Chapter 344: Too Much Hype
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Unsurprisingly, Li Shiming was immediately surrounded by media. The journalists liked Li Shiming, because he had always been very cooperative with them. Over time, the two had formed a symbiotic relationship, in which the media fed on Li Shiming's news while friendly coverage protected the latter's reputation. Li Shiming's father, however, had an entirely different relationship with the journalists. It was toxic, to say the least.
"Congratulations, Shiming! We all had expected your success. But, what do you think about the overall strength of your fellow fighters on the Earth?" A journalist from ETV asked him. ETV was one of the most extensive news channels in the Confederation.
"They had fought very well. I think us earthlings would do a great job in this year's tournament."
"That is good to hear. Now, we know that you are determined to hold onto your title of the champion, but who do you think would be your toughest opponent? Would it be Patroclus, Lie Jian, Michaux, or Heidi?" Everyone stared at Li Shiming as they waited for his answer.
Li Shiming cracked a smile and then said, "I think everyone who partakes in the tournament will have the chance of winning the tournament, not just those four."
"Thank you Shiming! Let's wish him success, and thank you for the interview."
"You are welcome." Li Shiming shook the reporter's hand courteously.
Li Shiming always provided the answer the public wanted to hear, which explained his popularity. People tended to believe whatever was on TV, especially what was repeated over and over. It was very rare to see an heir of the House of Li working at the Military, since most of them merely attended the military symbolically, for a very brief period. Li Feng was the only one who had continued his military career even after he had become a General.
Not only did the family business need the leader of House of Li's constant attention, but all of Li Feng’s descendants were powerful fighters, who were not likely to subjugate themselves to the rules of the military. Therefore, House of Li had always sent their associates to the military instead of attending the service themselves. However, Li Shiming seemed to be different than his predecessors, since he seemed to be willing to start a long-term career in the military. His willingness to put his boots on the ground had struck a chord with the public.
However, Shiming's inclination of joining the military had greatly unnerved the Golden Hawk. They feared that once the Li had gained full control of the military, and with the help of Ma, the two families would be able to dictate all matters on Earth.
On the other side of the arena, Li Ruoer was also accepting an interview. Much like her brother, Li Ruoer was also a favorite of the public for obvious reasons.
The tactics of the enchantress could alter one's appearance, and when it reached the highest level, it would be able to slow down the aging process. Sadly, these tactics were not available to the public, and only the members of the House of Li would be able to enjoy its benefits.
While Li Ruoer was answering the journalist's questions, her attention was on Wang Tong.
Seeing the intimate interactions between Zhou Sisi and Wang Tong, Li Ruoer felt anger sprouting inside her. It didn't bother her to see the intimacy between Ma Xiaoru and Wang Tong. However, for some reason, the sight of Zhou Sisi beside Wang Tong just got on her nerves.
As she lamented over her irrational discontent, it suddenly occurred to her that she might have fallen in love with Wang Tong.
"How is that possible?"
Ever since her childhood, she had been dreaming of marrying someone like her brother. Wang Tong seemed to be on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to his brother.
Was it curiosity?
Li Ruoer's mind raced, trying to find out the culprit, but failed.
"Ruoer, Ruoer!" Li Ruoer heard her brother calling out to her.
"What's up?"
"We need to take a picture together for the advertisement of the tournament."
Li Ruoer nodded. All the while, Li Shiming didn't even spare Wang Tong a glance, as if the thorn by his side had never existed. Li Shiming knew that his real threat was not this annoying clown, but Patroclus. He had been preparing for that day for years; he wouldn't let Wang Tong spoil the mood.
"Congratulations Wang Tong! After winning the championship at the fleet battle, you have successfully entered the finals of the METAL tournament. " A reporter finally spoke to Wang Tong after she had interviewed all the hotshots.
"Thank you!"
"What is your goal in this year's tournament? Final thirty-two perhaps?" The reporter asked.
"Oh... I don't know. But I will try my best."
"Haha, you are very humble! We look forward to seeing your excellent performance." The reporter wrapped up the interview quickly with a perfunctory statement. Airtime was precious, so she would have to leave more frames for the brother and sister pair of House of Li.
"What an idiot! You are not humble." Zhou Sisi said as she laughed in her mind.
"Well, I am trying to be." Becoming a champion was the only way Wang Tong would continue the relationship with Ma Xiaoru, as his victory over the "Fantastic Five" would lend credence to House of Ma's rejection of Li's marriage proposal.
Although Wang Tong didn't tell Zhou Sisi about his grand ambition, Zhou Sisi had already guessed that much. However, she reckoned that it would be too early to say if Wang Tong's goal was realistic before he had fought with Li Shiming.
In truth, even Li Shiming was not sure if he would prevail in this year's tournament, due to the presence of a large number of high-level fighters.
The public's opinion seemed to favor Patroclus than Li Shiming, since much hype had been generated after the elusive fighter, the so-called "Perfect Human", had announced his participation in the tournament.
The poll for the support rating of each player was conducted throughout the entire Confederation. When the public was asked who they thought would become this year's champion, over forty-three percent of the public favored Patroclus, and thirty-seven percent favored Li Shiming. Only twenty percent favored Lie Jian, whose support rating had dropped drastically after his defeat by Li Shiming.
Li Ruoer seemed to be distracted while talking to the camera, but her beauty and charm still seized the public. Although Li Ruoer and Ma Xiaoru were equally beautiful, Li Ruoer was the more popular one of the two due to her bond with General Li Feng. Her appearance also struck a resemblance with General Zhou Zhi, who were considered having the most elegant oriental features.
While chatting with Zhou Sisi, Wang Tong had registered Li Ruoer's searing glare. However, he never looked towards the enchantress, as he knew that would only mean trouble.
Although Wang Tong wanted to ask Li Ruoer about how Ma Xiaoru was doing, he managed to hold back his urge. Winning the match was his priority, and his only hope to be reunited with Ma Xiaoru. The least he wanted right now was to have Li Ruoer causing him any trouble
After an hour, the second group of qualified contestants also appeared out of the maze exit. There were about fifty of them, and Wang Ben, Apache, and Cisco were among them.
Out of the fifty people, twenty of them were from S-Class academies. It was a testament to their overall power.
Wang Tong watched as Apache walked out of the exit. He had become a brawny and swarthy fellow, and his eyes glinted like obsidian in the shadows.
"Not bad!" Apache grunted at Wang Tong. When Apache first heard the news of Wang Tong's victory at the Fleet Combat Tournament, he was afraid that Wang Tong had forgotten what was more important to a real man. To Apache, Fleet Battles were merely games.
After Apache walked out of the exit, Cao Yi also followed suit.
Soon, Wang Tong found himself surrounded by friends from the S Club, since many of the contestants in the second group were members of the club.
Zhang Mi was an intern at ETV. She wanted to interview the Li siblings, but she had to wait until the senior reporters were done with their questions. While waiting for her turn, she scanned the room and noticed Wang Tong and the throng of students surrounding him—she smelled an opportunity.
She turned on the database and went over the background of Wang Tong, as well as his success at the Fleet Battle Tournament. Zhang Mi's brow furrowed; it would be hard to sell the interview to the chief editor (who was grumpy 90% of the time), if the main focus was the fleet battle. She conceded that the public was only interested in the prince and princesses from Great Houses, and therefore, Wang Tong's story had practically no value to a journalist.