From American Internet Celebrity to God Among Men

147: Chapter 147 The Beginning of SunacThe quiet echoes of ”Whispers of a Glimmer” on the ”Voice of Truth” platform had not yet dissipated. Alex sat before the data analysis screen at the ”Echo Vision” headquarters, his gaze sweeping not across conventional traffic curves, but over a report titled ”Analysis Report on Content Consumption Trends of the Net-Generation and High-Light Patterns of Similar Works,” meticulously compiled by Marcus’s team.

The report was impressively thick, but the core conclusions were highlighted:

Trend 1: Cross-media fusion and co-creation have become mainstream. Top-tier works are no longer satisfied with a single text narrative; they actively extend toward short videos, interactive communities, and even gamified experiences to build a ”story universe.” Readers’ deep participation and secondary creation are becoming a part of the work’s vitality.

Trend 2: ”System” and ”Rebirth” are enduringly powerful frameworks, but the key to success lies in a precise fusion with a ”sense of reality.” Extraordinary settings must serve delicate real-world logic and emotional resonance; otherwise, they are merely castles in the air.

Trend 3: High information density and pace control determine retention. Especially in the field of short, snappy content, emotional construction, release, and even reversals need to be completed within a limited space, constantly providing users with fresh cognitive stimulation and ”gratification.”

Trend 4: Ensemble casts and multi-line narratives broaden the scope. A single protagonist’s growth arc is no longer enough to support a vast worldview. Through the independent perspectives and storylines of key supporting characters, one can enrich narrative layers and naturally introduce new conflicts and opportunities.

Alex closed the report and leaned back slightly. These analyses coincided with his previous practices, but they also pointed out a clearer path for advancement. His ”System” was his unique trump card, and what he wanted to manage was a ”realistic stage” that could maximize the value of this card and align with current top-tier narrative laws.

A few days later, a project named ”Echo Puzzle: Global Soundscape Co-creation Plan” was officially announced simultaneously on the ”Flashpoint” and ”Voice of Truth” platforms. This was no longer just Alex’s personal ”soundscape wanderer” diary, but an upgraded strategic content engine.

The core rules of the plan were full of gamified designs:

1. Theme Release: Every week, Alex or an invited artist (the first being Taylor) would release a sound theme, such as ”Resonance of Solitude,” ”Rhythm of the Machine,” or ”Sighs of the Future.”

2. Material Collection: Global users can use the high-quality recording tools embedded in the ”Flashpoint” app to record and upload original ambient sounds or short melodic fragments that fit the theme.

3. Voting and Selection: The community votes to select the weekly ”Best Sound Source.” Those selected will receive ”Echo Credits.”

4. Master Remake: Alex and his music team will use the selected sound materials every week to create a complete ”Co-created Single.” The creation process will be broadcast exclusively on ”Flashpoint” as a documentary-style VLOG.

5. Rights Sharing: All providers of selected materials will share 5% of the future streaming revenue of the ”Co-created Single” (automatically distributed via smart contracts) and will be permanently credited in the song information. Meanwhile, users who accumulate enough ”Echo Credits” can redeem them for participation in offline sound workshops organized by ”Echo Vision,” or even audience interaction seats for future programs like ”phantom singer.”

This was a bold attempt to combine the ”Universal Co-creation” concept mentioned earlier with the ”Realistic Benefit Feedback” emphasized therein. It ceded part of the power and revenue of content production to users, transforming them from observers into co-builders, greatly enhancing platform stickiness and the vitality of the creative ecosystem.

Once launched, the plan exploded in popularity. ”Flashpoint” saw a new surge in daily active users and user-generated content. Under the first theme, ”Resonance of Solitude,” thousands of sound submissions were received from every corner of the world: the howling of wind tunnels in Iceland, the chime of a convenience store door in Tokyo late at night, the soft sound of pages turning in a library, and even background noise from a space station shared by an astronaut... The massive amount of UGC (User-Generated Content) not only provided endless creative material but also became a fascinating social landscape in its own right, continuously attracting the attention of the media and the public.

Alex’s studio became even busier. He needed to listen to and filter materials, and more importantly, weave these fragments into songs. During this process, he quietly utilized [Information Reception Filtering] and his newly triggered [Energy Perception]. He could more keenly perceive the faint emotional residues carried within certain sound fragments—the exhaustion and anticipation contained in a subway recording, the tranquility and sorrow hidden in the sound of rain. He translated these perceptions into more delicate, heart-piercing emotional layers in the music. This was no longer a display of extraordinary abilities but a deep integration of them into the creative process, polished into a unique ”Alex-style” empathetic talent.

When the first co-created single, ”Solitude of All Sounds,” was released, the accompanying production VLOG detailed how Alex merged the sound of falling snow from a Finnish forest, a pigeon whistle from a Beijing hutong, and a fragmented tune hummed by a user into an ethereal and life-filled electronic ambient work. At the end of the VLOG, the IDs of all selected material providers streaked across the screen like stars. The comment section completely boiled over, with a sense of pride, belonging, and anticipation for the next event intertwined.

The system interface updated accordingly:

• Cumulative Historical popularity: 129,800,000 points (The co-creation plan triggered a new round of growth)

• Available popularity: 43,530,030 points

• New Prompt: Successfully designed and launched a user co-creation ecosystem model with ”high engagement and strong benefit binding.” This model effectively integrates the concept of ”Cultural Co-creation” with the ”Realistic Value Feedback” mechanism. Reward Trait: [Ecological Resonance]—A slight increase in the ability to perceive collective emotional trends and potential creative hotspots within the content ecosystem one has built.

Almost simultaneously, the negotiations for ”phantom singer” saw a breakthrough. Under Mr. Chen’s subtle maneuvering, the competitor who had tried to pressure them with ”industry conventions” showed a slight softening in attitude. As for Universal Music, after seeing the strong community cohesion and innovative business model demonstrated by the ”Echo Puzzle” plan, they finally accepted all the core terms regarding the ”Echo Manufacturing” label and the revenue-sharing for the ”phantom singer” program. On the night the contract was officially signed, Marcus received no fewer than five calls from other entertainment groups inquiring about potential collaborations.

However, just as everything was going smoothly, Taylor brought unexpected news.

”Zack Snyder,” she said on the phone, her tone a bit strange. ”He watched the VLOG for ’Solitude of All Sounds’ and some of the previous ’soundscape wanderer’ content. He contacted me through a producer to ask... if Alex would be interested in serving as a ’Sound Narrative Consultant’ for the next major promotional campaign after the final trailer for ’city of instantaneity’?”

”Sound Narrative Consultant?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

”Yes. It’s not just a simple soundtrack; it’s something more conceptual. He wants to create a set of independent ’sound identity’ systems for several core scenes and concepts in the movie, such as the ’Data River’ and ’Memory Ruins,’ that can exist independently of the visuals. It might include a set of thematic ambient sounds, a signature sound effect, or even a set of sound-based interactive experience concepts,” Taylor explained. ”He feels that your sensitivity and creativity with sound, especially that ability to extract the extraordinary from the ordinary and give it narrativity, perfectly fits the kind of... high-tech yet humanly warm cyberpunk aesthetic he wants.”

This was an invitation that jumped out of the traditional music category and directly into the core creative layer of a top-tier film and television IP. The industry prestige, cross-over influence, and subsequent popularity it would bring would be phenomenal. This was also a high-level realization of the ”cross-border writing” or ”transmedia creation” mentioned earlier in reality.

”It sounds like applying the philosophy of ’Echo Puzzle’ to a project with a billion-dollar budget,” Alex mused. ”We can make contact. But we need a very clear proposal explaining what we can do and how to deeply integrate with the film’s visual narrative, rather than just being icing on the cake.”

He realized that this might be a key step in pushing ”sound” as a core narrative medium onto a broader stage. His identities as an ”internet celebrity,” ”star,” and ”platform owner” would thus gain a more weightier label: ”cross-over creator.”

Three main lines—the continuously fermenting ”Echo Puzzle” co-creation ecosystem, the ”phantom singer” business empire that had settled and entered a high-speed execution phase, and the suddenly opened door to top-tier film and television crossovers—spread out clearly before Alex, intertwining and promoting each other.

He stood by the studio window; the Los Angeles night view was as brilliant as ever. But what he saw in his eyes now was no longer just the city lights, but a ”narrative ecosystem” composed of countless sound fragments, data streams, business contracts, and creative sparks, constantly growing and evolving in his hands.

With his feet on the ground, the path was already clear.

The next step was to continue cultivating this fertile soil he had created while extending his roots to even further and richer territories. Starting with absorbing the wisdom of top peers, he was turning his own path into a case study for others to analyze in the future.