I am Really a Superstar

Three moves.

Five moves.

Click, click, click. It was the sound of the mouse being tapped.

In the villa, Zhang Ye was leisurely playing his match on the computer.

…

In the Online Go Server.

The viewers suddenly exclaimed.

“The formation has changed!”

“Peter has made its move!”

“What a great move that is!”

“This move is amazing!”

“It’s over, HEOR has been forced into passive play!”

“He was too lackadaisical during the opening. Since he didn’t attack first, PETER will definitely take the chance to do so!”

“Let’s see how he’s going to deal with this.”

…

On TV.

Xiang Rong zeroed in. “There it is.”

The host said nervously, “How will HEOR respond to this?”

Xiang Rong said, “This move by Peter is marvelous. With it, the situation on the board has become much more complex. It played a push through over here to leave HEOR in a very awkward position. If he is a highly ranked professional Go player, he will likely go for a basic 2-5 approach strategy so that he can take Peter head on. By being a little more careful, he would at least not be pushed back by too much. Let’s see how HEOR will handle—”

Very quickly, HEOR placed a stone onto the board as well.

There was almost no unnecessary hesitation from him.

But Xiang Rong frowned at this move.

What kind of move is this?

The host asked, “Has HEOR countered that move?”

“No.”

With the next stone, Peter forced another move.

…

At China Qiyuan.

Hu Liang marveled, “What a strong killing intent.”

Li Yi said, “Great move. This is the part PeterGo is really good at.”

Wu Changhe got angrier the more he watched. “What is this HEOR doing!”

Hu Liang also said, “Why didn’t he counter that move?”

Wu Changhe couldn’t wish more for himself to play in HEOR’s stead. “How would I know!”

At this moment, HEOR played another stone.

When everyone saw it, they couldn’t be more disappointed!

A professional 7-dan player said, “What an amateurish way of playing. Doesn’t he know that danger is right at his doorstep? He should’ve played the Little Qi Flow over here and taken Peter head on!”

…

Sanya.

Chen Qiqi said anxiously, “If it goes on like this, he will definitely lose.”

Chen Niannian said, “He’s totally not a match for Peter!”

Chen Ying said, “The difference in strength is too great. HEOR’s playstyle is just at the level of the average amateur. There’s no creativity and no strategy to his moves. Instead, Peter is playing so well with so many magnificent moves made. Little Tian, what’s your opinion of this game?”

But Tian Weiwei frowned and kept quiet.

Chen Ying said, “What’s the matter?”

Tian Weiwei wondered, “HEOR’s first-move advantage seems to still be intact.”

“Eh?” When everyone heard that, they took a look and froze.

Chen Qiqi said, “It’s true!”

Chen Niannian was stunned. “What’s going on?”

Tian Weiwei said, “Something isn’t right.”

…

Korea.

A few professional Go players were huddled together and watching the game.

“Why?”

“I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Is this a newcomer or an expert?”

…

At Central TV.

The host asked, “This?”

Xiang Rong said, “I don’t understand either.”

“Ah?”

Xiang Rong wondered, “If we look at it from the angle of a high-ranking game, HEOR’s responses do seem a little mediocre. He didn’t make any counterattacks and simply ignored Peter’s provocations. Instead, he modestly continued playing his moves down here. The following few moves in response to his opponent also seemed to have been made very hastily.”

“So those were bad moves?”

But Xiang Rong said, “No, it’s not like that.”

The host was taken aback. “It’s not?”

Xiang Rong looked at the screen. “This is where it gets weird. These few moves are all very ordinary with nothing special about them. There’s nothing new, yet look—HEOR did not lose his advantage.”

…

Ten minutes later.

The game was getting intense.

Blood had already been “spilled” on the board.

PeterGo was pressing hard with every step, and every move that it made was out to kill. Every few steps, it would play an outstanding move that made the viewers marvel. But on HEOR’s side, there was not even a single magnificent play by him since the very beginning of the game. The difference was too great, and it seemed like his board would collapse at any moment.

On Weibo.

“It’s over.”

“He’s definitely going to lose.”

“Hai, I don’t want to watch anymore.”

“I knew it. Other than that person, there’s no one else who can beat PeterGo.”

“Peter is playing too beautifully.”

“Yeah, look at this cut, it’s such a divine move!”

…

20 minutes later.

Japan.

In the Go world.

“HEOR won’t be able to last much longer.”

“I’m afraid he’s going to have to admit defeat once it gets to the middlegame.”

“His play is too simple.”

“He’s probably not a newcomer, but he’s not an expert either.”

“Yeah, he’s just an average player, that’s all.”

“Hai.”

…

Half an hour later.

America.

The team behind PeterGo.

“We’re about to win, right?”

“Why haven’t we won yet?”

“This HEOR is pretty stubborn.”

“How did the board develop to such a state?”

…

And then, at some point in time, a lot of people fell silent!

On the Online Go Server.

“Holy shit!”

“What’s with this?”

“This—”

“How can the game still be playable?”

…

At China Qiyuan.

Wu Changhe was dumbfounded. “W-Who is this person?”

Li Yi was also shocked. “How can this be?”

Hu Liang stared with wide eyes like he had seen a ghost. “How did HEOR manage to keep his first-move advantage for so long? This is impossible! How can it be?”

…

Sanya.

Chen Niannian yelled, “My God!”

Chen Qiqi also said in disbelief, “What’s with this?”

The 9-dan players like Tian Weiwei, Chen Ying, and several others also looked at one another in shock.

Chen Ying gasped. “We were wrong in our judgment!”

“He’s already made it past the middlegame.”

“How?”

“What did he do?”

…

There was no change in the situation at all.

From the opening, to the middlegame, and even beyond that.

PeterGo kept coming up with all sorts of magnificent moves, while HEOR continued his ordinary style of play.

There were no magnificent moves!

There were no complex josekis!

There were no specific styles of play!

But a lot of people shockingly discovered at this moment that HEOR had not ceded his first-move advantage since the beginning. There was no point that he was shaken or surpassed by Peter. To say how much HEOR was winning by? That wasn’t exactly it. He only had an advantage of about a point or half a point, yet no matter what, he still kept his lead!

At this point, even a fool would realize that something was not right!

…

On TV.

Xiang Rong, who had been quiet for some time, finally opened his mouth.

When he spoke, his words couldn’t be more shocking!

Xiang Rong drew in a deep breath. “This is a master-level player. Furthermore, he is so skilled at Go that it would be unimaginable for everyone.”

The host said in surprise, “What? A master? But there’s nothing special about his playstyle at all, isn’t that so?”

But Xiang Rong questioned back, “What do you think is worthy of being called a good game?”

The host said, “I only remember that during the war between humans and machines those years ago, I got such a shock when the Zombie Flow was played out of nowhere. It was only then that I knew that Go could even be played in such a way.”

Xiang Rong asked again, “And why was there a need to use the Zombie Flow at that time?”

The host was stunned by that question. “There isn’t really a reason for it, no? Maybe because it’s strong?”

But Xiang Rong shook his head and said with a laugh, “If it was really such a strong move, the stones wouldn’t have ended up getting surrounded by the opponent and dying. Then, there wouldn’t have been a need to use the Zombie Flow to bring the stones back to life either, right? What is the Zombie Flow, really? It’s just a strategy to bring dead stones back to life due to a player lacking the necessary skills in the first place and falling behind in a game.”

The host froze.

Xiang Rong said, “Similarly, that holds true for the Cosmic Flow. If one isn’t inferior to their opponent in territorial fights, then why not take the opponent head on, and at the same time, expand their influence in the surrounding area where the formation lies? Wouldn’t planting more seeds around the board allow the flowers a better chance at blooming? Why would someone throw away an attacking opportunity and focus on the overall situation instead? It is only because they are not able to take on the opponent directly that a lot of people turned to playing the Cosmic Flow. This playstyle makes up for one’s weakness in territorial fights by working on their influence on the overall formation. As such, that is how the different strategies and playstyles were created. They are all methods that a player has researched to increase their chances of winning based on their own weaknesses and the opponent’s strength in a game. In a way, these are all pretty crafty tactics.”

The host asked, “Then what style does HEOR employ?”

Xiang Rong said, “He doesn’t have any.”

“None?”

Xiang Rong said, “It’s because he doesn’t need any strategy or playstyle to cover any weaknesses. He doesn’t need to resort to those bells and whistles or springing a surprise on the opponent.” He pointed at the screen that was showing HEOR and PeterGo’s match. “Don’t you see? This is an absolute strength, a power so strong that it needs no hiding. Ever since the game started, HEOR has been suppressing Peter with every move he made. Regardless of whether it is the overall situation, the attacking or defending, or plugging any holes, HEOR did not play any special moves. But at the same time, you don’t see any mistakes from HEOR either. Every move of his was played right where it should be. This is a truly terrifying technique and strength that he has. Of all the professional Go players in the world, no one is capable of something like this!”

The host exclaimed, “Not even you?”

Xiang Rong shook his head.

The host was extremely shocked to hear that.

HEOR is an expert?

An unprecedented Go master?

Who the heck could he be?

Where did this fellow pop out from?

Then Xiang Rong made two comments, two comments that would leave anyone who heard it in shock!

Xiang Rong thought for a moment before making the first comment in a soft voice. “Peter is about to lose.”

The host was dumbfounded.

Peter was going to lose?

How do you know that?

Why are you so sure of it?

For the second comment, Xiang Rong laughed and said, “I think I might just know who he is.”