Chapter 25: A New Plan

Natasha quickly put away her infatuated smile and returned to her composed, elegant demeanor, as if the woman giggling moments before had never existed.

“Ahem, let’s move on. Let’s set aside Liu Meng for now. The most important thing right now is to reassure the public. Daoran, memorize these points. We’re going live soon.” Chen Ming broke the awkward silence, took the laptop, opened a document, and addressed Li Daoran.

Li Daoran stared at the dense lines of text, squinted, and asked, “What is this for? A press conference?”

“More or less. That’s the idea. Get ready—we’ve got a lot to do before you leave today. You don’t need to memorize it word for word, just grasp the core points and cover the gist. Ten minutes. You have ten minutes, and we start then.” Chen Ming stood and began organizing the background with the other four.

“Can’t we have a teleprompter or something?”

“What are you thinking? If you’re seen reading, the act is up. Don’t be silly,” Chen Ming replied without even looking at Li Daoran.

Ten minutes later.

Tam hoisted the camera towards Li Daoran. Natasha positioned herself to his left, Charles to his right, and David was at the computer and screen in front. Chen Ming moved about, coordinating everything.

“All right, Tam, start rolling. David, run the tests. Daoran, be ready.” With the air of a director, Chen Ming issued commands with a grave expression.

Soon, three faces appeared on the big screen—an 8K high-definition live broadcast.

“Okay, we’re online now. Daoran, start the stream. We’re officially live.”

“People of Bluewater Star, no matter your race or nationality, on that extraordinary day—February 30th—we all became bound together by fate. And connecting us all is this man before you, Li Daoran,” Charles intoned, his voice deep and resonant.

“He has brought new direction to our world. A new chapter of humanity is unfolding; we’ve lifted the hem of Fate’s gown and glimpsed higher-dimensional beings beyond our universe. Now, let Mr. Li Daoran, who experienced it all firsthand, introduce us to the enchanting and mysterious Daoran World,” Natasha followed, her voice commanding and dignified.

Li Daoran couldn’t help but think these two were even more impressive than the national news anchors. When it was his turn, he felt a touch of nervousness.

“I’m Li Daoran. Maybe you didn’t know me before, but after February 30th, three days ago, I suppose you do now. No need for me to introduce myself further,” he said a little shyly. “At first, I thought I was dreaming—after all, we’ve all had dreams of every kind. So mine didn’t seem so strange. But as you all saw, everything that happened after I woke up is still vivid in my mind. You told me it wasn’t a dream. Do you remember what I was like back then?”

On screen, photos and videos played, captured secretly from various corners—Li Daoran leaving his house to find the streets sealed off, his parents holding Ultraman masks, and himself in the car, crying as he spoke of wanting to try, to shoulder responsibility. His panic and embarrassment were laid bare. Li Daoran hadn’t realized so much had been filmed without his knowledge.

Natasha stepped in at just the right moment. “In these three days, Mr. Li Daoran has changed so much. As the saying goes, a man should be looked at anew after three days apart. You seem to grow more confident by the day. What is the reason for that?”

Li Daoran quickly collected himself. The sudden playback made him feel as if a lifetime had passed in just three days—he was momentarily overcome.

“Honestly, after staying in that world for a while, it didn’t seem so daunting. I got used to it. First, there wasn’t much real danger. Second, it was genuinely fascinating. For instance, the romance of men—mecha! I’m sure everyone saw them. My personal favorite is the silver Pioneer mech. There’s also the beautiful elder sister Liu Meng—fierce on the outside but fragile at heart—then the bear-like Xiong Shan, who looks terrifying but is easily bested. Frankly, with just a move or two that I learned from Chen Ming, I wouldn’t be afraid of ten Xiong Shans. And then there’s our proud little brother, Xu Xingxing—he’s truly an interesting one.”

“Brother Daoran, you sound like you’re having such a good time you don’t want to come back. If you could, would you have stayed there forever?” Charles teased.

“Of course not. The reason I could thrive in Daoran World is because I knew I had billions of Bluewater Star compatriots behind me. With you as my support, I felt secure. Otherwise, if I were all alone in that world, there’s no way I could handle it,” Li Daoran shook his head repeatedly.

Hidden in the shadows, Chen Ming frowned slightly; that was too formal, not ideal.

Chen Ming stepped forward and called out, “Now that’s not the whole truth, is it? Support? I’d say we’re more of a burden. Everyone knows you received two gene serums that greatly enhanced human physical abilities, but you know as well as I do—because humanity shares the benefits, you yourself didn’t get much stronger in Daoran World. That made it hard for you to complete your daily missions and pilot the mechs. Without us, you’d probably be having a much easier time.”

Li Daoran was left bewildered. That wasn’t in the script—was this an improvised scene?

Chen Ming smirked, “What, struck speechless? Hit the nail on the head, did I?”

Everyone except Li Daoran remained perfectly composed. Their nerves were ironclad; only Li Daoran genuinely panicked.

“No, absolutely not,” Li Daoran waved his hands in protest.

Suddenly, Charles twirled his cane with a flourish and said with a haughty smile, “So what if it’s true? It’s only human. But you were right about one thing: we are your support. Now, we’ll show everyone what that really means.”

Natasha laughed as well, brushed her bangs aside, and flashed a captivating smile. “Exactly. We’ve been underestimated.”

Li Daoran glanced at everyone and saw their smiling faces. Suddenly, he understood. Humanity needed more than reassurance—it needed motivation. These people truly were exceptional; Chen Ming had merely set the stage, and the rest followed his lead seamlessly.

David picked up, “Hey, now. You’re being unfair. Mr. Li Daoran never thought that way. You’re ascribing your own pettiness to a gentleman’s heart. But truly, it’s us, humanity, who haven’t helped Mr. Daoran enough. That’s our failing, not his.”

“Agreed,” Tam rumbled.

Chen Ming took a step back, bowed deeply, and said with a look of sincere regret, “I misunderstood. That’s on me. I’ll dock my own salary for a year as penance.”

Li Daoran couldn’t help but laugh. He’d once asked Chen Ming about his salary. Chen Ming replied he’d never seen one; as long as his food, clothes, and housing were covered, what need was there for a salary? Li Daoran had to admit there was a certain happiness in living so simply.

“Well then, let’s turn the page. Now, it’s time for everyone’s favorite Q&A segment. You can submit your questions at this website—the most upvoted questions will be answered by Mr. Li Daoran. Each person has three chances per day, so please participate actively!” Natasha skillfully steered the conversation back, guiding them smoothly into the next phase.