The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 173 Blackmail
“The school did teach me not to easily fall into other people’s pre-set ‘self-proof traps.’ I don’t accept any accusations that are baseless.” She frankly admitted, “I may have personality flaws and not be smooth enough. But I haven’t broken the law, and I haven’t done anything that violates basic moral principles. No one can put those dirty labels on my head.”

The live stream chat was already flooded with cheers and applause.

"Cool!"

"Good job!"

"That's how you should fight back."

"Let's give a round of applause to Sister Su."

"This host is unprofessional; the atmosphere was so great just now."

The audience's emotions were instantly ignited by Su Ninglong's clean and decisive counterattack.

The young reporter, unaware of the live chat situation and seeing no sign of the director stopping the interview, took a few deep breaths and posed a second, more pointed question: "Okay, let's not dwell on the first question. According to my own investigation, you're already a two-star hunter, right? Now, there's another accusation that, in order to maintain your top position in the team, you habitually 'exploit' or even 'squeeze' teammates who are slightly less capable than you, appropriating their research results to create a flawless image for yourself. Do you acknowledge this 'refined egoism'? In your eyes, are your teammates merely stepping stones for your climb up the ranks?"

Faced with this even more malicious accusation, Su Ninglong's smile not only didn't disappear, but became extremely radiant. She even revealed two sharp little tiger teeth, her eyes shining with an astonishing lightness, like a cunning little devil eyeing its prey, and she retorted with an almost delighted lightness:
Did you really investigate 'personally'?

The accusations of being a "two-star hunter" and "exploiting teammates" contain a huge logical flaw. The specific details of all the missions she carried out were classified as highly confidential by the Star Alliance.

Even the school's shareholders don't have the authority to access the details, so where did this reporter get this so-called "personal investigation" intelligence from?
The live chat was instantly flooded with this explosive news and the ensuing questions:
Comments: Oh my god! She's already a two-star hunter? Really? How old is she?
The comments section is filled with comments like: "Looking at Yun Fei and Tong Zi next to him, none of them have refuted it, so it seems to be true. But could it really be like what the reporter said, that he climbed to the top by stepping on his teammates? There are so many geniuses in the Star Alliance, why only promote one?"
Comments: Wake up! The Hunter profession is a life-or-death race. Trying to force your way in? If you don't have the skill, you're just throwing your life away. You actually believe such baseless accusations?

Comments: Two-star hunters have mandatory annual quotas. Without real skill, people will die. Who would risk their life for empty fame? Where's the logic in that?
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, an experienced host immediately tried to intervene, attempting to stop the young reporter's malicious barrage of questions: "We can ask Su about the details of the mission..."

Su Ninglong didn't give her a chance to speak at all.

Her clear voice, carrying an air of confidence that commanded the entire room, deftly drowned out the host's words: "Your so-called investigation was really very sloppy, or rather, it was just hearsay. Of the hundreds of missions I've completed, only forty were team-based. And of those forty, the teammate I worked with the most only participated in ten missions with me."

"My highest record for completing missions in a single day is five. Tell me, what kind of teammates can withstand that intensity? Being able to follow me into contaminated areas twice in a row on the same day is already the limit. They simply can't keep up with my pace. How can I have a hunter team, and how can I have teammates exploiting me?"

The implication was clear, almost cruel: it wasn't that she needed teammates, but that her teammates couldn't keep up with her.

This strength brings with it an arrogance of "I am the only one who can do it."

She doesn't need, and no one can stand under her feet for long.

Whether it was the media personnel at the scene or the hundreds of millions of viewers in front of their screens, their feelings became incredibly complicated.

Shock, doubt, disbelief...

But ultimately, everyone has to admit one fact: Su Ninglong demonstrated superhuman task intensity and efficiency, providing the most hardcore endorsement for her status as a two-star hunter.

Based solely on the record of "entering the contaminated area five times in a single day," her strength is beyond doubt and she truly deserves the title.

She looked at the young reporter as if he were a clown making a scene. "Your interview was not only completely unprofessional and illogical, but talking to you really ruined my mood. Based on all that, I will not answer any of your questions anymore. You are not worth my time."

Undisguised disdain is tantamount to publicly sentencing the other party to death for not being allowed to ask questions.

The young reporter's face drained of color, and he was extremely embarrassed.

“Indeed.” Shen Zhaoming, a staunch supporter of the “Su Party,” added, revealing his sharp tongue: “The questions are completely unfounded, full of subjective speculation and malicious manipulation. They sound like those low-quality marketing accounts that just want to grab attention and create buzz.”

A casual, sarcastic remark became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The young reporter felt a burning sensation on his face, unsure whether to leave or stay, frozen in place, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

The director was furious.

His face was ashen, and he waved fiercely at her from off-camera, signaling her to leave the interview area immediately.

The atmosphere hadn't even reached the point where we could discuss those sensitive topics.

More importantly, the way she asked questions was downright disruptive; it had no professional interviewing style whatsoever. She was simply creating conflict and ruining the interview's flow!

Silently driven away by the director, the young reporter could only leave the camera's range, his face full of embarrassment and grievance.

After she left, a few words of sympathy floated across the live stream chat, with many feeling that Su Ninglong's counterattack was too sharp and made people lose face.

That faint wave of sympathy was instantly drowned out by a tsunami of "Su-praise" comments.

At that moment, the Star Alliance's student army had already flooded into the live stream room upon hearing the news.

In their hearts, Su Ninglong is not just an alumnus, but a legend. Who dares to question their idol?

The comments of those brainless and pathetic people were drowned out by a bunch of "Su fans" because the Star Alliance students had entered the venue, and no one could criticize their idol.

Comments: Anyone who dares to insult my God Su, get out.

Comments: Su Shen is awesome, I love his hot temper.

The comments section is filled with: "His strength crushes all doubts! The two-star hunter truly deserves the title."

Comments: The reporter didn't do his homework and then started making baseless accusations; he deserves it.

Comments: Protect the best SuSu in the world.

In school, who doesn't know about Su Ninglong's achievements, built up from solid battle records and almost inhuman task records?
Her number of fans is far beyond what an unprofessional journalist could ever achieve.

With the young reporter who had caused the disturbance gone, the remaining three reporters immediately had more room and opportunity to ask questions.

Internet celebrity Mao Xi seized the opportunity, using all his charm and a sincere smile to try and get closer to one of the hunters. He especially wanted to get closer to Tong Zi and Yun Fei, who seemed relatively easy to talk to.

His goal was clear: to secure a private contact. He knew that establishing connections with core members of the Star Alliance would greatly benefit his future development.

Another reporter shifted their focus back to Assistant Sun, mentioning a highly valuable paper she was about to publish in a top academic journal.

Assistant Sun immediately put on a humble and polite smile, and nodded slightly, saying, "This research has indeed embodied a great deal of my effort. From its inception to its completion, it has taken almost ten years, and it is not something that can be accomplished overnight..."

The people present reacted calmly, without giving it much thought. After all, it was common knowledge that Assistant Sun was known for his academic achievements and had published numerous papers.

A study that takes ten years to finally be published is not fast in the rigorous academic field, but it is not particularly unusual either.

Only Su Ninglong, sitting in the corner, frowned almost imperceptibly when she heard the timeline "lasting for almost ten years".

A subtle sense of unease swept over her. She felt something was amiss, but for a moment she couldn't quite put her finger on where it came from. She just instinctively felt that there was something hidden behind Assistant Sun's words that she hadn't yet been able to grasp.

……

That heated live interview did indeed give Su Ninglong's name a brief moment of "glory" on the StarNet.

Her sharp, confident, and even slightly arrogant counterattacks against malicious accusations have attracted considerable attention and discussion.

But in this age of information overload, no trend can last.

Just half a day later, the discussion about her was overwhelmed by other trending news and entertainment gossip, and Su Ninglong returned to her relatively "unknown" daily routine.

Five days later, one afternoon, Su Ninglong successfully completed a task at hand and traded the sacred artifact to Assistant Yu.

She felt a rare moment of leisure. Looking at the bright but not scorching sunshine, she had a sudden inspiration and decided to abandon her usual route and walk slowly back to her studio through a relatively quiet, tree-lined path on campus.

The path meanders along the sides lined with lush old trees whose branches intertwine overhead to form arches, filtering out dappled light and shadow and isolating the area from the hustle and bustle of the main campus.

Just as she was enjoying this rare moment of peace, a faint sound coming from around the corner broke the tranquility.

A voice, clearly laced with threat and flippancy, rang out: "Hey, kid, listen up. Your sister owes me 50,000 star coins. When are you going to pay her back? How long has it been dragging on?"

"No, that's impossible. My sister would never owe you money. My dad... my dad would never be stingy with such a small amount of money." The voice was very childish, revealing the innocent understanding of money unique to children from privileged backgrounds.

The threatening voice rose, tinged with mockery and greed, "So, you have money on you too? Be smart and hand it over. Otherwise, hmph, I'll beat you up every time I see you, let's see how many hits your little body can take?"

"Waaah... I'm going to tell the guide!" The child's voice was filled with fear as he cried, drawing upon his only hope.

"Tell them a story?" The threatening man scoffed disdainfully. "Go ahead! Go ahead and tell the guide. What do you think he'll do to us over something so trivial? At most, he'll give us a stern scolding, nothing serious. What real harm can that do to us?"

This familiar rogue tone and logic led Su Ninglong to identify the speaker as Little Phoebe.

Su Ninglong stopped concealing herself and stepped out from behind the tree.

Her gaze first fell on the child who was surrounded.

The boy was about seven or eight years old. He was beautifully sculpted, with fair and delicate skin. His long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly with fear, and glistening tears clung to them.

He was dressed in a well-made uniform, and it was clear at a glance that he came from a wealthy family and had been carefully raised.

At this moment, his little mouth was pouting, and his big eyes were filled with grievance and fear. He wanted to resist but dared not, like a little white rabbit trembling as if it were being targeted by a wolf.

Not long after, Su Ninglong recognized him; he was one of the six new spiritualists.

Meanwhile, Phoebe, focused on threatening the boy, hadn't noticed Su Ninglong's appearance. He continued to press the boy for money.

Looking at Phoebe's unbridled arrogance, Su Ninglong felt it was both absurd and laughable.

This guy is already on the school's "probation list" and his future is in jeopardy, yet he still dares to bully the weak so brazenly at school.

She stopped watching, bent her knuckles, and tapped the mottled wall beside her three times, neither too hard nor too soft.

"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."

The crisp sound finally made Phoebe turn her head alertly.

Upon seeing that it was Su Ninglong, a hint of apprehension flashed across his face, and he subconsciously released his grip on the child's collar.

"It's you again?" Little Phoebe forced a fierce but weak growl, "I advise you to mind your own business."

Su Ninglong approached slowly. "When evil deeds accumulate, they will eventually come back to haunt you. Since you've already chosen to give up, why add another stain to your already troublesome future?"

Her words went straight to the point: at twelve years old, if they still couldn't pass the exam to enter the foreign language department, they would have to be expelled from the school.

At this critical juncture, instead of trying to remedy the situation, they intensify their evil deeds, which is utterly foolish.

"I'm just throwing caution to the wind?" Little Phoebe seemed to have been hit where it hurt, her expression twisted with jealousy and resentment. "My considerations for the future are much broader than those of someone like you who's born with top-tier resources and talks without any real understanding of the situation. You'd better pray that you spend your whole life holed up in the Star Alliance Academy's shell, otherwise..."

Taking advantage of his nearly 1.7-meter height, he suddenly raised an insulting middle finger at Su Ninglong and shouted viciously, "As soon as you step out of the academy, I will trample you under my feet sooner or later."

Su Ninglong chuckled softly, her eyes filled with condescending pity: "I've been waiting! Six years. I've built my own business, accumulated connections, and gained strength that you can't even dream of. And you? Little Phoebe, what do you have?"

She retorted sarcastically, "People more talented than you work even harder than you. Tell me, what do you have to offer to suppress me? Just your words?"