Pet King - Chapter 532

Chapter 532
Chapter 532: Pi


Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The old man saw Zhang Zian hesitate . He thought he was going to be politely refused, so he turned around to get help .

Zhang Zian's hesitation disappeared and he smiled . "Sure, I have time now . Let's find a seat . Where would you like to sit?"　

"Anywhere will do!" The old man was thrilled . He looked around to find a seat as quickly as he could, just in case Zhang Zian changed his mind . 　　

Once Zhang Zian made up his mind, he wouldn't change it . He put his phone in his pocket and pointed at an empty table in the corner . "How about over there? There are two free computers next to each other . "　

"Okay!" The old man slowly followed Zhang Zian to the corner with his cane .

Zhang Zian pulled out the chair for him . They took their seats, with a computer in front of both of them . 　　

"Uncle, I'm just wondering . Why don't you use the touch screen terminals like the other senior citizens? Isn't it more convenient?" Zhang Zian asked while moving the mouse to wake the computer up . 　　

"I don't think I'm that old . I want to spend time with young people, and use what they use . " The old man leaned his cane against the desk and laughed . "I practiced typing for this reason . I bought some primary school textbooks and learned Pinyin . I know how to surf the internet, but the computers here seem different . "　　

The old man introduced himself . His last name was Zhou . His wife passed away long ago, and his children and grandchildren worked in different cities and didn't visit often . He learned new things to kill time . 　　

Zhang Zian realized how much he hated being old . He started calling him "Mr . Zhou," which he preferred to "Uncle" as it made him feel younger . 　

After logging in, Zhang Zian realized something was wrong . The operating system in the computers wasn't Windows nor Mac OS, but a massively customized special system with simplified functions . There was no Resource Manager or Control Panel or Internet Explorer or chatting tools . It was connected to a local network, so the Internet wasn't available .

The computers were All-in-One computers like Mac, fixated on the desks . There was nothing in the back, no USB or Thunderbolt ports . There were only the power and cable ports along with PS/2 ports for the keyboard and mouse . There wasn't even a place to plug earphones in .

It would take time for young people to get used to the computer, let alone Mr . Zhou . 　　

Equipping the library with this type of computer effectively blocked viruses and prevented illegal transmissions of e-books . The library also had easy-to-use touch screen terminals for the elderly, but some elderly hated to feel old . 　

Zhang Zian opened a customized reading software and worked on it for a while before teaching Mr . Zhou to search for books by category and other things like changing the background color and adjusting the font size . 　　

"Young man, what are they doing over there?" Mr . Zhou pointed to the front . 　　

Zhang Zian noticed it, too . People on the fifth floor weren't reading, they were typing, as if they were chatting online . Surely, they couldn't log into QQ here, so what were they typing?　　

"Wait a moment, Mr . Zhou . I'll have a look . "　　

He walked behind the row of young people and observed, an idea forming in his mind .

The fifth floor was a digitalized reading and communication area, where people could talk in a chatroom . Readers could recommend books to others or ask others about a book they were searching for . 　　



The readers that visited during the holidays were well-educated, so the chatroom was friendly . There was always help for those who needed it, and even if no one was able to help, they made others feel welcome . 　

It was fair to say that this was a smart investment for the library . Setting up a chatroom not only relieved the help desk of some work, it fostered passion and friendship among readers . 　

Zhang Zian returned to his seat and opened the chatroom for Mr . Zhou, so that he could communicate with others . 　　

Mr . Zhou was enjoying himself . Even though he typed slowly with one finger, he attentively commented on books . When other readers sought help, he always did what he could to help, but most people got help from others before he could finish typing .

"Mr . Zhou, I need to leave for a moment . If you have questions, I'll answer them when I return . " Zhang Zian took out his phone to search for the elfin one last time . 　　

"Okay . Thank you . " Mr . Zhou nodded, eyes glued to the screen . If he was 40 years younger, Mr . Zhou might have been addicted to the Internet . 　　

On game map, the icon indicating the elfin's location was darker . It would disappear soon . 　

As soon as Zhang Zian stood, he heard Mr . Zhou mumblie, "Why does this kid always disturb people?" 　　

"What's the matter?" Zhang Zian thought Mr . Zhou had another question, then bent down behind him to look at the screen . 　　

"Look at this kid, always typing ridiculous stuff . Nobody knows what he's up to . " Mr . Zhou said, pointing at the screen . 　　

Most people in the chatroom used nicknames, but Mr . Zhou called everybody "kid . "　　



Everybody in the chatroom was friendly, with the exception of one person . He was the bad egg . 　　

[Pancake]: I've been obsessed with The Silk Road by Bill Porter . Any other recommendations?

[Jackdaw]: That book is a travel log at best, just worth skimming through . If you want something serious, I recommend the book by Peter Frankopan with the same name . 　

[Coco]: I've been watching you guys talk, and I recommend Valerie Hansen's The Silk Road: A New History . I just returned it, so it should be in Section B1 on the second floor .

[3 . 1415926]:3 . 1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

[Jackdaw]: Hey, Pi, if you're a child, please go to the youth library on the first floor . Don't interrupt our conversation, okay?　

[Blue Flower]: Yes, you've been disturbing in the chatroom since this morning . Many poeple left because of you . 　　

[3 . 1415926]:3 . 1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

[A Liu]: What's wrong with you? What's the purpose of typing numbers? You want to show off that you know the first 100 digits of Pi? I could do that since primary school! If you want to impress people, go answer questions on Zhihu . " 　　

[Pancake]: There isn't an administrator in the chatroom, otherwise I'd ask for him to get kicked out . 　　

[3 . 1415926]:3 . 1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

[Coco]: I just stood up and looked . There are no kids on the fifth floor .

[Jackdaw]: It'd be worse if he's an adult . I've never seen such a b*tchy adult!　　

Zhang Zian stood behind Mr . Zhou and observed for a while . No matter what others were talking about in the chatroom, the mysterious user always typed the first 100 digits of Pi . Regardless of whether the other readers asked nicely or rebuked furiously, he never talked back, just kept typing the same numbers . 　

The readers were all well-educated and polite, they wouldn't have used such words had they not been annoyed . The problem was that there wasn't an administrator in the chatroom, so they could get as angry as they wanted, but there was nothing they could do about this person . 　　

Mr . Zhou frowned . "I think it's a kid . A naughty kid, naughtier than my grandchildren . He needs to be disciplined!"　　

Zhang Zian stood up, and looked around the hall of the fifth floor once again . He was focused on finding the elfin earlier, and only took a brief glance around . He didn't pay attention to the age, gender, or appearance of the readers, as none of them could've been the elfin he was searching for . 　

There were about 200 PCs in the reading area of the fifth floor, and less than half of them had someone in front of the screens . Although the readers appeared close in the chatroom, they were spread everywhere in reality . Very few people sat next to each other, unless they were friends in real life .

As Zhang Zian glanced around the room, a young girl in another corner stood up and glanced around . They met each other eyes, then she smiled and sat down . She might be Coco in the chatroom . 　　

As Coco said, there were no children on the fifth floor, and the youngest people here were at least 18 years old . They appeared serious, and didn't seem to be playing a prank .

As for the senior citizens reading on the touch screen terminal, they didn't seem to have the chatroom function, so it probably wasn't them . 　　

This just got weird .