Jiang Liulan and Xie Ti were chatting happily, completely unaware that the live stream chat was in a frenzy.
"Who's that handsome guy next to Xie Ti? Not bad looking at all."
"I want all the info on this cutie within a minute!"
"They seem to be getting along great. As expected of Xie Ti, making friends wherever she goes."
"[Drool] I ship this CP."
"Shipping them right now!"
While the chat was buzzing with shippers, someone suddenly chimed in with a splash of cold water:
"Wait, isn't that Liulan?"
"Pretty sure it's that scumbag."
"Don't just ship anything—who knows if the person across from our CP is human or a demon? [Smirk]"
Seeing the strange comments about Jiang Liulan popping up on screen, Xie Ti's fans realized something was off and immediately started asking questions:
"The guy next to her is named Jiang Liulan?"
"Who is Jiang Liulan? What's wrong with him?"
There were plenty of viewers interested in Land of the Strong, and quite a few of them knew about the previous incident between Jiang Liulan and Chen Yan. Word spread quickly, and soon Chen Yan's fans and Jiang Liulan's haters followed the trail right into the live stream.
Scarcely a few minutes after Jiang Liulan and Xie Ti's camera angle passed, someone in the chat posted a video link of Jiang Liulan cursing out Chen Yan, accompanied by a bunch of dirt on Jiang Liulan. It was a mix of truth and lies that made it hard to tell what was real, growing more alarming by the second.
Seeing Xie Ti walking so close to Jiang Liulan, Xie Ti's fans panicked:
"QAQ Is our Titi getting forced into a packaged promotional stunt?!"
"It was already suspicious enough that the company sent Xie Ti to such a high-risk show. Looks like they're just using her to boost someone else."
Noticing that the fans in the discussion area were getting more and more out of hand, an experienced fan leader immediately sensed trouble and began calming the ranks in their group chats, actively seeking verification from the assistant. Fortunately, Xie Ti's manager had been monitoring the situation. As soon as the news came in, they arranged for the assistant to coordinate with the fan leaders, reminding everyone not to be used by malicious actors.
Since Land of the Strong was a show supervised by the military, the majority of the audience consisted of ordinary citizens and military enthusiasts rather than dedicated fandoms. Arguing in this kind of live stream would only bring negative attention to their idols.
Quickly coming to their senses, Xie Ti's fans withdrew from the battlefield. In an instant, the chat was left with only Chen Yan's fans, Jiang Liulan's haters, and innocent bystanders who had no idea what was going on.
One passerby couldn't help but type: "Take your fight outside, or get lost if you're not going to watch!"
While the haters over there were still pulling their stunts, Jiang Liulan and the others finally arrived at their destination.
The transport vehicle came to a steady halt in the camp on the outskirts of the base. An officer dressed in a black military uniform was waiting for them at the front of the training ground.
"That must be our instructor, right?" Xie Ti guessed in a low voice.
Following the direction Xie Ti pointed, Jiang Liulan saw a figure standing as straight as a stone tablet. Although the instructor was standing all alone in the middle of the parade ground, his aura was more imposing than their entire group combined, and his solemn expression made it clear he was not someone to be messed with.
Director Zhang led the group off the transport vehicle. Instead of immediately introducing the instructor behind him, he had a staff member bring out a box, clapped his hands toward the miniature camera, and said, "Welcome everyone to the Federal Military Base. To comply with the base's security regulations during your stay here, everyone is required to hand over all personal communication devices."
Surrendering communication devices was a common trick in variety shows, and given the special nature of this program, everyone had been prepared. No one raised any objections.
Xie Ti and the others had wanted to use the last moments with their optical computers to leave a message for their families, but upon tapping them, they found zero signal and resigned themselves to handing their optical computers right over.
Jiang Liulan was the most decisive of the lot, tossing his optical computer into the box without a second word the moment Director Zhang finished speaking.
Seeing him act so readily, the chat appropriately drifted by a comment: "Liulan must be thrilled to escape the internet, at least he won't have to get yelled at for a while. [Smile]"