Chapter 1120: For humanity's sake, I am willing to accept the challenge!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
In the house.
Zhang Ye was dumbfounded by what he heard!
The Go world's last line of defense?
What?
Me?
He was tickled at once. "Auntie, are you joking?"
Li Qinqin gave a wry smile and said, "I'm not."
Zhang Ye pointed to himself and said with a smile, "I'm just a layperson to Go and a hick amongst hicks. When did I ever become the last line of defense for the Go world? You are so funny."
Chen Ying directly said, "Professor Zhang, we need your help!"
Even though Hu Liang 7-dan got crushed by Zhang Ye a few days ago, he knew that he had lost convincingly. He spoke up, "Professor Zhang, you are the only person who can help us now!"
Xu Han said, "Please, help the Go world!"
"Professor Zhang!"
"Please come forward and play against the AI!"
"Only you are good enough to beat it!"
"Professor Zhang!"
"We're earnestly asking for your help!"
"The survival of the Go world lies in your hands now!"
Immediately, all the professional Go players in the house gave him pleading looks!
Zhang Ye quickly waved it off. "Whoa, can you guys not scare me like that? What is all this about me saving the Go world? Aren't you thinking too highly of me?" He found it both a little funny and ridiculous. "Don't you all know the level of my play? Why would you come looking for me? My Go skills might be quite alright, but they're only average at best. Aiyo, you people are really funny." He immediately looked at Wu Changhe and pointed at him. "If you don't believe me, just ask Uncle. I nearly even lost to him even though he's just a has-been who retired from the game 20 years ago. I just barely managed to play him to a draw!"
What?
A has-been?
Who the hell is a has-been! You better get it straight!
Wu Changhe became annoyed on the spot. "You rascal…"
"Changhe, stick to the topic!" He got pulled back by Li Qinqin.
"This is so infuriating!" Wu Changhe could only sit down and sulk.
Many of the professional players were feeling very helpless. They were thinking in their minds that Zhang Ye was indeed just like what the rumors said about him. The way he spoke was really too sarcastic. It was little wonder then that this fellow offended so many people in the industry!
Zhang Ye pointed at Wu Changhe. "See, Uncle agrees to it as well, doesn't he? I really don't have such a high level of accomplishment in Go. You're all professional Go players, right? Any one of you here would be able to thrash me in a game!"
Thrash you?
Any one of us?
Chen Ying said bitterly, "But the problem now is that everyone who is present here has already been thrashed by you!"
Zhang Ye was stunned. "Ah?"
Xu Han sighed. "Almost all of us here have already played against you."
Hu Liang said rather embarrassed, "That time, it was us playing against you on our teacher's account."
Zhang Ye said in a startled manner, "What?"
"It means," Chen Ying said, "that our teacher only played you in the first two games. We were the ones who played against you for the remainder of the games. All of China Qiyuan's top Go players were defeated by you that day!"
Wu Changhe was not the one playing?
It wasn't him?
Zhang Ye immediately recalled the games from that day. It felt like the skill of "WuChanghe" had improved with every game that he played, and he had found it rather strange at the time but did not give much thought to it. He thought that the has-been Go player was experiencing a revival of sorts and had managed to regain part of his past skill. But when he heard what they had to say, Zhang Ye's face turned green with anger!
He immediately pointed at Wu Changhe and said angrily, "Uncle, you played dirty against me!"
Wu Changhe's face reddened from embarrassment.
Zhang Ye said angrily, "So you found helpers to play on your behalf! Aren't you being too evil! That's basically cheating! Cheating!"
Wu Changhe rolled his eyes. "What helpers! I was just testing your skill, understand?"
Zhang Ye was infuriated. "And there I was thinking that something felt amiss. I was wondering why you were getting stronger and stronger with every game. It was like you on steroids or something! So you had been scamming me all the while! So it wasn't you who played against me! Uncle, how can you behave this way! And you even insisted that I had a questionable character? Aiyo, what the heck!"
Wu Changhe felt somewhat guilty but pretended not to have heard him.
And so, Zhang Ye looked at the group. "But you guys still should not be approaching me for this. That last person I played against was rather good too and I didn't manage to win that game. Since I couldn't win, how could I be qualified to challenge Peter?"
Dan Donghe said with a bitter smile, "Do you know who you were playing against in that last game that day?"
Zhang Ye said in a daze, "Who?"
Dan Donghe said, "Xiang Rong 9-dan!"
Zhang Ye said in surprise, "What?"
"So now you understand why we came looking for you?" Dan Donghe said.
Xiang Rong 9-dan?
The world's number one Go player?
I played against him that day?
And we even drew?
Zhang Ye could not process this sudden revelation and his mind went blank. That was because this fellow had always thought that his Go skills were just average. However, now that there was suddenly a group of people who came to inform him that he was actually an expert at Go, who would be able to accept something like that?
Holy shit!
Am I really that awesome?
Is this how good I really am?
Chen Ying said sincerely, "Professor Zhang, you were the first person who managed to accurately research how the AI's data processing and operating principles worked. This shows that you have a greater understanding of the AI than any of us. You also have the Go skills to rival Xiang Rong 9-dan, so your chances of winning are definitely higher than ours! Now that Master Xiang has lost, we can only approach you for your help. We can't look for anyone else, nor is there anyone who can challenge Peter! You are the only one left!"
Zhang Ye took a deep breath and said, "You guys think too highly of me. Actually, it's useless even if I have a deeper understanding of that AI. What's the use of that? We still won't be able to defeat it. This machine is clearly not as simple as you think. You guys don't understand this, but that machine is not something that can be defeated by humanity!"
Li Qinqin said, "Little Zhang, just give it a try!"
Zhang Ye wiped his sweat away and said, "Auntie, there's no need for that. If even Xiang Rong 9-dan could not win against it, I wouldn't be able to either!"
Li Qinqin said, "You are different from Little Xiang. You're a world-class mathematician who also has an understanding of AI. Your Go skills are not any weaker than Little Xiang's, and you're also hailed as the smartest person in the world who only comes along once in a hundred years. You are at the top in literature, hosting, crosstalk, mathematics, calligraphy, and music. There's no other person in the entire world who is smarter than you! This is publicly acknowledged by all the professionals and industry insiders!"
Zhang Ye was overwhelmed. "Auntie, you really think too highly of me. If we are on the matter of other subjects, I might still be able to handle it. But I'm really no match for that PeterGo!" He knew that it would be very difficult for him to win. No, it should be said that it was basically impossible for him to win. From the beginning, he had not intended to get involved at all!
Hu Liang said loudly, "Please help the Go world!"
Xu Han said, "No matter how it turns out, we will still owe you a favor, alright?"
"If you don't accept the challenge, the Go world is really done for!"
"We can only depend on you!"
"Professor Zhang!"
"For the sake of humanity, please accept the challenge!"
"Please accept the challenge!"
"We don't have anywhere else to retreat to!"
"Humanity does not have a place to retreat to either!"
For humanity's sake?
Bullshit!
Then what about me?!
I would only be asking for a thrashing if I step forward!
Zhang Ye kept waving them off. "I really can't do it. Please find someone else. It's not that I don't have a sense of responsibility, but this is really beyond my abilities."
Dan Donghe cried out with a long face, "Professor Zhang!"
Chen Ying fretted, "You're the only one left that the Go world and humanity can depend on. If you don't accept the challenge, there won't be anyone left to stop Peter!"
Zhang Ye waved it off firmly. "I really can't do it!"
Seeing this, everyone started sighing.
"We're done for!"
"This is the end for the Go world!"
"What can we do then?"
"There's nothing else that we can do!"
Wu Changhe suddenly stood up and said, "Kid, come with me!"
"Ah?" Zhang Ye said.
Wu Changhe pushed open the first door he came upon. It was Zhang Ye's bedroom. Zhang Ye followed him in. Wu Changhe closed the door behind them.
There were only the two of them in here.
Zhang Ye quickly said, "Uncle, don't try to persuade me. I really can't do anything about that AI—"
"Kid, if you can defeat that machine, I will allow you to get together with my daughter!" interrupted Wu Changhe as he looked Zhang Ye straight in the eye.
Zhang Ye was stunned. Then he turned around, opened the door, and walked out of the room.
Wu Changhe was dumbfounded. What was the meaning of that? Why did he just walk off like that?
But the next second, he nearly fainted on the spot!
He heard Zhang Ye saying loudly, "For the sake of the honor of humanity! I will fight it out with that fucking PeterGo bastard!"
Everyone outside was stunned!
Chen Ying exclaimed, "You're willing to help us then?"
Hu Liang said excitedly, "That's great! That's really great!"
Dan Donghe could not hide his excitement either. "Professor Zhang, you will forever be remembered by all of humanity! The Go world will remember you! On behalf of the Go world, we owe you this favor!"
Zhang Ye waved it off in a serious manner and said righteously, "There's no need for that, President Dan. Aren't you looking down on me a little too much? This is a matter of our honor as humans and concerns our national cause as well, so how can I just stand by and do nothing? How can I possibly not even have the conscientiousness to take up this responsibility? Hur hur, I just wanted to test everyone. I wanted to know how determined the Go world was. Indeed, I wasn't disappointed at all. Everyone has not given up yet! Alright then, I'll accept this challenge and play against that PETER!"
When everyone heard this, they were in awe of him!
The way that Chen Ying, Xu Han, and the others were looking at Zhang Ye had done a 180!
What a good "matter of our honor as humans"!
What a good "concerns our national cause"!
"Thank you!"
"Professor Zhang, thank you so much!"
"Your grace and kindness will not be forgotten!"
"No matter how it turns out, the Go world shall owe you a huge favor!"
"Professor Zhang is the greatest!"
"Kill off that goddamn PeterGo!"
Everyone responded loudly!
Hearing Zhang Ye's barrage of rhetoric, only Wu Changhe was left nearly vomiting a mouthful of blood!
Our national cause?
A matter of our honor as humans?
Your sister!
You're obviously doing this just to woo my daughter!
Shameless!
This kid is way too shameless!