7: Chapter 7 New Engine, New Track

The fans of the new MacBook Pro emitted a faint, efficient hum, like a tamed hummingbird singing. On the screen, the Final Cut Pro interface was intoxicatingly smooth. Alex had just finished rendering the final cut of "The Singing Signs," a 4-minute and 30-second video that would have taken at least half an hour on his previous computer, but now it took less than ten minutes.

The leap in performance was tangible. His fingers tapped the keyboard almost as fast as his thoughts, and the complex multi-track compositing and color correction previewed in real-time without a hint of lag. This smoothness itself was a form of creative "adrenaline." He checked the final cut: the colorful shop signs of Venice Beach, the faded giant letters of Hollywood, the reflections on the cold glass curtain walls downtown... Under his editing and sound design, they seemed infused with soul, "opening their mouths" to hum, sway, and even "converse" with each other, accompanied by a fast-paced jazz piece he had rearranged. The combination of visual misalignments and audio beat-syncing was even more exquisite and daring than "Dancing Sculptures."

"Now that's more like it." Alex nodded with satisfaction and set the video to publish at a scheduled time. This time, he didn't need to nervously wait for the sporadic climb in data. His channel subscriptions had steadily crossed five thousand; while not yet a major influencer, he had established a basic audience base. He felt his "creative engine" had just completed a major turbocharge.

After publishing the video, he opened his email. Two new messages were waiting for him.

The first was from Sarah, the marketing manager at Horizon Outdoors, phrased warmly: "Alex, you should have received the equipment by now, right? Looking forward to your creative showcase! By the way, the $350 advance payment for our first collaboration has been transferred to the account you provided; please check it. Happy collaborating!"

Alex logged into PayPal and confirmed the deposit. Added to the previous sporadic ad revenue and the cash remaining after system exchanges, his disposable funds had finally broken into four figures and were on a stable upward trend. This money wasn't a lot, but it was significant—it was the first real income he had "earned" from the commercial world through content and influence he created himself. He immediately used a portion of it to pay this month's loan for the BMW 330i; that feeling of "self-sufficiency" made him feel more secure than the trust fund left by his parents.

The second email was from campus. It was from his appointed academic advisor, reminding him of his first course selection guidance meeting next week, and attached was a list of course catalogs and general education requirements to read in advance. The identity of a "student" rang out again like a punctual alarm clock.

He sighed and downloaded the course materials to his new computer's desktop, placing them side-by-side with a folder named "Business Collaborations." A divided life required more efficient management tools. He recalled that there seemed to be a [Basic Time Management and Efficiency Methods] skill in the system, and it wasn't priced high. Perhaps next time his popularity rose, he could consider redeeming it. Right now, what he needed more urgently was perhaps some "soft power" to deal with the more complex situations coming his way.

After handling his emails, the doorbell rang. It was the courier, delivering the full set of equipment from Horizon Outdoors. He opened the box; the fabric of the windbreaker felt solid, the backpack was well-designed, and the craftsmanship of the hiking shoes exceeded his expectations. He tried on the jacket; the cut was fitting, the dark gray colorway was understated, yet the details highlighted its functionality. This was much more fitting for the image of an active young person about to engage in outdoor creation than the second-hand vintage items he had bought to "fill his identity" before. He immediately decided that in a few days, he would wear this outfit to the reef area of Santa Monica Beach to shoot some footage and conceive his first fusion video.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It wasn't an email, but that WhatsApp group "USC Class of 2014 Troublemakers Reserve Team" that he had set to Do Not Disturb. Someone was @-ing him.

It was Raj, that roommate. "@Alex, Great God! Help! Another one! My girlfriend's best friend, an art student—her ASUS laptop went straight to the blue screen after a system update last night and won't boot up anymore. Her graduation thesis and portfolio are all in there! She has a meeting with her advisor tomorrow! She's freaking out! Can you take a look? Paid! Absolutely paid!"

The group followed with a string of teasing memes like "The Great God appears," "Alex saves the world," and "The legend of the Mark incident returns."

Alex frowned. Solving Mark's problem had been circumstantial and urgent, but if these things started to spread by word of mouth, it could bring unexpected attention and trouble. He didn't want to become the "computer first-responder" on campus.

Just as he was about to type a polite refusal, another private chat window popped up. It was Mark.

"Alex, sorry that kid Raj is making noise in the group again. However, I have some serious business I want to discuss with you privately. After you saved me and our group, I mentioned you to a cousin of mine (who works as a developer at a startup in Silicon Valley), and he's very interested in the methods you used. Not asking for details, but... their company is currently working on a cybersecurity auxiliary tool for general users, a beta version, and they need some people with 'practical problem-solving mindsets' to test it and provide feedback. The pay is decent, mainly Amazon gift cards and some company stock options (though that stuff isn't worth much right now). He thinks your thinking is unique and wants to ask if you'd be interested in being a remote, unconventional testing consultant? Completely voluntary, flexible time, just bring up points when you encounter problems or have ideas. I think this might be more interesting than just fixing computers, and... safer too."

A Silicon Valley startup? A testing consultant? Stock options?

Alex leaned against the cold metal casing of his new computer, carefully chewing over this information. This was no longer an emergency favor between classmates, but a low-barrier contact opportunity closer to the real frontier of business and technology. The form of payment (gift cards and options) was also more interesting, especially the options; although they were currently just a pie in the sky, what if? This was more covert than directly accepting cash from classmates and had more room for imagination. Furthermore, the identity of a "testing consultant" could well explain some of his unconventional sources of knowledge.

The risk lay in potentially coming into contact with more insiders, requiring him to be more careful in hiding his core secrets. But the benefit was that it might open a window, allowing him to access some technologies and trends about to explode in the next few years in a more reasonable way.

"That sounds interesting, Mark." He replied cautiously, "I can give it a try. However, I must state first that I am not a professional security researcher, just a bit interested in some 'unorthodox' problem-solving approaches."

"Haha, 'unorthodox' is exactly what they want! They have plenty of conventional security experts!" Mark replied quickly, "Then I'll pass your email to him? You two can chat directly. Don't worry, my cousin is very reliable, just a bit of a tech geek crazy."

"Sure. Thanks, Mark."

Ending the conversation, Alex looked out the window and thought. The development of events was a bit unexpected, but it seemed to be sliding onto a track favorable to him. Business collaborations brought stable cash flow and physical equipment, while campus connections brought potential new opportunities and a layer of reasonable camouflage as a "tech enthusiast." Meanwhile, his true core weapons—content ideas from the future and system enhancements—were steadily advancing, driven by his new engine.

He clicked open the system interface. Popularity: 256 points. With the new video release and the small-scale spread of previous incidents, it was still steadily growing.

It was time for a "strategic" redemption. He browsed the list, his gaze sweeping over those skills that directly enhanced physical or creative abilities, and finally stopped on a few "softer," but potentially far-reaching, options:

[Basic Business Negotiation and Contract Review Essentials] - 100 points (Description: Master the basic strategies for core clause identification, risk avoidance, and interest negotiation, suitable for small and medium-sized collaborations.)

[Information Filtering and Source Credibility Rapid Assessment] - 80 points (Description: Improve efficiency in identifying valuable intelligence and potential traps within complex information streams.)

[Maintaining Calm Thinking Under Stressful Situations] - 70 points (Description: Enhance the ability to maintain clear logic and emotional stability during emergencies or high-pressure conversations.)

In the future, he would not only be facing editing software and YouTube algorithms, but also more contracts, more people, and more complex situations. These abilities were like installing a stabilization system and a navigator for his new engine.

He chose the first two. [Consumed 180 points. Redemption successful. Remaining popularity: 76 points.]

Knowledge about contract traps, negotiation tactics, information verification logic, and common cognitive biases merged into his mind. This wouldn't instantly turn him into a business tycoon or an intelligence analyst, but it could significantly reduce the probability of him falling into pits due to lack of experience.

After doing all this, he felt his "equipment" had upgraded another level. From hardware (computer, car, clothing) to skills (editing, guitar, security knowledge), and now to "soft power" and "social interfaces" (business collaborations, campus connections, Silicon Valley edge contact), he was arming the existence named "Alex Su" from every dimension.

He saved all his work and turned off the computer. The night was deep. He walked to the window; the distant sea surface was pitch black, with only sporadic lights. But in his eyes, that dark sea seemed to have turned into a torrent of data, and he had already built a faster, sturdier boat with a better navigation system.

The sail was the channel logo of "Alex's Wonderland," the power came from the engine fused with the system and future memories, and the rudder was held in his hand—the hand of a reborn person who kept learning and adjusting.

The sea breeze blew in through the screen, carrying a chill. He thought of the course schedule he had to discuss with his academic advisor next week, remembered that the first video required by Horizon Outdoors hadn't been shot yet, and recalled that the Silicon Valley testing invitation might require him to spend extra time researching.

Busy, but the direction was clear.

He returned to his desk, and in the mirror-like reflection of the new MacBook Pro's screen, he saw the slight upward curve of the corners of his mouth.

Then, let's set sail. Let's see what kind of places he could reach in this ocean named 2010. He picked up the guitar, casually strummed a chord, and the clear tone rippled through the quiet room.

This time, what he played was a vague melody that belonged to "himself."