Chapter 232 emphasizes striking first!
Tan Chi couldn't help but pat him on the back, "Baby, don't think too much about this. When it comes to waging a war of public opinion, the key is to strike first!"
Moreover, the very idea of self-proving this paradox is itself a misconception.
Since the Thomas family wants to screw over the royal family, let them experience it for themselves first.
...
As a result, three days before the banquet began, a deluge of news spread across the StarNet.
[Breaking News! Rumor has it that a high-ranking commander of the Second Legion actually chased after Lord Bass alongside the Insect Emperor!]
[After Lord Bass returned to the Empire, a female insect from a certain noble family secretly courted him but was rejected, leaving her enraged and humiliated!]
[What is the female insect of a certain noble family planning to do by following him in the dead of night? The Second Legion adds another "achievement"]
...
The overwhelming news on the StarNet instantly ignited the gossip-loving souls of netizens.
Even the news that Simon had previously spread through the bug, which suggested that Bass's identity might be false, was instantly drowned out by the frenzied gossip.
Simon's men were not convinced and hired a lot of online trolls to flood the internet with posts about Bass's identity, which did have an effect.
"Is this how you completed the task I assigned you?"
Simon angrily smashed the cup in his hand at the insects opposite him.
The room was filled with the sounds of shattered glass.
The insects standing in front of Simon lowered their heads even further.
They did do as Simon said, but they don't understand why things turned out this way.
Seeing the topic gaining popularity, the insects dared not utter a sound for a moment.
[A certain nobleman's female insect resorted to all sorts of tricks to force Lord Bass to submit! Pictures and proof are available!]
[As expected of someone who plays politics, their heart is truly filthy!]
If Lord Bass's identity is a forgery, what will become of this "Lord Bass"?
...
Simon had them smear Bass, saying he was a fake male.
They did it.
The good news is that many netizens have indeed noticed this topic, but the bad news is that they've combined this news with the recent rise of gossip.
A wave of conspiracy theories instantly set the insects on the StarNet abuzz.
Most people usually just observe the gossip without investigating whether it's true or false.
But once something like this becomes a puzzle game, it's a different story.
Unraveling the mystery and tracing the timeline is the greatest pleasure for these bored interstellar internet addicts.
The fact that this matter was related to nobles and royalty made everyone even more excited.
Tan Chi hardly needed to lift a finger; a steady stream of evidence was unearthed.
Some even began to suspect that the truth behind Bass's disappearance more than a decade ago might actually be related to Simon.
So while netizens were frantically searching for clues from over a decade ago, one of them quietly dropped a bombshell.
[User deleted: More than a decade ago, before the Insect King and Lord Bass were married, a female insect from a noble family pursued Lord Bass. However, Lord Bass didn't fancy him, finding his square face, large size, and unbearably ugly appearance distasteful.]
[User 94058904: You know what, you really should know, I have a friend who once had the "honor" of seeing Lord Bass at a fruit drink shop. He was indeed harassed by a female insect from a certain noble family, and more than once!]
[Guagua: I also have a friend who used to be a female soldier in the Second Legion. I heard that he was assigned a very important mission back then, but then he mysteriously disappeared. The day he disappeared was the same day Lord Bass disappeared!]
[The Empire's Number One Gossip: Good heavens, no way, no way! So the female insect from that noble family is really this wicked? If she can't have it, she'll destroy it?]
...
Messages on the StarNet kept flashing past them, making it hard for them to ignore them.
After all, there was just too much news coming at once.
Although everyone uses the name of a female insect from a certain noble family, everyone knows that this code name refers to Simon.
Everyone is just afraid of getting into trouble, so they keep it to themselves.
"Are you just going to stand by and watch these rumors spread like wildfire?" Simon slammed his fist on the table again. The mechanical arm was so powerful that it created a large dent in the table.
"What am I raising you insects for? Just to make a fool of myself?"
The insects couldn't help but shrink back, as they didn't want public opinion on the StarNet to follow this trend.
But public opinion simply doesn't listen to them!
Their online army was clearly well-managed, but the internet addicts on Xingwang simply didn't follow their plans!
Can we blame them? They did their best.
Moreover, not all the information unearthed by the StarNet users was false, which made things even more difficult for them.
They did want to directly refute the rumors, but they were afraid that the evidence would prove them wrong the next second, which would make things even worse.
Simon's anger flared even more when he saw that the insects in front of him were silent.
"Are any of you even listening to what I'm saying? Give me a plan right now!"
His cold gaze swept over the few insects around him, as if he would kill them all on the spot if they dared to utter a single word of dissent.
Now the insects that had been pretending to be dead had no choice but to bite the bullet and open their mouths.
"General, the root of this matter is related to His Excellency Bass. If there is any way to prove that you are not in love with His Excellency Bass, perhaps there is still a chance to turn things around..."
"Either deny that it was you who initially contacted Lord Bass!"
"I don't think these things are the main point. The main point is the footage that was recently leaked by certain scoundrels. If it can be proven to be fake, it can also help clear the general's name!"
...
But all of these items happen to be genuine, and some even have evidence of insects or physical evidence.
Even if they wanted to shift the blame, it would be difficult.
So now the pressure is on Simon again.
His brows were almost knitted together as he looked at the insects in front of him with a hint of speechlessness.
“I’ve already said that the insect in that video isn’t me; it must be a fake. Didn’t you investigate the authenticity of that video?”
The insects looked at each other, completely bewildered as to why Simon would lie to them as well, when they were clearly all in the same boat.
The insects exchanged glances before steeling themselves and looking at Simon.
"General, there are no signs of the video being modified. We examined the video frame by frame, and there's no way there could be any problems."
"Yes, General, we insects can vouch for each other."
"We specifically went to the location of the camera to find that video, and there was absolutely no interference from other insects."
...
In other words, the video is real, but Simon denies it...
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