Chapter 256: Spirit Exploration
The developed internet has given rise to many professions, and online streamers are one of them.
Some embark on this path to make a living, others for interest, and still others for fame, among other reasons.
Regardless of their initial intentions, to achieve their goals, they employ every trick in the book, vying for attention and dazzling displays, much like the contention of a hundred schools of thought.
But there are also some who are purely grandstanding, willing to do anything just to become famous and go viral.
Happy was one such streamer among many. He differed greatly from other big-name streamers, primarily because he was a newcomer.
Happy wasn't his real name, but his online handle. The reason he chose to become a streamer was that he'd heard it was a very lucrative business; once you went viral, money would simply pour in.
Whether this was truly the case, Happy hadn't bothered to verify. All his understanding of streamers was merely hearsay.
Despite it being mere hearsay, he believed it wholeheartedly,
Happy had watched some streamers' broadcasts and found them unremarkable, completely without unique appeal. Yet, these very streamers somehow managed to achieve immense popularity, with gifts and donations raining down like a storm and fan numbers terrifyingly high. He didn't understand the trick to it. He thought if that was all it took, he could do it too; becoming famous would be a matter of time.
This ambition of his was actually quite similar to Yang Haoran's once upon a time; it was just that the paths they chose diverged.
Happy began his streaming career brimming with confidence, but it wasn't long before he was disappointed. He didn't know if ghosts were watching his streams, but he was certain no actual person was.
At first, he didn't mind, but gradually, he found it increasingly difficult to accept.
Why was it that others could casually twist their waists, touch their butts, or slap their thighs in front of a camera and receive overwhelming floods of gifts, while he, who poured his heart and soul into his performances, received no attention at all?
If that were the only issue, it might have been tolerable. After all, streamers who could earn a heap of gifts just by wiggling their waists were all exceptionally beautiful. Regardless of their real-life looks or character, at least when fans watched them on their phones or computers, they appeared stunning, each one a peerless beauty, like a fairy untouched by the mundane world.
But Happy was a man. Let alone wiggling his waist, even if he stripped off his pants, it was unlikely anyone would bother to watch.
However, there were some male streamers whose content, in his opinion, offered absolutely no highlights, yet their popularity was at least passable, far exceeding his own. This made it hard for him to accept.
Slowly, his heart grew unbalanced, and he spent his days blaming heaven and earth. He wanted to give up, but deep down, he was unwilling. Moreover, he couldn't think of anything else he could do besides this profession.
After much deliberation, he decided to keep going.
Ordinary content failed to capture attention, so he thought of doing something different, something ordinary people wouldn't dare to do. Thus, he moved his broadcasts from indoors to outdoors.
He had gained some understanding of the methods other streamers used to boost their popularity, but he couldn't compare to them. He had no team behind him, nor did he have money. Therefore, if he wanted to survive in this industry, he could only take a less conventional approach.
And so, he thought of spirit exploration.
Today marked his first day as a spirit exploration streamer.
Since he had no money for equipment, his live streams could only be conducted with a single phone. Although he knew such rudimentary equipment would inevitably impact the audience's viewing experience, his pockets were empty, leaving him no other option but to make the best of his limited gear.
Of course, this was merely his own perspective.
"Hey folks, I'm currently in a remote mountain village. From today onwards, I've switched to outdoor streaming! I hope you all can give me lots of support. Come on, let me first show you where I am right now."
Happy picked up his phone and panned it around, showing the sparsely scattered, low-lying houses nearby, proving that he was indeed in a remote mountain village.
There were only a few people in the live stream room, but Happy still earnestly continued his broadcast. However, the painfully low viewership filled him with a sense of helplessness and bitterness.
"Everything will get better," Happy thought to himself. "Maybe after this stream, my popularity will significantly increase."
Happy thought this, but he had long lost the confidence he'd had when first entering this circle. Even he didn't truly believe his own words; they were more of a self-consolation. Still, he clung to a sliver of hope, wishing he could succeed, hoping that this broadcast's effect would satisfy him.
"Folks, I'm sure you're all wondering what I'm doing in this godforsaken place, heh heh. I won't hide it from you: I'm here today for a spirit exploration."
"Isn't it thrilling? Isn't it exciting? Don't even talk about it, I'm already a little hyped up myself."
"There's something I need to explain first: this is absolutely the most authentic spirit exploration, completely without any fakery whatsoever. You know, I don't have money, nor do I have a team behind me. Even if I wanted to fake it, I wouldn't have the ability to, so there's absolutely no need for you to doubt the authenticity of my stream."
At this point, Happy took a sip of water, then continued, "Even though there aren't many brothers in the stream, I still thank you all for tuning in. I also hope you can help me, your little brother, spread the word and bring in more viewers. I'd like to thank you brothers in advance."
"Alright, getting back to the main topic. I'm sure you've all seen it: there are only a few households in this village. Calling it a 'village' might even be an exaggeration, but if it's not a village, I don't know what else to call it."
"Today is my first time doing spirit exploration, and the reason I chose this place is because I heard that places with fewer people tend to have more strange occurrences. That's because with fewer people, there isn't enough Yang Qi, so it's easy to attract some unclean things. Of course, this is just what I've heard; whether it's actually true, I don't know. And whether this village has what we're looking for, I'm not sure either; I'll have to ask the villagers here to find out."
At this point, Happy looked at his phone screen and noticed the fans' complaints.
"You're too casual! If you're going to be a spirit exploration streamer, you should at least go to haunted places!"
"Yeah, just randomly picking a village to do spirit exploration? Isn't that a joke?"
"What if there are no supernatural incidents in this village? You didn't even scout it out!"
Watching the bullet comments float across the screen, a smile appeared on Happy's face. This smile wasn't faked; it came from the heart.
Because ever since he became a streamer, almost no one had paid attention to him. The bullet comments in his stream were practically motionless; there wasn't even a single person to curse at him. So, seeing these few comments now, even though they were full of doubt and disdain, made him very happy.
Whether it was support or doubt, at least it proved that these few people were indeed diligently watching his stream.
Happy didn't ignore the fans' doubts and disdain. Instead, he explained with a big smile.
"Folks, as I just said, I want to do the most authentic spirit exploration. Those streamers who scout out locations in advance and then make a series of targeted arrangements for broadcast effect, do you think their shows are real?"
"They'll do anything to make money and gain followers. You absolutely must not believe them, because they're deceiving you. Instead of watching those streams, it'd be more practical to just go watch a movie, don't you agree?"
As soon as Happy posed the question, fans immediately replied.
"That's true, actually."
"But you can't just make us look at a few run-down houses, can you?"
"Right, right, right! I want thrills! I want excitement!"
Happy looked at the bullet comments, then said with a smile, "Don't worry, folks, we'll find out if there's anything we're looking for here by asking the villagers. If there really isn't, we'll just switch locations. We'll definitely find something you want to see."
"As for that run-down house up ahead, since it's my first time here, I don't know if anyone lives inside. Let's go check it out first. Maybe there'll be an unexpected surprise."
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