Chapter 141: Tiananmen Watches Over
Chapter 141: Tiananmen Watches Over
After wrapping up the Last Survivor tournament, a flood of articles hit the press.
〈E-Sports' Biggest Tournament with 42.6 Million Participants〉
〈Last Survivor Showcases Earth Channel's Popularity〉
〈Korean Earth Gaming Team Announces Creation of Professional Last Survivor Squad〉
〈Chinese Users Banned in Final Match Refuse to Admit Hack Usage〉
〈Famous Chinese Streamer Zhang Shen Blames Baseless Sinophobia〉
〈Banned Chinese Users Vow International Lawsuit〉
It was an E-Sports event, but the participation numbers were unprecedented.
Earth Channel's gaming division had flexed its massive influence, and requests poured in from the US, Europe, and Korea for second and third tournaments.
On the flip side, backlash from Chinese users exploded across online communities.
―China didn't use hacks.
―This is outrageous slander.
―Chinese players got screwed over by a plot to crown a Korean winner.
―Earth Resource must punish those responsible and issue a formal apology.
Oh Myeong-woo looked visibly flustered.
“Shin-ah, they're calling for a mass boycott of Earth Channel in China. Tons of SNS posts demanding we stop the China hate.”
“Hack usage is confirmed, right?”
“Yep. We verified it with data, multiple times—up to four checks, which is why we couldn't ban them until the final match.”
“Then there's no issue.”
Earth Channel needed to issue an official statement.
The Last Survivor developers could step in, but Earth Channel had run the tournament.
The bans on Chinese users were Earth Channel's call too.
Well, technically mine—I'd told them to wipe them out.
“Myeong-woo. Do a media interview. Explain it to folks who don't know the details.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You're handling the gaming side.”
“Hmm.”
Oh Myeong-woo thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“I don't want to stand in front of reporters.”
“Why?”
“Guys like me are more appealing as the man behind the curtain.”
Oh Myeong-woo was smooth with people online but not the extroverted type in real life.
Reporters might lob awkward questions his way.
So, after a long time, I decided to handle the interviews myself.
“Well, if I'm careful, nothing bad should happen.”
I'd stirred trouble with politicians before, but this time I'd watch my words.
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: Hello. Mr. Kim Shin, CEO.
Then a message came from Seon Jae-yong, Vice Chairman.
―Kim Shin: Yes. Hello. Good morning.
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: Haha, thanks for the morning greeting. The sky's beautifully clear. Must be afternoon in San Francisco.
I was chatting with Jo Soo-ah on KakaoTalk.
Chatting with her daily meant I knew Seoul's time and weather well.
Talking with Jo Soo-ah only deepened our bond and made me miss her more.
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: I have something important to discuss in person.
―Kim Shin: In person?
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: Yes. Just tell me when you're free, and I'll come to San Francisco.
―Kim Shin: I'm free anytime.
Busy, sure, but not too slammed to meet people.
Earth Resource didn't grind to a halt without me—top-tier devs.
No issues while I'd bounced between LA and New York.
―Vice Chairman Seon Jae-yong: Then I'll visit next week.
―Kim Shin: Yes. Sounds good.
* * *
That evening, we held a press conference at Earth Resource HQ.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you, reporters, for joining us. With so many questions about the Last Survivor tournament, we set up this official briefing.”
It was a press conference about the Last Survivor tournament.
I'd expected a decent crowd, but over a hundred showed up.
Cameras from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and more were rolling.
Earth Resource was drawing massive attention.
“Yes. Questions one at a time. Matthew, you first.”
A PR staffer fed me the reporter's name via wireless earpiece.
“I'm Matthew Ruth from the New York Times. How many subscribers did Earth Channel gain from the Last Survivor tournament?”
“Hard to pin down exactly, but we're estimating over 17 million.”
Simple question, simple answer. I pointed to the next.
“Angelina Ulrich from ABC.”
“Nice to meet you, Angelina.”
“The Last Survivor tournament was a huge hit. Any plans for more like it?”
“Of course. Tons of people loved it, and I had a blast playing myself. We're planning monthly tournaments.”
“With the same $4.56 million prize?”
“Absolutely.”
The tournament's impact made $4.56 million chump change.
‘So far, so good. I've gotten pretty good at handling press.’
A quiet sense of pride welled up inside me.
Three years of schmoozing crowds and big stages had toughened me up.
Answering questions felt smooth now.
“Jason Gruman from Bloomberg. There's criticism that the Last Survivor prizes encourage get-rich-quick schemes.”
“Fair point. The prize money invites that talk. But doesn't it make it more fun? Rewarding fans who love Last Survivor feels great from our side.”
My words flowed effortlessly during the conference.
“Yes, Ms. Wang Wenwen.”
Next came a reporter from a Chinese news outlet.
She'd had her hand up the whole time, and I needed to balance nationalities.
“I'm Wang Wenwen from Global Times. Earth Channel banned Chinese users for alleged hacks. Do you have clear evidence?”
“There are several pieces of evidence.”
“What kind? Evidence anyone could accept?”
Her expression and tone grated.
She was clearly spoiling for a fight.
“First, reaction speeds and accuracy beyond human limits.”
“Reaction speed and accuracy? So you branded fast Chinese gamers as hackers?”
“Yes. Hitting someone 859 meters away on the first shot in 0.05 seconds is impossible.”
Anyone who's played Last Survivor knows.
How tough it is to nail targets at range.
“Can't a skilled gamer with good luck pull that off?”
“They say human reaction time maxes at 0.1 seconds. And that target 859 meters out was dodging. The flagged user landed five shots in a row—realistically impossible. Replay analysis showed hits even through tree branches blocking line of sight. Multiple data points no human could manage.”
I figured that was convincing enough.
“Isn't challenging the impossible what sports is about? Isn't calling it impossible a discriminatory bias against China?”
Her absurd claim left me stunned, and Wang Wenwen raised her voice.
“Even if some Chinese used hacks, why not catch the others?”
“Pardon?”
“The top players in the tournament—they must've hacked too, right?”
Was she trying to lump legitimate players in with the hackers?
“If unauthorized programs slipped into the tournament, Earth Resource bears the blame. Will you apologize to Chinese users over this?”
“…….”
Deny the hacks.
Her strategy was to portray the other players as hackers.
Blame Earth Resource anyway.
‘The miracle trifecta of logic.’
Turning the reporter hostile was risky.
They'd twist anything to fit their narrative.
A hostile Chinese reporter could simply cut away the context and spin my words however she liked.
〈Earth Resource Confirmed Framing Skilled Chinese Players as Hackers〉
〈Last Survivor Full of Hacks, But Only Chinese Punished〉
〈Earth Resource Must Own Up to In-Game Failures〉
Reporters wielded frightening power over how a story was presented.
‘No free-press culture like the US or other advanced nations.’
A few bad articles from Chinese press, and Earth Resource turns villain overnight.
China's a giant—population, market, economy.
Even American companies bent over backward in China, accepting poor deals and tiptoeing around both the government and the public.
Elon Musk praised China nonstop.
Head knew playing nice with a pushy reporter was smart business.
I looked at her and said,
“We can't perfectly preempt unknown cheats.”
“So you're admitting Earth Resource's responsibility?”
She puffed up; I hit back lightly.
“Crimes happen in China too. Does that mean the government and police failed at prevention?”
“W-well... that's a ridiculous analogy.”
“I'm not discriminating against China. I didn't say Chinese users were wrong. Just that the hackers happened to be Chinese.”
“Is this slick wordplay insulting China?”
“Wordplay?”
The room chilled.
US and foreign reporters watched our spat with interest.
I knew I should dial it back, but losing sucked.
“I'm not bashing any country. But you're steering it that way. American users could hack too. If caught, we wouldn't drag the US into it.”
“You're slandering Chinese people with nonsense.”
“You need to remember you're a reporter, not China's rep. And...”
Why was this Chinese reporter acting up?
Patriotism, sure, but stoking it meant promotions and glory for her.
Just arguing with me was a win for her.
‘This isn't for emotions.’
Economic hits to Earth Channel could be huge, but buckling was worse.
Earth Channel: built for fun.
If I, the CEO, groveled, it'd crush morale for staff, subscribers—everyone.
“Ms. Wang Wenwen. As thanks to Chinese users, we'll add a new Last Survivor map.”
“A new map?”
“The Tiananmen map. And specially, your name, Wang Wenwen, will pop up every time someone plays it.”
“……!”
Mention Tiananmen, and Wang Wenwen's smug face drained white.