inherently bad. Regardless, the actual people that should be punished was already punished.
“Mhmm.” Xie Lei nodded and then bowed while looking at him genuinely. “Thank you.”
“No problem. You can think of it as an exchange.” Jiang Chen pointed at the electronic collar around his neck.
Although it was an electronic collar, it was not thick. It was only a thin layer of silica gel, which didn’t make it uncomfortable to wear. It would also easily pa.s.s through security screening, a convenient tool.
Xie Lin looked curiously in her brother’s direction and then in Jiang Chen’s direction. Then, the adorable young face displayed a tender smile. She cutely bowed too as she said in a still childish voice.
“Thank you~”
Jiang Chen noticed that the color of her pupils was faint, as if it was covered by a thick layer of film.
Even though she couldn’t see, she could blossom a smile this powerful?
“No problem,” Jiang Chen kneeled down and said with a smile.
Jiang Chen noticed Xie Lei staring right at him. He paused for a second before he began to laugh.
“Are you really a Meiko (j.a.panese culture, someone who likes their own sister).” He stood up, patted the slim shoulder of the teen and said with a smirk.
The teen didn’t answer, but rather looked away with a flushed face.
Xie Lin tilted her head as she confusedly pulled on Xie Lei’s hand. She was still not at the age where she understood the meaning of Meiko.
“Haha, be a.s.sured. Train while you are there. Get more tanned, and you will look more lively.” Jiang Chen used force when he patted the teen’s back. “When you get to Niger, there will be someone waiting for you at the airport. You can call him Uncle Ivan, he’ll be responsible for training you like a man.”
“What do you mean like-”
Jiang Chen ignored Xie Lei’s protest as he interrupted him, “You and your sister will stay for a day in Niger, then your sister will head to Charlotte Hospital in Frankberg under the supervision of advanced caregivers. That’s enough. Stop standing around and go, now.”
“… Thank you.”
“Don’t waste time, go board now.”
…
Seeing the departing silhouette of the brother and sister, Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed, and the corner of his mouth curled up.
“What Ayesha, do you have any questions?” Jiang Chen noticed her rubbing her hair and the confusion in her eyes.
Face slightly red, Ayesha asked hesitantly, “They are your enemy. Why did you let them go, and on top of that help them…”
“Not every enemy is a real enemy.” Eyes narrowed, Jiang Chen watched the brother and sister board and left Ayesha a confusing answer.
Ayesha tilted her head, she didn’t quite understand the meaning behind it.
Jiang Chen took out his phone and called Xia s.h.i.+yu.
“Get the legal doc.u.ments prepared. We are going to change our headquarters.” When he said that, a bright smile appeared on his face.
For the real enemy, he will show no mercy.
(1) Bulletin Board System, similar to a forum.
(2) Vote with their feet, if they can’t bring change, they can choose to leave.