BBS Goes Online (4,000 Characters)

Spring break is coming to an end, but the computer labs at Tokyo Institute of Technology are bustling with activity.

Team leader Nohara and the two Tokyo Tech administrators sat upright, conducting final checks on the main control panel screen.

"Manager, all nodes have been checked, server load is normal, and the public port can be opened at any time." Team Leader Nohara reported, turning around with a hint of excitement in his voice.

On the day of its launch, Professor Endo, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Yonezawa were both present.

Endo Professor Endo, a usually stern and unsmiling academic giant, couldn't help but peek out frequently at the scrolling prompts on the screen, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Nakayama Takuya gave Professor Yonezawa a wink.

Professor Yonezawa cleared his throat, rubbed his hands together, and walked to a brand-new terminal. He sat down, chuckled, and said, "We've finally waited for this day."

His hands, which were used to holding chalk and experimental equipment, were awkwardly tapping on the keyboard.

Only the crisp "click" sound remained in the server room.

Soon, a bolded and pinned post appeared on the BBS's main interface.

Title: [Announcement] Tokyo Institute of Technology's Electronic Bulletin Board Launches Today!

The content consists of only two lines.

Posted by: Yonezawa.

"I am Yonezawa Aoyama, see? We'll go first!"

The server room fell silent for a moment.

The next second, the two students from Tokyo Tech couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up excitedly, letting out a cheer! The engineers from Sega also joined in the applause.

Endo was taken aback at first, then realized, "Aoyama? Dean Aoyama from the University of Tokyo?"

Professor Yonezawa leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and gave a smug hum, his expression as if he had won a great victory.

Endo shook his head, both amused and exasperated, then turned around and tightly grasped Nakayama Takuya's hand.

His hands were warm yet strong, and his eyes held an unprecedented solemnity.

"Nakayama, no, Takuya," Professor Endo said with emotion, "On behalf of the university, on behalf of all faculty and students, I thank you. This marks a new milestone for Tokyo Tech as it moves into the information age! It is the most outstanding example of industry-academia collaboration!"

"Professor Endo, you're too kind," Nakayama Takuya quickly replied. "It's my honor to be able to do something for my alma mater."

"Alright, alright, Endo, don't be so serious," Professor Yonezawa said cheerfully from the side.

He winked at Nakayama Takuya, "Takuya, you can't show favoritism towards Tokyo University. Otherwise, that guy Aoyama might just show up at my office and block the door."

"Don't worry, teacher, I promise I'll treat everyone equally," Nakayama Takuya replied with a smile.

The Tokyo Institute of Technology's BBS ran smoothly for two days.

In the past two days, the computer room has practically become Professor Yonezawa's new office. He would stroll over every now and then with his hands behind his back, saying things like, "Check the server to make sure there are no problems," but actually he would find a terminal and refresh the number of online users and posts on the BBS. As he watched the numbers climb, the smile on his lips never faded.

[Help Needed] When will the Coca-Cola vending machine on the third floor of Building A be restocked?

[Discussion] Regarding Professor Yonezawa's latest paper on signal processing, is there a better solution for the Fourier transform formula on page three?

[Chat] Cherry blossom season is almost here, anyone want to go to Ueno Park together? Girls preferred!

Looking at these diverse posts, Professor Yonezawa was as happy as a child who had secretly eaten candy.

He straightened his back especially when he saw people seriously discussing his thesis, as if he were receiving the attention of the entire school.

On the morning of the third day, the phone in the server room suddenly rang.

A Sega engineer answered the phone, listened for a couple of minutes, and his expression became somewhat strange. He covered the receiver Nakayama Takuya, who was talking to Team Leader Nohara, "Executive Director, it's the University of Tokyo —they're looking for Professor Yonezawa."

Professor Yonezawa, with his sharp ears, immediately perked up upon hearing the words "University of Tokyo," and rushed over, snatching the phone away.

"Hey! Aoyama! What's up? Got it all? Ready to come learn from me?" He put the phone on speakerphone, his voice loud and clear, as if afraid someone in the server room wouldn't hear him.

Professor Aoyama Yuki's voice, barely containing his anger, came from the other end of the phone. In the background, the faint sound of Yu Ming's voice could be heard, suggesting that he was also in his server room.

"Yonezawa, I just wanted to confirm if your system is really stable. We don't want to lose our school's data; that would be a serious matter."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." Professor Yonezawa leaned against the table, a smug look on his face. "Our Tokyo Tech's BBS..."

It works great! The students are very enthusiastic about visiting it. But you, the University of Tokyo, really need to get your servers ready."

"You!" Professor Aoyama on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback.

Inside the computer room, the engineers sent from Southeast University to learn were pale and then flushed, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

In the past two days, they have watched helplessly as Tokyo Tech's BBS went from nothing to something, from deserted to bustling, and they were already extremely anxious. To make matters worse, their own dean was arguing with Professor Yonezawa on the phone.

Nakayama Takuya couldn't help but laugh as he stepped forward and took the phone from Professor Yonezawa.

"Professor Aoyama, hello, I'm Nakayama Takuya from Sega."

Upon hearing Nakayama Takuya's voice, Aoyama Yuki's tone immediately softened considerably. "Executive Director Nakayama, how is the situation?"

"The system has completed a 48-hour continuous stress test, and all indicators are excellent," Nakayama Takuya said calmly. "I'm preparing to send the team to your esteemed institution."

"Okay! We're ready to serve you anytime!" Aoyama Yuki's voice carried a sense of relief and eagerness.

After hanging up the phone, Nakayama Takuya looked at the engineers from the University of Tokyo, who were staring at him expectantly.

He smiled and waved to Nohara, the group leader.

"Team Leader Nohara, pack your things, next stop: University of Tokyo!"

"Yes!"

At Nohara's command, Sega's team immediately sprang into action.

The engineers from Dongda University finally breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with barely suppressed excitement.

They followed behind the Sega team, their steps lighter.

When Sega's team arrived at the University of Tokyo, they were greeted by Professor Aoyama Yuki and a row of serious-looking academic leaders. Having previously tested the technology within the company and deployed it at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Team Leader Nohara's team already had considerable experience.

They didn't even wait for Professor Aoyama to finish explaining the layout of the computer room before they dispersed, each taking on their assigned tasks.

The terminal debugging and server configuration were all done smoothly and efficiently.

Those engineers from Tokyo University who originally studied at Tokyo Tech have now become the main force.

They were no longer bystanders, but took the initiative to step forward and work closely with Sega's engineers.

Professor Aoyama stood to the side, watching this efficient and harmonious scene, and the tense lines of his face unconsciously softened a little.

In less than half a day, when Team Leader Nohara walked up to him, bowed slightly, and reported, "Professor Aoyama, the system has been deployed and is ready to go online at any time," even this dean of the faculty, who was used to seeing Oba, could not hide the surprise in his eyes.

That's too fast.

It happened so fast it almost felt unreal to him.

"Can it be used now?" Professor Aoyama confirmed.

"Yes." Team Leader Nohara handed over a newly printed system manual. "This is the initial administrator manual; we have already provided preliminary training to your school's technical staff."

Professor Aoyama took the manual.

He took a deep breath, pushed open the door to the main control room, and sat down in front of a brand-new terminal.

All eyes turned to them.

Unlike Professor Yonezawa's sweeping, powerful keystrokes, Professor Aoyama's fingers moved across the keyboard with elegance and restraint.

Soon, the first post appeared on the main interface of the University of Tokyo BBS.

Title: [Announcement] The University of Tokyo's electronic bulletin board system is officially launched.

The content consists of only one line of text.

Posted by: Aoyama Yuki.

"The pursuit of truth begins here."

The server room was completely silent.

The faculty and students of the University of Tokyo looked at this declaration, which was full of the University of Tokyo's unique style, and their faces showed a sense of pride and honor.

This is the kind of demeanor that Japan's top university should have!

Just then, a young teaching assistant suddenly burst out laughing.

Professor Aoyama frowned and looked over.

The teaching assistant quickly covered his mouth, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, "Professor, is your statement 'The pursuit of truth begins here' implying that Tokyo Tech is just playing around?"

The atmosphere in the entire computer room changed instantly upon hearing this.

Upon further reflection, the meaning of this statement completely changed. What "pursuit of truth"? It was clearly an implied criticism that the opponent was "unqualified"!

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! He insults someone without using a single swear word!

Professor Aoyama's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, but he quickly straightened his face and coughed sternly, feigning authority. "Academic discussion, don't make unfounded associations."

Then came another round of pleasantries with professors from various departments.

However, during the pleasantries, an engineer responsible for monitoring the network suddenly stood up, his expression strange, and exclaimed, "Professor! Professor Yonezawa from Tokyo Tech has posted on our BBS!"

The crowd immediately gathered around.

On the homepage of Dongda BBS, a post had been bumped to the top with a very eye-catching title.

[Congratulatory Message] Congratulations on the launch of our sister school's BBS! Welcome to the information age (although it's two days late).

Posted by: Yonezawa.

The computer room was initially deathly silent, then erupted into uproarious laughter. Even the department leaders couldn't help but shrug their shoulders.

Professor Aoyama's face visibly changed from white to red, then from red to green, finally turning into a cold snort squeezed out from between his teeth.

"That old bastard Yonezawa!"

He strode back to his terminal, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard as he quickly replied to Yonezawa's post.

"Instead of arguing over words, let's see who has the better academic standing. I look forward to Professor Yonezawa's next paper."

Two minutes later, Yonezawa's reply was updated.

"It'll be here soon, don't worry."

Professor Aoyama shook his head helplessly.

Look at the two deans of Japan's top universities, bickering like two sulking children on a BBS, making everyone in the computer lab laugh so hard they almost fell over.

The news of the launch of the BBS at Tokyo Tech and the University of Tokyo was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, drawing the attention of the entire Japan academic community.

In the Computer Software Development Team, team leader Nohara was leading the team in reviewing the deployment process for Tokyo Tech and Tokyo University. The whiteboard was covered with various optimization suggestions and contingency plans to optimize the operation manual.

Everyone was still in a state of high energy and focused on their work.

Nakayama Takuya leaned against the doorframe, looking at the group of victorious generals who showed no signs of letting up, and felt very satisfied.

He knocked on the door, the two crisp knocks drawing everyone's attention.

"Executive Director!" Team Leader Nohara immediately stood up straight.

"Alright, both BBSs are up and running in Japan, it's time to take a break." Nakayama Takuya clapped his hands. "I hereby announce that the entire development team will have two paid days off this week!"

There was a moment of silence in the office, followed by a deafening roar of cheers.

"Marvelous!"

"Long live the Executive Director!"

Team Leader Nohara also breathed a sigh of relief; the continuous work over the past few days had indeed taken a toll on everyone.

He was about to say thank you when he was stunned into silence by what Nakayama Takuya said next.

"Get some rest and recharge." Nakayama Takuya's smile slowly faded, replaced by a deeper, more penetrating light. "Because next week, we're going on a long trip."

The crowd quieted down and looked at him with curiosity.

"Go to United States."

United States?

These two words made everyone's minds pause for a moment.

Team Leader Nohara asked blankly, "Executive Director, what are you going to United States for?"

"Silicon Valley." When Nakayama Takuya uttered the name of the place, he clearly saw the eyes of the two Tokyo Tech widen instantly, and their breathing became rapid.

"Sega of America Headquarters just established a brand new internet operations company there called ' Silicon Valley Online.' Our BBS can't just stay in Japan. Next week, your task is to move this system exactly to Sega's United States headquarters and show those proud United States what to do."

These words were like a fire, instantly igniting everyone's hearts. "But this is just an appetizer."

Nakayama Takuya turned around and wrote three simple English letters on the clean whiteboard.

ICQ.

"A BBS is like a public square where people chat and discuss things." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "But we also need a tool that allows you to find the person you're looking for anytime, anywhere, for one-on-one, real-time communication. Like making a private phone call online."

He pointed to three letters on the whiteboard, enunciating each one slowly and deliberately.

"We need to bring this unfinished instant messaging software to the United States to complete it and launch it directly United States."

"This is unlike a BBS, where various topics can be set up as separate sites. Our ICQ, however, is designed to directly target all internet users worldwide."