You even rubbed your newly donned cloak against the molten rock and soil, letting it ignite in the intense heat.

[“Emmm…” Feeling that wasn’t enough, you used your inextinguishable flames to melt and burn through the outer shell of the War Dragon XI, making it appear as severely damaged as possible without affecting its functionality.]

"Like this... and like this again... expose the path of the power of manipulation, then sprinkle some soil and rock crystals inside, and so on, and so forth... wonderful!"

After admiring your masterpiece, you put it back on with satisfaction and walked outside.

[And he changed into a cloak and started burning it from head to toe.]

[The outside world.]

With a "do or die" mentality, the board members completely let loose.

[Before the light was cast upon you, numerous directors of the conglomerate had already arranged for personnel to be stationed 20 kilometers away from you, and to broadcast your death live.]

Those people wear special exoskeletons, which can completely withstand the impact of an explosion in broad daylight from 20 kilometers away. The damage they would suffer would be less than one ten-thousandth of yours.

The content of the live stream was very simple.

According to them, you, this brat who provoked the conglomerate, overestimated yourself and were thus swiftly and decisively killed on the spot, blasted to pieces.

This is a live broadcast of your death, intended to deter others, salvage your image, and warn those who follow.

[They even broadcast the scene of you annihilating the divine beasts in Garbage Sector 162: Look, even these once-in-a-millennium geniuses, above even emperors, are utterly vulnerable before us, easily wiped out!]

They will definitely confuse right and wrong, conceal the truth, and present everything in a way that benefits them.

Because they don't believe you'll survive a nuclear explosion; history is written by the victors, and your existence would only further prove their invincibility.

As for if you survive... then they will die. So what if their lies are exposed? It's not worse than death anyway.

[Smoke, dust, fog, and the shockwave that just passed.]

[Qian Shang, the exoskeleton pilot, emerged from the small airdropped bunker. He stepped onto the scorching ground, surrounded by a hazy cloud of dust and intense heat.]

He felt that if he were to remove his battle armor, even with his ninth-level external manipulation mastery, he wouldn't be able to get out of here. He would exhaust his manipulation power and die from the heat during the journey.

Now, he turns on his camera and walks towards the epicenter of the explosion.

[While reciting their lines.]

"Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye; heroes are but a laughing matter. Today, let us approach him, a man who wandered and fled for over a year, rose to prominence unexpectedly, and then fell just as quickly."

"He's too good. He killed hundreds of garbage kings in one battle. He even has the means to compromise the network. He's the first person in the history of the abandoned mining planet this year!"

To suppress, one must first promote.

[Qian Shang's praise of you will immediately be used to further enhance the financial group's prestige, while his recounting of your foolishness and ignorance will create a stark contrast.]

"But such a young man, yet..." Qian Shang opened his mouth, but a figure appeared in the dust ahead, silencing him completely.

You walk up to him.

The damaged exoskeleton doesn't lower your sophistication; on the contrary, it elevates your image!

"...Impossible," Qian Shang murmured. How could he possibly survive such an attack?

You shouldn't be able to find even a single fragment!

He felt it was all so dreamlike, like he was in a dream.

The board members who were opening the champagne froze.

[People watching the live stream in major cities fell silent.]

[The Trash King who once knelt before you cheers!]

You lean forward, facing the camera. Your tattered visor opens, revealing a slightly disheveled hairstyle and a face with a few scratches.

"Not bad, the power of these few 'Light of the Sky' missiles is indeed remarkable. I'm very satisfied."

"Next, I've come to find you."

The visor snaps shut, and you soar into the sky.

The world was in uproar!

[Next, the last remaining high-ranking members of the conglomerate continued to resist.]

They took refuge in Dawn City, where their headquarters were located, and activated the defensive turrets.

[Controlled using an independent intelligent system, the network is cut off.]

Lasers and rockets streaked across the city's sky, but all missed their mark.

After you arrived, you promptly eliminated the scattered council members hiding in various places, as well as other high-ranking members who were involved.

[They arrived before the last group of people.]

The remaining dozen or so board members, the chairman, and high-ranking officials from related conglomerates are all here.

[There was also a brother and sister pair—the Xu siblings—who were kidnapped and held captive by them.]

[A council member, panting and with red eyes, said: "Suicide! If you commit suicide, I'll spare your two accomplices..."]

[Bang!]

His head was blown off by a single shot; it was the chairman who did it.

"Leave, leave this planet," the chairman pleaded. "We'll give you the top spot, the highest evaluation, and you'll become a renowned mech pilot in the airspace. Please, leave this place."

He pointed to Xu Wen and Xu Yan: "These two siblings will live very well here. They will absolutely not suffer any injustice. You know, from now on, they are our safety net."

"I just want to survive, really, we just want to survive!"

You shake your head.

The chairman's eyes flashed with malice and despair: "Why!? By what right!? We've already extended a hand of acceptance to you, why won't you give up!?"

"Why do you keep forcing us? If you just wanted to be patient, if you just wanted to bow your head, none of this would have happened!"

"Now, we're the ones bowing our heads, so why are you still refusing to agree to our conditions?! We've already made the biggest concessions we can get, how far do you want to go?!"

"That's what it means to be a sore loser." You looked at Xu Wen, who was being held hostage in the crowd. "He already told you something like that before."

[“You can’t always say you’re leaving yourself room to maneuver when you’re already losing.” (Chapter 563)]

"Back then, he also said, 'Now you can give me some leeway.'" You said calmly, "Back then, he had clearly extended a hand of peace, so why wouldn't you let it go? Why wouldn't you be patient and back down?"

"They keep raising the bounty, forcing me... Look at this, what kind of nonsense is this?"

"The main idea is that whoever has the bigger fist is right."

"But we have hostages!" The chairman completely lost control, roaring, "Your companions are in our hands now!"