111: Chapter 111 Warnings at the Edge of the Stage and the Price Tag of the New World

The clamor of Chicago's United Center was like a physical tide, crashing against the edge of the stage. Alex had just finished the breathtaking bridge of "Something Just Like This." As he turned his back to the audience and walked toward the keyboard area on the other side of the stage, a tiny anomaly—instantly locked onto by his [Environmental Perception Enhancement] and [Crisis Prediction]—came from beneath his feet.

It wasn't a normal vibration; it was the nearly inaudible stress groan of metal pushed to its limit.

His gaze swept like radar across the three-meter-diameter circular lift platform beneath him. According to the plan, it would lower during the next song, and he would rise from the other side with an electric guitar. To the naked eye, it was flawless, but within his extraordinary perception network, a main load-bearing bolt at the connection between the platform and the hydraulic pillar was approaching the critical point of metal fatigue under high-frequency vibration.

It could withstand one more, maybe two more lift cycles at most before failing completely. At that point, the platform would plunge into the three-meter-deep mechanical layer, carrying him and nearly half a ton of equipment with it.

The music roared on, the twenty thousand spectators completely oblivious. Alex's pace didn't falter for a second, his face still wearing the slight intoxication of being immersed in the performance, but his consciousness, under the extreme focus of [Information Reception Filtering], had already completed a crisis deduction:

1. Stop the show? It would cause a panic-driven stampede and a brand disaster.

2. Gamble that it won't collapse? Betting everyone's safety on the conscience of a low-quality bolt?

3. Resolve it silently.

He walked behind the keyboard, his slender fingers landing on the keys, improvising a thirty-second electronic soundscape filled with suspenseful tension. Simultaneously, he spoke into his hidden headset, issuing instructions in a pre-arranged, calm tone:

"Rex, Main Stage Area C, Lift 2, right front main load-bearing bolt. Red alert. Within two minutes, engage temporary redundant structural locks, then disable all lifting. Lighting crew, dim Area C entirely, leaving only follow spots on me and Taylor. Director, keep all cameras away from the Area C floor."

There was a second of silence in the headset before Rex's equally steady response came through: "Copy that. Executing."

On stage, Alex gave Taylor an almost imperceptible look. Years of chemistry allowed her to understand instantly—there was a situation, but it was under control. Far from panicking, she stepped forward during the next chorus, firmly drawing the crowd's attention to the front half of the stage, her blonde hair whipping into dazzling arcs under the follow spots.

In the mechanical layer backstage, Hank and two security engineers appeared like ghosts. The bolt, already showing fine cracks, had nowhere to hide under the powerful flashlights. There was no time for a replacement, so Rex's choice was simple and brute-force: portable hydraulic support rods were used to brace the platform from below in a triangular structure, while the lift's hydraulic cylinders were locked. The entire process took one minute and forty-seven seconds under the cover of darkness and noise.

"Lockdown complete. The platform is now fixed and cannot be moved," Rex's voice came through.

Crisis averted. During the rest of the performance, Alex seamlessly avoided that area. The show flowed like water, even gaining a touch of dangerous charm from the secret thrill. Only the most expert technicians would later feel a hint of doubt regarding that "lighting adjustment" and "camera avoidance" during their review, but it would ultimately be drowned out by the perfect performance.

The show ended, and before the backstage cheers had died down, Alex was already crouching in front of that bolt with Rex and Hank. The fracture surface clearly showed hidden material defects.

"Supplier batch issue," Rex said, his face grim. "Purchased three years ago; the quality inspection report was falsified. We've spot-checked other bolts from the same batch and haven't found issues yet, but trust is broken."

"Replace them all. Regardless of cost, use the best. Draw directly from the emergency funds." Alex took off his soaked stage outfit, his tone icy. "Lauren's team needs to prepare the litigation materials. Notify all upcoming venues: our technical team will arrive three days early for a comprehensive safety inspection, and we'll cover the costs. This is the last time there will be a gap in trust."

"Understood," Rex noted. "Also, 'Lin' from Organization D sent an encrypted message an hour ago: 'The small gift has been verified. Our partners appreciate your stability and emergency handling skills under pressure. Attached is a business consulting proposal; read and destroy.' The message has been destroyed; the forwarded summary is as follows."

Alex took the tablet. The few words read: "A certain defense-related non-profit foundation is looking for a partnership for a domestic tour opening performance that is 'technically advanced and capable of inspiring honor and patriotic resonance.' Unlimited budget, politically correct, unique influence. If interested, the encrypted channel is as follows. Organization D can provide background security verification."

He raised an eyebrow. Was this the first olive branch extended by Organization D after becoming a shareholder in Echo Vision? A top-tier performance for the military or elite veteran groups? It certainly fit the tone of Voice of Truth (already paved by "sands of the return journey"), had a generous budget, and could bind them to relationships in special fields. The risk was controllable, and the benefits were multi-dimensional.

"Let Marcus and Lauren do a preliminary assessment. We can make contact, but the terms must be transparent, and we must have absolute control over the performance content." Alex handed back the tablet. "Reply to them: This is a 'gift' worth savoring."

On the tour bus to Detroit, Alex finally had the luxury to handle other threads. He first posted a touching clip of the Chicago audience singing "wavelength" together on the Voice of Truth platform, with the caption: "The echoes of a city are the resonance of countless lonely frequencies. #TourMoments". He then used his personal account to post a picture of the Chicago skyline at dawn with a simple sunrise emoji. Routine maintenance, handled with ease.

Next, he joined the second technical meeting between "city of instantaneity" and Neuromancer via video call. The other party demonstrated the first real-time rendering prototype based on the "Bio-Luminescence" concept: by capturing micro-voltage changes in the actors' faces (simulating emotions), it drove a subcutaneous micro-LED array to produce an "emotional glow" effect, and the light would ripple and distort according to the "time-flow zone" they were in. The effect was staggering, far surpassing traditional CG.

"Within two months, the prototype's precision needs to be upgraded to 4K close-up level, and we need to solve the data synchronization and rendering load issues when multiple people are on screen." Sophia Chen was on the other end of the video, her eyes burning with fire. "Neuromancer is asking for additional investment; we need funding."

"Allocate funds from the Echo Vision account," Alex said without hesitation. "Lauren will finalize the amount. Tell them: if the final result meets the standard, the priority licensing returns for this technology after the movie's release will be ten times the investment."

A night in Detroit. Outside the hotel room window was the heavy night sky unique to an industrial city. Alex stood by the window, finally able to examine his own secret domain.

His consciousness sank in, and the system interface glowed with flowing light.

[Influence Event Settlement]

· Chicago stage crisis resolved (demonstrated emergency capability/team professionalism)

· Potential military performance cooperation opportunity (Organization D bridge/influence expansion)

· "city of instantaneity" technical breakthrough (innovative cooperation model/artistic ambition realized)

· Continued success of the tour and routine influence maintenance

[popularity Gained: +3,120,000 points]

[Current Available popularity: 3,360,030 points]

[Extraordinary Exchange Catalog (Based on historical cumulative popularity exceeding 50 million points, unlocking higher-tier previews)]

Preview of next-tier options (Exchange still requires meeting individual point requirements):

1. [Basic Telekinesis (Precision Enhanced Version)]: Fine mental control of objects (≤5kg), capable of executing complex action sequences. Cost: 45,000,000 points.

2. [Energy Absorption/Buffering (Passive)]: Absorbs kinetic and thermal energy impacts within a certain limit, converting them into harmless dissipation or low-efficiency short-term storage. Cost: 50,000,000 points.

3. [Cognitive Acceleration (Temporary)]: Greatly enhances thinking speed, information processing, and learning ability (approx. 500%) for 15 minutes. 48-hour cooldown. Cost: 55,000,000 points.

4. [Presence Concealment (Basic)]: Actively lowers one's presence in the vision, hearing, and conventional detection equipment of others (approximating "being unnoticed"). Cost: 40,000,000 points.

5. [Comprehensive Physical Enhancement (Stage 4)]: A further leap in basic physique; recovery, endurance, and resistance approach the theoretical limits of known biology. Cost: 60,000,000 points.

[Next Potential Threshold Hint]: When historical cumulative popularity reaches 100,000,000 points (100 million points), higher-level ability exchange permissions will be unlocked.

Alex's gaze calmly swept over these astronomical figures. Once, twenty million or twenty-eight million seemed like unreachable peaks beneath his feet. Now, holding over three million available points, they were just a drop in the bucket compared to these new goals.

He paid special attention to [Cognitive Acceleration] and [Presence Concealment]. The former could elevate his creative, learning, and negotiation skills to a superhuman level, while the latter provided a strong dimension for covert action and self-protection. As for more direct violence, [Physical Function Overload] was sufficient for now, and [Comprehensive Physical Enhancement (Stage 4)] was a more long-term foundation.

He knew that the next stage of the journey was to let the "tour," "movie," "military cooperation," "platform expansion," and even more unhatched projects create a chain reaction, pushing the accumulation of popularity to the next magnitude. The 100-million-point threshold might not be as hopeless as the number itself suggested.

Outside the window, the night wind of Detroit battered the glass as if counting for him, tallying the ever-accumulating steps leading to the extraordinary realm.

Alex closed the interface and returned to the bedside. There was still a performance tomorrow, negotiations the day after, and a creative meeting the day after that.

This was the path he had chosen: to dance with precision in the clamor of the spotlight and to accumulate transformation in the silence known to no one.

He lay down and closed his eyes.

Inside his body, the power sufficient to briefly break free from mortal shackles lay dormant, like a blade in its scabbard.

A calm and expectant curve, belonging to a pioneer, touched the corners of his mouth.