120: Chapter 120 Visit, Melody and the Web in the Dark

The visit of Edgar Croft, Chairman of the Board of Universal Music, was arranged at a medium-sized demonstration center for Echo Vision in Culver City. Unlike the warehouse in Santa Monica, which was full of experimental vibes, this space felt more like a meticulously designed "future theater" showroom, meant to both showcase strength and define boundaries.

Croft was nearly sixty, his silver hair combed meticulously, his lean frame wrapped in a custom suit, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He did not come alone; behind him followed Universal's Chief Technology Officer and an assistant with a plain expression, though their eyes were scanning everything.

"Alex, Taylor." Croft had a firm handshake and a standard smile. "I've always said that the future of the music industry lies in the hands of those who dare to break down walls. This 'Resonance Era' of yours sounds like it's set to tear down quite a few load-bearing walls."

After the pleasantries, the demonstration began. They didn't show the core "imperfect holography" and "emotion capture" algorithms, but instead focused on modules that were mature or near-mature: the scaled-down model of the variable mechanical stage for the New York venue transformed smoothly, the immersive visual sample of the Los Angeles dome was breathtaking, the adaptive sound system simulated different sound field effects from clubs to concert halls, and there was even a short dynamic storyboard preview developed for the movie "city of instantaneity," assisted by AI.

Croft watched carefully, occasionally whispering with the CTO. His questions were precise and seasoned: "What is the failure rate redundancy of the mechanical structure?" "How do the production cycle and cost of visual content compare to traditional stage design?" "If the municipal authorities change security requirements on short notice, what is the adjustment elasticity of this system?"

Alex and Marcus answered one by one, their responses backed by detailed data and contingency plans. Taylor contributed more from the perspective of artistic presentation and audience experience; her descriptions were filled with imagery, making the cold, hard technical parameters vivid and palpable.

Halfway through the demonstration, they entered a break. Croft's assistant quietly left the crowd, seemingly casually looking at some secondary exhibits on the edge of the showroom. Hank gave Rex a look, and Rex nodded slightly behind the monitors—the micro-scanning device on that person had already been flagged as "low-threat observational behavior" during the entrance security check; everything he saw was what he was allowed to see.

Croft held his coffee and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the street view outside. "A great demonstration, young people. It tells me that you are not just dreamers, but dreamers with execution capabilities. This will allow many people on the board who are worried that you are taking steps too big to breathe a little easier." He changed the subject. "But dreamers also need a solid deck. Organization D... I've heard some rumors that the 'materials' and 'algorithms' they provide have very special origins. Universal Music is a publicly listed company, and our cooperation needs to withstand scrutiny and be transparent. Summit Creative contacted me again yesterday; their background... is clearer, and the terms are more favorable."

The pressure was delivered in a way that was both more subtle and more direct.

Alex walked to his side, his tone calm: "Edgar, is the future of music about deeper resonance, or a brighter sign? What Organization D provides is a possible path to 'deeper resonance,' even if it is somewhat mysterious. What Summit Creative can offer might be a brighter sign and a cleaner background board. But if 'Resonance Era' were just for a grander sign, you and I wouldn't be standing here today. We chose to take some risks because we believe that the resonance we ultimately harvest is worth this risk. Universal can choose to be just a safe brand licensor, or it can choose to be a partner, jointly owning a part of this 'future possibility.' As for the scrutiny..." He smiled, "Our legal team and confidentiality agreements have withstood military-grade testing."

Croft turned his head and gave Alex a deep look. A flash of complex assessment crossed his eagle eyes, finally turning into a chuckle. "Very persuasive, and very bold. I need to communicate with the board again. However, before the final decision, perhaps we can first engage in some more 'tangible' cooperation. Universal has some restoration and remastering projects for classic concert footage; your environmental immersive recreation technology might bring something new."

This was a probe, but also an olive branch. Alex accepted it gladly: "That would be our honor. Marcus will follow up on the details."

The visit ended in an ostensibly harmonious atmosphere. After seeing Croft and his group off, the atmosphere in the demonstration center relaxed. Marcus let out a long breath: "Does this count as... stabilized for now?"

"It's getting an opportunity for 'observational cooperation'." Alex corrected, "Using actual projects to prove our technical stability and commercial value to them. At the same time, we must also accelerate our own pace."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Taylor's phone rang. She walked to the side to answer it, and returned a few minutes later with a glow of excitement on her face: "Zack Snyder! He said the 'city of instantaneity' crew needs an 'emotional atmosphere test film' for a core scene and asked if I have time to go to Weta Workshop in New Zealand, and by the way... talk about the new melody I wrote; he thinks it has the 'grandeur and loneliness' the movie needs."

This was simply an unexpected delight. Deep involvement in a film project would not only bring new growth points for popularity, but also expand Taylor's artistic influence beyond music.

"You must go." Alex said immediately, "This is an excellent opportunity. Hank, arrange the most reliable security team to accompany her. Rex, ensure Taylor's communication and network security while in New Zealand."

"Then you here..." Taylor hesitated.

"I happen to need to handle some 'ground tests' here." A look of contemplation flashed in Alex's eyes. "The first closed test of the 'emotion visualization' system should be put on the agenda. We can't wait until before the final performance and be in a rush."

The test he planned was not for an official concert, but rather intended for a smaller, highly controllable warm-up event—the offline final and awards show of the "Prequel Challenge" hosted by "Flashpoint Lab" for "Resonance Era." The audience would mainly be contestants and internally invited guests, numbering around a thousand, and the informed consent terms could be made clearer.

The core goals of the test were two-fold: first, to verify if the system could run stably and output aesthetically pleasing visuals; second... he wanted to attempt a bolder "extreme challenge" inspired by real-life concert cases.

He recalled a case he had seen in the database: a certain Chinese superstar had once, during a concert, completed a one-minute high-speed costume change from a heavy prince outfit to a light, agile outfit in the interval of a song, relying only on a lifting curtain for concealment, which became a sensational topic. This kind of extreme test of process precision, team tacit understanding, and the artist's psychological quality was inherently full of drama and viral potential.

Alex's idea was: in the test performance, utilize the extreme reaction and speed brought by 【Physical Overload (Temporary)】, combined with preset mechanical devices and team coordination, to attempt to complete a more exaggerated "stage teleportation" or "high-speed costume change" effect. At the same time, let the "emotion visualization" system try to capture and present the peak of that instantaneous collective shock and excitement of the audience when they see this scene. If successful, this would not only be a proof of the system's capabilities but also a pre-heated "thrill" viral material.

Of course, this required a plan precise to the second, as well as contingency plans for all eventualities. He communicated this idea to the core team; Hank was responsible for security routes and emergency response, Marcus for process design and on-site control, and Rex for technical link support.

Just as preparations were in full swing on all fronts, Rex brought a new monitoring report: "We have preliminary findings from our tracking of 'Summit Creative' and its associated capital. They have recently been in frequent contact with a startup called 'Neural Interface Application Lab.' The main business of that company is 'immersive entertainment experience based on brainwave feedback.' In addition, the final guest list for YouTube's 'Creator Summit' includes the names of two members of 'Urban Rhythm,' as well as... a representative from a certain charitable foundation under Northrop."

The threads began to weave into a web. The opponents were not sleeping; they were laying out plans on different levels: technology acquisitions, platform resources, and even utilizing the residual influence of old enemies.

Alex stood in front of the window of the demonstration center, the lights of Los Angeles lighting up one by one. He felt a familiar calmness and excitement when facing a challenge. The chess game of technology, the negotiations of business, the breakthroughs of art, the peeking from the shadows... all of these were indispensable movements in the grand symphony of "Resonance Era."

He pulled up the system interface, watching the numbers that were still slowly pulsing and growing. There was still one last stretch of distance to sprint for before reaching one hundred million points.

"Come on." He whispered to himself, as if speaking to an invisible opponent, and also to himself, "Let the web be woven even tighter. That way, when we tear it apart, the sound will be loud enough."