Chapter 202: Launching the Public Opinion War

Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Launching the Public Opinion War

While Liang He and her friends discussed how to respond, Hoder had already learned the whole story from Silver Shuttle.

"Liang He’s point is that since the Rebel Army failed to achieve their goal by using public opinion to pressure us, they won’t give up easily. She wants us to pay closer attention to the online discourse."

Typically, the reserve didn’t have anyone specifically monitoring trends on the Star Network. To be precise, before Liang He arrived, the reserve had always kept a low profile, aside from being targeted by the Rebel Army because of Cedriel and the others.

"Additionally, she feels our primary goal should be to wake up the poisoned, comatose animals. That way, no matter what outrageous claims the other side makes, we can easily handle them."

After conveying Liang He’s thoughts, Hoder stood silently to the side, observing Huo An’s expression. So much had happened recently. Everyone was physically and mentally exhausted, struggling to keep up, but the one bearing the most pressure was actually Huo An, the director of the reserve. It was detestable how the Rebel Army kept plotting one scheme after another. If Liang He’s friend hadn’t intervened in time to buy them a chance to react, the situation would have certainly been inflamed by internet trolls by now.

"I understand. Hoder, return to the Seventh Service Area first and protect Liang He and the others," Huo An said.

Hoder had only been pulled in to help because the poisoned animals had suddenly mutated into Fierce Beasts. Now that the Fierce Beasts were locked up again, Hoder, as Liang He’s bodyguard, needed to stay by her side.

"Understood." Whether viewing Huo An as his director or as Uncle Huo An, Hoder could only obey his orders, so he agreed exceptionally readily.

"Aside from those that have already mutated into Fierce Beasts, the animals that are still comatose will remain under the observation of Lan Zhuo and Xu Yi. As soon as the antidote arrives from Blue Star, they will administer the treatment immediately."

Now, all their hopes rested on the antidote sent by Chou the Pharmacist. If they could successfully wake up the poisoned animals—especially Xuan Jiao—the online rumors would naturally collapse on their own. This was especially true for the accusations claiming Liang He hadn’t taken proper care of the Iron-eating Beast, which demanded severe punishment from the reserve and even the Federation.

"Kerry and I will continue tracking down Xiong Yu’s whereabouts. If we can catch him and prove that the Rebel Army is behind all of this, I believe the netizens will drop the issue," Huo An added.

The Rebel Army was notorious and already had a terrible reputation among the citizens. The revelation that they had poisoned innocent animals into comas would easily spark public outrage, naturally shifting the blame away from a simple breeder like Liang He.

Before the antidote was secured and Xiong Yu was captured, Huo An and his team could only let the dust settle while they focused on the work at hand. Fortunately, the reserve was heavily guarded, making it impossible for ordinary people to sneak in. They didn’t have to worry about irrational netizens tracking Liang He down to cause trouble.

"Useless! We hired so many internet trolls, and they couldn’t even make a dent!" General Nick’s good mood vanished in an instant.

He had previously asked the Black Wizard about the action plan following the poisoning. The Black Wizard had proposed using public pressure to force Liang He to break ties with the Federation, pushing her to the opposing side so she would cooperate with the Rebel Army. Initially, Nick thought this was an excellent plan. He was particularly captivated by the thrill of manipulating people’s hearts. Yet, to his surprise, the reserve hadn’t even reacted before a single comment easily turned the tide of the situation.

"Nick, why are you throwing such a fit?"

The Black Wizard, who had just finished a round of experiments, had come to check on their progress. He hadn’t expected to walk right into Nick furiously reprimanding his subordinates. After understanding the situation, a look of surprise finally crossed his face.

"It seems they have an expert guiding them behind the scenes as well."

In truth, the Black Wizard’s desire to use public opinion to build momentum was the result of careful consideration after a long period of observation. He had discovered that compared to the commonplace public opinion wars on Blue Star, the Federation was like a babbling infant in this regard. With just a little nudging, the netizens’ thoughts would blindly follow the crowd. Like a seasoned master of political intrigue stepping into a world completely naive to such mind games, this was undoubtedly a lethal weapon in the Black Wizard’s arsenal.

"But there’s no need to panic," he continued. "The netizens have only had their attention temporarily diverted."

Diverting their attention didn’t mean the facts ceased to exist. By the time the internet snapped back to its senses, the reserve and Liang He would still need to provide an answer—one that satisfied the public.

"So what should we do now?" Nick asked. He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of plunging the enemy into deep waters without sacrificing a single soldier. Now, he hoped to use this opportunity to slap Huo An and his team in the face to avenge his previous grudges. "If this drags on until the Information Security Department steps in, those internet trolls might not be of any use."

Once the Information Security Department realized the Rebel Army was involved, they would inevitably purge the network. When the trolls’ comments were blocked, stirring up trouble again would not be easy.

"Then we strike preemptively," the Black Wizard replied. "We continue to attack Liang He and drag the netizens’ focus back to her."

What Nick said made sense. The Black Wizard stopped feigning nonchalance; if possible, he would much rather see Liang He torn apart by public outrage. After all, judging by the Rebel Army’s recent words and actions, Liang He was his greatest competitor. If she actually figured out a way to command animals without requiring additional money and energy, his Fierce Beast Army would become a joke in comparison, and he would be treated as a discarded pawn by the Rebel Army.

The Black Wizard had no desire to return to his former life of aimless wandering. He simply enjoyed the feeling of being revered by the masses far too much.

"As a breeder, Liang He used Cedriel and the others to rake in money, branding herself as a famous blogger, and now she has caused the Iron-eating Beast to fall into a poisoned coma. That alone is enough for the netizens to latch onto."

Previously, because of Liang He’s unique status and the preferential treatment from the Information Security Department, the internet had subconsciously ignored these details. Now that they were pointing it out, there would definitely be disgruntled netizens using this opportunity to attack her. Furthermore, this world never lacked jealous hearts and those who resented the rich. Even if only a tenth of the online population was incited, given the massive demographic, it would still form a monstrous tidal wave.

"As long as we manipulate real netizens into targeting Liang He, the overall narrative won’t be affected—even if the Information Security Department steps in and mutes the trolls."

Even when these netizens realized someone was being silenced, they might grow even angrier, thereby deepening their dissatisfaction and suspicion toward Liang He. At that point, even if officials stepped in, the netizens would only firmly believe that Liang He was being shielded and that she was definitely guilty of something!

"Additionally, pin the matter of the Fierce Beasts onto Huo An and his team," the Black Wizard added.

Looking at the comment that had turned the tide, he sneered. He genuinely felt that Nick was too naive and inexperienced. On the internet, since when did the other party’s words dictate reality? Unless there was undeniable evidence, it was merely a contest of who could spin the narrative better. Being able to call black white and make the netizens believe it—that was the most important thing.

"Pin it on Huo An?" Nick asked. "How do we do that?"