Genius Chapter 107: Playing Games Should Be Fun

Chapter 107: Playing Games Should Be Fun

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

ClearWindIsHere really meant it when he said “watching the video.” In a hastily recorded video, he conducted a detailed comparison of chat records, enhancing and enlarging the edited traces found in the original post at a technical level. This allowed viewers to clearly understand the editing process of chat record images and videos. Furthermore, he compared numerous old posts to thoroughly debunk the fake facts fabricated by the original gossip poster.

As an experienced livestreamer, ClearWindIsHere knew how to use his voice to capture the audience’s attention. The narrative process was very clear: after exposing the gossip post, he provided a clear explanation and clarification. First, he explained the ins and outs of the incident, and then he used video to present the chat records retrieved from ZenSlasher’s terminal hidden storage board.

“Have you learned it? With just a small software, you can edit incredibly realistic chat records. Add some linguistic processing, using a tone of grievance or victimization, or standing arrogantly on a moral high ground to criticize and hang someone out in a post. Finally, use statements like ‘I had to expose the truth about them, I’m just showing everyone who they really are,’ to garner the majority of netizens’ biased support.”

ClearWindIsHere finished uploading the freshly baked video. “Now, take a look at ZenSlasher’s side. I just taught everyone how to identify edited videos. Compare that to what I’ve recorded here. No issues with zooming in or out, no loss of clarity or frame drops—it’s the real chat records before they were edited by some original poster.”

[fuck… This editing is disgusting.]

[ClearWind being so serious in clearing things up is a first for me.] 

“The same chat records, but edited to show two different meanings. The original poster’s language was too leading. Next time, friends, be more cautious when watching dramas. Having evidence doesn’t always mean it’s trustworthy.” 

[They’re treating forum players like scapegoats.]

“At the time, the original poster and ZenSlasher were simply discussing the attributes of an opposing guild’s assassin character. A large section of equipment analysis was directly omitted, and phrases like ‘his character is quite good’ and ‘it must have taken a lot to forge this item’ were extracted. Then, through language guidance, ZenSlasher was portrayed as a malicious girl.”

ClearWind paused here for a moment before continuing to clarify various rumors that had surfaced earlier. “Leaving that aside, after this incident, I want to remind everyone to keep a backup of their chat records when conversing with others. You never know if the person on the other end is human or ghost, or if they are intentionally fishing for information.”

“Also, to clarify, the character ZenSlasher plays is meticulously crafted by herself, not some minor character. This is the character she has put her heart into.”

[Since ZenSlasher has so much evidence, why didn’t she release it earlier? It would have been better to clarify things sooner. Even if the chat records are fake, maybe some aspects are true, given how close she was with the Fruit Gang management.]

“User kdasda123456, who bothers arguing with a dog? You seem quite good at conspiracy theories. Just because I was once against you, even if I leave the guild, I will still keep my distance from you. Otherwise, am I a spy, 007?? Who I play with is none of your business.”

ClearWind continued with a chuckle, “I’m just playing a game. Why should I care if you’re against me or not? Quitting the guild means clearing all grudges. Who I play with is none of your business. If I were ZenSlasher, I might as well join the Fruit Gang and counterattack Temple of the Gods. Bro, are you not tired of scheming all day in a game? I’m tired just thinking about it. Maybe your guild management is secretly buddies with enemy management.”

“Oh, and what about LethalSlash? You brought your wife into the wilderness and got assassinated? Being weak is the original sin. Losing just means throwing mud. I feel embarrassed for you. And that self-proclaimed reminder-giver, that certain poster. I won’t mention the game ID, you can check their profile yourselves. Remember to avoid certain posters like them next time, be careful they don’t stab you in the back.”

[livestreamer is on fire today!]

[ClearWind, you’re really rocking it today!!!]

[Sister ZenSlasher is really in a tough spot with friends like these.]

[This is really disgusting…]

[So LethalSlash is still relevant?]

[Don’t you know? The manager mentioned by a certain poster is LethalSlash. But as far as I know, LethalSlash has already been kicked out by the gods. Is he still causing trouble?]

[What!? LethalSlash got kicked out? Any gossip? I have a friend who’s very interested.]

“ZenSlasher didn’t back up the chat records. The evidence this time was all data exported from the hidden storage board in ZenSlasher’s terminal by our expert Momo, and then reconstructed. If there hadn’t been a solution, were you planning to continue smearing ZenSlasher? How about accumulating some virtue?”

ClearWind felt fortunate at this point. Who knew there was a hidden storage board in the terminal? He was completely baffled when he heard Momo introduce it in the group chat. In the end, his big brother sent over a program that allowed ZenSlasher to run it and resolve the issue.

In short, the gist is that some versions of the terminal have a hidden storage area where supposedly deleted items are actually compressed and stored. Data recovery in most cases relies on traces left on the storage board, but this kind of recovery is difficult and requires special coding—it’s an emergency storage board left behind by the development team.

So under normal circumstances, not many people knew about this, and even most intelligent repair machines wouldn’t have such skills.

ClearWind initially didn’t understand, but when he saw the data his big brother had restored from ZenSlasher’s terminal, he was stunned. Normally, his big brother was so good at gaming, but he hadn’t expected him to be so skilled in this kind of machinery.

After getting ZenSlasher’s consent, they spent time preparing these clarifications. Rumors had persisted for too long, and some deeply rooted rumors had to be openly explained to clear their reputations. Otherwise, it would become a dark chapter in the game’s history, so let LethalSlash and the others have their way. The ones who put in the most effort were undoubtedly his big brother and Brother Wanderer. The former restored the chat records, while the latter, with an unknown source of efficiency, created comparison videos of the chat records, edited the evidence chain, packaged the materials, filed a report, and even notified the authorities.

ClearWind thought to himself that he had only been talking, while in reality, it was the two elder brothers who had exerted the most effort over the past few hours… Eventually, as the two elders logged off to rest at the designated time, they handed over this heavy responsibility directly to him and ScarletFruit.

But how could they mess this up!

Today, both he and ScarletFruit not only had to completely clarify this matter and clear ZenSlasher’s name from the rumors but also show everyone the ugly faces of the rumor-mongers.

“The specific details of the clarification will be posted on the forum later. All kinds of evidence will be attached. Debate is welcome, but since we are all adults, please bring evidence before speaking. Those who spread rumors without evidence will be held accountable. We have already packaged the evidence and reported it to the authorities, so we await further action.”

ClearWind cleared his throat after finishing, “Now, let’s read today’s thank-you list. Special thanks go to Momo and UnchainedWanderer for their technical support. The clarification post will be pinned to the public screen, and I hope everyone will help by liking it. Here are the names of our generous sponsors.”

“Just click the link to read and like.”

After hearing the big news, netizens were amazed to find out there were even likes rewards.

Upon clicking, they found a highly detailed clarification post upfront, which didn’t dwell much on ZenSlasher but directly and clearly presented the evidence. They had already heard a brief clarification in the livestream, and the subsequent text and video versions were also straightforward and easy to understand, making them all increasingly angry.

“Finally, there’s a like-and-win lottery. After reading, just hit the like button. Here, I’d like to thank all the generous sponsors, thank you to the Fruit Gang’s Bitter Melon Boss for the [Advanced Material: Tempering Stone x2], thank you to Momo for the item [Grand Gift Pack x2], thank you to ClearWindIsHere livestreamer for the [Mall’s Choice Fashion Grand Gift Pack], thank you to UnchainedWanderer for the [Advanced Material: Mountains, Rivers, and Seas]… In addition, if this post reaches over a hundred thousand views, we’ll announce Momo’s exclusive walkthrough for [Mechanical Iron Prison] in a few days, so stay tuned!”

Netizens: !!!

Liking could keep the post trending, maintain exposure for the clarification post, and help players on the forum understand the truth behind the incident, maximizing support for ZenSlasher’s clarification efforts.

Netizens were already inclined to hit the like button, but seeing such luxurious gift packs, how could they hesitate? Winning or not, the final reward being a walkthrough for the “Mechanical Iron Prison” dungeon, which hadn’t even been officially released yet, was too tempting.

[ScarletFruit really knows how to handle things… doing clarifications, running businesses, building reputations, all very proficient.]

[But the clarification is the best part. I saw ZenSlasher’s story a long time ago. Some of the management in Temple of the Gods were truly awful.]

[ZenSlasher is a really good person. I did a dungeon run with her when I was a newbie, and she taught me everything step by step. Although we didn’t add each other as friends, I always remembered her. Seeing the news these past two days made me feel really bad. Thank you to the big shots for helping with the clarification.]

[Honestly, she saved me a few times in the wild. A female assassin is super cool!]

“What do I do? Will they sue me? They have all the evidence now.” The original poster was panicking upon seeing all this.

“It won’t be that quick,” LethalSlash said as he looked at the posts. “What are you worried about? We’ll just quit the game. After some time, who will even remember this?”

Just as he finished speaking, the person who had contacted him about managing a guild in another game sent him a message. They told him he was already infamous in the gaming community and then promptly deleted him as a friend.

The original poster kept talking, sending several screenshots to the group. “It seems to have spread outside the game… I saw my ID in my social media feed, and my friends are asking about it… Slash, I’ve received a message from StarNet enforcement… they’re contacting me.”

LethalSlash’s expression changed as he saw a new notification pop up, showing that he had been reported, followed immediately by an incoming communication.

“Hello, this is StarNet Enforcement Officer A6126. We’ve received reports that you are involved in spreading and creating false information…”

***

Su Mo was very tired and, after logging off, slept until morning. When he woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the window. He checked his terminal for messages and saw ClearWind announcing good news in the terminal group. They discussed the increasing post popularity and the acceptance notice from StarNet Enforcement. The three were chatting excitedly, and even ZenSlasher was joking with the two lively members, resulting in hundreds of messages.

Su Mo also received a thank-you letter from ZenSlasher. It was the first time he had seen the usually reserved ZenSlasher write such a long message. He read it carefully and replied with an emoji, saying “You’re welcome.”

Messages kept popping up in their “Let’s Get Rich Early” group chat. The night owls seemed in good spirits, managing to be energetic despite staying up late and getting up early, showing no signs of fatigue.

Su Mo yawned and pulled the soft blanket tighter around himself. The warm sunlight streamed through the window, and the feeling of winter seemed to be getting closer. Feeling lazy, he didn’t want to get out of bed and instead wrapped himself in the blanket while scrolling through the message logs on his terminal.

-Yu Zhen: Morning. 

Su Mo paused for a moment, then sent a good morning sticker to Yu Zhen.

Just then, a tall figure suddenly appeared beside him. A large hand scooped him up from the bed.

“Su Mo! It’s eight o’clock! No lying in bed, time for breakfast!”

Su Mo instantly woke up, looking at the tall Lele in front of him, suddenly aware of his disadvantage in size and height compared to Lele.

“Lele, what do you think of the new outfit?” Su Mo asked sluggishly as he got up and put on his coat.

Lele responded excitedly, “Super cool! I sent a photo to my senior, and they said I look handsome!”

Standing next to Lele, Su Mo glanced at Lele’s height. “Really?”

Lele nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, yeah!”

After breakfast, Su Mo logged into the game. His teammates were all online and were preparing to form a party for a quest.

The clarification post on StarNet maintained its popularity, and life in the game seemed to return to normal.

“Gather up, everyone! Let’s aim to finish the daily points quests in half an hour!” ClearWind urged the team.

“Got it, coming right away,” ZenSlasher replied, closing the friend mail in front of her.

She unexpectedly received an apology message from the guild master of Temple of the Gods. She had always had a good impression of this guild master. Temple of the Gods hadn’t always been so notorious; it was once a highly respected and admired guild. When ZenSlasher first started playing the game, the guild had provided her with significant help.

However, the guild master had to leave the game temporarily due to real-life commitments. The management underwent a major change, with LethalSlash taking over. That’s when things started to deteriorate.

“ZenSlasher, thank you for your contributions to Temple of the Gods. This apology is long overdue. I have contacted the administrators to delete the defamatory posts about you on the forum. In my memory, you have always been a helpful, independent, and kind-hearted girl. I hope our guild’s troubles won’t continue to bring you distress. If there’s a chance, let’s play together again. I’m happy for you; you have some very good friends.”

ZenSlasher, seeing the message, was reminded of what ClearWind and ScarletFruit had said to her last night. They said that playing games should be about having fun. It hadn’t been that long, but she had indeed found a group of very good friends.

ClearWind spotted ZenSlasher coming over from a distance, scanned the team, and asked, “Isn’t the big guy here yet?” ScarletFruit, who was busy calculating something, cut back into the conversation, “Bro, are you AFK?” Yu Zhen called out in the voice chat, “Momo?” 

Su Mo replied, “Here.”

“What are you busy with?” ClearWind asked, “It’s rare to see you distracted, big guy!”

Su Mo replied, “I was just chatting with the online store customer service, didn’t notice.”

ClearWind instantly imagined the worst. “What happened? Got scammed online? I have a universal after-sales link, do you want it?”

“It’s nothing, just the robot’s simulation outfit at home doesn’t fit,” Su Mo said, closing the outfit customization page on his terminal. “I’m planning to get a new one for it.”

Then he suddenly remembered, “Oh right, there’s a team quest. Do you guys have time this afternoon? Want to give it a try?”

Author’s note: 

Lele: I look super cool and awesome! (Takes photo) 

Online store customer service: What style would you like to customize, dear? 

Momo: A shorter one.