Free Web NovelChapter 27: Public Opinion Is a Weapon
The six energy rifle muzzles pointed straight at Headmaster Adrian Cole.
In the control room, the atmosphere was so cold it nearly froze solid. No one had expected Marcus Vane would actually dare have his soldiers point guns at the headmaster of Aurora Academy right in the academy’s control center.
The gray-haired woman turned pale. She immediately stepped forward one pace, her voice unable to hide its indignation. "Legion Commander Vane, you’re threatening the headmaster of a federal academy. Do you understand how serious this is?"
Marcus didn’t look at her.
His gaze was still on Cole.
Marcus said coldly: "I’m only stopping a person from using strategic resources on a wrong decision."
Cole pressed his black wooden cane against the floor. The silver patterns on the cane glowed faintly, but he didn’t act right away. If a fight actually broke out in the control room, the entire positioning system trying to hold Ethan’s life signal could be destroyed instantly.
Cole said coldly: "Marcus Vane, you’re turning a living student into someone abandoned."
Marcus looked at him for a few seconds.
Then, he suddenly let out a very faint laugh.
Not a laugh of joy.
But a laugh so cold it made others uncomfortable.
Marcus said: "Headmaster Cole, do you still think the issue lies in whether Ethan Ashford is worth saving?"
Cole frowned.
Marcus didn’t explain right away. He reached into the pocket of his military uniform and took out a thin black-silver tablet. The surface of the device displayed the blue lines characteristic of the military. He unlocked it, swiped through a few interfaces, then threw the device straight onto the control panel before Cole.
Marcus said: "Take a look."
Cole looked at him, then lowered his eyes.
With just one glance, his expression immediately changed.
On the screen was the public information network of Safe Zone No. 7.
A whole series of headlines were occupying the top positions on the search board.
The trending heat had hit the red zone.
[Eldest son of the Ashford family opens a Mythic Partner, is a family tragedy about to begin?]
[Was Ethan Ashford expelled from the family by his own father for repeatedly harming his younger brother?]
[Stepmother Selene Ashford in tears: "I only hope Ethan won’t hate the family."]
[Ryan Ashford: "I don’t blame my brother. But if he comes back for revenge, I can only protect my mother."]
[Ex-girlfriend speaks out: Ethan Ashford has a terrifying possessiveness, once made me afraid.]
[Anonymous student accuses: Ethan often used his theory grades to bully weaker students.]
The more Cole read, the colder his expression became.
Those headlines were like dull knives continuously cutting into his eyes.
Below each article were thousands, tens of thousands of comments.
"I knew it. How could someone expelled from their family by their clan be a good person?"
"The eldest son lost his inheritance rights so he holds a grudge against his brother? This plot is too familiar."
"A Mythic Partner falling into the hands of this kind of person is what’s truly frightening."
"If he survives and comes back, the Ashford family is surely in danger."
"The military absolutely must not waste resources rescuing the kind of person who poses a risk of taking revenge on society."
"A poor student suddenly gaining power, this kind of person is the most prone to losing control."
"The stepmother and brother are both crying like this, surely it can’t all be fake?"
Cole kept scrolling down.
A video appeared.
In the video, Selene Ashford sat on a soft chair, both eyes red-rimmed, a white handkerchief held before her lips. Her face still kept just enough of a fragile look, just enough suffering, like a stepmother who had endured for many years but was finally forced to speak out.
Selene said in a choked voice in the video: "I never wanted to blame Ethan. After all, he’s my husband’s son. After his mother passed, I always tried to treat him like my own child. But that child... perhaps because he lost his mother so young, he had too much resentment in his heart. He always believed Ryan had stolen everything that belonged to him."
The camera shook slightly.
As if the person filming was also moved.
Selene lowered her head, her voice growing even softer. "Ryan was given a hard time by him many times. Once, Ryan was nearly injured in the training room. But we all endured it. Because Ethan was the older brother. We didn’t want to ruin his future. Later, Ryan opened a rank S fire-element power, and the situation improved a little. We thought Ethan had finally understood that each person has their own fate. But today, when he opened a Mythic Partner... I’m truly very afraid."
Cole gripped the tablet tightly.
On the screen, a second video automatically played.
Ryan Ashford appeared before the camera.
His eyes were red, his expression weary, but he still tried to maintain the resilient posture of a young genius protecting his mother.
Ryan said: "I don’t want to speak ill of my brother. After all, we both bear the Ashford name. But if he really comes back with a Mythic Partner, I only hope he won’t hurt my mother. If he hates me, just aim at me, that’s fine."
A single line.
Very simple.
But enough to turn Ethan into someone capable of taking revenge on his family.
Below the video, the comments exploded.
"Ryan really is too good."
"Harmed by his brother yet still calls him brother."
"Ethan Ashford really is the frightening kind. Before he was poor and weak so he could still hold back. Now that he has a Mythic Partner, who knows what he’ll do?"
"The military has to monitor him."
"No. Best not to rescue him at all. Just let him go missing in the Anomalous Coordinates."
Cole drew in a deep breath.
But the anger in his heart didn’t diminish at all.
He kept scrolling.
Then, he saw Claire.
The pale blonde girl sat before the camera, her face pallid, her expression hesitant, like she’d had to struggle for a long time before working up the courage to speak.
Claire said softly: "I was once with Ethan. I don’t want to deny the past. But he really... sometimes made me very afraid. He was always very silent. Always looked at others with eyes like he was calculating something. When I wanted to break up, I didn’t dare say it directly. I was afraid of what he’d do to me. Seeing him open a Mythic Partner today, I only hope the academy and the military can be more careful."
The video ended.
Cole slowly closed his eyes. freeweɓnøvel.com
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes, his voice frighteningly cold. "Fake."
Marcus asked indifferently: "What’s fake?"
Cole raised his head to look at him. "It’s all fake. Selene has been oppressing Ethan for years. Ryan always used his rank S genius status to insult him. Claire was the one who actively distanced herself from Ethan after Ryan rose. Ethan never harmed Ryan. Nor did he ever bully weaker students. The academy records note all of it clearly. He’s top of the year in theory, his tactical analysis results are excellent, without any record of serious disciplinary violations."
Marcus raised his hand, cutting off his words.
"I don’t need to know the truth."
The control room fell silent.
Cole looked at Marcus.
A few technicians also raised their heads, their gazes disbelieving.
Marcus calmly continued: "The truth isn’t as important as the perception of the majority. Right now, what everyone sees is a very easy-to-understand story. A poor, resentful eldest son, shunned by his family, suddenly receives power beyond his control. A fragile stepmother sheds tears. A genius younger brother who still endures. A frightened ex-girlfriend. The public likes this kind of story."
The gray-haired woman said angrily: "You’re talking as if Ethan’s life is just an entertainment news segment."
Marcus looked at her. "To the public, a great many things are inherently just entertainment news segments."
He turned back to look at Cole.
Marcus continued: "Most ordinary people are weak. They don’t like hearing the story of someone who already had a good background, the eldest son of a major family, opening a Mythic Partner and then continuing to have the military pour out resources for his rescue. They want to hear the opposite story. They want to believe that the strong can also be dragged down. They want to see a genius doubted, judged, punished. That way, they feel this world is a little more fair."
Cole said coldly: "That’s jealousy."
Marcus replied: "That’s public opinion."
