92: Chapter 92 Deduction, Choices, and Undercurrents

Wednesday.

The basement of the safe house had been temporarily converted into an absolutely quiet decision-making center. Alex sat inside alone, with no electronic equipment in front of him, only a glass of water. His consciousness was fully immersed in a deep interaction with the upgraded system.

The "Reality Simulation Deduction" function was more powerful than he had imagined, but also more "expensive." Each deduction not only consumed popularity points but also brought a slight mental burden. Over the past 24 hours, he had conducted seven key deductions, spending over 7,000 popularity points, in exchange for a clear, probability-based roadmap.

The core conclusions of the deduction were as follows:

1. Pure commercial path (immediately announce and invest in the production of the next pop hit): Popularity grows fast, but the "quality" (the "stability" and "emotional depth" marked by the system) is relatively low, and it creates internal friction with the momentum established by "See You Again," making the overall efficiency suboptimal. There is a high probability of accumulating twenty million points within two months, but the public image might become flattened.

2. Pure social action path (deepen the "memory project," initiate long-term initiatives): Popularity grows steadily, the "quality" is extremely high, and it can continuously strengthen the core support barrier while accumulating intangible capital to cope with higher-level public opinion or legal confrontations in the future. However, the speed of accumulating twenty million points is the slowest, and it will completely intensify the conflict with Universal, potentially leading to short-term damage to commercial channels.

3. Hybrid path (launch a "big event" in the short term that possesses both extremely high pop potential and social issue attributes): This is the optimal solution calculated by the "Deduction" combined with his own conditions, but it is also the path with the highest execution difficulty and risk. If successful, it is expected to harvest enough popularity points in one month to redeem primary transcendent abilities, while achieving image integration and strategic breakthroughs.

Alex's gaze focused on the "Hybrid path." The system deduction provided several vague keyword hints: "live streaming," "real-time creation," "conflict transformation," and "visual spectacle." This required him to fuse his musical talent, social issues, public sentiment, and even potential crises into a carefully designed "stage."

Just as he was concentrating on the specific plan, in the conference room on the ground floor, Marcus was dealing with increasingly dense "concerns" from Universal Music.

Kyle Jenkins' call connected once again, this time his voice carried an unmistakable hardness: "Marcus, we do not have infinite patience. The success of "See You Again" is obvious to all, but it is not the "next one" the board wants. Alex promised a "high-quality pop single for the first quarter of next year." I need a clearer schedule, or at least a signal that the project has started. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me to convince the marketing department to continue tilting top resources toward him. You should know, we just monitored that the few "new blood" pushed by Northrop are rising fast in data, and they are seizing the "retro-pop" market that was just opened by Alex!"

Marcus dealt with him while pulling up the report Rex had just sent. The first products of Northrop's "Echo" cage plan—a three-member group called "Urban Rhythm"—had, by relying on a "Weekend Signal" that imitated the style of "Uptown Funk" but with simpler, more straightforward arrangements and risk-free lyrics, and under the bombardment of massive channel resources, actually squeezed into the top fifty of the iTunes pop charts, and gained considerable discussion among the teenage demographic. Although music critics scoffed at it, for most ordinary listeners who just wanted to hear some "catchy new songs," this already constituted a diversion.

Pressure squeezed in from both commercial and competitive directions simultaneously.

When Alex walked out of the basement, there was no fatigue from the overnight deduction on his face; instead, there was a calmness of having made a decision. He finished listening to Marcus and Rex's report and nodded.

"Kyle wants a schedule? Give it to him." Alex said, "Tell him that my next important work will have its global premiere in two weeks in the form of a special live stream. This is not a traditional single release; this is a "musical event." The theme is "Hearing in the Noise.""

Marcus recorded quickly: "Live creation? Or a performance?"

"Both." A sharp light flashed in Alex's eyes, "During the live stream, I will complete the impromptu creation and performance of a new song within a limited time, based on the "most desired sounds to hear right now" themes submitted by users of the "Voice of Truth" platform, drawn in real-time."

This idea was bold enough to make Marcus gasp. "Impromptu creation? Global live stream? The risk is too high! If you are not in good shape, or if inspiration gets stuck..."

"That is why it is not a real, unprepared impromptu." Alex explained, "We need to pre-set a few theme directions that are most likely to be drawn and prepare a rich music material library and lyric framework for them. During the live stream, I will quickly combine, adapt, and complete the singing based on the final selected theme. Externally, this is a "miracle show" that displays creative talent; internally, this is a precisely controlled performance."

"Theme directions?" Taylor asked, she immediately realized the key, "What if the theme drawn by the user is too... personal, or meaningless?"

"That is why guidance is needed." Alex pulled up the hint about "conflict transformation" in the "Reality Simulation Deduction," "We will set a range in the selection rules, for example: "A musical message you most hope to give to the world right now," or "The emotion you most crave to be soothed by some kind of music." At the same time, our own team and core community will prepare some high-quality proposals that fit the direction we want in advance, ensuring they have a certain weight in the pool." This walked on the edge of manipulation and guidance, but for a controllable "miracle," necessary design was inevitable.

"Can this solve the commercial demand?" Marcus worried that Universal would not buy it.

"The live stream itself will create huge traffic and topics, which is commercial value in itself." Alex analyzed, "If the live stream is successful, the new song born will inevitably have pop potential and can be released directly as a single. More importantly, it demonstrates unparalleled creative ability and deep interaction with fans, which is the core competitiveness that any "imitation" cannot copy. Kyle wants the "next one" and "heat," and this event can give both, and give them more explosively."

"What about the social issue attribute?" Taylor pursued, "It sounds more like a show."

"This is "conflict transformation."" Alex looked at her, "What if... the theme directions we pre-set include reflections on "imitation," "cheap copying," and "aphasia in the noise"? What if the song that is finally born is a smooth pop song on the surface, but the core is exploring the difference between "real sound" and "Echo"? We can silently transform Northrop's "Echo" cage tactic into the theme of our creation. Those who understand will naturally understand, and to the general public, it is still a good song."

Turning the enemy's means of attack into the material for one's own artistic expression. This idea made Taylor's eyes shine.

"But this requires you to withstand huge psychological and creative pressure during the live stream." Hank raised concerns from a security perspective, "And, if Northrop realizes your intention, they might create technical failures or public opinion interference during the live stream."

"So we need the full support of Organization D to ensure the live stream signal is indestructible." Alex nodded, "Rex, we need a contingency plan for sudden interference. Also, one week before the live stream, I need "absolute quiet" to prepare materials. Marcus, tell Kyle, this is my plan. Accept it, and Universal can participate in the global distribution of the live stream and share subsequent revenue; if not, we will proceed independently. Let him choose."

The order was clearly given, and the team began to operate at high speed like a precise Gear. Contacting Organization D, designing the live stream plan, guiding community topics, pre-setting theme directions... Alex locked himself in the soundproof room and began to build a musical "ammunition depot" for several preset themes.

In preparation, he felt the difference brought by those ten million popularity points again. His thinking was more agile, chord progressions that used to require repeated pondering were now easily accessible, and the collision of imagery in the lyrics became increasingly exquisite. The ability of "Creative Master" seemed to be loosening toward a higher realm under the high-pressure goal. He could even multitask, conceiving melodies while repeatedly "reading" the descriptions of those transcendent abilities in the system directory that moved him, especially "Neural Catalysis (Primary)" and "Wide-Area Perception Field (Primary)." One was internal strengthening, the other was external extension, and both were crucial to his next plan.

Two days later, Universal's reply came. Kyle Jenkins had a video call with Alex in person. The background was the luxury conference room of Universal headquarters, and Kyle's expression was extremely serious.

"Alex, your plan... is very bold. After intense debate, the board finally decided: Support." Kyle said word by word, "Universal will use top resources to ensure the global coverage and promotion of this live stream. However, we also have conditions: First, the global commercial copyright of the song born in the live stream must be exclusively granted to Universal; second, if the live stream effect or the song's response does not meet the "phenomenal" standard, you need to unconditionally accept the commercial plan formulated by the company for your next stage."

This was a bet. Universal staked resources, betting that Alex could create a miracle again; Alex staked autonomy, betting that he could win.

"Deal." Alex did not hesitate.

The agreement was reached. The countdown began.

However, just as the live stream plan was being pushed forward intensively, Rex brought the latest warning from the "Front Row Audience": "Northrop is not satisfied with the small success of "Urban Rhythm." They judge your live stream plan to be a high-risk, high-reward gamble. They do not intend to waste resources on frontal interference, but the second phase of the "Echo" cage has started—they are secretly contacting and funding several independent critics known for "sharp music reviews," preparing to launch a round of deep questioning and deconstruction regarding "creative authenticity," "performance components," and "artistic ethics" after your live stream ends, regardless of success or failure. The goal is to shake your core persona as a "genius creator" from the root."

The enemy changed strategy, turning from creating copies to cultivating "deconstructors." They no longer tried to create the same sound, but tried to teach the audience to doubt the sound itself.

After listening, Alex was silent for a moment, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Perfect." He whispered, as if whispering to an unseen opponent, "My next song needs some... profound "noise" to serve as a background board."

He looked at the ability in the system interface that required more than twenty million points to redeem, and the desire in his eyes was like a quietly burning flame.

The live stream was the most magnificent stage for him to raise "fuel" and take the first step into the transcendent realm.