Chapter 038: General Ying's Killing Move!

Beep, beep, beep.

During the connection, the people of Beihai all watched the screens mounted on the building. Perhaps it was the comfort offered by Le Xiaotian and Chen Fang that took effect, or perhaps it was the realization that running would be futile. Now, they were very quiet.

As soon as the call was connected, Ying Dengbo's voice came ahead of time, “Wait a moment, I’ve already had the images broadcast.”

At that instant, time itself seemed to freeze. Whether or not Le Xiaotian’s claim—that controlling General Ying was tantamount to controlling the advanced three-star dance instrument, the Crystal Violin—was true, the thirst to know the situation on Blue Moon Island was palpable. Only by understanding the situation could they judge the real circumstances, and so allay their fear of the unknown threat.

Soon, through special means, a sub-screen appeared on the monitors in Lotus Control Room and on over a thousand screens throughout Beihai City. The main screen showed Le Xiaotian; the sub-screen, Ying Dengbo.

Then Le Xiaotian instructed the staff at Lotus to switch Ying Dengbo’s image to the main screen.

Once he was out of the audience’s sight, a cold, murderous aura radiated from Le Xiaotian, making Chen Fang shudder.

For in the image, not only was Ying Dengbo present with several of his officers, but beside him sat another man, equal to him in stature.

From the massive stone architecture in the background, it was clear: the command center for this operation was set in the lowest hall of the Zhenxing Tower. No one knew the internal structure of the three-hundred-meter-tall tower, but at least the power system was impressive.

Under the lights as bright as day, Ying Dengbo and the other man sat side by side, with a crowd behind them.

Though Le Xiaotian had never met Zhang Hao, he had always paid close attention to this man who wanted him dead.

In that moment, not only Le Xiaotian’s expression changed, but the faces of everyone in Beihai turned ashen.

When it came to fame, Zhang Hao was one of the most prominent public figures in Beihai, and also its number one Dark Star.

For such an underground king to ally with a three-star general from Fama, the situation had truly become grave.

At that moment, Zhang Hao smiled into the camera and said, “Good evening, everyone. The people of Beihai all know me, don’t you? And to all the viewers across the country, good evening as well. I am Zhang Hao of Beihai.”

Meanwhile, Ying Dengbo pressed the play button on his recorder. “This is the real reason I launched this operation.”

Instantly, in the Black Palace in the capital, the Empress was piecing together the truth.

The reason Ying Dengbo had been able to overrun the Beihai military base, deploy so many advanced weapons, and seize the three-star dance instrument, the Crystal Violin, lay here.

Then, a conversation echoed throughout Fama.

“Brother Yuan, want to make some money? As long as you succeed, you’ll get five million Dance Coins, a Lafarli car, a luxury villa of eight hundred square meters, and six fresh-faced models. Interested?”

“Little Wang, you aren’t scamming me, are you? You’re offering tens of millions worth of rewards—does this mean you want me to ask my brother for help?”

“Heh, Brother Yuan, you’re overthinking it. If General Ying can make a name for himself in Fama, why can’t you? You’re real brothers, after all. I don’t agree with those who say you only succeed thanks to your brother. In my eyes, you’re just as good as he is. My boss only wants you for this job.”

“Haha, you’re right, Little Wang. My brother always says I’m irresponsible. This time, I’ll show him. We were born of the same mother; I, Ying Dengen, am no less than he is. Tell me about this mission—I’ll take it!”

“Brother Yuan, here’s the thing. You know that Lotus Television in Beihai is getting cocky. For the past two years, they’ve been preparing a major broadcast, even bringing in singers. But they’re just asking for trouble. What they don’t know is, our Blue Cang has long set everything up in secret…”

As this recording played, Beihai fell silent. The capital fell silent. Blue Da fell silent. Yunluo fell silent. All of Fama fell silent.

In the studio, Le Xiaotian shivered from head to toe.

When Ying Dengen’s voice came through, his pupils contracted sharply. That so-called “Brother Yuan” was the man who, on the very first day of hosting “Xiaotian’s Request Show,” recited the poem “The Moon on the Fifteenth Is Fullest on the Sixteenth.”

At the same time, Director Tang, Li Hongmei, the bearded man, Zhao Dezhu, Huang Qiang, and several other hosts all shuddered, their ears sensitive to the sound of that voice. They remembered it clearly.

Sun Yuzhen, meanwhile, turned deathly pale, her breath coming short, a surge of dread overtaking her heart. It was as if all her worst fears were being confirmed, becoming suddenly clear.

Her worries had become reality. Sun Yuzhen was now gripped by overwhelming tension—her husband was in danger!

At that moment, Ying Dengbo, calm and unhurried, played another recording.

“I don’t want to hear songs; I want to hear poetry. Can you do that? Lyrics, prose, modern poems—all are fine.”

“What’s wrong? Is our Brother Xiaotian not capable of composing poetry? If you really can’t, then forget it. I won’t blame you.”

“Poetry, prose, fiction, drama—the four great literary forms—I’m well-versed in all of them. I was just considering whether you were worthy of hearing my verses. Do you understand?”

“Quit being so mysterious. Let’s match verses. The Mid-Autumn Festival is near—let’s make that our theme. I’ll start: ‘The moon on the fifteenth is fullest on the sixteenth…’”

“Today, I’ll show you what it means to bring lyrics, song, and melody together as one! ‘When will the bright moon appear…’”

Stunned. Collective bewilderment. Universal confusion!

With the broadcast reaching this point, practically everyone in Fama understood the cause of the crisis—this was the root of Blue Moon Island’s fall.

At that moment, following Ying Dengbo’s instructions, his men switched the video feed: his became the sub-screen, while Le Xiaotian and Chen Fang’s became the main image. On screen, Le Xiaotian looked deathly pale.

Tears streaming down his face, Ying Dengbo spoke with heartfelt emotion, “My fellow citizens, though this operation stems mainly from problems behind Blue Cang, I cannot escape responsibility. But I ask you—judge for yourselves. If we all had a little more love in our hearts, perhaps this would never have happened. Even if it had, it would never have escalated so far.”

“‘The moon on the fifteenth is fullest on the sixteenth’—I believe Le Xiaotian knows the truth in these words. But what did he do? He chose to flaunt his own talent, delivering a crushing blow to my brother. It was a mortal wound to his spirit!”

“I understand—geniuses like Le Xiaotian are proud. But he didn’t see that the one he wounded was just a small man longing for his brother’s approval. Someone with such a character, I can only feel sorry for him, for a genius who bullies the weak will never become a true superstar. After all, who can’t bully the weak?”

“Therefore, this time I want not only to eradicate all the cancers festering behind Blue Cang, but also to make Le Xiaotian pay a bitter price for his mistake! If you hand over Le Xiaotian, or if he finds it in his conscience to repent, then I will release the three thousand hostages.”