I searched and fought in America.

On YouTube, an account with the ID "Old Ma's Truth Exploration" posted a new video.

The title is straightforward: [Exclusive Interview with Survivor of Houston Sewer Explosion: Hero or Showmanship?]

Three hours after the video was released, it had been viewed over 500,000 times.

Twelve hours later, it broke two million.

To date, it has garnered a staggering 2457 million views and 6.8 comments.

Lawson clicked on this very popular video on YouTube, which was actually a replay of a live broadcast.

A white man in his forties appeared in front of the camera. He had a stubble beard and looked rather disheveled. He was wearing a plaid shirt, and the background was his messy office.

"Hello everyone, this is your familiar Lao Ma."

His voice was hoarse, with a slight Texas accent.

"These past two days, the whole internet has been talking about one news story: a sewer exploded in Houston, a Chinese man rushed in and saved more than a dozen people, and then stood at the press conference and said, 'I am an orphan, and it is this country that has taught me to be grateful.'"

He paused, then scratched his messy hair:

"To be honest, when I first saw this news, my first reaction was, 'Not again?'"

Several lines of comments floated across the screen:

Haha, Old Ma is so true!

Me too, it just feels weird.

The government should go to ***.

[A typical politician tactic: using an ethnic minority as a model.]

Mars looked at the camera and grinned:

"You know what I mean, right? We've seen this kind of news a lot. A sudden incident occurs, a 'hero' suddenly appears, and then the media reports on it like crazy, with all sorts of touching speeches, only to find out in the end that it was all made up."

Bullet comments:

【+1】

[The firefighter who rescued the cat last time was later revealed to be an actor.]

[A model of political correctness]

Those who know, know.

Mars continued:

"So I thought to myself, this is probably going to be the same old story, but you know, I have this problem, I don't feel at ease until I see it with my own eyes."

He paused:

"In the past two days, I asked a few journalist friends to help me get in touch with the hospital where the dozen or so survivors were staying, and then I went there in person."

The number of comments started to increase:

Holy crap, Old Ma is a man of action!

Looking forward to it!

Let me see what the truth is.

Waiting to be proven wrong.

Mars lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled.

"I saw them."

His expression became somewhat complicated.

"There were thirteen people in total, including the elderly and children, men and women. There was the young mother holding her child, the elderly woman with a broken leg, and several others whose bodies were wrapped in bandages..."

He paused, seemingly considering his words:

"I prepared a lot of questions beforehand. For example, 'How were you rescued?' 'What exactly did that Chinese man do?' 'Are you sure you're not just acting?' I prepared all those questions."

Bullet comments:

And then what?

Tell me quickly!

Stop keeping me in suspense, Lao Ma!

Mars paused for two seconds, then said:

"But I didn't ask a single question."

He flicked off his cigarette ash:

"Because I saw something on them."

Screen switch.

A video filmed at the hospital began to play.

The camera is a bit shaky, clearly it was filmed secretly.

In the video, a young mother sits by a hospital bed, holding a child in her arms. She is wearing a hospital gown with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

Her arms were covered with scars.

Some of the scars had already healed, while others still shone with a fresh pink hue, forming some strange, distorted symbols.

The chat exploded:

Holy crap!!!

What is this?

[A scar?]

So many???

[It gave me goosebumps]

The camera pans and captures an elderly man changing his dressing.

His back was exposed to the camera.

That surface was also covered with runes.

The lines are intricate and interwoven, and in some places you can even see that they have been carved several times.

Bullet comments:

[It really is a cult, fuck, ***]

Wasn't it supposed to be a sewer explosion?

[How much suffering must one endure...]

I couldn't stand it anymore.

That's terrible.

The scene returns to Mars.

The smile on his face was long gone, replaced by an unusual seriousness.

"You saw it." His voice was low. "These wounds weren't staged. I looked at the cuts up close. Some have already healed, while others are still red."

The chat was quiet for a few seconds.

then:

Is this for real...?

This is too much...

I'm not saying anything.

[Old Ma continues]

Mars finished his last puff of cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

"Then I asked them a question."

He looked up at the camera:

"I asked the mother, 'The person who saved you, did he really rush in all by himself?'"

The scene changes again.

In the hospital corridor, the young mother stood by the window, holding her child.

She turned her head and looked at the camera.

That look silenced the comments section for a few more seconds.

It's not numbness, it's not emptiness.

It was a light that defied description...

"He came alone." Her voice was soft but firm. "When everyone else wanted to run away, he was the only one who ran in."

"He found us, told us to gather together, close our eyes, and then the explosion happened."

She lowered her head, looked at the child in her arms, and a slight smile appeared on her lips:

"But we didn't die, not a single one of us died."

Bullet comments:

That look in his eyes...

She spoke so earnestly.

[It doesn't look like acting]

[No one died? At the epicenter of the explosion?]

How is this possible?

[If this was acting, the acting was amazing.]

But they're not actors.

Then there were the other survivors, and without exception, they were all pretty much the same. Whenever Rosen was mentioned, they would feel a sense of pilgrimage.

The scene returns to Mars, who remains silent for a long time.

The comments section started flooded with messages:

[Old Ma, speak up!]

Is it true or false?

I'm so anxious!

Mars' expression was complex.

"I originally thought this interview would give me evidence that this was all a publicity stunt."

He paused:

"But I'm not sure now."

Bullet comments:

What does this mean?

[Even Lao Ma believed it?]

Holy crap, even Jack Ma said that.

Mars shook his head:

"You all saw the attitude of those survivors, their eyes, their tone. If it was an act, then I can only say that they are far better than those Hollywood actors."

Mars took a deep breath:

"The explosion there was heard throughout Houston, and there are some photos of the scene online, so there shouldn't be any problems."

However, to increase the authenticity, I still made a special trip to the site; some things you just have to see for yourself.

The comments section started flooded with messages again:

Holy crap, Lao Ma went to the scene?!

Didn't they say there would be a lockdown?

How did he get in?

"It was sealed off, but I have a friend who works in the fire department. I gave him two hundred dollars, and he took me in for a sneak peek."

Mars' expression became extremely strange.

Bullet comments:

[Wow, look at Old Ma's expression...]

What did you see?

Don't scare me!

Tell me quickly!

Screen switch.

Several photos appeared on the screen.

Several of the photos were taken in various locations throughout the area, with piles of concrete debris and charred traces of explosions everywhere.

Mars's voice came from off-screen:

"At the epicenter of the explosion, almost nothing was intact; houses were gone, equipment was gone."

He paused:

"but....."

The screen cuts to the last photo.

In the photo, there is an area in the center of the ruins that stands in stark contrast to its surroundings.

That area was about ten meters in diameter.

There is nothing within this area.

There were no gravel or scorch marks; it was clean, smooth, and perfectly level.

The comments section went completely crazy:

【？？？？？】

What's going on here?

[This can't be! This place is so close to the epicenter; it should be the worst hit!]

I was fucking dumbfounded.

[Is this photoshopped?]

The photos posted by Lao Ma couldn't possibly be photoshopped.

【What the hell is this?】

The scene cuts back to Mars.

His face still bore the lingering shock.

"To be honest," his voice was a little hoarse, "if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was fake too."

He paused:

"But I went to see it. I stood at the edge of that area, looking at the ruins outside and at the clean, tidy land inside."

He shook his head:

"I don't know how to explain it."

The comments were scrolling by so fast that I couldn't see them at all.

I took a screenshot of Lao Ma's expression.

I've never seen Lao Ma like this before.

He was truly shocked.

This is fucking weird.

If it were photoshopped, Lao Ma wouldn't post it.

So it's true?

How do you explain that?

Mars ignored the comments and just looked at the camera, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Then he forced a smile, a smile that seemed somewhat strained:

"Alright, that's all for this video. I'm Lao Ma, see you next time."

The screen went black.

The video ends.

Comment area.

I've watched it three times, but I still don't understand.

What's going on in that area?

If this is true, it's too surreal.

Are what those survivors are saying true?

Not a single one died... at the epicenter of the explosion...

[A chilling thought]

I took a screenshot of Lao Ma's last expression; it's really rare to see him like that.

Guys, I've decided to go to Houston.

[+1, I'd like to go see it too]

Who exactly is that Chinese person? Does anyone know?

[His name is Lawson, from the Iron Claw Gang, in the Ronnie Community.]

【Ronnie Neighborhood? Isn't that a slum?】

[A man from the slums, he single-handedly rushed in and saved thirteen people...]

I'm fucking impressed.

[Going to Ronnie Community tomorrow]

[DM me if you're looking to form a group]

At the same time.

Rosen looked at the various exchanges in the comments section.

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

This was exactly what he needed to orchestrate all of this: fame!

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Ugh, it's been reviewed again, and this time it's a whole chapter! I have to revise everything. So unlucky...

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Thank you so much for the 3 monthly passes from "Wearing a Tank Top is So Complicated"!

Thank you to Xu Hui Park Jung-ah for the two monthly passes!!

Thank you Wuhan Laogui for the monthly pass!

Thank you Flying Thief for the monthly pass!

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I'm begging for monthly votes, but I'm almost hesitant to ask anymore, worried you might find it annoying. But I need to eat, so please...