Overt Propaganda

"...But your people just cut the live music, which tipped them off. So me and two teammates from the football team chased after them. You know the rest." Ryan narrated the situation calmly.

The officer sitting across from him wrote down Ryan's words, then glanced at the sheriff beside him. Seeing no reaction from his superior, he nodded at Ryan. "Given your motive for the pursuit, you and your classmates won't face assault charges. You can leave now..."

The sheriff suddenly raised a hand, cutting off his subordinate. He stood up, walked over to Ryan, and looked at the small cuts on the back of his hand with a cold snort.

"Playing hero in front of a girl feel good? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What if those three black men had guns?" He scolded Ryan with a harsh expression. The sheriff had a face full of thick flesh and was nearly bald, making him look very intimidating.

"Suspects run every day. Unless the city council gives us more budget, no one can do anything about it. Now get out. Don't let me see you again, kid." He waved his hand, signaling Ryan to leave.

When Ryan returned to the police station lobby, he saw Hank already waiting for him after finishing his own questioning.

"Paul went to the local hospital to get his wounds treated. Also..." Hank looked beside him, where Deadmau5 and his crew were standing. As one of the parties involved, they had also been brought in for brief questioning and to provide testimony about the scene.

"Chasing suspects doesn't give you the right to destroy other people's stuff, does it?" Deadmau5 said with a pained expression as he looked at Ryan.

That shattered oversized helmet wasn't just a simple stage prop. The two white eyeballs had LED tubes inside, synchronized through a control panel or programming to change with the music. Besides the basic music monitoring system, the helmet's grinning mouth used special perforated material for observing the outside environment, along with heat dissipation and ventilation structures, plus extra support and fixing devices.

In short, it was a custom novelty with multiple built-in components—impossible to replicate within a few days.

"No spare parts?" Ryan couldn't help asking.

"Of course there are." Deadmau5 stared at Ryan. He wore a baseball cap, his build completely dwarfed by Ryan's tall, sturdy frame, looking very thin.

"But the other spare was also crushed by your classmate—that tall, skinny guy. On top of that, Zimmerman's personal computer was completely destroyed. It contained a series of music production project files. It's been sent to Apple's local after-sales department; no idea if the data can be recovered." Deadmau5's sidekick added.

Ryan looked awkward. He hadn't expected to cause such a big mess by accident. He first apologized to the other party, then recounted the situation.

"I've already heard the recap from the officers. I know the main fault isn't yours. Brave actions deserve encouragement and respect. You're just students. I can only blame my bad luck." Deadmau5 sighed.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Deadmau5 changed the subject, pointing to a row not far away where Abigail and the other classmates were sitting. They were too far away to notice Ryan.

"I heard from your friends that you're from Nashville, and you're a local DJ whose electronic music is pretty popular around there?"

Ryan nodded repeatedly, saying he came to Florida to seek opportunities at the Winter Music Conference.

"Can I listen to your music?" Deadmau5 asked.

His colleague immediately added, "Zimmerman is currently one of the top five, even top three, most famous electronic musicians in North America. Last year, he founded the independent record label Mau5trap in Canada, aiming to provide a good development environment for new DJs. We maintain good cooperation with EMI, and we have a massive tour plan in North America this year."

"Enough. I don't even know how to explain this to Marvin." Deadmau5 took off his baseball cap and ruffled his hair. The Beach Bash music festival was just a side event; the real highlight was the Ultra Music Festival a few days later.

Last year, the festival attracted over 50,000 live attendees. This year was its tenth anniversary. To celebrate, the organizers had put together a super-strong lineup—two of the top three DJs from DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs list were coming. Including Tiesto, Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren, Benny Benassi, and David Guetta—all well-known DJs would be participating.

Deadmau5 didn't want to miss such an event no matter what, but right at this critical moment, his most essential equipment was damaged...

"Hey, little mouse, I heard you got yourself locked up?! What the hell happened?!"

A deep voice came from the police station entrance. Everyone turned to see a fat man in a floral shirt, baggy shorts, and a straw hat walking in. With him was a Central American beauty in high heels, her long dress baring her entire back, her figure alluring.

"The plane had already taken off, heading straight to Amelia Island. We could've arrived by evening. But now I had to make the pilot turn around and come back. I've already paid for the round trip. You'd better explain yourself, or you're covering the cost." The man shouted as he approached.

"I knew it."

Ryan heard Deadmau5 frown.

"Marvin, I might have to pull out of this year's Ultra Music Festival." Deadmau5 said to the plump, pale-skinned middle-aged man, who seemed to be Deadmau5's partner or booking agent.

Marvin looked at Ryan, then at Deadmau5.

"Does the media know about this? If this gets out, you're finished, Zimmerman. He's an adult, right?" Marvin asked.

"Cough, it's probably not what you think." Deadmau5 shook his head with a wry smile and began explaining the whole story to Marvin.

Marvin's expression cleared. Then he looked at Ryan, scrutinizing him from head to toe, not missing a single detail.

"Sure you can't do the show?"

"Both helmets are broken. Can't fix them in a few days."

Finally, Marvin said sternly to Ryan, "You little brat, you've made us breach our contract. Call your parents. We need to have a serious talk about this."

"Marvin..." Deadmau5 couldn't bear it.

"This isn't just your problem anymore. It's mine too. Do you know how much money we'll lose from this round trip? Just because of a few clueless high school kids. Someone needs to teach them a lesson." Marvin wasn't about to let it go. He looked at Ryan again, frowning as he slowly spoke:

"But considering the time and effort a lawsuit would take, and that you're probably broke, I do have a special remedy."

"Come clean. Tell the public that the equipment was damaged while chasing criminals. The audience will understand. We could even bring this young man to the scene. He's a DJ, right? Have him as a special guest for the show! The festival's been getting complaints these past two years. This could give it some positive PR—show people that rave parties aren't just about drinking, drugs, and hookups!"

"What do you think of that plan?" Marvin looked at Deadmau5.

"What about the helmet?" Deadmau5 suddenly asked.

Before Marvin could answer, Ryan spoke up on his own: "The helmet can easily be replaced. Don't forget, there's a Disneyland in Orlando."

"I'd pass out from the heat." Deadmau5 quickly shook his head.

"No problem. This young man will finish the performance for you." Marvin laughed heartily.