Chapter 35: An Overnight Sensation Worldwide

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: An Overnight Sensation Worldwide

The vibe in the cafeteria suddenly got a little weird, everyone exchanged looks, nobody could figure out why this group of mercenaries were suddenly acting out of pocket today—were they trying to play some "friendship card"?

Most at a loss was Renee Morgan. She forced a stiff smile: "Uh... thanks for appreciating me, I guess?"

The young man flashed a big white grin, his Chinese clumsy: "Heard you’re a female celebrity. We’ll all become your fans."

"Yeah, we’re all your fans."

"Yep, you’re very beautiful—way better than any female celebs we’ve seen."

"..."

Eight guys of different ages, all scrambling to speak up—the scene was chaotic and loud.

Even the viewers across the stream could feel their sincere passion:

[Wow, that scared me. A second ago I thought they were about to throw hands, but turns out it was a group confession to Renee Morgan! Unreal.]

[Is Renee Morgan the most famous female celeb in a special profession? (A woman who can win over the Mercenary Guild—even without any real works, she’s headline material in the international section.)]

[Their profession is just speculation. They could be regular people, and regular folks get enchanted upon seeing a young, beautiful star. Lots of my male friends are into Renee Morgan too.]

[Everyone, go check it! The live is being broadcasted by international stations—Renee Morgan has blown up worldwide.]

[Damn, even international TV is calling out—now it’s confirmed these dudes are actual Mercenary Guild.]

[The Mercenary Guild bros probably never expected that just being into a female celeb would get them completely roasted. (When they first entered the base, they kept saying they were just regular guys... lol...)]

[...]

Zara Chapman was about to snap her chopsticks in half. That group left, and only then did the cafeteria quiet down.

Wendy Aldridge’s face looked just as bad. She figured they came for Renee Morgan because Renee had been in the spotlight—maybe wanted to kick her out fast—but instead her own slip-up made Renee steal the show even harder.

Netizens in the live chat always love to ride the wave. Seeing Renee Morgan so popular at the base, they’d probably love to lift her straight to the top.

Wendy even wondered: Had Renee Morgan maybe gotten physical with the squad members, kind of like how Wendy herself would "buy off" the crew?

Lynn Miller waited until the squad left before sighing in relief, watching Renee Morgan with admiration: "Morgan, their eyes are kinda scary. How’d you even dare talk to them?"

Maybe because of their unusual jobs, the Squad One members were clearly not ordinary people—especially those cold, sharp eyes, like savage leopards about to bite. Even Squad Two folks would instinctively avoid them.

Renee had been panicking just now—her heart pounding in her throat—but didn’t expect it to end like this.

But then again, foreigners are just more upfront—emotions run hot and fast. When they first entered the base, they’d even thrown shade at her.

Renee caught Lynn Miller’s admiring gaze and couldn’t help but laugh and cry: "With them like this, I really couldn’t NOT say anything!"

Lynn Miller laughed: "True, they’re your fans. You’re forced into the hustle!"

Wendy Aldridge edged over.

"Hey, I heard they might be pros..." She made a throat-slitting gesture, patting her chest, still shaken. "These dangerous types, we better steer clear. Otherwise, internal entertainment will blacklist us—bad influence, you know?"

Lynn hadn’t realized it was this serious, looking at Renee, suddenly worried. ℯℯ𝑙.

But Renee saw it clearly: "If they really were some kind of criminals, the production team wouldn’t have signed them up."

Lynn picked up on it quickly: "Right, if they were criminals, they’d have run as soon as they saw the instructors. No way they’d team up and enter here."

Wendy was stewing. If Renee had just shown a hint of support or tried to defend them, Wendy could have gotten netizens to tear Renee apart—but she never stepped in the trap.

Wendy slyly switched tactics: "People in their line of work, they can wipe their tracks clean easy. Walk by the river long enough, you’ll get your feet wet—who knows what skeletons they’re carrying..." She didn’t finish, but everyone caught her drift.

Everyone’s faces turned a bit tense, and the way they looked at Renee was loaded with meaning.

Just like Wendy said, having a bunch of "lawbreakers" as fans—how could internal entertainment ignore it? They’d definitely clamp down on Renee Morgan’s appearances for "bad influence."

Renee saw Wendy’s smug smile and put her chopsticks down, unfazed: "If that’s true, we’re all screwed. After all, our show features us and a bunch of ’lawbreakers.’"

She turned to Gael Prescott: "Will your athletic career take a hit?"

Then to Lionel Lincoln and Kyle Beckett: "You guys share a bathhouse with them every day, have off-the-record contact—is that even messier?"

Finally, she looked at Miles Yates: "I remember you asked them how to do push-ups better." Miles Yates had really gone all out to adjust to base training.

Gael Prescott: "..."

Miles Yates: "..."

Kyle Beckett and Lionel Lincoln: "..."

Actually, if you think about it, the one who’s just being admired—Renee Morgan—has the least to do with it.

Gael hurriedly set his chopsticks down: "Ahem, didn’t the director already say? Mercenaries are common in Merrick, legit profession here. No need for us to judge."

Kyle agreed: "Exactly. Plus, how many top international celebrities are out there, liked by all kinds of people, occupations—anyone. That’s just huge influence. You can’t blacklist someone over a tiny slice of their fanbase, that’s way too narrow-minded."

Renee didn’t expect Kyle to come up with that, and looked at him with new respect.

Lionel nodded along: "True, true. Wendy, you don’t read the news? The ’God of Song’ has countless fugitives caught at every concert—fans dubbed him ’fugitive reaper.’ That just proves massive influence even more!"

Wendy’s face flushed dark red, shaking from rage—what’s up with these people? She was calling out Renee Morgan, not them, so why gang up on her?

What’s this about her "not reading the news"—just call her ignorant straight up.

And then there’s Miles Yates nailing the coffin: "We gotta trust the production team, trust the instructors, trust our country. No spreading or believing rumors!"

Wendy: "..."

The live chat was booming—netizens with faster info than Renee and the rest, who didn’t have comms devices, knew way more about how internal entertainment viewed the show.

Because even the Central Network was simulcasting, reviewing it as a chance for ordinary folks and celebrities from Zhonglia to go to Merrick for training, take part in competitions with locals. Everyone was excited; winning or losing didn’t matter, what mattered was showing Zhonglia’s influence at Merrick Base.