Year 532 of the New Era, Jan. 1. It was the first day of the new year.
On the 50th floor of Silver Wing headquarters.
Pang Pusong was a little nervous. He had no idea how well he was doing. During the recording of the third movement, Fang Zhao was even stricter than before. He had been practicing every day for the past month. Sometimes, it would take him a week or two to perfect a single line. He had never heard the final product. All he could do was wait for the music video to be released.
It wasn't just Pang Pusong. The entire virtual idol department was nervous.
After the release of the second movement in November, they had worked overtime for more than a month. The second movement would determine whether they could succeed. The third movement would determine how far they could go.
After tasting the sweetness, they would put pressure on themselves without Fang Zhao having to say anything. When they were tired, they would relax in the game room and take a nap. When they woke up, they would rush back to work.
Silver Wing had set up a backup technical team to lend them a hand if they couldn't do it. So they didn't have to worry about funding, manpower, or salary. All they had to do was follow Fang Zhao's instructions and complete them. They didn't know how the final product would turn out. The only thing they could do was trust Fang Zhao, the project leader.
Zeng Huang had been woken up by his alarm. He didn't see Fang Zhao, so he asked Zu Wen, "Where's Big Zhao?"
"In the office," Zu Wen replied.
Zeng Huang looked around the studio. "Nobody went home yesterday?" he asked when he saw everyone was there.
"Nope. How could I sleep?" Zu Wen yawned. After washing his face, he returned to the studio and sat down with the others, waiting for 8 o'clock.
They didn't disturb Fang Zhao. They could tell that Fang Zhao was not in a good mood during the production of the third movement. Like an actor who was immersed in a scene, he needed time to disengage. A composer who was immersed in the music probably needed time to disengage.
So all Zeng Huang and Zu Wen could do was focus on what they were doing. They didn't want Fang Zhao to worry.
Over at the newcomer department, Chu Guang had been calm about Polar Light being first in line when he saw the month's promotional schedule.
In the last quarter of last year, he had been pushed down to fifth place on the New Pioneers Chart. Fortunately, the third movement had not been released in December. Otherwise, he would not have been able to keep his fifth place.
Now, after "Divine Punishment" and "Cocoon Breach," the third movement, "Mission," would be released on the public platform. He believed that the quality would not be bad. What puzzled Chu Guang, however, was that Neon Culture and Tongshan True Entertainment seemed to have no intention of continuing to compete with Polar Light. They were only pushing their two biggest stars, virtual idols Mi Yu and Andy Leo.
Were they giving up on the competition for the rookies?
In any case, it was a good thing for Chu Guang to have two less virtual idol competitors.
On the top floor of Silver Wing Media, Duan Qianji and a few other Silver Wing executives were watching the music video for the third movement on the conference room's video and sound system. Among them, only Duan Qianji had heard the third movement and watched the finished music video. The others were watching it for the first time.
Everyone at Silver Wing, whether they were singers, actors, technicians, or people in the logistics department, whether they were already at the office or on the way, was paying close attention to the 8 a.m. news.
Alone in his office, Fang Zhao shut the curtains to block out the sunlight and turned on the sound system. At 8 a.m., when the platform updated, the music video for the third movement would be played.
The third movement was different from the first two movements, which were restrained at first and then uplifted. From the start, the music video was backed up by an expanded orchestra, which gave it an epic feel.
In the music video, this was a period of true conflict. The image inherited the darkness of the second movement. The opening scene was a bleak blue. The sky was overcast, and lightning flashed through the thick clouds.
There were many figures running on the ground, and the rapid beating of the drums perfectly reflected the tense rhythm at the moment. Amidst the rapid beat of the drums, the familiar male voice led the chorus, blending symphonic and operatic techniques. Among them were some styles more acceptable to the people of the New Era, displaying a kind of primitive wildness and aggressiveness. As the image progressed, the intensity of the battle between the two became even more apparent.
Amidst the appalling danger, the surging momentum surged.
A figure leaped high into the air like an eagle piercing through the clouds. The tree branches were twisted into distinct lines of muscles. With just a glance, one could feel the terrifying explosive power contained within.
The descending figure kicked the side of the beast in front of him. His fist was like a polished boulder as it smashed down viciously on the beast's throat.
Amidst the exploding drum beat and the strange electronic music, it was as if one could hear the crisp sound of bones breaking.
This was not the sound of an instrument, but the sound of the image and music "hinting" to the human heart.
In the image, mud splashed in all directions along with blood and water. Some splashed on the treant's face and eyes. This made the people watching the image notice the treant's eyes.
They were a pair of murderous eyes, like a ferocious beast that had been startled awake from a deep slumber.
The people watching this scene felt as if a pair of hands had plucked at the nerves in their brains. Even their bones trembled. They even suspected that the ones going berserk were the ferocious Berserk Beasts or the Treants who were once at peace with the world.
This change was not limited to the figure at the front. Beside him and behind him, there were many other figures with the same murderous aura.
The variation of the expanded brass pipe made the melody played by the stringed instrument even more majestic and powerful. The violent and intense timpani represented an unyielding resistance.
Compared to the appearance of the treants in the first movement, one could see the difference in their bodies. From their appearance to their aura, they had undergone huge changes.
This was a true adaptation to the battlefield, to the state they were in.
They had chosen to become what they had been most unwilling to become in order to resist this cruel and absurd fate.
Just as Yanzhou viewers of the "100-Year Period of Destruction" series expected, the third movement was a theme of struggle.
The brass and woodwind variations with the characteristics of a march, and the violent rhythm alternated, as if the two sides were confronting each other and fighting each other. It was tense and intense, no weaker than the momentum of the previous two movements. The majestic image brought about a huge visual impact, perfectly combined with the music, which was an impact that reached directly to the soul.
Amidst the dark blue background, the transformed trees and the Berserk Berserk Beasts clashed fiercely.
Even though it was just a virtual image, it gave people a realistic, three-dimensional feeling. It gave people a sense of the vicissitudes of time.
The timidity of the transformed treants had long since been worn away by the repeated battles of life and death. In order to find a peaceful place, they were willing to give it their all.
From high mountains to grasslands, to basins, to hills, there was no paradise. Danger lurked everywhere.
However, in the third movement, there was no longer the compromising and dejection of the second movement.
From timidity, to resistance, to numbness to war and death. Along the way, some people left, and new companions joined. Finally, they found a relatively peaceful place: the polar regions.
The polar regions were cold and covered in snow. Many viruses and mutated organisms could not adapt to the climate here. Therefore, in this sick world, this was the last pure land.
There was no thick reddish-brown dust in the sky. Here, one could see the sun in the day, the stars that had not been seen in a long time, and the dreamlike, gorgeous aurora.
Like a temporary calm after the hustle and bustle, the music became calmer. The gentle intertwining of the flute and the sound of the zither relaxed the tense minds of the listeners. This was a description of a peaceful life.
In this polar region, the group of treants had a chance to rest. They did not have to worry about wild beasts with long fangs that could jump out at any time. Some of the young treants let out a relaxed smile. Although it was cold here, it was safer, right?
A running young treant smiled stiffly as it ran on the snow-covered ground. Just as it was about to slip, it was scooped up by a strong arm made of twigs and placed on a tall, broad shoulder.
The scene and the melody were warm and intoxicating.
Against such a backdrop, it seemed as if a stable and peaceful scene was about to unfold.
However, the people watching the video understood that the polar regions probably corresponded to a part of the Period of Destruction described in real history.
During the later stages of the Period of Destruction, there had been a Polar Summit. At that time, the 12 continents had not yet been divided. There had only been each war zone. Nearly 100 leaders and important leaders from each war zone had gathered in the polar regions to discuss an all-out war.
This temporary period of peace was not the end. It was the foreshadowing of a final outbreak.
The sound of the zither changed, like the contemplation of survivors after a violent storm.
Although this place was not absolutely safe, compared to the areas they had passed through, it was indeed peaceful. However, this place was also not suitable for their growth.
Most importantly, they were no longer satisfied with living in one place.
In the New Era, many books on the history of the Period of Destruction had records of the Polar Summit. No one knew who had said it, but it had been passed down.
"Why should we leave something that can end in our generation for the next generation? Since we have already come this far, what harm is there in fighting again? "
"Our generation has all become participants in the struggle, martyrs. But at least we have experienced a short period of peace. Those who were born in the Period of Destruction have never seen a peaceful world. They were born in blood and fire, but they should not only belong to war! "
The records of the Period of Destruction in history books were embellished, but they weren't made up randomly. Fang Zhao remembered that someone had indeed said something similar. Perhaps he himself had said it too.
Why should we no longer be able to live in the homeland that we once loved?
Why should we give up the world?
We are already very strong, aren't we?
In the video, a group of tree people stood on a snow-covered ground, looking up at the sky. The Polar Lights embellished by the stars were like a burning, flowing fire.
The percussion created layers of increasing intensity, as if to emphasize a certain kind of conviction.
The figure standing in front of the group of trees did not have the ruthlessness and craziness of a berserk beast in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of reluctance and nostalgia in his calm eyes, as if he was bidding farewell to an old photograph.
The Polar Lights in the sky gradually disappeared, and the sky began to brighten.
The figure in front of them did not linger any longer. He turned and left. His spine, which supported his entire body, was already riddled with scars. He could collapse from his injuries at any moment. Other than himself, no one knew what kind of burden he had to bear.
Many of the tree people in the group were in the same situation. However, as long as they were not too injured to walk or run, they all joined the group leaving.
In the middle of the group of trees, some figures were playing with the young treants. When they saw the group leaving, they lifted the young treants from their bodies, carefully placed them on the ground, and turned to leave.
One of the tree people gently placed a finger on the forehead of the young treant, preventing it from following them. Then, they got up and left, exchanging fist bumps with another tree person who was also leaving. They smiled wordlessly. They did not look back, because if they did, they might not have the courage to leave.
The Tiny Treant, who remained in place, looked at the figures leaving in confusion. It did not seem to understand. Weren't they already safe? As long as they stayed here and didn't go out, it would be fine. The outside world was so dangerous. Why did everyone still want to leave?
More and more figures walked out and joined the group leaving. Only the old and weak tree people who could not fight were left in the cold. Although the polar region was cold, it was the safest place at this time.
The orchestral ensemble with the premonition of battle, coupled with specific electro-acoustic instruments, once again created a tense atmosphere to match the chaotic and irrational fate. In that era that no one wanted to experience, cruel choices had to be made.
Looking down from the sky, the densely packed figures formed an endless wriggling brown ash. Against the background of the white snow, they advanced in the opposite direction from the polar region.
An intense horn sounded. With the powerful addition of the timpani, the sound intensity of the music also increased rapidly. With the low and powerful push of the bass and wind instruments, and the tight horn sound of four degrees up, the chorus advanced layer by layer with the music, like a team walking out of the polar region in the image. The greatly expanded brass pipe group showed the restrained madness and determination of this team!
This team contained limitless power and hope, as if they were about to carve out a higher and further path.
The chorus gradually intensified, and the image quickly crossed the polar region, over the mountains and hills.
There seemed to be a whooshing sound that sounded like the cold winter wind blowing past his ears. A greyish-brown silhouette stomped on the ground forcefully, leaped and dashed forward, and arrived in front of a Berserk Beast at lightning speed. His strong arm, which was made of twigs, was like a sharpened axe. He struck towards the Berserk Beast's sternum with an unbridled ferocity.
The three consecutive notes with a tendency were as violent as this extremely explosive blow, attacking one's eardrums one after another.
Now that they had nothing to worry about, the grayish-brown figures became even more reckless and frenzied when they attacked. The broken branches and the scattered wood splinters mixed with the blood of the Berserk Beasts.
Gusts of fierce wind blew past the brown and reddish-brown figures that were fighting each other, bringing up countless pieces of mud mixed with wood shavings and hairs' blood on the ground. It was as if one could smell the fresh and rich smell of blood and wood shavings in the air even through the projection.
The continuous roar of the timpani, the violent dissonance, the use of irregular accents, and the complex musical orchestration fused classical symphonies, New Age music, hymns, elegies, military marching music, electronic music, and many other styles. The momentum was like a volcano that had been dormant for millions of years suddenly erupting. The sound waves seemed like they were about to set off a tsunami that could drown the world!
The theme color of the image had gradually changed from an oppressive blue to a brilliant yellow, like the color of the sun piercing through the clouds, or more like the color of a burning flame. The overall brightness of the image was twice as bright as before the first movement. Furthermore, the brightness was still increasing!
When would a tree emit such a bright light?
When it burned.
The image came to an end with this soul-stirring symphony.
MV Main character: Polar Light
Species: Longxiang Tianluo
Song title: "100-Year Period of Destruction" Third Movement: "Mission"
Producer: Fang Zhao
Production team: Polar Light project team: Fang Zhao, Zu Wen, Song Miao, Pang Pusong, Zeng Huang, Wan Yue, Fu Yingtian, Stiller, Zhang Yu, etc.
Production company: Silver Wing Media.
...
Fang Zhao turned off all the video and audio equipment and drew the curtains. He did not look at the online reviews or the download count. Instead, he stood in front of the French window on the 50th floor and gazed out.
He recalled a conversation he had with a few old friends.
"What is mission?"
"Who knows? It's just that as we fought, I suddenly felt that this was the way to go."
Without experiencing it, no one knew what they would become.
People could become what they loathed, or they could become what they adored.
In that century of struggle against the heavens and fate, at first, it was for survival. But later, for various reasons, even though they knew that they might not be able to see the golden age that they were looking forward to, many people still volunteered to participate in the war that burned with their lives.
People were the true miracles of that dark period!
Fang Zhao himself had participated in the Polar Summit Conference, but he had ultimately died in a battle at the end of the all-out war. He had died at the end of the third movement, at the Qi'an warzone during the Period of Destruction. In other words, Qi'an City, the heart of Yanzhou, one of the 12 continents of the New Era.
"Goodbye, old friends."
— —
At the same time, in Leizhou, which was three hours apart from Yanzhou.
Eight in the morning in Yanzhou was the equivalent of 11 in the afternoon in Leizhou.
Today was the first day of the new year, and it was also the day of the highly anticipated dual-topic movie battle in Leizhou's entertainment circle. However, Wireless Media had said that their film, "God of War," would be screened on January 1 at 11 sharp.
This made many people curious. They rarely saw such a situation where the movie was screened at noon. Some people even guessed that this was a form of compromise.
However, to match the timing, "King of Snipers" had also been pushed back to 11 sharp.
Zaro's agent had been busy creating buzz for the past few days. He did not have high hopes for "God of War," but in order to recoup his losses, he had worked with his team to create buzz. The more people watching, the more they could recoup their losses.
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