Chapter 127: Blizzard Defeated [Nineteenth Update]

"Since I can't break the tower, I'll kill this old man with the white beard!" Allen Adham, furious, pulled his troops toward Huang He's Archmage. However, Huang He's Archmage moved with incredible speed; Adham's ghouls couldn't even get close to him. Conversely, the Archmage would occasionally toss a fireball their way, and in the ensuing chase, three of Adham's ghouls were picked off one by one.

It was only then that Adham realized the old man was equipped with Boots of Speed, giving him a movement speed superior to all of his own units. Unable to catch him, Adham had no choice but to give up the pursuit and retreat to his base to rebuild.

But the old man stuck to him like glue, doing nothing but tossing fireballs to pick off more ghouls. After losing several more, Adham’s composure completely shattered.

By then, Adham’s economy was in ruins. Huang He reached Tier 2 two minutes ahead of time and, leading a well-rounded army, pushed through and destroyed Adham’s base once again.

"Again!" After the second crushing defeat, Adham had lost his rational edge, demanding a third match.

"Fine, I'll play you for free one more time," Huang He said.

"No need for free. Let’s wager the distribution rights for World of Warcraft instead!" Adham said heatedly. "If you can beat me again, as long as the price is right, World of Warcraft can be yours!"

"Oh, World of Warcraft? What is that?" Huang He asked curiously. It was then that Adham realized he had blurted out a massive, earth-shattering secret.

Although Blizzard had committed its full efforts to developing World of Warcraft, it was still in its infancy—a top-secret project. The fact that it had slipped out so easily left the vice president standing nearby in a state of shock.

This couldn't entirely be blamed on Adham, however. He wasn't a professional entrepreneur by trade, but a programmer, and he possessed many of the impulsivities that came with that background. It was this lack of experience that would later lead him to foolishly agree to Blizzard's sale, resulting in the company being torn apart, the departure of the entire Blizzard North team, and his eventual loss of control over Blizzard, allowing the company to slide into mediocrity.

Under Adham’s insistent demand, the two started the third game. Huang He remained loyal to his Human race, while Adham decided to play seriously this time, choosing the Orcs, who were formidable in the early, middle, and late stages. He opted against any tricky or bizarre tactics, wanting to defeat Huang He fair and square through a head-on clash.

Through the previous two battles, Adham noticed that Huang He’s micro-management of his units wasn't particularly smooth—there was an opening there!

True enough, this round began peacefully. For the first ten minutes, aside from scouts crossing paths, the main forces did not engage, as both sides focused on development.

By the fifteen-minute mark, Adham had completed his 100-population Tier 2 Orc army. Feeling he had reached his peak combat strength, he set out to finish off Huang He’s main force.

They met in an open field. Adham saw that the Human main force consisted of two heroes, the Archmage and the Mountain King, leading a 100-population army—though it was heavy on Sorceresses.

"Haha, this guy still doesn't know how to play! Bringing so many fragile Sorceresses? Isn't that suicide?" Adham felt a wave of relief, convinced that his powerful Orc army would crush those fragile units to dust.

The Blademaster hero charged, leading his roaring army into the fray. The Mountain King immediately cast Storm Bolt, stunning the Blademaster in place.

As the armies collided, Adham quickly realized his troops had suddenly lost their edge. Looking closer, he saw with horror that his vanguard had been turned into a pile of sheep.

"Polymorph!" Adham remembered the Sorceress’s transformation spell. To make matters worse, the duration was long, and the Mountain King leaped into the air, delivering a devastating blow. The nearby units—both sheep and those still in their original form—suffered massive health loss in an instant and were slowed to a crawl.

Meanwhile, the Priests cast buffs, boosting the Human army’s combat power to unprecedented levels. The Orc front line was focused down by Dwarven Riflemen with upgraded attack damage, exploding one by one.

By the time they broke free from the crowd control, Adham’s population had dropped below a hundred, while Huang He’s army remained unscathed.

Though Adham fought hard to command a comeback, his diminished forces found that Huang He’s riflemen were focusing targets with surgical precision. They attacked without hesitation or delay, utilizing stutter-stepping to cancel attack animations and maximize their fire rate.

"I'm up against a master!" Adham realized that the Huang He across from him was no ordinary player, but a true gaming expert—a professional-level player, especially when it came to unit control.

The results proved it: Huang He wiped out Adham’s hundred-man Orc army with less than twenty units lost.

After the defeat, Adham conceded immediately, knowing he was no match for Huang He.

"Mr. Huang, you aren't actually the Chairman of the Jiangnan Group, are you? You're a pro-player they hired!" Adham stood up from the computer, looking at Huang He with suspicion.

"I really am the Chairman of the Jiangnan Group. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to visit our company after the WCG concludes!" Huang He said.

"I will!" Adham nodded, smiling. "After all, this company will be taking over Warcraft III and the future World of Warcraft. I hope to see the strength of your company. If you lack the capability, then I might just go back on my word!"

"You are welcome to visit, Mr. Adham. It will be worth the trip!" Huang He laughed. Adham lost interest in further gaming, opting instead to chat with Huang He. Huang He shared some insights on online games, such as the concept of "dungeons," which instantly won Adham over as a kindred spirit. Adham hailed Huang He as a once-in-a-decade genius of game design. Had Huang He not already been a Chairman, one might suspect Adham was trying to recruit him to Blizzard as a lead designer.

They chatted happily for over an hour before company business interrupted them. However, they had reached an agreement, and Adham confirmed he would travel to China with Huang He after the WCG to sign the formal distribution contracts.

Huang He left the Blizzard studio satisfied, only to find his sister-in-law nearby, eyes brimming with tears, sobbing uncontrollably.