13: Chapter 13 A Day Trip to the Security Department and "New Toys"

The security office smelled of a mixture of disinfectant and old files, completely out of place with the youthful atmosphere of the rest of USC. The security officer sitting across from Alex was a stern-looking, gray-haired middle-aged person named Officer Davis. In the folder in front of her lay several printed, rather blurry photos—they were silhouettes of Alex on a rooftop in the downtown industrial area, as well as an unclear image of him landing.

"Mr. Su," Officer Davis tapped the photos, her tone professional, "We received community reports that unidentified individuals have been conducting 'high-risk climbing activities' in the abandoned industrial area at night recently. Although these photos are unclear, someone identified that it might be a USC student. Can you explain where you were last Thursday night?"

Alex's heartbeat remained steady, his face showing just the right amount of confusion and a hint of wronged innocence. Thanks to the redeemed [Stress and Multitasking Mental Management], his mind was clear and his emotions stable at that moment.

"Last Thursday night?" He recalled slightly, "I was at the library working on my midterm project for 'Fundamentals of Visual Communication,' and I didn't leave until about 11:30. My groupmate, Lena Chen, can testify to that; we were discussing the data visualization part together at the time." This was, of course, the truth, only he didn't mention where he went after leaving the library.

Officer Davis looked at his neat attire, his sincere expression, and that face which really didn't look like it belonged to someone risking their life in an abandoned factory late at night; her stern expression relaxed slightly. She flipped through the records: "Lena Chen... Hmm, we will verify that later. So, regarding these photos and the recent rumors on campus about a 'Parkour student,' do you have anything to say?"

Alex sat up straight, his tone more serious: "Officer, I am indeed interested in urban exploration and visual creation, and my YouTube channel has recorded some of the urban landscapes I've discovered. But I am also very clear about the importance of safety and the law. Entering private property or dangerous abandoned buildings for filming is absolutely not allowed, and I have never done it." He paused and added, "In fact, one of my recent projects is exploring how to conduct safe creative expression in public spaces. My professor, Professor Chen, can attest to this."

He cleverly steered his interest toward "academic projects" and "safe creation," and brought up his academic advisor as a potential endorsement. Officer Davis made a few notes; clearly, this explanation fit the image of a good student better than "risking one's life with late-night Parkour."

"We understand students' hobbies," Officer Davis's tone softened a bit, "But regardless, personal safety comes first, and entering those dilapidated areas without authorization is irresponsible to yourself and others. If your 'creation' needs to involve special venues or activities, be sure to understand the regulations in advance, or even apply for a permit. Understand?"

"Completely understand, Officer. Thank you very much for the reminder." Alex's attitude was proper.

After asking a few more simple questions, Officer Davis let him leave, only reminding him to keep in touch and that he could report any clues if he thought of any.

Walking out of the security office, Alex let out a soft breath. The small trouble was temporarily resolved, but it seemed he would need to be more careful with night activities in the future, or... he would need to find more legal and compliant avenues.

This thought became concrete when he returned to his apartment and saw a new email from Eric. Eric forwarded an invitation from a startup "immersive experience design company" that was developing a prototype for an urban exploration game combining real-world scenes with AR (Augmented Reality). They needed to find testers in Los Angeles who were creative, familiar with the city, and "looked agile" to help design the Parkour challenge levels in the game. The compensation included design credit, some test options, and—most importantly—the permit to enter some private but abandoned, soon-to-be-renovated characteristic buildings for "gamified testing" at specific times after reporting and security coordination.

"I think this job is practically tailor-made for you," Eric said in the email, "You can legally jump around in the kind of environments you like, make some extra money and gain credentials, and maybe even get exclusive scenes for future videos. Interested?"

Alex's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he needed! A legal "permit," professional endorsement, and money? He had to be interested!

He immediately replied to the email, expressing strong interest, and attached a link to his channel and a short personal introduction, highlighting his visual storytelling ability and "unique understanding of urban spaces."

After handling this, he turned his attention back to the Parkour video he was about to release. The rough cut was already stunning enough, but he wanted to add something more "explosive." He opened the system store, his eyes landing on a skill he had noticed before:

[Advanced Video Effects and Compositing Principles (Real-world Integration)] - 880 points

(Master how to naturally integrate live-action footage with digital effects (such as light particles, data streams, AR interface elements, etc.) to enhance visual impact and conceptual expression without looking cheap or fake.)

This skill could allow him to add some cool but not exaggerated visual effects to his Parkour videos, such as adding a few strands of light particles following the trajectory of his body during an extreme leap, or creating brief digital ripples on his skin or clothing when neon lights swept over. This would add a touch of dreamy, surreal color belonging to "Alex's Wonderland" on top of the "hardcore reality" of the video.

[880 points consumed. Redemption successful.]

[Remaining Popularity: 940 points.]

As new knowledge flooded in, when he looked at his rough cut footage again, several locations and specific forms to add finishing touches had already popped into his mind.

He spent two days meticulously polishing the final cut. Besides the editing rhythm and music synchronization, he cautiously used the newly learned special effects techniques. The effect was subtle, but it truly filled the moments of several key actions with extra tension and memorable points. He named the video "Pulse City: The First Leap."

He chose to release it on Friday night. This was the peak of internet traffic and also a time when everyone was relaxing, suitable for such adrenaline-pumping content.

The effect was immediate.

The speed at which the view count rose was even faster than the initial phase of "Cities Dream"! The comment section was completely flooded with words like "cool" and "lit":

"I must have woken up too fast; I'm seeing a superhero origin movie!"

"Does this level of physical fitness actually exist?? Blogger, were you bitten by a spider or did you travel out of some comic book?"

"That shot of the wall-run backflip under the neon lights, I replayed it ten times! That core strength, oh my god!"

"The special effects were added just right! Not awkward at all; instead, it feels like a future soldier in training!"

"Blogger, have you considered auditioning for the movie version of 'Assassin's Creed'? This Parkour skill is smoother than CGI!"

The system notification sounds rang out happily again, his Popularity rose rapidly, easily breaking the 5,000-point mark, and the growth trend remained strong.

The feedback in reality was equally enthusiastic. Lena sent a congratulatory message immediately: "Alex! You've blown up again! The whole school is passing this video around! The teachers from the Physical Education department are all asking if you retired from the national gymnastics team! That senior from the dance department... well, she seems more determined than ever to get to know you."

He even received two unexpected emails. One was from a niche but well-regarded sportswear brand in the industry, asking if he was interested in product collaboration testing (sending clothes, filming videos). The other was from a student film crew at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, who were filming a sci-fi short film and needed a "futuristic, agile" supporting actor to play a messenger traversing a post-apocalyptic city; after watching his video, they wanted to invite him to audition.

Alex replied politely to both, expressing interest in learning more. This feeling was quite wonderful; his "skill tree" and the works resulting from it were like a magnet, attracting real opportunities from different directions.

On the weekend, he decided to relax and went to the gym (now when he goes to the gym, he occasionally attracts some attention, but he is used to it). When lifting weights, he clearly felt [Specialized Sports Recovery and Physical Optimization] working; for the same training volume, the fatigue was lower, but the muscle pump was stronger. When adjusting his posture in front of the mirror, even he couldn't help but admire that well-defined, perfectly proportioned physique a few more times.

Coming out of the gym, while buying water at the vending machine by the door, a hot-bodied brown-haired girl wearing a sports bra and leggings walked over and started a conversation naturally: "Hey, I saw your squat form was very standard earlier, could you give me some advice? I always feel like my knees aren't right." Her gaze was bold and direct, lingering for a moment on Alex's sweat-soaked T-shirt.

Alex maintained a friendly distance and briefly shared a few key points. The girl listened absentmindedly, and finally smiled and asked for his Instagram account (he gave her the channel's public account), winking before leaving: "Your videos are cool. Interested in working out together sometime?"

Alex waved with a smile, and only shook his head after she walked away. It seems that in the future, when coming to the gym, he would also have to be prepared to be "asked for advice."

In the evening, he sat in his apartment, taking stock of everything that had happened recently: the false alarm at the security office, the upcoming new identity as a legal "Parkour tester," the explosive new video, the avalanche of collaboration opportunities, and the increasingly unstoppable side effect of "personal charm."

Popularity steadily stayed at 5200+ points.

He opened the system store, where the dazzling array of options flickered with enticing light. Should he continue to upgrade creation-related skills, or explore more "practical" or more "extraordinary" fields?

His fingers slid across the light screen, finally stopping on a newly unlocked, expensive category: [Basic Extraordinary Physique Guidance]. Below it were several sub-options, one of which read:

[Neural Reaction and Dynamic Visual Enhancement (Primary)] - 1500 points

(Slightly improves danger prediction, the ability to capture and track high-speed moving objects, and instantaneous reaction speed in extreme states. Suitable for driving, sports, dealing with emergencies, etc.)

The thrilling scene of a brick coming loose during Parkour flashed through his mind. This skill seemed like it could allow him to "play" more safely, whether in the city or on the potentially broader "stage" of the future.

The price wasn't cheap, but he could afford it now.

He smiled and didn't redeem it immediately. Instead, he closed the system, picked up the draft test agreement from the "immersive experience company" that Eric had sent, and began to read it carefully.

First, he would take care of this contract that would allow him to legally "scale walls." As for the new "toy," he could wait until his Popularity rose again, or until the next challenge requiring "faster reaction" appeared; it wouldn't be too late to buy it then.

Outside the window, the night view of Los Angeles was as dazzling as ever. Alex knew that his stage was becoming more real and more complex. But with resources and abilities in hand, he was ready to jump further and run faster.