Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

Jiang Ming carefully studied the instructions for the newly unlocked features.

The so-called enhancement requires an investment of 10% to 20% of the basic cost of unlocking the option.

The base cost for the second choice is 10,000 emotion points.

This means that the maximum investment required for enhancement is 2000 points.

Use a mere 2000 points to gamble on a leap in the overall quality of your options, in exchange for a higher probability of encountering rare options.

This deal is a sure-fire way to make a profit.

Jiang Ming did not hesitate at all.

He precisely allocated 2000 points from his emotional value reserve of over 110,000 and issued the command with his mind.

"Strengthen this choice and invest the maximum amount."

[Command confirmed... Mood value -2000...]

[Quality Enhancement (20%) Completed. The minimum quality of this option has been increased, and the probability of rare options appearing has been greatly increased.]

The system notification sound still carried a hint of liveliness.

After doing all this, Jiang Ming forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately begin making a choice.

not now.

The police will be knocking on our door soon; we need to deal with the real-world problems first.

Making a choice in a safe and relaxed environment is the optimal solution.

Jiang Ming's consciousness returned to reality.

He opened his eyes and picked up the phone that had been lying face down on the bedside table for a long time.

The moment the phone screen lights up, a massive amount of information, accumulated over time, floods in like a burst dam.

The buzzing vibrations were almost constant.

Push notifications from various apps are popping up like crazy, with titles that all revolve around the same few keywords: "Raven God", "Strange Phenomenon in Jiangcheng", and "Ravens Circling the Sky".

Jiang Ming opened Douyin (TikTok).

The backend interface had changed to something he didn't recognize at all.

The number of followers skyrocketed from 0 before the live stream to a staggering 157 million+, and it continues to grow.

The private message icon shows a bright red "99+", indicating it's already overflowing.

Amidst countless enthusiastic private messages from viewers and collaboration invitations from GG merchants, a private message with a blue official certification logo was pinned to the top.

[Dear creator 'Jiang Lai', this is an official Douyin operations manager... Given your immense creative potential, we sincerely invite you to sign a contract to become a top exclusive creator on the platform. We will provide you with S+ level traffic support and generous signing bonuses...]

Jiang Ming glanced at it and then ignored it for the time being.

He calmly cleared his mind and began to devise a strategy to deal with the police.

The Raven incident cannot be explained by any known science.

Therefore, the best approach is to cover up the illogical truth with a lie that sounds more "reasonable".

A large-scale, pre-planned commercial magic show.

They used a special bird-training technique, along with infrasound or pheromone devices that are undetectable by the human ear, to guide flocks of birds.

Although this explanation is full of loopholes, as long as you insist it's magic, there won't be much of a problem.

After all, no one can prove anything, and there is no evidence to prove that this was done by superpowers.

Just as Jiang Ming was working out the details, a rapid and forceful knocking sounded on the door.

Boom!dong dong!

The sound was deep and rhythmic, quite different from the way neighbors or delivery drivers usually knock on the door.

coming.

Jiang Ming walked behind the door and looked out through the peephole.

Outside the door, two police officers in blue uniforms stood there, their expressions serious.

One of the older police officers appeared to be checking the house number to confirm that he lived in the rental apartment.

Jiang Ming adjusted his breathing and cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts related to the system.

He reached out and straightened the white T-shirt he was wearing, which had become famous because of the live stream, and then his face instantly switched to a slightly bewildered, innocent, and cooperative expression.

He opened the door.

"Hello, officers," Jiang Ming said, his voice carrying a perfectly timed hint of doubt. "You're here about what happened in the square, right?"

The older police officer in the lead showed his badge with precise and swift movements.

His gaze lingered on Jiang Ming's face for a moment, then he spoke in a businesslike tone devoid of any emotion.

"Jiang Ming? We are from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Public Security Detachment. We need you to come back with us to cooperate with the investigation of the serious public disorder incident that occurred at the city center square this afternoon."

People from the municipal bureau, not the local police station.

Jiang Ming immediately grasped this crucial information.

This proves that the level of importance attached to this incident has exceeded the scope of ordinary public security cases.

"Okay, I'll cooperate with the investigation."

Jiang Ming nodded obediently, showing no resistance or dissatisfaction.

They cooperated very well throughout the process.

He was taken downstairs and put into the back seat of a police car.

In the police car, Jiang Ming deliberately acted as if he were a recent college graduate, displaying the nervousness and slight unease one would expect. He placed his hands on his knees and sat upright.

Seeing his appearance, the young policeman in charge of guarding him took the initiative to ask him something.

"Was that you who did the live stream at noon?"

Jiang Ming nodded: "Officer, that was actually a magic show I planned."

The young policeman glanced at him but said nothing more.

The police car sped along and finally stopped in front of a solemn building.

Jiang Ming was taken into an interrogation room.

The room was small and simply furnished, with a table, three chairs, cold white walls, and a somewhat glaring overhead light.

The two policemen, one old and one young, were the same ones who had knocked on the door downstairs.

The older policeman was named Chen Jianguo. He was very experienced, and his eyes were so sharp that they could see right through people.

The young policeman, Xiao Wang, sat next to me taking notes, and his attitude was much tougher than when he was in the car.

Without wasting any words, Chen Jianguo pushed a tablet computer in front of Jiang Ming and pressed play.

"Take a look."

The video playing on the tablet wasn't Jiang Ming's own live stream recording, but rather a video taken by a passerby in the chaotic crowd in the square.

The screen shook violently, filled with screams, cries, and various background noises.

As the camera panned across the scene, people were seen being pushed to the ground, and others were frantically searching for their children.

The scene was far more chaotic and dangerous than what was shown on the live stream.

The video has finished playing.

Chen Jianguo's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound.

"You call this magic?"

"Do you know that because of your so-called 'magic trick,' a serious stampede almost occurred? Three people were injured in the chaos, including a child."

Jiang Ming stuck to his story, a hint of guilt and lingering fear showing on his face at just the right moment.

"I admit that I did not expect it to cause such a big mess. It was my mistake. I am willing to take legal responsibility for my actions and compensate the injured for all their losses."

Jiang Ming paused for a moment, then continued to add.

"But it was indeed a magic trick, a large-scale stage illusion that combined animal behavior, sound wave manipulation, and visual deception."

"Nonsense!"

Young policeman Xiao Wang slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang and shouted sternly.

"Don't try that on us! Sound wave induction? Our technical department has already surveyed the site. We couldn't find any high-powered sound wave equipment, not even a loudspeaker!"

Xiao Wang leaned forward and got closer to Jiang Ming.

"And how did our police reconnaissance drone crash down? Don't tell me some bird was blind and just flew into it!"

Faced with this aggressive questioning, Jiang Ming simply shrugged, his face still bearing that "sincere" expression.

"That's also part of the magic trick, making the flock of birds precisely attack a specific target. This is the core technology of our magic trick. As for the principle, officer, that's my trade secret."

Jiang Ming even showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"I signed a strict confidentiality agreement with my partners. If I were to reveal the core principles of magic, I would have to pay an exorbitant penalty. So, I really can't say anything. As for the drone, it was purely an accident. I never expected the authorities to deploy drones to monitor my performance."

Trade secrets.

Confidentiality agreement.

When Jiang Ming uttered those words, Xiao Wang was so angry he almost burst out laughing. Just as he was about to continue his outburst, Chen Jianguo, who was standing next to him, stopped him with a gesture.

Chen Jianguo interrupted Xiao Wang's questioning.

He didn't get angry; he just stared at Jiang Ming quietly for a few seconds before slowly speaking.

"Trade secrets?"

Chen Jianguo pulled a piece of paper from a pile of documents on the table and gently placed it in front of Jiang Ming.

It was a printed personal information form.

"Jiang Ming, 22 years old, is a recent graduate of Jiangcheng University majoring in GG Studies. He has not found a formal job after graduation. For the past six months, he has mainly made a living by taking on odd jobs such as video editing online. His average monthly income is less than 3,000 yuan. He lives in a rented room in an urban village, and his bank account balance has never exceeded five figures."

After reading this information, Chen Jianguo looked up and looked at Jiang Ming again.

"Tell me, what kind of partner would hire a college graduate like you who can barely support himself to collaborate on a 'trade secret' project that involves such massive resources and involves a so-called 'sky-high confidentiality agreement'?"

This is a very insightful question.

While Jiang Ming's explanation is logically consistent, it is full of inexplicable contradictions in reality.

However, Jiang Ming seemed to have anticipated this.

His attitude has remained consistent.

"I admit to disturbing public order, and I accept the punishment, but I really cannot reveal the details of the magic trick."

This stubborn and unyielding attitude led to a stalemate in the interrogation.

From a legal perspective, the police cannot force a citizen to disclose what they call "trade secrets."

They can punish him for the consequences, but they cannot convict him for not explaining the reasons.

Moreover, they have no evidence to prove that Jiang Ming used any supernatural or illegal means.

The sky full of ravens is the greatest evidence, but also the most powerless evidence.

Because they cannot be defined.

Chen Jianguo remained silent for a long time before finally standing up, saying to Xiao Wang, "Keep an eye on him," and then walked out of the interrogation room.

He went to the end of the corridor and dialed an encrypted number.

"Boss, it's me, Chen Jianguo."

"That kid is very stubborn. He insists it's a large-scale magic trick, and that the principle behind it is a trade secret, refusing to disclose it."

"Yes, although the whole thing is completely illogical, we don't have any substantial evidence to prove that he used supernatural means or other illegal techniques."

"My suggestion is that, for the time being, we can only handle this according to the clause on 'disrupting the order of large-scale public events' in the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, which stipulates a maximum detention of 15 days and a fine."

"Yes, that's the only way."

...