Chapter 32: Debug (4)
32 – Debug (4)
And at noon, Dong Jun indeed sent the revised code.
This code naturally drew everyone’s attention.
The revised code was entirely in Dong Jun’s personal style—extremely concise, extremely detached, almost unrecognizable from its previous form.
Jiang Lian: “Didn’t Dong Jun say he doesn’t write code anymore?”
Zhao Jiagou: “How could you believe what a man says? Besides, he never explicitly stated it.”
As he spoke, he nudged Lin Xun: “Happy?”
“I…” Lin Xun said, “Today, I’ve lost the ability to speak.”
Wang Anquan: “You’re really something.”
A moment later, Lin Xun looked at the code and said, “It’s really beautiful.”
Zhao Jiagou: “I like the code too.”
Jiang Lian: “I also think it’s beautiful.”
Wang Anquan: “Actually, I too…”
There’s a saying that handwriting reflects a person’s character, and code, too, reflects its author.
Wang Anquan’s code had a somewhat loose structure, but the details were exceptionally meticulous. Zhao Jiagou’s code often contained errors in the details, but the overall design was outstanding.
Jiang Lian’s code was unremarkable, with no distinctive features, yet it somehow managed to fulfill requirements in a peculiar way.
As for his own code… others had this to say: “You can tell you’re trying hard to write it well.”
As for Dong Jun’s code, it carried an extremely distinctive style. Among countless lines of code, Lin Xun could recognize it at a glance.
It was incredibly concise and extremely precise, with no superfluous statements. It even carried a hint of coldness due to its mechanical elegance. It seemed that in the world of code, Dong Jun could control everything.
Based on the code, Dong Jun should be a cold, aloof dominator—which was why Lin Xun initially felt a bit too intimidated to speak when interacting with him. Only later did he realize that Dong Jun wasn’t always like that.
They imported the code and began running it. The results, of course, were perfect.
During the module loading interval, Wang Anquan went to brew goji berries, Zhao Jiagou drank milk, Jiang Lian drank plain water, and Lin Xun stared blankly at the interface.
After a long while, he said, “Why didn’t Dong Jun let me force myself to write code?”
No one responded, so he continued talking to himself: “My coding skills really aren’t great, but why is that?”
He found it hard to accept—in the field of computers, he couldn’t accept being subpar.
“Theoretically, I’ve written a lot of code,” he said.
Wang Anquan returned after brewing his goji berries: “That’s true.”
Lin Xun: “And I didn’t just start learning this in college. I’ve been playing with it since I learned to read.”
Wang Anquan: “I know.”
Lin Xun: “So why is my programming skill so much worse than my algorithm skill?”
Wang Anquan: “That is indeed a bit odd.”
Jiang Lian said, “It’s pretty normal. You can’t excel at both.”
Zhao Jiagou smiled: “Brother Jiang, he won’t listen. He’s a lemon—he can’t accept others being better than him.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xun said, “This doesn’t make sense. I only realized today that this doesn’t make sense.”
Zhao Jiagou: “What do you mean?”
Lin Xun: “Programming shouldn’t be something difficult for me.”
He knew this might sound a bit arrogant, but he didn’t mean to boast about his skill or intelligence.
Programming, in fact, isn’t that difficult. It’s a field where practice makes perfect.
If you enjoy this line of work, have a bit of talent, and write a hundred thousand lines of code, you may not become a master in programming, but you certainly won’t be bad at it—and your code won’t be ugly.
But as Lin Xun looked at his own code and examined it objectively, he felt it was truly ugly.
“Impossible,” he frowned. “Unless I’ve only ever written algorithms since childhood and barely any actual programs. Otherwise, the programs I write couldn’t possibly look like this. It’s a paradox.”
He said, “But I really have written many programs—otherwise, where did all those projects come from?”
Neither Zhao Jiagou nor Wang Anquan spoke; only Jiang Lian glanced at him, then looked at the two of them.
Wang… Anquan shrugged. “It’s fine, he’s often like this. A person’s anger largely stems from their own incompetence.”
Lin Xun: “I’m not incompetent. I just suddenly feel something isn’t right.”
Wang Anquan: “You’ve just been completely focused on algorithms these past few years.”
Lin Xun: “Are you saying I’ve regressed? No way, I have to get back into it. Even my idol is looking down on me now.”
Wang Anquan: “Wake up. Dong Jun’s point is that you shouldn’t write code anymore. From now on, Brother Jiang will lead the way. You can just write algorithms, handle optimizations, run tests…”
Lin Xun: “…Alright then.”
Some matters are more urgent than others. The Goddess of the Luo River’s functionality had to be fully perfected within a month—he really needed to spend his time on what mattered most.
Thinking this, he turned to Jiang Lian: “Brother Jiang.”
Jiang Lian looked at him.
Lin Xun: “Brother Jiang, let’s have a pleasant collaboration this month.”
Jiang Lian’s gaze seemed to hesitate for a moment, but two seconds later, he extended his hand toward Lin Xun.
Lin Xun smiled and shook Jiang Lian’s hand. “Thank you, Brother Jiang.”
This handshake meant Jiang Lian would at least work steadily with them for a month. Lin Xun felt success was within sight.
Just then, the module finished loading smoothly.
Lin Xun sent a message to Dong Jun: All resolved, thank you ^^
Dong Jun: You’re welcome.
Lin Xun: I don’t know how to thank you. Feels like inviting you to a meal might not be enough.
Dong Jun: After all, I am also part of the Goddess of the Luo River company.
Lin Xun: “”
He thought that did seem to make sense.
Lin Xun: Haha.
Dong Jun: But recently, there is indeed something I need help with.
Lin Xun: What is it?
Dong Jun: Do you like cats?
Lin Xun: Yes.
—He had actually always wanted to have a pet, but on the first day he moved to Chaoyang Community, Xiao Chen informed them that he was allergic to animal fur, so that dream was shattered.
Dong Jun replied: I’m going to Canada for ten days and need to find a temporary caretaker for my cat.
Lin Xun: ?
Lin Xun: I can do it.
Dong Jun: Should I bring it to you tomorrow?
Lin Xun: I’ll come pick it up. You’re probably quite busy.
Dong Jun: Okay, thank you for the trouble.
Lin Xun: No problem!
Putting down his phone, Lin Xun was no longer depressed about his inexplicably poor programming skills.
Dong Jun actually had a cat.
—And he was about to temporarily have a cat too.
On another note, the module ran successfully, and the Goddess of the Luo River’s functionality became more complete—something worth celebrating.
After a brief celebration, they continued with their day’s work until 7 p.m., when Jiang Lian had to return to his own place.
“Brother Jiang, if you don’t mind, you could move in here,” Lin Xun said. “It would be more convenient.”
Jiang Lian nodded. “I’ll consider it.”
Lin Xun pulled open the door to see him out—and was met with the scent of perfume.
Lin Xun: “”
A butterfly landed on his shoulder. Butterfly Madam, wearing a revealing purple dress and silver high heels, was walking up the stairs from the second floor, followed by two men in sunglasses dressed as bodyguards, both with Miao-style tattoos on their faces.
“Oh, darling!” Butterfly Madam exclaimed with delight. “You live here too?”
Lin Xun asked, “What brings you here, Senior?”
Butterfly Madam replied, “Tonight, I and a few fellow Daoists need to discuss the plan for eliminating demons here.”
Lin Xun glanced at her slender high heels, which were about ten centimeters tall, then looked at the steep staircase. Feeling a bit uneasy, he said, “Let me help you up.”
Butterfly Madam’s eyes sparkled as she extended her right arm. “How thoughtful.”
Lin Xun helped her up to the fourth floor. As he was leaving, he noticed Jiang Lian looking somewhat dazed.
He thought, Butterfly Madam was quite famous—there was even a billboard with her endorsement across from the residential area. His Brother Jiang was probably once again pondering the soul-searching question: What kind of place is this?
As soon as the door on the fourth floor opened, Lin Xun was presented with an entire apartment that had been completely… renovated and transformed. The space was exquisitely decorated, furnished entirely with rosewood, and adorned with landscape paintings on the walls, giving it an ethereal, scholarly air, like a family of refined taste.
The living room was spacious, with a jade coffin embedded in the wall.
Representatives from major sects—Qingcheng Mountain, Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Baopu Daoist Temple, Tianyan, and others—had sent elders and elite disciples. Those who owned property in the capital stayed in their own homes, while those without resided in Chaoyang Community, all gathered to discuss the critical matter of eliminating demons.
Chang Ji stood respectfully behind Master Wanchan.
Master Wanchan said, “In my view, there are three urgent tasks. First, locate the demonic creatures and strive to eradicate them. Second, find the cracks where the demon realm overlaps with the human world and repair them to slow the arrival of the demons. Third, search for the Emperor. This way, even if we fail to stop the demons and the demon realm fully merges with the human world, there will still be a glimmer of hope.”
Xiaoyaozi added, “Master Wanchan speaks wisely. Regarding these three points, if any fellow Daoists have suggestions, please voice them.”
—And so began a lengthy discussion.
A futile discussion.
In the end, they could only agree to start clearing out demonic creatures across the capital from the next day. As for the unpredictable number of cracks between the human and demon realms, finding them would require some luck.
As for searching for the Emperor—that was even more elusive and uncertain. They couldn’t possibly have everyone in the capital attempt to draw the sword; it simply wasn’t practical.
Thus, the meeting adjourned, and everyone returned to their quarters.
It was already nine o’clock in the evening. Just as Lin Xun was about to push open his door, his phone suddenly chimed with a notification.
Green Flower in the Army: Are you there?
Green Flower in the Army: There’s an operation tonight.
Lin Xun replied with a single “Okay.”
—The enthusiastic security guard uncle from Chaoyang District was going to take him to investigate the unsettling elements within the community.