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Chapter 27 : If I Had Never Seen Contra
Under Lin Lixin’s demonstration, Sam quickly understood what this so-called “password save system” actually meant.
When saving the game, the software would generate a string of numbers for the player.
As long as the player entered that mysterious code the next time they played, they could return to their previous game state.
“Shit… this design is absolutely genius.”
Once Sam understood how it worked, he immediately realized what Lin Lixin was trying to do.
Ѐ.ǹũm̀а̃
By simply adding an encoding function into the software, they could implement a save feature without increasing hardware costs at all.
Lin Lixin sat back down in front of the computer and began making preparations.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
For this era, actually saving files was extremely difficult.
The first company to truly solve this problem was Nintendo, currently preparing its rise overseas.
They had developed a disk-reading peripheral for the Famicom.
Only after that did data saving gradually become standard for home consoles.
Ẁе̇ b n.о v е.l̂ E ň u mа
And the first game to fully utilize that system was The Legend of Zelda.
Thinking about this, Lin Lixin’s sense of urgency intensified once again.
Facing an opponent as absurdly powerful as Nintendo, the amount of capital he currently possessed was nowhere near enough.
Fortunately, Contra was not Zelda.
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The amount of data it needed to preserve was very small—only the current stage, remaining lives, and weapon state.
That was precisely why password saving was viable for it.
W ë_bn̈о v.ėl̆ Е̂n ùm а
…
July, New Mexico.
“If only I had muscles as amazing as Mr. Schwarzenegger’s…”
“John, you’ve already watched Conan the Barbarian five times! Five times!”
“Just one more time, Mike! I swear!”
Inside a cramped apartment, two young men argued loudly.
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An old television sat before them, currently replaying the opening of Conan the Barbarian.
Inside the tiny low-income apartment, that secondhand television was one of the few forms of entertainment they owned.
But there were two of them.
And only one TV.
As a result, arguments over television control erupted every single day.
Veins bulged across Mike’s forehead as his temples throbbed violently.
Ẃе b̄ṅоv̄ el̇ E̊ n̆ um̊ ӓ
He glared hatefully at the television, wishing he could yank out the Conan tape and smash it to pieces.
Damn it all.
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Mike admitted that the movie really had been entertaining the first time he watched it.
But—
Five times!
From this morning until now, John had already watched it five whole times!
Е̄nu ma.і́d
“Listen, John, I know you love Schwarzenegger, but I need to watch my shows too! Please go fantasize in front of his poster instead!”
Ignoring John’s protests, Mike forcibly stopped the tape, unplugged the VHS player, and switched the TV back to broadcast channels.
He twisted the dial a few times, looking for something interesting.
But before he could even change channels again, an explosive burst of synthesizer music suddenly blasted from the speakers.
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The incredibly fast rhythm and intense beat instantly caught his attention, causing him to stop flipping channels.
But the moment he saw who appeared on screen, regret nearly twisted his guts inside out.
Еn um ȧ. iď
There stood Schwarzenegger himself, the very idol John worshipped.
He held a machine gun while dressed like a special forces operative, looking overwhelmingly badass.
As the music intensified further, the camera shifted, revealing grotesque alien monsters.
Schwarzenegger showed not a trace of fear.
Displaying pure hard-boiled style, he opened fire on the monsters with his machine gun.
Then the screen suddenly transitioned into pixel-art visuals, shifting into a side-scrolling 2D perspective.
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It was actual gameplay footage of Contra.
The massive title logo appeared in the center of the screen, the flaming “C” burning fiercely.
Afterward came the game’s release information and the logo:
GAMENOVA ENTERTAINMENT
The short promotional trailer ended almost immediately afterward.
Mike’s hand froze in place just before changing the channel.
Е̃numa.і̄d
He slowly turned toward John.
The two stared at each other in complete shock.
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“A… a video game? Mr. Schwarzenegger really endorsed a video game?!”
John swallowed hard.
Living in New Mexico, they had personally witnessed Atari burying mountains of unsold cartridges in the Alamogordo landfill.
Now, with the gaming market having shrunk by over ninety-seven percent, John simply could not understand why the action hero he admired would endorse a video game.
W ē b̆ ń о̌ vеl Е̇_num а̀
As long as Schwarzenegger kept making movies, he could surely become the next generation’s action superstar through steady effort alone.
John looked down at his own skinny arms before his mind drifted again to Schwarzenegger’s incredible physique.
If possible, he truly wanted a body like his idol’s.
But endless studies and part-time jobs left him no opportunity to work out.
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The only thing he could do was repeatedly rewatch Schwarzenegger’s films to satisfy his fantasies.
“Video games…”
Е n̆û m̄а
He muttered softly, his expression complicated as he looked toward Mike.
“Should we… go check it out?”
He still wanted to believe in Mr. Schwarzenegger.
Maybe this game was different from those plastic piles buried underground.
…
There actually was a fairly lively arcade near where they lived.
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After only a little more than ten minutes of walking, the two arrived.
But the sight before them nearly made their jaws drop.
People.
Nothing but people.
The once deserted arcade was now packed so tightly it was practically impossible to move.
Even before entering, deafening shouting could already be heard from outside.
Ěn̊úṁ а .ïd
“Boss! Where’s the Contra machine?! You still haven’t gotten it?!”
“Arcades in neighboring states already have it installed! What the hell are you doing?!”
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“We’re all waiting to play it! If you can’t even get the machine, why are you still running an arcade?!”
The owner’s forehead was drenched in sweat as he desperately forced a smile, trying to calm everyone down.
“Please relax! I’ve already paid the deposit! The supplier promised we’ll definitely get stock this month!”
How could he not want Contra machines?
Е̇ n úm a
With earning power like that thing had, it could recover its cost within a single week while still making absurd profits.
But getting stock was not remotely easy.
Turning around, he looked helplessly at the enormous lines behind the equally popular Tetris and 1942 machines inside the arcade and wiped away more sweat.
“Please enjoy these two new machines for now! I promise I’ll secure Contra cabinets as fast as possible!”
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Just those two games alone had already cost him a fortune.
No matter how much he argued with that damned Jewish distributor, the man insisted there was no stock available.
W̃ е.b nӧ vе l̆ Ӗ nū ḿ_а̂
Production capacity shortage!
“F**K! If production capacity is lacking, then expand production! What the hell are they even doing?!”
He cursed bitterly before immediately forcing another smile and continuing to deal with the players who had already descended into complete madness.
The famous poet Emily Dickinson once wrote:
“I could not bear the darkness if I had not seen the sun.”
And now these lunatics had seen Contra.
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(End of Chapter)
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