65: Chapter 65: Ah Shuai's Speech - From a Social Scene to a Fan Meeting

Tianqiong War God Academy, Central Plaza.

This was the most sacred place in the academy, the place where the dreams of countless freshmen began.

At this moment, the plaza was bustling with people and colorful flags were fluttering.

The annual Student Union recruitment presentation was in full swing.

A massive holographic projection screen floated in mid-air, playing back the Student Union's glorious achievements over the years.

The stage was covered in a bright red carpet, flanked by flowers, creating a solemn yet enthusiastic atmosphere.

The current Student Union President, also a prominent figure in the junior year—Jiang Zheng, stood before the podium, adjusting his tie.

He cleared his throat, preparing to begin the passionate 5,000-word speech he had meticulously prepared over three days and nights, titled 'For the Glory of Tianqiong, Let Youth Burn'.

“Good afternoon, fellow students and teachers!”

Jiang Zheng's voice was steady and powerful, broadcasting across the venue through top-tier audio equipment. “Today, we stand here not just for recruitment, but to pass on a responsibility, a...”

Just as his emotions were peaking and he was ready to speak with grand eloquence—

A figure, walking with a swagger that suggested he didn't recognize his own kin, stepped onto the stage one stair at a time.

The person wore the same school uniform as everyone else, but he had modified the collar into a deep V-neck and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing a nonexistent watch.

His hair was combed so slick and shiny that it practically reflected the sunlight.

It was Gu Fan's third Clone—The Vain.

Jiang Zheng was stunned.

The thousands of freshmen below the stage were also stunned.

“Who is that? Why did he go up there?”

“He looks familiar... Holy crap, isn't that Gu Fan?”

“What does he want to do now? Blow up the stage?”

The Vain turned a deaf ear to the discussions below.

In his eyes, there was only that shimmering microphone in the center of the stage.

To him, that wasn't a microphone; it was his scepter.

He walked straight up to Jiang Zheng, reached out, and lightly patted Jiang Zheng's shoulder with a greasy, overbearing gaze.

“Step aside, background extra. The protagonist has arrived.”

Jiang Zheng:

“???”

Before he could react, the microphone in his hand was already in The Vain's grasp.

The Vain turned around to face the dense crowd below.

He didn't speak immediately; instead, he pulled out his portable small mirror from his pocket, adjusted his bangs, and then blew a kiss to his reflection.

“Perfect.”

Only after doing all this did he slowly raise the microphone and speak in a voice he thought was magnetic, but actually sounded like he had phlegm stuck in his throat:

“I know you're all looking at me.”

“Don't be shy, don't repress yourselves. Everyone has a heart that appreciates beauty.”

“I know my radiance is too dazzling, stinging your eyes. But please do not close them, for missing even a single second of me is an irreparable loss in your lives.”

The entire audience:

“...”

The scene fell into a dead silence.

Everyone's toes were curling so hard inside their shoes that they were practically excavating a three-bedroom apartment on the spot.

What kind of specimen was this?

Jiang Zheng finally snapped out of it, his face turning green with rage.

This was a Student Union event!

A solemn recruitment presentation!

Not a personal freak show!

“Gu Fan! Get down from there!”

Jiang Zheng rushed backstage and roared at the student in charge of the audio:

“Cut the power! Fast! Mute the microphone! Don't let him make a fool of himself any longer!”

The sound technician scrambled to pull the circuit breaker.

*Zzzzt—*

The microphone's sound cut out abruptly.

Jiang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and was about to call the security guards to haul the guy away.

However, the moment the power was cut.

In the dormitory where Gu Fan's main body was sleeping, the familiar notification sound rang out in his mind again.

[Ding! Detected strong malicious suppression from 'Student Union President Jiang Zheng' against the Clone 'The Vain'.]

[Source of Malice: Depriving the right to speak, attempting to obscure the Protagonist Halo.]

[Judgment: For a Clone with the 'Arrogance (Narcissism)' attribute, cutting the microphone is equivalent to cutting his lifeline. This is a desecration of 'Beauty'.]

[Backlash triggered! Multiplier: 120x!]

[Law of Karma Loading: Stage Supreme · All-Frequency Dominance.]

[Description: Want to shut him up? No, you will find that the entire world will become his speaker. Even the wind is playing his accompaniment.]

The next second.

The microphone that had clearly had its power cut suddenly erupted with a burst of piercing static.

But this static didn't make people feel uncomfortable; instead, it rapidly transformed into a highly rhythmic electronic music intro.

Untz-untz-untz-untz.

This sound didn't come from the speakers, but from the vibration of the air, from the resonance of everyone's eardrums, and even from the friction of the floor tiles.

Immediately following that, several large spotlights originally used for illumination actually lit up on their own without power.

And it wasn't ordinary white light, but a multicolored disco ball effect!

Even the clouds in the sky, under the blowing of a mysterious eerie wind, rapidly gathered above the plaza to form a giant heart shape, perfectly blocking the scorching sun and leaving only a beam of holy golden light to shine precisely on The Vain.

At this moment, The Vain was radiating golden light, with dynamic background music and a red carpet beneath his feet.

He looked like a Heavenly God who had just descended to earth, his aura fully unleashed.

Jiang Zheng was dumbfounded.

The sound technician was dumbfounded.

He was clearly holding the unplugged power cord in his hand, yet the speakers were still pumping out heavy bass so hard his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest.

The Vain seemed to have expected all of this.

He smiled slightly and raised the microphone again.

“It seems even the heavens can't bear to let me shut up.”

“Since everyone is so enthusiastic, I will reluctantly show you what is called—the Ultimate Profound Truth of Visual Beauty.”

As his words fell, the Law of Karma's accompanying effect [Mass Charm (Mental Pollution Version)] activated.

The vibe of the crowd below changed instantly.

The girls who originally thought he was greasy, disgusting, and awkward looked at the figure under the golden beam, and their gazes suddenly became hazy.

In their cerebral cortexes, The Vain's greasy movements were automatically processed by a beauty filter into 'unrestrained elegance,' and his phlegmy voice was auto-tuned into 'rugged magnetism.'

“Oh my god... so handsome...”

A junior girl in the front row couldn't help but cover her mouth, tears of adoration flowing from the corners of her eyes.

“He's so confident, so unpretentious, so different from those flashy cheapskates outside!”

“That deep V-neck is a protest against restraint! That shiny hair is the light of wisdom!”

“Gu Fan! Gu Fan! I want to have your babies!”

Without knowing who started it, the originally solemn plaza instantly turned into a massive idol fan meeting.

Countless girls screamed and swarmed toward the stage, waving their glow sticks (actually their phone flashlights) wildly.

Even some of the boys, under this powerful mental pollution, couldn't help but nod their heads and tap their feet.

“Though it's ridiculous, why do I feel like this background music is kind of catchy?”

“These dance moves... they've got something. I want to learn them too.”

On stage.

Jiang Zheng watched the out-of-control scene, completely at a loss.

He tried to shout to maintain order, but his voice was insignificant as a mosquito's buzz compared to The Vain's built-in background music.

“No... this isn't real...”

Jiang Zheng knelt on the ground in a breakdown. “My presentation... my track record... it's over, all over.”

Meanwhile, The Vain stood at the edge of the stage, one hand in his pocket while shaking hands with the fans below.

“Thank you, thank you. Don't push, everyone gets a turn. Autograph? No problem, can I sign it on your face?”

The Dean's Office.

As Dean Zhuge Qing watched the chaotic, wild dancing on the surveillance screen, the teacup in his hand shattered on the floor with a 'clatter'.

The screen was split into three frames.

Frame one: A classroom full of sleeping students, with the teacher drooling on the podium.

Frame two: The cafeteria looking like it had been looted, with a lunch lady crying while holding half a ladle.

Frame three: A concert taking place on the plaza, with thousands of people screaming wildly at a greasy guy.

“Three... there really are three...”

Zhuge Qing clutched his chest and fished out a bottle of fast-acting heart relief pills from his drawer, his hands shaking like he was plucking a pipa.

“One Gu Fan could tear the academy apart, and now there are three...”

“Can this Tianqiong Academy even be saved? Maybe... I should just drop out too?”

[Ding! Detected Dean Zhuge Qing's extreme professional burnout and urge to run away.]

[malice points +1500!]

In the dormitory.

Gu Fan watched the malice points skyrocket again, rolled over, and smiled with satisfaction.

“It seems Number Three is quite capable. Everyone is so enthusiastic; this batch of classmates is really too friendly.”