Chapter 263: Fans

Mei Yangmu stood excitedly in the crowd, gazing at the two-meter-tall, scythe-wielding monster before her. She was finally seeing a so-called Third Line operative.

In her eyes, every inch of him seemed to exude a certain charm, and the cold glint of his scythe was utterly captivating.

You have to understand, she was the absolute number one fan of the Third Line. Her bag was even decorated with various pieces of Third Line merch, and on a round pin was a smiling Tan Yougen making a peace sign.

Ever since she heard Jia Junpeng boasting about becoming a Third Line informant, she had been eagerly awaiting a chance to meet one. Now, she was finally seeing it happen.

She had already secretly raised her phone and was constantly taking pictures of him from various angles.

Just as she was about to go up and strike up a conversation, Jia Junpeng, who had just been quietly chewed out by Zhang Wenda, walked forward with an awkward expression.

"Um... today's meet-and-greet is postponed for now. The two of us are on a secret mission, so next time we're free, I'll bring you all to see him again."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions showed great disappointment, but seeing that the operative already had a cold look on his face, they could only leave reluctantly.

Mei Yangmu was the last to leave. As she walked away, she kept looking back every few steps, her eyes filled with envy and admiration.

Just as her foot stepped on a progress bar to return, she heard a voice from behind her. "Where did you find all these people? They even have Third Line fans? This pie-in-the-sky organization actually has fans? Even kids. How strange."

Hearing this, Mei Yangmu's body trembled. She spun around in disbelief and looked at the figure she had been admiring so much just moments ago.

She watched as the scythe-wielding monster who had said those words turned to leave with Jia Junpeng.

Feeling that her faith had been insulted, she rushed forward, blocking the scythe-wielding monster's path, and said with extreme anger, "Take back what you just said!"

"Hm?" Zhang Wenda looked at the girl in front of him, his face full of surprise.

"You're not worthy of being part of the Third Line! You're insulting the Third Line!!" Mei Yangmu's body trembled with anger as she glared fearlessly at Zhang Wenda.

Zhang Wenda looked at her furious expression, the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smile. "Little girl, don't blindly turn something you don't understand into a belief. If you don't know about something, it's best to experience it for yourself first."

Hearing this, Mei Yangmu clenched her fists and yelled at Zhang Wenda, "I do understand! My little brother was once kidnapped by people from the Big Circle, and they were the ones who rescued him! He didn't have a single unbroken bone in his body, and they were the ones who healed him, too!!"

"Hmm..." Hearing this, Song Jianguo crossed his arms, his brow furrowed as if he was trying to recall something. But after thinking for a moment, his mind was a complete blank.

"And my dad... my dad..." As she spoke, her voice choked up. "My dad was part of the Third Line! He died to save this world! He's my hero! I won't let you insult him like this!"

Zhang Wenda looked at the little doe before him, finally understanding why she was so agitated.

However, he wasn't interested in saying anything at the moment and simply walked past her.

"First, get yourself out of Thought Wave One in one piece, and then we can talk about this stuff. You're too young to be online, kid. The internet is a dangerous place."

"Besides, if your dad was a true hero, he wouldn't care what people thought of him after he died."

Mei Yangmu angrily shouted at Zhang Wenda's departing back, "You're selfish! You have no right to judge others!"

After she said this, the two groups went their separate ways. It was just a small incident brought about by Jia Junpeng, and it didn't cause any major ripples.

While riding the progress bar quickly toward the forum, Zhang Wenda casually asked, "Jia Junpeng, are there a lot of people like her in the other Thought Waves?"

"A lot! Of course there are a lot! I'm one of them," Jia Junpeng said excitedly.

"Think about it. After you join the Third Line, not only do you get all kinds of strange abilities, but the pay and benefits are good, and most importantly, you're highly respected. Who wouldn't want to join?"

"Really? How come I didn't know that?"

"You don't even wear a badge or a rank insignia. How would anyone know you're with the Third Line?"

Zhang Wenda recalled that he had probably been issued them, but trivial matters like that rarely stayed in his mind for long.

But just then, a thought struck Zhang Wenda. "Then the Big Circle must have a lot of fans, too, right?"

Hearing this, Jia Junpeng's expression became a bit awkward. "Er... there are some, yeah. Just a while ago, the Third Line forum and the Big Circle forum were even debating each other, arguing over who was stronger."

"But the difference between the Third Line and the Big Circle is that the Third Line is doing the right thing! If it weren't for the Third Line setting the rules and maintaining order, the thirteen Thought Waves would have become a living hell long ago."

"Oh, right, Boss. You asked me to look up some information on Qianxi and Tang Xingxiong. I found some stuff. Qianxi is the leader of a Big Circle cavalry stronghold, and there are rumors that he's connected to the birth of Thought Wave 13, the Internet World."

"Also, the guy is extremely moody. When he's happy, anything goes. When he's not, you could lose your head just for stepping through a door with your left foot first. On top of that, the great explosion in Thought Wave Four was connected to him."

"What great explosion?" Zhang Wenda looked at him.

"It was an 'accident' that was later discovered to have been staged by people from the Big Circle. A lot, a lot of people died."

"Boss, just think about it. Thousands of lives. Watching your own family get killed by the Big Circle... imagine how painful that must be."

Zhang Wenda, who hadn't thought much of it before, suddenly clenched one of his fists upon hearing this.

Song Jianguo, who was dangling from Zhang Wenda's shoulders, glanced at him and said nonchalantly while picking at his fingernails, "Then they should find a way to get revenge for their families."

"Only the strong can get revenge. What about those who aren't? Are their families not family? Are they supposed to have died for nothing?"

"Only the Third Line, and only the Third Line, can stand up for them and get them justice. Now do you understand why these people feel so strongly about the Third Line?"

Zhang Wenda didn't say anything, just quietly listened to Jia Junpeng ramble on.

Through his account, Zhang Wenda finally began to understand the impression the Third Line had on the residents of the thirteen major Thought Waves.

Maybe they weren't doing a perfect job, but even bad rules are better than no rules at all.

Although some young people still liked the Big Circle, most people could still tell right from wrong.

Zhang Wenda wasn't particularly interested in any of this, however. Right now, he only cared about his own affairs. What other people thought didn't matter to him.