A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

The night wind carried the moisture from the riverbank into the camp.

A few cheap raincoats were rustling loudly in the wind among the crowd.

Chen Lang stepped forward, the hem of his wide windbreaker billowing in the wind, just enough to block the chaotic flashes of light from his face.

Shen Qingci did not retreat to the armored vehicle.

She stood at the entrance to the maintenance area, her back straight, her feet perfectly planted, blocking the man in the black baseball cap's camera angle.

The man moved half a step to the left, and she lightly spun her heel and took a step to the side.

The phone camera only captured her and the wall of metal tools behind her.

The man lifted his eyelids and stared at them through the crowd.

Shen Qingci crossed his arms, pressed his notebook against his chest, raised his chin, and stood motionless in place.

The standoff lasted for a few seconds.

The man was the first to look away and start fiddling with his phone.

Chen Lang raised his right hand, his three well-defined fingers swaying in the night.

"Want to take photos? No problem, but let's make three things clear first."

His voice carried a hint of nonchalant laziness, yet it steadily drowned out the surrounding noise.

"Don't take pictures of other guests, don't block fire exits, and don't give away our parking spaces."

The boy in the yellow raincoat jerked his wrist and quickly pressed the phone he was holding up to his chest.

"Understood, we can't photograph other people's privacy."

Chen Lang gestured with his chin toward his screen.

"Your live stream still displays your real-time location."

The boy looked down, his fingers frantically tapping on the screen, hurriedly turning off location services.

"I didn't notice just now, it's off now."

"Someone has already taken a screenshot; it's too late to close it now."

The boy's mouth was open, his phone hanging down to his waist, the screen's light shining on his muddy trousers.

Chen Lang stopped pressing him, a smile appearing on his face, but his eyes darkened.

"I understand that you recognized this car and wanted to come and take a look."

"But we were followed for dozens of kilometers on the road. The other party changed their license plate and even installed a GPS tracker on the car."

"You've photographed all the parking spaces and exits, so people don't even need to scout the area."

The crowd outside the yellow line looked at each other in bewilderment, and several raised arms were lowered one after another, the screen going completely dark.

A girl turned her head and scanned the crowd with her eyes.

Who posted the campsite location in the group chat?

The crowd quieted down, with only the ground lights of the campsite reflected in the puddles after the rain.

The man in the black baseball cap was backing away.

His heels crossed the sensor line at the south gate, and half of his body disappeared into the shadows.

Shen Qingci pulled her phone out of her pocket, swiped her finger across the screen, and pointed the camera directly at the crowd.

"Since we're all here, let's take a group photo."

A soft "click" sounded.

The man's half-profile face, along with his turning motion, is frozen at the edge of the frame.

Without stopping, he carried the convenience store paper bag and disappeared into the night outside the camp without looking back.

Titan's mechanical voice cut into the communication frequency band in Shen Qingci's ears.

[Target facial features have been saved.]

Gait information has been saved.

Shen Qingci put away her phone, the screen resting against her palm.

"They've gone out."

Chen Lang opened his live stream account, and the holographic levitating ball rose into the air.

"Alright, let's say a few words then, so that everyone who needs to hear can understand clearly."

The live stream is now open.

The number of online users surged exponentially, and the comment section was filled with lines of text scrolling rapidly.

We've finally arrived in Fenghuang!

[Just got back from a cliff and already starting to stream again?]

Bro, take a rest for the night, don't overdo it!

Where do you park your car? I'll bring you some late-night snacks!

[Anyone going to Hongqiao tonight? Guys, gather around!]

"No late-night snacks, and don't bother looking around for where we're parked."

Chen Lang raised his hand to adjust the angle of the suspended ball.

The camera pans across the public rest area, cutting off the camp entrance and maintenance area from the frame.

"Everyone is alright, and the car is parked properly."

"We'll rest at the campsite tonight. Tomorrow, we'll follow the navigator's instructions regarding what time we get up and where we go."

Standing off-camera, Shen Qingci cleared her throat, and a soft cough came through the microphone.

Chen Lang turned his head to the side, a smile spreading across his face, and changed his words to the camera.

"Received the latest notification: I'll sleep in tomorrow. Whoever urges me in the comments will be responsible for buying the tickets."

[Understood, from now on I'll follow the navigator's instructions completely.]

Does the "Wandering God" still have a say at home?

[The foolish and incompetent are subject to the orders of the foolish and incompetent.]

Shen Qingci stepped forward, pressed her finger on the holographic control interface, and directly swiped to turn off the beauty filter.

"This one is closed too."

The skin tone on the screen is two shades darker.

The tiny wound on her forehead and the weariness under her eyes were exposed to millions of netizens without any attempt to conceal them, while her cool and aloof brows revealed a tenacious spirit of untamed growth.

The comments were scrolling wildly.

[It turns out that beauty filters were the last vestige of Lang Shen's stubbornness.]

[Does the navigator even control the beauty filter?]

Whoever sneaks into the ancient city tonight is a puppy.

Chen Lang stared at the last comment, his tongue licking his cheek.

"Okay, I'll remember you. Don't delete your account tomorrow."

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd.

The live stream lasted for three minutes.

After saying that, Chen Lang swiftly cut off the signal.

After the tourists lined up to take a group photo, Shi Mancang persuaded them one by one to return to their respective parking spaces.

Before leaving, the boy in the yellow raincoat deleted the live stream replay with location information and also withdrew the screenshots of parking spaces from the group chat.

"Lang Shen, I was being inconsiderate just now. I was only thinking about making the live stream lively."

"Take a closer look before going live in the future. Don't include other people's house numbers, license plates, and real-time locations in the camera."

"Okay, I've got it."

The passageway was empty again.

The night wind swirled and swept away the fallen leaves on the ground.

After locking up the equipment room, Shi Mancang handed over an emergency route map of Fenghuang District with his rough hands.

"My phone number is on the back, please keep it safe."

"There are many alleys in the old city. If someone blocks your way, don't try to squeeze in or force your way through. Just call me and I'll take you through the fire lane."

Chen Lang took the map; the edges of the paper were wrinkled.

"Thanks, Uncle Shi."

"You dared to go down the cliff to save three people, so what's a little night of guarding your car? Sleep soundly, I'll wake you if there's any noise."

Shi Mancang carried a flashlight, its beam sweeping towards the northwest corner, as footsteps faded into the distance.

The living quarters were illuminated by warm yellow overhead lights.

Shen Qingci tucked the emergency map into her notebook, the pages making a crisp rustling sound.

She stood by the footboard, her feet rooted to the spot, showing no intention of getting on the vehicle.

"Was the live stream just now specifically for those two people to hear?"

"Yes. It's true that I'm not going out tonight, but I didn't reveal a word about what time I'm leaving tomorrow."

Chen Lang had his hands in the pockets of his work pants.

"But he already knew we were going to Hongqiao."

"Did you hear someone shout 'Rainbow Bridge' just now?"

"Yes, I heard it too, the one in the hat heard it."

Shen Qingci turned to the Phoenix route page.

Rainbow Bridge, Dongzheng Street, and North Gate Wharf are marked with black ink on the same tourist route.

She pulled out the pen cap, pressed the pen tip against the paper, and with a forceful stroke, erased the original path completely.

"Take a different route tomorrow."

Chen Lang leaned against the car door, the black titanium steel earring in his left ear gleaming dimly.

"Where does Manager Shen plan to leave?"

"It's uncertain yet."

She closed the notebook, patting the cover in her palm.

"If he wants to wait at Rainbow Bridge, then let him wait. Once Titan finds out his identity, we'll decide where to go next."

Chen Lang stepped aside to make way for the pedal and gestured for him to proceed.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Shen Qingci stepped onto the platform, took two steps, then turned around and looked down at him.

"There's one more thing. No one is allowed to go out by themselves tonight."

"Can't Uncle Shi even contact me?"

"Wake me up first."

"Can I go to the duty room to pick up some takeout?"

"No takeout tonight."

"Shall we go out and buy a bottle of water?"

"It's in the car."

Chen Lang raised his head, his gaze passing over the roof of the car and looking up at the misty night sky.

"Can I go out and look at the moon?"

Shen Qingci didn't answer, her dark eyes staring straight at him, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye standing out clearly under the light.

Chen Lang raised his hands, knuckles against the edge of the car door, and smiled in a surrendering manner.

"Okay, got it. I won't get off the bus tonight, I'll just go to sleep."

The armored door slammed shut, completely shutting out the chill of the autumn night.

Ten minutes later.

The perimeter monitoring alarm shattered the tranquility inside the carriage.

[The area outside the South Gate has been marked.]

The surveillance footage from the duty room is simultaneously projected onto the holographic screen in the living quarters.

The man in the black baseball cap returned to the camp.

He stopped outside the fence, three steps away from the gate.

He was still carrying the convenience store paper bag in his right hand, the bottom of which was blown open by the wind, revealing half of a map of the ancient city.

He scanned the maintenance area back and forth, looked up at the camera above the south gate, and paced back and forth along the riverbank road twice.

At the forty-seventh second, he turned and left, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the street corner.

Titan captures the image and zooms in on the bottom of the paper bag to full screen.

The map has three bright red circles drawn on it.

Rainbow Bridge.

Dongzheng Street.

North Gate Wharf.

Shen Qingci opened the notebook.

The three red circles perfectly matched her original planned route, and the order of the visits was exactly the same.

Her hand holding the pen hovered in mid-air, her breath caught in her throat, and the ebony prayer beads on the inside of her wrist pressed tightly against the edge of the book.

"My journal has always been in the car; no one has taken it."

Chen Lang pulled up all the external video footage from the service area, the landslide section, and the viewing platform from the afternoon and played it at double speed.

"No one touched it in the video."

"That means someone filmed the travel guide I made."

The only sound in the carriage was the low hum of the main unit running.

Titan continued to conduct in-depth analysis of the surveillance footage.

On the back of the guide map in the man's hand, a line of printed numbers was clearly visible.

That's a new version of the map that the official visitor center released this evening.

A photograph was pressed down at the bottom corner of the paper.

In the photo, Shen Qingci is sitting by the window of the living cabin, looking down and flipping through her notebook.

The camera is shot from a high vantage point, with a distinct overhead angle.

Chen Lang froze the image, then drew a straight red guide line on the holographic screen with his finger, extending it outwards along the shooting angle.

East side of the camp.

The opposite bank of the river embankment.

That six-story guesthouse that was closed for maintenance.

Titan cuts out long-range night vision surveillance.

The top floor of the guesthouse was pitch black.

In the darkness, a telephoto lens was pulled back from behind the window, and the heavy curtains followed, blocking out the last bit of reflection.

[A second surveillance target has been detected.]

The other party has already obtained Ms. Shen's original tour itinerary.

The target is still observing this vehicle.

Shen Qingci slammed the notebook shut and threw the pen into the drawer.

"They've already made arrangements for us to enter the ancient city tomorrow."

Chen Lang raised his hand and pressed the control panel, turning off the overhead light in the living quarters.

Darkness enveloped the surroundings.

Only the faint blue light from the central control screen illuminated their faces, making Chen Lang's smile appear sharp and sinister.

"Then let them wait."