Comments exploding? 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xqw0IFZXH
A zombie army of bot accounts invades Vocus, 15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX2DaAPZtw
and the backend team scrambles to rescue the data on the front lines.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFleJIBN8dM
Today is once again a preparation day ahead of filming Episode Sixteen of The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn.
The crew spends the morning shooting a few simple locked-off shots.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLacRMXVCyx
Progress is unusually smooth, and by noon they finally have a moment to catch their breath.
The office fills with the warmth of boxed lunches and the faint hum of the air conditioner.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6RmZuk8ex
Several folding tables are crowded with food of every kind.
The director leans back on the sofa to steal some sleep.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7x7B6nJsgr
The art lead sits in the corner tearing open a bag of braised snacks.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKPXOhG7cU
As usual, the screenwriter works with a laptop open, fingers tapping lightly across the keyboard, eating while continuing to work.
The atmosphere is quiet—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVl7Nx06sSx
a touch of calm settling in amid the fatigue.
The manager remains seated where he is,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0OoSjCYDF
his lunch box placed in front of him, still unopened.
His gaze rests on a folder,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvpUfsJDax
his brow gradually knitting without him noticing.
The art lead, heading over to fill a water bottle, catches the change.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT9cuUUZv2
Still holding the straw she’s just pulled free, she bends closer.
“What’s wrong?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbllyFgWrHX
If you don’t eat now, it’s going to get cold."
The manager says nothing.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3iAQxMpfS
He flips to a page of documents and hands it over directly.
The art lead lowers her gaze to take a look, then pauses.
“Blocked accounts? Fifteen…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA3E4zd4yO
grace6…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTS5dr9dNx
Girls in Islamabad…”
Hearing the string of unfamiliar account names, the screenwriter—who had been busy in the corner—leans over as well.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZryAoC7o5
His eyes sweep the table, his brow slowly lifting.
“Thirteen in total from April 12 to today?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPv14U4R01
And ten of them all on April 16 alone?”
The manager nods.
“Marketing flagged it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwQ6zaWeAR
Fanggezi’s comment sections were likely targeted by zombie accounts.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAySdD2YG8
They’ve been flooding posts with random links.”
“At first, marketing thought the metrics were spiking,” he continues,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN3r8UbMQn
“but it turned out to be fake—pure junk traffic.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMO0IJmjAa
It even interfered with backend analysis.”
The art lead lets out a quiet “Oh,” as if everything suddenly clicks into place.
“No wonder I noticed the comment count change a few days ago,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAiM0AYoVq
but there was nothing there when I clicked in…”
As her words trail off, her gaze drops,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ271bkLU5wN
the end of her sentence sinking into something subdued.
“So in reality…15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81gi4YVOiy
our actual audience comments are zero, huh…”
The screenwriter squints and laughs softly, as if he’d guessed it all along.
“So right now, it’s just manual blocking,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhVlJNcRgy
one by one, the slow way?”
“For now, all we can do is block them one by one,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwVdWKHBhf
while reminding readers not to click suspicious links.”
The manager closes the folder, tapping his knuckles against it twice.
“They said even the official accounts got hit.”
“Huh?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MqSGxPr1E
Even the Vocus platform itself was hit?”
The screenwriter looks genuinely taken aback.
“Then why isn’t the tech team stepping in?”
“At this stage, the most straightforward approach is still account blocking.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoc0uBY7Y0B
Once an account is blocked, its related comments are hidden as well.”
“There aren’t any other methods available right now.”
The manager shrugs.
"Because Vocus only offers two comment-permission options—free or paid.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4TwKpZgr9
We can’t very well set the entire series behind a paywall15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpPGQzC6zO
just to deal with a bunch of zombie accounts."
“...Huh…”
The art lead tilts her head and takes a sip from a paper cup with barely any water left,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3radmAHSN
half stunned, half resigned.
“So marketing basically just got promoted to comment patrol officer—15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zecyocZyM
the kind that has to be on duty all day.”
She then pats her knee.
“No matter where you are,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZDusdVYMB
a office drone is always a office drone…”
The screenwriter rubs at his hair.
“Please, stop.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPDCCyJs45
You’re making me feel sorry for myself now…”
Watching the two of them spiral through this pitiful little exchange,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8ywmPwbmf
the manager finally can’t help but laugh.
Even his furrowed brow loosens a little.
The comment section has become a battlefield of data,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLJJBFBdEo
but this office still allows a brief moment to breathe—
someone venting,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKK0owhMzY
someone chewing on dried tofu,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUuZ5xbP1p
someone stubbornly guarding a box of cold lunch.
—as long as the food hasn’t been invaded too,15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkZJ67hNLw
it’s not the end of the world yet.
and then Add to home screen.