Chapter 29: The Shooting Competition (1/3)

Under Du Zhong’s wide-eyed gaze, Su Mu really did pick up the mouse gingerly, hesitating as he gave it a tentative shake. When Du Zhong didn’t react, Su Mu shook it again—first back and forth, then side to side. Seeing Su Mu’s cluelessness, Du Zhong could only laugh and shake his head, saying, “That’s not how you do it! Never mind, just come over here and I’ll show you. Even Li Ping’an, who’s pretty slow, knows how it works. You’re the only one who’d actually pick up the mouse and shake it like that!”

Su Mu set the mouse back on the desk and stood aside, admitting, “That’s on me. I told you, I have no idea how to use this thing. It just looks really impressive.” In this era, personal computers had only just begun to enter people’s lives. There were fewer than a hundred thousand PCs in the world, most of them gathering dust in homes or companies. IBM had only released the world’s first personal computer in August of 1981, giving birth to this fledgling market. With just 16K of memory, these machines couldn’t do much of anything. Desktop graphical operating systems had only emerged in the past couple of years, and the first instant messaging software wouldn’t appear for another twelve years. The computer and internet industries were still a barren wasteland. It was perfectly normal for Su Mu to know nothing—his ignorance was endearing in its own way.

Growing up, Du Zhong had always been outshone by Su Mu in school and in reading habits, rarely encountering something Su Mu didn’t grasp. Now, seeing Su Mu make a fool of himself was a rare delight. Sitting down at the computer, Du Zhong demonstrated, “See this arrow? When you move the mouse, the arrow moves too. Just put it over what you want to open and click the left button—like this…”

After he clicked, it took two or three seconds for the Recycle Bin to open. Microsoft’s operating system wasn’t widespread yet, and many Apple keys were reversed compared to today, with the left mouse button being the main confirmation. Su Mu watched in amazement, listening to Du Zhong’s explanation and learning as he went. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. Now that he was actually using a computer, he realized that if there was a wire connecting two computers—much like a telephone line—it should be possible to do all sorts of things: send messages, watch movies, and so on, provided the technology was advanced enough.

Though such things were impossible in this era, it didn’t mean they always would be. The radio broadcasts he’d listened to had painted a vivid picture of a “world of the future,” expanding Su Mu’s imagination. He’d never considered what computers might become, but the stories he’d heard on the radio had set his mind turning. Without those glimpses from the radio, perhaps a computer would have been nothing more than a machine to him. But now, his imagination was fired by thoughts of where computers and networks might go. That was the spark of inspiration—he wasn’t obsessed, exactly, since the current Apple computers weren’t all that captivating, but he was deeply interested, eager to figure out how these machines were built and how their functions were realized.

Thinking of the radio hosts who often said, “Search the official website online for more information,” Su Mu asked Du Zhong, “If I want to find something that isn’t on your computer—like information someone else has published—how would I do that? The newspaper says the future of the Internet is information sharing. How does that work? Can you really see what others share?”

“I think…maybe, but it’s complicated. You have to connect to the network, and that’s really expensive. Our home computer can’t do it, but some schools can.” Du Zhong wasn’t too clear on the details himself. “My dad bought this for work. He asked the telecom company, but they said we can’t get online for now. Why do you ask?”

In America, telecom companies were privately operated. Unless there was enough profit on the horizon, they wouldn’t invest in building networks. At that time, only a handful of areas could even get online—the network hadn’t yet entered everyday life, but the process had begun.

“I was just asking out of curiosity. Go on.” Hearing that it was possible made Su Mu wonder even more if those ideas might become reality in the future. He was still young and hadn’t thought about doing anything himself, but he felt that if it could be achieved, it would be amazing…

A simple card game was fun at first, but quickly grew dull after a few rounds. The computer had only one game installed, which was less entertaining than the arcade machines, so no wonder Li Ping’an thought it was boring.

Su Mu didn’t stay at Du Zhong’s for dinner. Around seven, he walked home as dusk was falling. Passing a bookstore, he went in to ask the clerk and found several books about the internet. They were outrageously expensive, so he simply stayed in the store and pored over them, flipping through page after page, quickly “stealing” the knowledge inside. Feeling a bit guilty about reading without buying, he settled for purchasing one he hadn’t looked at yet, paid for it, and took it home.

***

The next day.

Xu Haifeng’s slow fire pistol match was scheduled for the morning. As usual, Su Mu went to his part-time job at the convenience store. The owner, Mr. Han, was out on business, so Su Mu took the opportunity to keep an eye on the competition while cleaning. When the slow fire event began, he stood in front of the TV, waiting anxiously for the results.

Though he hadn’t put up any of his own money, two hundred and fifty dollars was still at stake. The hope of winning a little cash made his nerves tingle, and he also wondered if he might see Kate again. He hoped she had an interest in him—if she did, she’d probably come back to the store, since she knew he worked there.

The results of the first round came in quickly—Xu Haifeng was in second place, a very promising start. Seeing the ranking, Su Mu’s eyes lit up. If Xu Haifeng took first, that would mean $7,500—a windfall from the sky. Even if he failed to win a scholarship, he wouldn’t have to worry about his first year’s tuition.

He’d done well on the SSAT, but he wasn’t confident he could outperform other students in special skills or interviews. His chances of winning a scholarship were good, but far from certain—each school had only a few spots, so he had to plan ahead.

While watching TV, customers kept coming in to buy things, so he could only glance at the screen when he had a spare moment. With Mr. Han away, he was responsible for both sales and the register.

Nervous moments passed slowly, and sometimes the broadcast cut away to other events. ABC had exclusive rights to the Olympics, meaning it was the only channel airing the live coverage. They’d spent over two hundred million dollars for those rights, so commercials constantly interrupted, and even the competition venues were plastered with ads.

Finally, it was time for the final round—the last ten shots would decide the winner. Just then, several customers walked in. Cursing his luck, Su Mu nevertheless went to help them. By the time he returned to the register, he heard the news: the first Olympic gold medal had been awarded, and the winner was—Xu Haifeng!

Far away at William Hill betting company, Manager David’s expression turned instantly peculiar upon hearing the news…