DDT - Chapter 141
Chapter 141: Interstellar ABO (26)
The Star Network account "Star Obsessed War Correspondent" had been registered for nearly ten years. It first became popular six or seven years ago. The account focused solely on Mecha Pilot Chi. In the early days, peers would mock it in private, wondering which media outlet this reporter belonged to. How could they attract a large fanbase by reporting on just one unknown mecha pilot? How could they ever become a major influencer?
Later, as Chi's fame grew step by step, those who had once looked down on the account changed their tune, showering it with praise and secretly trying to send their own people to follow Mecha Pilot Chi's mecha.
Because of Chi's special status and unique mecha, the Military always assigned her the most dangerous missions. Consequently, for a time, the war media section was filled with news of war correspondents who, while following frontline mecha pilots, were unfortunately torn to shreds by the Zerg, losing their lives among the stars.
For a while, all the major war correspondents in the Alliance were on edge. They had never imagined that the owner of the "Star Obsessed War Correspondent" account was dicing with death alongside Pilot Chi amidst countless, dense swarms of Zerg every time. Most war correspondents' mecha piloting skills were far from adequate. Many had previously only stood at the edge of the battlefield, using high-tech cameras to capture the thrilling scenes. When it was their turn to enter the battlefield themselves, they often lacked practical combat experience and struggled to survive the dangerous fights.
Because being a war correspondent had suddenly become a high-risk profession, many reporters were forced by their companies to rush to the front lines. This led to a period where many war correspondents were either tragically disabled, unfortunately killed, or simply resigned.
The people of the Alliance in the interstellar era were not like those of the Blue Star era. Due to the unique system, people didn't have a strong sense of honor or shame, nor did they have a spirit of selfless sacrifice and dedication. The only ones with such a spirit were the mecha pilots of the Military. The Military had always used the doctrines from the training manuals passed down from the ancient Blue Star era to cultivate its soldiers, and it was clearly very effective.
For hundreds, even thousands of years, the Military's beliefs had never influenced the ordinary people of the Alliance. The people of the Alliance had always believed that since they paid taxes and provided the money to support the Military's mecha pilots, those pilots should naturally risk their lives to fight the Zerg for them.
The source of the shift in this thinking was the appearance of Chi. To be precise, it was the successful operation of the "Star Obsessed War Correspondent" account that showed the world what true, crushing power was. This account authentically presented Chi's strength and charisma to the people of the Alliance. The people of the Alliance revered strength. Chi possessed the highest combat power in the entire Alliance, the best talent, and the most ordinary, humble background. She wasn't from a noble family; she was even born on a lowly planet in the despised Western Star Region. Her life story was legendary. She was the greatest dream of the common person in this era and their hope for successfully climbing the social ladder.
Therefore, the people of the Alliance fanatically adored her, wanting to get close to her or become like her.
Various media outlets on the Star Network wanted to get firsthand information about her, but the cruelty of war ultimately drove them back. Even Ai Luo, known as the strongest war correspondent mecha pilot, eventually retired in tears due to the numerous injuries sustained from years of fighting the Zerg on the front lines. The only one who truly persevered to the end was "Star Obsessed."
The only sources of battlefield footage were the materials filmed by war correspondents at the risk of their lives and recordings from the Military. However, the Military never released these recordings. Therefore, people could only focus their attention on the Star Network accounts of various war correspondents. This was the only way they could see the latest, closest footage of Admiral Chi. Over the years, the number of long-term active followers exceeded 1.5 billion, making it the account with the most fans across all sections of the Star Network, bar none.
Later, the media industry came to accept it: when it came to filming Admiral Chi, perhaps only the "Star Obsessed" account could do it.
A monopoly.
In recent months, Zerg activity had been infrequent, and Admiral Chi hadn't left the Main Star in a long time. Consequently, "Star Obsessed" hadn't updated in a while. This time, when the incident with Admiral Chi occurred, the Military claimed it was a cleanup operation for stray Zerg in the Western Star Region and forbade the media from going and slowing things down. Naturally, the owner of the "Star Obsessed" account did not go.
Now, this account, which had been inactive for months, had suddenly issued a statement saying that Admiral Chi was still alive, not dead. What was going on?
Admiral Chi's death had caused pain and anger among most of the Alliance's population. Later, Admiral Derian from the Military held a press conference, presenting a mountain of irrefutable evidence that pointed directly at the Yi Family, a top-tier family in the Blue Star Alliance. All the evidence proved that the Yi Family had orchestrated the plot to frame Admiral Chi. Most people in the Alliance were angry and resentful, and they committed many irrational acts against the Yi Family and its members. Now, the masses, who were used to consuming gossip, were suddenly hit with such explosive news and were momentarily stunned. The "Star Obsessed" account would absolutely not lie. It already had so many fans and didn't need to use such false news to boost its popularity. If it was the truth, then, could it be that "Star Obsessed" had also secretly followed this operation? And even rescued the framed Admiral Chi?
So, was this whole thing about to be reversed?
The Star Network users had mixed feelings. Judging by the revelation from the "Star Obsessed" account tonight, there would surely be more to come. Reversals in news events on various sections were what Star Network users loved most, but this time, it seemed the gossip was about to hit close to home. For a moment, people were anxious, wishing they could run to the "Star Obsessed" account's screen and give it a good shake to make it release the rest of the story. This feeling of having the gossip right in front of them but being unable to consume it, while also being unsure if they themselves were the subject of it, was utterly maddening!
The paparazzi of the entertainment section loved this kind of revelation, but the news had broken so suddenly that they had no angle to pursue. They were all running around in a panic. All their equipment was ready; all they needed now was the protagonist of the event!!
"Star Obsessed" seemed to have read their minds. In less than half an hour, it released a second message: "Admiral Chi has arrived home safely."
The text was still bold and enlarged.
Without a second thought, the paparazzi swarmed towards Admiral Chi's home. This was earth-shattering news! Now it was a race to see who was fastest, who could grab the firsthand resources and publish them. The first to publish would get the most clicks. Wouldn't the money and fan attention just come pouring in?
Yi Shuhan sat behind her computer. Since she had chosen to slowly reveal this matter, to slowly announce that Chi was still alive, and had even disclosed Chi's whereabouts, she was naturally prepared.
When the frenzied media swarmed in, they discovered that Admiral Chi's residence was surrounded, three layers deep inside and out, by a large group of fully equipped Military personnel. With this level of tight security, not even a small bug could fly in. But that was no problem. As entertainment paparazzi, they had all sorts of strange and wonderful equipment. So, less than five minutes after the news was released, a few fast-moving entertainment section editors had already posted photos of Admiral Chi's brightly lit house.
Paired with photos of the heavily guarded Military personnel, almost half the people instantly believed the news that Admiral Chi was still alive. Not only alive, but able to return home!
Of course, a large portion of netizens remained skeptical. For a time, the Star Network was abuzz with heated discussions.
Admiral Derian, being older, had already gone to bed early. He didn't expect to be woken up in the middle of the night by a communication message from a subordinate. Suppressing his anger, Admiral Derian got up to check and saw the news that Admiral Chi was still alive!
How was this possible? Admiral Derian suddenly recalled the video he had seen at the Military headquarters. With such an intense barrage of fire, the mecha had been instantly turned to ash. How could she possibly be alive? Even if she had survived, with the tampering his son and that fool from the Yi Family had done to Admiral Chi's mecha, it was impossible for her to still be alive!
Admiral Derian's sleepiness vanished instantly. He quickly opened the Star Network plaza to browse.
Looking at the "Star Obsessed" account, whose owner he had never been able to identify, he felt annoyed. He had a faint feeling that the Yi Family was behind this, but he had no proof.
Admiral Derian was certain that Admiral Chi was dead. He quickly opened his own account. "It is a fact that Admiral Chi has unfortunately been sacrificed. Although we also do not wish to believe it, Admiral Chi's original residence has always been under the care of the Military. The Military has already investigated the lights being on this time and determined it was due to a circuit malfunction, not an unauthorized entry. We ask certain media outlets to stop feeding on the deceased. We ask all media to leave and not disturb Admiral Chi's final peace. Show some respect, show some final love."
As soon as Admiral Derian's short press release was posted, public opinion on the Star Network began to shift again. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Admiral Derian contacted his subordinates to ask what was going on at Admiral Chi's former residence.
His subordinates had already investigated. The extra Military personnel stationed there had all been sent by the Yi Family. It was now impossible to replace them or openly question them. So many media outlets were squatting nearby, watching like hawks. Going over now would be a self-admission that something was fishy between the Military and the Derian family.
Regardless of how troubled and annoyed the Derian family was, Chi Junluo had already smoothly walked into the house she had always lived in on the Main Star.
The escorting driver had already stopped outside the courtyard. Seeing Chi Junluo go inside, he returned to report, relieved.
The courtyard and the two-story house were brightly lit; all the lights must have been turned on in advance. The courtyard felt strangely familiar. She pushed open the door and walked into the house. Looking at the layout inside, everything felt somewhat familiar.
Chi Junluo walked in, stunned. The main door closed automatically behind her. The house's security system recognized the owner's return and automatically activated protection mode.
Chi Junluo wandered around the first floor, still not quite able to recall why it felt so familiar. But when she went up to the second floor, she froze in an instant.
Comments
Post a Comment