Chapter 356: Always The Lawless People From Wretched Places

Li Xiaofei is our hero.

Are you taking us for fools?

Tell me, where were you when Li Xiaofei was fighting the star beasts outside the city?

He is a good kid.

I don’t believe it.

He even donated to the school.

Countless murders? Are you talking about killing those beasts from the Ye family? He did the right thing!

The randomly selected comments all defended Li Xiaofei. It wasn’t the outburst of curses and condemnation that Su Yuncao had expected, but instead a wave of support for Li Xiaofei.

"Switch rooms," Xie Renyu ordered.

The screen shifted, switching to another large live broadcast room.

The host remained silent on camera, but the comments scrolling through the chat weren’t much different from before. Apart from a few obvious troll comments that anyone could recognize as fake, the vast majority of the messages still defended Li Xiaofei.

Let him rest.

He deserves a break just for slaying the Bull Demon.

I’m just an ordinary citizen. I’ve never seen Li Xiaofei murder innocent people or bully others, but I have witnessed him fighting the Bull Demon with my own eyes.

If it hadn’t been for Li Xiaofei risking his life back then, Liuhe Base City might have already fallen.

You shouldn’t forget your debts of gratitude.

While patrolling the city walls, I saw Li Xiaofei leaving the city to hunt star beasts countless times . He never stopped fighting.

One comment after another flew across the screen, filling the live stream. The contents of the comments were shocking. Su Yuncao subconsciously swallowed hard.

How could this be? Weren’t the common people supposed to be the easiest to deceive and manipulate?

Why hadn’t the massive wave of public opinion, along with all the ‘evidence’ presented in court through videos and images, managed to sway the people of Liuhe Base City?

Trolls? It must be trolls. So, Li Xiaofei had some kind of backup plan after all. Or... was this Chen Fei’s doing?

He had focused on dealing with Li Xiaofei and completely ignored Chen Fei, who had already laid down his arms. Had he underestimated that guy? Was he not just a harmless dog?

The camera kept switching rooms. But the tone of the comments were identical in every live broadcast. They were all defending Li Xiaofei. Especially in the live room called Little White Dragon in the Waves, the main base of Li Xiaofei’s fans, there wasn’t a hint of the rebellion, defection, or betrayal that Su Yuncao had hoped for. Instead, the comments were launching fierce attacks against him.

This old dog is the one trying to steal the nest while slandering Li behind the scenes.

Remember that video from yesterday? It suddenly disappeared. Do they really think the light-network has no memory?

This old dog is retaliating because ‘Daddy’ exposed his filthy, despicable face.

Shameless old scoundrel.

The comments quickly turned their aim directly at Su Yuncao. This ignited an uncontrollable fury within Su Yuncao. It seems he had been right all along. Lawless people always come from these wretched places. Li Xiaofei’s fans were too loyal. The trolls in the other live streams had to be these very people.

At this moment, an emotionless Xie Renyu said, "Switch to the live scene. There may be trolls in the broadcast, so let’s see the real reaction of the people on the ground."

"Yes, yes, switch quickly." Su Yuncao wholeheartedly agreed, feeling like Xie Renyu had perfectly voiced what was on his mind.

The projection screen immediately switched to a live scene. The camera panned to a large factory workshop where hundreds of workers, clad in work uniforms and wearing safety helmets, were watching intently.

A reporter approached them for an interview, asking, "What punishment do you think someone like Li Xiaofei should receive?"

"Bah!" An older man with stubble spat out a thick wad of phlegm, nearly hitting the camera.

"My life was saved by the Cloudy Sky Gang. When the Hanging Cloud Beasts attacked, the city was filled with beast dung. But it was the people from Cloudy Sky Gang who risked their lives to dig my family out of the filth. And now you’re telling me Cloudy Sky Gang is a criminal organization? Well, I wish the whole city was full of such criminals."

"We’re just a bunch of poor laborers. If it weren’t for Cloudy Sky Gang setting up schools for our kids, how could they get such good education? How could we afford those schools?"

"Li Xiaofei donated purified water to the base city..."

"You think we’re idiots? You think we can be led around by the nose?"

Other workers, angrier still, rolled up their sleeves, closing in on the reporter as if ready to start a fight. Terrified, the reporter fled.

The camera shifted once more. It now showed Duxing High School, a former powerhouse supported by the once-dominant Ye family, which had crumbled with the family’s fall. The school, now ranked fifth in the league, had no hope of winning the championship.

The camera zoomed in on Xiong Zhigang. He had once been an arrogant young man who would stop at nothing to defeat Li Xiaofei. But now, he appeared much more worn down, with a habitual frown on his face. He even had a beard, making him look as though he had aged ten years. His youthful arrogance and sharpness had disappeared, and he now appeared much more composed.

"If Li Xiaofei is guilty, then let the law judge him," Xiong Zhigang said in a calm tone that didn’t match his age. "It’s not up to ordinary people who know nothing of the facts to decide... My opinion? I don’t have much of an opinion. I just want to face him again in the league. Winning or losing doesn’t matter; I only want to show the world that even though the Ye family has fallen, Duxing High School’s backbone has not."

This wasn’t the answer Su Yuncao had been hoping for either. The camera continued to switch. The scenes shifted to malls, factories, schools, streets, gangs, and even military personnel stationed on the city walls. But the answers the reporters gathered only made Su Yuncao’s face grow darker and darker.

"I don’t want to criticize a hero of the base city."

"A criminal? In my eyes, he was a savior."

"He reformed the gangs and cleaned up the city. No one has done better than him, so I don’t believe what’s being said online. I only believe what I’ve seen with my own eyes."

"You’re asking questions like this in the slums? Damn reporter, I swear to the heavens, if it weren’t for President Li teaching us to be law-abiding citizens, you’d be a corpse right now."

"Li Xiaofei is my idol. His performance on the field is something I’ll always aspire to."

"No one knows Li Xiaofei better than the people of Liuhe."

"I don’t need you to tell me what to think. I only trust what I’ve seen and heard for myself..."

Some people responded angrily, some spoke with unwavering conviction, and others made vicious threats, while still others spoke calmly. But despite their different expressions, their attitudes were all the same. They were more willing to believe in Li Xiaofei.

Su Yuncao sat among the crowd, his face growing darker than ever. He took a deep breath, trying to mask his confusion and anger, but for some reason, he found his face stiff. The expressions he once controlled with ease now seemed beyond his command, as every muscle betrayed his shock.

"It seems the people of Liuhe are inclined to grant him the right to a recess," Xie Renyu remarked, a slight smile on his lips. His tone was laced with mockery.

This remark ignited a feeling of betrayal within Su Yuncao. Xie Renyu had always fully cooperated with him without a hint of dissent. Su Yuncao had never expected to be stabbed in the back like this, and now, here he was, facing a bitter betrayal.

Su Yuncao was convinced that this scene had been orchestrated by Xie Renyu, the city leader, in secret.

"People are easily fooled," Su Yuncao said coldly as he rose to his feet, his face clouded with gloom. "That’s why their opinions can only serve as a reference. They are not enough to sway a judge’s decision. City Leader Xie, I think you’d better refrain from speaking too much, lest you be accused of interfering with judicial fairness."

"Heh." Xie Renyu chuckled.

He made a gesture as if inviting something to happen. At that moment, something did.

Bang.

The doors of the hall were suddenly flung open with a heavy force. Chen Fei strode in, dressed in full military uniform, accompanied by three high-ranking officers who radiated an aura of authority.