AutumnXd
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Chapter 67: Cyberbullying
🕑 Added 2025-10-09 14:06:49 +0000 UTCThe news detonated like a nuclear bomb during this already volatile period, sending shockwaves through the internet.
It spread like wildfire across social media platforms, messaging apps, and parent groups. The story hit every nerve of anxious American parents already worried about gaming's influence on their children.
It transformed simmering concerns into open warfare between parents and the gaming industry. Under the manipulation of paid influencers and coordinated bot accounts, this anger laser-focused on Fast and Furious and its creator, Alex Morrison.
Overnight, Alex became public enemy number one for millions of parents. In their minds, he was personally corrupting their children, inspiring criminal behavior, destroying young lives for profit. Every parenting failure, every teenage rebellion, every moment of defiance—all traced back to his game.
Fast and Furious, previously celebrated as a creative triumph, faced coordinated boycotts and vicious slander from parent groups nationwide.
"Boycott this digital poison called Fast and Furious!"
"Games are destroying our children's futures! Parents must unite!"
"My son keeps demanding a car after playing this game. Thank God I said no or he'd be street racing!"
"My daughter throws tantrums when we limit her gaming. She even threatened to run away! These games are tearing families apart!"
"Caught my son trying to steal my car keys last week. He admitted Fast and Furious made him want to try racing. This game is DANGEROUS!"
"Our neighbor's kid crashed their parent's car in the driveway. Minor damage, but what if it had been worse? Ban this game!"
"Stormwind Studios profits from poisoning children! Investigate them NOW!"
"The CEO is Alex Morrison, son of Marcus Morrison of Morrison Group. Typical rich kid with no morals!"
"Of course—another billionaire's son making money by corrupting our youth!"
"Rich people have no conscience. They'll do anything for profit, especially in gaming!"
"My son's been increasingly rebellious lately. Now I know why—this game is brainwashing him!"
"DEMAND IMMEDIATE BAN ON FAST AND FURIOUS!"
"The committee did the right thing pulling this trash! They deserve our support!"
"Best decision ever! Ban ALL violent games!"
"Give our children back their innocence! NO MORE GAMING POISON!"
The orchestrated outrage tsunami drowned out previous discussions about industry problems and Brandon Sterling's role. The Digital Entertainment Oversight Committee, previously vilified for their heavy-handed censorship, suddenly became heroes to these parents.
Committee officials, happy to deflect criticism, encouraged this narrative shift. Black became white as parents' condemnation grew increasingly unhinged.
As Brandon had calculated, the primary target became Stormwind Studios and Alex Morrison personally.
Alex's identity was fully exposed—personal details, family information, home address. The attacks came like a destructive hurricane, each wave of hatred hitting harder than the last. For the first time in either life, Alex experienced true cyberbullying.
Worse, the mob didn't stop with him. Marcus Morrison faced vicious attacks questioning his business ethics. same with Victorya. Morrison Group's stock dropped ten percent as boycott calls spread.
"This is a frame-up, obviously!" Jake raged, pacing Alex's office like a caged animal.
"That bastard Sterling has no bottom line! Using fake accidents to destroy lives!" Danny's face was dark with fury.
They could see through the deception easily. Even if the accident was real, Sterling had clearly orchestrated it—paid actors, manufactured evidence, perfect timing.
The man would do anything, no matter how despicable, to redirect public anger.
"Alex, don't listen to those lunatics," Jake said firmly. "They're being manipulated by bots and paid trolls!"
"I've got people investigating that teenager and the accident," Danny added. "We'll find the connections to Sterling. This won't stand."
They'd seen the online comments—the death threats, the doxxing, the vicious personal attacks. If it hurt them just reading it, they couldn't imagine how Alex felt as the target.
They worried about their friend's mental state. The pressure could break anyone.
"I'm fine," Alex forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He kept telling himself not to let Sterling win, that these people were being used, that truth would eventually surface. Time would vindicate him.
But he'd never experienced this level of coordinated hatred in either life. In his previous existence, he'd even participated in online mob justice, righteously condemning strangers based on one-sided stories.
Now he understood how it felt from the other side.
What hurt most was seeing his family targeted. His parents receiving threats, that cut deeper than any personal attack.
Despite his success, Alex remained sensitive to public opinion. He'd always cared about his reputation, about being seen as one of the good guys. Being painted as a villain corrupting America's youth struck at his core.
"The truth will come out," Jake said, gripping Alex's shoulder.
Alex's phone rang again. His stomach clenched.
This was the first time in his life he'd dreaded that sound.
Unknown number. Again.
His hands trembled with suppressed rage. This was the twentieth anonymous call today.
Each one brought a parent's vitriol—accusations, threats, pure hatred from people who'd swallowed Sterling's lies wholesale. Their words carved wounds that wouldn't heal.
Alex knew Sterling had leaked his personal information deliberately, weaponizing the mob against him.
"Turn it off," Danny said firmly, taking the phone. "Don't use this number anymore."
He understood that some words, once heard, couldn't be forgotten. No matter how strong someone appeared, targeted hatred found ways to hurt. And Alex, despite his success, remained vulnerable to public opinion.
The office phones rang constantly. Customer service reported hundreds of threatening calls hourly. Even Morrison Group's subsidiaries faced harassment—decades-old companies suddenly under siege because of their connection to Alex.
The Morrison family's legal team worked overtime trying to remove doxxed information from websites, but Sterling's resources fought back. New sites appeared faster than old ones disappeared. The hydra had infinite heads.
"Mr. Morrison?" Sophie appeared at the door, face pale. "Security wants to know if we should close the office. There's a crowd gathering outside."
Through the windows, Alex could see them—dozens of parents with handmade signs. "PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!" "ALEX MORRISON = CHILD KILLER!" "SHUT DOWN STORMWIND!"
"How did they find our address?" Jake demanded.
"It's all over parenting forums," Sophie said quietly. "Along with... other information. Employee names, home addresses..."
The room fell silent. This had escalated beyond corporate warfare into something genuinely dangerous.
"Send everyone home," Alex decided. "Remote work until this calms down. I won't risk anyone's safety."
"What about you?" Sophie asked.
"I'll be fine." The lie came automatically.
But as Alex watched his employees hurriedly pack up, glancing nervously at the growing crowd outside, he wondered if anything would be fine again. Sterling had opened Pandora's box, unleashing forces neither of them could control.
The gaming industry's darkest hour had become something worse—a witch hunt with real casualties.
And somewhere in his tower, Brandon Sterling was probably smiling, not realizing he'd lit a fuse that would burn everything down, including himself.
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Yeah. Im gonna need more than a chapter a day for this arc. The wait is killer.
