35: Chapter 35 Seeds and Web

On a weekend morning, Alex was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.

He did not get up immediately, but instead closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into the system interface. The growth curve of his popularity was steady and firm, giving him a grounded sense of satisfaction—not the ecstatic joy of an overnight success, but the certainty one feels after seeing seedlings break through the soil following spring planting.

Before going to sleep last night, he completed the second exchange and adaptation of an "Inspiration Fragment." The concept selected this time was titled 【Visual Narrative: Mirror City】: utilizing mirror reflection and double exposure techniques to showcase the duality of the city—day and night, bustling and lonely, public and private—within the same frame.

The exchange only cost 5,000 popularity points, but the adaptation took three hours. He needed to concretize the concept: Which landmarks in Los Angeles to choose? What type of lenses to use? What color grading scheme for post-production? What were the narrative threads? Ultimately, he developed it into a shooting plan containing twelve series of photographic works and wrote brief explanatory texts for each piece.

After completing it, he registered this shooting plan through the eCO system. The confirmation email from the Copyright Office arrived at five o'clock this morning and was now lying quietly in his inbox.

This was his fourth registered work. It wasn't much, but each one was a "creative seed" that had been carefully adapted and bore his unique imprint.

---

At nine in the morning, Alex sat in front of the computer and opened the revised version of the cooperation agreement sent by Eric.

The lawyer—Attorney Li Zhiming, a Chinese lawyer specializing in intellectual property and tech startups whom he found through Lena's father—had reviewed the initial draft and proposed seventeen revisions using red annotations.

Most were protective clauses: requiring clear ownership of "Cognitive State Data" (which should belong to Alex personally, with the lab having only limited research usage rights); requiring the establishment of an independent data security supervision mechanism (Alex has the right to view data usage records at any time); and requiring that in any future commercial application, Alex would enjoy a net profit share of no less than 20% and have joint inventorship rights on relevant patents.

Eric's reply was unexpectedly straightforward: all accepted.

"My primary goal is to figure out what this phenomenon is; commercialization comes second," Eric said over the phone. "Besides, without your creative input, we might be stuck in the stage of recording anomalous data forever. A fair share and attribution are deserved."

The moment the contract was electronically signed, Alex officially became the creative consultant and technical partner of the "Reality Maze" project. Although the first consulting fee wasn't much, it held significant symbolic meaning: he had begun to convert the "Cognitive Advantage" bestowed by the system into real-world value and status through legal and professional channels.

At two in the afternoon, he participated in a project meeting as a partner for the first time.

A complex architectural diagram had already been drawn on the lab's whiteboard: in the center was the "Cognitive-Environment Coupling Model," with multiple application branches radiating outward—education (used for attention training for children with attention disorders), psychotherapy (used for exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder), entertainment (ultra-high immersion puzzle games), and even a branch labeled "Military Application? (Classified)," though Eric had marked it with a question mark in red ink.

"We need to design a series of progressive 'Cognitive Challenges'," Eric said, pointing to the whiteboard. "From simple visual pattern recognition to complex multitasking, and then to open-ended problems requiring creative insight. The goal is to stably trigger that 'Coupled State' in an AR environment and study its neural mechanisms."

He looked at Alex: "This is your area of expertise. Your videos are essentially designing 'Cognitive Challenges' on a two-dimensional screen—using rhythm, suspense, and visual surprises to capture the audience's attention and providing 'Cognitive Rewards' at critical moments."

Alex nodded. This was indeed what he had been doing all along, only now it needed to be expanded from a two-dimensional screen to a three-dimensional immersive environment.

After the meeting, he brought back a preliminary "Challenge Design Task List." The first item: Design an AR puzzle based on "Spatial Memory and Path Planning," requiring testers to find hidden clues in a virtual maze while remembering constantly changing path rules.

Sitting at his apartment workbench, Alex began to brainstorm. He summoned the system interface and searched for skill exchange options related to "Spatial Cognition."

【Spatial Perception Enhancement】 (Basic): Enhances intuitive understanding of three-dimensional spatial relationships, strengthens sense of direction and distance judgment. Exchange requires 15,000 popularity points.

His current popularity was just enough. Without hesitation, he chose to exchange.

A cool sensation spread from the center of his forehead to the entire cerebral cortex, as if a dormant brain region had been gently activated. He closed his eyes and tried to construct a 3D model of the apartment in his mind—the position of every piece of furniture, the orientation of every window, even the distribution of the lights on the ceiling, all became exceptionally clear and stable.

Opening his eyes, he picked up a pen and began to draw a maze sketch on white paper. The lines were fluid and precise, and the three-dimensional perspective relationships appeared naturally. More importantly, when designing the maze paths, he could intuitively predict which turns would generate "cognitive load," which visual cues would mislead a sense of direction, and which layouts would trigger the satisfaction of "finding a way out."

This was the true value of the system's abilities: not giving the answer directly, but upgrading the "infrastructure" for him to solve problems.

---

Returning to school on Monday, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

After last week's forum turmoil and Alex's public response, most students were friendlier toward him, and some even felt a sense of admiration. But the small circle that Derek belonged to showed even more obvious hostility.

After the morning Communication Studies class, Alex was stopped by Derek in the hallway.

Only Derek was there, but he stood in a position that blocked the way, hands in his pockets, with a fake, insincere smile on his face.

"Alex, you've been busy lately," Derek's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the few students passing by to hear. "Shooting videos, signing contracts... you haven't even had time to come to class?"

Alex stopped and looked at him calmly. Crisis Intuition sent a faint tingling sensation, but the intensity was low, indicating that the other party was currently only verbally provoking him and had no intention of physically attacking immediately.

"My attendance rate is fine," Alex said. "If the professor has any issues, they will contact me directly. Or are you suddenly concerned about my academics?"

The smile on Derek's face stiffened. "I'm just reminding you that a student should act like a student. Don't think that just because you've made a little name for yourself outside, you can forget your place."

"Thanks for the reminder," Alex nodded, his tone still calm. "However, I heard that Professor Winston has some questions about the citation standards in your last paper and suggests you go to his office to talk to him as soon as possible. Does that count as 'acting like a student'?"

Derek's face turned ugly instantly. Professor Winston was notoriously strict; if he were found guilty of academic misconduct, the consequences could be severe.

"You..." Derek gritted his teeth, but ultimately didn't say anything, stepping aside to let him pass.

Alex walked past him without looking back. He could feel the cold gaze behind him, but the tingling of his Crisis Intuition had weakened until it almost disappeared.

Lena was waiting for him at the next corner, looking worried. "I saw it just now. Was he threatening you?"

"Just testing the waters," Alex said. "He was watching my reaction, seeing if I would panic or overreact."

"But..."

"I know," Alex stopped and looked at Lena seriously. "So we need to make some preparations."

At lunchtime, they met in a study room at the library. Alex brought an encrypted USB drive containing some information he had compiled about Derek Winston—not rumors, but records that could be found through public channels but were suspicious.

"These are three group projects Derek participated in or led over the past two years," Alex opened a spreadsheet. "Each project received an A or A-, but other members of the same groups mentioned issues of 'uneven division of labor' and 'unclear contributions from certain members' in anonymous course evaluations."

Lena leaned closer to the screen: "You mean..."

"I don't have proof, I just noticed a pattern," Alex said, "Look at this—the senator's office where his father works pushed for an investigation into 'diversity admissions policies' at private universities last year. And when Derek was admitted, his SAT score was nearly 100 points lower than our major's average, yet he had an 'outstanding community service record' and 'long-term family support for the school'."

"Are you saying his admission might have..." Lena lowered her voice.

"I didn't say anything," Alex closed the document, "But if necessary, these 'patterns' and 'suspicious points' could become bargaining chips. The prerequisite is that we need more substantial evidence."

He looked at Lena: "Didn't you say your boyfriend is interning at the police station? Can you help me check if those off-campus people Derek frequently hangs out with have a criminal record? We don't need the details, just the public records will do."

Lena hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I'll ask. But Alex, do you really want to go head-to-head with him? His father..."

"I'm not planning to go head-to-head," Alex said, "I plan to make him understand that the cost of causing me trouble will be too high for him to pay."

This was something he had learned in his past career: the best defense is not passive suffering, but letting the attacker clearly see the backlash that an attack might bring.

On Tuesday afternoon, Alex released the first episode of "Student Producer Survival Guide": "How to build your first 'cinematic' desktop shooting corner for the price of a fast-food meal."

The video strictly followed the safe route he had set: using only cheap and easily accessible materials, with detailed explanations of the principles for all techniques, making the entire process transparent, simple, yet surprisingly effective.

At the end of the video, he even showed product shots taken with this makeshift desktop setup, comparing them to effects achieved by professional studios using thousands of dollars' worth of equipment—it couldn't be said to be exactly the same, but the gap in quality was nowhere near as large as the gap in price.

Two hours after its release, the video reached the recommended spot in the "Photography Tutorials" category on YouTube.

In the comment section, a large number of students and amateur creators left messages of thanks:

"Oh my god, the method of using aluminum foil as a reflector is genius!"

"So that's how you do soft lighting? I just spent $50 on a softbox yesterday..."

"Subscribed! Please make more tutorials that actually consider us poor students!"

Most importantly, several brands specializing in affordable photography equipment quickly contacted him, hoping to license the "life hack" techniques shown in the video for their product promotion. Alex did not sell the rights outright; instead, he proposed a partnership model based on a percentage of views—though the individual earnings were low, it was a steady stream of income.

Meanwhile, his independent music visualization project also had new progress. Eric (the one from Northern Europe), the original composer of "Echoes in Static," sent a message saying that because of the MV, the track had caught the attention of an independent music label in Europe, and they were negotiating a distribution contract.

"They also want to purchase the broadcasting rights for the MV for promotion," Eric wrote in the email, "I told them the copyright for the MV is in your hands. If you are interested, we can discuss a partnership model."

Alex replied in agreement and suggested adopting a "music and MV bundled licensing, revenue split by percentage" approach. This not only protected his rights but also consolidated his cooperative relationship with the musician.

None of these developments had the explosive reach of "Dancing Sculpture," but like capillaries, they established small but solid connection points for him in various niches of the creative industry.

On Wednesday night, Alex sat at his workstation, organizing all the clues from the past week.

In his notebook, he drew a web diagram: he himself was at the center.

Extending to the right was the "Content Creation Line": the Student Guide series, independent music visualization, and the future sequel to "Internet Archaeology and Reconstruction." This line was responsible for continuously producing high-quality content, maintaining steady growth in popularity and industry reputation.

Extending to the left was the "Artistic Exploration Line": Taylor Allison's collaboration invitation, the subsequent fermentation of "echo gallery," and those registered "creative seeds." This line led to higher art halls and broader international influence.

Extending upward was the "Technology Research Line": the "Reality Maze" AR project and research on cognitive-environmental coupling phenomena. This line could open a window to understanding the underlying logic of the system and bring resources and collaboration opportunities in the field of cutting-edge technology.

Extending downward was the "Reality Defense Line": response strategies to Derek's threats, continuous self-defense training, and the perfection of legal and security preparations. This line ensured he could develop safely within a complex reality.

Four lines, four webs. Each web was being woven slowly and firmly.

He opened the system interface and looked at his popularity score. The steady development over the past week had brought stable growth, and now he had accumulated enough points to redeem the next ability.

He browsed the list, his eyes landing on [Environmental Perception Enhancement (Beginner)].

Description: Improves the ability to perceive details in the surrounding environment and enhances intuitive early warning for potential threats (such as hidden observers, abnormal movements, or unnatural behavioral patterns). Redemption requires 18,000 popularity points.

This was exactly what he needed right now—to deal with an increasingly complex reality and receive early warnings of potential dangers.

"Redeem."

A subtle change occurred at the sensory level. The sound of cars passing on the street outside the window, the faint noise of the TV in the apartment next door, and even the low-frequency hum of the distant highway all became more layered and distinct to his ears. His peripheral vision seemed able to capture subtle movements in a wider range, and the sensitivity of his visual edges had increased.

This was not a superpower, but a "fine-tuning upgrade" of some kind of sensory system. It was like increasing both the pixels and dynamic range of a camera, allowing it to capture more image details that were previously ignored.

He walked to the window and looked down at the street below. A black SUV had been parked diagonally across for over twenty minutes; there seemed to be someone inside, but the lights were off. Environmental Perception Enhancement brought a faint sense of "incongruity"—the car was parked in a strange spot, and it had been there for a bit too long.

Alex noted down the license plate number, retreated back into the room, and pulled the curtains shut.

Regardless of whether it was surveillance targeting him, being cautious was never a mistake.

Returning to his workstation, under the "Reality Defense Line" in his notebook, he added a new item: "Establish a basic threat monitoring mechanism: record suspicious vehicles/personnel around the residence, regularly check vehicle security, and consider installing simple door and window sensors."

Then, he flipped to the "Artistic Exploration Line" page, looking at Taylor Allison's name and the email address on the handwritten card. It was time.

He opened his email and began to draft a short but sincere letter. It wasn't a business proposal, nor a collaboration request, but a letter sharing thoughts on creativity. He talked about his reflections on the relationship between "attention" and "epiphany" in the AR cognitive challenge he was designing; he spoke of his curiosity about the boundaries between "originality" and "inheritance" when adapting those "fragments of inspiration"; finally, he attached his own adapted melody demo of "Urban Pulse" and a summary of the story outline for "Memory Black Market"—not the complete work, just an exposition of the core concepts.

At the end of the email, he wrote: "These are some directions I have been exploring recently; perhaps superficial, but very sincere. If you have similar confusion or discoveries in your creative work, I would be very willing to listen. If you don't have time to reply, I completely understand. Wishing you the best in your creative work."

He clicked send. The letter flew into the unknown, like a stone cast into the deep sea.

Alex closed the computer, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. Four lines, four webs. Every thread was growing, every node was strengthening. And he knew that the most complex weaving often starts from the simplest intersection.

Outside the window, after lingering for another ten minutes, the black SUV finally drove away slowly. The night was still long. But the web had already been cast.