Go Go Squid! Episode 1 Recap
> Go Go Squid! Recap
In Singapore, the CTF Cybersecurity Tournament finals saw the SP Team defeat the K&K Team. During the intense match, SP Team initially deployed a worm virus against K&K’s server. K&K successfully blocked this attack and patched vulnerabilities, but SP Team quickly found another weakness, bringing K&K’s server close to collapse. K&K players, Dai Feng, Ling Shan, Zhou Yi, and Shen Zhe, began to argue amongst themselves about their strategies. Following the loss, the K&K team was disheartened.
Han Shangyan, K&K’s boss and former "Gun God," rose to applaud the victors before leaving the venue, where he briefly encountered Ai Qing, SP Team’s manager. Wu Bai, K&K's captain, Han Shangyan’s cousin, and the top-ranked player in China, watched Ai Qing from afar. On the ride back, the K&K players continued to blame each other for the loss. Han Shangyan, fed up, loudly silenced them, declaring that in a competition, there are only "champions and trash," not second place.
He then abruptly exited the car, leaving his team behind. They realized their mistake and called out to him, but he continued on alone. Han Shangyan felt the immense responsibility of leading these young, talented players who dreamt of winning a world championship for China. He understood their youthful impulsiveness and occasional carelessness, believing his strictness was necessary to prepare them for their future.
Meanwhile, Tong Nian, a brilliant second-year computer science graduate student specializing in cybersecurity, was unknowingly about to cross paths with Han Shangyan. She was covering the night shift at her cousin Dounan’s internet cafe. That very night, Han Shangyan bought some red envelopes and decided on a whim to spend the night at an internet cafe, walking into Dounan’s establishment. Tong Nian was instantly smitten by Han Shangyan and nervously helped him register for an overnight session, noting his name.
She offered to make him instant noodles and then prepared an elaborately decorated bowl. However, her cousin Dounan, misinterpreting her intentions, tried to charge Han Shangyan for the "late-night snack combo," initially quoting 40 yuan, then 30 yuan, despite Tong Nian wanting it to be free. Han Shangyan simply paid and requested a juice. Dounan later mused that he was testing Han Shangyan, assuming that men who booked overnight internet sessions were often down on their luck.
To get Han Shangyan's contact information, Tong Nian had Dounan use her personal WeChat account, which she cleverly renamed "Predestined Tonight Cafe." Dounan told Han Shangyan the cafe's payment system was down and convinced him to add the account for a direct transfer. Han Shangyan, somewhat annoyed, eventually added her. Tong Nian excitedly browsed his WeChat Moments, only to find posts exclusively related to cybersecurity news. Han Shangyan ended his overnight session early, at 2 AM.
As he was leaving, Tong Nian's cousin alerted her that Han Shangyan had left his ID card. Tong Nian quickly chased after him to return it. Han Shangyan thanked her but also warned her that it was unsafe for a young girl to be at an internet cafe late at night, clarifying he meant nothing personal. Tong Nian, however, interpreted his words as a sign of concern.
The next morning at the K&K club, the players gossiped about Han Shangyan not returning home overnight. Han Shangyan overheard them and immediately made them go for their daily five-kilometer run in the heavy rain. He pressed them to finish quickly, warning that only the top three would be exempt from penalties, such as losing days from their Chinese New Year vacation.
He reminded them that a CTF player's prime career only lasts about six years, and if they chose this path, they must show results. When Dai Feng commented that losing to SP wasn’t embarrassing, Han Shangyan fiercely retorted that in his dictionary, "the word 'lose' does not exist," and losing to SP was "the most embarrassing thing."
Later, Han Shangyan instructed Wu Bai to withdraw 5,000 yuan from his account for each team member's New Year red envelope, explaining it was separate from their year-end bonuses. Han Shangyan then asked Wu Bai how to block someone on WeChat, showing him the "Predestined Tonight Cafe" chat. Wu Bai jokingly asked if he had gone on a blind date, but Han Shangyan clarified it was an internet cafe that had aggressively promoted its services.
Wu Bai offered to help, but Han Shangyan decided it was "too troublesome" and left it as is. Han Shangyan then informed Wu Bai that he would be leaving town for two days and instructed him to take the team out for good food. Meanwhile, at her university, Tong Nian, distracted, asked her friend Yaya what it felt like to like someone. Yaya immediately assumed Tong Nian was referring to their senior, Zheng Hui, who conveniently appeared at that moment.
Later, Zheng Hui approached Yaya privately and confessed his long-standing feelings for Tong Nian. Yaya, misinterpreting Tong Nian's earlier question, enthusiastically promised to help him. That same night, Han Shangyan traveled to a snowy town to visit his old friend Mi Shaofei, who was working at a convenience store. Their reunion was emotional. Han Shangyan revealed that five years ago, he founded the K&K Cybersecurity Club with its headquarters in Norway and had now returned to establish a Chinese branch.
Mi Shaofei, surprised, acknowledged that he followed the scene but never knew Han Shangyan was behind K&K. Han Shangyan then attempted to recruit Mi Shaofei to join his team, but Mi Shaofei declined, citing his age and lack of skill. Mi Shaofei then took Han Shangyan to meet another old friend he had invited, who turned out to be Ou Qiang, a member of the SP Team.
