novelODS Chapter 299 bestowing the laurel wreath upon heroes, and shackles upon sinners.
Chapter 299 bestowing the laurel wreath upon heroes, and shackles upon sinners.
On Douyin (TikTok), a video is spreading like wildfire. The blurry footage has not diminished its popularity; on the contrary, it has added to its sense of realism.
The scene begins with two men wrestling at the office door.
The background features the "Delta Operation" logo.
Immediately afterwards, steady and powerful footsteps could be heard off-screen, and several law enforcement officers in police uniforms and economic crime investigators with stern expressions strode in and instantly brought the scene under control.
The lead police officer stepped forward, neatly displaying his identification; his authoritative voice clearly pierced through the chaos of the scene.
"Su Ming? Zi Ying?"
"We are officers from the Economic Crime Investigation Division and the Cyber Security Protection Division of the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau."
"You two are hereby summoned in accordance with the law on the following charges: accepting bribes as a non-state employee; damaging computer information systems; embezzlement; and infringing on citizens' personal information."
"Someone has filed a police report, and the evidence is conclusive. Come with us."
The cold words, like a final judgment in court, carried an undeniable force.
Two police officers stepped forward and swiftly separated the two men, the gleaming handcuffs drawing a glaring arc under the cold white office lights.
Two men were dragged away.
The comments section went completely wild at the end of the video:
Kneel down!
[The moment the handcuffs click, all the parents' efforts in raising their children have been in vain!]
What goes around comes around; no one escapes the wrath of Heaven!
【Yifeng! Jiangfeng! Did you see that?! Did you see that?! !!!】
Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent!
These two bastards almost ruined our favorite game for money! They deserved it!
From Jiang Feng overturning the table to Yi Feng providing evidence, and now to today, this is truly an epic tale! We are all witnesses!
You are not important to me, but I am very important without you.
This is the first step to victory, but everyone knows it is only the beginning.
An hour later, at 7 p.m., TX Group's official account released a serious announcement in white text on a blue background.
"Recently, Su Ming and Zi Ying, former managers of our Delta Operations project team, have been suspected of serious violations of laws and regulations and have been placed under criminal coercive measures by the public security authorities in accordance with the law. We are deeply shocked and saddened by this."
As the platform provider, we have seriously neglected our internal oversight, failing to live up to the trust and expectations of our players. The people can support us, but they can also capsize us. We deeply regret our actions and will not shirk our responsibility.
Effective immediately, the group will establish a special investigation team to fully cooperate with the public security authorities' investigation. Simultaneously, it will conduct a thorough self-examination of its game business line and resolutely eliminate any bad actors who harm the interests of players.
We will learn from this experience and rebuild trust with our players.
The announcement was not signed "TX Public Relations Department" but "TX Group".
This is unprecedented in Tencent's history.
An hour later, the official Delta Force account also followed up with an announcement.
It is a long letter that begins with "To all operators".
The letter formally apologized to all players, acknowledging the disastrous consequences of the ACE anti-cheat system being maliciously damaged, and admitting arrogance and dereliction of duty in the hard drive damage incident.
We promise that all players whose hard drives are damaged due to the game will receive full compensation.
It was announced that an indefinite internal investigation and restructuring would be initiated, and the S3 season, originally scheduled to launch soon, would be postponed indefinitely until the game environment was completely purified.
At this moment, the live chat exploded once again.
There was no cheering, but rather a sense of relief after everything had settled down.
Victory came so quickly, so suddenly.
What about Yifeng? Yifeng gets things done, so why not let him come back?
I support Yi Feng as the leader! He was wronged for the gang!
[Where's my Fengshen? They dare ban Fengshen from playing Tencent games?]
[Apologize to the Wind God! Apologize to Yi Feng!]
……
At this moment, in the old residential area where Yifeng rents a place.
As dusk fell, the motion-activated lights in the stairwell flickered on and off, and the peeling paint on the walls gave off a desolate and dilapidated feel.
Yi Feng was nestled on the sofa, lost in thought, his phone on silent and lying on the coffee table—17 missed calls, none of which he returned.
He won. But what's next?
Doorbell rang.
Yi Feng paused for a moment, then peered out through the peephole.
There were three people standing outside the door: his former direct supervisor, project director Ma Ruizhe, and two HR representatives from the group.
Yi Feng sighed and opened the door a crack:
"Mr. Ma, I told you I'm not going back. Please don't worry about it."
Ma Ruizhe forced a smile, still carrying two bags of fruit in his hands:
"Yifeng, let's talk? The company genuinely wants you back; name your price..."
"Can't you give me a chance to atone for my sins?"
"Truly?" Yi Feng leaned against the doorframe, smiled, a smile tinged with self-mockery.
"Mr. Ma, I've been with the company for five years. During the 'Clean Up the Sky' campaign, I worked overtime for more than ten consecutive days, practically sleeping at the company every day. What did I get in return?"
Ma Ruizhe opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
"Let's go back," Yi Feng shook his head.
After saying that, the door closed gently.
……
Half an hour later, the doorbell rang again.
Yifeng climbed up from the sofa, his hair a mess, and looked through the peephole—
It was still Ma Ruizhe, but this time, a man with an even stronger aura stood behind him.
Liu Hao, head of TX's gaming business and vice chairman of TX Group.
Yi Feng's hand froze on the doorknob.
Ma Ruizhe called from outside the door, "Yifeng, President Liu is here in person. Could you... could you open the door?"
Yi Feng was silent for a few seconds before opening the door.
Liu Hao wasn't wearing a suit, just a simple gray overcoat:
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Yi Feng stepped aside, his voice a little dry: "Mr. Liu, my place is small and messy..."
"It's nothing," Liu Hao strode in, sat down on the sofa, and looked around the small, old rented room, less than forty square meters. "It's much better than my office when I first started my business."
Ma Ruizhe and the HR tactfully stayed outside the door and gently closed it behind them.
There were only two people left in the room.
Liu Hao remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.
He bowed deeply to Yifeng.
"On behalf of the group, I apologize to you."
Yi Feng stood to the side, head down, without saying a word.
He deserved the cyberbullying he'd endured for so long. But when he truly faced this moment, his throat felt like it was blocked by something.
"I know you have grievances against the group and are disappointed with the system. I understand and do not deny these feelings."
Liu Hao's voice was calm, without any airs of superiority.
"So today I'm not here to give you orders as a 'superior,' but as a... veteran gamer who's been playing for over twenty years, making a request to you."
Yi Feng's fingers trembled slightly.
"I'm asking you to come back, not for KPIs, not for revenue, not for those numbers from the board."
Liu Hao leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Yi Feng.
"The goal is to create a truly world-class FPS game. A game that Chinese players can be proud of and that players all over the world can recognize."
"Delta has the foundation, and you've proven your ability. During the Clear Sky Operation, the daily active users of Beacon Fire reached a new high, and its reputation overseas exploded—those were achievements you made single-handedly."
Yi Feng's eyes felt hot, and he turned his face away.
"I promise you,"
Liu Hao held up three fingers, his voice steady and powerful.
"First, we will not set any profit targets for the Fiery Model. For at least two years, we will only talk about quality, not making money, and rebuild the group's reputation."
Second, you have full authority over personnel appointments and dismissals and decision-making in the "Beacon Fire" mode, and no one, including me, may interfere.
Third, the group will allocate special funds for player compensation, anti-cheating system reconstruction, and...
He paused, then looked at Yifeng:
"And realize the ideals you wrote in your report—AEC anti-cheating upgrade, long-term HAF Coin recycling plan, 1V1 duel mode, and custom familiar map rooms. Implement them all, without missing a single one."
"The group will spare no effort to support you in terms of resources and manpower."
Yi Feng suddenly raised his head, but hesitated.
Liu Hao stood up, walked up to Yi Feng, and patted him on the shoulder:
"Yifeng, do you still want Mr. Ma to visit you three times?"
After a long while, Yi Feng took a deep breath:
Okay. I'm back.
"But I have one condition."
"explain."
"Jiang Feng!" Yi Feng's voice was firm:
"He must be brought back to stream Delta, and a public apology and thanks must be issued. Without his intervention, we might not be seeing any of this today."
Furthermore… all players whose hard drives were damaged will receive a full refund, funded by the group and distributed through Jiangfeng and Yangtze Memory Technologies. Not a single one will be left out.”
Liu Hao looked at him, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.
He reached out, grasped Yifeng's hand, and shook it vigorously.
"it is good."
That evening, the official Delta Force account and Yifeng's personal account jointly released an announcement—
To all operators: I'm back.