Chapter 9: Why Is Mom Asking Why I'm Watching the Livestream on My Knees?

At this moment, the number of viewers in He Xingzhou’s livestream had surged from the initial one thousand to over one hundred thousand, with popularity rankings showing hundreds of thousands of hits. Among all streamers, he was now considered a highly popular creator. The chat in his livestream was absolutely exploding.

"6666!"
"The streamer is a legend, the most hardcore content creator on the entire internet!"
"My mom is asking why I’m kneeling while watching this stream?"
"Self-made nuclear reactor—did you learn how to do it? I certainly didn't!"
"Watching your stream made me jump off the couch in excitement, only to realize I can’t even build a model aircraft."
"Followed! I have a feeling this streamer is destined for greatness!"

Some were even sending virtual gifts, but He Xingzhou had no time to spare for the chat, as the micro-nuclear fuel for the reactor had been exhausted. It was visible that the generator had stopped spinning, and the electrical output had ceased.

"Radiation levels are dropping." The radiation detector indicated that the intensity was falling rapidly, though it remained significantly higher than the ambient environment. Given that a nuclear fission reaction had occurred, residual radiation remained. Fortunately, they were in a nuclear physics laboratory, where specialized equipment and personnel would handle the environmental cleanup.

"My experiment has been successfully completed. Next, I will be conducting tests on the reaction byproducts. That concludes today’s livestream. Thank you all for watching. Feel free to follow my account, as I will be revealing more scientific experiments and inventions in the future." As soon as He Xingzhou finished his sentence, his follower count on Bilibili began to skyrocket, more than doubling from the initial one hundred thousand in an instant.

This was just within a minute, and the numbers continued to rise. Furthermore, these livestream clips would be edited into educational videos and kept on the platform for continued viewing.

In the large lecture hall, upon hearing that the experiment was a success, Zhang Boyan was the first to start applauding. Professors like Dong Chen and Cai Hao followed suit, and the students clapped so hard their hands stung. At this moment, in their eyes, He Xingzhou was their idol.

The stream ended, but He Xingzhou still needed to clean up the experimental residue. He paid special attention to the mutated black sea bream nearby. These three fish had been kept without any protection, very close to the reactor, and were directly exposed to radiation when the fission reaction occurred. They seemed even more active than before, swimming incessantly in the tank.

A technician in the laboratory reminded him, "These fish have been exposed to radiation; you absolutely must not eat them. Even if they die, they must be disposed of as hazardous waste."

"I know, these are strictly for experimental purposes," He Xingzhou nodded.

With the experiment over, there was still a mountain of paperwork to do, such as writing the experimental report. Meanwhile, news of He Xingzhou’s livestreamed nuclear reactor build had been picked up by online media outlets, which began reporting on the event.

Penguin News: "College student builds a nuclear reactor; download Penguin Video to watch!"
Weibo Trending: "#A college student live-builds a nuclear reactor and successfully generates electricity#."
UC News: "A student actually did this in front of the entire school; teachers and students are stunned!"
Zhihu: "How should we view the incident of a Beijing University of Science and Technology student building a home-made nuclear reactor?"

Beyond text-based media, various video news outlets were also reporting on and reposting the event. Some skeptics questioned: "This is just for clout; it didn't look like much in the video!" "Media just likes to blow things out of proportion; if he’s so smart, why isn't he designing a nuke?"

However, the official website of the Beijing University of Science and Technology released a statement: "This student is the first in our school's history to build a self-made nuclear reactor. The experimental completion is of a very high standard. Unlike 'entertainment-grade' reactors, this is a nuclear fission reactor with genuine commercial potential."

Netizens commented: "Who builds a nuclear reactor for entertainment anyway!"
"Exactly, we don't even have the skills for that!"
"Isn't it just a nuclear reactor? As long as you have the guts..."
"The guy is a genius!"

The China Youth Organization even specially reposted the news, commenting: "Exploring science with rigor and seriousness, possessing ideas, wisdom, and the drive to act! This is the true spirit of our nation's college students and youth! A salute to student He Xingzhou!"

He Xingzhou went from being a campus figure to a national internet sensation. The final video reached over a million views. As a result, whenever He Xingzhou walked on campus, people would stop him to ask, "Are you He Xingzhou?"

"Are you He Xingzhou?" Two vibrant, pretty underclassmen approached him curiously as he was heading back to his dormitory.
"I am," He Xingzhou replied, having grown accustomed to this situation.
"Ah! It really is you! Senior, you’re so amazing. Can we take a photo?" the two girls asked excitedly.

"Alright," He Xingzhou didn't refuse.

The two were overjoyed to take a photo with him and even asked for his WeChat contact information. This scene left his three roommates green with envy, and they kept talking about it all the way back to the dorm.

"That is just too awesome! I’ve never had a girl ask for my contact info in my entire life!" Zhang Yang said enviously.
"Old He is a celebrity now, hehe. I added a freshman girl on WeChat yesterday; I told her I’m Old He’s roommate and even participated in the nuclear experiment. That girl treats me like a hero now!" Wang Jiahao boasted proudly.
"You animal!" Feng Tao shouted.

"I’ve decided: from now on, I’m sticking with Old He. Based on my years of experience, Old He is definitely the one with the most potential in our dorm!" Wang Jiahao said dramatically. "He Xingzhou, from now on you are my big brother—when you strike it rich, don't forget about us!"
"When you strike it rich, don't forget about us!" the other two chimed in.

He Xingzhou smiled and said, "We’re brothers, no need to be so formal. As for the future, a lot of unusual things might happen. We’ve been classmates for years; if you ever run into trouble, feel free to come to me."

"So touching!" Wang Jiahao said, "But that sounded a bit ominous—do you have something on your mind?"

He Xingzhou just smiled without answering. If he told them about the Zerg now, they wouldn't believe him anyway. But he himself had begun to trust the judgment of the quantum light-brain, as the three mutated black sea bream had shown a significant acceleration in their mutation rate since being exposed to the nuclear radiation.

Their size had doubled again, and the dorm could no longer house them. He Xingzhou had to hand them over to the biology department's research group for mutated organisms, where they were currently being kept in a bio-lab. Recently, He Xingzhou had been analyzing their genes daily. A specific, peculiar gene had begun to dominate the fish's physiology, causing them to exhibit unique traits.

He Xingzhou believed that this was the Zerg gene.

He was currently drafting a biological experimental report, which would include simulations of the mutation and evolution of these Zerg genes. He believed that once this report was released, it would surely shock the nation! Compared to that, the micro-nuclear reactor experiment was merely a trivial matter.