Chapter 208: Netizens Are All Master Detectives

Chapter 208: Chapter 208: Netizens Are All Master Detectives

Let’s rewind to the moment Minister Cassie agreed to help steer public opinion, promising to "inadvertently" reveal Liang He’s charitable deeds to the netizens.

"Release some ’inside information’ first. Once the netizens start digging for the truth themselves, we’ll play along and drop the evidence. We must completely turn the tide of public opinion in Liang He’s favor."

"Understood."

This was the first time the Information Security Department had taken on a private gig. Although they lacked experience in handling such matters, everyone approached it with an eagerness to learn, earnestly completing the task assigned by Minister Cassie. If it really worked, perhaps they could emulate the strategy the next time an opportunity arose.

[I’m so jealous of Liang He. She rakes in massive sums of money so effortlessly. Unlike us corporate drones, working ourselves to the bone, only to realize our lives are worth less than a photo she casually posts.]

[But I heard that every time the Fur Raising Officer makes money, she buys food and toys for the furries, right? She doesn’t spend it on herself?]

[To the commenter above: you’re way too naive. With all those tips and copyright fees, even buying a mountain of food and toys would only be a drop in the bucket. Besides, the reserve itself provides their daily meals. How much could a few snacks and toys possibly cost?]

This was the direction of public opinion before the Information Security Department stepped in. It was primarily filled with dissatisfaction and suspicion toward Liang He. Of course, there were also plenty of paid trolls stirring the pot.

However, once the Information Security Department’s own "trolls" entered the fray, the situation began to shift.

[Is the Fur Raising Officer you’re talking about Miss Liang He from Blue Star? Because our rescue station recently received a massive donation, and the donor was Miss Liang He. I’m just curious if it’s the same person.]

[Eh? Rescue station? What’s going on? Good lord, is there going to be another plot twist?]

[Heh... I’m speechless. Did Liang He see her public image taking a nosedive, so she deliberately hired shills to market a brand-new persona?]

[Wait a minute, this person seems to be a minor blogger who frequently posts rescue videos of stray animals. Could this be true?]

[What do you mean, is it true? I bet they were bought off. Even if this blogger genuinely rescues animals, they’re probably just speaking up for Liang He against their conscience to secure more funding for their cause.]

[I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Whenever rescue stations receive donations, they post transparent public records. We can easily verify if this is true or false just by looking it up.]

To guarantee that every penny of funding was spent on the rescued subjects, both animal rescue stations and human foundations published their financial accounts transparently on their official websites. Since there was a clear trail to follow, netizens naturally preferred to let the facts speak for themselves.

As the new generation of interstellar netizens, they loathed wrongly accusing people and wouldn’t lightly engage in cyberbullying. Previously, their narrative had been hijacked by the paid trolls hired by the Rebel Army. Now, most netizens had come to their senses and were ready to get to the bottom of the matter.

[Umm... I’d better apologize to the Fur Raising Officer first. I don’t know if my brain was cramping today. I’m sorry! [Sliding-kneel.jpg]]

[I didn’t know until I checked, and I was shocked. It turns out Liang He donated to more than one rescue station. I did the math, and her donations basically equal her account’s earnings. She didn’t keep a single cent for herself!]

[Wait, if she donated all the money, why didn’t she just say so? Don’t most bloggers market themselves? This is a good thing! If she hadn’t hidden it, we wouldn’t have been misled.]

[It’s not like she was hiding it, right? It’s just that everyone prefers calling her the Breeder and doesn’t pay much attention to her real name, so it naturally slipped under the radar. Besides, what does it matter to her if other people like to market themselves? Is it a crime to do good deeds anonymously?]

[I am a volunteer at a rescue station. I accidentally heard someone mention Miss Liang He and realized everyone had misunderstood her. I specifically came here to leave a message, hoping to express gratitude to Miss Liang He on behalf of the rescued animals...]

[Then she could have just shown the evidence of her donations when the netizens questioned her!]

The netizens who had just been publicly slapped in the face felt a bit uncomfortable. They even began to argue forcefully, trying to alleviate their own guilt. Deep down, they knew perfectly well that they had been led by the nose; they just didn’t want to admit they were being stupid. However, the vast majority of the netizens were still willing to own up to their mistakes.

[What does it matter to her if others like to market themselves? Please, don’t you know that every update and livestream is the result of us fans begging her? She doesn’t care about the fame at all!]

[I can vouch for this too. Although I’m just a casual fan, the Fur Raising Officer is famous for her reluctance to update. She always logs on randomly. I heard her fans are both infuriated by and in love with this habit. Back then, some people made hilarious complaints about it that really went viral.]

[Ask her to show evidence? Given the situation earlier, if she really released the evidence, would you have believed it? You all probably would have assumed that the Animal Protection President was playing favorites and deliberately faking it, right?]

Speaking of President Lucas, the statement he released had been pinned to the top of the forums, and practically everyone had read it to some extent. To be completely fair, if Liang He had actively claimed that she donated all her money to the rescue stations, netizens would not only have doubted its authenticity, but with a slightly darker mindset, they would have wondered if she was bribing someone. Why else would President Lucas bypass an experienced vice president and insist on having someone so young succeed him as president?

[Everyone, stop arguing. I think someone is deliberately manipulating the narrative, trying to smear Liang He, and using us as pawns.]

[I’m so exhausted. Why do I always get slapped in the face by the Fur Raising Officer? I suffered this before; if I had known, I wouldn’t have said anything...]

[Exactly! If Liang He had released the evidence herself to dispel the rumors, and the paid trolls combined it with President Lucas’s words to steer the narrative again, we wouldn’t have bothered confirming the truth at all.]

Having already been prejudiced by the trolls, the netizens would have simply concluded that Liang He and President Lucas were colluding to fabricate the truth, completely ignoring any search for real evidence. Even if some rational netizens went looking for proof, others would still question it, and Liang He’s "crimes" wouldn’t be entirely cleared.

Human nature is just that contradictory. Even when a narrative is riddled with loopholes, there are always times when people’s judgment falters. They stubbornly believe they are right and refuse to accept the truth, even when the evidence is placed right in front of them.

When General Nick received the news and discovered that the winds on the Star Network had shifted once again, he laughed out of sheer anger.

"A bunch of useless trash! How could they so easily believe Liang He’s donation certificates? Who knows if Lucas had someone forge them?!"

Standing nearby, the Black Wizard frowned deeply upon seeing General Nick fly into a rage. Even he hadn’t expected Liang He’s counterattack to be this brilliant. Just as the netizens had pointed out, if Liang He had released the donation statements herself, the public would have been skeptical and even accused her of outright forgery. However, evidence dug up by the netizens themselves carried an entirely different weight.

"Regarding this point, the netizens have found plenty of supporting evidence on their own, confirming the authenticity of the donations from multiple angles. We have no way to refute it," reported the subordinate in charge of the troll operation, sounding incredibly helpless.

Everything had been going so smoothly, but the netizens had suddenly activated their inner detectives, leaving them absolutely no room to maneuver.