NOVEL NEXT Chapter 785: A Huge Stir
In September 1952, a submarine volcano erupted 225 nautical miles south of Tokyo, Japan.
The magma that spewed from the inside accumulated in the seawater, elevating the surrounding terrain and forming a conical shape, eventually becoming an island.
This kind of event is not uncommon; the youngest island in the world, Surtsey Island, was formed in this way.
The explosion sent sea water hundreds of meters into the air, and a large amount of volcanic ash was ejected thousands of meters high, with the moving magma forming an island about 40 meters wide and 550 meters long.
Scientists, eager to study the island's formation process, prohibited tourists from entering, only allowing researchers wearing disinfection suits to conduct inspections there.
However, Japan's case was slightly different; the island also formed from the accumulation of magma, but it disappeared completely within a few days.
This incident caught the interest of the Tokyo Fisheries Research Institute, who sent a survey ship to the volcano's crater to take photos, measure the strength of the crater, and collect samples.
At that moment, the submarine volcano erupted for the second time, engulfing the survey ship in steam and ash. When the ejecta vanished, the ship was nowhere to be seen on the surface of the sea.
It turned out that curiosity not only kills the cat but can also kill people.
Bi Fang certainly wouldn't foolishly get close a second time; escaping the first time was already fortunate, a case of the smaller boat being easier to maneuver. If a normal ship had come, it would surely have been blown to pieces.
"Being small has its advantages. A big wave can smash giant rocks but can't destroy a small stone the size of a finger."
The canoe, known for its structural strength, not only didn't fall apart when struck but was actually propelled upwards, allowing Bi Fang to swiftly distance himself.
With the combined forces of wind and manpower, the canoe quickly moved away, and the waves around gradually calmed down.
The column of volcanic ash also gradually shrank, the only constant being the still gray sky. Under the wind's influence, the range of volcanic ash spread tremendously, far outpacing the speed of the canoe's advance.
Bi Fang had moved away from the volcano, but the internet had not; the situation seemed to grow more intense.
"Peak viewership of four thousand seven hundred sixty-three people! A total of two hundred ten million views in six hours! A new record is born! Wu Hu!"
"New downloads tallying eight million seven hundred forty-four thousand and forty-seven, and it's still rising, oh my God!"
Wolf Fang had a web version, but the webpage was crashed so many times it actually drove a massive amount of application downloads.
"Unbelievable!"
"Go bankrupt, Tiger Fang, Shark, to hell with you, we're the industry leader! Hahaha!"
"We are number one in the world!"
The tech and operations departments erupted with howls, everyone going crazy, almost ready to jump on the desks and dance wildly.
This data was terrifying; before this, if any competitor had told them they would one day have a personal streamer reach these numbers, they would have looked at them like they were fools.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
Just then, the supervisor entered the room, smiling and clapping to put a stop to the celebration.
Everyone instinctively stopped, not out of respect for the supervisor—Wolf Fang wasn't that strict internally—but because they were eager to know what kind of reward they would receive this time.
In just minutes, tens of millions of viewers poured in, yet the system ensured there was hardly any lag. It was definitely a great achievement. Furthermore, with such terrifying download numbers for the Wolf Fang app, it was indeed a cause for celebration and there was sure to be a reward.
And indeed, once the room quieted down a bit, the supervisor announced the good news.
"This month, all salaries are doubled, and there will be an extra surprise for the year-end bonus."
Just as everyone was about to cheer, the supervisor gestured for silence.
"It's not over yet, listen up, the hard fight is just beginning. With over eight hundred seventy thousand downloads, I have no doubt that it could break through nine million, even ten million, but how many can we retain?"
"The real battle is ahead. What I want to know is, can we launch the new version today?"
Bi Fang's live-stream was different from the rest.
This difference was not just in content but also in his unique format of streaming.
The video platform style of streaming and the use of bullet comments were exclusive to Bi Fang, intended to better present his cinematic and epic visuals to the viewers.
The new version, naturally, was to fully implement this mode, giving streamers the freedom to choose.
Additionally, it featured a new interface and gift-giving mode, stripping away many superfluous features for a sleeker approach that barely resembled a streaming platform.
What's wrong with striving for a streaming platform without even a hint of flashy excess?
It was completely against the grain!
But one had to admit, doing so made the experience feel much more comfortable.
The crowd looked at each other in dismay. A team leader raised his hand and, after being called on, answered, "There could be a lot of bugs, and we're really pressed for time."
"Keep a million, get half a month's extra salary. Keep all eight million, get six months' extra."
The crowd looked at each other again, and the team leader who had just asked the question said sternly, "No problem at all! The company is my home!"
"Go for it, I believe in you guys!"
...
"It's a miracle."
"Impossible."
"A once-in-a-lifetime event."
The editor-in-chief of "Surfer" Magazine took off his glasses, rubbed his reddened eyes, repeating these words over and over again.
An hour ago, the editor-in-chief had received a short video from his subordinates.
The video was only ten minutes long, but it was astoundingly shocking.
After confirming that it wasn't special effects or any sort of edited montage but a real event, which was actually quite easy to confirm,
he picked up his phone, browsed to a video website, or perhaps some headline news, and this man's news was everywhere.
Either the whole world had been fooled, or his own phone had been hacked—which would be an elaborate scam just to fool a man in his forties.
Even before this, the editor-in-chief had known about this young man, but had never thought their paths would cross.
"SURFER" Magazine, the world's most famous authoritative surfing publication.
Photography, art, and humorous articles had cemented "SURFER"'s glory; it was a common read for all surfers and environmentalists and served as a link between sports and culture.
Since 1959, its power as a publication had led surfers around the world into the realm of surfing.
Every issue featured prize-winning images from the best surf photographers in the world and in-depth interviews with the most charismatic individuals at surf festivals, plus a variety of interesting surfing stories from around the world.
The surfing events held annually attracted surf enthusiasts worldwide.
And the next issue of the magazine was set to publish the day after tomorrow.
The meaning of the video sent by his subordinate was self-explanatory.
Is this surfing?
The editor asked himself.
A canoe, or rather an outrigger canoe, looked like a catamaran, vastly different from the traditional surfboard in appearance.
Yet, the behavior was truly "surfing".
The key point was, it was too shocking!
Surfing on a volcano!
Just thinking about that scene made the adrenaline uncontrollably pump faster, making him feel at least twenty years younger!
After a moment of thought, the editor made a phone call.
"Stephen, it's me. Hold the printing of the next issue for a bit, I need to change a cover... yes, I'm sorry, I know."
"Alright, thanks. The new cover will be emailed to you by 8 p.m. tonight."
Hanging up the phone, the editor took a long breath.
So what if there's no surfboard?
Surfing is hardly a matter so inconvenient!