高手的困惑(4)

由于我家距离学校也就几百米远，同时小区周围有三间游戏厅，所以我随时都可以放纵自己，每个游戏厅都是把50平米的门面房切分成两间小屋并在其中摆放着二十来个游戏机，其中不乏专门为成年赌徒摆设的老虎机。由于近来见诸报端的大多数恶性事件都跟游戏厅和网吧有关，因此政府颁布政策规定一切跟游戏有关的东西都禁止对未成年人开放，尽管如此，上有政策下有对策，那些后台硬的游戏厅老板冒着跟政府和道德底线对抗的风险，从这些涉世未深、沉溺于精神鸦片的小孩子身上大发横财。即便室内空气混浊、夏天充斥着汗臭味儿、玩游戏时周围的脏话声不绝于耳，甚至当你个头小、身材瘦削还有被小混混欺负的可能，游戏厅总是如常青树一般生意兴隆、在放学后人满为患。昏暗小房子里的每个人都在专心“吸他的鸦片”而无暇顾及周围发生的一切，即便其中的任何一个人被激怒了，他也会在“几口烟”之后迅速恢复平静。
As I was an old face to most of them, the bosses and I were very familiar with each other. Being treated as a frequent visitor, I felt it a pretty good bargain when I bought a good many of coins and was given discounts in secret. Besides, I can reel off the names of the nearby master-hands in playing KOF 97: John, Smith, Miller, Brown and I. We challenged each other whenever met together even if they always suffered defeat and humiliation at the hands of me. It could be argued that compares to friendship, success and failure means nothing to us, the game developed intimate relationships between us, if without it, many friends of mine in the game world could merely have been strangers brush against each other in the street. Most admirers and fans of me regard I as a genius who can play excellently without practice, but, to be frank, I was a rookie a few years ago, took pains to improve my skill and eventually become who I am now. People are invariably conscious of one's success, and neglect his struggle period, but can you find me a successful man without working his way up to the top? I like to be challenged, because I am always the ever-victorious general who burst with pride when my rivals fail to vanquish me and finally leave the console in despair. I enjoy the feeling that they seemed to be punctured balloons and stared at me spluttering a series of filthy words, “Fuck! You piece of shit! Why my luck has always been against me?” Occasionally, I run into that kind of rogues who turned the machine off when they were thoroughly discredited in the competition. As I dared not quarrel with or humiliate them, what I can do was to turn them into the butt of my ridicule and disdain inwardly. Over time, I distinguished myself among fighting game players and was nicknamed "the Fighting God". Even when I was exalted to the skies, I had a strong desire to be defeated, because I constantly felt boring playing it when I was always the winner.