Chapter 290: No Fake News

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: No Fake News

Feng Ling was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is that all?"

Sang Yin mustered her courage and stressed, "An exclusive interview, no less than two hours long!"

Feng Ling fell silent again.

Sang Yin thought she was refusing and quickly explained, "Any shorter and I won’t have enough material! A two-hour interview might only result in a thirty-minute final cut!"

A peculiar look crossed Feng Ling’s face as she spoke. "What I mean is, you’re not going to ask for money?"

’In Feng Ling’s eyes, this was the perfect opportunity to name her price. Wasn’t asking for money more straightforward?’

’An exclusive interview? Can you eat that? Can you drink it? At the end of the day, it’s still work, and you work for a salary and bonuses. So just ask for the money!’

Sang Yin was taken aback for a second, then answered with righteous conviction, "How could a precious opportunity to speak face-to-face with a hero like you be measured in money!"

Feng Ling: "..."

’Fine, fine. I guess I’m the one thinking too small.’

"How long will it take to get this done?" Feng Ling asked her.

Sang Yin said, "I’ll rush the article out tonight so it can be published tomorrow. The life cycle of an online trend goes through an incubation period, a fermentation period, a peak, a continuation, and a decline. The whole process usually doesn’t exceed seven days."

"What’s the shortest time possible?" Feng Ling frowned, feeling that seven days was too long.

"Your name is already a keyword, so we can ignore the incubation period. I estimate it will take two days for the hype to ferment and reach the top of the news rankings." Sang Yin planned out loud in a business-like manner. "Then, on the third day, you can come forward and respond to the news. We’ll switch up the hashtag to keep the hype growing. After that, I’ll update the hashtag daily to maintain your online popularity."

Feng Ling asked, "How would you update the hashtag?"

Sang Yin explained, "It’s like a status update. For example, the headline on the first day could be ’Feng Ling Prepares to Head to Jing Nan,’ and the next day’s headline could be ’Feng Ling Has Arrived in Jing Nan.’"

As she spoke, a slightly forced smile appeared on her face. "Of course, if you go to Jinnan City, I hope I can accompany you. That way, I’ll have something concrete to write about."

Feng Ling’s lip twitched. "Forget it. If you faint, I’ll be the one who has to carry you."

"Huh?" Sang Yin froze.

"Anyway, it’s settled," Feng Ling said, straightening up. "I’ll see you out. Please get the article written as soon as you get back. I’m in a bit of a hurry. Thanks for your hard work."

"Oh... okay, okay. Right."

Sang Yin quickly grabbed her bag and stood up. At the door, she couldn’t help but confirm with Feng Ling, "So, the exclusive interview..."

"I’ll remember. But it will have to wait until I get back from Jinnan City," Feng Ling replied.

A smile bloomed on Sang Yin’s face. "Understood, understood! I can wait!"

Sang Yin left happily.

Watching Sang Yin drive away, Feng Ling couldn’t help feeling a bit emotional. In her twenty-plus years of life, this was the first time she had gone to such great lengths for a man—if Xing Guang could even be considered a man.

’I hope his Card doesn’t disappoint me.’

The next day, Feng Ling woke up early and started scrolling through the news.

She didn’t find what she was looking for.

She remembered Sang Yin saying that a story goes through an incubation period before it becomes a trending topic, so she tried searching her own name in the search bar.

There was a lot of news about "Feng Ling," but none of it was related to "Jinnan City."

’It’s probably hard to rush an article overnight,’ Feng Ling thought. ’The press release probably isn’t out yet.’

She ate breakfast distractedly, then dragged the Daoist over to perform a Divination on Xing Guang’s location. After that, she went to the underground parking garage to check on the large, motionless silk cocoon, and wandered around until noon. When she searched for news about herself again, she still didn’t see the results she wanted.

Feng Ling’s patience wore out. She called Sang Yin to ask what was going on.

Sang Yin quickly replied, "I did publish it! Try searching for Jinnan City."

Without hanging up, Feng Ling switched to her search screen, typed in "Jinnan City," and sure enough, a few news articles popped up—

#HasJinnanCityBecomeAnIsland

#JinnanCityResidentsDesperatelySeekHelpOnline

#FamiliesOfJinnanCityDismembermentVictimsSpeakOut

Her name wasn’t in any of the headlines. No wonder she couldn’t find them.

"This is the news you published?" Feng Ling frowned as she scrolled. "It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me."

Over the phone, Sang Yin explained, "This is the primer. Last night, I contacted seven or eight family members of the dismemberment victims. They’re going to leave comments on your social media account. Once the quantitative change leads to a qualitative one, I’ll publish another article to morally pressure you. Then you can justifiably head to Jinnan City."

After hearing this, Feng Ling was utterly silent.

No words could describe her feelings at that moment.

’So... as long as it’s not fake news, this woman will pull any dirty trick in the book, is that it?’

"Reporter Sang..." Feng Ling couldn’t help but remind her, "I’m a Hunter, not a Detective. While I thought we could use the dismemberment case as a hook, I never intended to be put on the spot like this."

’If I can’t catch the killer, won’t I be in an impossible position?’

Sang Yin complimented her, "With your current status, the bigger the spectacle, the better. If it were just some small matter, the public would think it’s overkill, and our news wouldn’t have much of an impact."

While still on the call, Feng Ling opened the social media app she despised the most.

She had only ever posted one status update: a photo taken while having a meal with Pei Xianjue.

The comment section under the photo had originally been filled with talk about her and Pei Xianjue’s close friendship. Now, dozens of pleas for help had abruptly appeared.

[ZuiSiYuChangAn: Please check your DMs, ma’am! Our company is in Jinnan City, and two of our employees have been murdered! We’d like to hire you to handle our company’s security. Price is negotiable!]

[Penny_bC: Asking everyone in the comments, how can I get in touch with Feng Ling? Several people in our neighborhood have already gone missing. I’m so scared I don’t even dare go home every day!]

[ShouChangZeJi: I’m crying, is anyone even in charge of Jinnan City anymore?!]

[LuMouRen: I can’t believe they still haven’t solved the Jinnan City dismemberment case. If modern forensic technology can’t find the culprit, it’s a nine-out-of-ten chance it was an Alien Species.]

[Yuan Qi Yumo: Everyone from Jinnan City, like this comment! Let’s upvote it so the great Feng Ling sees it!]

...

Feng Ling guessed that Sang Yin must have enlisted the help of many friends in the industry. Otherwise, for her to manipulate the online narrative to this extent all by herself would be terrifying.

That evening, probably because she had been scrolling through so much news about Jinnan City, the algorithm remembered her. A push notification for a news video appeared on her phone.

In the news video, a white-haired old man tearfully recounted how both his son and daughter-in-law had been murdered. He was getting on in years, he said, and didn’t know if he would live to see the day the killer was brought to justice.

In the video’s comment section, nearly six out of every ten comments were calling Feng Ling’s name.

And that wasn’t all. Around nine o’clock that night, Feng Ling finally got her wish and started trending—

#TheStrongestHunterFengLing’sLatestUpdate

Clicking on the trending topic led to the photo she had recently posted of herself having dinner with Pei Xianjue.