63: Chapter 63 On the Stage, Divinity Begins to Manifest

7:00 PM, Nashville Bridgestone Arena.

Ninety percent of the twenty thousand seats were filled. The air was a mixture of perfume, sweat, and the scent of excited hormones. Giant ring screens played the warm-up video, and dazzling light effects flowed across the faces of the audience. Backstage, Alex could hear that low, pre-eruption roar—the sound of twenty thousand people breathing in unison.

He stood in the wings, wearing a simple white shirt and black slim-fit trousers, sleeves rolled up casually. The makeup artist did a final check of his look to ensure no reflection under the lights. Taylor was nearby doing her final vocal warm-ups; her costume was a silver fringe mini-skirt, shimmering even in the shadows.

"Nervous?" Taylor walked over, her voice laced with suppressed excitement.

"Ready." Alex said. This wasn't just politeness; he was truly ready—the Emotional Resonance Field was operating calmly, the Spider-Sense was maintained at a controllable, moderate tingle, and his Dynamic Vision allowed him to clearly capture the state of the audience in every section of the venue.

Hank's voice came through the earpiece: "All security points confirmed. The people from Greystone International are mixed in the third row on the left and the center of the fifteenth row; they have been marked. The 'White Glove' paramedic is in the backstage medical room; our people have already replaced him. The signal receiver for the backup amplifier is being monitored; once a signal is triggered, we will trace it back."

"Received."

The director began the countdown: "Two minutes until the opening video ends. Alex, lift ready."

Alex stepped into the lift. The metal platform slowly descended, taking him into the darkness beneath the stage. In the confined space, there was only the faint light filtering through the overhead gap and the sound of his own breathing.

He could hear the music of the warm-up video swelling, and the host's voice came through the sound system: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Taylor Swift World Tour, Nashville stop! Tonight, before Taylor takes the stage, we have a special opening guest—he uses music to fight lies, uses his creations to respond to threats, and he is the most unignorable voice of this summer... Please welcome, Alex Su!"

The cheers rose like a tidal wave.

The lift began to rise.

Darkness faded, and light struck from above.

Alex opened his eyes.

---

The first spotlight cut through the darkness like a sword, landing precisely on the piano in the center of the stage and on Alex, who was sitting on the piano bench. The entire arena fell silent—not a staged silence, but the vacuum created by twenty thousand people holding their breath at once.

The white shirt was almost transparent under the strong light, outlining the slim yet upright lines of the teenager's shoulders and back. He didn't look up immediately, his fingers hovering over the keys as if waiting for something.

The first note fell.

It wasn't the passionate prelude of 'We Are Young', but a slow, flowing piano melody that no one had ever heard before. It was soft, sad, and carried a sense of private confession.

Alex opened his mouth, his voice reaching every corner of the venue through the top-tier sound system:

"They say, shut your mouth, keep your head down..."

"They say, the truth is too expensive, you can't afford the price..."

"They say, the sound of gunfire is louder than singing..."

Improvisation. No announcement, no rehearsal. Three whispered lyrics, yet they hit everyone's heart like three heavy hammers.

In the audience, the people from Greystone International frowned—this wasn't the opening from the intelligence report. But before they could react, Alex's fingers slammed onto the keys!

The melody accelerated instantly, turning from mournful to triumphant!

He lifted his head, looked toward the audience, his eyes blazing:

"But tonight—"

"We are young!"

"We are foolish!"

"We believe a song can change the world!"

The real prelude to 'We Are Young' exploded at this moment! Drums, bass, and electric guitar surged in like a tsunami, and every light on stage ignited, illuminating the entire venue as if it were daylight!

"TONIGHT! WE ARE YOUNG!"

Alex stood up from behind the piano, grabbed the microphone stand, and the moment he roared the first chorus, the Emotional Resonance Field was fully activated!

It wasn't magic; it was science—the precise vibration of sound waves at specific frequencies, the carefully designed body language, and every contact of his gaze with the audience were all amplified by the system's abilities. Twenty thousand people, from the front row to the furthest seats in the balcony, felt a heat in their chests almost simultaneously, a scorching emotion ignited.

They weren't just infected by a "performance"; they were "resonated".

The cheers truly exploded now, a roar like a mountain landslide!

Alex ran across the stage, interacting with the audience in every direction. When he sang "So let's set the world on fire, we can burn brighter than the sun", he pointed to the sky, and the fireworks installation at the top of the stage fired in sync, golden sparks falling like rain!

The three-minute 'We Are Young' ended, and the applause and screams lasted for a full minute.

But Alex didn't stop.

The music switched seamlessly—the prelude to 'Shake It Off' began, with playful drums and whistling.

"I stay up too late, got nothing in my brain..."

Taylor walked out from the other side of the stage, the silver fringe swaying like a galaxy under the lights. The two met in the center of the stage, made eye contact, raised their eyebrows, and then simultaneously began the shoulder-shaking dance that had already spread across the internet via the teaser trailer.

"Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play..."

This time, the effect of the Emotional Resonance Field was even more obvious. Alex could "feel" the flow of emotions in the audience—where they were excited, where they were engaged, where... there was something amiss.

When they sang the second chorus, his Spider-Sense suddenly sent a sharp sting!

The sting pointed toward the sound control room.

Almost simultaneously, Hank's voice rang in his earpiece: "Backup amplifier signal triggered! Reverse tracking initiated; the signal source is in the parking lot on the west side of the venue, a black van!"

Alex didn't change his expression, continuing to dance, but gave an order through the earpiece: "Let Rex take people there. Leave two alive."

"Understood."

The performance on stage didn't break for a second. Alex even used his dance movement to give Taylor an "everything is normal" look. Taylor understood, her smile became even brighter, and her dance moves became even more uninhibited.

'Shake It Off' entered its final section, and the two finished that signature head-shaking move back-to-back. The music cut off abruptly at the climax, and the lights dimmed.

The whole arena was dark for three seconds.

Then, a beam of light shone again, illuminating Alex in the center of the stage.

He gasped slightly, sweat soaking the collar of his white shirt. He picked up the microphone, his voice still hoarse from the performance:

"Those two songs just now—one is about not giving in, the other is about not caring. But they are both saying the same thing—"

He paused, looking around the arena:

"In this world, some people want to use power to make you silent, money to make you compromise, and violence to make you afraid. But as long as you are still singing, still dancing, still creating—you win."

Thunderous applause.

"So this next song," Alex walked to the edge of the stage, crouched down, and looked at the Front Row Audience at eye level, "is for everyone who has tried to make me shut up. The name of the song is..."

He stood up, stepped back two paces, and made a gun gesture toward the sound control room:

"'Truth Hurts'."

The prelude began—not a pre-recorded backing track, but a live performance by the band. The foundation of blues rock, combined with the metallic texture of industrial music, was heavy and angry.

Alex's voice changed. It was no longer the passion of 'We Are Young', nor the playfulness of 'Shake It Off', but a cold, blade-like sharpness:

"You sit in your office, counting blood-stained money..."

"You think the law is written by you, the truth is defined by you..."

"But every gunshot adds another entry to your ledger..."

The lyrics were as blunt as a dagger. The expressions of the Greystone International members in the audience changed—this was no longer a performance; it was an open declaration of war.

But Alex didn't care. He was immersed in the singing, the Emotional Resonance Field running at full capacity, precisely projecting that feeling of anger and unyielding defiance into the heart of every audience member.

When he sang the chorus "Truth hurts, but lies kill", at least half of the twenty thousand people in the arena roared along!

It wasn't a rehearsed chorus; it was a spontaneous resonance.

The performance reached its boiling point.

"Truth Hurts" ended, and Alex bowed to the audience.

The applause and screams lasted for three minutes, and the atmosphere only calmed down slightly when Taylor took the stage to begin her main performance.

Backstage, Alex's first order of business was to ask, "How are things at the parking lot?"

Hank had just arrived. "Rex caught two people and is interrogating them now. There were remote control devices and surveillance equipment in the van, enough to prove they were trying to sabotage the performance. I've already contacted Agent Miller from the FBI, and they will come to take over."

"What about the people from Greystone International?"

"They are still in the audience. But their plan has failed, so there's no point in them staying. I expect they'll leave halfway through Taylor's performance."

Alex nodded and walked over to the monitor, watching Taylor's performance on stage.

She was singing "Blank Space," the stage effects were gorgeous, and the audience was fully engaged.

But his attention was on the system interface.

【Current Fame: 3,850,000 points】

(Real-time increase from a single performance: 540,000 points)

A single performance, less than twenty minutes of opening, and an increase of 540,000 points.

And this was just the beginning—the performance was being live-streamed, social media was exploding, and tomorrow's media coverage would bring a second wave of growth.

At this rate, breaking four million points within a few days would be easy.

There were still 6.15 million left until the 10-million unlock threshold.

Closer.

When Taylor's performance reached the second half, Alex received the preliminary interrogation results from Rex.

The two captured individuals were outsourced technicians from Greystone International, responsible for triggering the backup amplifier malfunction.

They admitted to being instructed by Michael Ross, but they didn't know the full plan; they were only responsible for "pressing the button at a specific time."

"Ross is very cautious and used multi-layer isolation," Rex said. "These two didn't even know who they were working for; they were just taking money to do a job."

"What about Ross himself?"

"He has already left Nashville. We tracked his phone signal on the way to the airport, but it's likely just a decoy—someone like him would have multiple identities and travel plans."

Alex wasn't surprised.

If Greystone International were so easy to catch, they wouldn't deserve to be a partner of Northrop.

"Hand the people and evidence over to the FBI. Tell Agent Miller that I want to use this as leverage to exchange for some intelligence."

"What kind of intelligence?"

"Who else inside Northrop is pushing the operation against me. Howard is the CEO, but he can't be the only one executing it."

"Understood."

Taylor's performance ended at 10:40 PM.

She sang three encore songs, and it finally concluded amidst falling confetti and the chorus of twenty thousand people.

Backstage, team members hugged and celebrated.

When Taylor hugged Alex, she whispered, ""Truth Hurts"... that song was written for them, right?"

"Written for them, and also for us," Alex said. "To remind everyone why we are standing here."

Taylor looked at him, her eyes filled with something complex: "Sometimes I feel like there's someone living inside you who is much older than me."

Alex smiled: "Maybe I just read too many books."

He didn't explain the system, didn't explain the rebirth, and didn't explain the goal of ten million fame points.

Some roads can only be walked alone.

But at least tonight, he walked it beautifully.

Midnight, at the farmhouse.

Alex sat alone in the living room, reviewing everything that happened tonight.

Successes: The performance was explosive, and fame points increased significantly; the sound sabotage plan by Greystone International was thwarted, and the perpetrators were captured; by publicly singing "Truth Hurts," he sent a clear signal of non-compromise to Northrop.

Issues to resolve: Greystone International still has backup plans (medical emergency), which, although neutralized in advance, shows that the opponent is well-prepared; Michael Ross escaped, meaning the core of Greystone International remains hidden; the identity of the "Front Row Audience" remains a mystery—this person seems to know the internal plans of Greystone International and Northrop like the back of their hand, yet their stance is ambiguous.

He opened his computer to check social media feedback.

#AlexOpening had already reached the top three on Twitter's global trends.

#TruthHurts followed closely behind.

On YouTube, the highest view count for performance clips filmed by fans on their phones had already exceeded two million.

Music critics began to publish articles—most were praise, calling him the "voice of resistance for a new generation," while a few criticized him for being "too political" and "using music as a weapon."

Alex scanned them all but made no response.

The heat needed to ferment, and controversy needed time.

What he needed to do now was plan the next step.

The system interface opened again, and he looked at those grayed-out extraordinary ability options.

【Spatial Phase (Primary)】—45 million points.

【Elemental Affinity · Fire (Primary)】—22 million points.

【Bio-Force Field (Primary)】—38 million points.

Distant, but not unreachable.

If he could create another cultural event of the same level within a month—for example, the official MV release of "Shake It Off," or the launch of a full album—then hitting five million points was possible.

Then it would need to double again to reach ten million to unlock.

And after that, it would take tens of millions to redeem individual abilities.

The road is long.

But tonight, he saw hope.

At 1:00 AM, just as Alex was preparing to rest, his phone vibrated.

A new email from an unknown address.

There was no text, only a video attachment.

He clicked it open.

The screen showed black-and-white surveillance footage from an overhead angle, appearing to be the interior of an office.

A middle-aged man in a suit was sitting at a desk, talking on the phone.

Although the image was blurry, Alex recognized it as Richard Vaughn—Northrop's "Director of Dirty Work."

The video had no sound, but subtitles displayed the dialogue in sync:

Vaughn: "...The performance failed. The people from Greystone International messed up."

The other end of the line (subtitles displayed as "JH"): "I saw the live stream. That boy is harder to deal with than we imagined."

Vaughn: "Do we need to upgrade the plan? The Guardians of Truth still have a backup team..."

JH: "No. Temporarily stop all direct actions."

Vaughn: "But Mr. Howard, if we let him continue to develop, his influence will..."

JH: "So we need to change our approach. Check his background, his family, his friends. Everyone has a weakness. Find his, and then... apply pressure gently."

Vaughn: "Understood. I will arrange for people to investigate his parents' old case, as well as his manager's tax issues. Perhaps we can exert pressure from Universal Music..."

JH: "Do it. But remember—I want control, not destruction. That boy's talent, if it can be used for Northrop, is worth more than ten NT-7 contracts."

Vaughn: "Yes, sir."

The video ended.

The email was still unsigned, but Alex knew who sent it.

Front Row Audience.

This mysterious person not only knew Greystone International's plan but could also obtain surveillance footage from Northrop's high-level internal meetings.

Either they were a top-tier hacker, or... a traitor within Northrop.

Alex replied to the email with only two words: "Conditions?"

Five minutes later, the reply came: "No conditions. Just don't want to see interesting things ruined by idiots."

"Continue your performances. Continue your creations."

"When your enemy shifts from violence to conspiracy, you have already won the first round."

"—A spectator who appreciates the performance"

The conversation ended.

Alex put down his phone and walked to the window.

In the night sky, the lights of Nashville were scattered like stars.

Howard had changed his strategy—from direct threats to finding weaknesses to apply pressure.

This meant the upcoming battle would no longer take place in canyons or on stages, but in more hidden places: courts, tax bureaus, media headlines, and interpersonal networks.

More complex, longer, but also safer—because the opponent had temporarily abandoned the "silencing" option.

This gave Alex time.

Time to grow.

Time to accumulate fame.

Time to walk towards that place beyond what mortals can imagine.

He took a deep breath and turned off the lights.

In the darkness, the system interface automatically lit up, and the golden extraordinary ability options flickered slightly in his vision.

Like a distant lighthouse.

Like a miracle waiting to be unlocked.

And Alex Su had already taken the first solid step on this path.

The next step is five million points.

The step after that is ten million points.

And then—the road to the extraordinary officially begins.

The night is deep.

But dawn will always come.

And the next performance is already being planned.