Urgent Confrontation
Seeing the popularity of Li Aozi's livestream, Sisron had a bright idea and had people bring over a few barrels of beer from a pub that the allied forces had already taken over, turning the stream into a product placement opportunity.
Li Aozi thought this wasn't enough, so he called Barnum to bring over a set of barbecue equipment and some plastic chairs using a hovercar.
Sitting on the plastic chairs of a street food stall, Li Aozi nodded in satisfaction—this was the true soul of a barbecue.
Holding his long sword in his arms, he nonchalantly aimed the camera at Sullute Palace behind him, eating and drinking while chatting with Barnum and Sisron, casually introducing the history of Grant to everyone.
On one side, there was eating, drinking, and firepower coverage, while the wind carried the aroma of teppanyaki into Sullute Palace. The defending soldiers sniffed the air, their noses stinging and eyes turning red.
Li Aozi took a bite of chicken steak and a sip of beer, introducing it to his viewers:
"Hey folks, support our authentic Grant wheat beer! It's made from the best grains on Azure Star, with a crisp taste, a hint of hop aroma, and the sweetness of fruit. It's not bitter at all, really tasty. To place an order—uh, sorry, it's already sold out. If you want more, you'll have to preorder."
The excellent entertainment value and product placement techniques caused the popularity of Li Aozi's livestream to skyrocket. Before long, his stream even broke through the limits and reached the seventh spot on the trending list, with 126,000 viewers watching simultaneously.
Amusingly, the stream ranked sixth was that of Liu Zhidong, the Frost-Plated Republic's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, with 137,000 viewers, currently engaged in a serious diplomatic negotiation with the spokesperson from Tianhuan.
On one side, there was talk of national affairs and shifting global dynamics; on the other, a handsome guy eating, drinking, and showcasing explosive art.
The contrasting styles of the two livestreams, when juxtaposed, reminded viewers that they were, in essence, related.
Li Aozi had been forced out by Frost-Plated Republic, defeated and exposed their anti-human experiments, while Frost-Plated Republic was desperately trying to maintain its international image, attempting to downplay and whitewash the anti-human issues.
Viewers from around the world initially watched Li Aozi's stream with a bystander's curiosity, some purely attracted by his charisma, while others were there to satisfy themselves by sending fireball donations.
Now, with the conflict between Li Aozi and Frost-Plated Republic back in the spotlight, people couldn't help but recall the atrocities of the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization, the compelling evidence presented by Tianhuan, and the sanctions implemented by various countries...
Connecting all these events, a thought suddenly awakened in the viewers' minds:
"Is there something I can do?"
Seeing that a showdown with his former employer was about to unfold, netizens around the world quickly became interested—whether for fun, to stir the pot, or out of a sense of justice.
In any case, they began to act.
They flocked to support Li Aozi, crazily showering him with gifts and comments, almost like a virus spreading everywhere, sharing the stream's link widely, even revisiting the Sheqing website to "return to the scene" and drawing more people to gather here.
The livestream's popularity soared, and Li Aozi's actions and image were reshaped. In people's minds, he was no longer a villain fighting fire with fire but a true warrior resisting tyranny.
His popularity kept rising, surpassing even the Frost-Plated Republic's official stream. The surge in viewers caught the attention of the platform's management, who saw the potential in Li Aozi's influence and promptly lifted his streaming limits, pushing recommendations and notifications to countless users' terminals.
The soldiers inside Sullute Palace received notifications on their terminals. When they unlocked their screens, the first message was a link to Li Aozi's livestream.
"Enough!"
The four Law III agents stationed inside the palace could no longer hold back—this couldn't continue!
If the traitor who betrayed their country became a hero, it would be the greatest humiliation to the nation.
Bang!
Law III agent leader Benjesson was so furious that he crushed his terminal into a ball of scrap metal, the battery sparking and catching fire as it hit the ground. He didn't hesitate to command his companions:
"Inlet, Bodra, you two stay here and guard. Zuo Jiajun and I are going to kill that wretched traitor!"
"No!" Agent Inlet put down her sniper rifle and immediately objected: "Sir, our mission is to protect Sullute Palace and hold out until reinforcements arrive. We shouldn't take action before then..."
"Exactly!" Bodra agreed, raising his rifle and firing a burst at Li Aozi, which was deflected by gravity. Cursing under his breath, he added, "Sir, if we go out now, there are too many of them outside. We'd just be wasting ammo and energy."
"Law III: Eliminate all external threats." Benjesson's cybernetic eye rotated, glowing with a dark red electronic light as he coldly said, "The biggest external threat right now is that bastard Li Aozi!"
"Leave it to us." Zuo Jiajun took off his military cap and donned a gas mask. "As a [Biochemist], I'll create a toxic fog zone. Do you really think Benjesson and I can't take down just one guy?"
"But—" Inlet was about to argue but was cut off by the enraged Benjesson:
"No buts! Our country is being humiliated, and we're just sitting here—what would the people think? What would the President think? We're Law III. If we don't defend the safety of the colony, what's the point of our existence?!"
"Twin Queens protect us! White Frost-Plated Clothes, Pure Hearts!" Zuo Jiajun was a fervent nationalist. He pounded his chest and shouted, "Everything we do is for the happiness of the Frost-Plated people, and Li Aozi is destroying our efforts. What's there to question?"
"Stop dithering."
With military-grade lung implants, Benjesson wasn't afraid of the toxic fog. He stood up, propped himself against the wall, vaulted over the barricade, and boldly walked into the garden of Sullute Palace. Zuo Jiajun followed closely, a biochemical toxin grenade already in hand.
"Hey, Li Aozi, your days of wreaking havoc are over."
Benjesson took off his cap, and the wind and snow lifted his Law III coat high, like the wings of a black dragon. A cigar in his mouth, he stretched out a hand towards Li Aozi, who was sitting on a plastic chair:
"Shut down the livestream."
Li Aozi casually finished the skewer of grilled meat, slowly took a swig of beer, and said leisurely:
"If you want it, you'll have to come and get it."
He stood up slowly, picking up the Suzan long sword. The plastic chair was immediately blown away by the wind, and Barnum quickly got up to chase after it.
"But you know how it will end."
Benjesson squinted his eyes. "I knew you'd say that."
He raised his hand, and a sharp blade popped out from his cybernetic arm.
"It's time to end this!"