Restart life

Chapter 293 0290 [Taking the Employees to Shoot]

"Holy crap! Holy crap, holy crap..."

My roommate, Tong Zhihong, slammed his fist on the table. He had just finished his final exams and was going home for the Chinese New Year the next day.

On the night before leaving school, I planned to play World of Warcraft for a while, but after browsing a dungeon guide, I suddenly found the screen full of pandas burning incense.

Jiang Junlai and Li Heng rushed over to check on the situation.

Li Heng asked, "Did you plug in the USB drive randomly?"

Tong Zhihong said with a long face, "I didn't use a USB drive. I just went to the game forum, browsed a technical post, and suddenly it turned into this."

Chen Guiliang has been discussing this with the company's cybersecurity team for the past few days. He said, "Panda Burning Incense can tamper with webpage code. Users who browse this website will also have their computers infected."

Jiang Junlai has taken many computer courses, and Tong Zhihong himself plans to major in computer science next semester.

After discussing it, the two decided to force a shutdown and restart, and then use Rising Antivirus in safe mode to scan for viruses.

A few minutes later, the reinstalled Rising Antivirus was killed by Panda Burning Incense in safe mode... I restarted the computer, reinstalled Rising Antivirus, and it was killed by Panda Burning Incense again.

The two looked at each other.

Chen Guiliang gloated: "It's no use. We can only format it and reinstall the system. I heard that all the computers from Jiangmin Antivirus Software Company have been infected."

Currently, over one million computers nationwide have been infected with the virus, and nearly a thousand government agencies and enterprises have been affected.

Some of PetroChina's gas station systems were paralyzed.

Even the banking system, the tax system...

Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are among the hardest-hit areas.

Several companies in the science parks of Peking University and Tsinghua University have been infected with the virus. All other companies have entered a state of emergency, prohibiting employees from using external devices and implementing a series of protective measures.

Meanwhile, the Panda Burning Incense variant continues to mutate and is spreading rapidly.

It's already been featured on CCTV's "News Broadcast".

"My yellow...my study materials!" Tong Zhihong formatted the computer with a lifeless expression.

He dared not copy those videos, fearing that a virus might be hiding inside.

Li Heng was using Chen Guiliang's computer to edit prank videos when Chen quickly unplugged the network cable, fearing he would be caught in the crossfire.

"No, my computer is infected with a virus. Why did you unplug the network cable?" Tong Zhihong said speechlessly.

Li Heng said, "I'm afraid of getting infected if we're too close."

Tong Zhihong muttered, "Crazy!"

Li Heng stopped editing videos and started playing Plants vs. Zombies offline: "Hey, this game is really good. I've already completed the hard survival mode, and it's still fun to play. When will you update the next chapter?"

"Don't call me by nicknames!" Chen Guiliang said unhappily.

Damn it, Chen Shiyi became Chen Bayi, and now he's even become Ba Zong.

Li Heng laughed heartily.

He did it on purpose.

The roommates were already very familiar with each other.

The next day, my roommates all went home for the Chinese New Year.

Chen Guiliang also plans to go home this year, but he has to wait until the annual meeting and team building activities are over.

The annual meeting was the same old thing, with the highlight being the lucky draw.

The team-building activity was playing live-action CS in the suburbs of Beijing.

That thing is quite expensive, around 400 yuan per person, and you can only play for 3 hours. So the income is usually just so-so, because too few people can afford it, and they have to rely on other services to prevent losses.

Our company's team building activities are for major clients, and since they include food and beverage expenses, we naturally need to get a discount from them.

The cost is 300 yuan per person per day. Food expenses are extra.

Team building activities are not mandatory. Employees who are not working overtime during the Spring Festival can choose to go home early for the holiday. Moreover, the 300 yuan expense for team building activities can be directly given to employees who choose not to participate.

ByteDance currently has over 240 employees, and Game Science has over 180 employees. Between the two companies, only about 30 people are not participating; the rest are quite excited about it.

The employees who were drawn by lottery to stay on duty at the company were extremely envious of those who could participate in live-action CS.

"Old Chen, you're amazing! How did you know Panda Burning Incense was so powerful?" Guo Feng asked curiously.

Chen Guiliang said, "A friend told me in advance."

Guo Feng was skeptical.

In the past few days, the Panda Burning Incense craze has been exploding rapidly.

In the first two or three months combined, only a million computers nationwide were infected with viruses. But in less than a week recently, the number of infected computers has more than doubled.

Moreover, many people who were poisoned have not yet been included in the statistics.

The number of discovered variant viruses has surged to over 90. Antivirus software is constantly updating its virus database, but it simply cannot keep up with the rate of mutation.

Even 360 Security Guard has gotten involved, and many computers now use "Rising + 360" dual protection.

Buses carrying employees from both companies headed to the outskirts of Beijing.

Transportation costs alone can be a significant expense.

Everyone, from management to ordinary employees, was extremely excited.

After a year of work, they can finally have some fun, and the Spring Festival is just around the corner. Also, they've never seen paintball before, and it looks really exciting.

There were two special people who went out with us today.

They were not official employees of Game Science, but rather external hires brought in to test the fighting system of Future Age.

One is a child, and the other is Chen Long.

Especially the children, who are only 17 years old, have already won a lot of domestic championships.

"Youke's employees have really good benefits; they can even play live-action CS at the end of the year. I heard it costs 300 yuan per person, plus food and transportation. Youke has over a hundred employees, and they're going to spend tens of thousands of yuan today," Chen Long said in a low voice.

The child said, "I'm starting to think about joining this company."

Chen Long laughed and said, "You're only a senior in high school now. If you want to get into Youke, you'll have to wait a few more years. Are you planning to go to university?"

The kid shook his head: "Next year I want to go to Tokyo to compete in the World Championship. I'll be preparing for the college entrance exam, so I definitely won't have time to study. I won't be able to go to university, so I'll just play games full-time from now on."

Chen Long advised, "Fighting games like 'The King of Fighters' are outdated; online games dominate now. Esports is also dominated by StarCraft and Warcraft. You're still young; go to university if you can. Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

"I just want to play video games full-time, for as long as I can." After all, the kid is still under eighteen.

He refused to leave the fighting game scene, which left other players in despair for the next twenty years.

In the middle of the bus, Xu Fengyin was also chatting with Ding Beili.

"Why are you so downcast?" Xu Fengyin asked. Ding Beili said, "I was planning to go home today, but you insisted on dragging me to this activity. I don't like shooting, so I'd just be watching others play."

Xu Fengyin said, "It's very interesting. Besides, you need to be more proactive. This year, the boss asked you to host the annual meeting, and you made several mistakes while reciting your lines."

"I'm definitely doomed. The boss will never let me host events again," Ding Beili said, puffing out her cheeks. She wasn't angry or upset; it was just her habitual attempt to act cute after doing something wrong.

Xu Fengyin said, "There will be other opportunities. You need to practice your hosting skills. There's the ChinaJoy expo next year, as well as the Three Kingdoms Kill League. And the company is about to launch a new game, so there might be other events as well."

Ding Beili said, "I'll try my best."

She used to think this was a good way to make a living: working as a receptionist with a fixed salary, and earning extra money by participating in the company's cosplay and showgirl events.

But at this year's Youke Company annual meeting, she misread several lines of her hosting script, so embarrassing that she wanted to crawl into a hole on the spot.

It's time to put in the effort.

Upon arriving at the venue in the outskirts of Beijing, the two companies gathered separately.

A coach came over to explain the basic principles and precautions: "At any time, as long as you are on the field, including the non-combat rest area, you must wear protective gear! If your protective gear comes off, you must crouch down, raise your hand, and shout 'Goggles!' Others in the confrontation must immediately cease fire and wait for it to be repaired. Within three meters, it is forbidden to point your gun at anyone, otherwise you will be eliminated. Do not fire at close range; you can only force the opponent to surrender or retreat to a safe distance to fire..."

Paintball shooting carries certain risks.

With a total of over 300 people from the two companies participating, it was impossible for them all to rush up at once.

Students must draw lots to be divided into groups and go to different venues.

The Annihilation mode is most suitable for beginners, as a round can usually be completed in 10 to 15 minutes. Then, they can step down to rest and let other teams take turns playing.

Once everyone is familiar with each other by the morning, we'll play capture the flag and attack/defense games in the afternoon.

Several company employees, wearing fluorescent vests and protective gear, were also recording the event with DV cameras and other cameras.

Chen Guiliang sat outside for a while before running off to change and go on stage.

This was his first time playing it too.

I'm quite excited.

Using the makeshift cover, Chen Guiliang fired several shots, but all of them missed.

Fortunately, the group on the other side were also basically masters of drawing lines.

"Flank, flank! You guys go around!" Chen Guiliang began giving tactical instructions.

However, the scene was in complete chaos, with only two people around him listening to him, while the rest of his teammates were all in a daze.

Chen Guiliang imitated tactical moves from movies and TV dramas, adding crawling, rolling, and S-shaped movement techniques to his routine. These moves were particularly clumsy, but they actually worked against a group of novices, allowing him to outflank them and take them down from six or seven meters away.

"Damn it, who the hell hit me?" The employee left in frustration.

After killing several more people, Chen Guiliang was suddenly shot in the back.

The nearby referee shouted that he had been eliminated.

As Chen Guiliang left the field, he cursed at his teammates: "What are you all doing? I actually got outmaneuvered!"

Despite the criticism, we had a lot of fun.

During the beginner phase, no one knows how to play, and everyone just plays randomly without any strategy. This is the most fun time.

Back in the rest area, Ao Yanchen came from somewhere, and there was a mark on her chest indicating that she had been hit.

"Haha, you hung up too?" Chen Guiliang said cheerfully.

Ao Yanchen said excitedly, "This game is so much fun! We should organize more of these in the future."

Chen Guiliang said, "Sister, the activity fee is very expensive. Once a year is enough. If you like, we can come over and play privately."

Ao Yanchen nodded and said, "Okay. Let's make an appointment when we have time."

As she spoke, Ao Yanzhen sighed, "I should have gone to military school back then; I would definitely be an officer by now."

"With your temper, you probably won't be able to handle the discipline of the military," Chen Guiliang commented.

Ao Yanchen said, "That's not necessarily true."

After waiting for more than an hour, Chen Guiliang took the stage for the second time.

He became bolder this time because he had played the game before and was already familiar with it, and now he felt as if he had transformed into Leng Feng, the Wolf Warrior.

Go!

Making comical tactical maneuvers all the way, our hero Chen slaughtered everyone, taking down three opponents in a row... *snap*, he was killed in action.

"Hahaha!"

This time, Chen Guiliang didn't curse anymore; instead, he was eliminated and sent back to the rest area with a smile.

Many female employees tried it once and then stopped, going outside to chat and eat sunflower seeds. Some even paid their own way to the next area where there were other entertainment options.

With fewer participants, the rotation time is greatly shortened, allowing the remaining people to have more fun.

Ding Beili, who shouldn't normally enjoy this kind of game, is actually having a blast. Moreover, she's quite successful, preferring to lurk and snipe from the shadows – a classic example of a cunning and manipulative player.

Our hero Chen loves to charge in; he takes down a lot of enemies, but he also dies quite quickly.

After a day of fun, most employees were still eager for more and were discussing tactics on the bus ride back.

"How many times have you died in battle?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Dong Qianqiu said, "More than ten times."

Chen Guiliang said, "I've done it more than ten times as well."

Dong Qianqiu is short in stature, but like Chen Guiliang, he likes to charge ahead. His small body has the heart of a warrior.

Qu Guohao laughed and said, "Hehe, I only died four times, my win rate is much higher than yours."

Chen Guiliang said, "In seven or eight years, when the internet speed is faster and computer configurations are improved, I plan to make a shooting game."

"The CS kind?" Dong Qianqiu asked.

Chen Guiliang said, "You drop 50 or 100 players onto a large map. They have to find their own equipment, the safe zone keeps shrinking, and in the end only one person or one team can survive."

Dong Qianqiu's eyes lit up: "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Let's focus on making 'Future Era' better first," Chen Guiliang said.

The closed beta for "Future Era" will soon be over. Currently, only three dungeons have been completed and are being used for stress testing.

One thousand beta test accounts have all been distributed.

Over the next six months, the number of beta testers will gradually increase to 10,000. Once the next few dungeons are completed, the open beta test will begin around the summer vacation.

This gradual approach ensures that no major problems will arise after the official launch.

At least it won't disconnect frequently!

(End of this chapter)