175: Chapter 175 The Peak of the Sound Wave

Taylor's independent single, "beyond the frequency," was released on time at midnight on Thursday.

There was no massive promotional bombardment, only a simultaneous release on "Echo" platform-related channels and Taylor's personal social media accounts, along with Alex's concise repost caption: "Heard it."

However, this work, which had been brewing for a long time and carried special emotions and sound experiments, was like a stone thrown into a still lake, creating ripples far beyond expectations.

The song's ethereal quality, filled with internal tension, quickly captured the ears of listeners weary of generic pop music.

Music critics praised it for "using a minimalist structure to carry complex emotional dimensions," and noted that "Alex Su's signature vocal texture and Taylor Allison's soul-deep performance blend perfectly, creating a contemporary, techno-humanistic love poem."

What fans and music lovers talked about even more were the indescribable "sound details" in the song—the faint, extremely low-frequency underlay resembling energy flow, the subtle high-frequency embellishments like colliding ice crystals, and that unique "sense of surging within the silence" that ran throughout.

Some linked it to the core sound of the "Ark of Consciousness" from "city of instantaneity," believing it to be an extension of the same aesthetic system; more were simply touched by the firm vigil across distances in the song.

"beyond the frequency" quickly climbed to the top of the charts on major streaming platforms, with impressive digital sales.

On social media, topics like "#beyond the frequency," "#Taylor's new song," and "#Alex Taylor" remained consistently hot.

When asked about her creative inspiration in an interview, Taylor maintained her characteristic poetic ambiguity: "It's about connection. Identifying that one, important frequency amidst all the noise and silence." This explanation, like the song itself, left plenty of room for imagination, which only added to its charm.

Seeing the song receive such genuine resonance made Taylor happier than winning any award.

On the night of the release, she and Alex curled up on the sofa at home, scrolling through fans' comments and cover videos, laughing heartily at times and feeling moved or sighing at others.

"Look at this," Taylor said, pointing to a long comment, "She says this song reminds her of the silence mixed with longing and peace after finishing a video call with her long-distance boyfriend every night... It's written so delicately."

"And this one," Alex said, opening a technical analysis video by a music blogger, "He's trying to recreate the metallic wind chime-like timbre after your second chorus, and he guessed three synthesizers, but didn't get it right." That was made using processed Nagra tape "micro-sound" fragments.

The two looked at each other and smiled, sharing the joy of a secret.

The public release of the work was like sending a carefully cultivated seed into the wind; now, seeing it sprout and grow in different hearts, blooming into various yet equally beautiful flowers, this sense of accomplishment was unparalleled.

The success of "beyond the frequency" also served as a perfect warm-up for the "city of instantaneity: Sound Travelogue" soundtrack, which was set to be released next week.

The market's expectations were raised even higher.

On Friday night, the joint award live broadcast for the eighth issue of "Echo Blind Box," "Echoes of Lost Civilizations," and the ninth issue of "Echo Puzzle," "Door," was held grandly.

This time, Alex and Taylor moved the venue to a space converted from an old library with a dome and good acoustic structure.

The event not only showcased selected user works but also invited several scholars of archaeology and sound semiotics as special guests to have short interdisciplinary discussions with the winners.

The live broadcast was both fun and profound.

When one winner explained how he designed the rhythm of "Lost Civilization Ritual Music" based on the Mayan calendar cycle, the scholars provided professional additions; when another winner used sound to tell the story of "a heart door that can never be pushed open," it sparked numerous discussions in the barrage about psychology and emotion.

Alex and Taylor played the roles of guides and resonators in it.

With the subtle perception of "Information Texture Discrimination," Alex could often point out the most moving, technology-transcending "emotional touchpoints" in the submissions; Taylor, meanwhile, was adept at using a musician's intuition to string seemingly discrete sound ideas into warm storylines.

At the climax of the live broadcast, when presenting the top award for the "Door" theme, the winning work was unexpected—it was a sound diary titled "The Twenty-Four Solar Terms of the Home Door," submitted by an elderly person living alone.

For a whole year, he recorded the sound of his old wooden door opening and closing every day, combined with the ambient sounds outside his window at that time (birdsong in spring, sudden rain in summer, wind in autumn, silence in winter).

It was simple to the extreme, yet it condensed the weight of the passage of time, the cycle of life, and the concept of "home."

The old man accepted the award via video call, his voice trembling slightly: "I'm retired, and my children are all away. Every day, listening to the sound of this door opening and closing, it's like the days just passed by. Thank you for saying this sound is meaningful... It makes me feel that these ordinary noises I, this old bag of bones, have recorded are actually quite good."

The simple words and work moved countless viewers.

Alex announced on the spot that "Echo Vision" would sponsor the old man, systematically organizing and artistically packaging his "Home Door Sound Diary" from this year and more in the future, preserving it as a long-term sound recording project, and potentially holding a small exhibition in the future.

This decision won thunderous applause.

The live broadcast concluded in a warm and touching atmosphere, proving once again that the "Echo" platform does not just pursue novelty and traffic, but cherishes real life and emotional imprints.

Over the weekend, Alex received a short message from K: "A 'technical liaison' will visit soon to make initial contact regarding on-site perception needs for specific samples. The identity is secure, for technical exchange only. You can decide the time and place."

The cooperation began to involve "on-site," which meant he might have to leave Los Angeles, but "initial contact" and "you can decide" also showed the other party's caution and respect.

Alex replied, arranging the meeting for the middle of next week, with the location set in a well-confidential conference room at the "Echo Vision" headquarters.

On Monday morning, this "technical liaison" appeared on time.

He was an Asian man in his forties, with an ordinary appearance and a calm temperament, who introduced himself as "Lin."

Wearing a well-fitted casual suit and carrying an ordinary briefcase, his speech and demeanor were more like a rigorous engineer or scholar than an agent.

There were only the two of them at the meeting.

Lin didn't engage in small talk, directly opening the specially encrypted tablet he brought, displaying three new audio spectrograms and some complex data parameters.

"Based on preliminary analysis, we believe these three segments are 'non-standard signals' originating from the deep sea, a geomagnetic anomaly zone, and the interior of a specific historical building, respectively, and they may share some underlying modulation pattern."

Lin's voice was steady, without fluctuation, "But we lack direct perception data on their 'energy presentation state in real physical space.'"

"We plan to conduct a round of safe, non-intrusive, passive monitoring at these three locations within the next two months."

"We hope that you can accompany us as a consultant to provide real-time perception assessments, helping us optimize monitoring points and parameters."

He paused and added: "We expect to stay at each location for no more than 36 hours. The itinerary is absolutely confidential, and security will be handled by us at the highest level."

"Considering your public identity, we will arrange reasonable 'cover itineraries,' such as private art field trips or closed academic exchanges."

Alex looked carefully at the spectrograms. With the assistance of "Energy Perception," he could vaguely "feel" the signals represented behind this data. They indeed had a certain family resemblance to the samples he had encountered before, but were more "obscure" and "blended with the environment."

"I need the specific coordinates of these three locations, environmental risk assessment reports, and the complete security and emergency plans you have drafted before I can make a decision," Alex requested, his tone calm but firm.

"Reasonable," Lin nodded, appearing well-prepared, "Relevant materials will be provided after you agree to the preliminary intent."

"You can have sufficient time to evaluate, and you will have the final right of confirmation before each specific trip."

The meeting lasted about forty minutes, professional and efficient throughout, without any unnecessary probing or emotional exchange.

After Lin left, Alex sat alone in the conference room for a while.

The cooperation was entering a more substantive stage, accompanied by risks, but the attraction of exploring the unknown remained strong.

In the afternoon, he told Taylor about this, emphasizing the "final right of confirmation" and "sufficient evaluation."

Taylor listened, remained silent for a while, and asked: "Will it be more... troublesome than Greenland?"

"From what I can see now, the environmental risk may be lower, but the signal itself may be more subtle, requiring more 'perception' to distinguish," Alex said, deliberating. "Moreover, this is a systematic multi-point detection, more like a scientific expedition rather than an adventure targeting a single 'source.'"

Taylor held his hand: "You make the judgment yourself. But before every departure, I need to know where you are going, roughly how long, and... in the worst-case scenario, who I should contact." She had already started thinking about practical issues.

"I promise," Alex promised solemnly.

In the evening, Marcus brought the progress of the investigation into the previous anonymous public opinion attacks.

The clues pointed to a public relations firm indirectly associated with the "Summit Creative" group, but the chain of evidence was incomplete, making it impossible to make a direct accusation.

The other party seemed to just want to create some noise and had not carried out more intense attacks.

"Should we fight back?" Marcus asked.

Alex shook his head: "Not for now."

"Just send out our principled explanatory materials through a few credible industry analysis accounts."

"At the same time, let the theme of the next 'Echo Puzzle' be 'Traces'—searching for and recording those tiny, easily overlooked but truly existing traces of life or nature."

"Use solid creations that focus on the micro and the real to respond to those accusations of 'excessive commercialization' and 'loss of purity.'"

"Actions are more powerful than words."

Marcus took the order and left.

Alex walked to the window, looking at the city below.

The storms of public opinion, the progress of cooperation, the release of works, the operation of the platform... everything unfolded before him, like a complex musical movement.

And he was that increasingly composed conductor, capable of handling grand musical parts as well as savoring subtle harmonies.

He felt the "Energy Perception" running steadily within him, as well as the channel to the dark side of the world brought by the cooperation agreement with K in his consciousness.

Light and shadow, noise and silence, known and unknown, all intertwined and extended on this unique path under his feet.

And at this moment, what he looked forward to more was going home in the evening to listen with Taylor to those wonderful sounds about "Traces" newly discovered in user submissions today.