Chapter 98
Unless you want it to destroy the world
The air inside the tent felt as heavy and oppressive as if it were filled with lead.
The outside noise was blocked by the thick canvas, leaving only the crackling sound of a high-powered military radio.
Li Zhenhua sat behind the folding table, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
On the table lay the S-class top-secret document—"Emergency Plan for Containing Anomalous Creature No. 001".
The red header of the document was so glaring it made me uneasy.
Jiang Han, however, acted as if nothing had happened, sitting cross-legged on a cot to the side.
He fiddled with the lighter he'd swiped from Li Zhenhua, the clicking sound of it striking the flame becoming the only rhythm in the tent.
"Jiang Han".
Li Zhenhua finally spoke, his voice low and commanding.
"The meaning above is very clear."
"All live streams must be stopped immediately."
"The existence of that dragon has seriously impacted the existing social order and scientific system."
The internet is going crazy right now, with all sorts of doomsday theories and theological revival theories flying around.
"For national security, and to avoid causing global panic..."
Li Zhenhua pointed to the backup live streaming equipment in the corner, whose red light was still flashing.
"Turn it off."
"Whatever exploration you wish to undertake in the future, the nation will provide you with the best resources, but it must be conducted secretly under our surveillance."
Jiang Han stopped what she was doing.
He raised his eyelids, and although his golden eyes had disappeared, a chilling indifference still emanated from the depths of his pupils.
"Shut down the broadcast?"
Jiang Han chuckled softly, as if he had heard some huge joke.
"Old man, do you think I'm doing livestreams to make money?"
"Do you still think I'm doing this for that pitiful amount of traffic?"
Li Zhenhua frowned: "Regardless of the reason, national interests come first!"
"That's your national interest, not mine."
Jiang Han suddenly stood up.
Bang!
He kicked the folding table in front of him.
The solid wood table shattered into pieces instantly, with wood chips flying everywhere.
Li Zhenhua remained seated, but the muscles around his eyes were twitching violently.
Jiang Han walked up to Li Zhenhua, placed his hands on the broken table, and looked down at the old general.
"Why do you think that dragon down there is so obedient?"
"What makes you think I'm above it?"
"Because I'm handsome?"
Jiang Han pointed to his head, his tone filled with a charlatan-like seduction and arrogance.
"That's the power of will!"
"Do you understand? You old fogey."
"That dragon is a monstrous creature sealed away for hundreds of years! The resentment emanating from it could turn everyone within a hundred miles into dried corpses!"
"The reason I started live streaming is because of the attention from billions of people worldwide. This massive popularity and support acted like an invisible net, helping me suppress its inherent evil!"
Jiang Han began to spout nonsense with a straight face.
In reality, it was a case of blind luck; the system did indeed convert the livestream viewership and viewer intent into system energy, and then into... transmitted it to...
......
But the expression on his face was too serious, too certain.
Given his previous inhuman behavior, this nonsense actually sounded damnably reasonable.
"Once the broadcast is shut down."
Jiang Han snapped his fingers.
"Smack."
"The will of billions of people was severed in an instant."
"An imbalance of Yin and Yang."
"Do you think that corpse dragon, having just tasted freedom, might go mad?"
"If it bursts out, it'll eat you hundreds of people up like a buffet..."
Jiang Han leaned close to Li Zhenhua's ear and said in a sinister tone:
"General Li, can you bear this responsibility?"
Li Zhenhua's pupils suddenly contracted.
His breathing became rapid.
He was weighing his options.
He was playing a game.
Reason told him that this kid was lying.
But his intuition told him... this kid is really weird! What if he's telling the truth?
That's a real dragon! A mythical creature! Who would dare gamble hundreds of lives and national security on a mere "what if"?
Tick.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Li Zhenhua's forehead.
The tent was deathly silent.
A full half minute passed.
Li Zhenhua suddenly grabbed the red secure phone on the table and roared into the receiver:
"Received from the Cyberspace Administration of China!"
"I am Li Zhenhua!"
"Order! Cancel all traffic restrictions and bans on Jiang Han's live stream!"
"Not only can't it be shut down! It needs to be expanded!"
"Move all server resources there! Even if the entire network crashes, we must maintain the signal for this live stream!"
"This is... a strategic mission!"
hang up the phone.
Li Zhenhua slumped into a chair, looking completely exhausted.
His hands trembled as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, intending to light it, only to find the lighter in Jiang Han's hand.
Click.
A flame appeared before my eyes.
Jiang Han smiled and lit a cigarette for him.
"That's right, Lao Li."
"Broaden your perspective."
"I'm not harming you, I'm saving you."
Li Zhenhua took a deep drag of his cigarette and coughed violently, choking on it.
He coughed as he pointed at Jiang Han, his finger trembling:
"You little brat..."
"You're holding all of humanity hostage!"
Jiang Han shrugged and turned to walk out.
"Say what you want."
"Anyway, as long as I'm around, it won't dare to do anything reckless."
"As long as the live stream is on, the sky won't fall down."
As Jiang Han approached the tent entrance, he suddenly stopped.
He didn't turn around, but just waved his hand with his back to Li Zhenhua.
"Oh, and get me something to eat."
"I want meat."
"Raw meat."
"The fresher the better."
After saying that, he lifted the curtain and stepped into the night outside.
Li Zhenhua was left alone in the swirling smoke, staring at that figure with a complex expression, as if he were looking at a monster.