"I'm very grateful to hero Xiaobai and Zuzongren for attending this press conference. First, we express our gratitude for Zuzongren's heroic deeds!"
The scene was immediately filled with warm applause and cheers.
"You guys are amazing too!"
Zuzongren gave a thumbs-up to the crowd, saying with a smile.
"What did they do? Do you know them? Why do you say they are amazing too?"
Xiaobai asked Zuzongren in surprise.
"As heroes, we cannot take all the credit ourselves. Only by sharing some of it will they recognize you more!"
"Little girl, you have a lot to learn. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee you will gain the same reputation as me!"
Zuzongren smiled at the crowd while whispering to Xiaobai.
"I don't need reputation. I only do what I believe is right!"
Xiaobai said indifferently.
These words were exactly what Xiaobai thought. She did whatever she wanted, regardless of face or reputation.
However, such matters were far beyond Zuzongren's understanding.
His life had always been about seeking recognition and affection.
Therefore, Zuzongren did not believe that anyone in the world could act purely on impulse without needing recognition.
"Hmph... little girl, have you thought about the consequences of being arrogant!"
After speaking, Zuzongren nodded to the media, signaling that they could interview Xiaobai.
"Hero Xiaobai, thank you for saving all the civilians on the entire train, as well as the twenty civilians trapped on the tracks!"
As soon as the reporter finished speaking, he immediately changed the subject and continued, "When you changed the train's trajectory, did you understand that although you saved 20 people, another 20 people would die as a result?!"
Xiaobai nodded and said,
"Yes, I was notified."
The reporter pressed further,
"Since the train couldn't stop, and 20 people were going to die sooner or later, why did you choose to change the train's direction and let another 20 people die, instead of maintaining the original direction?"
"It's very simple, because the people on the other side were bad guys, and the people on the normal track were normal people," Xiaobai replied truthfully, blinking her eyes.
"But after this incident, everyone is calling you a murderer. What do you think about that?"
The reporter felt the time was right and immediately dropped a public opinion bomb.
"I have indeed killed people, and quite a few of them, but they were all bad people, and I don't see anything wrong with it!"
Xiaobai spread her hands and said.
Her words immediately drew gasps from the crowd.
To speak of killing so casually was like being a devil!
Some people even wanted to throw garbage at Xiaobai.
But they were too far away. They threw with all their might, but in the end, they only hit the cameramen in the front row.
"But do bad people deserve to die? They also have parents, relatives, and lives. Don't you feel any guilt after killing them?"
The reporter asked again.
"Why should I feel guilty about killing bad people?"
Xiaobai looked inexplicably confused.
There was another round of boos from the audience, and some people even began to organize small groups to shout:
"Xiaobai, get out!"
"Xiaobai, murderer!"
Zuzongren watched from the side, a schadenfreude smile on his face.
It seemed he didn't even need to stir the pot; this girl, lacking any foresight, would soon ruin her own reputation.
In fact, even he would have had trouble handling such a situation.
However, to avoid a reputational crisis, Zuzongren could have killed everyone on the train and then blown up the entire train, leaving no evidence.
This way, the public, through the media, would see that the 40 people tied to the tracks were all saved, and the train explosion could be blamed on the kidnappers.
In Zuzongren's view, this was the optimal solution.
As for the deaths of more people... it didn't matter, as these onlookers only believed what they saw.
And what he cared about was only public opinion, not justice itself.
Now, Xiaobai had allowed them to see deaths caused by her actions, which was the consequence of inexperience.
"It seems Xiaobai lacks respect for life. Such disregard for life makes people question whether she is qualified to be a superhero?"
"A hero is not only the recognition of one's abilities but also the recognition of one's character and integrity."
"If one only has ability, such a person is not enough to bear the title of hero. In fact, she might become an even more terrifying killer!"
As soon as the reporter finished speaking, a set of interview videos was displayed on the big screen.
A woman on the screen, crying profusely, said:
"Jack was a good person. He was injured for protecting us and was sentenced to 6 months in prison. He will be released in 20 days. He shouldn't have died! Wuwuwu~"
"Even the judge didn't sentence him to death. Why did this 'bad person' named Xiaobai kill him?!"
The scene shifted again, this time interviewing civilians who had been rescued.
"Honestly, I don't feel fortunate at all for being saved, because it was through killing others, exchanging lives for mine!"
"This will make me live with guilt and in a shadow for the rest of my life. I hate you, Xiaobai! Why did you save me? It would have been better if I had died!"
Next was an interview with the train conductor:
"She made a decision in almost a second, without even thinking about a win-win solution."
"It seemed that in her eyes, those prisoners deserved to die. I think death row inmates might deserve to die, but prisoners are not necessarily guilty of capital crimes; they also have the right to live..."
"But I can also understand Xiaobai... actually..."
The rest of his words were cut off by the video, and then another set of footage was shown.
This time, it was interviews with bystanders:
"Xiaobai is just a murderer. She changed the train's trajectory and murdered twenty other people!"
"I was on the train at the time. When the train shook, I thought we were hitting a curve. Later I realized we were running over people. I'll never forget that feeling. I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life!"
"Someone like that doesn't deserve to be a hero. She should learn how to be a person?!"
"If solving problems by running people over is the solution, then she's not needed. Anyone can solve such a problem."
"With great power comes great responsibility. Clearly, she doesn't understand the true meaning of this phrase. Maybe her parents didn't teach her, assuming she has parents..."
Xiaobai didn't react much to the earlier words.
After all, she didn't care about fame, and in the apocalyptic world, her reputation as a world-ender was already at -999, making it almost impossible to turn around.
However, when she heard someone mention her parents, an immense pressure erupted from her body.
"You can say whatever you want about me... but you absolutely cannot... say my dad... You are all bad people!"