8:00 AM, one hour remained before the Challenge officially began.
Outside the Challenge area, the crowds queuing up to enter had already formed an endless line.
This scale was a world of difference compared to the small commotion of the past few days!
The dense sea of heads and the roaring human voices converged into a scorching heatwave that made the entire City boil with excitement.
Under the guidance of the staff, everyone orderly completed identity verification and drawing lots, receiving their own Challenge number.
Exactly nine o'clock.
Under the gaze of universal anticipation, the Challenge officially kicked off.
Dozens of camera feeds, already prepared, went live simultaneously!
Lu You's personal live stream room, and the official live stream room of the Yangcheng Culture and Tourism Bureau, started broadcasting at the same time!
Netizens and fans who had already clicked "Broadcast Reminder" on their phones rushed into the live stream room like a bursting flood the moment the broadcast started.
The number of concurrent viewers on the screen skyrocketed at a terrifying pace!
[Current Concurrent Viewers: 30K+]
[Current Concurrent Viewers: 70K+]
[Current Concurrent Viewers: 100K+]
...In just over ten minutes, the cumulative concurrent viewers in the live stream room had fiercely surpassed the 100,000 mark!
And this number continued to grow at an alarming rate!
Naturally, this included Lu You's own popularity and the official traffic diversion.
But more importantly, it was the pervasive algorithm of the short video platform.
It accurately captured the hot topic of this nationwide frenzy.
It pushed the live stream to hundreds of millions of users, turning this event, which originally belonged to City, into a truly nationwide broadcast.
In the live stream room, bullet comments rolled past like a waterfall, and gift effects never ceased.
[They're here! Selling sunflower seeds, peanuts, and bottled water in the front row! Get your stools ready!]
[I want to see who will be the first person today to end the myth!]
[Boss Lu, keep it up! Beat all the challengers! Let them know what true 'Everything Exists' means!]
[Yangcheng Culture and Tourism Bureau completely won this round! This scene is more lively than the Spring Festival Gala!]
At the scene, a local host specially invited by the Culture and Tourism Bureau walked onto the stage holding a microphone.
He delivered a passionate opening speech in an emotional voice.
He introduced the background and significance of the Challenge and thanked all the friends who had traveled long distances to attend.
Then, amid the thunderous applause and cheers of the entire venue.
The host handed the microphone to the protagonist of the day.
"Next, let us welcome, with the warmest applause, the main champion of this Challenge, the owner of the Old Lu Hardware Store—Mr. Lu You, to say a few words!"
The spotlight instantly converged, and the eyes of the entire audience, along with the gaze of hundreds of millions of viewers in the live stream rooms.
All focused at this moment on the young man slowly emerging from the Hardware Store.
Lu You wasn't wearing anything special today.
He was still wearing a simple, clean white T-shirt, ordinary blue jeans, and a pair of standard athletic shoes.
He didn't dress up elaborately for the occasion like other internet celebrities.
Even his hairstyle was no different from usual.
This extremely simple attire, however, accentuated the unique temperament he possessed.
He was tall and straight, with a handsome face.
Facing the overwhelming crowd below the stage and the countless flashing cameras.
There was no trace of nervousness or stage fright on his face.
Only a sense of genuine confidence and composure.
He walked behind the counter in the center of the stage but did not take the microphone.
He simply gave a slight smile to the entire audience.
This smile was like a spring breeze, instantly quieting the noise of the venue somewhat.
His voice, transmitted through the high-fidelity microphone, clearly spread throughout the venue.
And reached the ears of every viewer in the live stream rooms.
"Welcome everyone to City, and welcome to the Old Lu Hardware Store."
His opening remarks could not have been simpler.
"Everyone already knows the rules." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces below the stage—faces filled with anticipation, excitement, curiosity, and doubt. "I'll only add one thing—"
"Do your best, and don't let me get bored."
When his voice fell, the venue first went silent.
Immediately, even more intense cheers and screams erupted!
So arrogant!
But so cool!
This confidence, looking down on the world, was absolutely exhilarating!
The host took the cue, and with a voice ignited to the extreme by the atmosphere, announced loudly—
"Alright! Since our champion is already impatient! Then I announce!"
He drew out his voice, pushing the atmosphere of the venue to its peak.
"Everything You Need—The Yangcheng City Tourism Treasure Hunt Challenge, officially begins now!"
The host's voice, amplified by the top-tier sound system, exploded over the old street like a sudden clap of thunder.
At the scene, overwhelming applause and cheers soared into the sky.
The atmosphere was completely ignited at this moment!
Bullet comments like "Let's go, let's go!", "It's finally starting!".
Gift effects were spammed as if they cost nothing.
"Alright! Then, let us welcome today's first challenger! Please welcome the friend who drew lot number 1 to step onto our challenge stage!" the host shouted.
From the crowd, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
A young man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a T-shirt printed with pixel-style graphics.
He walked out slightly nervously, under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of those around him.
He tightly clutched a number plate printed with "001," his palms slick with sweat.
He walked onto the stage, facing the dense crowd below, looking somewhat flustered, and instinctively pushed up his glasses.
"Hello, young man! Please introduce yourself to our audience across the country first!" the host guided him warmly.
The young man took a deep breath. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke into the microphone.
But the content was crystal clear: "H-hello everyone, my name is Zhou Qi, and I'm a... a building block enthusiast. In the community, they call me 'Zhuān Jiā'."
"'Zhuān Jiā'? As in the brick used for laying bricks?" The host made a joke.
Zhou Qi's face flushed slightly, and he quickly explained: "It's the 'brick' from Lego blocks, the building block brick. I... I rushed here specifically from the neighboring province just to challenge Boss Lu!"
"Alright, 'Zhuān Jiā' Zhou Qi! Now, state your challenge!"
Zhou Qi took another deep breath.
This time, his voice became incredibly firm.
He rattled off a long string of terms that sounded like a spell: "I want a set of Lego, Model 10179, First Edition, Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) Millennium Falcon."
"The requirement is that it must be brand new and unopened. The outer box must be the American First Edition, with sharp corners, no dents, and no white edges. Most importantly, the seals must be the original factory one-time transparent tape seals, with absolutely no signs of secondary sealing!"
As soon as he finished speaking, most people at the scene looked bewildered.
"What is that? Lego? Isn't that just plastic blocks for kids? What's so hard about that?"
"I know the Millennium Falcon, it's the spaceship from Star Wars, but is that thing really rare?"
Countless knowledgeable netizens in the live stream room immediately went wild.
[Holy crap! A royal flush right at the start! 10179! And the First Edition! This guy is here to cause trouble!]
[Knowledge Bot activated: Lego 10179, released in 2007 with 5,197 pieces, is a landmark set in Lego history.
It has been out of production for over a decade, and the price for a brand-new one has long been inflated to astronomical levels on the secondary market—it's priceless and unavailable!]
Not to mention his requirements for the 'American First Edition' and 'original factory seals'; the difficulty is comparable to finding a genuine Chicken Cup in an antique market!]
[Exactly, fakes and resealed items (opened, played with, and then resealed to be sold as new) are everywhere. Many experienced collectors have been scammed. This young man's requirements are too specific!]
The host had clearly done his homework, and immediately explained to the camera: "It seems our friend 'Zhuān Jiā' came prepared!"
"As far as I know, this Lego set, model number 10179, is honored by global players as one of the 'Divine Household Treasures' due to its immense collection value and rarity."
"It is extremely difficult just to find a brand-new one, let alone the demanding condition requirements put forward by this friend! Boss Lu, do you... have it?"
Everyone's gaze once again focused on Lu You.
Lu You maintained his calm and composed demeanor, and lightly uttered a single word:
"Yes."
Having said that, he turned around and, amidst a wave of gasps, walked into the mysterious back storeroom.
The atmosphere both at the venue and in the live stream rooms instantly froze.
[He just... has it?]
[No way? He must be bragging, right? How could he possibly have this in stock?]
[If he can actually produce it, I'll eat the keyboard off my desk right now!]
The challenger, Zhou Qi, had an even more spectacular expression at this moment.
His fists were clenched, and his lips trembled.
Half of him was anticipation, the other half was the stubborn disbelief of "I don't believe it."
This was the sacred item whose pictures he had obsessed over countless times on major forums and websites!