20: Deadwood Art: A Blatant Provocation of Science and a Despicable Scam?

The night before the opening of the Flower Expo, the online clamor reached its peak.

Sun Peiwen, a famous Chinese botanist and honorary professor at the School of Life Sciences of Jiangcheng University, published a long post on his verified personal social media account.

The title was: "On the Erosion of Contemporary Art by Grandstanding."

In the article, Professor Sun used his usual rigorous, almost rigid academic language to argue in detail from the perspectives of botany and cytology. He claimed that after a tree has been struck by lightning, completely carbonized, and lost all vital activity, its cellular structure has thoroughly disintegrated, and the possibility of resurrection is zero.

He defined Jiang Ming's exhibit, that charred dead tree, as a "blatant defiance of science and a low-level hoax."

At the end of the article, Sun Peiwen wrote:

"True art stems from a reverence for life, not from using a 'corpse' to grab attention. This is not only an insult to botany but also an insult to all gardening workers who love life and work hard to cultivate it."

This article, like a manifesto, instantly ignited the academic and intellectual circles.

A large number of scholars, professors, and popular science bloggers forwarded it in support, praising Professor Sun for daring to refuse to bow to traffic and for defending the dignity of science.

Ordinary netizens found their backbone, and public opinion became completely one-sided.

"Professor Sun is right! Science cannot be defied!"

"He's just an influencer; does he really think he's a god? He wants to make a dead tree bloom?"

"This is a complete publicity stunt. Let's wait and see how he ends it!"

...Inside the temporary special operations command center of the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau.

Young police officer Xiao Li pointed at the surveillance playback screen and reported, "Captain Chen, look here."

On the giant screen, infrared surveillance footage was playing slowly, frame by frame.

"At 2:17 AM, 3:04 AM, and 4:22 AM last night, several tiny heat sources crossed the Zone C infrared perimeter outside the venue one after another."

In the footage, several blurry, cat-sized shadows skillfully passed through gaps and under the perimeter lines without triggering any alarms.

"Zoom in on their local features," Chen Jianguo said in a deep voice.

The image was enlarged. Although blurry, a faint bright spot, distinct from body temperature, could still be seen at the necks of those heat sources.

"It's a collar."

"File these records and mark them as 'Coordinated Reconnaissance'."

...Lyon, France.

The European headquarters of the multinational biotech giant "Gene Core".

Sophia Walsh translated Professor Sun Peiwen's sharp-tongued article into English using translation software. She attached it to the end of Jiang Ming's file as the latest "social reaction" supplementary material and submitted an upgrade application again.

A few minutes later, the system popped back a red notification.

The application was rejected.

Her direct supervisor, a rigorous middle-aged Frenchman, sent a short message.

"Sophia, I understand your keenness, but the target's behavioral pattern perfectly fits the logic model of an 'S-rank online hype' in our database. Gaining attention by creating extreme opposition and impossible gimmicks has no research value in biology. Stop wasting time; we have more important projects on hand."

Sophia looked at the message, her blue eyes showing no emotional fluctuations.

She didn't argue further, but silently closed the dialog box... Jiangcheng suburbs, a detached villa.

In the small backyard garden, Jiang Ming squatted on the ground and extended a finger, lightly touching a patch of moist soil.

Buried in the soil was an ordinary watermelon seed.

Jiang Ming closed his eyes, and the [Plant Control] ability quietly activated.

A surge of majestic life energy followed his fingertip and was precisely injected into that tiny seed.

The embryo inside the seed absorbed energy at a frantic speed that defied the laws of time, breaking the shell and sprouting.

A tender green sprout broke through the soil, growing, thickening, and sending out vines at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The vines meandered along the ground, blooming with small pale yellow flowers, which then withered and bore fruit.

A fist-sized green melon bud appeared, then inflated like a balloon.

Thirty minutes later.

A huge watermelon, its skin covered in deep green patterns and weighing over a dozen pounds, lay quietly in the center of the vines.

Jiang Ming opened his eyes, picked up the watermelon casually, and returned to the living room.

He easily sliced open the watermelon with a fruit knife, and the bright red pulp instantly burst with sweet juice.

Jiang Ming took a piece and took a large bite.

Refreshing and sweet.

On the tablet computer in front of him, a video of Professor Sun Peiwen being interviewed by the media was playing.

In the video, Professor Sun was in high spirits, talking eloquently to the camera and tearing Jiang Ming's "dead wood art" to shreds.

Jiang Ming ate the watermelon while watching the video, a playful smile on his face... The huge pressure of public opinion finally reached the organizers of the Flower Expo.

They held an emergency meeting to seriously discuss whether to cancel Jiang Ming's participation to appease the public anger.

Just as the resolution was about to pass, Zhao Lin arrived at the meeting scene with the heads of TikTok's legal and PR departments.

"According to the contract we signed, as the 'TikTok Most Influential New Media Artist of the Year', Mr. Jiang Ming has complete creative freedom. Any unilateral termination of the contract will be regarded as a serious breach of contract."

TikTok's legal head pushed a document in front of the organizers.

"At the same time, our PR department believes that keeping this booth is itself a show of respect for 'artistic diversity' and 'creative freedom'. It will become a highly topical positive label for this Flower Expo."

Zhao Lin stood to the side with her arms crossed and added calmly.

Finally, under the dual pressure of the commercial contract and public opinion guidance, the organizers compromised.

Jiang Ming's booth was saved... On the day of the Flower Expo's official opening.

The crowds surged.

Jiang Ming's "dead wood booth" unsurprisingly became the most popular "attraction" at the event.

Countless tourists specifically ran over to point at that charred dead tree, then raised their phones to strike various exaggerated and mocking poses to take photos with it.

"Is this the legendary tree that's supposed to bloom? Hilarious, the bark is almost all gone."

"Checking in, checking in. Best performance art of the year, uniquely ugly."

These photos and short videos were quickly uploaded to the internet, contributing new fuel to this site-wide carnival.

Jiang Ming himself did not show up.

In the large booth, there was only that solitary dead tree and a huge electronic screen next to it.

On the screen, only four pure white Song-style characters were quietly playing on a loop.

【Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom】

...In the security command center, Chen Jianguo's team had a new discovery.

"Chief, look here."

A police officer pointed to an enlarged thermal imaging surveillance screen.

"Inside the ventilation duct directly above Jiang Ming's booth, a persistent faint heat source signal has been detected. Based on its shape and temperature, it is one of the 'Coordinated Reconnaissance' targets we marked earlier."

Chen Jianguo stared at that small, heat-emitting silhouette.

"How long has it been lurking there?"

"Since the opening until now, for over two hours, without moving an inch."

At the same time, in Jiang Ming's mind, a lazy and majestic consciousness transmitted a message.

It was General Yu.

"King, I am in position. This is the best spot, overlooking the entire stage without any obstruction."

Jiang Ming replied with a command through [Voice of the Mind].

"Very good. Stay hidden and wait for the order."

At exactly ten o'clock in the morning.

The TikTok account "Jiang Lai," which had been silent for two days, posted a brand-new update.

There was only one sentence.

"See you in the livestream at 3 PM. Don't miss it."

This update was like a drop of water dropped into a pan of boiling oil, instantly causing the simmering public opinion to explode... Lyon, France.

Sophia set an afternoon reminder on her computer.

She decided to watch the livestream in her personal capacity.

This might be the last time to verify her intuition.

If it still turned out to be a hoax, she would completely archive the file and admit her error in judgment.