142: Chapter 142 Harvest Season and Invisible Barriers

The viewership for the second episode of "phantom singer" remained steady with a slight upward trend, while online discussion stayed high. However, the most striking figures on Alex's desk didn't come from the ratings curve, but from the backends of "Flashpoint" and "Voice of Truth."

"Within 24 hours of the second episode airing, new users on 'Flashpoint' grew by 120% month-on-month, and daily active users hit an all-time high." Marcus's report carried an irrepressible excitement. "More importantly, it's the user stickiness—over 65% of the new users watched at least three exclusive behind-the-scenes short videos related to 'phantom singer' within a week of registering, and participated in comment section interactions or the 'Mask Design' activity. On 'Voice of Truth,' the average completion rate for in-depth articles about the contestants' vocal techniques and guessing logic reached as high as 78%."

The traffic had come, and it had stayed. The "attract-receive-retain" closed loop Alex designed had withstood its second test.

Commercial returns followed closely behind. Lauren brought a new memorandum of cooperation: "Based on the successful data from the first two episodes and the refinement of our intellectual property layout, two top-tier brands that were previously hesitant have officially confirmed their exclusive naming rights and special sponsorships. The contract amounts have increased by 15% from the initial quotes. They particularly value our ability to convert interactive data on the 'Flashpoint' platform and our management of cultural phenomena like 'Spirit of the Wasteland'."

The patent wall and legal warnings were now showing tangible commercial value. It not only deterred imitators but also proved the project's robustness and long-term potential to partners.

"Additionally, Universal has proposed moving up the plan for the first compilation album under the 'Echo Manufacturing' label," Marcus added. "They want to select three contestants with both popularity and skill from those who have already appeared on 'phantom singer' to co-produce a 'phantom singer Selection EP' with us, to be released around the time the show concludes. They believe this is an excellent window for monetization and promotion."

Alex did not agree immediately. "Tell Universal that the EP is negotiable, but it must be included in our 'Long-term Revenue Sharing' framework. Furthermore, the candidates must be agreed upon by both us and the contestants themselves; there will be no forced bundling."

He wanted to ensure that the show's success not only brought benefits to the platform and sponsors but also tangibly benefited the creators involved, even if they were masked creators. This was the foundation of a healthy ecosystem.

After handling these matters, Alex turned his attention to a special report—a preliminary analysis of the infrasound and bioelectric field residues of "Spirit of the Wasteland." This was the result of an extremely discreet, non-invasive scan conducted by Rex through special channels during the recording of the second episode, under conditions of absolute confidentiality. The report was highly technical and the conclusions were full of uncertainty, but the core point was this: when the target reached the climax of their performance, extremely faint disturbances appeared in the infrasound frequency bands of the surrounding environment that did not match known acoustic models, accompanied by inexplicable, weak, yet orderly bioelectric field changes.

Science could not explain it, but Alex's extraordinary perception faintly resonated with it. He recalled the trace of abnormal background noise he had captured and the slight tingling of his [Spider-Sense]. This "Spirit of the Wasteland" was likely more than just someone with a unique voice.

He didn't make a scene, but simply had Rex raise the confidentiality level to the highest and suspend any further detection that might be noticed by the other party. "Continue observing, but limit it to passive recording. Unless he or she actively performs an action that goes beyond the scope of an 'excellent singer,' do not intervene," Alex ordered. Until he understood the situation, keeping a distance was the best strategy. The commercial value and cultural influence of this "cultural symbol" were at their peak and could not be easily destroyed, but its potential unknowns also had to be kept in a cage.

A few days later, an unexpected yet logical visitor requested an informal meeting with Alex through Taylor's connections. The visitor was a senior television professional in the country known for discovering and producing "phenomenal cultural programs," surnamed Chen, and respected in the industry as "Mr. Chen."

The meeting took place in Alex's studio, with no reporters, no assistants, only green tea.

Mr. Chen was over fifty, with eyes that were sharp yet weary. He got straight to the point: "Alex, I've watched 'phantom singer.' It's beautifully done. Especially the operation of that 'Spirit of the Wasteland'—it's textbook level."

"You flatter me, we're still figuring things out," Alex responded politely.

"I'm not here to praise you," Mr. Chen waved his hand. "I'm here to warn you, or rather, to make a deal with you."

He leaned forward slightly: "Your 'Long-term Revenue Sharing' and intellectual property barriers have moved the cheese of many people. Those over at 'Soundwave' are just small fry who jumped out early. Bigger fish are watching and preparing. They might not directly copy your model, but they will use 'more sophisticated' methods—for example, uniting several platforms and production houses to formulate a so-called 'Industry Cooperation Self-Discipline Convention for Music Reasoning Programs.' They'll set some implicit clauses in there, like 'encouraging open sharing of models' or 'avoiding excessive bundling of creators.' They'll use the name of industry standards to softly dismantle your core barriers."

Alex's eyes narrowed slightly. This was indeed a more hidden and difficult tactic to deal with. Once labeled with "undermining industry cooperation" or "monopolizing models," one would fall into a passive position both in public opinion and within the industry.

"What advice do you have, Mr. Chen?" Alex asked.

"I wouldn't call it advice," Mr. Chen smiled. "I can use my seniority and network to delay or influence the introduction of such a 'convention' to a certain extent. I can even guide it toward a direction that is more conducive to protecting true original cores. After all, I'm also tired of those who only know how to follow trends and rip others off."

"And the conditions?"

"Two conditions." Mr. Chen held up two fingers. "First, if your 'Echo Vision' has any new heavy-weight projects suitable for big-screen television in the future, under equal conditions, give priority to cooperating with the platform where I serve as a consultant. Second, and more importantly..." He paused, "I want to invest in the next round of financing for 'Flashpoint' in my own name. Not much, just enough for a seat that allows me to see the core data. I'm optimistic about your 'content explosion + platform retention' model; I think it represents a certain future."

Shrewd. He didn't want the direct profits of the show; he wanted a ticket into Alex's future ecosystem and the opportunity to share in the dividends as that ecosystem grew. This was an investment based on long-term vision.

Alex pondered for a moment. Mr. Chen's influence in the traditional television industry was real, and his warning was very likely to come true. Trading a future cooperation priority and a small portion of equity for a powerful industry ally and a buffer against a potential regulatory war was a deal worth considering.

"I need to evaluate this with my team. But in principle, I've always maintained an open attitude toward cooperating with partners who truly understand content and respect the rules," Alex gave a cautious but positive response.

After seeing Mr. Chen off, Alex stood alone by the window. The show's success had brought a harvest, but it had also attracted more covetous eyes and more complex power plays. Patents protected the form, while industry relationships and shared interests like those with Mr. Chen constructed even harder-to-imitate invisible barriers.

The system interface surfaced, showing that his popularity growth remained steady. The prompts regarding "Spirit of the Wasteland" intertwined with the warning brought by Mr. Chen, making him feel an undercurrent surging beneath the calm surface.

He needed to keep his feet on the ground, harvest the fruits, and at the same time, reinforce the fences to guard against ill-intentioned peepers hiding in the distance of the harvest fields—as well as that most brilliant yet strange "crop" at the center of the field.

He dialed Taylor's number: "Regarding the song selection and arrangement direction for the next episode of 'Spirit of the Wasteland,' I think we need to talk again. Perhaps... we can test the boundaries."

On the other end of the line, Taylor's voice was inquisitive: "How do you want to test them?"

"Give him or her a song that requires extreme technical control, or one that contains intense emotional contradictions," Alex said slowly. "Let's see what kind of 'existence' is really hidden beneath that mysterious mask and unique voice."

He had to use this exotic flower to attract bees and butterflies, but he also had to figure out if its roots were planted in unknown soil. This was a risk and a curiosity that an operator had to bear.