148: Chapter 148 Daily Sweet Moments and Ripples in the Wasteland

"The Masked Singer" officially announced its premiere for next week. The promotional campaign was massive, with press releases everywhere, subtly and overtly positioning itself against "phantom singer."

Marcus was a bit anxious as he brought a tablet to Alex, who was currently soaking in the recording studio. "Boss, the competition is coming on strong. They’ve poached two peripheral staff members from our post-production team and bought a lot of internet trolls to stir up trouble, saying our 'format is outdated' and that our 'contestants rely entirely on pitch correction'."

Alex had just finished listening to a segment of a magical rhythm submitted by a user, created by banging pots and pans, and was in a good mood. He took off his monitoring headphones and smiled. "Is that all?"

"I heard they invited a washed-up but highly skilled veteran singer as a mystery guest for the first episode, planning to catch us off guard with a mix of 'nostalgia and skill'," Marcus added.

"Nostalgia? Skill?" Alex leaned back in his chair, his fingers idly tapping the console. "Don't we have the 'Spirit of the Wasteland'? That is the true 'unknown' trump card. As for the format..." He clicked on the backend data for the "Echo Puzzle" project. The staggering user participation and discussion heat nearly overflowed from the screen. "They are still copying our gameplay from last season, while we are already leading the users into the next generation of content. Tell the operations team there's no need for a specific response; just stick to our own rhythm. The recording for the second episode of 'phantom singer' will proceed as usual, focusing on the suspense surrounding the 'Spirit of the Wasteland.' Also, take the profit-sharing data from our first 'Echo Puzzle' piece, 'Loneliness of All Sounds,' and create a festive poster to release. Call it 'A Thank You to a Million Co-creators.' Real data is enough to make them envious."

Using tangible community vitality and real user earnings to crush the opponent's marketing gimmicks—that was Alex's strategy. Simple, blunt, and effective. Watching Marcus's back as he hurried off after a moment of realization, Alex felt his [Ecological Resonance] trait warm up slightly. He seemed to sense the disdain of the platform users toward the clout-chasing remarks of "The Masked Singer" and their loyalty to his own platform. This sense of control and the support from "his own people" felt better than any business report.

In the evening, Taylor returned from New Zealand, travel-worn but with eyes shining. She didn't go home first, but dragged her suitcase straight to Alex's studio.

"Listen to this!" She handed over the headphones like she was presenting a treasure; inside was a demo she had made for a key scene in "city of instantaneity." An ethereal, fragmented, yet hope-filled electronic tone was interwoven with an extremely catchy humming melody.

"This inspiration hit me while I was at Weta Workshop, looking at those massive models and design blueprints," Taylor leaned in close. She still carried the faint fatigue of a long flight, but her eyes were full of excitement. "In the 'Memory Ruins,' there should still be a tiny bit of light that refuses to go out, right?"

Alex listened intently, nodding and then shaking his head. "The light is there, but it's too 'warm.' The light in the ruins should be cold, like moonlight reflected off residual data streams." He casually tapped a few keys on the keyboard, adjusting a tone to make that humming melody sound as if it were behind a layer of cold glass.

Taylor's eyes brightened even more. "Yes! That's the feeling!" She naturally took one side of the headphones, her head leaning against Alex's as they listened to the revised version together, whispering about where to add a bit of mechanical operating noise and where to leave some silence.

It was very quiet in the studio, with only the music flowing. Team members occasionally passing by the door consciously lightened their steps, wearing "if you know, you know" smiles. No one disturbed this unspoken understanding. For the two of them, this understanding and closeness born from collaborative creation was more natural and profound than any deliberate date.

"Oh, right," Taylor suddenly remembered something. "I've communicated with Zack Snyder. He's very interested in the idea of a 'Sound Narrative Consultant,' but he wants a more intuitive 'concept demonstration.' It doesn't need to be too complex, just clearly explain what we can do and how we can make the film 'sound' more unique."

"That's easy," Alex smiled confidently. "Don't we have the existing 'Echo Puzzle'? We'll use those sound textures we 'played' with the users to piece together a miniature 'Cinematic Sound Universe' for him to hear. It will showcase our abilities and promote our community at the same time—killing two birds with one stone."

To Alex, things always seemed to be simplified to find the most efficient and advantageous path. Taylor looked at his profile, finding this ease of control exceptionally attractive.

Alex only glanced at the resource usage report for the "Spirit of the Wasteland" before setting it aside. He didn't intend to delve into terms like "slight energy release" or "non-standard infrasound signals" for the time being. As long as the other party didn't cause a major incident or bring about an official investigation, he didn't need to pry into the specific research. Maintaining the sense of mystery was actually good for the show's popularity.

He simply sent a short message to The Architect in charge of the liaison: "Remind our partner: safety first, keep a low profile. If they need help cleaning up, just ask."

His attention quickly returned to more practical matters. The submission deadline for the second week of "Echo Puzzle," themed "Rhythm of Machinery," was approaching. He needed to pick the coolest materials from the massive amount of submissions to create a new song. This work sounded tedious, but for Alex, who possessed [Information Reception Filtering] and extraordinary perception, it was more like relaxation and enjoyment. He could easily identify which sounds possessed a unique soul and which combinations would create a wonderful chemical reaction.

Just as he was immersed in selecting a wondrous sound effect like "rusty Gears turning in oil," his phone vibrated. It was a short text message from the "Spirit of the Wasteland" sent through an encrypted channel, consisting of only two sentences:

"Phase one resources activated. Experimental results... exceeded expectations. The resource list for phase two will be sent in three days. Also, thanks for the reminder."

No pleasantries, no explanations. But that calm statement of "exceeded expectations" made Alex's heart stir slightly. He vaguely felt that something truly interesting (or truly troublesome) might be happening under that wasteland in Nevada. However, since the other party had said thanks, it was at least controllable for now.

He closed the message interface and continued tinkering with his sound puzzle. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. For now, managing the platform well, singing well, earning money and popularity, and quietly becoming stronger was the way to go.

The system interface refreshed quietly:

· Total popularity: 130,800,000 points (growing steadily)

· Available popularity: 44,530,030 points