Oldcat, an independent and seasoned validator in the Web3 ecosystem, embarked on his journey around October 2020. His initial foray was with the Lycon chain, a project he admired for its vision and decentralized ethos. Oldcat candidly admits he initially had no clear understanding of what a validator entailed, nor did he intend to build a business from it. His primary motivation stemmed from a profound appreciation for the concept of decentralization, driven by the belief that Web3 could grant individuals "more freedom" and allow them to "control more on our own." He pragmatically notes, however, that "free is not free of charge," underscoring the inherent responsibility that accompanies such autonomy. His early validation efforts were intensely focused on the Lycon chain, where he dedicated himself to authoring weekly governance reports in Chinese. These reports served as a vital educational resource for communities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, aiming to demystify Web3, the intricacies of on-chain governance, and the practicalities of wallet operations in an unfamiliar landscape. This commitment to community enlightenment and engagement quickly became a hallmark of his approach. Oldcat's introduction to Web3 predates his validator role, tracing back to around 2017 when he first encountered cryptocurrency through Lycon. Notably, his entry point was not Bitcoin, but rather a belief in the Lycon founder. He expresses a preference for the term "blockchain" over "Web3," which he finds "very confusing now," often conflated with price speculation. For Oldcat, blockchain represents a "fourth kind of asset," distinct from traditional equities, bonds, and commodities. He holds a particular affinity for Cosmos, commending its governance features and its unique ability to allow "every even small crazy idea" to manifest as its own chain, seamlessly interconnected through IBC. A core tenet for Oldcat is self-accountability, captured in his assertion, "I don't need the intermediate," and the conviction that "every individuals in certain senses can control themselves." He views blockchain as a powerful tool for humanity, offering "more freedom" in situations where centralized systems might falter. He deeply appreciates the security and personal control offered by these technologies, stating that "even the founder of the chain, they can't touch my stuff because I do the... Sunlight Ong." The subject of governance holds significant importance for Oldcat, who describes its feature as "something amazing." He champions Cosmos's governance model as a "very effective way to have the opinions of the community," drawing parallels to traditional public opinion gathering in Hong Kong during 2019. While acknowledging that governance is "not perfect" and can sometimes yield "not very good outcomes," he firmly believes validators bear a "very important responsibility" to participate in voting. He observes that many delegators are "not very keen on the governance," yet remains optimistic that with time and consistent effort from validators, communities will come to understand how "the governance, the voting is actually is aligned with their interests." Though human history is characterized by "stupid decisions," Oldcat anticipates a "spirally improved" future, especially as Web3 heralds a "paradigm change." He manages expectations for rapid adoption, recognizing that many still approach new technologies with a centralized mindset, but is confident it "will happen eventually in a better way." Regarding the prospect of interchain or cross-chain governance, Oldcat is openly positive, simply asking, "Why not?" He doesn't foresee a future dominated by a single chain, but rather one where diverse chains occupy "very different very positions." He draws an analogy to the "freedom of marriage"—a basic human need that took decades to become widely accepted—to illustrate the long but inevitable adoption of blockchain. For Oldcat, "the freedom is basic need," and he believes blockchain will become an "important part of the society." He envisions an ecosystem where distinct chains, such as Cosmos and Ethereum, will coexist with specialized roles, rather than replacing one another. His vision includes an evolving network of "bridge, whatever tunnel maybe," where the community's role is to "make the solution, the possibilities, the usage, more broadens more easily so that people can adopt easily." Oldcat describes his validation work as "something from my calling," fundamentally driven by a mission to "help the world be freer." While he acknowledges the financial aspect – "I got money in some sense, I need to pay the rent" – he frames it as deeply meaningful work that allows him to be "the part of the community." His validator setup is heavily geared towards resilience and security. He primarily uses service providers, intentionally avoiding bare metal servers in Hong Kong due to cost and geopolitical uncertainties. All his servers are strategically located "out of Hong Kong" to ensure a "higher degree of security." He prefers building his own Linux servers over relying on large cloud providers, citing concerns about cost-effectiveness and performance. His strategy involves utilizing "a few service provider" to enhance decentralization and create robust backup systems, crucial for preventing the dreaded "double sign is a nightmare" scenarios. For monitoring and alerting across his 36 mainnet operations, Oldcat employs Zabbix. Beyond just technical server status, he meticulously monitors voting activity, boasting a 95-98% voting record, and tracks voting power to gauge his delegators' sentiment. His team also actively contributes to the ecosystem by producing smaller snapshots for chains like Osmosis and E-Wards, particularly for testnets, which he notes are often overlooked but vital. He openly welcomes fellow validators to reach out for assistance with his Zabbix setup, underscoring the Web3 tradition of "helping each other." Oldcat offers valuable insights into "surviving" as a validator. He stresses the necessity of significant capital for validating on larger chains and defines "survivors" as active participants, cautioning that pure activism without operational rigor may not lead to long-term viability. A cornerstone of his philosophy is responsibility towards delegators: in the event of slashing, his team "would compensate silently to every delegator, maybe even surpass the damage," and transparently communicates such incidents via Twitter. He consciously avoids "slash pro-elections" slogans, preferring to earn trust through consistent, responsible actions. Oldcat cultivates a community-oriented approach where mutual "helping each other" is paramount, and educating delegators about chain upgrades helps align their interests. His advice to aspiring validators is to first "think about what's their intentions," as different motivations lead to varied strategies. Ultimately, he believes a validator's fundamental role is to "make the chain running. If the chain does not run, all are bullshit." He views his sustained presence and participation, even in challenging markets, as a testament to his commitment, trusting that with time, "more people when times go they would notice oh this is okay who is this and who's that." In a concluding blitz round, Oldcat reveals a keen interest in AI and machine learning, acknowledging the current hype around generative AI but recognizing its deeper potential beyond present discussions. His primary motivator is "responsibility," driven by the commitment to keep a chain running once he has joined it, believing this to be his fundamental role until the community itself decides otherwise. Lastly, a profound influence in his life stems from a YouTube video discussing Socrates' decision to accept his execution. Oldcat was deeply impressed by Socrates' unwavering commitment to "doing something, what he needs to do, what he ought to do. What's the right thing to do?" He finds this philosophy strengthening, reinforcing his own conviction in the importance of principled action.