"I must tell you with great regret that this is a complete and utter scam, entirely caused by the selfishness of certain individuals,"
In the short video, a female editor named Chen Zheng showed some photos to the camera. They were photos she had taken while editing for major famous movies and video games, proving to the world that she was a top-notch editor and director in the industry.
"About a year ago, to be precise, one year and two months ago, a brand new special effects technology called 'Mystic' was introduced. Because of its incredibly lifelike effects, the manufacturers were afraid it might cause chaos or criminal incidents and chose not to disclose it to the public on a large scale. Instead, they created a club for film industry professionals, for selling the latest technological products."
"There is no doubt that this technology is revolutionary, excellent, and perfect. It has entirely replaced green screen photography and can even immerse actors in their environment, helping them get into character. Many directors almost immediately tested the product and concluded that it would completely change the film industry."
"All the world's famous directors are members of this club, and they are all using this new special effects to make movies. However, because the technology has only recently been introduced, the latest batch of films hasn't been released yet, so the general public is not familiar with this technology."
"We all believe that gold will always shine, but unfortunately, someone broke the industry confidentiality rules and violated the club's regulations by revealing this technology ahead of time. Yes, I'm talking about the Space Station attack incident that everyone has seen."
"Yes, the Flame Monster you saw was entirely created by special effects devices. My colleagues and I found 30 points that could be proven as special effects editing, and we will explain them one by one."
"...Finally, I want to prove to you that the device that created that illusion does indeed exist. It's this little thing in my hand. Next, I'm going to turn it on, don't blink, because you might get quite a scare."
"...See that? Just like that, you'll notice the curling patterns of this fog are exactly the same as that Flame Monster. It's just the latest film special effects technology, not some monster attack."
"There's someone who wants to use the Space Station's limelight to seek attention, or maybe they even caused trouble in the Space Station incident just to show off that they owned this device. Regardless, this person is an enemy of the human race, and they must come forward to take responsibility."
Eddie's technical team's video quickly became popular on major websites and, with official backing, even surpassed the first video in popularity, because they were clearer and showed more eye-catching special effects technology.
At the same time, many film directors came forward, releasing clips of movies that were in production. Bloggers who had participated in the beta testing also released clips that they had previously been unable to due to confidentiality agreements. People gradually began to understand this technology.
Many people started to accuse the person who released the Space Station video of having malicious intent. If the video wasn't edited post-production but shot on location, it suggested that the entire incident could have been staged by that person. There was a growing call for the arrest of the behind-the-scenes manipulator.
But soon, voices of dissent appeared.
If this was to be dismissed as special effects, many questions remained unanswered, the most difficult being how the Photovoltaic Integrated Device was burned down.
The so-called special effects merely utilized light, but the light from these special effects devices did not have any attack capabilities. It's not as if the properties of the monster would be real just because the effects look real. After all, what's fake is ultimately fake.
However, the monster in the video charged directly at the Photovoltaic Integrated Device and burned it down, all in a near-vacuum environment. If it was special effects, how could it possess such destructive power?
Moreover, Aux had clearly shown fear of the monster. As the first eyewitness to the creature, couldn't he have identified it as just special effects? If he had, why did he panic so much?
And many bloggers who came forward to verify also said that the technology is not yet perfected and that it's possible to distinguish the effects up close. So why didn't Aux recognize it?
If Aux was also an actor they hired, how much money would they have to pay him to admit to sabotaging the Space Station? Besides, he seemed terrified. Space operations are no joke; it's inherently dangerous, and performing such an act only increases the risk. How did the behind-the-scenes manipulator convince Aux to risk his life?
Skepticism has always been widespread because humans are adept at paranoia. Even if not reaching a morbid level, there's a tendency toward such thinking, and within skeptical perspectives, doubting the government and law enforcement is particularly popular.
Some people treat the Lizard People and aliens controlling Earth theories as mere jokes, but others take them seriously. Even the flat Earth theory has its followers, so what wouldn't people doubt?
So, another wave of thought emerged, suggesting that all the video bloggers and professionals were bought by the government to cover up the conspiracy of an alien monster attacking Earth. Some even claimed that Earth had long been sold to these Flame Monsters, with those on the Space Station being the first sacrifices.
Nick could actually understand these theories because the US Government has not been innocent of such activities. Ordinary people, limited to watching the spectacle online, have their own battles; and with many people offering supposed evidence, the arguments continued without resolution.
Balk, on the Space Station, also saw the video.
Indeed, the Space Station wasn't cut off from the internet. While staff needed permission to go online—with the power outage supposedly affecting the network and everyone's permissions no longer working—Balk, as the head of security software engineering, was unaffected.
He leaned on the table with both hands, his face grim as he stared at the computer screen. Around him seemed to gather a dark cloud, ready to unleash a lightning strike and ignite a major fire.
With a loud bang, the cellphone in his hand was slammed onto the desk, breaking into pieces. Everyone standing behind was startled, and the female scientist Sophia was the first to come forward and say, "Don't be like this, Beck, I... "
"This is MY technology!! MINE!!! Stark, that damned thief, he stole my technology and sold it to others. These praises and honors should have been mine!!!!"
Beck, no, Beck turned around, roaring at everyone, and the rest were looking helpless. The ethnic Chinese scientist, with his arms crossed, said, "Our previous backup plan came into play, rightfully so, poisoning Aux and burning down the Photovoltaic Integrated Device was the right move. At least now those people still have a lot of unexplainable problems."
"The key now is that we have to prove that the People of the Sun really exist," Sophia said. "We need to create more noise, make them believe that there actually are monsters living in their sun, and that we are the heroes fighting those monsters."
Beck took a deep breath, turned back to the computer, and said, "We need more eyewitnesses, send Parker."
The ethnic Chinese scientist seemed a bit troubled as he shrank back and said, "Ben Parker's nephew is Peter Parker, he holds a key position in Stark Group, and his relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. is also..."
"That's why I'm sending him!! He should pay for his nephew's recklessness and impulsiveness! If it weren't for him getting cozy with Stark, how could my research results have been taken away?!!"
"Beck, calm down," Sophia said. "We do need more witnesses, just Parker won't be enough. Hasn't Jalal come back yet?"
Everyone else shook their heads. Sophia walked up to Beck's side and said, "If it hadn't been for his foolish action first, Parker should still be on our side, not standing with that female agent."
The term "female agent" was like a bucket of cold water poured over Beck's head. He instantly cooled down and even felt a chill on his back. He didn't know Natasha was the Black Widow. He only knew she was the most dangerous woman he had ever seen.
"Right, Parker's mixing with that female agent, sending him would be too easy to blow our cover," Beck averted his gaze and said. "For our plan, we should play it safe. Where is that damned fool Jalal?"
"He hasn't come back at all," Li said. "Probably got scared off after being exposed by Parker and that female agent. Should we use the latest technology on him?"
Beck's face darkened as he said, "After all, he was just a scapegoat from the start; let's do that."
"I'll get ready," Sophia said. "Setting up the special effects device with a destructive laser takes some time. You guys go find Jalal's exact location first. I'll follow shortly."
The Black scientist Jalal was now at the bottom level of the Space Station, right in the sector where the hatchway was located. He had not left this area because he felt he was discovered, and Natasha would kill him.
He was indeed discovered, Jalal thought. At the time, when they said those things, they were actually planning to lock him up in some room. Luckily, he reacted quickly, locked them in, and ran away.
That Beck was never sincere about wanting to work with him in the first place. All those people were scientists, yet they wanted him to impersonate a physicist; it wasn't his fault if he blew his cover.
Thinking this, Jalal walked briskly in the opposite direction. He wanted to return to the crowd; the dimly lit blackout zone was truly terrifying.
The station segment, due to the power outage, had only emergency indicator lights providing weak illumination. It was almost like walking in the darkness without a flashlight, which gradually increases one's psychological pressure.
Especially since Jalal wasn't wearing a watch, he didn't know the time, he didn't know how long until the oxygen would run out, he didn't know when the rescue team would come, or if he could get back before they arrived, nor did he know if he'd be left here alone. Inevitably, he was getting more and more anxious.
At that moment, he thought again about Aux, the unlucky chosen one. He, although unlucky, was still better than the rest because he was shrewder, while Aux wasn't adaptable, which is why he went mad.
"Damn it! What does any of this have to do with me?!" Jalal cursed at the air, "It was all ordered by Beck! He made me infiltrate the maintenance team, and he was the one always ensuring I had replaced the poison canister on Beck's communication device. So, what does any of this have to do with me?!"
"Why can he stay there and play the good guy, while I might be thrown down here at any moment?! It's all his fault!"
Jalal kept bolstering himself with these words until he could no longer deceive himself, and a dense fog appeared in front of him in the corridor—
The screen in front of Beck froze on the image of Jalal's contracting pupils.
"Well done, Sophia, make him shut his foul mouth... better if it's shut forever."