I am Really a Superstar

Zhang Ye’s father said excitedly, “We’re still in the lead! Our son is still ahead!”

Wu Zeqing said, “The endgame is almost over.”

His father said, “Hang on! Keep hanging on!”

His mother said excitedly, “Are we really going to win?”

His father stared at the television without blinking. “We’re almost there. All that’s left is the endgame!”

Sisi clenched her little fists and said, “Daddy, you can do it! Beat the robot! Beat the robot!”

…

America.

The team was in chaos.

“There’s still a chance!”

“Peter can’t hang on for much longer!”

“Optimize the program’s operations!”

“It’s too late!”

“Dammit!”

“The endgame is all dependent on who can perform the calculations faster! To compete with an AI on such operations? How the fuck does this person do it? Are you guys sure that the opponent is a human and not some computer?”

…

In the Online Go Server.

The netizens were in an uproar.

“This is such a godly state for an endgame!”

“This is the most awesome endgame ¹ I’ve ever seen. Nothing else comes close!”

“HEOR is playing so well!”

“What kind of brain does this guy have?”

“Fucking hell, even Peter can’t process its moves faster than him?”

…

At a company.

In an office.

Watching the game, Ha Qiqi froze. She picked up her cell phone and called up Zhang Zuo.

Zhang Zuo said: “Old Ha, what’s up?”

Ha Qiqi got straight to the point. “Are you watching the Go game?”

“You’re watching it too? I’ve been watching it for a while now. This HEOR is amazing!”

Ha Qiqi hesitated before saying: “Don’t you find it a little familiar?”

Zhang Zuo was taken aback. “Familiar?”

Ha Qiqi said: “HEOR’s aura, his strength, and especially that endgame’s playstyle!”

When Zhang Zuo heard this, he gasped. “Are you saying—”

…

At China Qiyuan.

A professional Go player called out, “He’s played another stone!”

9-dan Li Yi said in amazement, “That’s too fast. He’s too quick at calculating!”

“How can he possibly think faster than a computer!” Hu Liang could already feel goosebumps all over his body. “The endgame should be the most difficult stage of play. Every move made could change the entire board’s situation and lead to one losing or gaining an advantage in play. Furthermore, one has to predict the overall advantage three or five moves ahead, so how did he manage to consider all those factors so quickly and still continuously suppress Peter by one and a half points advantage after taking into consideration thecompensation ² rules? The few times that Little Tian lost to Peter, he only lost because of the endgame. Some experts and the media have commented that this is the difference that humans would never be able to surpass an artificial intelligence in. But how did HEOR do it?”

Xu Han was silent for a moment before saying, “If it is indeed that person, there’s a possibility that he could really do it.”

Everyone agreed. If it was that person, he could definitely do it!

Hu Liang said excitedly, “C-Could he have really come back?”

…

Sanya.

On the screen, the battle had entered its final stages.

Chen Ying said dumbfoundedly, “Could it be him? But the timing doesn’t seem to be correct.”

Tian Weiwei said, “Could he have returned early?”

Chen Ying said, “But if he did come back, why would Teacher Changhe not know about it? We were still discussing this matter over the phone yesterday, and Teacher did not seem to know anything about it.”

Tian Weiwei said, “Teacher might not know.”

Chen Ying said, “But Sis Wu would surely know, right?”

Tian Weiwei said, “That’s right. If that person is back, he would surely want to meet with Sis Wu and Sisi first.”

Chen Ying said, “That’s why it can’t be him, right? Sis Wu and her family are here in Sanya right now, and their plane tickets and hotel were all booked together with ours through the Qiyuan. They—” Chen Ying then froze. She suddenly remembered something, a matter that she hadn’t taken to heart. “Wait!”

She shouted, “Qiqi, Niannian, come over here!”

The two of them were still watching the game and did not know what was going on when they heard that shout. They ran over.

Chen Qiqi said, “What is it, Aunt? The game is just getting exciting!”

Chen Ying grabbed her by the arm and said, “You told us the other day that you all met an expert who plays the Cosmic Flow?”

Chen Qiqi blinked and said, “Yeah, why?”

Chen Niannian added, “Didn’t we already tell you about it?”

Tian Weiwei also saw the light and reacted. “What did that person look like?”

“He was wearing sunglasses, so we couldn’t see his face clearly.” Chen Niannian said, “In any case, he looked a little familiar and we might have seen him somewhere else before, although I can’t remember where.”

Chen Ying anxiously said, “Is he staying at the No. 1 Villa Hotel?”

Chen Qiqi said, “That’s right.”

Tian Weiwei pressed further. “Is it at Villa #1?”

Chen Qiqi replied, “I don’t know about that. We bumped into him yesterday too, but I don’t really remember where it was at.”

Chen Ying said, “Did he say what he came to Sanya for?”

Chen Niannian thought for a moment. “I think he said he was here on vacation?”

Chen Qiqi nodded. “I think so too. He also mentioned that his wife and child were here as well.”

They questioned them for a long time.

Chen Ying facepalmed and said. “Little Tian, what you said might really turn out to be true after all!”

The twin sisters were still confused by all that was happening. “Aunt, what are you all talking about?”

Tian Weiwei said with a smile, “Do you know who you played against the other day?”

Chen Qiqi said, “Who?”

Tian Weiwei said, “Come, I’ll bring you guys to meet him.”

Chen Ying clapped and called everyone over. “Stop watching the game! Let’s go and see someone!”

Nobody understood what was going on.

“But it’s almost ending.”

“We still don’t know who will win!”

“Don’t do that, Sister Chen, Master Tian. Let’s wait until the game has been won before we go.”

Tian Weiwei shook his head and said, “There’s no need to watch anymore. PeterGo will not win against that person!”

8-dan Li Fang said in a stunned manner, “You know who it is?”

Tian Weiwei smiled and said, “I think I do.”

Chen Ying said, “But we still have to go and verify it for ourselves.”

…

On Weibo.

“Who?”

“Master Xiang says he knows who it is!”

“Quickly tell us, Master Xiang!”

“Hurry up and tell us!”

“Yeah, where does this expert hail from?”

All over the country.

All across Asia.

And even the Go enthusiasts from all over the world were going mad with curiosity!

…

At Central TV.

The host stifled his excitement and said, “Dear viewers, it will soon be clear whether the Go world can turn a page in its history books. After four years, whether or not humans can defeat the AI, PeterGo, will all be up to the endgame moves that HEOR plays! It’s almost coming to an end!”

Xiang Rong smiled. “Actually, it has already ended.”

The host said in shock, “Huh?”

Xiang Rong said, “I believe a lot of people are now very curious about who HEOR is. In these two years since PeterGo’s reappearance, he has defeated many human players, including me. Even though the situation was very one-sided, no one in China Qiyuan, the Go world, or the industry thought that humans could never beat an artificial intelligence in Go. Because we all know that there’s someone out there who can win against it.”

The host misunderstood and said, “Right, and that person has now appeared. There’s always going to be a new generation of talent.”

But Xiang Rong smiled and said, “It’s not like that.”

The host said in confusion, “Ah?”

Xiang Rong said, “The Go world has actually been waiting quietly all this while. They were not waiting for the new blood to surpass their teachers, nor were they hoping for some newcomer to suddenly appear and turn the tide. We were actually waiting for a particular person.” Looking at the Go board, looking at the black stones, Xiang Rong was smiling again. “Right now, that person who can beat PeterGo has returned.”

…

On the Go board.

HEOR placed his last stone on the board.

The second game was over!

2-0!

HEOR had secured a complete victory!