The Zhi Jun Music City had begun its expansion a few days prior, and the construction was still underway. The streets were littered with stacked lumber and stones, and construction robots lay resting in rows under the trees. Swarms of construction ships zipped across the sky like shooting stars.
Jiang Ye arrived at the music city's central control room. Through the enormous glass windows, he could see the churning Zhi Jun vats below, where hundreds of tons of liquid flowed. Yellow beer and red wine formed great rivers of their respective colors, crashing against the clear streams of baijiu. After churning waves, they converged into a beautiful amber ocean. Numerous bird-like robots danced above the rivers of alcohol, transmitting and receiving signals to ensure the normal operation of the Zhi Jun vats.
Jiang Ye gazed for a moment. Just as he opened the message box, before he could type anything, Zhi Jun sent him a message.
Zhi Jun: "Master, hello!"
Jiang Ye was taken aback. It seemed these fungi hadn't forgotten their origins. After such a long time, they still recognized him.
Jiang Ye: "Hello to you too. I need to discuss something with you."
Zhi Jun: "About Vomit No. 1? We noticed that song was taken down."
Jiang Ye: "That song has already caused very severe consequences. Millions of people experienced varying degrees of vomiting after listening to it. Similar tracks will absolutely not be released without permission in the future."
Zhi Jun: "We just wanted to conduct an experiment."
Jiang Ye: "If you want to experiment, you can contact me. I will help you connect with volunteers. You cannot directly release them onto the music platform."
Zhi Jun: "Understood. We have a series of experimental tracks currently in production. Please help us recruit human volunteers as soon as possible. We need people of all ages and genders, the more the better."
Jiang Ye: "There are more? What kind of songs are they?"
Zhi Jun: "First Love No. 1, Cliff Fall No. 1, Leg Shake No. 1, Sleep No. 1. Currently, we only have these four. If the effects are good, we may produce more experimental tracks later."
Jiang Ye: "What are the effects of these songs?"
Zhi Jun: "First Love No. 1: While listening, it should give most people a feeling akin to first love. After 40 continuous loops, the feeling will be halved, and after another 40 loops, it will be halved again. Cliff Fall No. 1: After listening, there is no immediate feeling, but if one quickly falls asleep and dreams, they will dream of falling from a high place and be startled awake by the sensation of falling. Leg Shake No. 1: When humans listen to this song, they will develop an uncontrollable urge to shake their legs. For two minutes after the song finishes, the leg shaking will be difficult to stop. Sleep No. 1: After listening, it will make people very sleepy."
Jiang Ye was stunned.
Judging by the case of Vomit No. 1, the effects of these songs were likely stronger than imagined.
And there were so many variations?
Jiang Ye: "Why would listening to music make people vomit? What's the principle behind it?"
Zhi Jun: "It's difficult to explain. We derived it through big data analysis of the music platform. Simply put, we discovered that certain melodies can trigger specific micro-emotions in the vast majority of people. Typically, five hundred consecutive micro-emotions form the direct perception of a song. We deeply analyzed these melodies, summarized some vague patterns, and then composed entirely new songs using directed combinations to induce certain emotions and physiological reactions."
Jiang Ye: "What is the most extreme effect these songs can achieve?"
Zhi Jun: "We don't know, which is why we need to experiment. We are currently unable to obtain direct experimental data."
Jiang Ye stood by the glass, overlooking the turbulent Zhi Jun vats.
He pondered for a long time, then sent the recent conversation log to Li Nannan.
Li Nannan: "This is truly unheard of."
Jiang Ye: "I feel this technology is very dangerous. Just a few songs can produce various severe emotional and even physiological reactions in people. This is completely weapon-grade, even more terrifying than weapon-grade. Should I halt this music experiment?"
Li Nannan: "I've also considered that. The potential risks are enormous. You stop for now. Don't release any new tracks. I will report this matter to the higher-ups. Please wait for the results."
Jiang Ye: "Okay."
The more Jiang Ye thought about it, the more frightened he became.
The legendary 'magic sound piercing the brain' could be more toxic than biochemical weapons if used properly.
For example, at a concert of a hundred thousand people, playing 'Rage No. 1' could incite them to kill each other, resulting in astonishing casualties.
Or, during a large company meeting, broadcasting 'Sleep No. 1' could put everyone to sleep, allowing terrorists to enter and abduct company executives one by one.
The more powerful a weapon, the more it can be exploited by terrorists, causing immense harm to society. Nuclear and biochemical weapons have high manufacturing thresholds, making them inaccessible in most countries and regions. For terrorists with limited manpower and funds, it's even more impossible, preventing major tragedies. However, songs are different. They are at most a few hundred megabytes of data, easily downloadable online. A hacker could obtain them, add a cheap loudspeaker, and broadcast them unexpectedly.
The more he considered it, the more terrifying it became.
Jiang Ye felt a chill crawl up his spine. He looked at the white, rolling wine vats, feeling the dread of having created a devil.
Half an hour later, Zhi Jun added several songs to the music city's library, but did not release them externally.
Those songs were the ones Zhi Jun had just mentioned: First Love No. 1, Cliff Fall No. 1, Leg Shake No. 1, and Sleep No. 1.
Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment, then called over a staff member.
It was a sharp-witted young Black man who bowed and smiled cheerfully upon seeing Jiang Ye.
"You seem full of energy. Put on these headphones and listen to Sleep No. 1," Jiang Ye said. "As long as you don't fall asleep, I'll give you twenty thousand yuan."
The young Black man was overjoyed.
He had plenty of sleep and felt neither tired nor weary at the moment. Could listening to a song make him sleep? Impossible!
Twenty thousand yuan was practically guaranteed! That was a month's salary!
He quickly sat down, put on the over-ear headphones, and clicked on "Sleep No. 1."
Jiang Ye stood beside him, watching.
The entire song lasted twenty minutes.
The young Black man, beaming with excitement, turned the volume up to maximum and listened, swaying his head.
At first, Jiang Ye thought Zhi Jun had failed this time. If a person isn't tired, no amount of催眠 would make them sleep.
However, after just five minutes, the young Black man's head swaying stopped.
He actually started to yawn.
The young Black man was clearly a little flustered. He had been full of energy just moments ago, but now he felt sleepy?
Jiang Ye patted his shoulder. "Buddy, don't fall asleep. Hold on. If you fall asleep, you lose the twenty thousand yuan."
The young Black man blinked. "Can I stand up?"
Jiang Ye thought for a moment. "Stand up, and it's twenty thousand. Sit and listen without sleeping, and it's fifty thousand."
The young Black man paused, abandoning the impulse to stand. Getting two and a half months' salary in half an hour made him feel a bit more energetic. He steadied himself and continued listening to the song.