59: Chapter 59 Safe House, Transaction, and the Million-Dollar Threshold

The seventh hour after the canyon ambush, Alex stood at the second-floor window of the farm villa, watching the lights of Nashville on the distant horizon.

The system interface unfolded before his eyes, data clear:

【 Current Popularity: 2,170,920 points 】

Hank knocked and entered, holding a tablet: " 'The Raven' has relented, but he has a condition—he wants to see his family safely relocated with his own eyes."

"Is it arranged?"

"Rex's people have already picked up his sister and mother in Denver and will fly to Canada in an hour. The Seoul side needs another half-day due to the time difference."

Alex nodded: "That's fine. Have him give half the intelligence first, and the other half after confirming his family is safe."

This was the greatest sincerity he could offer. In this bloody world of conspiracies, family was the last soft spot for these desperate men, and the only fulcrum that could pry their mouths open.

Hank turned to leave, then paused: "Do you really think we can trust someone who just tried to kill us?"

"I don't trust him." Alex didn't turn back. "But I trust the exchange of interests. He wants to live, his family wants to live, and I can give them a way out. That's more reliable than any oath."

Hank was silent for a moment, then left the room.

Alex looked back at the system interface. The canyon battle was perilous, but the effect of Gun-Fu: Ballistic Calculation (Mastery) far exceeded expectations—it wasn't magic, but the release of human potential to its limit. If this still wasn't enough...

"System, to exchange for abilities that truly transcend human limits, like elemental manipulation, flight, or a body of steel, what conditions are required?"

The interface rippled with a pale gold light, unlike any previous exchange prompt:

【 Detected Host's desire to explore the 'Supernatural Realm' 】

【 Starting feasibility scan at the source rule layer... 】

【 Scan complete 】

【 Supernatural ability exchange permissions locked 】

【 Unlock threshold: Host's cumulative popularity must reach 10,000,000 points 】

【 Current progress: 2,170,920 / 10,000,000 】

【 Unlock to preview ability categories (Exchange requires additional massive popularity) 】:

· Spatial Phase (Basic): Short-distance movement ignoring physical obstacles, estimated additional cost: 45,000,000 points

· Elemental Affinity (Basic): Weak manipulation of basic elements like water, fire, metal, etc., estimated additional cost per item: 22,000,000 points

· Bio-Force Field (Basic): Generates an energy protective layer on the body surface capable of resisting small arms, estimated additional cost: 38,000,000 points

· Informational Vision (Basic): Directly read low-encryption electronic information streams, estimated additional cost: 18,000,000 points

【 Important warning: Supernatural abilities will break this world's physical constant cognition. Each use may trigger 'Rule Ripples', requiring cautious control of exposure levels. 】

A ten-million-point unlock threshold, and each individual exchange requires tens of millions more.

Alex stared at those numbers and took a deep breath.

What did this mean? It meant that if he wanted the ability to fly, he might need to accumulate 100 million popularity first; to get a body of steel, maybe 200 million; to control water and fire, tens of millions for each.

This wasn't a short-term goal; this was a "Path to Godhood" that he could only finish by ascending to the pinnacle of global culture.

But once successful...

Imagine: When he was in front of tens of thousands of Taylor's concert-goers, under the spotlight, in everyone's view, he could make flames dance at his fingertips out of thin air, could levitate above the stage like a myth, could block sniper bullets with his bare flesh—

That would no longer be a "performance"; that would be the arrival of a miracle.

That would completely crush all enemies—no matter how much power those politicians had, or how much money the arms dealers possessed, in the face of true supernatural power, it would be nothing more than the struggle of mortals.

And the key to all of this was popularity.

A slight noise came from downstairs. Alex collected his thoughts and headed to the basement.

---

In the wine cellar, "The Raven" was handcuffed to the wall, pale but clear-eyed. Seeing Alex enter, he spoke hoarsely: "My sister..."

"The plane takes off in half an hour, destination Vancouver. Did Rex show you the real-time location?" Alex pulled up a chair and sat down.

"He did." "The Raven" took a deep breath, "Alright, I'll talk."

For the next twenty minutes, he intermittently explained the operational mode of the Guardians of Truth: This PMC appeared to accept various security and "dirty work" jobs, but it only had three core clients—Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and a political lobbying group codenamed "K Street Partners."

"K Street Partners is actually a white glove serving several Senators and Congressmen," "The Raven" said, "They don't give direct orders, but instead use 'consulting contracts' to have the Guardians of Truth handle 'potential threats that might affect national security or economic stability.'"

Alex sneered: "Like an eighteen-year-old musician who wants to expose an arms dealer's scandal?"

"Like anyone who might affect a 20-billion-dollar contract." "The Raven" looked at him, "But your case... is a bit special. The mission brief specifically emphasized to 'capture alive if possible.'"

"Why? Aren't dead people simpler?"

"I don't know everything." "The Raven" shook his head, "But I intercepted a high-level communication once. They mentioned your 'growth speed' was abnormal—three months after waking up in the hospital, you went from an ordinary student to a professional video producer, a musician, and even showed combat talent. Northrop's executives think that either you have a powerful team and training resources behind you, or... you have some kind of special 'learning method.'"

Alex's heart stirred. They noticed, but gave a "reasonable" explanation—a special learning method or a hidden team. Very good, this meant the system was still his own secret.

"They want to capture me alive to study my 'learning method'?"

"More than that." "The Raven" said, "They want to control you. Imagine, if you can quickly learn any skill, then you are the perfect 'asset'—today you can write songs to create public opinion, tomorrow you can learn spy techniques, and the day after you can master military tactics. They want to turn you into their weapon."

A chill went down Alex's spine. Not because of fear, but because of an anger at being treated as a "tool."

"Anything else?"

"Also, the Guardians of Truth has a resident team in Nashville," "The Raven" continued, "They know your relationship with Taylor Swift. So all properties under Taylor's name, from estates to apartments, are already under 24-hour surveillance. If you go there, it's equivalent to walking into a trap."

Alex frowned: "But I need to see Taylor to finalize the tour and the song release."

"Then have her come to see you—but in a completely covert way." "The Raven" said, "I know a way. Taylor's tour contractor, 'Global Live,' will be testing stage equipment at a warehouse in the Nashville suburbs next week. That's a commercial activity; the Guardians of Truth won't focus their surveillance there. You can blend in with the technicians, and Taylor can use the excuse of 'getting familiar with the stage early' to show up."

"Warehouse address and test time?"

"The Raven" gave a string of information. Alex noted it down, then stood up: "Your sister's plane will land in two hours. After confirming she is safe, I want the rest of the intelligence—especially the Guardians of Truth's contact point in Washington and who inside Northrop is responsible for this matter."

"Will you keep your promise? Give me a new identity and send me away?"

"As long as you keep your promise." Alex looked at him, "I always keep my word."

Leaving the wine cellar, Alex found Hank and Rex and quickly deployed:

1. Rex is responsible for the follow-up of "The Raven's" family relocation and preparing a set of brand-new identity documents.

2. Hank will start investigating the warehouse test schedule of the "Global Live" company, confirm safety, and prepare a plan for Alex to infiltrate.

3. Alex himself will start contacting Taylor—but not through a direct call, but through a pre-arranged encrypted email channel.

The email content was brief:

"Safe. Not coming to your place, eyes are watching. Next Wednesday, 'Global Live' warehouse stage test, I need to enter as a technician to meet. Concerns tour opening and song release. Can you arrange? — A"

Three hours later, the reply arrived:

"Arranged. Wednesday at 10 AM, warehouse back door, look for stage manager 'Old Jack', tell him you are the new lighting assistant 'Alan'. I will wait for you in the control room. Take care. — T"

The plan took shape.

---

For the next three days, Alex stayed at the farm villa and did three things.

First: Completed the final mix of 《We Are Young》, and started preparing the full arrangement for 《Shake It Off》. He prepared this song as the first single to cooperate with Taylor, with a light and catchy style that perfectly fit the pop route Taylor was transitioning to at the time—more importantly, it had all the potential to become a global hit.

Second: Through Marcus, he launched a new round of contract negotiations with Universal Music. Alex made a decision that shocked Marcus—he proactively requested to lower the streaming share ratio of 《We Are Young》 from the industry standard of 15% to 12%, but the condition was: Universal must promise to invest no less than 2 million USD in global promotion budget, and agree to a "tiered betting clause":

· If the single enters the top twenty on the US Billboard charts, Universal must add 1 million in promotion fees;

· If it enters the top ten, add 2 million;

· If it hits number one, Universal must grant him "independent production rights" and a higher share ratio on the next album.

"Are you crazy?" Marcus shouted on the phone, "Voluntarily lowering your share? Do you know how much money that 3% difference means?"

"I know," Alex said calmly, "but I don't want to maximize single profits; I want explosive growth in popularity. The more Universal invests, the higher the chance the song will blow up. The more popular the song, the higher my popularity—that is the true 'currency'."

Marcus didn't understand the true meaning of "popularity" to Alex, but he understood the business logic behind it: trading short-term gains for long-term value and leverage. In the end, he convinced Universal's senior management to accept the proposal.

The third matter: interrogating Gear.

Unlike Raven, Gear was more stubborn, but also more professional. The intelligence he provided was more specific: the cooperation between the Guardians of Truth and Northrop began five years ago, mainly dealing with matters that were "inconvenient for officials to handle"—suppressing whistleblowers, threatening journalists, and destroying evidence.

"But your case is different," Gear said, "Northrop's CEO, James Howard, personally intervened. He has watched all your videos and music, and believes that if your 'talent' could be used by Northrop, it would be a more powerful propaganda tool than any weapon."

"What do you mean?"

"It means he wants to control you, make you write promotional songs and shoot promotional videos for Northrop, packaging this arms company as a 'patriot' and 'innovator.' If you don't comply, they will study your creative methods, replicate them, and cultivate a batch of 'content weapons' just like you."

Alex sneered. Sure enough, in the eyes of these people, everything is a tool—music is a tool, talent is a tool, and people are tools too.

"One last question," Alex said, "Inside Northrop, who is leading this?"

"A special task force, reporting directly to James Howard. The team leader is named Richard Vaughn; on the surface, he is the PR Director, but in reality, he is Howard's 'dirty work supervisor.' But the true driving force is Howard himself—he believes that whoever controls public opinion controls everything."

James Howard. Alex remembered this name—a regular on the Forbes Global Power List, a guest of honor at the Pentagon, a man who could influence the allocation of defense budgets with a single phone call.

Very good.

Knowing who the enemy is is better than facing a fog.

Wednesday, 9:50 AM, an industrial area on the outskirts of Nashville.

Alex wore grey overalls and a jacket with "Global Live" printed on it, a baseball cap, and black-rimmed glasses. Carrying a tool bag, he walked toward the back door of the warehouse. Hank was monitoring the surroundings from a car three hundred meters away, while Rex was on high alert at a vantage point on the warehouse roof.

"Looking for Old Jack?" the security guard at the door asked lazily.

"The new lighting assistant, Alan."

The security guard checked the list and waved him through.

The interior of the warehouse had been converted into a temporary stage testing ground. Huge LED screens, sound arrays, and lifts; dozens of technicians were busy at work. Alex lowered the brim of his cap, quickly pushed through the crowd, and headed toward the control room in the corner.

Pushing the door open, Taylor was standing in front of the console with her back to him, accompanied only by a female personal security guard.

"Taylor." Alex said in a low voice.

She turned around, and complex emotions instantly welled up in her eyes—worry, relief, concern, and a hint of annoyance. She stepped forward quickly and examined him carefully: "Your face… are you injured anywhere else?"

"Just scrapes, almost healed." Alex took her hand. "We don't have much time, let's talk business."

Over the next fifteen minutes, the two quickly finalized all the details:

· "We Are Young" will be released globally next Friday, and Taylor will promote it heavily on social media.

· For the first stop of Taylor's "1989" World Tour in Nashville, Alex will be the opening guest, performing three songs: "We Are Young," "Shake It Off" (a duet with Taylor), and an unreleased new song.

· Immediately after the performance, the news of their official collaboration will be announced, and the filming for the "Shake It Off" MV will begin.

"And this." Taylor took a document out of her bag. "My father found this through his connections—detailed records of the political contributions Senator Winston has received from Northrop over the past five years, as well as documents regarding his son Derek Winston's shares in the NT-7 project. It's not enough for a conviction, but it's enough to keep the media busy for a week."

Alex took the document, feeling a warmth in his heart: "Thank you, Taylor. But these things are too sensitive, you shouldn't have…"

"You wrote 'Shake It Off' for me, during the hardest time of my transition." Taylor interrupted him, her eyes firm. "Now I'm doing this for you. That's what partners are for."

Alex looked at her and suddenly realized—in this world full of schemes and dangers, Taylor Allison might be the only person who stands by him, not because of his system, not because of his "value," but just because he is Alex.

"See you at the show." He said softly.

"See you at the show." Taylor smiled. "Don't die, my opening guest."

Alex nodded and turned to leave the control room. As he walked out of the warehouse, he looked up at the sky.

The Nashville sun was beautiful, and the sky was cloudless.

But his Spider-Sense suddenly sent a sharp sting at this moment—not directed at the warehouse, not at Taylor, but at… the car he had parked in the distance.

Hank sent an urgent message: "There's something under the car. Don't get close."

Alex stopped in his tracks, turned in another direction as if nothing happened, and replied: "What?"

"A tracker, but not a normal one. It has micro-explosives, remotely controllable. It must have been installed last night—we've been counter-tracked."

Guardians of Truth, or Northrop?

It doesn't matter anymore.

What matters is that in this cat-and-mouse game, the opponent isn't planning to concede yet.

And Alex doesn't plan on running anymore either.

He walked toward the exit on the other side of the warehouse, opening his system interface at the same time.

Popularity: 2,520,000 points (The pre-release promotion for "We Are Young" has already started driving growth)

7,480,000 points left until the 10 million point unlock threshold.

Required for redeeming Spatial Phase (move through obstacles): 10 million cumulative unlock + 45 million extra redemption = 55 million points.

Required for redeeming Elemental Manipulation (control water, fire, metal) per item: 10 million cumulative unlock + 22 million extra redemption = 32 million points per item.

Required for redeeming Biological Force Field (resist firearms): 10 million cumulative unlock + 38 million extra redemption = 48 million points.

It's a long road.

But the next step is on the stage next Friday.

Before that…

He needs to deal with the bomb under the car first, and the person who installed it.

The corner of Alex's mouth curled into a cold arc.

The hunt has begun.

Only this time, the roles of hunter and prey—

—are about to switch.

One hour later, farm villa.

Alex remotely detonated the bomb under the car, and the vehicle burned into a fireball in the open space. There were no casualties, but it sent a clear message: I know you are watching, and I am not afraid.

Then, he opened his computer and started planning the next wave of content.

The release of "We Are Young" is just the beginning. He needs a series of explosive content to push his popularity to a new peak within the next three months.

A list of plans formed in his mind:

1. Musical level: After the release of "We Are Young," immediately start filming the MV for "Shake It Off," using a one-shot long dance take to create technical buzz.

2. Video level: Plan a "24-Hour Music Creation Challenge" series of live streams—within 24 hours, create and record a complete song based on themes voted on in real-time by netizens. This will showcase his "terrifying learning and creative speed," which perfectly corresponds to Northrop's "interest" in him.

3. Public opinion level: During the week the single tops the Billboard charts, officially file a defamation lawsuit against Northrop and Senator Winston. Combine the legal battle with the public opinion war to maximize exposure.

4. Collaboration level: Through Taylor's connections, reach out to other A-list artists, plan cross-over collaborations, and expand his fan base.

If everything goes smoothly, three months from now, his popularity is expected to exceed 8 million points.

And within a year, hitting the 10 million unlock threshold is not impossible.

By then…

Alex looked out the window; the night was deepening.

By then, when he holds extraordinary power, standing at the pinnacle of the world, looking down at those "mortals" still struggling in the game of power and money—

Northrop? Senator Winston? Guardians of Truth?

They are nothing more than bugs that can be crushed with a flick of a hand.

And he will become the only myth of this era.

Alex's computer suddenly popped up a new email.

No sender, just a line of text and an attachment link:

"The video of you burning the car was well-filmed. But next time, remember to check all vehicles."

The attachment is a video file.

Alex clicked it open.

In the footage, it was Taylor's commonly used black SUV, driving out of her Nashville apartment garage.

The camera zoomed in, focusing on the undercarriage.

An identical micro-device was attached near the exhaust pipe.

The video ended.

A line of text appeared at the end:

"Game upgraded. Now, you aren't the only chip in play."

—Looking forward to your performance on stage, James Howard"