66: Chapter 66 AR Storm and a New Challenge

Inside the studio of Prism Labs, the air was thick with the scent of caffeine and code.

At 3:00 AM, twelve engineers were still battling away at their terminals, with 3D models and data streams cascading down the screens like waterfalls.

Alex stood before the central display screen while Lena reported on their progress.

"The infrastructure was deployed early yesterday morning, and the stress test passed with 500,000 concurrent simulations."

Lena's eyes were bloodshot, but her voice was excited. "The image recognition module's accuracy is now at 99.7%, and the AR rendering latency is controlled within 200 milliseconds—this is already the limit for consumer-grade devices."

Alex looked at the real-time data scrolling on the large screen: 312,478 unique devices had already pre-loaded the AR recognition package, primarily distributed across the East and West Coasts of the United States, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

The spread of the *Truth Hurts* album cover on social media had surged by 470% over the past twenty-four hours, with the vast majority of posts carrying the hashtag "#ScanTheTruth."

"What about the user onboarding process?" he asked.

"Optimized it three times." Another engineer pulled up a flowchart. "Step one: Scan the album cover or specific posters; step two: A data phantom appears, guiding the user to 'touch' virtual evidence fragments; step three: Complete a simple decryption game to unlock new clues; step four: Share progress to social networks to attract more participants.

The entire process takes an average of 8.2 minutes, with a projected completion rate of over 65%."

"What about the difficulty of the decryption game?"

"Divided into three levels. The beginner level involves puzzles or word unscrambling; the intermediate level requires identifying hidden information in audio; the advanced level..." Lena paused. "The advanced level requires users to submit a real email address to receive an 'encrypted data packet' and use a simple tool we provide to perform binary decoding.

These users will be marked as 'Deep Participants' and may receive customized content in the future."

Alex nodded. This design was intended to filter out individuals who were genuinely interested and capable of conducting in-depth investigations.

They could be journalists, researchers, tech enthusiasts, or even people inside Northrop who had doubts about the NT-7 project but dared not speak out.

"Server stress capacity?"

"With Amazon AWS's maximum elastic configuration, it can theoretically support three million concurrent users. If overloaded, it will automatically initiate a queuing mechanism and downgrade image quality."

Lena checked her watch. "There are nine hours left until launch. Are you sure you want to start at 10:00 AM sharp? That's early morning on the West Coast and noon on the East Coast—not exactly peak traffic time."

"That's exactly the time I want," Alex said. "It gives the first batch of participants enough time to explore in depth. After they share, it will hit the second wave of viral spread just in time for the East Coast's after-work hours and the West Coast's lunch break. Like a snowball effect."

Lena gave him an admiring look. "You even understand propagation dynamics."

"I understand human nature," Alex said. "People love to share two things: first, the sense of superiority from discovering a secret themselves, and second, the sense of belonging from participating in a major event. This project satisfies both."

He left the console and walked to the window.

The night sky over Austin was stained a dark red by the city lights, and the dome of the State Capitol in the distance glinted coldly under the illumination.

The system interface hovered in the corner of his vision:

【Current Fame Points: 4,980,000】

(Subsequent fermentation of The New York Times report + release of the new single *Still Breathing* trailer, increase of 200,000 points)

Still 5.02 million away from the 10 million threshold.

If the AR project succeeds, a daily growth of one million should be expected. Then there's the official release of the new single, the new song in collaboration with Taylor, and the potential for a public legal lawsuit... Every step can bring an increase.

But Northrop would not sit idly by.

His phone vibrated—an encrypted message from Hank: "Northrop's legal department filed a motion with the federal court this morning, requesting to subpoena you and your team for questioning regarding 'suspected illegal intrusion into the company's internal network and theft of trade secrets.' The motion is based on partial technical documents of the AR project that they intercepted during surveillance—someone leaked it."

Alex's eyes turned cold. "Is there a mole in Prism Labs?"

"We are investigating. But it's more likely a network infiltration—Prism's servers suffered seventeen targeted attacks last night. Although they were all intercepted by the firewall, a zero-day vulnerability might have been exploited."

"When is the hearing for the motion?"

"Next Monday at 2:00 PM, at the Nashville Federal Court. Lawyer Lawson has already received the notice; he suggests we temporarily shelve the AR project launch to avoid giving our opponents more 'evidence'."

Alex was silent for a few seconds.

Then he replied: "The AR project will launch as planned. As for the motion, let Lawyer Lawson handle it. Also, I need you to look into one thing—how did Northrop get hold of the 'technical documents' in such a short time? Their hackers couldn't be that efficient unless there was internal cooperation."

"Do you suspect the Front Row Audience organization is playing both sides?"

"I suspect everyone." Alex turned off his phone and walked back to the console.

Lena was nervously taking a call. After hanging up, her face turned pale. "Amazon AWS just notified us that our server cluster has been temporarily frozen due to 'suspected violation of the terms of service regarding data security and privacy protection.' Unfreezing it requires at least forty-eight hours of manual review."

"Who applied the pressure?"

"They didn't say explicitly, but they hinted that it was a 'suggestion made by relevant government departments based on national security considerations.'"

Lena bit her lip. "Without AWS, we can only switch to a backup small-scale service provider, but the bandwidth and stability are completely insufficient to support million-level concurrency..."

Alex closed his eyes. This was indeed Northrop's style—not attacking you directly, but cutting off your infrastructure. As the world's largest cloud service provider, AWS couldn't possibly resist "national security" pressure for the sake of a small project.

But just as he was thinking of a backup plan, a series of urgent alarms suddenly sounded in the studio.

"What's going on?!" Lena rushed to the console.

"An unknown data packet is being forcibly injected into our development server!" an engineer shouted. "It's not an attack... it's... it's pushing the complete code directly?!"

On the large screen, lines of code cascaded down like a waterfall. It wasn't any part they had written, but a brand-new, more efficient AR rendering engine, along with a decentralized P2P content distribution network architecture.

The code comments were concise and professional, and a small line of text was attached at the end:

"Use this. Server pressure reduced by 80%, anonymous transmission, cannot be blocked at a single point. —D"

Lena was stunned. "This... who wrote this? The level of this architecture is at least at the level of Google or Meta's core teams..."

Alex looked at the signature "D" and suddenly understood.

D. Darkness? Or... Decoder?

The Front Row Audience organization had made their move. They didn't send it via email, but hacked directly into their development server to deliver the most needed technical solution.

"Can you verify the code's security?" he asked.

"Scanning now... No backdoors, no malicious instructions, it even optimized our original design." Another engineer was incredulous. "This P2P network is designed so brilliantly—as user devices participate in the AR interaction, they automatically become micro content distribution nodes. The more people there are, the more stable the network becomes; there's absolutely no need for a central server!"

This was the perfect solution to counter AWS's blockade. Decentralized, no single point of failure, and impossible to block easily.

"How long will it take to refactor using this architecture?" Alex asked.

Lena quickly estimated: "The code is complete; we just need to adapt our content resources... three hours at the fastest."

"Then three hours it is. 10:00 AM, launch on time."

"But what if this is a trap..."

"If it were a trap, they wouldn't need to send such a valuable gift," Alex said. "Start."

The studio returned to being busy. Alex walked into the hallway and dialed Taylor's number.

"I need you to do me a favor, now."

"Speak."

"Does your social media team have a way to make the hashtag #ScanTheTruth explode on Twitter and Instagram simultaneously at 10:00 AM sharp? No need to buy trending topics, just ensure your core fan base posts relevant content at that exact time."

Taylor didn't ask why. "I can. My fan support group has seven admin groups of a thousand people each; I can have them coordinate the action. What specific content do you need?"

"It's simple: a screenshot of scanning the *Truth Hurts* album cover, plus the phrase 'I saw the truth.' For the image, you can use a blurred preview of the AR interface—Prism Labs will send you the materials in five minutes."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Also..." Alex paused. "If Northrop pressures you through Universal to make you not participate, just say this is 'spontaneous fan support behavior' and that you 'respect the fans' creative freedom.'"

"Understood." Taylor's voice was steady. "Alex, you know that once this project goes live, there's no turning back, right?"

"I never thought about turning back."

After hanging up, Alex opened the system interface and used his remaining fame points to redeem the final preparatory ability:

【Information Fog (Intermediate)】

Cost: 1.8 million points

Effect: Can create information interference against specific organizations or individuals for 72 continuous hours, causing their internal communications to become chaotic, delayed, or contradictory. The scope of influence depends on the target's level of informatization.

Remaining Fame Points: 3,800,000.

The moment the ability took effect, he designated the target: Northrop Corporation's legal department and public relations department.

He didn't need to completely paralyze them; he just needed them to be a little slower to react, a little more chaotic in their decision-making, and have a little more friction in their internal communication during the 72 hours before the hearing next Monday.

And this time difference was enough for the AR project to trigger the first wave of a tsunami.

---

9:55 AM.

In the control room of Prism Labs, everyone stared at the countdown screen. The new architecture had been deployed, and the stress test had passed with a million concurrent simulations. The seed nodes for the P2P network were voluntarily provided by seven thousand core members of the Taylor fan club—their devices would become the first wave of content distribution base stations.

Lena's hands were trembling slightly: "All systems are ready. The identification package has been pushed to the pre-load areas of major global app stores, and the total number of downloads... has already exceeded 800,000."

"What about the topic buzz on Twitter and Instagram?"

"#ScanTheTruth has entered the top fifty trending lists on both platforms and is still rising rapidly. Taylor tweeted three minutes ago: 'See you at ten. Get your phones ready.' The attached image was a blurry effect of her scanning her own album cover. Retweets have already exceeded 100,000."

Alex Su nodded, watching the countdown on the big screen:

00:00:05

00:00:04

00:00:03

00:00:02

00:00:01

Launch.

The control room was silent; everyone was holding their breath, staring at the real-time data dashboard.

First second: 1,242 devices completed the scan.

Fifth second: 18,765 devices.

Thirtieth second: 112,408 devices.

First minute: 489,557 devices.

Data ghosts appeared on thousands of phone screens, beginning to guide users to "touch" the first piece of virtual evidence—an FAA internal memo with most of it redacted, regarding "abnormal fatigue test data" for the NT-7 material.

The decryption game started. The beginner puzzles were completed quickly, and the intermediate audio decoding required more focus, but the completion rate was still as high as 41%.

The floodgates of social media opened.

"Oh my god, I just 'touched' a government document with my phone? What kind of black technology is this?!" — @techgeek2025, 3.2k retweets.

"So NT-7 really has problems? What do those people who said Alex Su was hyping this up have to say now?" — @truthseeker, 8.7k retweets.

"This isn't an MV at all, this is a citizen investigation! I'm going to tell all my friends to come and scan!" — @musiclover, 12.4k retweets.

#ScanTheTruth surged to number one on Twitter's global trends within fifteen minutes.

On Instagram, the number of uses of the AR filter increased by tens of thousands every time it refreshed.

On YouTube and TikTok, videos of the interaction process recorded by users began to spread virally.

A burst of suppressed cheers erupted in the control room. Lena looked at the data dashboard, her voice trembling: "The number of concurrent users has exceeded 2 million... the P2P network is running smoothly, and the load is only 60% of what we estimated... We did it, Alex!"

Alex Su did not cheer. He stared at another screen, which showed the stock price of Northrop.

Within an hour of opening, it had fallen by 3.7%.

Meanwhile, on the system interface, the popularity number was jumping frantically:

4,200,000 points (ten minutes after the project went live)

4,500,000 points (twenty minutes)

5,100,000 points (one hour)

A growth of 1.2 million points in a single hour!

It had broken the five-million mark!

And it was still rising.

It was only 4.9 million away from the ten-million unlocking threshold.

But just then, Hank's emergency communication came through: "Alex, a subpoena from the federal court has just been delivered to the farm villa. It's not the inquiry for next Monday, it's an 'emergency temporary restraining order'—demanding that you stop the operation of the AR project immediately, on the grounds of 'alleged infringement of trade secrets and endangering national security.' The marshals are already on their way to Prism Labs and are expected to arrive in twenty minutes."

The control room fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at Alex Su.

He calmly closed the communication and said to Lena: "Initiate Backup Plan B."

"What is Plan B..."

"Pack all AR content resources into encrypted seeds and distribute them via the P2P network. Even if the master control is seized, users can still continue to spread and interact with each other." Alex Su said, "Also, turn the entire process of Northrop applying for the injunction into content for the tenth-level decryption game—let the users 'dig out' for themselves how they abused legal procedures to try to cover up the truth."

Lena's eyes lit up: "Understood! But after the marshals arrive, you..."

"I'll go with them." Alex Su adjusted his collar, "But before I leave, I need you to do one last thing for me."

"What?"

"Broadcast this live."

Alex Su opened his phone and started a live stream with a simple title: "On the way to court, keep scanning."

The camera focused on him, and he walked toward the studio door, his voice calm:

"To all my friends participating in the AR project, I am Alex Su. As you can see, I am about to be taken away by the marshals because someone doesn't want you to continue 'scanning for the truth'."

"But I want to tell you three things: First, the AR project has completed its decentralized deployment; even if I am taken away and the servers are seized, the interaction between you will not stop. Second, new decryption content will continue to be unlocked within the next twenty-four hours, including the story behind today's injunction. Third—"

He stopped, turned to face the camera, his gaze sharp as a knife:

"If you believe in creative freedom, if you believe that citizens have the right to know the truth, if you believe that the law should not be used to silence people... then please continue to scan, continue to share, and continue to let more people see."

"Because in this era, every mobile phone can be a newspaper, every user can be a journalist, and every share can be a vote."

"And today, we are voting for the truth."

The live stream cut off just as the marshals appeared at the end of the corridor.

But in the last second before it cut off, the number of people online in the live room was: 2.18 million.

---

On the way to the federal court in the escort vehicle, Alex Su looked at the streets of Austin outside the window.

The sun was shining, and people on the street were living their normal lives; some were chatting outside coffee shops, some were walking dogs, and some were looking down at their phones—and for many of them, the data ghosts of the AR project might be flickering on their phone screens.

The system interface displayed quietly:

【Current Popularity: 5,350,000 points】

(The live stream event triggered a secondary explosion, an increase of 250,000 points)

The injunction did not stop the spread; instead, it made it more intense.

His phone vibrated, and he received an encrypted message from an unknown number:

"The injunction will be dismissed within forty-eight hours. We have submitted an 'amicus curiae' brief, pointing out that Northrop is abusing anti-trade secret laws to suppress public interest discussion. Two of the three federal judges are leaning in our favor.

"But the real battlefield is next Monday. Northrop has prepared seven 'expert witnesses' who will argue from a technical standpoint that the AR project 'definitely' used their 'patented algorithms.'

"You need an expert who can debunk their technical lies.

"Suggest contacting: Professor Linus Kroll, retired professor of the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University. He served as a technical consultant for Northrop ten years ago and was fired for opposing the NT-7 project. He knows all the inside information.

"Contact information attached.

"— D"

Alex Su finished reading the message and deleted it.

The assistance from the Front Row Audience organization was deeper than he had imagined. They not only provided technical solutions but also paved the way in the legal battlefield.

He noted down the name and contact information of Professor Linus Kroll, then opened the system to check the new notifications:

【Milestone reached: Popularity exceeded 5,000,000 points】

【Stage reward triggered: Accelerated enhancement of ability fusion】

【Spider-Sense (Primary) → (Intermediate) Evolution progress: 40%】

【Emotional Resonance Field (Primary) → (Intermediate) Evolution progress: 25%】

【Note: When a single ability naturally evolves to intermediate level, you can save the corresponding popularity exchange points and lay a solid foundation for subsequent advancement.】

Natural evolution. This meant he didn't need to wait for the ten-million threshold to unlock transcendence; his existing abilities were growing continuously in actual combat.

Very good.

The vehicle arrived at the federal court. Alex Su was taken into a temporary detention room to wait for the injunction hearing in the afternoon.

The detention room had only a hard board bed and a stainless steel toilet, but the window was high, allowing him to see a small patch of the sky.

He sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes.

He began to plan the next steps in his mind:

Step 1: Contact Professor Linus Kroll to assemble a team of technical expert witnesses.

Step 2: Convert the public attention sparked by the AR project into direct pressure on the FAA investigation—launch a petition demanding the disclosure of all test data for the NT-7 material.

Step 3: Prepare for the official release of "Still Breathing" and write the story of this legal confrontation into the lyrics.

Step 4: Continue to increase popularity and move toward six million points.

Every step required time, resources, and luck.

But at least now, he had the attention of five million people as his backing.

He had the secret support of a mysterious organization.

He had the continuous evolution of his system abilities.

And he had Taylor's support on the public opinion battlefield.

This war had only just entered halftime.

And Alex Su had transformed from a hunted fugitive into a challenger capable of mobilizing millions of viewers and confronting giants head-on in the legal battlefield.

The door of the detention room was knocked on, and Attorney Lawson's voice came through: "Alex, the hearing has been moved up. The judge wants to deal with this 'hot topic case' as soon as possible."

Alex Su stood up and smoothed his clothes.

As he walked toward the door, he took one last look at the system interface.

5,350,000 points.

4.65 million left to transcendence.

4.65 million left to divinity.

But with every step, he was getting closer.

He pushed open the door and walked toward the courtroom corridor.

At the end of the corridor, the gavel was about to fall.

And his singing had already traveled much further.