Chapter 071: The Video Goes Viral

On the seventh day after the conclusion of the Evil Scallop incident, Li Tianque was recuperating in the villa.

The edited store exploration video omitted all parts involving the nuclear worms, and after adapting its content, it was uploaded to the National Supercast platform.

Thanks to Duan Xiaoyu’s post-production skills, this episode was shrouded in mystery, even more thrilling than those professional horror adventure channels. It rivaled the renowned horror film “The Blair Witch Project” in intensity.

The video documented the three of them from entering the mountains to explore, receiving the rescue call at the old house, and then searching for Wu Liangjin in the mountains. Since all three kept their cameras rolling, the conversation between Li Tianque and Fatty Bi by the well—discussing terrifying shadows and past supernatural incidents among hikers—was incorporated into the video.

Segments from the mountain cave and the airplane wreckage were retained, but no slender ghostly figures or entities like stone horseshoe crabs appeared on camera. All frightening phenomena were attributed to wild beasts and aftershocks from landslides.

The video concluded with a voiceover narrating the final outcome: the rescue team had found Wu Liangjin’s body, but the footage was too gruesome to show and thus omitted.

Divided into three parts—beginning, middle, and end—each installment ended on a cliffhanger. Upon upload, the series instantly went viral, igniting the whole network.

Despite Duan Xiaoyu’s efforts to comply with platform content restrictions, the abundance of horror material led to immediate throttling by the platform.

Even so, the view count soared past seven million, with likes and comments each surpassing a million, and over three million new followers. The video won the championship of the store exploration contest by a landslide, earning a prize of two hundred thousand yuan.

As per platform requirements, Wu Miaoran explained in a later video that many of the frightening sound effects and scenes were staged, not meant to promote superstition.

Since the winning video wasn’t typical food or entertainment content and its subject matter wasn’t suitable for aggressive promotion, the platform didn’t give it the full-scale publicity originally promised.

Nevertheless, the three-part series was a resounding success, prompting the exploration team to consider transforming their approach—adding suspense elements to their store explorations to capitalize on their newfound popularity.

This strategy would help them stand out from the flood of similar store videos and offer a legitimate cover for their extermination missions, possibly yielding valuable intelligence.

During this period, Li Tianque, due to his health, remained at home, enjoying the same sense of exhilaration.

Although his screen time was limited, Wu Miaoran introduced him at the start as one of two new team members—Little Fish and Little Sparrow.

Li Tianque, dubbed “Little Sparrow,” attracted a wave of fans. Some praised his magnetic voice in the comments, while others joked that he and Little Fish, supposedly bug-eaters, were more timid than anyone when confronted by insects.

Seeing so many fans intrigued by him, Li Tianque briefly considered directing them to his original exploration channel, but this idea was vetoed by Lu Mou and Wu Miaoran, and he reluctantly let it go.

Despite not gaining new followers, Li Tianque was content. Compared to his solitary days running a channel, he now had a team and no longer had to worry about scripts or editing; he just needed to help out.

Best of all, he enjoyed a full seven days of rest—a rare delight.

During his treatment, the black iodine in his brain was refilled free of charge.

Last time, he had nearly died when his black iodine supply was depleted during the mission, so he hoped Lu Mou would add extra this round.

Lu Mou refused, offering no explanation.

During his week off, Li Tianque visited the company several times, but never encountered Bi Youqian again.

He didn’t know if Fatty Bi was hospitalized for severe injuries, detained for other reasons, or reassigned to another department within the extermination company.

He asked others, but they claimed ignorance; Lu Mou wouldn’t reveal anything either, instead adopting his usual air of mystery and replying slowly to Li Tianque:

“Everyone who comes to the extermination company isn’t here because we need them, but because they need us.”

Seeing he wouldn’t get any answers, Li Tianque stopped worrying and focused on his recovery.

He took company-provided medications and supplements, recovering quickly, though these items were costly. If he weren’t now considered a high-income earner, he’d easily fall into financial trouble.

During these rare leisure days, Li Tianque exercised, played games, and soaked in hot springs, enjoying a comfortable life.

After this period of ease, he increasingly felt his new job was truly excellent. Despite some danger, the generous salary and flexible time off made it more than worthwhile.

Even better, he returned home each night to a lovely girl sharing his bed—a delight upon delight.

Through these days together, Li Tianque and Danny became increasingly familiar. The petite beauty was adorable except when she tried to force-feed him her “dark cuisine” each day, which was a bit terrifying.

Today, Li Tianque was playing Forza Horizon 5 on his computer, while Danny sat obediently beside him, watching his gameplay with rapt attention.

After a while, Danny grew eager to race herself and playfully said,

“Let me try, I want to give it a go too.”

“Alright, just don’t get so excited you drop my controller,” Li Tianque replied, handing over the controller as he sniffed the pungent aroma of motor oil milk tea wafting from her cute Hello Kitty cup.

While Danny was absorbed in the game, Li Tianque browsed the National Supercast app.

The first video on today’s homepage was Wu Miaoran’s latest upload—a routine store exploration filmed with Sumi Duo, featuring a visit to a hot spring club.

Its content was typical for exploration videos and, lacking Little Fish’s editing, the quality was mediocre.

Yet, at the end, Wu Miaoran spoke these words:

“Sweeties, I’ve noticed everyone really enjoyed the last style of exploration video. I might shoot a few more like that soon. If you have good suggestions or places to explore, leave a comment below!”

This video’s views and likes were modest, so the comments were few, mostly criticizing the hot spring club, though a handful anticipated more mystery-themed episodes.

But aside from these ordinary comments, Li Tianque’s attention was drawn to a particularly popular one.

Seeing this top comment, Li Tianque was stunned.

Its popularity wasn’t due to remarkable content, but because of the person who posted it.