INHA Chapter 50

Regarding Xu Dongyou’s kind suggestion, his roommates all firmly declined.

Xu Dongyou felt a bit helpless and could only say softly, “Okay, as long as you’re happy.”

At worst, when his roommates start drinking soda upside down with a solemn expression, he would just make sure not to laugh.

However, up to this point, no one suspected that the video and documentary were actually real; instead, everyone praised the documentary for being high-quality and well-produced. The documentary’s popularity continued to rise in the following hours, with more and more people jokingly commenting: 【Who would have thought a live streaming platform could produce such a high-quality mockumentary? Shouldn’t those shows with cheap special effects be ashamed?】

In fact, the teams behind those cheaply made shows wanted to tweet: 【If we had the budget, we could produce better storylines too, but high-quality special effects are expensive!】

Seeing the rise of this live streaming platform, another platform couldn’t sit still!

They thought, “We’re all in the live streaming business, but you went all out and hired an amazing special effects team to create a documentary and attract attention. That’s not fair!”

But there was no choice; the situation was already set. Now they had two options: either quickly come up with a new format to reclaim their audience or imitate the other platform and use special effects in their live streams to create buzz.

However, there was a problem: how could they produce blockbuster-level realistic special effects during a live stream?

The executives looked at each other, feeling at a loss.

“How about we also spend a lot of money to poach some other special effects teams?” one executive cautiously suggested.

Another executive sneered, “I’ve already tried, but no special effects team dares to take on the project. They said they could create special effects during a live stream, but only the cheap kind, not realistic ones.”

“So how did they manage to hire such an amazing team?”

This was the question on all the executives’ minds, leading to feelings of envy and frustration.

Meanwhile, the influx of viewers brought by the official live stream video caused the platform’s stock price to soar, leaving the company’s executives and board members grinning with joy.

Partnering with the official team turned out to be a fantastic decision.

In the evening, as the buzz on Weibo about the live stream started to diminish, a prominent social media user received a private message from a keen observer, sharing some surprising information and screenshots.

After reading the message, the big V’s pupils dilated in shock. Their first thought was that something big was happening; their second was to verify the truth of the matter. Upon confirming its authenticity, they quickly edited and posted the story on Weibo.

They had a feeling this would cause a major stir among the public.

【Just received a private message from a fan. No need for many words; just look at the pictures. For those who don’t get it, let me explain briefly: there was a live stream about a strange fish attacking a boat that got edited into a video and went viral because it seemed so real. Later, it was almost determined that a certain live streaming platform orchestrated the whole thing to promote their new channel. It worked.】

【Now, the real focus: This live stream channel began its first stream related to a doll shop. The shop owner is a well-known online seller of a popular original talking bear doll. To promote her store, they staged a whole drama with the platform, where the villain was a rival doll shop owned by someone surnamed Chen. Interestingly, there is indeed a real-life doll shop owned by someone with the same surname. But here’s where it gets even juicier!】

【This observant fan happened to know the city where the doll shop is located. They searched and found a police notice from two months ago [image]. Check out this key line: ‘On the evening of the 12th, Zhao encountered an accident at Peace Lake, resulting in death.’ Coincidentally, the streamer who covered the strange fish incident was also surnamed Zhao, at the same place and time. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence? Plus, this streamer hasn’t been seen since. Was he banned, or worse?】

【Next, check this [image]. Another police report from Fengnian just two hours ago mentions that Chen, out of jealousy, tried to scare Lin at the doll shop, causing Lin to become mentally unstable and close the shop. Chen was later found to have maliciously harmed his daughter. The case will proceed to court.】

【Think about it. Is this all just a coincidence?】

Shortly after the post, comments began pouring in.

【This is terrifying to think about. Isn’t it too coincidental?】

【I’m from Fengnian. I’ve been to this shop; it really has been closed for two months. I heard the owner had mental issues, kept seeing dolls smile, and even reported it to the police! I’m not lying, here’s my address. I really live in Fengnian.】

【The more I think about it, the scarier it gets. But these things don’t prove much, right? Maybe in reality, Chen was just jealous and played a prank, and the streaming platform turned it into a horror story.】

【That seems plausible, but don’t forget, Chen has already been arrested! Why would he cooperate with the platform to act in a drama if he’s guilty? We did see Chen in the recent live stream.】

【Exactly, the report mentioned Chen’s malicious behavior toward his daughter. If he did something guilty, would he dare to cooperate in a live stream?】

【That doesn’t make sense.】

【And remember, someone posted photos of the injured passengers from the strange fish incident in the hospital. If it was just a staged event causing injuries, wouldn’t there be an outcry? But there’s been no such reaction; that’s also strange.】

【Right, those passengers insisted the strange fish was real. And that streamer hasn’t been active since then. No matter how many private messages people sent to his Weibo, there’s been no response. I even checked; he hasn’t streamed again.】

【OMG!!!! Everyone, check out the Weibo account of the streamer Zhao Ang! His cousin just announced on his Weibo that Zhao Ang died a month ago!!!】

Is it true?

Not only did this shock the followers of the original post, but it also quickly spread to the trending topics, with people posting screenshots of Zhao Ang’s Weibo. Everyone was both shocked and somewhat skeptical.

Could this be a fake death stunt just to gain attention?

Many who knew and cared about Zhao Ang left comments. Their first reaction was disbelief. After all, since that live stream, Zhao Ang had seemingly vanished, leaving no trace. Even calls and messages went unanswered like they had vanished into thin air. At the time, no one thought the video was real; they just wondered if Zhao Ang had lost his phone and couldn’t respond.

Or maybe Zhao Ang just wanted to disappear from the internet for a while?

But none of them considered the possibility that Zhao Ang might have died. That seemed too far-fetched.

Zhao Ang’s cousin, aware that people might not believe it, posted a death certificate issued by the police. It stated that the deceased was Zhao Ang, who died from severe injuries on the same day as the live stream.

Zhao Ang’s cousin explained that many people had been trying to contact Zhao Ang, asking what happened and why there was no response. Zhao Ang’s parents were too overwhelmed to respond to everyone, so she logged into his Weibo account to announce the death. She also asked people to stop trying to contact Zhao Ang, as there would be no response.

Many expressed condolences, but there were still many questions. They asked what had happened to Zhao Ang that led to his death.

In response, his cousin replied to a comment: 【I asked the police, and they didn’t explicitly forbid me from talking about it, but I can’t say much. You’ve seen the video, right? Well, that’s all I can reveal.】

This response caused a stir among the followers, sparking more speculation and a chill down their spines.

No, it can’t be, can it?

It was clear that Zhao Ang’s cousin was hesitant to say more, but even this small hint was enough to fuel a lot of speculation among the public.

【So… is she implying that the video was real?】

【I think that’s impossible. Zhao Ang’s cousin probably means he had an accident because of the live stream. Didn’t other passengers also get into accidents? Maybe it was a boat leak or capsized.】

【I don’t know, but we still don’t know what really happened to Zhao Ang. We’re just guessing.】

【Don’t you find all this a bit suspicious? If there was an accident that caused deaths and injuries among passengers, it would be enough to get the live streaming platform into serious trouble. But there’s been no official response, which makes it hard not to suspect some official involvement.】

【No way, no way, are you really believing that the strange fish in the live stream was real? Have you lost your common sense?】

【Leaving aside all these coincidences, just ask yourself: is there any platform or place that can produce live streams where you can’t remember the faces of the people in them?】

【Well… I’ve never seen such technology. It’s like something out of a sci-fi movie. Honestly, this technology to make faces unrecognizable doesn’t seem like something from our time.】

【But if you think about it another way, what if that so-called anomaly handling bureau is real? If they can encounter such terrifying creatures and put souls into dolls, then creating a live stream where people can’t remember faces might not be so hard, right?】

【If that’s the case, then it seems like all these mysteries and coincidences actually have an explanation!】

Many netizens began to waver, but their worldview, shaped since childhood, couldn’t be easily shattered by these claims. There were still many who insisted that it was impossible for such bizarre creatures like the strange fish to exist, or for someone with the mystical ability to control water to appear. It just seemed too far-fetched!

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