19: Chapter 19: The Whole Internet Focuses on the Counterfeit Investigation: The Scene Turns into a Massive Public Spectacle

Under the dome of the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, all fifty thousand seats were packed.

Chen Wu stood in the backstage corridor, clearly able to "hear" the swell of sound in the arena—not a chaotic din, but a rhythmic breathing like the tide. The heartbeats of fifty thousand people were resonating, forming an invisible wave of energy that flowed through the gaps in the steel and concrete, finally merging into the bronze tripod at his feet.

The Taotie patterns on the bronze tripod glowed with a pale golden light. The three sticks of incense inside the bronze tripod were flickering, yet the columns of smoke rose straight up, drilling into the ventilation ducts without deviation—a sign that the "Qi" field was stable.

"Brother Wu, the CCTV cameras are set up!" Xu Hao ran over, the wire of his walkie-talkie tangled in a knot. "The big screen outside has already started playing your highlight reel, from the Convenience Store God of War to Deep Sea Body Tempering. The barrage of comments is so thick you can't even see the screen!"

Chen Wu adjusted the collar of his white practice uniform. The garment had been sewn by Zhao Mengmeng's grandfather, and the stitches still held the old man's "Qi"—gentle and steady, like winter sunlight. "How are things going on Professor Wang Hai's side?"

"He's busy calibrating his precious instruments," Xu Hao curled his lip. "Gamma-ray detectors, quantum vibration meters... he's strung over a hundred meters of cables, looking like a spiderweb. He even invited twelve 'authoritative experts,' all the same old faces who helped him spread rumors last time."

A commotion came from the end of the corridor. Lin Xue, dressed in a black suit, walked over quickly. Her earpiece was still relaying instructions: "The outer defense perimeter reports no sign of Rex's people. However, a large number of abnormal electronic signals have been detected, and we suspect someone is attempting to hack the live streaming System."

"Tell the tech department not to worry." Chen Wu tapped his fingertip lightly on the bronze tripod, and a faint humming sound suddenly emerged from within. "I've added a 'Qi' energy barrier to the live stream signal. If they want to tamper with the footage, they'll have to ask it for permission first."

A deafening cheer suddenly erupted inside the arena. Chen Wu looked through a gap in the corridor entrance. Professor Wang Hai was standing in the center of the stage, shouting into a microphone: "Today, we will prove with science that this so-called 'Dao' is nothing but a carefully orchestrated scam!"

The big screen behind him lit up, playing edited videos—the quantum shimmer from Chen Wu's Antarctic live stream was labeled "special effects," the red light outside the deep-sea submersible was passed off as "LED lighting," and even the footage of Zhao Mengmeng using "Qi" to move a pencil was accompanied by commentary about "magnetic manipulation."

"Do you see? This is their trickery!" Professor Wang Hai's voice trembled with excitement. "They use special effects, editing, and magic tricks to deceive your emotions and plunder your money!"

The audience below was divided into two camps. Those holding "Anti-Fraud" signs applauded frantically, while the Awakened, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with "Dao," collectively booed. The sound wave was enough to almost lift the dome.

The number of viewers in the live stream had already exceeded eight hundred million, setting a new record in global streaming history. The comment barrage scrolled like a waterfall:

"It's here, the drama of the year begins!"

"Professor Wang Hai's PowerPoint is pretty good, but the content is too fake."

"The fifty-thousand-seat arena is full, guess this is what you call a massive spectacle?"

"+1 to the previous comment, feels more like a fan meeting for the Dao."

"Stop arguing! Chen Wu is out!"

Chen Wu walked to the stage entrance just as Professor Wang Hai finished displaying his "ultimate evidence"—a list of so-called "Chen Wu body doubles," with photos of a dozen people who looked similar to him pasted on it.

"This person is his body double during the deep-sea live stream!" Professor Wang Hai pointed to the diver in the photo. "We've checked, he's a professional diver from the national deep-sea base who can hold his breath underwater for ten minutes!"

The questioning from the audience grew louder. Chen Wu took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy entrance door.

The spotlight hit him instantly. Fifty thousand gazes focused on him, and the sound in the arena suddenly vanished, leaving only the "click" of camera shutters and his own heartbeat. He didn't walk to the center of the stage but turned toward the side of the arena—where the bronze tripod brought from the foundation was placed.

The bronze tripod was a size larger than the one in the training hall, and the Taotie patterns swirled under the lights as if they were a living, giant Dragon. Chen Wu extended his palm and pressed it lightly on the beast head on the lid.

"Hum—"

The bronze tripod emitted a low rumble, and the sound waves spread along the floor. The audience in all fifty thousand seats felt the vibration of their chairs. The three sticks of incense inside the bronze tripod suddenly grew taller, and the smoke columns condensed into three large golden characters in the air: "Dao Is Genuine."

The entire arena fell silent. Three seconds later, a mountain-shaking cheer erupted.

"It's real! The bronze tripod has performed a miracle!"

"I give this special effect a perfect score! Oh wait, this isn't a special effect!"

"Look, Professor Wang Hai! Your PowerPoint is about to crash!"

Professor Wang Hai's face turned pale instantly, and his hand holding the microphone trembled slightly: "Fake! This is a holographic projection! He installed equipment inside the bronze tripod long ago!"

"If it's fake, you'll know if you test it." Chen Wu's voice, carried by "Qi," was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears. "Didn't Professor Wang Hai bring a gamma-ray detector? Why not use it to scan this bronze tripod."

His suggestion quieted the entire arena. Gamma rays could penetrate most materials but could not penetrate high-density bronze—if there was really equipment inside the bronze tripod, the detector would definitely react.

Professor Wang Hai hesitated. The radiation expert he had invited whispered something in his ear, his expression softening slightly. He waved at the expert team: "Scan! Scan it for him! I want to see what kind of tricks are hidden in this broken bronze tripod!"

Two experts in white coats pushed the instrument forward and aimed the probe at the bronze tripod. A line of numbers popped up on the detector's screen: "Radiation intensity: 0.01 μSv/h (background level)," with no abnormalities.

"Scan the lid again!" Professor Wang Hai shouted unwillingly.

The experts adjusted the probe, and the numbers on the screen remained stable. Just then, Chen Wu suddenly raised his hand and pressed his palm lightly against the lid.

"Click."

The lid opened slowly. There was no electronic equipment inside, only a yellowed ancient book—it was the "History of the Dao." The pages turned automatically, stopping at the page recording the "bronze tripod Resonance," the characters glowing faintly under the lights.

The barrage in the live stream went completely crazy:

"My grandma says this is called 'Divine Artifact Self-Proof'!"

"Does your face hurt, Professor Wang Hai? Hahaha!"

"The person who said it was a holographic projection, come out and apologize!"

"This move is too slick! Brother Wu is awesome!"

Professor Wang Hai's first test project failed completely. Gritting his teeth, he signaled his assistant to bring out the second "evidence"—a transparent glass box containing a circuit board.

"Everyone look, this is what we found in the corner of Chen Wu's training hall." He held up the glass box to show the camera. "This is the core component of a 'Qi Sense Simulation Device,' which can interfere with human nerves through electromagnetic waves, making people have the illusion of having 'Qi'!"

Chen Wu looked at the circuit board and suddenly laughed: "Does Professor Wang Hai know Engineer Zhao?"

Professor Wang Hai was stunned: "What Engineer Zhao?"

"The Mr. Zhao who repairs the air conditioning in your laboratory." Chen Wu's gaze swept over a middle-aged man in the expert team. "This circuit board is a discarded part he replaced while fixing the air conditioner last week. It even has his signature on it."

The middle-aged man's face changed drastically, and he turned to run, but was stopped by the Awakened. Zhao Mengmeng ran onto the stage holding a rabbit doll. The doll's electronic eyes scanned the circuit board, and a line of text immediately popped up on the screen: "Appraisal result: Air conditioner compressor control board. Manufacturer: Midea. Scrapped date: June 12, 2023."

The entire arena burst into laughter. Even the expert team invited by Professor Wang Hai became restless, and several people quietly took off their badges that read "Authoritative Certification."

"There is one last test." Professor Wang Hai's voice was filled with despair. He knew he had already lost, but he still wanted to make a final struggle. "Radiation resistance test! Do you dare to stand under the gamma rays?"

Chen Wu nodded and walked to the radiation detector: "I can. But I have one condition: you have to stand there too."

Professor Wang Hai's face instantly lost all color. The damage gamma rays caused to the human body was irreversible. He had only intended to make Chen Wu back down, not expecting the other party to turn the tables.

"What? You don't dare?" Chen Wu looked at him, his tone calm. "Or are you saying that you knew from the beginning that this test was harmful and just wanted to hurt me?"

The audience below began to shout: "Professor Wang Hai is a coward!" "Admit defeat if you don't dare!"

Under the gaze of everyone, Professor Wang Hai moved step by step to the side of the detector, his legs shaking like a sieve. The experts calibrated the equipment and pressed the start button for the two of them.

The green rays passed through the protective cover and enveloped the two of them. On the detector screen, Chen Wu's radiation dose curve remained steady, while Professor Wang Hai's curve was rising slowly—without the protection of "Qi," the rays had started to penetrate his body.

"Stop! Stop it now!" Professor Wang Hai's assistant finally couldn't take it anymore and rushed up to turn off the equipment.

Chen Wu's voice sounded again, clear and powerful: "Everyone has seen it. 'Qi' is not superstition; it is a form of energy that can be scientifically detected. It can strengthen the body, resist harm, and allow us to resonate better with this world."

He walked to the center of the stage, the rumble of the bronze tripod forming a perfect resonance with the heartbeats of fifty thousand people: "Professor Wang Hai says the Dao is a scam, but can a scam make a paralyzed old man stand up again? Can it let a blind child perceive light? Can it make the heartbeats of fifty thousand people converge into a single force?"

The Awakened in the audience stood up simultaneously, holding up the signs in their hands—there were old people with canes, children leading guide dogs, and former patients showing their recovery certificates. Their "Qi" gathered in the air, forming a huge light shield that enveloped the entire sports center.

Professor Wang Hai slumped to the ground, looking at this shocking scene, and finally lowered his head. The expert team he had invited left collectively; no one was willing to stand up for his lies anymore.

The sunset shone through the glass of the dome, coating the entire arena in a layer of gold.

Chen Wu stood in front of the bronze tripod, accepting the cheers of fifty thousand people. The CCTV cameras gave him a close-up. In the frame, his eyes were calm and gentle, without the pride of victory, only reverence for the Legacy of the Dao.

"The competition isn't over yet." He spoke suddenly, and the sound of the crowd gradually subsided. "We will complete the five projects selected by the audience vote one by one. Not to prove who wins or loses, but to let more people understand the essence of the Dao."

The first project was basic combat. Chen Wu did not choose professional fighters but randomly selected ten ordinary people from the audience—white-collar workers, students, retired workers. He taught them the most basic straight punches and blocks, then conducted simple sparring.

Surprisingly, these ordinary people, who had only practiced for ten minutes, were able to complete attacks and defenses decently. Especially that retired worker, whose straight punch was so vigorous that it forced Chen Wu to block seriously.

"Do you see?" Chen Wu said to the camera. "The Dao is not an unreachable myth; it is a skill that everyone can master. It knows no age, no profession. As long as you are willing to learn, you can benefit from it."

The second project was Internal Energy intensity testing. Professor Li took his team onto the stage to measure the "Qi" energy intensity of Chen Wu and the Awakened using specialized instruments. When the instrument showed that Chen Wu's "Qi" energy was equivalent to 1000 watts of power, the entire arena boiled over again.

"This is equivalent to a small generator!" Professor Li explained to the camera. "But what is even more magical is that this energy can be precisely controlled; it can shatter rocks and gently brush petals—this is something modern technology cannot do."

The live stream continued until late at night. When the last project, the "Listening Energy competition," ended, a pattern formed by drones rose above the Oriental Sports Center—a huge character "Wu," shining brightly in the night sky.

Professor Wang Hai had already been taken away for investigation. The instruments he left behind became props for the Awakened to demonstrate "Qi" energy—some used "Qi" to make the detector's needle spin backward, some made the circuit board light up again, and some even made the trajectory of the gamma rays bend.

Chen Wu looked at the live stream data on his phone: the number of online viewers exceeded 1.2 billion, and the amount of tips exceeded 500 million, setting a new record in human history. But he knew that these numbers were not important.

What was important was that the line of people waiting outside the stadium to sign up for learning the Dao tomorrow already stretched three kilometers away; what was important was that over one million schools worldwide had applied to open basic Dao courses; what was important was that the academician Lin who once said the Dao was superstition had just sent a message saying he wanted to apprentice under Zhao Mengmeng's grandfather.

"System notification: National Dao Enlightenment task completion 30%." A cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind, but it carried a hint of warmth. "Reward: Unlocked 'Dao Academy' construction permissions, obtained 'Qi Energy Conversion Device' blueprint."

Chen Wu looked up at the night sky. The "Wu" character formed by the drones gradually dispersed, turning into stars across the sky. He knew that this "Anti-Fraud Event" focused on by the entire internet had ultimately turned into a nationwide Dao feast, and this was just the beginning.

"The next live stream," he smiled at the camera, and the bronze tripod behind him emitted a long hum, as if responding to his words, "we will teach everyone how to use 'Qi' to light up a light bulb."

The barrage in the live stream flooded the screen again. This time, there was no questioning, no arguing, only full expectations and countless "Go for it!" messages.

Under the gaze of fifty thousand people, and witnessed by 1.2 billion viewers, a new era belonging to the Dao was slowly unfolding with this ongoing live stream. And Chen Wu knew that his footsteps would never stop.