Chapter 29: Official Award! The Spark of Fire!
Since Aihua was awake, Su Wudeng figured it was the perfect time to film some slice-of-life footage for her live broadcast. But first, she needed the bear’s permission.
Turning to Lei Jing and the others, she asked, “Why don’t you wait out here for a little bit? I expect the military’s official statement will be released soon, and I’ll need your help coordinating with their PR team.”
The three massive soldiers exchanged nervous glances. Finally, Lei Jing rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly. “Uh, Manager Su, that’s not a problem at all. We’d be happy to help. It’s just… do you think… could we maybe take a look at the Iron-Eating Beast?”
Ever since they had witnessed Aihua’s terrifying defense of her cubs on the original live stream, they had been obsessed with her. In their eyes, the giant panda wasn’t just insanely powerful; she was also overwhelmingly adorable. She was ten times better than the Saber-Toothed Tiger everyone worshipped in the Southern District!
They were desperate to see her in person, but terrified that the request was too forward and would get them kicked out. The three combat veterans stared at Su Wudeng like nervous schoolboys.
Su Wudeng couldn’t help but laugh at their expressions. “Oh, is that all? Sure, follow me.”
She had thought these hulking soldiers were awkwardly trying to initiate some secret military protocol. Who would have guessed they just wanted to look at a panda? Then again, Aihua really was a superstar.
“I actually need to discuss something with her anyway,” Su Wudeng explained as they walked down the hall. “But you’ll have to watch from outside the glass for now. She’s still recovering, and she might not be comfortable around strangers just yet.”
“That’s completely fine!” the three men practically shouted in unison. “We’ll just look through the glass! We promise we won’t disturb her!”
“Alright, this way.”
Leading them to Aihua’s recovery suite, Su Wudeng pointed to the reinforced observation window. “You can watch from here. It’s one-way glass, so she won’t see you staring, and it won’t trigger her protective instincts. Let me go in and talk to her.”
Inside the room, Aihua was sitting upright, completely engrossed in the cartoon playing on the screen. Her round head tilted side to side as she tracked a beautifully animated butterfly fluttering around a massive sunflower. The soft, ambient light of the room gave her thick black-and-white fur a warm, luxurious glow.
The moment Su Wudeng stepped through the door, Aihua’s attention immediately snapped away from the screen.
“How is it?” Su Wudeng smiled, walking over and gently stroking the bear’s fuzzy ears. “Is the show good?”
It’s so good! Welcome back, sister! Aihua rumbled, happily nudging her massive, wet nose against Su Wudeng’s palm. Her round eyes were half-lidded with lazy contentment.
Unable to resist, Su Wudeng wrapped her arms around the bear’s thick neck, burying her face in the soft fur. “Aihua, I actually need to ask you for a favor.”
Aihua blinked, sitting up a little straighter. What is it, sister?
Su Wudeng gently stroked her back. “When you were badly injured, a lot of people out in the world were really, really worried about you. I want to take a few photos and videos of your daily life here, just to show them that you’re safe and recovering well. Would that be okay with you?”
Outside the glass, Lei Jing and the others were watching in absolute shock.
But inside the room, Amber was practically having a meltdown.
That’s MY Master!
The jealous Husky immediately wedged herself between them, forcefully shoving her fluffy head right into Su Wudeng’s hand. Awooooo! Me! Me!
Su Wudeng burst out laughing at the dog’s dramatic antics. “Alright, alright, you can be in the videos too, you big baby.” She vigorously rubbed Amber’s ears. Satisfied, the Husky let out two happy yips, her tail wagging like a metronome.
Watching this unfold through the observation window, the three battle-hardened officers were speechless.
Lei Jing violently rubbed his eyes. His hands were trembling. “My god… am I hallucinating? The terrifying, blood-soaked Iron-Eating Beast from the video… is letting Manager Su cuddle her like a stuffed toy?!”
“She’s humming like a spoiled kitten!” Yuan Bo gasped.
The contrast was staggering. Lei Jing honestly wondered if this was even the same apex predator. How could something so devastating be this ridiculously cute? Her round, chubby body looked like a giant, fuzzy rice ball. And when Su Wudeng offered her a bottle of milk, she grabbed it with both paws and sucked on it obediently, her little round ears twitching with every gulp.
Suddenly, Lei Jing felt a hot trickle trailing down his upper lip. A stream of bright red blood dripped from his nose.
He didn’t even seem to notice. His voice was hoarse. “My heart feels like it’s melting. Is this normal?”
Yuan Bo didn’t even look at him, equally entranced. “Manager Su has to be a goddess. Aihua is acting like a newborn puppy! And that Husky! Isn’t that the legendary Swordheart lineage? It looks so majestic and lethal, yet it’s whining for cuddles like a spoiled brat!”
“The aura coming off that Husky is terrifying,” Lei Jing muttered, finally wiping the blood from his face. “I swear it feels just as oppressive as the Saber-Toothed Tiger back at HQ!”
Qin Ke was the only one holding onto a shred of sanity. He quickly shoved a wad of tissues into Lei Jing’s hand. “Captain, pull yourself together! You’re getting a nosebleed from looking at a panda! If the men back at base see this, you’ll never live it down!”
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his own racing heart. “Captain, you need to report this to General Chu immediately! Tell him everything we saw on the livestream was 100% real. The Iron-Eating Beast is alive and recovering. And tell him Manager Su has an adult Swordheart Husky whose aura rivals—or even exceeds—the Saber-Toothed Tiger!”
Qin Ke couldn’t even fathom how General Chu was going to react to this news. Hell, Qin Ke himself felt like he was living in a dream. The Southern District treated their Saber-Toothed Tiger like an untouchable deity. Yet here, a single Swordheart Husky could probably tear it to shreds—and that wasn’t even factoring in the walking natural disaster that was the Iron-Eating Beast!
“This is just… incomprehensible,” Qin Ke sighed, his eyes glued to the window with raw envy. If he could have just one powerful, adorable pet fighting for his affection, he would die a happy man. But he didn’t dare dream that big.
Back in the ward, Aihua paused her milk-drinking, blinked her big round eyes, and nodded emphatically.
Of course, sister!
You saved my life and you let me live here for free! Taking a few photos is nothing!
To Aihua, it was the least she could do to repay such a monumental life debt. But she was also a little surprised. Sister, do people really like me that much?
Su Wudeng’s face lit up. She quickly pulled up the trending search page on her datapad and began reading the comments aloud. “Of course they do! Listen to this: ‘She is so strong and brave! The greatest mother in the galaxy!’ And this one: ‘Despite being so gravely injured, she still managed to safely deliver three beautiful cubs. She is a true hero.’“
Aihua leaned her massive head closer to the screen. Even though she couldn’t read the human words, she knew her sister would never lie to her. As Su Wudeng scrolled down, pointing out comment after comment, Aihua’s heart swelled with happiness.
They really like me. They’re saying all these nice things about me and my babies… hehe~
Su Wudeng kissed the top of her head. “Yes, they do. And a lot of people think the name Aihua is beautiful.”
Overwhelmed by the praise, Aihua looked up, her dark eyes shimmering with emotion. They love Aihua so much… and Aihua loves them too! I want to take all the pictures! Tell them I like them back!
When she had been bleeding out in the wilderness, she had been so alone. She never could have imagined that millions of strangers were praying for her survival. She had never felt this kind of overwhelming, collective love before. She wanted to give something back!
“I will,” Su Wudeng promised, kissing the bear again. “I’ll make sure they all know how much Aihua loves them.”
Awoo!
Leaving the ward, Su Wudeng realized she already had all the footage she needed from the shop’s internal security cameras. The real challenge was editing it into a compelling narrative.
After reviewing the files, she decided to structure the video around three starkly contrasting segments.
First: The terrifying apex predator. She selected footage of Aihua defending her cubs in the wild. The bear’s eyes glowed crimson; her massive, blood-soaked body exuded a suffocating aura of death and violence, perfectly capturing the terrifying might of a Commander-tier beast.
Second: The heartbreaking vulnerability. She used the viral close-up of Aihua lying on the operating table, tears silently streaming down her face as she looked up with absolute helplessness. It was a shot guaranteed to shatter the heart of any parent watching.
Third: The gentle giant. She compiled clips of Aihua’s current daily life—chugging massive bowls of milk, watching cartoons with wide-eyed wonder, and curling up into a giant fuzzy ball on her oversized cushion, humming contentedly.
Stripped of the need to fight for survival, the true nature of the Iron-Eating Beast was lazy, gentle, and unbelievably sweet. That jarring contrast—from a blood-soaked demon of war, to a weeping mother, to a giant cuddly teddy bear—was absolute marketing gold. Even as she edited it, Su Wudeng felt herself tearing up.
“The national treasure truly is invincible,” she murmured. “Unmatched in combat, and unparalleled in cuteness.”
She stared at the finished video, a complex expression crossing her face. “I hope this is enough to elevate Aihua to planetary-level fame. If we can reach that critical mass of public support… my plan will work.”
Meanwhile, at the Eastern Headquarters of the Ether War Zone.
General Chu stared at the preliminary report from Lei Jing, his jaw hanging open. “Her recovery speed defies all known biology! Just who the hell is this Manager Su?!”
But it wasn’t just the Iron-Eating Beast that had him sweating. He watched the attached security footage of the Husky over and over again. The more he watched, the more terrified he became.
“Look at the size of that canine. The imposing aura… it’s a fully mature adult,” he muttered to himself. “Yet when faced with a Commander-tier Iron-Eating Beast, it didn’t even flinch. It immediately moved to shield Manager Su. It has to be contracted!”
That realization sent a shiver down his spine. A contracted pet! In this day and age!
“And… I’m not crazy, right?” he whispered, comparing the data feeds. “That Husky’s energy readings… it might actually be stronger than the Saber-Toothed Tiger in the Southern District!”
The Saber-Toothed Tiger was a Commander-tier beast, widely considered the ultimate guardian deity of the entire Eighth War Zone. To even suggest a Husky could rival it bordered on heresy. Yet his instincts screamed that it was true. And what shocked him even more was how docile the lethal creature was around its master.
General Chu felt like he had just stumbled upon the greatest treasure trove in the galaxy.
“This woman doesn’t just possess an endless supply of extinct spiritual plants; she commands apex-level pets,” he breathed, pacing his office. “There has to be a terrifyingly powerful syndicate backing her. Hell, they might even control a hidden, uncorrupted micro-realm!”
The implication made him suck in a sharp breath.
“But Manager Su has shown nothing but goodwill toward our military,” he concluded, his eyes flashing with fierce determination. “We have to lock down this partnership! Whatever it takes!”
Suddenly, he remembered Lei Jing’s footnote. “Wait, Manager Su is going live tonight to showcase the Iron-Eating Beast? If she goes public, the other War Zones are going to swarm her!”
Panicking, he immediately drafted a top-secret, high-priority order to his personal envoys.
[Secure a pet partnership with Manager Su at all costs! Give her whatever she asks for—blank check! Beg her for a pet! Even a newborn cub is fine, we will spend decades raising it if we have to!]
A single contracted beast could completely shift the balance of power on the Zerg frontlines.
Back at the pet shop, Lei Jing, Yuan Bo, and Qin Ke read the incoming orders. The three veterans exchanged grim, determined nods.
“For victory!” Lei Jing whispered. “Whatever it takes!”
Having finished editing the video, Su Wudeng took pristine, high-resolution photos of her new military certificate and the ‘Sparks of Fire’ medal.
She drafted her post: [I extend my deepest gratitude to the Military Command of the Ether War Zone for recognizing our efforts with the ‘Sparks of Fire’ Medal of Honor. Pet Home will always strive to contribute to the future of humanity.]
But she didn’t hit send just yet.
Instead, she explicitly tagged the top ten most aggressive troll accounts that had been harassing her all week, and appended a highly inflammatory closing statement.
[@TruthSeeker @MechMaster @FutureTechFan — Didn’t you all claim that Pet Home was just a clout-chasing parasite ignoring the Zerg crisis? The evidence of our contribution is right here. What’s your excuse now? I’ve provided my proof. Where’s yours? Let’s see you match it!]
She hit send.
The post exploded across the Star Network like a supernova.
The corporate troll armies, who had been monitoring her account 24/7, were completely blindsided.
“Match it? Match what?!” one troll typed frantically into their private discord. “Do they expect us to produce a military medal too?!”
Of course they couldn’t! Their entire playbook consisted of baseless slander and virtue-signaling about the war effort! If any of them actually had the skills to contribute to the Zerg front, they wouldn’t be working in a basement as paid internet trolls! It was an impossible demand!
But the fans and casual netizens who had been suffocated by the trolls’ toxicity finally saw their opening. They flooded the comments with absolute savagery.
[MATCH IT! Those two words go so incredibly hard!]
[The Boss just dropped a literal military commendation on the table. Where you at, trolls?! Speak up!]
[Don’t play dead now! Match it!]
[Holy shit, Manager Su is a savage. One strike, instant kill!]
[I’ve been so sick of these fake patriots crying about the Zerg battlefield every day. What have you losers done for the war effort? At least Manager Su pays her taxes!]
[Where are the haters?! Our Manager brought receipts. All you have is a keyboard!]
[Show us your medals! Come on, we’re waiting!]
[Sister Su is an absolute queen. Trolls, match it or delete your accounts!]
[Lmao the silence is deafening. They don’t dare show their faces now!]
The supporters of Pet Home were out for blood. Previously, they had been forced to tread lightly because the trolls were hiding behind the “war effort” moral high ground. But now? Su Wudeng had the literal backing of the military! They had the ultimate moral high ground!
[No wonder the Boss didn’t say a word all week. She was just charging up her ultimate attack!]
[This is the most satisfying slap in the face I’ve ever witnessed.]
[Sister, you are my literal god!]
The troll armies were paralyzed. The haters were silenced. And the mechanical pet CEOs orchestrating the smear campaign were in a state of total, abject panic.
Sitting in his lavish office, Liu Mingyuan felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. “How… how is this possible?” he stammered.
Beside him, Wang Tieshan slammed his fist onto his mahogany desk, his face purple with rage. “Damn it all! How did that little bitch get a military commendation?!”
“What do we do?!” Liu Mingyuan panicked, his voice cracking. “Let’s just pull out. We have to stop! She has the military backing her now; we can’t touch her!”
He felt a sickening wave of dread. No wonder she hadn’t bothered to defend herself online. She was just playing dead, luring them into a false sense of security while she solidified her military alliance. She was a monster!
Wang Tieshan sneered at his cowardly partner. “Pull out? Do you really think she’s going to let us just walk away?! She’s going to weaponize the military to investigate us, and then we’re both dead!”
“Then what do we do?!” Liu Mingyuan shrieked.
Wang Tieshan’s eyes darted around frantically. “What else can we do… we have to—”
Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a new comment rapidly rocketing to the top of the trending page. His vision literally swam.
“WHO POSTED THIS?!” he roared, spit flying from his lips.
Because the troll army hadn’t received updated orders, they had been left to face the wrath of Pet Home’s fans alone. Humiliated and furious at being called cowards, one of the trolls, using the account ‘Truth Seeker’, had snapped and posted a reply:
[Who knows if that certificate is even real?! You idiots believe anything she posts! It’s obviously photoshopped!]
When Wang Tieshan saw that comment, he felt his soul leave his body.
“WHO DID THIS?! DELETE IT! DELETE IT NOW!” he screamed like a madman. “DO YOU THINK THE MILITARY IS A JOKE?! DO YOU THINK ANYONE IN THE GALAXY WOULD DARE FORGE A MILITARY MEDAL?!”
He was so furious he thought he might have a stroke. How could his hired guns be this monumentally stupid?! Accusing someone of forging military honors was a direct insult to the armed forces! It practically handed the military a legal mandate to investigate them for treason!
But his realization came too late. The comment had already been screenshotted and ratioed into oblivion.
[Did this troll just accuse Pet Home of forging a military document? Do you lack basic survival instincts?]
[Hahaha, is this guy serious?! I have never seen someone beg for prison time so loudly!]
[@EighthWarZone @MilitaryPolice Hey guys, we got a guy claiming your medals are photoshopped. Come collect your trash!]
[This idiot literally tattooed the word ‘Stupid’ across his own forehead.]
Seeing the thousands of replies tagging the actual military police, the troll behind ‘Truth Seeker’ finally realized the magnitude of his mistake.
They wouldn’t actually arrest me over a comment… right? he thought, his hands shaking violently over his keyboard. It’s just the internet! What if she really did fake it? The military wouldn’t actually respond just to defend a pet shop… right?
In a blind panic, he deactivated his account. They can’t trace me if I delete it!
Less than five minutes later, the official, verified account of the Eighth War Zone’s Ether Command published a concise, devastatingly powerful statement.
[The Military Command extends its most profound gratitude to Manager Su Wudeng of ‘Pet Home’ for her monumental contributions to the frontlines. Her efforts have not only saved the lives of countless soldiers, but have also rekindled hope in our ongoing war against the Zerg. The ‘Sparks of Fire’ Medal of Honor is entirely well-deserved. We look forward to a deep, lasting partnership with Manager Su as we fight together for the future of humanity.]
The instant the statement dropped, the Star Network completely broke.
The hashtag #MilitaryConfirmsPetHome instantly seized the number one spot on the trending charts.
[The military has officially spoken! What do the trolls have to say now?!]
[The sound of this slap echoing across the galaxy is deafening!]
[I think some people’s skin is so thick they don’t even feel the shame anymore.]
The troll who had deleted the ‘Truth Seeker’ account was watching the fallout from a burner profile. He felt physically sick.
Thank god I deleted my main account, he thought, hyperventilating. Why did the military actually respond?! What kind of background does this woman have?! I took the wrong contract! Did those mechanical CEOs not do ANY background checks?! I am never taking a job from them again!
He permanently logged off.
But the internet wasn’t done. With the trolls retreating, the netizens began to connect the dots.
[Doesn’t this whole smear campaign seem way too coordinated?]
[Who funded this? Who stands to lose the most if real pets make a comeback?]
[It’s obviously the mechanical pet syndicates. Pet Home threatened their monopoly, so they tried to bury her.]
[Exactly! We need to demand an investigation! Trace the IPs and find the real names behind these shell accounts!]
[How long are we going to let these mega-corps get away with orchestrating cyber-terrorism every time they face competition?!]
The once-arrogant troll army had completely evaporated.
[Where are the haters now?! Come out and play!]
[Keep defaming her, let’s see how fast you get hit with federal treason charges~]
With the military involved, not a single troll dared to breathe a word.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, the corporate saboteurs were experiencing a meltdown of apocalyptic proportions.
Wang Tieshan violently kicked a heavy leather chair across the room, roaring like a wounded animal. “It’s over! It’s all over! That idiot troll doomed us all!”
Liu Mingyuan was slumped in his chair, paralyzed with fear, his face the color of chalk. “What do we do… how does this end…?”
“What else can we do?!” Wang Tieshan snarled, spittle flying from his lips. “Terminate all contracts with the troll farms! Scrub the servers! Delete every digital footprint! God damn it, who could have known she was a military asset?!”
“Is it… is it too late to wipe the servers?” Liu Mingyuan stammered, his legs shaking uncontrollably. “The internet sleuths are already tracing the dark money back to our shell companies…”
Wang Tieshan froze. He stared at his partner, then violently slammed his fist onto the desk.
“Run! Pack your bags right now! Book us a starship ticket to the Outer Rim!”
Watching the public sentiment shift entirely in her favor, Su Wudeng knew the timing was perfect. She drafted her final, fatal strike.
[To my peers in the mechanical pet industry: Instead of expending so much capital and energy on sabotaging your competitors, I highly recommend you focus on improving your own products. Stop relying on smear campaigns to maintain your market share. And more importantly—stop intentionally manufacturing core components with programmed obsolescence, forcing your consumers to continuously pay for exorbitant repairs. These despicable business practices will ultimately destroy your own reputation. Consumers are not stupid. Only by dedicating yourselves to honest, reliable engineering will you earn lasting trust.]
The moment the post went live, it was like a match thrown into a powder keg. Netizens finally had a voice for their long-held frustrations.
[Holy shit! I knew it! I always wondered why my mechanical pet broke down right after the warranty expired! It was programmed to fail!]
[I bought a ‘Future Friend’ model last year. It broke down in six months, and the repair fees cost more than the original unit!]
[‘Iron Partner’ is even worse! My mechanical cat’s core processor fried twice in three months!]
Thousands of users flooded the network, sharing their miserable experiences and explicitly tagging the offending companies. As the outrage snowballed, the public experienced a collective epiphany: the entire industry was a scam!
However, the CEOs of the most frequently tagged companies—Liu Mingyuan and Wang Tieshan—had already deactivated their corporate accounts and were desperately trying to flee. They had their Star Brains open, frantically trying to book passage on an off-world smuggler ship.
But a sudden, terrifying notification popped up on their screens.
ERROR. TRAVEL RESTRICTED BY ORDER OF THE EIGHTH MILITARY COMMAND.
At that exact moment, General Chu used his personal, verified military account to issue a ruthless decree:
[Any corporation found guilty of implementing programmed obsolescence and defrauding the public will issue an immediate public apology and provide full financial restitution to all affected consumers. Failure to comply will result in immediate arrest and federal prosecution for ‘Mass Fraud’ and ‘Intentional Sabotage of Consumer Rights.’]
The Eighth War Zone held ultimate jurisdiction over this star system. If it hadn’t been for Manager Su’s post, General Chu never would have known these corporate rats were bleeding the civilian populace dry. His soldiers were out on the frontlines, bleeding and dying in the mud to protect their families back home. The thought that these greedy merchants were systematically scamming the families of his soldiers filled him with a cold, murderous rage.
The internet erupted in cheers.
[Manager Su is a saint! She finally exposed these black-hearted scammers!]
[General Chu is a badass! Lock them all up!]
For the corrupt executives who thought they could just fly away and rebrand on another planet, the decree was a death sentence.
Liu Mingyuan stared at the travel ban on his screen, his soul leaving his body. “It’s over… General Chu personally intervened…”
A second later, both men received an automated mandate from the planetary police: [CONFESS AND ISSUE RESTITUTION WITHIN 1 HOUR, OR FACE IMMEDIATE MILITARY TRIBUNAL.]
And so, millions of netizens were treated to the glorious spectacle of previously deactivated corporate accounts suddenly coming back online, only to post groveling, humiliating confessions.
[We formally admit to implanting timed-failure subroutines within the S-Series ‘Iron Partner’ product line…]
[‘Future Friend’ Corporation confesses to deliberately utilizing substandard core processors to artificially inflate post-purchase maintenance revenue…]
The confessions were horrifying in their scale.
[These people are literal parasites!]
[They have zero morals!]
[And they tried to use these same dirty tactics to destroy Pet Home! Thank god Manager Su has actual backing, or she would have been crushed by these monsters!]
Fueled by overwhelming public outrage, the military police moved with terrifying efficiency. Many of the scammed consumers were family members of active-duty soldiers, meaning the military had zero patience for bureaucratic delays. The executives who had spearheaded the smear campaign were dragged out of their offices in handcuffs before the day was out.
Sitting in their holding cells, the CEOs wept in despair. How did this happen? It was just a standard smear campaign! They did this to competitors all the time! How did a simple troll farm contract end in federal treason charges?!
Back at Eastern HQ, General Chu read Su Wudeng’s polite message of thanks with a smug grin.
I acted fast, decisively, and ruthlessly, he thought, patting himself on the back. That definitely scored me some major points with Manager Su. Step one of the partnership: complete!
Establishing goodwill was always the hardest part. The rest would be easy.
Suddenly, his communicator began vibrating violently. The screen lit up with dozens of high-priority incoming calls from the other War Zone Generals.
General Chu raised an eyebrow, a wicked smile playing on his lips. He accepted the first call.
“YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD!” an elderly voice roared through the speaker. “You sneaky, underhanded snake! You completely bypassed the summit and made a move on the Eighth War Zone’s behalf?!”
General Chu feigned innocence. “Oh, my apologies, General. It’s just that I had already established a minor working relationship with Manager Su, and I felt it was my duty to protect a valuable citizen. Pure luck, really.”
By using his personal account to publicly defend her, Chu had essentially planted the Eighth War Zone’s flag right in Pet Home’s front yard. It was a wildly aggressive, borderline unethical political maneuver. While the other generals had been bogged down in committee meetings discussing how to approach her, Chu had sprinted ahead and secured the alliance.
The subsequent calls were all variations of the same furious, jealous screaming.
“Chu, you ruthless bastard!”
“We’re still drafting the diplomatic outreach policy, and you just slap a military commendation on her?!”
“How deep is this partnership?! Tell me right now!”
General Chu was practically cackling inside. The only reason those old fools had been so slow was because they were arrogant and suspicious. They had doubted the existence of the Iron-Eating Beast, and then they had doubted if it would even survive. The other War Zones were incredibly wealthy and deeply entrenched in bureaucracy; they didn’t want to risk their prestige backing a random girl on a rundown Level 4 planet if she turned out to be a fraud.
But Chu knew the truth.
Those old fools think her pets are her only asset, Chu sneered internally. They have no idea that she’s sitting on a mountain of extinct spiritual plants. The pets are incredible, yes, but the plants can enhance the combat effectiveness of entire armies! I have to solidify this alliance immediately! I need to offer her something massive!
But what could he give her? Military rank? She wasn’t a soldier. Another medal? Useless now.
He racked his brain for a solid minute before a brilliant, insane idea struck him.
Wait… why don’t I just give her the planet?
Manager Su’s business is only going to expand. I have no idea why the hidden syndicate backing her chose this miserable Level 4 rock… but if I just transfer the planetary deed to her name, that shows ultimate sincerity!
Yes! That’s exactly what I’ll do!
Meanwhile, inside the quiet sanctuary of Pet Home.
Su Wudeng watched the viewer count on her upcoming live broadcast shatter every known record. The sheer velocity of the drama over the past few hours had whipped the entire Star Network into a frenzy.
“The timing is perfect,” she murmured, eyes locked on the soaring metrics.
She turned to Professor Yang, who was frantically organizing his lecture notes, sweating profusely.
“Professor,” she said softly, “we have the eyes of the entire galaxy right now. Are you ready to begin?”
Professor Yang looked up, his eyes burning with the fire of a lifelong dream finally realized. He took a deep, shuddering breath.
“I’m ready.”
