Comments exploding? 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobfmrjru47
A zombie army of bot accounts invades Vocus, 76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrdxcMNqgR
and the backend team scrambles to rescue the data on the front lines.
76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhEacschrZ
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejJYTl3yHd
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHTO5zbFNb
Several folding tables are crowded with food of every kind.
The director leans back on the sofa to steal some sleep.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtYlkEJ0ru
The art lead sits in the corner tearing open a bag of braised snacks.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95GkxwF9PI
As usual, the screenwriter works with a laptop open, fingers tapping lightly across the keyboard, eating while continuing to work.
The atmosphere is quiet—76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1J5mtZ6N4
a touch of calm settling in amid the fatigue.
The manager remains seated where he is,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGBOkuQnzq
his lunch box placed in front of him, still unopened.
His gaze rests on a folder,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDplEiaU0KK
his brow gradually knitting without him noticing.
The art lead, heading over to fill a water bottle, catches the change.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg5dJl0gio
Still holding the straw she’s just pulled free, she bends closer.
“What’s wrong?76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4Kjrnfma7
If you don’t eat now, it’s going to get cold."
The manager says nothing.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75JuHYnh8W
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…76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA0vUyodef
grace6…76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93UQ70VZHT
Girls in Islamabad…”
Hearing the string of unfamiliar account names, the screenwriter—who had been busy in the corner—leans over as well.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBqXNkJkJU
His eyes sweep the table, his brow slowly lifting.
“Thirteen in total from April 12 to today?76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrdFxUuxvc
And ten of them all on April 16 alone?”
The manager nods.
“Marketing flagged it.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGOo22HqO5
Fanggezi’s comment sections were likely targeted by zombie accounts.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO3cQMJXn0
They’ve been flooding posts with random links.”
“At first, marketing thought the metrics were spiking,” he continues,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBM8Rwsx4I9
“but it turned out to be fake—pure junk traffic.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rHttXtwIM
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,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITbvzHiHol
but there was nothing there when I clicked in…”
As her words trail off, her gaze drops,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kMDBuS2nz
the end of her sentence sinking into something subdued.
“So in reality…76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22xCKTmrK1
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,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQ6CsPB5em
one by one, the slow way?”
“For now, all we can do is block them one by one,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51vjTsw1jF
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?76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQVs9xBjii
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3kkAOlIO7
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.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqBAxGTYWa
We can’t very well set the entire series behind a paywall76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf5N1opBfN
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,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOMAK9wfY0
half stunned, half resigned.
“So marketing basically just got promoted to comment patrol officer—76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzwxJBe0RY
the kind that has to be on duty all day.”
She then pats her knee.
“No matter where you are,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkX495PcLBr
a office drone is always a office drone…”
The screenwriter rubs at his hair.
“Please, stop.76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKGfHqPNmm
You’re making me feel sorry for myself now…”
Watching the two of them spiral through this pitiful little exchange,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGqLIioGS2
the manager finally can’t help but laugh.
Even his furrowed brow loosens a little.
The comment section has become a battlefield of data,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6lhxG4L4b
but this office still allows a brief moment to breathe—
someone venting,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7MFLoTkO1
someone chewing on dried tofu,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6C36JuwpWe
someone stubbornly guarding a box of cold lunch.
—as long as the food hasn’t been invaded too,76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTvZEeRN30
it’s not the end of the world yet.
and then Add to home screen.