Chapter 869
Chapter 869 - 855: Create Some News
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8 min read
"Hello, could you please talk about how you killed that Lord of the Abyss?"
"Hello, I’m Wang Suyi, a reporter from the Guarding Moon Journal in Changping City. I’ve heard that we suffered heavy losses in the Abyss this time. Could you reveal some details about the situation?"
"Your Excellency, as the person involved in this incident, what is your opinion on Changping City’s obstinacy in using the temporary qualification exam to strategize an expedition into the Foreign Domain? As far as I know, some of the victim’s families are protesting in front of the government building..."
"Mr. Lu, your act of courageously entering the seventh layer of the Abyss alone and saving a group of examinees has amazed many. Could you share how you came to that decision..."
Lu Ping’an closed the door; it looks like he’ll be killing time in his hotel room today.
This is the fourth day since his return. The temporary qualification exam has come to an end, and the final pass rate didn’t exceed 1%... Lu Ping’an wasn’t surprised at all by this result; such a low pass rate is actually good for everyone.
However, it’s obvious that his information had been leaked. Barely had he opened the door when he was met with a crowd of journalists waiting.
"Tsk, weren’t they called the Secret Keepers? Why is everything being publicly reported now?"
"Times have changed. Now openness and transparency are the main themes. Everything is for the exploration and development of the Foreign Domain, and professionals have naturally become a high-income group within society, receiving more attention as a result."
Xia Qin seemed rather cheerful about it. She had just taken a shower in the morning and opened a can of beer, sitting on the bed watching TV.
Days without overtime were a dream of bliss for her, especially since this dream had lasted for some time.
The jurisdiction? No problem, she had just made a phone call. The temporary workers... the Knights were doing remarkably well. The Ancient City’s overly abundant combat power allowed for continuous expansion of the crime fighters’ numbers, keeping the crime rate within a safe range.
"...I see."
Lu Ping’an glanced at the news on the TV in the room, which was reporting on the situation in the Foreign Domain and the Abyss war from the past few days; no wonder he had become the focus of public attention.
It is clear that society now is in a transitional period with public mentality and trends, needing to set up positive models in large numbers. Officially recognized professionals and merit-makers naturally receive guided coverage from the authorities.
"...Don’t tell me. Just thinking of those reporters reminds me of those poor sods brought to the seventh layer of the Abyss. Are they doing okay?"
"Very well. Your ability for deferred payment combined with the Courtyard’s closed treatment has made them fare much better than the losers who met with disaster on the third and fourth layers."
"That’s good."
Lu Ping’an took a can of ice-cold beer and helped himself.
He was actually not very interested in smoking or drinking, and for some reason, even felt a bit sick of alcohol; but seeing Xia Qin enjoying her beer made him a bit envious.
"Hey, hey, I’ve drunk from that. Go get your own from the fridge."
"I don’t mind."
"I mind!" She waved her little fists around; if they really hit, it wouldn’t be gentle.
"Um, Sister Xia, we’re all adults over twenty, isn’t that a bit much?"
Lu Ping’an looked at her in astonishment, making the "adult woman" blush.
"Little kid... You’re not of age yet, not twenty! No drinking!"
Watching the woman snatch back the beer in a fit of pique, Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly and got himself a new one from the hotel’s mini-fridge.
It was a minor incident, one Lu Ping’an truly didn’t care about. Xia Qin, on the other hand, finished her beer swiftly, crushed the can flat, and chucked it into the trash bin.
Lu Ping’an shook his head, picked up the latest newspaper, and started reading it on the other bed.
He had actually received notice that he might become the focus of public opinion, just didn’t expect it to come so quickly and urgently.
"Indeed, the death rate this time was a bit too high..."
Didirona’s reaction was somewhat excessively intense, her initiative also exceeded expectations (it has been proven afterward that she obtained advance notice via spy), the first wave of counterattacks came much too early, and the loss consequently exceeded expectations.
When the intensity of war suddenly escalated, naturally the ones who died the fastest were the... ahem, weaker ones.
The higher mortality rate among students caused quite a negative social impact... at such a time, the official media would do their utmost to propagate some positive images.
Their propaganda department reviewed the situation and found out that this was actually a long-planned great victory, which could perfectly be publicized.
The trend and the victory needed to be celebrated, but specific examples and personas were the fulcrum of the propaganda, and needed to be promoted with full force.
Among the many alternative materials for propaganda, Lu Ping’an from Ancient City was exceptionally eye-catching.
Not only did he slay the Snake King Didirona, but most importantly, his reason for appearing in the seventh layer of the Abyss was to rescue the abducted students (along with his unnamed companions).
A young man, risking his life to descend into hell’s Abyss to save people, accidentally encountering the returning Magic King and emerging victorious after a grueling battle, becoming the biggest hero of the campaign... wasn’t this the perfect "legendary young hero" script for propaganda?
The official propaganda department confirmed Lu Ping’an’s background, acknowledged his status as a "war hero (Green Planet)" and his obvious official background, had no worries about the story collapsing, and naturally pushed him as the focal point of the campaign.
𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
This was precisely why Lu Ping’an now found himself in trouble, and why even stepping outside was problematic.
But from his perspective, it was actually a good thing... he needed the fame, so he wouldn’t just be traded away as a "somewhat valuable chess piece."
While such possibility was low, and Ancient City had always expressed its friendliness, if he could better negate this possibility, Lu Ping’an had no reason to refuse.
"How much longer will it last? This is really inconvenient for me."
"Until the next news hotspot appears; if nothing goes wrong, that should be in the next couple of days."
Lu Ping’an, the person involved, was quite calm about it all; it was Xia Qin, the honest type, who had unfortunately run into trouble out of the blue.
Her being in Lu Ping’an’s room wasn’t because anything had actually happened, but simply because she was practicing late into the night in the courtyard, and when she came out, things didn’t seem right.
If she just left the room and got photographed, those tabloids would probably be thrilled... but not the parties involved; Xia Qin still cared about her reputation.
If the news really spread that "the female Captain of the Special Service Team was using her position to keep a high school boy (Lu Ping’an from a year ago)" in the current era, this chaste maiden would likely have to abandon any thoughts of marriage.
"Hah, you were the one who jumped down to save them; I only went to retrieve you, and these reports didn’t even mention it. I have already said it, but they’ve practically made you disappear," said Lu Ping’an as he put down the newspaper, having noticed something amiss with the news coverage.
"Normal, propaganda needs... The official records will have it, and it was given to those media outlets, but evidently they didn’t report it honestly. After all, compared to a dutiful yet dull soldier, a young hero who saves strangers and accidentally achieves great things is much more captivating to the public. They are just, as always, selectively reporting," she said calmly.
Xia Qin was fairly undisturbed by this; ever since she had just become Captain and had been the subject of fabricated stories by certain tabloids about "a captain too young" and "[the predecessor Captain]’s XX," she now held no fondness for the current traditional media.
"In a couple of years, with the spread of the new network, these traditional media chasing and concocting news will decline a lot..." Lu Ping’an paused for a moment before offering some words of comfort.
"Really? By that time, there should be fewer clickbait headlines, fake news, and incitement of ethnic strife... Uh, Lu Ping’an, why are you covering your face?"
"No, I just remembered, the media are merely tools; the key lies with the people using those tools. If the people don’t change, the media won’t change either... they’ll only become more aggressive!"
Some things will change, but others won’t; it’s probably the difference between "choosing death by headline" and "selecting reports with the most comments." Except for the different terms, is there a difference?
But now, both the official and civilian professionals indeed need the power of these media to publicize.
Because things hiding in the shadows also took this opportunity to creep out.
— End of Chapter 869 —