Chapter 6: The Hardcore Content Creator Goes Online

In the video, He Xingzhou was in the middle of modifying a pressure cooker.

As he worked, he provided commentary: "We are now performing some necessary modifications on a stainless steel pressure cooker (referred to as Pressure Cooker 1). I’m drilling several holes in the lid to insert the control rods." He continued, "Next, we use two plastic tubes to connect the pressure cooker to a radiator, forming a closed loop, and install a small water pump on the outlet pipe. Note that this constitutes the cooling system."

He narrated as he operated. Although Xiao Mu didn’t fully understand the technical details, he couldn't help but feel that what he was witnessing was profoundly impressive.

He Xingzhou continued: "Next, we place the radiator into the center of a second pressure cooker (Pressure Cooker 2) and secure it. We then use two more plastic tubes: one to connect the pressure cooker to the tap water supply, and the other to connect the pressure cooker to an electric fan, with the end pointed at the blades. And with that, this micro-nuclear reactor is complete."

"We still need to install a motor and an electrical monitoring device to observe the energy output of the reactor. Given that the amount of nuclear fuel is too small, I am using the laboratory's power storage unit as a monitoring instrument."

Xiao Mu had understood every word, yet as He Xingzhou performed the actions, he was completely lost. All he saw were two pressure cookers undergoing constant transformation under He Xingzhou's hands. By the end of the video, they had turned into what looked like a rather sophisticated piece of experimental equipment!

"That’s it for this episode. In the next one, we will build a simple radiation protection system, extract the nuclear fuel rods, and conduct a micro-nuclear fission reaction." The video ended there.

After watching the entire process, a thought suddenly struck Xiao Mu: could this video actually be real?

Was this content creator really building a nuclear reactor? Was it not just clickbait?

"Ant, come look at this. Is this for real?" Xiao Mu called his colleague over.

His colleague watched both episodes at double speed. With a look of amazement, he said, "Listening to his explanations, it doesn't feel like he's joking!"

"He seems to be actually building a nuclear reactor! How does such a genius exist?"

Both video moderation editors were stunned. As editors, they didn't know how many videos they watched every day; what hadn't they seen? But seeing someone provide a tutorial on building a nuclear reactor online was a first in their lives.

Ant immediately said, "It looks like there are three parts to his series. The third part should be the nuclear fission experiment! This creator is amazing. I have a hunch that if his experiment succeeds, he's going to go viral!"

"Agreed, that’s what I think too," Xiao Mu replied, deeply convinced. "Even if his experiment fails, it will likely get plenty of views. I’ll give him a small site promotion first to see how it performs."

He immediately arranged a small promotional spot for He Xingzhou’s video on the website, giving users a chance to see it while browsing.

As one of the most popular video platforms on the internet, Bilibili was a place where many users loved to browse for entertainment and leisure.

In the science and technology knowledge channel, He Xingzhou's video was placed in a new video showcase area.

His title was very eye-catching: "College Student Builds Nuclear Reactor at Home."

Soon, someone noticed the video. A user named "Red Comet" was a veteran tech enthusiast.

He browsed the videos in this section every day, but having seen so much, he was tired of the videos from the top-tier creators with millions of followers. He preferred to watch content from newcomers.

He Xingzhou’s video caught his eye. "A college student, and he's building a nuclear reactor at home? Why don't you just fly to the moon while you're at it?"

Seeing the title, Red Comet’s first reaction was that it was clickbait; this guy was definitely chasing views.

"This kind of clickbait is so annoying! The evils of self-media have invaded Bilibili. I’ll leave a scathing comment first!" Red Comet opened the video for no other reason than to roast the creator.

As a principled troll, Red Comet wouldn't just flame without cause; he would watch first, then roast.

But after watching for only a minute, his brow gradually furrowed.

This video blogger actually seemed to know his stuff!

When he saw him extract americium, Red Comet was stunned. "The creator might actually be serious!"

After finishing the first video, Red Comet clicked on the second one without hesitation. Seeing He Xingzhou use everyday household items to create a micro-nuclear reactor vessel, he was truly shocked!

Red Comet himself was a researcher and had some understanding of nuclear physics. He could vouch with his own knowledge that everything He Xingzhou said was true; his experimental logic and process were meticulous, with no apparent loopholes.

"He really is building a nuclear reactor!" Red Comet couldn't help but exclaim. "Where's the third part? It hasn't been updated yet!"

"A college student is actually building a nuclear reactor? What was I doing in college? Playing games, dating, and cramming for exams?"

"I have to hand it to him; at the very least, I definitely couldn't do this!"

Red Comet had originally intended to "roast" him, but when he went to post his comment, he wrote: "Finished both videos. I thought it was clickbait, but it turns out to be real! The creator is incredible. Looking forward to the next episode!"

He even went out of his way to like and tip the video to show his support.

Red Comet was just one of many people watching He Xingzhou’s video simultaneously. Other users had discovered it as well.

Just like Red Comet, everyone initially thought it was clickbait, but as they watched, they realized something was different—this creator seemed to be on the verge of completing a nuclear reactor.

Among the recommended new videos, the view count for He Xingzhou’s video began to climb, and the number of comments scrolling across the screen was constantly increasing.

"You're a legend, man!"

"This is way too hardcore! My jaw is on the floor—the creator is actually building a nuclear reactor!"

"The video warns me that attempting this is risky. How could I even attempt this? (Dog-head emoji)"

"6666! This is the most powerful creator I’ve ever seen on Bilibili. Everyone else is making secret burgers, and this guy is already building a nuclear reactor!"

"Where is the third episode? Author, update faster! Even a donkey on a production team wouldn't take a break this long!"

"Same here, I want to see the nuclear reactor in action!"

...

He Xingzhou was unaware that his video had gained the attention of numerous netizens due to a small promotion and had been elevated to a more prominent recommendation area.

At that moment, he was preparing for the final experiment.

Because it was a nuclear experiment, it carried risks. Before proceeding, he first had to contact Zhang Boyan to set a time.

Additionally, He Xingzhou needed to purchase a few mutated fish to conduct Zerg gene activation experiments.

Recently, a significant number of mutated fish had been caught from the sea. He Xingzhou searched online and found several sellers.

They were asking for quite a high price, claiming that some special collectors were gathering these mutated creatures, so even the most common mutated fish sold for three to five thousand.