Just as they had expected, Director Zhang posted their training schedule on the Interstellar Network as a behind-the-scenes teaser for the show.
While the military base’s daily routines were always technically public, no one on the Interstellar Network had ever uploaded such a detailed schedule of army training. The moment it went live, it immediately drew a swarm of military enthusiasts. Seeing that the schedule included a hand-to-hand combat class for the guests that afternoon, viewers couldn't wait to find the official livestream link to camp out for the broadcast. To their surprise, however, the expected livestream lobby was nowhere to be found. In its place, plastered across the screen, were the words: "This stream is currently offline."
This sudden turn of events sent hordes of viewers flooding into the show's official social media account to demand why the stream had been shut down.
The production team had long been prepared. Seeing the public outcry, they immediately released a notice stating that, in order to protect critical military secrets and in cooperation with the military’s requirements, the format would be changed from a hybrid live-and-recorded broadcast to entirely pre-recorded.
The audience, previously disgruntled by the sudden change in format, quieted down as soon as they read the words "protect critical military secrets," reluctantly accepting the explanation.
Director Zhang knew how to play the game. Underneath the notice, he shrewdly dropped the news that the show’s premiere would be moved up, effectively stifling the remaining dissatisfaction. With that, the issue of the livestream’s cancellation was temporarily resolved.
Meanwhile, a segment of the audience had latched onto another point entirely:
"Combat class on the first day? Intense!"
"If I remember correctly, didn’t a guest get crippled during combat class last season?"
New viewers who hadn't seen the previous season asked: "You can get crippled just from a class? That’s impossible!"
Several replies popped up immediately:
"You guys don't know? Even though private brawls are forbidden in the base, sparring is often arranged during combat classes and tournaments. At the end of the day, it's a combat class—minor injuries are unavoidable."
"I think the guy from last season was just trying to show off against someone who had already served two years in the military and ended up crippled because of it."
"Bailin has also been training for years; isn't fighting him basically the same as fighting a veteran?"
In the previous day's stream, many had noticed Bailin’s attitude toward Liulan. Those fond of gossip had already dug everything up; by now, almost everyone knew that Bailin was a fan of Chen Yan.
If there was anyone in the world who hated Liulan and wanted him gone immediately, it was undoubtedly Chen Yan’s fans.
Thinking of this, the haters began to gloat, flocking to the social media platform to stir up trouble.
"Laughing my head off. I officially support Bailin crippling Liulan."
"What a golden opportunity. Whoever wrecks Liulan becomes my new favorite."
"I’m just worried Liulan will collapse before anyone even lays a finger on him."
"The keyboard warrior will probably pee his pants before we even start."
The barrage of mockery and verbal attacks wasn't enough; somehow, some malicious actor paid to boost the hashtag #LiulanCrippled to the top of the trending list, wishing nothing more than for the production team to announce Liulan’s forced withdrawal due to injury in the next second.
The vitriol from the haters had truly crossed a line. Fearing the situation would escalate, the show’s publicity department immediately reported the situation to Director Zhang. Upon hearing the news, Director Zhang told them to get the topic off the trending list immediately, while simultaneously ordering everyone at the base to keep their mouths shut and ensure the guests didn't hear about it, so as not to affect their mood or performance.
***
On the first day of training, Nanwei had been the instructor leading Liulan and the others all morning. When he stepped into their combat training room again, no one found it strange. The only surprise was that there were two other squads in the room besides their own.
Compared to the other two squads, the guests looked completely out of place, their newly learned formation looking clumsy. They were standing in lines, but they were hardly straight.
Nanwei frowned as he looked at them, clearly unsatisfied. Instead of starting the lesson, he shouted two more commands to adjust their formation.
Throughout the process, the other two squads just watched them quietly. Liulan could clearly feel the judgment and exclusion in their gazes.
Holding his breath, the group finally managed to meet Nanwei’s requirements after he repeated the order for the third time.
After verifying the attendance, Nanwei said: "Your combat instructor is on leave for certain reasons, so you will have a new instructor starting this week."
Since this was Liulan and his group's first combat class, it was clear that Nanwei was speaking to the soldiers from the other two squads.
One soldier immediately reported and asked: "Instructor Nanwei, is our new combat instructor you?"
"It is not," he replied.
Nanwei’s answer surprised even Liulan, who had assumed Nanwei was their only instructor.
The soldier looked puzzled: "Is there any other instructor at the base more qualified than you to teach us combat?"
"There is," Nanwei said.
As luck would have it, the second after Nanwei finished his sentence, footsteps echoed from outside the training room, moving from the distance to just outside the door.
The new instructor stepped into the room and came to a stop in front of everyone. He was greeted by the soldiers' exclamations:
"The Chief Instructor!"
"The Chief Instructor is teaching us combat?!"
"To think it would be the Chief Instructor..."
Upon seeing who had arrived, all the soldiers expressed surprise and anticipation. Only Liulan didn't feel a shred of joy; he rolled his eyes hard.
"What a small world. You total creep!"