Chapter 32: The News Broadcast, Netizens Are Stunned!

He Xingzhou’s latest video was not well-received, primarily because most viewers assumed he was bluffing. As a result, he lost quite a few followers.

The video editors at the website quickly sent him private messages: "Big brother, please don't play around like this. You finally gained some followers, and now they're all leaving. People are even reporting your video for being fake and just doing it for attention."

He Xingzhou replied, "Don't worry, the video is real."

Xiao Mu felt like crying. He had finally discovered a creator with the potential to become a top-tier influencer, only to see him start sabotaging his own career so quickly.

During his overtime that night, Xiao Mu felt depressed.

"What's wrong?" his colleagues asked. "You've looked unhappy all day."

Xiao Mu sighed helplessly, "Don't even ask. You know that creator, He Xingzhou?"

"Oh, yeah!" his colleagues still remembered his livestream about building a miniature nuclear fission reactor. "He's been the fastest-growing creator lately. The editor-in-chief even mentioned him in the meeting as someone to keep an eye on."

Xiao Mu said, "He posted a video today claiming he's going to build an electromagnetic levitation car. That would be one thing, but he also claimed he’s already invented a metal-air battery with twenty times the performance of a standard lithium battery!"

"Twenty times? Is he joking? If he had a battery that incredible, why would he even be making videos?" his colleagues retorted.

"Exactly. If he were just a prank channel, it wouldn't matter. But his brand is a 'hardcore tech' creator. His whole persona is going to collapse!" Xiao Mu lamented. "I finally found a creator with potential, and with this stunt, he's going to ruin himself."

As they were talking, a colleague nearby asked, "What are you guys talking about? That battery in the news? I think it’s amazing! If that battery goes into mass production, the range of electric vehicles will increase twenty-fold. I’m definitely buying an EV after this!"

"What news? What battery?" Xiao Mu and his colleague asked in unison, staring at him.

"The news, of course," the colleague said, reading from his phone. "It just popped up on my feed. The Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Battery Research Institute has announced that, under the leadership of our scientists He Xingzhou and Yu Xing, the research team has successfully developed a commercially viable metal-air battery."

"The battery achieves twenty times the energy density of current power batteries and has overcome international bottlenecks regarding electrode materials, safety, and cycle life."

"What?" The video editors were stunned.

They were just talking about it, and the news confirmed it?

"Is it real? Let me see!" Xiao Mu hurriedly grabbed the phone to check the news.

Sure enough, it was being reported everywhere.

"Holy crap, it’s actually true!" one editor exclaimed.

"Look at the source—it’s reported by the national television station!"

"Not just them, Xinhua News Agency reported it, and so did the People's Daily!"

"There's even a video here; the *News Broadcast* just aired it too!"

"??？！"

Seeing the news, the expressions of the video editors shifted instantly from suspicion to sheer shock.

"If I remember correctly, that creator you were talking about earlier is named He Xingzhou, right?" a colleague asked Xiao Mu.

"I... I think so!" Xiao Mu’s mind went blank.

"My god, man!" his colleagues shouted. "You’ve struck gold! This creator is a total genius!"

"National news coverage, an official announcement from the Academy of Sciences with his name on it! It’s trending everywhere—Weibo, Zhihu—it’s all over the place!"

"He’s absolutely legendary!"

After a long pause, Xiao Mu muttered, "I actually wanted to tell him to edit his video. After all that, the clown was me."

He quickly sent a message to He Xingzhou: "Big boss, I saw the news! I was wrong, you’re incredible! I’m contacting operations right now to set you up with all the web and app recommendations, top-tier placement, the full package! (Emoji: kowtowing to the master)"

He Xingzhou saw the message and replied, "Stay calm, this is only the beginning."

It wasn't just Xiao Mu who saw the news; the fans who had watched He Xingzhou's video also received the notifications.

Some returned to the comment section, and this time, their tone was completely different.

"I’ve been slapped in the face, hard! Just saw the news, it’s actually real! The battery in the video was really invented by him!"

"6666! Coming here to worship the master!"

"Where are those people who said he was faking it? Look, the national news aired it, and the Academy of Sciences officially announced it!"

"What kind of monster did I just follow? This creator is too godly!"

"Love it, love it! Better hit that follow button!"

Those who had previously questioned He Xingzhou rushed to post statements: "Everyone, stop yelling at me, I apologize. I truly didn't know the creator was this powerful! I take back what I said. I have only one thing to say now: He Xingzhou is a legend!"

Others were re-watching the video, leaving bullet-screen comments to warn new viewers: "You might think the creator is bluffing, but once you finish watching, you'll realize he's the real deal!"

"The number one hardcore creator on the entire web, I’m obsessed!"

"I’m suddenly very excited to see him build that electromagnetic levitation car!"

He Xingzhou’s video went viral rapidly, and under every major news post, netizens left comments full of praise.

However, while most ordinary people didn't fully grasp the implications of such a leap in battery technology—knowing only that their future batteries might last longer—the relevant industries were going wild.

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the leading company in China’s battery industry with a market value exceeding 800 billion, was a giant. They were suppliers for Apple, BMW, Toyota, Tesla, and many other famous companies.

The moment the report appeared, the company was in a frenzy.

"Forwarding link: [China independently develops commercially viable metal-air battery...]"

"Everyone, big news! This new technology has suddenly arrived! The battery industry is about to change forever!"

"It’s terrifying. If it wasn't an announcement from the Academy of Sciences, I wouldn't believe it. This technology is at least twenty years ahead of us!"

"Contact the research team immediately. We must secure the licensing for this technology, or we’ll be obsolete!"

"I’ll go myself!" said the company’s founder and president, Cao Wang. He had come from a research background and had connections in the field.

How could he not be concerned when such a leap in technology hit the industry?

Other battery companies were also frantically gathering information, and the entire sector was in an uproar.

BYD Auto, a famous domestic Chinese car manufacturer and the world’s second-largest producer of rechargeable batteries, was also shaken.

At the headquarters, it was already 7:30 PM. The executives should have been off work, but because of this news, they convened an emergency meeting.

"This is huge. A metal-air battery has actually been developed, and they specifically noted it's commercially viable!" one executive said. "Doesn't this signal that the era of electric vehicles is truly arriving?"

"Indeed!" the executives at the meeting were stirred with excitement. "With a battery like this, the range and power of electric vehicles will no longer be an issue; they might even surpass gasoline cars!"

"Surely our competitors have received the news. We must contact the research team immediately. Who has the channels?"

"The news mentioned two people: He Xingzhou and Yu Xing. We can find information on Yu Xing; he’s an expert at the Academy of Sciences’ Battery Technology Research Institute. We can’t get through to his phone for now, and we haven’t received a reply from the Institute yet."

"And what about the other one, He Xingzhou? Does anyone know who this big shot is?" a vice president asked.