Chapter 11: Three Million New Followers!

Last night, Zhang Xuan’s sudden surge in popularity had not yet truly broken into the mainstream. Although his livestream peaked at 150,000 concurrent viewers with over a million total views, there are over a billion internet users in the country. A million may seem like a large number, but in the grand scheme of a billion, it is merely a drop in the ocean.

Of course, if given enough time to ferment, and barring any unforeseen events, the incident of Zhang Xuan encountering tomb raiders while appraising antiques would likely sweep across the internet. Furthermore, because of his eccentric guidance to the tomb raiders during the stream, the topic was destined to remain a point of discussion.

Overnight, his account gained over a million followers, and the growth rate was only accelerating. Many of the new followers had only seen reports from media outlets without actually watching the stream. Yet, that was enough to make them rush to follow him, one after another. The reason was simple: they were afraid that if they followed too late, they would miss out on future livestreams.

It was no joke! He was livestreaming instructions to tomb raiders, and not just any tomb—the royal mausoleum of King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty! This was dancing on the edge of a blade. One slight misstep, and he would be finished. Getting the stream banned would be the least of his worries; he could easily end up in a police station in handcuffs.

However, there was one thing that reassured his fans: this guy was incredibly slick. Even though he was essentially acting as a consultant for tomb raiders, his lips were constantly filled with talk about protecting national treasures. Coupled with his conflicted and helpless performance, he truly made it seem as though he was forced into this situation.

And sure enough, following a special feature report by the state television station at noon, Zhang Xuan, who was already trending, officially broke into the mainstream. People might not watch much television anymore, but that was state television! Its influence and reach were simply incomparable to online media. Most importantly, the stance taken by state television represented the attitude of the relevant upper-level authorities. Not only was Zhang Xuan not held accountable, but he was also established as a model for internet content creators.

In a single afternoon, his follower count surpassed three million. It was terrifyingly fast. The platform pushed his stream aggressively, and independent media outlets reposted his content like mad.

A viral post with more likes than the background itself was spreading across the internet:

"Oh my god, can anyone relate?"
"This streamer is absolutely absurd!"
"I asked you to help with an appraisal, not to help with tomb raiding!"
"Here is the story: it started when a small antique appraisal blogger was doing his daily stream and encountered a 'second-generation tomb raider' who brought a strange bell for appraisal."
"The blogger instantly recognized the inscriptions on the bell as belonging to a Zhou Dynasty king and told the raider that there must be a Western Zhou tomb nearby."
"The blogger thought the matter ended there."
"But to his surprise, the very next day, the blogger received another connection request from the same raider."
"The raider sent a high-value gift immediately and begged for help. It turned out that after finding out there was a Zhou tomb, he had taken his 'Third Uncle' there overnight, only to get trapped in a cave filled with corpses."
"And it gets even more ridiculous."
"Driven by a spirit of saving lives, the blogger helped the raider escape the cave."
"He thought that was the end of it."
"But unexpectedly, on the third day, the blogger received another request from the same raider."
"The blogger realized the raider had successfully located the actual tomb of the Zhou king."
"The blogger was left completely stunned."
"Of course, it didn't stop there."
"The most absurd part came next."
"The blogger wanted to hang up, but realized the raider, his uncle, and a few others were too stupid and incredibly savage, carrying detonators with them."
"Fearing the artifacts would be destroyed, the blogger was forced to act as their guide."
"By some stroke of luck, he actually guided them to the Gong coffin of the Zhou king!"
"After helping them escape, they even found a Warring States tomb!"
"The blogger was speechless; now the raiders are trapped in that Warring States tomb, their fate unknown."
"Just when fans were worried that the blogger would get banned or invited for 'tea' by the authorities, something even more outrageous happened!"
"State television actually aired a special report at noon, praising the blogger by name!"
"I ask you, is there anything more absurd than this this year?"

The comment section acted as a portal, flooding Zhang Xuan with new fans.

"Brother Xuan is the GOAT: I spent all night watching the stream. Honestly, it was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen. Brother Xuan was like a cheat code; the raiders were about to worship him as their founding master. Later, when he had a voice chat with a 'zongzi' (undead creature), the chat room exploded. I chose to watch the stream instead of going to the hotel room my girlfriend had booked!" (500k likes)

"Brother Xuan’s Little Fanboy: That creature last night scared the hell out of me. The raiders almost knelt to kowtow to Brother Xuan. One of them even said Brother Xuan belongs to some mysterious secret family. 6666!" (200k likes)

"Pangolin: My grandfather was a tomb raider who got a twenty-year sentence. I showed him the recording yesterday, and he said the young man talking was more skilled than the head of his old gang. P.S. That head was executed over twenty years ago!" (300k likes)

"Whoosh."

Zhang Xuan walked out of the bathroom, holding his phone.

"Nearly 3.5 million followers. Growing so fast. I guess I’m a big streamer now, heh!"

It was 5:00 PM, and he was scheduled to go live at 6:00 PM. The villa was all set up, and the studio was on the second floor. With his current heat and follower base, getting over 100,000 viewers for tonight's stream wouldn't be difficult. But maintaining that number would be the real challenge. Internet popularity is as fickle as a child's temperament; it can change in an instant. Zhang Xuan was very clear on this. To stay on top, he needed to provide constant highlights.

Furthermore, popularity was only one aspect; the rewards were what mattered most. The treasures that granted him truly extraordinary rewards were all hidden in ancient tombs. Take the Qilin blood, for example—it turned him from a weak, shut-in nerd into a super-expert who could take on ten people at once. That was the real prize.

He walked into the room, tapped his fingers on the desk, and after a long moment of contemplation, sighed. "At the end of the day, I still have to rely on tomb raiders."

"If more raiders connect, I can maintain the momentum, and even while sitting at home, I can get a glimpse of the world's hidden treasures."

He blinked. The current situation was very favorable for him. Especially with the state television report, it was effectively an official endorsement. Even if someone wanted to cause him trouble, they would have to weigh whether they had the power to go against state television. As someone who had lived two lives, his experience told him that a report from state television actually represented the attitude of certain high-level departments.

But he didn't intend to accept this official endorsement. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. The authorities certainly had their reasons for supporting him. Though he didn't know who they were or what their intentions were, he understood that if he accepted this official stamp of approval, he would become a pawn in someone else's game. And what good could come from being a pawn?

Let whoever wants that role take it! He wasn't interested. Trying to tempt him with money or status? No chance.

He shrugged. With the system, even if he couldn't stream anymore, he could still make a fortune appraising items at auctions. What was there to be afraid of?