Chapter 36: Damn, This Young Man!

In the streaming room, viewers were momentarily stunned by the scene, then quickly caught on and flooded the chat with praise.

“Damn, the streamer is too slick!”

“Another victim under the streamer’s hands. Poor old man, still thinking he’s playing against a real person.”

“Hell mode? Are you even human, streamer? Bullying the elderly with this!”

“No, you’ve got it wrong. It’s not the streamer bullying people. It’s this old man who’s too arrogant—there’s no stopping him!”

Some admired Bai Qingming’s brilliant maneuver, while others accused him of shamelessly using cheats. The barrage of comments rolled in endlessly, as lively as a festival.

Chess Master, the software in question, has countless players. Yet since its inception, no one has ever beaten the AI in hell mode. The developers had fed it a vast array of chess openings and endgames, combined with big data calculations. In other words, playing against the AI in hell mode was like facing the famed AlphaGo in a game of Go—even professional chess competitors wouldn’t dare claim they could go toe-to-toe with it.

Thus, the hell mode AI boasts a unique leaderboard. It doesn’t rank players by wins, but by how many moves they managed against the AI before losing. The top spot had only lasted forty-two moves.

Bai Qingming mused: even if this wildly arrogant old man before him was more skilled than most youngsters, could he really defeat the hell mode AI here? If he could, Bai would eat his hat—no, better to wait and see before making such promises. What if the current top player was actually weak, and this old man really had some tricks up his sleeve?

With that, Bai Qingming made his first move on his phone. Every step he played mirrored the old man’s moves.

He opened with the cannon, prompting the AI to leap with the horse. Bai Qingming followed suit, repeating the AI’s moves on the physical board.

The match unfolded swiftly. Each time it was Bai Qingming’s turn, he used the old man’s moves against the AI, then turned around and deployed the AI’s tactics against the old man.

To be fair, human ability has its limits. Chess Master relies on data calculations and endless analysis. Every move is methodically calculated, with future strategies mapped out in detail. No matter what the old man played, the AI always responded with the optimal solution.

Although the old man was formidable—proudly dubbed the chess king—he gradually found himself overwhelmed.

Sweat began to bead on his brow. He paused for long stretches before each move, carefully pondering before setting down a piece.

Still, his pieces were steadily captured, not by Bai Qingming per se, but by the AI, forcing him into retreat after retreat.

Watching the chess king's transformation from invincible to furrowed-brow and increasingly withdrawn, the viewers knew they were witnessing something special.

[Wind Blows, Pants Flutter sends Treasure Map ×1]
[Heaven and Earth and Air sends Treasure Map ×1]

“The streamer plays brilliantly, but it’s a bit hard on the old man—haha!”

“Streamer, have mercy!”

“I suddenly have a bold idea: what if the old man also opens Chess Master on hell mode and faces off against the streamer’s AI? Who would win?”

“My guess: whoever has more battery left on their phone wins!”

...

Gift notifications and comments never ceased. Everyone was amazed by Bai Qingming’s dazzling performance.

At this moment, thanks to promotion across five major platforms, Bai Qingming’s recent fame, and the flood of treasure maps from viewers, the room’s popularity soared to seven million—nearly eight million, the threshold for the next reward tier.

Bai Qingming was delighted.

Meanwhile, the old man’s gaze toward Bai Qingming had shifted. At first, he dismissed him, even feeling insulted. But as the game progressed, his astonishment grew, his heartbeat quickening.

Damn this young man!

He’d thought Bai Qingming, so young, would be inexperienced, but after dozens of moves, Bai hadn’t exposed a single flaw. His strategies flowed seamlessly, leaving no openings.

What irked him even more was that Bai Qingming seemed to be multitasking—playing on his phone while facing him, barely concentrating on their game.

In contrast, the old man agonized over every move, carefully weighing his options.

No exaggeration: today’s match saw the old man draw on all his lifelong skills, his focus intense, even pushing himself beyond his usual limits. Yet he was still bested at every turn, unable to keep up.

As time ticked by and defeat loomed, he couldn’t find the slightest opportunity to turn the game around.

Bai Qingming remained at ease, humming a tune, and the old man had the uncanny feeling that this young man could play at this level even with his eyes closed.

Realizing this, the old man was shocked.

Are today’s young people really this fierce at chess?

Or was it simply that he himself had grown old, lost his edge?

No, no, it must have been carelessness on his part. Yes, that’s it—he’d let his guard down, giving Bai Qingming a chance.

He comforted himself thus.

“Let’s play another round. I admit, I underestimated you—you're truly strong. But this time, I’ll be serious. I won’t hold back,” he declared, still unwilling to concede.

Bai Qingming said nothing, quietly resetting the chessboard.

If he wanted a rematch, so be it—Bai had plenty of battery left in his phone.

Truth be told, the old man was indeed skilled. In the previous game, he’d lasted forty moves against the AI; Bai Qingming had immediately climbed to second on the leaderboard. If the old man pushed himself, he might even claim the top spot.

The next match began.

The old man picked up his pieces once more.

He refused to believe that, with forty years of chess experience, he couldn’t outplay a youngster. That would be a disgrace.

Another twenty minutes passed.

“Check!” Bai Qingming declared, slamming his piece down.

The old man’s heart skipped a beat; his hand trembled.

So young, yet so masterful—what level was this? National team? Only someone from the national team could play so well.

That thought sent his confidence spiraling.

What nonsense! If you’re from the national team, why aren’t you training? Why come out here pretending to be weak?

Young people these days have no sense of honor, bullying an old man like me.

He’d played chess here for years, never suffered such humiliation.

Just then, others at nearby chess tables noticed what was happening. Seeing Bai Qingming, a young man, holding his own against the chess king, a crowd gathered to watch the spectacle.

And when they saw the chess king defeated, astonishment spread, and Bai Qingming earned newfound respect.

With so many witnesses to his defeat, the old man’s face grew darker and darker. Embarrassed, he curled his toes inside his shoes, wishing they could dig him a hole to hide.

At this point, Bai Qingming decided to show some mercy, letting the matter rest.

But he underestimated the cunning of the world.

The old man steeled himself, and before Bai Qingming could speak, he announced loudly, “See, young man? I told you if you played this way, you’d lose. You didn’t believe me, so I had to demonstrate. Now you see—even I am a move short of victory!”

Bai Qingming: "???"