Chapter 187: Chapter 182 Internet Plus
Opening a “small window,” a person jumps out beneath the flickering screen, performing monotonous actions in front of the screen as a laptop repeatedly plays several audio clips.
Chinese characters flow line by line from the right side of the screen to the left. Ji Ma is still not very familiar with Chinese characters, and before she can finish reading, the characters disappear.
She notices that the person’s actions and voice are played repeatedly, hidden within them is a rhythm that creates a somewhat absurd effect.
What a strange way of entertainment.
Ji Ma remains patient and watches for a minute, increasingly feeling like a fool, staring at the flickering screen for so long, wasting time.
“How boring.”
She clicks the close button.
The only significance of this was that it reminded her of some things.
The drifting Chinese characters are called bullet screens. That type of video is called “kichiku.”
Ji Ma continues to experience the entertainment of her previous life, opening several videos.
One is a gaming video, watching others play games, she finds it silly. If she wants to play a game, why not just play it herself?
Another one features a girl dancing. She clicks in because of the appeal of the thumbnail. The girl in the video has slender legs, wearing stockings she likes, and her face looks decent. It’s obvious she has a lot of makeup on, and her skin looks unnaturally white. (Ji Ma hasn’t remembered that there is such a thing as Photoshop.)
But Ji Ma doesn’t care, she only cares about whether it looks good, not whether it seems natural.
However, after just a minute of watching, she still clicks the close button.
Her movements are stiff; she could probably dance better than her even as a zombie.
As Ji Ma thinks, she clicks into the dance section with implicit self-teaching, and finds a large number of videos with high view counts.
She watches one, shaking her head every time…
The screen flickers, and there are naturally some girls with decent appearances inside, but unfortunately, she doesn’t like the style; the dances do not catch her eye.
She clicks into an anime section.
Beneath the flickering screen, several hand-drawn women with big eyes jump out, speaking in foreign languages.
Ji Ma finds it too simplistic, and their eyes are astonishingly large, so she clicks the close button again.
“Uninteresting.”
Ji Ma clicks on her avatar, the one with a character that has a television screen for a head. The account is at level six. She familiarizes herself with the interface, clicks on the favorites folder, and hovers the mouse over “learning videos,” clicking inside.
It really is a learning video.
“Java zero basics tutorial video…”
“Shang Silicon Valley Thunder God Spring Boot 2…”
There are no other folders. Ji Ma then remembers that in her previous life, because her “ex-girlfriend” Fang Shiyun was jealous, she had cleaned out all her favorites.
Ji Ma feels a pressing discomfort.
Not being able to enjoy such free, low-quality entertainment is truly pathetic.
She feels agitated and clicks the close button.
Now, she is sure of one thing.
Three centuries are such a long time that they have completely changed her. Things she used to love now seem utterly boring.
Is this cheap taste all that has changed?
Ji Ma feels increasingly stifled and moves her mouse to the upper right corner, passing over the thumbnail of the homepage video when a line of white characters surfaces, locking onto several words.
“3.962 million views.”
“Hiss.”
So, 3.962 million people watched this video? No, this website needs to make money; all merchants are the same, which merchant doesn’t boast about their product being good?
But then Ji Ma considers.
Even if only one-tenth of that is true, that means 396.2 thousand people watched.
This implies…
A spark of inspiration hits Ji Ma, and she slaps her thigh, almost voicing her conclusion aloud but fears eavesdroppers, muttering in her heart.
The internet spreads so fast; if I use videos or text as a medium, wouldn’t I be able to harvest a huge amount of painful power?
Ji Ma can’t help but recall the first time she published a book.
Many readers, having pirated her book, contributed a great deal of painful power for her. Thus, she is grateful for every reader who looks at her book, regardless of whether or not they gave her money.
As she thinks further.
If I record a video showing my looks, with my beauty and charm, I could certainly blow up across the entire internet. My “charming halo” suggests, “All beings that witness or indirectly witness your appearance must use their will…”
Even if only a million people watch, that means a million people become my devoted fans.
Ji Ma recalls that on the first day she returned to her hometown, the entire street of mortals was captivated by her beauty.
As long as I give a command, making that million people crazily spread my video, playing it on their phones for their relatives and friends. The internet makes everyone a trumpet; with a million small trumpets spreading, one spreads to ten, ten spreads to a hundred.
In possibly three days, or even two days, tens of millions could become my devoted fans.
Speaking of which, how many people are there in Huaxia?
Ji Ma excitedly types with four fingers on Baidu, “How many people are there in Huaxia?”
A terrifying number pops up: 1.41 billion!
Ji Ma can’t believe it. She searches the meaning of a hundred million to confirm that one hundred million equals ten thousand multiplied by ten thousand.
So many people? There might be hundreds of millions, even over a billion people who could become my devoted fans. Even one of the dark four gods wouldn’t have so many followers.
I could control a country, a country that exists for my entertainment. I’m no longer a pitiful enchantress hiding in a small room.
I want mortals to build me a palace! To choose concubines for me every day.
Ji Ma’s heart races as she begins searching for “how to shoot a video?”
“What are the major video platforms in the country?”
“How to upload videos to Bilibili?”
“How to upload videos to Slow Hand?”
But after watching a few tutorials, Ji Ma gradually calms down, using her simulation ability to create a stream of ice water and pour it over her head.
The heat in her brain cools down, and Ji Ma regains her rationality.
This is too risky, especially without understanding the extraordinary powers of Earth.
Most of the world dares to engage in the internet; is everyone’s mind a donkey got kicked? Are they all fools? Haven’t they realized the internet can transmit extraordinary powers?
Especially in such an ancient nation with 1.4 billion people.
If they dare, then they surely have some reliance.
It might be divine blessing or some kind of fairy technique; after all, it’s just about turning people into devoted fans. As long as I make up my mind and dispatch forces, order can be maintained.
But there is no doubt that expanding one’s extraordinary power through the internet is a good method.
For some reason, Ji Ma thinks of George again.
She wasn’t able to bring her disc, so it might be in George’s hands, meaning George might one day come to her hometown to impose sanctions on her.
At that time, even if she charms the whole world, she could still be subject to George’s sanctions.
There will always be people who can break free from the enchantment; there will always be people secretly resisting.
An evil thought bubbles up in Ji Ma’s mind.
What if I spread curses through the internet, the curses secretly lurking in the souls of mortals, and with just one thought, I could harm millions or even over a billion Earthlings?
At that point, even if she committed heinous crimes, George would have no way to sanction her and could only let her go.
By then, no one would think about seeking justice, as no one would be willing to pay the price of life for justice, except for a few fools including George.
Even if George held a sword to my neck, outside there would be a sea of cries, millions of mortals kneeling on the ground, weeping and begging George to be merciful. Some mothers would bring their daughters, clutching George’s feet, pleading for him to spare their lives.
They would even blame George for speaking too loudly, fearing to offend me and jeopardize their lives.
Evil thoughts surged in Ji Ma’s heart, and she couldn’t help but cover her mouth, giggling.
When that moment comes, George needs to bark like a dog and call a few times before I would forgive him for his disrespect.
If he were to chase after me…
Ji Ma inexplicably feels melancholic, sighs, and closes the webpage.
Muttering “be a low-key devil,” she decides not to engage in such major affairs until she has a clear understanding of Earth’s extraordinary powers.
Ji Ma stands up, turns off the computer, then the lights, and lies in bed, pondering her next plan.
It’s best to rest in this new home for a few days and see how the national machinery reacts. As for revenge, there’s no need to rush; the safest approach is to find a way to restore her power, pushing her dreams over to Fang Shiyun’s side.
This way, if anything happens, she can escape at any moment.
Moreover, she needs to use someone else’s hands to kidnap Fang Shiyun; otherwise, if she goes in herself, it will leave too many clues.
Thinking this way, Ji Ma closes her eyes, turns over, and occasionally shifts her position.
Still murmuring “be a low-key devil.”
Eventually, she can’t help but open her eyes, jumps directly out of bed, turns on the computer, and buys a high-speed train ticket straight to Magic City, holding her ID card and phone. Ji Ma steps out the door.
Not being cautious? Well, I am at least a diamond.
Ji Ma thinks and tightens her grip on her ID card and phone as she enters the elevator.
