Reality Programming Association

Chapter 119: Chapter 49: ”Rabbit Hole” Strategic Seminar

”The D-mail from the movie is the first letter of ’DeLorean,’ the time machine in *Back to the Future*. What the heck is your ’D’ supposed to stand for?” Shao Yiyi retorted.

”D, of course, is for Decentralized! Isn’t that a perfect fit for this kind of transmission method!” Shi Zuozhou said smugly.

’He actually has a point.’

But Shao Yiyi sent a ”No Way” sticker:

”Leaving aside the copyright infringement issue, we need to promote this app to a lot of people, possibly including middle-aged and older folks, and many who don’t speak English. They won’t get your reference, or even the word itself. They probably can’t even pronounce it!”

Yu Xian silently nodded. Shao Yiyi had a good point.

”Then what do you think we should call it?” Gala sent Mu Gaoshou a ”Put up or shut up” sticker.

AAA Divine Calculation Immortal (Blackened) seemed to have had a plan ready:

”Since it’s a secret channel for us in these special times, and it’s full of mystery, how about we call it ’Lingxi’? ’Though we lack the wings of a phoenix to fly side-by-side, our hearts are linked as one.’ Isn’t Bluetooth pairing a kind of connection, too? So romantic!”

’It’s actually pretty good,’ Yu Xian thought. ’Very cultured.’

But Shi Zuozhou chimed in again:

”Too artsy. It sounds like one of those dating apps for middle-aged and older people. Anyone who didn’t know better would think it’s for seniors to find love online. Pass! Pass!”

The group argued endlessly, but no one could come up with a name everyone agreed on.

Just then, Wen Xiao, who had been silent the whole time, sent a message.

”How about... we call it ’Rabbit Hole’?”

The group chat went quiet for a few seconds.

”’Rabbit Hole’? Makes me think of *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*,” Shao Yiyi replied.

”Mhm, Alice fell down the rabbit hole into an unknown, crazy underground world that was also full of possibilities,” Wen Xiao continued:

”Our network is like a hidden, underground passage, unnoticed by the outside world. When the real world’s network collapses, we can escape into this ’Rabbit Hole’ to find each other.”

Right after, she sent a sticker of a cute, well-behaved bunny:

”And... I also really like rabbits.”

Reading those lines, Yu Xian felt a stir in his heart.

’The Rabbit Hole. Fall in, and you’re in another world.’

Shao Yiyi sent a huge thumbs-up sticker:

”Wow! Xiaoxiao, this one’s great! It has that mysterious-yet-cute vibe! Like a secret base. It gets my vote!”

Shi Zuozhou chimed in:

”I think it’s great too! As the saying goes, ’A crafty rabbit has three warrens’! It’s perfect since our network is also made of tiny nodes connected together, just like a complex warren dug by rabbits underground. It gives a great sense of security!”

Yu Xian thought it was great, too:

”I agree. It’s very evocative.”

Compared to the overly grandiose ”Beacon Tower,” the cringey, juvenile feel of ”D-mail,” and the old-person vibe of ”Lingxi,” the name ”Rabbit Hole” carried a unique blend of metaphor and warmth.

It was a shelter from the storms of reality and a secret entrance to an unknown world.

”Alright, ’Rabbit Hole’ it is!”

The Uncertainty Robot happily announced. The group immediately started discussing the app’s icon and UI design, as if this wasn’t just a piece of software, but a secret operation just for the four of them.

Watching the messages scroll by on the screen and listening to the incessant rain outside, Yu Xian felt some of his anxiety fade away.

No matter what he had to face next, be it the torrential downpours, the eerie Midnight Bus, or the mobs of people who had lost their minds.

At least for now, they had dug their first ”Rabbit Hole.”

”Alright then,” Shi Zuozhou sent another message:

”We’ve got the name, so next up is promotion! What’s the best way to get the word out?”

”Run ads! Hand out flyers!” Shao Yiyi eagerly chimed in:

”For that AI fortune-telling model Xiaoxiao and I made, we printed a bunch of business cards and handed them out at the student clubs! I was the one who taught her the sales pitch!”

’Yu Xian froze for a moment. He remembered the first time he met Wen Xiao—she had been holding a stack of business cards, acting all secretive and eccentric. So that was Shao Yiyi’s idea.’

”That’s too inefficient, and people will just dismiss it as a sales pitch.”

Recalling how he’d felt back then, Yu Xian went on to propose the strategy he had already come up with:

”We can focus on the ’emergency communications’ angle. Everyone should still be shaken from the ’island crisis’ a few days ago when the network went down and all connections were lost. If we tell people this app can keep them connected in extreme situations, a lot of people should download it, right?”

The group chat was silent for two seconds.

”In theory, yes. But judging from the situation in the men’s dorm these past couple of days, everyone’s quick to forget the pain once it’s over, Old Yu.”

Shi Zuozhou objected:

”It’s like trying to sell umbrellas on a sunny day. People will just think you’re being an alarmist, or even that you’re jinxing it.”

For once, Shao Yiyi was on the same page as Shi Zuozhou:

”I agree with Senior Brother Shi. Brother Cos, you might be overestimating most people’s sense of crisis. Once the panic fades, everyone becomes very forgetful.”

Yu Xian paused.

’It was true. He had overlooked humanity’s forgetfulness and shortsightedness.’

’The old saying, ”Once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten,” was probably one of humanity’s most defining traits.’

”You’re right,” Yu Xian said, explaining his logic. ”I only suggested it because it’s a recent, trending event. My thinking is, if we want downloads to blow up, we need it to spread wide and fast. And to make that happen, we need to tie it to a trending topic—ride the wave, you know?”