Chapter 170: Secret documents

"When I lived in Atlanta, I enjoyed browsing the Internet," Martin reminisced about his past, but some aspects of online news were universal. "I noticed that when male netizens gather to chat, they often gravitate towards two recurring topics."

Ajia asked curiously, "What are those two topics?"

Martin raised a finger, "First, discussions about women, particularly beautiful women." Then he raised a second finger, "Secondly, government buildings, more specifically, discussions about current social affairs and governmental conspiracies."

Craven, less familiar with the internet, chimed in, "Yes, when a group of men get together, the conversation usually revolves around either women or recent hot events."

Ajia nodded in agreement, sharing her own experience, "When I was younger, I used to engage in online discussions about how to deal with that person in the Elysée Palace."

Craven understood what Martin was getting at, "Compared to normal current events, the public is often more interested in Washington's dirty laundry. Hollywood has a penchant for conspiracy theories related to Washington. Why? Not because we're hostile to Washington, but because audiences love watching these kinds of stories. Washington is rife with shady information, and all those juicy stories originate from there."

Martin added, "If we were to release this kind of content, keyboard warriors, those netizens who love discussing current events, would undoubtedly pay attention, discuss it, and perhaps even share it with others. Top-secret classified information about Washington and the Pentagon would be like a goldmine for them. If I were a keyboard warrior, I'd be excited at the mere thought of it."

Craven and Ajia shared a laugh.

The experienced professionals started discussing the detailed stages of their publicity plan.

In addition to the official publicity, the first phase of their viral marketing plan kicked off before Christmas.

...

In late September of that this, a report released by the "Iraq Investigation Team," led by the CIA and attended by 1,400 international experts, failed to yield results. This became a pivotal issue in the dispute between the donkey and elephant parties in the general election, and its repercussions persisted.

While Americans didn't typically pay much attention to international matters, this issue made waves in the lead-up to the general election.

On the internet, numerous netizens were actively searching and following news related to weapons of mass destruction.

Ted, who worked in Manhattan, would regularly visit the Yahoo portal to read relevant news.

Shortly before Christmas, Ted was browsing the internet and came across prominent news on Yahoo's homepage: "America's Weapons of Mass Destruction Unveiled!"

Intrigued, Ted clicked on the article, and the bold words beneath the title immediately caught his attention: "While Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction remains uncertain, the United States undoubtedly possesses more weapons of mass destruction than most countries in the world."

The article provided a detailed list of the three major nuclear test sites in the United States.

Then, it revealed a series of classified documents, all stamped with "Top Secret."

These documents contained information related to the Nevada nuclear test site, including classified details about shutting down the site. This included the disappearance of an indigenous tribe due to nuclear testing and the adverse health effects suffered by thousands of residents, such as cancer and birth defects.

Following these revelations was a URL link inviting users to visit a decryption website for more information.

Conspiracy theories always find an audience. Even those who didn't typically believe in them would often take a curious peek.

Ted immediately clicked on the link, and a website called "Nevada Nuclear Test Declassification" appeared on his computer screen.

The website's homepage featured pictures of veterans who had served at the test site, holding SOS signs while protesting in Washington, demanding compensation.

Their names were listed, along with an interview video of a veteran named Dave Critter speaking to the media. Dave accused the military of concealing the true extent of radiation exposure from the tests, leading to severe health problems such as severe lipomas. He even removed his shirt on camera to reveal a lipoma on his back nearly the size of a grapefruit.

Ted was almost sickened by the sight. The lipoma on the veteran's back was truly horrifying!

"That's terrible," Ted muttered and continued scrolling.

The website included interviews with residents near the original Nevada test site, who had suffered from prolonged radiation exposure and faced serious health issues, forcing them to relocate.

Medical reports and photos of severely affected individuals were displayed, with many having disturbing appearances due to tumour growth.

When Ted saw this, he couldn't resist but log in to MSN and share the website link with a group of fellow members. These individuals were young and focused on current events, essentially "keyboard warriors" as described by Martin. They shared a common trait with male keyboard warriors worldwide—they enjoyed discussing current social affairs and providing their insights.

Such groups were also more likely to entertain various conspiracy theories.

After sharing the link, Ted added a personal message: "Everyone, take a look at this website. It exposes a lot of information about military nuclear tests."

He then shared the link again.

The group immediately came to life.

Many members visited the website, much like the internet trolls in Martin's past group who posted QR codes. They felt curious and restless until they'd seen it for themselves.

In another group, Ted was a part of, a flashing message caught his eye. He opened it to find someone had shared the same URL.

This individual also posted pictures and profile photos that Ted hadn't seen yet.

"In the 1990s, personnel from an atomic energy evaluation agency vanished in the Nevada nuclear test area," the person typed quickly. "Records indicate that when their bodies were eventually found, they were highly decomposed and bore signs of violence inflicted with sharp instruments. Some of the cameras they left behind contain disturbing photographs."

Ted clicked on the photo and scrutinized it closely, despite the image's blurriness. He could discern some deformed individuals.

"It's so unsettling!"

"Are these stories for real?"

Everyone in the group had a similar reaction. They had all ventured onto those websites to read the information. These underground sites had piqued their collective curiosity.

Returning to the discussion after reading became a common theme. Ted, too, resumed reading. A significant portion of the documents and photos bore the "Top Secret" seal and hinted at the presence of people still living within the nuclear test area. Over the past six years, two separate groups of field investigators from the U.S. Atomic Energy Evaluation Agency had gone missing, with the latter group vanishing without a trace. Their bodies were never recovered.

Of course, some couldn't help but think, "Isn't there a movie related to this coming out soon?"

Viral marketing was nothing new, but this news, along with links, had appeared on multiple North American portals, major forums, and renowned blogs. The decryption websites were spreading like wildfire from person to person.

...

Near Warner Studios, a company that handled film and television promotion outsourcing occupied an office capable of accommodating nearly twenty people. This particular team was dedicated to online promotion for "The Hills Have Eyes." Their primary task was to promote the Nevada nuclear test decryption website across portals, forums, blogs, and chat software groups like MSN. They aimed to guide online public opinion and attract as many viewers as possible.

Daniel from Warner Bros. made his way over to check on their progress.

The team leader reported real-time data, saying, "The website was officially launched two days ago, and it has already received over 300,000 views today."

Daniel inquired, "What are our expectations?"

The team leader pondered for a moment before responding, "We've found that websites revealing so-called government secrets tend to generate a lot of interest. Based on today's data, it's entirely possible that tens of millions of people will have seen the website before the film's release."

Daniel added, "Maintain the pace and keep an eye on relevant online trends. After the New Year holiday, we'll roll out Phase 2."

Every day, new content would be updated on the Nevada Nuclear Test Revealing Website. For instance, there was information about indigenous people who had sued the Washington authorities and the military in 1982 due to the nuclear tests. Unfortunately, they were ruthlessly suppressed. Legal documents and video footage had been exposed.

Warner Bros.'s approach to publicity was both professional and well-prepared. Whatever they couldn't handle in-house could be outsourced. In the face of vested interests, one could always count on the power of capital.

As Christmas approached, Anne returned to New York while Louise spent the holidays with her parents. Martin had no choice but to bring Bruce and Mene along to Antonio's Christmas Eve party.

Tickets were required for entry, so the three Martins each brought a bottle of wine.

Antonio sat in front of the Christmas tree on the top floor, exuding a jovial, larger-than-life Santa Claus vibe.

Martin and the others joined him at the same table, and Mene brought four glasses of wine.

They engaged in conversation over their drinks.

Antonio suddenly spoke with a touch of mystery, "Have you heard about it? The Pentagon's nuclear tests in Nevada leaked radiation, causing thousands to develop cancer, and there are even reports of deformities!" Mene immediately chimed in, "Yes, I've heard about it. I even checked out that decryption website. Washington and the Pentagon are incredibly shady and treat ordinary people like pawns!"

Bruce glanced at Martin and continued, "To the upper class, ordinary people are expendable. If they're gone, they can be replaced. If they can't be replaced, there are always more immigrants." Antonio inquired, "Beuce, were you ever in the military? Is the Pentagon capable of something like this?"

"I don't know," Bruce replied, pointing to his head, "If I knew, I'd probably be silenced."

Martin was intrigued, "Who did you hear this from?"

Antonio answered first, "I heard it from the three tenants on the first floor. They've been discussing it for days."

Mene, who had recently worked on the soundstage at Warner Studio, shared, "I heard it from people at the studio cafe. I decided to look it up online."

A tenant from the first floor overheard and joined the conversation, "I'm part of a music tutoring class, and the male students in the class have been buzzing about this lately."

A passerby who couldn't resist chimed in, "Several of my MSN friends have been sharing this in our group chats."

Martin remarked, "It's fascinating how Washington's and the military's dirty secrets seem to capture everyone's attention."