Chapter 76: A Leap in Progress

Under the relentless sun, the two walked along. Chen Xiao resisted the urge to buy a parasol from the nearby store, which lifted his spirits.

Shen Wei was taken aback, not expecting Chen Xiao to be so considerate.

"The acceptance notice from Yenjing University should have arrived by now," Chen Xiao took a sip of soda and said, "Are you excited?"

Shen Wei nodded, sharing, "I received the notice yesterday. I've been admitted to the International Economics and Trade program."

"Congratulations! That's a very specialized field, and you'll probably end up working in a multinational company in the future!" Chen Xiao raised his Arctic Ocean soda bottle, "Here's to you, congratulations!"

"Thank you!" Shen Wei lifted her bottle too.

Clank, their bottles met.

During their stroll, Shen Wei recounted her experiences from her grandmother's hometown. Eventually, they reached the internet cafe that Chen Xiao frequented.

Chen Xiao seldom used the dark and stuffy internet cafe during the summer vacation. The air quality was poor, and the computers often performed poorly.

Not far from the school on Aimin Road was Jincheng Internet Cafe, a popular spot for Zhang Kai, Jiang Wei, and others.

Following the college entrance exam scores, they had thrown caution to the wind. They spent their days at the internet cafe, and the excessive screen time even led Zhang Kai to start wearing glasses.

Chen Xiao teased, "You didn't need glasses when you were studying, but now you need them during vacation. The irony!"

Zhang Kai retorted playfully, "This is the accumulation of three years of hard work manifesting all at once, okay?"

Indeed, if Zhang Kai's father heard this, he'd likely be quite pleased.

Shen Wei interjected, "This is an internet cafe?" She observed gamers typing away on their keyboards and the vivid screens, feeling a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

Chen Xiao booted up two computers and gave Shen Wei a brief introduction to some games and their mechanics displayed on the desktop.

However, Shen Wei appeared disinterested in gaming. Instead, she opened a web page to browse advice for incoming college freshmen, examining them carefully.

For instance, the first point was about being welcomed by enthusiastic seniors, who intended to lend a helping hand not just to guide but also to nurture.

Shen Wei coughed awkwardly...

Later, she logged into QQ to chat with her classmates.

Upon opening a webpage, the navigation URL of 11181 appeared directly. This was one of Chen Xiao's achievements, and he felt rather satisfied.

By the mid-2000s, Baidu had already established a firm presence and was rapidly growing. It wouldn't take more than a year for it to secure its place as the dominant search engine.

No, Shen Wei was already utilizing whiteness.

Chen Xiao reckoned that it would take some time for him to catch up to Baidu's pace. After all, Li Yanhong had a significant head start.

Chen Xiao was prepared to leave his mark with his own innovations.

At this moment, he noticed something amiss.

Ninety percent of the internet cafe users were engrossed in playing "Legends," and about sixty percent of them were discreetly employing plug-ins, some of which were paid for.

However, Chen Xiao discerned something unusual.

For instance, the person next to him was also using a plug-in, but the interface was markedly different from the one he had developed.

Curiosity piqued, Chen Xiao stood up and glanced at the plug-ins being used by several other people, finding them distinct from his creation.

What was happening?

Chen Xiao got up and walked around the internet cafe.

To his astonishment, nearly everyone was using "Peerless Legend."

Approaching the front desk, Chen Xiao inquired with the network administrator, "Is there a legend plug-in available?"

The network manager responded, "Indeed! It's 30 yuan for 4,500 minutes. You can make the payment here, and I'll give you an account number and password. You can bind it directly. New users get an additional 500 minutes."

Chen Xiao explained, "I already have an account, using 'Water Moon Legend Assistant.'"

The network manager waved him off, saying, "We've shifted away from Water Moon Legend; now we're all about Peerless Legend. It's even more user-friendly than Water Moon Legend!"

Chen Xiao paid thirty yuan and agreed, "Okay, I'll give it a try."

He proceeded to recharge, bind the account, and log in.

With the new plug-in, Chen Xiao noticed that all the settings were practically identical to his own. It was as if it was a carbon copy.

Chen Xiao could foresee that the plug-in market would become tumultuous, with intense competition. Thus, he planned to work alongside Zhou Quan to promote 11181 online and offline and solidify its market position.

He hadn't anticipated such rapid competition.

Something seemed off. If both plug-ins offered the same features at the same cost, why were the internet cafes choosing Water Moon Legend Assistant over Peerless Legend?

Didn't Zhou Quan handle the installation and maintenance of these computers? How could he have overlooked this?

Calmly, Chen Xiao resumed his seat, spent an hour online with Shen Wei, enjoyed ice cream and a chat with her, then saw her off. They arranged to go ice-skating with Zhang Kai and the others in three days.

After Shen Wei left, Chen Xiao hailed a taxi and visited over a dozen renowned internet cafes in Jiangcheng. To his surprise, they were all using Peerless Legend.

During this period, Chen Xiao remained engrossed in creating MP3 schematics and discussing with Zhou Linghua the improvements for the VCD production line. He hadn't checked 11181's backstage or the legendary plug-in for quite some time.

As he expected, the clicks on 11181 had hardly increased, and the downloads and paid plug-ins had plummeted.

A problem had arisen.

Chen Xiao promptly called Zhou Quan.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Quan exclaimed, "Hey, Brother Chen! I was just about to call you. I figured you were free, and I wanted to treat you to hotpot in Jiangzhou!"

Chen Xiao addressed his concern, "Mr. Zhou, I've noticed that many internet cafes haven't been using our plug-in lately. Could there be an issue with the promotion on your end?"

Zhou Quan appeared embarrassed, confessing, "I was going to talk to you about this. The plug-in market is in chaos. Some internet cafes seem supportive upfront, but who knows what they're promising behind our backs. Brother Chen, do you think the pricing of our plug-in is too high? Maybe we could lower the rates and give it another shot?"

Chen Xiao smiled, "I'll consider it."

Chen Xiao wasn't a fool. From Zhou Quan's words, he could sense what was truly going on. There was no way Zhou Quan wasn't involved with the new plug-in. Chen Xiao wouldn't believe it even if he were paid to.

In this era, internet cafes were crucial. About 80% of young gamers used them, recharging their cards and having the cafe owners handle the transactions on their behalf.

However, Chen Xiao had a plan for this outcome.

Firstly, he revoked Zhou Quan's administrator privileges.

Secondly, he unlocked the paid features of the previous plug-in. Users could access these features for free, including automatic tasks and such.

Additionally, he created a new patch program to introduce new payment features. Users could opt for these features, which included automatic trading and hang-up team dungeons. They would also help users pinpoint high-quality equipment's explosive upgrade points more precisely.

These measures aimed to enhance the loyalty of existing users.

Thirdly, he decided to let it be.

Chen Xiao was prepared to directly confront Zhou Quan's business.

Utilizing his "C Language Proficiency" skill, he designed an internet cafe management system.

This system held three advantages:

Firstly, it could precisely control internet access times, automatically logging off users when their time was up.

Secondly, it facilitated system restoration. Beyond the content of the designated directories (installed games, etc.), the computer would revert to its initial interface after a restart to deter virus-related disturbances.

Thirdly, it offered a one-click mirror installation, simplifying network management and reducing workloads.

Chen Xiao assessed the system. [Accumulated Influence: 434.]

With the news media's coverage of the champion's achievement and users' adoption of 11181 and plug-ins during this period, the accumulated influence had reached 434.

Chen Xiao was confident that once the internet cafe management system was in play, it would likely activate a new skill tree.

Zhou Quan, after hanging up, was quite pleased with his decision. He believed he had made the right call.