Chapter 9: The Tremendous Butterfly Effect

Bloody scenes spread out from the livestream, impossible to stop.

Originally, Qin Hao had wanted to use Zihui’s arrangements to join this small concert, hunt alien creatures, and let the world see him—earning hero points in the process.

But it seemed now that he’d lost that opportunity.

Still, he searched for the female group leader.

While the internet was still functioning, the best way to learn about a female celebrity was to check her social media. Qin Hao found her account and, at first glance at her homepage, raised his eyebrows slightly.

"[Zihui]: Thank you to this hero. If it weren’t for him, perhaps the others on the sidewalk would have faced disaster. I hope that one day, I too can become a hero like this. [Shared video]"

The video she’d shared was the one of Qin Hao stopping the car with his bare hands.

Zihui was addressing Qin Hao, though he was not present.

What shocked Qin Hao more was that the comment count under this post had already reached 2.2 million, and was still rising.

How was this possible?

Even though Qin Hao didn’t follow celebrities, he knew that an idol like Zihui had influence, but not to this terrifying extent. A single post—especially a shared video—could, at most, garner thirty or forty thousand comments. That was already the mark of a top star.

He opened the comment section and soon realized what was happening.

"Zihui, you’re already a great hero."

Qin Hao returned to the platform’s trending topics and saw the top headline.

"[Zihui saves a life]"

He clicked in and found a media report.

"[Today at 9 a.m., Zihui went to the city’s central hospital to visit a fan injured in a car accident, donated 300,000 yuan in her own name to wish for the fan’s recovery. Shortly after, a patient at the hospital attempted to jump from the rooftop. Disregarding her own safety, Zihui heroically intervened, creating a heart-stopping scene. [Video]]"

Qin Hao quickly played the video.

The footage was shot from below. A woman stood hesitantly on the rooftop, looking back and speaking to someone. Suddenly, she leapt.

At that moment, another figure appeared above, grabbing her arm.

That person was Zihui.

Not only that—Zihui was nearly dragged off herself, but managed to hang on, one hand gripping the would-be jumper, the other hooking onto the rooftop wall.

The danger of the moment sent screams through those filming and those nearby.

Soon, others rushed to help, pulling Zihui up.

The whole event lasted barely two minutes, incredibly swift—and by then, the fire department hadn’t even arrived.

Qin Hao replayed the video, scrutinizing her movements, then took a deep breath.

A formidable woman.

She was ruthless—remarkably so.

Sometimes, the power of celebrity was frightening. Zihui had merely done a good deed, and it was magnified endlessly. In Qin Hao’s eyes, Zihui in the video had likely already undergone Star Energy Tempering, which explained how easily she caught the suicidal woman.

But after a pause, she pretended to be dragged down, then hooked herself onto the rooftop with one hand.

For someone entirely untrained, and only twenty-one years old, Zihui had risked her life to achieve her goal.

Qin Hao could imagine that the hero points she’d earned now were no less than his own—perhaps even far surpassing them.

After all, celebrities naturally commanded attention, and Zihui appeared to have bought a trending spot for herself.

All of this was far beyond Qin Hao’s expectations.

"Butterfly effect," he murmured.

After reversing time, Qin Hao had been inspired by Zihui, leading him to stage the "barehanded car stop" event, causing a sensation and earning an enormous number of hero points.

Subsequently, Zihui saw Qin Hao’s video, recognized his uniqueness, and was inspired to donate money to generate buzz.

By chance, she encountered the woman on the rooftop and orchestrated a dramatic rescue.

It was hard to say who had helped whom.

But Qin Hao was certain that Zihui’s fate had already been rewritten.

Now, he hesitated—should he contact Zihui? She was already someone with a tremendous advantage at the dawn of the apocalypse.

If she died, all those hero points would be wasted.

As he considered this, he opened Zihui’s profile and found she had posted something new—a long message.

Qin Hao read swiftly.

Zihui reported her safety, comforted her fans, and at the same time announced the explosive news that she would withdraw from the entertainment industry after hosting one last concert.

"Tomorrow evening at six, the final concert—don’t miss it!"

What was meant to happen, happened after all.

Zihui was still going to hold the concert.

Perhaps she intended to carry out that wild plan which existed in Qin Hao’s memories.

This time, Qin Hao would make sure to claim his share.

"Book me a flight to the Magic City, and get me a ticket to the concert," Qin Hao said, pointing at his phone.

"Mr. Qin, I’ll arrange it right now. If you like this celebrity, I can even arrange for you to sleep with her," came the reply.

Qin Hao shook his head. "I couldn’t afford it."

Zihui was no longer an obscure, shelved star.

She had become a superhero. If she survived this crisis, she would be one of the top powerhouses of the apocalypse’s early days.

...

At 1 a.m., Qin Hao arrived in the Magic City. Lei Yunzhou accompanied him, and together they checked into a five-star hotel. They paid an exorbitant price to a scalper for a concert ticket.

An Shiyue did not come.

Even Lei Yunzhou—Qin Hao had no intention of letting him attend the concert, warning him sternly to stay away.

This concert was indeed much larger in scale than Qin Hao remembered.

After all, Zihui had become a hero!

Even after just a day, her status in the entertainment world had soared. Countless people rushed to spread her news, investors waved their money, and sponsors offered sky-high sums.

If the city’s stadium had not been booked for a sporting event that day, the concert might have sold over ten thousand tickets.

In the end, only a thousand tickets were released. The event was held in a music hall and broadcast live online.

At 5:30 p.m., Qin Hao entered with throngs of fans.

Unlike the others, brimming with excitement, Qin Hao paid more attention to the surroundings.

The venue was spacious, cameras everywhere, some even suspended overhead.

The livestream would have a director switching between feeds, with different stage shots for viewers to choose from.

All of this was undoubtedly at Zihui’s request.

Amid the clamor, the concert began.

Zihui appeared on stage.

She opened with a fiery, dynamic song, igniting the atmosphere.

Her dance was powerful, and as this was her farewell to the stage, she performed with exceptional dedication, showcasing her immense strength.

Only Qin Hao knew that Zihui’s physical condition was now far beyond that of ordinary people.