115: Chapter 115 The Livestream Storm: Dimensional Reduction and Silent Implantation

The moment the live stream signal for the "Echo Challenge: 100-Hour Million Piano Marathon" was simultaneously launched on the giant screens of New York's Times Square, Twitch, YouTube Live (despite the delicate relationship), and the "Voice of Truth" platform's exclusive channel, the global online audience immediately surpassed eight million people.

The camera first focused on that flame-painted piano truck, which had already become a cultural symbol. It was parked at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York, with the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop. Ten contestants, following the order of the draw, would each perform a two-hour relay in the first round.

The first highlight came from the third contestant, Thomas—the retired auto worker from Detroit.

When his hands, covered in calluses and faint scars, carefully settled on the keys and began to play a jazz and gospel-fused arrangement of "Amazing Grace" for his late wife, the originally noisy crowd in the park fell silent. The barrage of comments in the live stream also experienced a brief freeze.

He didn't show off his technique and even hit a wrong note occasionally, but that emotion, deeply rooted in years and loss, pierced through the keys and the lens to accurately strike millions of hearts in front of their screens. When he reached the halfway point, his eyes slightly red but struggling to smile, the camera cut at just the right moment to Taylor, who was sitting in the temporary viewing area nearby. She was listening intently, her eyes shimmering with tears as she softly hummed along.

This scene was instantly captured by the "Flashpoint" team and edited into a 15-second short video with a two-word title: "Echoes of Memory." The video swept across all social platforms within ten minutes, surpassing ten million views, with shares and comments filled with emotional outbursts like "In tears," "This is the true meaning of music," and "A tribute to life."

The second highlight came from the combination of technological wonder and the brilliance of humanity.

When Elena, a hearing-impaired student, took the stage, the online and offline audience held their breath. She wore a specialized vest that could translate the melodies she played into tactile vibrations of different frequencies, along with bone conduction headphones. She performed a modern piano piece she had composed herself, full of irregular rhythms and exploratory elements.

During the process, she was completely immersed in a world of "sound" constructed by touch and bone conduction. Her body swayed slightly with the rhythm, and her facial expressions shifted from confusion to joy, as if she were "listening" and responding to every note with her hands and body. This was not a traditional "beautiful" performance, but a shocking display of perception, breakthrough, and existence.

The live stream comment section exploded:

"Is the music she 'hears' the same as ours?"

"This is simply a perfect poem of art and technology!"

"A tribute to every soul that breaks boundaries!"

"Flashpoint" once again edited with lightning speed, titled: "Resonance of Another Frequency." The video went viral again, even sparking social discussions about artistic expression and assistive technology for people with disabilities.

On the first day of the live stream, the average number of concurrent viewers remained above five million, with a peak surpassing twelve million. The musical stories of ten ordinary people, packaged with a million-dollar prize and top-tier production, blossomed with an appeal comparable to top-rated variety shows. The ultimate destination for all this traffic was clearly the "Voice of Truth" platform, which hosted the contestants' full story archives, in-depth interviews, and even their past musical works. The platform's daily active users surpassed the twenty million mark for the first time, and a server expansion plan was launched overnight.

However, the underwater snipings arrived almost simultaneously with the live stream's glory.

First was YouTube. Just four hours after the live stream began, YouTube's official blog posted an announcement titled "Enriching the Creator Ecosystem: Launching the 'Community Challenge' Fund Pilot," announcing the establishment of a five-million-dollar fund to support platform creators in launching "meaningful interactive challenges," vaguely mentioning keywords like "music" and "public welfare." Anyone with a sharp eye could see this was a rushed imitation and hedge.

Marcus immediately reported to Alex. Alex just chuckled: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but also the weakest counterattack. Their fund is just sprinkling pepper; it lacks the concentrated explosive power of our 'Million Piano + Deep Stories + Full Live Stream.' Notify the 'Flashpoint' content team to speed up the production of our contestants' 'behind-the-scenes' and 'story shorts' to drown them in denser, higher-quality content. Meanwhile, have Lauren prepare a document to 'remind' the media and the public at the right time to pay attention to the difference between originality and imitation."

Following that, a private contact by a production company associated with CAA with the contestants was discovered and recorded by Hank's people in a timely manner (under the premise of legal notification). The recording showed that the other party offered a "brokerage contract worth two hundred thousand dollars regardless of the competition results, with a promise of better exposure resources," on the condition that they "appropriately mention their brand" during the live stream and "prioritize them in future collaborations."

Upon learning this, Alex had Lauren send a stern legal letter in the name of "Flashpoint" to the production company, accusing them of "unfair interference with business activities and suspected inducement of breach of contract." He also provided the recording evidence (with contestant personal information redacted) and the key points of the legal letter anonymously to "The Hollywood Reporter." The next day, a report titled "Million Challenge Sabotaged? Industry Giant Accused of Unfair Poaching" was released, drawing industry attention. That production company immediately retreated, issuing a statement claiming it was the "unauthorized action of an individual employee."

The most troublesome part was the rumors of regulatory lobbying from traditional television networks. Lauren confirmed through her network in Washington that the FCC had indeed received related "inquiries," but no formal case had been opened yet.

Alex's response was even more clever. He had the "Voice of Truth" platform's in-depth reporting team write an analytical piece titled "From TV Talent Shows to Universal Co-creation: How New Media Makes Ordinary People the Protagonists of Stories," objectively comparing the differences between traditional TV reality shows (highly edited, script-driven, commercial-first) and the "Echo Challenge" (authentic recording, story-driven, public welfare core), emphasizing the latter's social value in "giving a voice to commoners" and "promoting community interaction." The article was reprinted by several print media outlets, seizing the moral and innovative high ground in public opinion. Meanwhile, through Mr. Lin of Organization D, he tactfully conveyed a message to certain political figures concerned about the matter: this activity greatly stimulated civic participation and positive social sentiment, and it operated entirely within the legal framework.

With this three-pronged approach, commercial imitation was crushed by content quality, malicious poaching was countered by public opinion and law, and regulatory risks were resolved through public opinion guidance and behind-the-scenes communication. Alex demonstrated a level of sophistication and precision that transcended his age, like an artistic master well-versed in multi-dimensional warfare.

Exciting news came from the military cooperation front. At a secret test site in a desert somewhere in Utah, the "Adaptive Performance System" prototype underwent its first extreme environmental stress test. Simulation scenario: a sudden sandstorm, partial backup power failure, and interruption of satellite communications.

According to Alex's "Degradation Pyramid" design, the system automatically detected the environmental deterioration and resource constraints, quickly downgrading from "Panoramic Immersive Mode" to "Core Narrative Mode." It automatically shut down 70% of the ice screens and complex lighting, concentrating power to guarantee core audio, basic lighting, and one main display screen. Communications switched to an anti-interference ground microwave link. The performance content also adjusted automatically, stripping away segments reliant on high-definition video backgrounds and strengthening the narrative voiceover and the emotional impact of the music itself.

After the test ended, the three military evaluators and two Organization D consultants on-site watched the system, which was still running stably in the sand and had successfully delivered a simplified version of the "immersive story," and fell into a long silence.

The lead evaluator, a gray-haired former technical master sergeant, finally spoke to Rex: "You've turned this system from 'performance equipment' into 'mission gear.' I need a detailed technical white paper, and... can it maintain minimal core functions in harsher environments, such as an electromagnetic pulse simulation?"

This meant that they had not only passed the test but had also piqued the other party's interest in extreme scenario applications. The level of cooperation might elevate from "a single performance" to a procurement evaluation for "a set of standardized field propaganda/psychological support systems." The potential value and influence were incomparable.

---

Late at night, in a New York hotel penthouse. After handling all urgent matters, Alex finally had a moment to breathe. He pulled up the system interface.

【Influence Event Settlement】

· "Million Piano Marathon" live stream first day created phenomenal data and emotional highlights (Content Dominance)

· Successfully neutralized the triple sniping of YouTube imitation, malicious poaching, and regulatory lobbying (Business and Political Maneuvering)

· "Adaptive Performance System" passed extreme testing, sparking deeper interest from the military (Technological Barriers and Strategic Value Leap)

· "Voice of Truth" platform users and influence saw explosive growth (Ecosystem Foundation Consolidation)

【Fame Points Gained: +8,970,000 points】

【Current Available Fame: 25,880,030 points】

(Historical Total: 73,880,030 points)

A single-day growth of nearly nine million! Available points had broken the twenty-five million mark! The system prompt updated accordingly:

【Detected sustained high-speed growth of available fame, reaching a milestone threshold】

【Based on current comprehensive influence assessment, a potential exchange option preview has been unlocked early】

【Information Node Implantation (Primary)】: Can consume a certain amount of fame to implant a miniature, hidden, low-power information sensing node into a physical carrier in the real world (such as walls, equipment, furniture, and other non-living objects). The node can operate continuously for 30 days, providing fuzzy audio/vibration sensing and environmental status (such as whether it has been moved) information. The information will be fed back to the system interface via an encrypted link. Exchange requires: 18,000,000 points.

【Warning: This ability must be used with extreme caution. Improper use may lead to serious consequences.】

Alex's gaze was locked onto this new option. Information Node Implantation? This was no longer about strengthening himself or assisting in creation; this was extending the tentacles of perception into the external world! Although it was primary, fuzzy, and time-limited, its strategic value in intelligence gathering, security warnings, and even specific business negotiations was self-evident. The cost was eighteen million points; though expensive, it was not out of reach.

He did not exchange it immediately. This ability was like a double-edged sword, requiring the most careful consideration and usage scenarios. But its appearance meant that the scope of abilities unlocked by the system was expanding from "strengthening the individual" to "influencing the environment."

He closed the interface and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. New York, the city that never sleeps, was brilliantly lit, like a giant living organism composed of information and energy. The waves of sound from the live stream seemed to still Echo in his ears, the smoke from the snipings was faintly discernable, and the sand and dust of the desert test site felt within reach.

Inside his body, power was lying in wait.

In his hands, the cards were increasing.

Before his eyes, the battlefield was expanding.

And ahead on the path to transcendence, new and even more incredible tools had vaguely revealed their outlines.

Alex picked up a glass of ice water and drank it all. The coolness in his throat suppressed all fatigue and excitement.

Tomorrow, the live stream continues, the challenge continues, and the battle continues.

And his arsenal seemed about to add a new, hidden, and powerful piece of equipment.