Within the first hour of upload, the song did numbers no one saw coming. Spotify showed 1.8 million streams in sixty minutes. Apple Music hit 900,000. Audiomack crossed 2.4 million plays. YouTube views for the full performance clip hit 3.6 million in the first hour.

By the second hour, the song had entered global trending charts, sitting at #7 worldwide and #1 in several countries, including the U.S. and Canada.

Clips from the performance spread like wildfire. TikTok edits, fan reactions, soldiers saluting, families crying. Everyone had something to say. Big music pages that usually ignored the competition began reposting it with catchy lines like:

> "They cut him. We found the full performance."

"This wasn't just a performance. It was a message."

"They tried to silence him. The world made him louder."

People shared the link with short captions. One example caption that went viral read:

> "Full, uncut performance. Watch. Then tell me why they cut this from TV."

Everywhere you turned online, it was Dayo. His face, his voice, his song.

This showed one thing — you can try to bury the truth, but what belongs to the world will find light.

The production department tried to suppress the spread. They pushed clips down, asked partners to limit the broadcast, and tried to block reposts. The algorithm didn't bend this time. People kept sharing. More and more accounts picked it up.

Not everyone believed it at first. Some posts tried to debunk the leak as staged or fake.

> "This looks edited. Why would the show cut it? Clickbait."

"Someone's trying to make a martyr. Slow down."

"Proof or nah? Where's the full file source?"

Others defended Dayo hard.

> "This is the real performance! Why did they cut it?"

"He sang from the heart — this was beautiful."

"They're trying to bury him!"

In less than two hours, the full video hit over five million views. The first day went even bigger.

First 24 hours — rough totals:

YouTube (full clip): 18.2 million views

Spotify: 12.4 million streams

Apple Music: 6.2 million streams

Audiomack: 8.1 million plays

TikTok edits and short clips: 42 million views across posts

His monthly listeners on Spotify jumped fast. Before the song, he had about 12.1 million monthly listeners. After the upload and the viral spread, that number climbed to 18.5 million monthly listeners within a day.

---

Somewhere across the city, Michael sat in his high office staring at his phone. The uncut video kept playing. The view counter kept jumping. A muscle in his jaw tightened.

"What the hell…" he muttered. This was not supposed to happen.

He dialed Howard, the director. "Howard, what's going on?" His voice was low and sharp.

On the other end, Howard sounded nervous. "Sir, we're as surprised as you are. The video came from an anonymous upload. It's spreading faster than we can manage."

Michael's tone hardened. "You told me you handled it. I said reduce his exposure, not give him free publicity."

"We did, sir. But the internet—"

"Don't tell me about the internet," Michael snapped. "You should have predicted this. I can't afford this kind of mess right now."

There was a pause. Michael's voice went colder. "Find the source. Now. There is a rat in your system. Flush that person out. If you know who sent it, get them to me. If you don't, find them. I want names. I want actions."

Howard swallowed. "Yes, sir. We'll check servers, user logs, uploads. We'll find the leak."

Michael ended the call and slammed his palm on the desk once. Not hard, but loud enough.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. He rubbed his face and stared at the ceiling. "You just don't stay down, do you, Dayo?"

After a moment, he laughed without humor. "Fine. Let's see how long this lasts."

He called his assistant. "Clara, my office now."

---

Dayo sat with his phone. The achievement popup blinked on his screen.

DING!

Achievement Unlocked: Regional Artist (Level 6)

Reward:

Creative Surge Boost + Influence Expansion

Creative focus and output speed increased by 300% for 14 days.

Expands fan reach from regional to national level; +25% media traction and chart presence.

He froze. A smile crept up his face. Joy filled him — a quiet, steady joy he hadn't felt in days.

DING!

STATS UPDATED

Name: Jason Dayo

Age: 20

Status: Regional Artist (Level 6)

Singing Level: A

Writing Level: S-

Acting Skill: C-

Visual: A-

Instruments:

• Guitar – SS+

• Flute – A+

• Piano – S-

• Violin – A-

Music Production: SSS+

Video Editing: A-

Potential: SSS+

Skills:

Prodigy's Instinct;

Status Viewer;

Perfect Match;

Trend Insight;

Archive Vault

Cards: Global Spotlight Card → doubles exposure/reach of next release (7 days)

System Level: 2

Active effects (from Mission 3): Skill Upgrade — applied to stats above

Special Endorsement Buff — active (+5% reputation gain; +5% higher chance top brands approach)

Dayo smiled. The new status meant people would see him more. That could be a shield. He also knew trouble would come. Fame would make him a target. But it also gave him strength to push back.

His phone kept buzzing as notifications came in. He opened his social accounts.

TikTok: 4 million+ uploads reach; 21.2M followers

Instagram: 2 million+ reach; 13.7M followers

X/Twitter: 1.5 million+ reach; 6.2M followers

The numbers were growing by the minute.

---

The tension inside the production office was thick. Everyone sat stiff, waiting for Howard to speak.

He placed both hands on the table and scanned the room. His voice came low and heavy.

"Michael is furious. That video didn't come from our broadcast servers. It came from inside this department. Which means the leak came from one of us."

He paused, his eyes moving slowly across every face.

"We've narrowed the list. Only the top-ranked editors and managers had access to that footage. That's eight of you."

A murmur went around the table. No one dared to speak.

Howard straightened up. "You have until tonight to give me a name. Michael wants results. If this isn't handled, the entire department could be replaced. I'm not covering for anyone. If you know something, speak up now."

The room went completely silent. The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner.

Alice's assistant, seated beside her, flinched slightly. His hands trembled under the table. He knew. He knew exactly who had sent that video — and it terrified him.

Alice glanced at him from the corner of her eye, calm and unreadable. When he turned nervously toward her, she gave a soft, controlled smile.

"Relax," she whispered under her breath. "You're shaking too much."

He swallowed and nodded quickly, eyes fixed on the table.

Howard's voice rose again. "If I find out that anyone here is hiding something, I promise you won't like what happens next."

One by one, people left the room quietly, pretending to look busy. Alice stayed seated until the room was nearly empty. Then she stood, brushed her hair back, and gave her assistant a light tap on the shoulder.

"Go on," she said softly. "Don't worry. Everything's fine."

Her assistant nodded again, but the fear on his face said otherwise.

As they walked out, Alice's expression didn't change. Calm. Focused. The look of someone who knew exactly what she had done — and wasn't sorry for it.

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