INHA Chapter 34

However, some people found new reasons for these developments.

【Do people actually believe these photos? I strongly suspect that the live stream was abruptly cut off because of an accident during the staged performance. Those people in the hospital are definitely not pretending to be injured—they were taken to the emergency room. This actually proves that there was indeed an unexpected accident. Now, we know that the live stream company is the real mastermind behind this. They have the authority to cut off the live stream, you know what I mean.】

This comment stirred up a storm.

Many people started thinking that this explanation made sense. Indeed, compared to believing that there are strange fish with eerie abilities or individuals who can control water, this reason seemed more plausible.

The netizens who insisted the video was real began to waver, but there was still one issue that didn’t add up.

How did this special effects team manage to create scenes during a live broadcast that would take movie studios at least half a year to produce realistically?

The most crucial point was that, no matter how you looked at the live video, there were no traces of special effects. Could this special effects team be far superior to all others?

But why hadn’t anyone heard of such an impressive team? Logically, they shouldn’t still be anonymous.

More and more people flooded the live stream’s official Weibo account, commenting and asking if the company had deliberately orchestrated the incident. If true, causing an accident for the sake of hype was indeed revolting.

【Reported. I can’t stand people who stop at nothing to get famous. Now look at the mess they’ve caused—so many people injured. This live stream platform is done for.】

【It won’t completely fail. However, if they continue to stay silent without an apology, then they deserve to fail.】

The number of people criticizing the company grew. Even some of the top live streamers were affected, their streams flooded with negative comments.

【Stop streaming. Your company caused injuries to dozens of people for hype, and the official account is playing dead. How can you continue streaming?】

【Break your contract with the company. If they treat others this way today, they could treat you the same way in the future.】

【Trash company. Did they go bankrupt today?】

Many top streamers, overwhelmed by the negativity, ended their streams early, while smaller streamers, bound by contracts to stream at fixed times, had to pretend not to see the barrage of comments and continue their broadcasts.

Some were even brought to tears and turned off their streams.

All the staff at the live streaming company were now running around like ants on a hot stove.

Today’s incident has blown up massively, especially the comments under the official account which have become completely unreadable.

This could easily lead to a tarnished reputation.

The company’s board members couldn’t sit still any longer. They rushed to the CEO’s office late at night. No one knew what was discussed inside, but when they emerged, they were all smiling.

This left both the rank-and-file employees and the higher-ups utterly baffled. Could it be that the current situation was orchestrated by the CEO?

If the goal was to increase the company’s visibility, it wasn’t an entirely bad strategy. But if they couldn’t turn public opinion around, the company would surely be affected.

However, since the board members seemed reassured by the CEO, it indicated that the likelihood of a turnaround was very high.

The employees decided there was no need to worry.

At that moment, the CEO issued a directive to not interfere and just wait.

This left everyone even more confused.

About an hour later, it was already past 11 PM. Night owls were still online checking trending topics, but those worried about hair loss were preparing for bed.

By now, they figured there wouldn’t be any updates, so they might as well get some sleep to save their hair.

Meanwhile, Xu Dongyou received a message from Jiu Chao saying he would arrive in ten minutes.

Xu Dongyou ordered some desserts while waiting. About ten minutes later, Jiu Chao arrived punctually, sat down, and unceremoniously grabbed a dessert.

Xu Dongyou handed him some water, saying softly, “Here, drink some water.”

Jiu Chao gulped down several big mouthfuls and then complained, “I had to use all my demon power tonight to get things done. Separating the blood from the lake water wasn’t hard, but making sure not a single drop was left behind was a challenge.”

He had to use his demon power to repeatedly search the lake to ensure there were no traces left.

Xu Dongyou curiously asked, “Where will all that stuff be sent?”

Jiu Chao shrugged, munching on his dessert, “Most likely to the research department. They love studying these things.”

Xu Dongyou nodded.

After eating two desserts, Jiu Chao got down to business, “In recent years, there have been more and more incidents involving evil spirits and strange occurrences. Especially events like tonight’s, which will become more frequent.”

Xu Dongyou listened attentively.

Jiu Chao continued, “A decade or so ago, it was better. Back then, the population wasn’t as dense. Now, any use of spiritual power has a higher chance of being seen by ordinary people. Elder Bai said that creatures like the strange fish might start appearing in swarms. When that happens, it’ll be impossible to keep it under wraps.”

Unlike evil spirits, which ordinary people can’t see, creatures like the strange fish cause widespread damage and can easily incite public panic.

Jiu Chao’s tone was slightly bitter, “Though humans thrive with great fortune, it also means that the negative aspects among humans will increase, causing more of these incidents. When such things erupt without any psychological preparedness, the fortune of humanity will be shaken, creating even more problems.”

Back in the day, the demon clan held a lofty position, and humans were insignificant. Who would have thought that things would turn around so dramatically?

Xu Dongyou still wasn’t quite used to being stripped of his human status, but he was more interested in what Jiu Chao said next.

“So, does that mean the fortune of the human race can suppress these things?” Xu Dongyou asked, puzzled.

Jiu Chao nodded. “The danger of evil spirits should be higher, but due to the suppression by human fortune, they can only set rules for killing. Otherwise, they can’t harm humans. The strange fish you encountered today would also be limited. The only thing you can do is to minimize the disturbance to human fortune.”

This was the first time Xu Dongyou learned about the secrets of human fortune. He didn’t realize how important it was.

He also vaguely understood the Anomaly Handling Bureau’s upcoming plans. They didn’t intend to suppress this information as they had in the past but planned to let ordinary humans gradually accept it. This approach was better than having everything suddenly exposed one day, which could shake human fortune.

To give an analogy, it’s like encountering something terrifying without any mental preparation versus being gradually informed about it and slowly getting ready to face it. The latter, although still frightening, wouldn’t cause a complete breakdown.

Xu Dongyou nodded obediently.

Jiu Chao glanced at Xu Dongyou and said somewhat helplessly, “What I’m about to tell you next is directly related to you.”

Xu Dongyou was puzzled, “Huh? Is it related to today’s trending video?”

Jiu Chao nodded. “Yes, the Anomaly Handling Bureau headquarters originally planned to gradually disclose these matters. They were troubled about how to do it, and then your incident happened. They thought of having you livestream to educate people about evil spirits and how to deal with abnormal events, allowing ordinary people to gradually understand.”

Xu Dongyou was taken aback.

Jiu Chao continued, “The Bureau then consulted with our demon clan. After an emergency meeting, the elders agreed, so they sent me to ask for your opinion. Ultimately, it depends on what you want.”

The demon clan highly valued their own.

To be honest, Jiu Chao didn’t want to expose Xu Dongyou to the public. However, the Bureau and Elder Bai had considered this and developed new equipment.

Humans excel in technology, while the demon clan excels in crafting tools. Combining these strengths, they created a miniature camera for live streaming that prevents viewers from remembering the host’s face. Additionally, it can detect if someone who has watched the live stream approaches the host. If they do, they will automatically get lost and unable to find their way.

This prevents anyone from locating the exact spot based on the livestream background and disturbing the handling of evil spirits.

Other features are still being developed.

Xu Dongyou was initially hesitant, but this matter was highly beneficial to humans.

However, after hearing about the camera’s capabilities from Jiu Chao, he immediately agreed without hesitation.

His primary concerns and risks had already been addressed by the Anomaly Handling Bureau and the demon clan.

He didn’t need to worry about being tracked during the live stream or exposing his face, so he agreed.

In fact, he didn’t mind people seeing his face, as his future dream was to become a singer, where people would inevitably see his face.

However, this livestream was different, filled with unknown dangers. He was worried that his parents and younger brother would be concerned if they saw the broadcast.

But if he set aside this concern, he was very willing to take on this task and contribute to the peace of humanity and the world.

After Xu Dongyou agreed, Jiu Chao couldn’t help but advise, “Are you sure you don’t want to think it over?”

Xu Dongyou blinked and quietly asked, “It seems like you don’t want me to take on this task?”

Jiu Chao, without hesitation, replied, “It’s not that I don’t want you to. I just can’t help but worry for you. You’re still so young, yet you’re taking on such an important responsibility.”

There was more he hadn’t said.

That is… even though Xu Dongyou wore a hood the whole time, not even Jiu Chao could recognize him in the video. So why did the Anomaly Handling Bureau and the demon clan insist on Xu Dongyou taking on this task?

Unless there was some hidden reason he wasn’t aware of, Jiu Chao didn’t ask Elder Chen about it. He could already guess the response: “Don’t ask too much. You’ll understand in the future!”

Regardless, Jiu Chao knew that Elder Bai cared even more for Xu Dongyou than he did. This indicated that the benefits for Xu Dongyou outweighed the drawbacks.

While pondering these thoughts, Jiu Chao continued, “Let’s find a place to rest for a bit. We’ll go to the Bureau tomorrow. They might need to give you some training.”

Xu Dongyou obediently nodded and then asked Jiu Chao, “What about you?”

Jiu Chao replied, “I’ve been out long enough; I need to hurry back. Anyway, I can fly. You should find a place to rest well.”

Xu Dongyou felt a twinge of envy.

His true form was a bird. Although he had wings, he still couldn’t fly…

He could only flutter.

After wrapping up the serious conversation, Jiu Chao quickly ordered another serving of meat, paid the bill, and left.

This left Xu Dongyou sitting there alone. After a while, he asked the owner for another plate of meat.

He then turned his sorrow into appetite, taking a big bite and stuffing his cheeks full.

One day, he was sure he’d learn to fly.

He would soar freely in the sky, spreading his wings. As for the image he had found earlier online of a chubby long-tailed tit trying to take off, which looked so silly, he had subconsciously forgotten it.

Because he would never be that chubby long-tailed tit.

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