12: The General's Return

Back at the county hotel, Lin Feng felt as if his body had been hollowed out. Every joint felt rusted and incredibly heavy. Two consecutive days of high-intensity trekking and constant mental tension had drained his last ounce of strength.

He threw himself heavily onto the soft, large bed, too lazy to even move a finger.

Wang Dalong, however, was as if he'd been injected with chicken blood, pacing excitedly back and forth in the room. The light from his phone screen reflected on his face, which was flushed with excitement.

"Brother Feng! You're not just popular! You've exploded! You've gone viral!"

Wang Dalong thrust the phone in front of Lin Feng's eyes. "Look! Out of the top ten trending topics across the entire web, we occupy eight! 'Streamer discovers Wang Mang's treasure in the Qinling Mountains,' 'Hardest-core adventure in history,' and this one, 'The classiness of calling the police after finding treasure'... Netizens are saying your classiness is off the charts, and they're all spamming 666 for you!"

The livestream recordings had been edited into countless clips, spreading like a virus across all major platforms.

In particular, the footage of the officials arriving and the giant stone mechanism being activated was hailed by netizens as the "Best Livestream Moment of the Year," with views climbing toward a hundred million at the speed of light. The number of followers on Lin Feng's personal account soared from a few hundred thousand to nearly ten million in just a few hours, and the numbers were still jumping frantically.

Lin Feng was completely unfazed by these numbers. He closed his eyes, and the image circling in his mind was still that of the Zhonglang General, blood-soaked and charging, his resolute back as he departed.

Money and fame were far less important than The General's Return.

He propped up his aching body and sat up from the bed, turning on the computer in the room.

"Fatty, stop pacing and come over here to work."

Wang Dalong was stunned. "Huh? What work? Brother Feng, didn't this trip end perfectly? We should be celebrating!"

"Export all the footage we filmed these past few days, except for the final part where the officials arrived." Lin Feng stared at the computer screen, his gaze more focused than ever before. "I want to edit a video."

For the next dozen or so hours, Lin Feng locked himself completely in the room.

He rejected all of Wang Dalong's suggestions to "go out and have a blast," and even his meals were ordered through room service. Like an ascetic monk, he threw himself into the massive amount of video footage and the fragments of memory remaining in his mind.

Current AI editing software was powerful and perfect for the task. Like a strict director, he screened every shot: the vastness of the Qinling Mountains, the rushing streams, the hardships of climbing the ridges, the surprise of discovering the cave, and finally, the sense of awe when he touched the giant stone.

The video opened with a CG reconstruction of Chang'an City during the Han Dynasty. Inside the precarious imperial palace, a sovereign and his subject bid farewell.

"Go, fulfill your mission."

Following a low and weary voice, the screen abruptly cut to the magnificent mountains and rivers of the Qinling range, the background music becoming grand and desolate. Real footage of Lin Feng's expedition began to interweave with CG images of that lone army escorting the gold, as if spanning across time and space.

Between camera cuts, the audience sometimes saw Lin Feng and Wang Dalong hacking through thorns in reality, and sometimes saw that lone army from two thousand years ago engaged in bloody battles and trekking through the same forests.

The ruggedness of reality and the tragedy of history formed a soul-stirring temporal juxtaposition on the screen.

The climax of the video was the moment the Zhonglang General made the decision to split his forces.

After sealing most of the gold behind the giant stone, he took only a small unit and a small amount of gold, resolutely heading toward another fork in the road. In the frame, he looked back deeply toward the direction of the giant stone, his gaze calm and determined.

A line of text appeared on the screen.

"I shall be the bait to ensure your safety."

This was the only narration Lin Feng added.

The end of the video did not show a tragic battle, only a long, lingering shot. Under the setting sun, the Zhonglang General and his last subordinates charged without looking back toward the valley blocked by the Han army's iron cavalry. Their backs were like mountains, finally disappearing into the dust filling the sky.

Sparks can be hidden within the dust, and legends can naturally grow from the ordinary.

The entire video had no commentary and did not mention the value of the treasure once; it only told a story of mission, loyalty, and facing death.

At the end of the video, the screen turned black, and two lines of small text slowly emerged:

[Dedicated to all the nameless heroes forgotten by history.]

[Some plots in this video are artistic creations; please do not confuse them with real history.]

Lin Feng titled the video "The General's Return" and clicked upload. Having done all this, an overwhelming sense of fatigue hit him. He collapsed onto the bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

While he slept, this video set off a tsunami on the internet.

In less than an hour after posting, the view count broke one million.

Three hours, ten million.

Twelve hours, it directly broke a hundred million!

This video was like a precise blade, cutting into the softest parts of countless people's hearts amidst an internet filled with entertainment gossip.

"I'm a 1.8-meter tall guy, but seeing the general's back as he charged at the end, I just broke down. The tears wouldn't stop flowing!"

"This is what you call Chinese romance! Loyalty! Mission! Faithful unto death!"

"Brother Feng is going crazy! While others see the treasure, he sees the people behind the treasure! What class!"

"This isn't an adventure video; it's a trailer for an epic blockbuster! Please, let's crowdfund to turn this into a movie!"

"That line 'I shall be the bait to ensure your safety' just silenced me completely. The after-effects are too strong!"

Countless history bloggers, film critics, and even official media outlets shared the video. They praised the video's theme for "injecting a flesh-and-blood soul into cold historical relics"... The next day, Lin Feng was woken up by Wang Dalong's relentless calls. His phone was already burning hot from the influx of calls. Countless film companies swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, fighting for the film adaptation rights to "The General's Return."

"Brother Feng! We've made it! We've really made it!" Wang Dalong was incoherently excited on the other end of the phone. "One company offered an eight-figure buyout! Eight figures! That's at least seven zeros at the end!"

Lin Feng rubbed his bleary eyes, not having much of a sense of reality regarding that string of zeros. He left all these matters to Wang Dalong to handle, while he slowly got out of bed and opened the system mall he hadn't had time to look at.

The mall interface was very simple, with not many items available.

[Currency Exchange: 1 Prestige = 100 RMB]

[Special Item: Gene Repair Fluid (Elementary), Exchange Cost: 100,000 Prestige]

[Special Item: Neural Reaction Enhancer (Elementary), Exchange Cost: 100,000 Prestige]

...Lin Feng's gaze fell on the [Currency Exchange] ratio. This discovery and the viral success of "The General's Return" had brought him an astronomical amount of prestige points.

He thought about it and tried selecting an exchange for 10,000 prestige.

[Ding! Exchange application submitted. Expected arrival within 48 hours. Please check your account.]

[Note: Funds will be distributed through compliant and legal channels.]

"Compliant and legal?" Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

Two days later, he understood completely.

On the national television news channel, during the evening prime time, a ten-minute special report was dedicated to the major archaeological discovery of the "New Dynasty protector army zhonglang Gold Burial Pit."

On the screen, Director Chen excitedly showed the reporter the mountain of gold biscuits piled in the grotto, highly praising the discovery's significance as enough to "rewrite history books."

At the end of the report, the host changed the subject and mentioned the key figure behind this discovery.

"...It is reported that the initial discoverer of this major find is the young historical and cultural scholar and internet blogger, Mr. Lin Feng. Relying on his solid historical knowledge and rigorous logical reasoning, he brought these national treasures, which had slept for two thousand years, back to light. To commend his significant contribution, relevant departments have decided to award Mr. Lin Feng the 'Outstanding Contribution Award for Cultural Relics Protection' and a reward of one million RMB."

On the news screen, a screenshot of Lin Feng's adventure livestream in the Qinling Mountains appeared. Although his face was blurred, his figure and aura were unmistakable.

Almost at the same second, Lin Feng's phone let out a soft "ding," and a bank text message popped up.

[Your account ending in xxxx received 1,000,000.00 RMB on x month x day. Current balance...]

The news.

The text message.

One million.

Lin Feng looked at the long string of numbers on his phone screen, then looked up at the righteous-looking host on the TV, and finally understood.

So, this was what the system meant by "compliant and legal."

It could mobilize real-world forces to deliver rewards directly into his hands in the most legitimate, official, and irreproachable way possible.

This system really has something to it.