I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

Chapter 97 God of Luck

On screen, Zod at that time was like a mad executioner, desperate to survive.

He faced the Holy Kingdom's barrage of fire head-on, wielding the Imperial Sword. With each swift stroke, a Holy Kingdom soldier was killed instantly.

He cut down every enemy who stood in his way with precision, ruthlessness, and efficiency, his dominance chilling to the bone.

Under the precise capture of the lens.

Every shot, every frame, faithfully presents Zod's sharp edge.

His sword-wielding movements were clean and crisp, without a single unnecessary motion.

His cold expression revealed his focus, and he was completely unaware that blood had splattered on his cheeks.

The fear and instinctive dread in the eyes of the Holy Kingdom soldiers when they faced him were also captured on camera.

Every frame silently tells the story of how dashing and valiant Zod is at this moment.

That's the charm of anime series, the charm of cinematic language.

Although Zod wasn't actually that strong, on camera, his power seemed to be magnified dozens of times.

This is the art of modern photography, special effects, and editing.

If you want to, you can even capture the image of a dog on the street with the same effect as Goras.

However, this anime series doesn't use too many exaggerated special effects because the plot is based on a real reflection of the parallel world Zod lives in.

Just like in journalism, they cut out the beginning and end, extracting only the information they deem crucial, exciting, and eye-catching, and then carefully arranging it before presenting it to the audience.

Zod's dazzling moves left a deep impression on the audience.

Before this, the audience never imagined that a seemingly cowardly and timid person who would run away at the drop of a hat could have such great strength.

The character of Zod has once again refreshed the audience's perception of him.

Zod's popularity will likely surge, especially among teenagers.

After all, who hasn't been a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) in their youth?

I have never had that simple "admiration for strength" mentality towards those powerful characters?

When Zod was in his teenage years, he often argued with his classmates or roommates about who was the strongest among the characters in "Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece".

They even argued about who was stronger, Ultraman or Susanoo—a question that will never have an answer.

Now, he himself has become the subject of debate.

Because of Zod's severely underestimated combat power, a wave of comments instantly flooded the screen.

"Wow, is Lieutenant Zod really that strong?"

"Wow, so cool! This battle scene, paired with this background music, is just as exciting as Bo-chan."

"Is Zod really that handsome? I always thought he was just a comedic character, but he's genuinely handsome when he's being cool!"

"I was just kidding. Actually, I knew Lieutenant Zod was this strong a long time ago. [doge]"

"I always thought Lieutenant Zod was a fraud!"

"Lieutenant Zod has fallen from grace once again!"

"That man, he's back!!"

"As expected of Lieutenant Zod, deliberately letting the enemy lower their guard before suddenly catching them off guard—that's truly impressive!"

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 2!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 2!

Just as Zod was putting on another impressive show in front of the audience.

The camera cut perfectly to Cassius's face, giving him a close-up.

Cassius's eyes welled up with tears. He wiped his face hard and said with heavy apology and shame, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I misunderstood you again. I thought you were terrified after just arriving on the battlefield and that you were hesitant to attack the Holy Kingdom's army because of fear."

"Your courage and decisiveness are truly awe-inspiring, and I admire you wholeheartedly!"

At the same time, they showered praise on other "Imperial Blade" legion soldiers.

Cassius gave a deep laugh, as if stating an undeniable truth: "Lieutenant Zod has always placed the honor and interests of the Empire above his own life, and is always ready to offer his heart and loyalty for it! Today will be no exception!"

Cassius's self-conquest also sparked a wave of heated comments in the live chat:

"233333"

"Oh no, Cassius has completely turned to Di."

"Cassius has acquired the trait: Self-Strategy!"

"Cassius, don't be fooled by Lieutenant Zod. He's just a pathetic coward!"

"Hey, Cassius, don't be fooled by Zod's appearance! Zod isn't as imposing and majestic as you imagine!"

"Zod: Ready to offer his heart and loyalty to the Empire at any time? Who are you referring to?!"

"As expected of Lieutenant Zod, he anticipated every step. Damn it, he tricked me again."

"Lieutenant Zod, I swear to follow you to the death!"

"Damn, two more people in the live chat have gone crazy!"

"Oh no, it's a Stand attack! Zod has already affected the viewers outside the screen through his Stand attack!"

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 2!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 1!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 3!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 2!

With the Holy Kingdom's forces concentrated in the direction of Hitis, the advance in the direction of Hitis was extremely difficult, in stark contrast to the unstoppable offensive of Zod.

They were nearly out of ammunition and food, and surrounded by enemies on all sides.

On the east side of Zhongta Town, the Holy Kingdom's army is pouring in continuously, and has even broken through the squad's flank defenses.

At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Hitis's squad is surrounded.

A soldier reported dejectedly, "Warrant Lieutenant Hitis, we're almost out of bullets."

More and more soldiers are reporting the same predicament.

Hitis touched the magazine pouch at her waist; the cold touch told her that there were very few left.

Before my eyes, the figures of the Holy Kingdom's soldiers appeared indistinctly amidst the smoke of battle, seemingly endless.

As ammunition ran out, the firepower of Hitis's squad weakened significantly, and the soldiers around her fell one after another after being hit.

However, there was nothing Hitis could do.

Faced with the enemy forces closing in from all sides, a sense of sorrow gripped her.

Two streams of scalding tears finally broke through the defenses, sliding down her gunpowder-stained cheeks.

She pursed her lips, not daring to sob, but her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Just when she thought it was all over, the man returned like lightning.

She saw the rear of the Holy Kingdom's army—

The scene shifts, and Zod, leading his soldiers, bursts out from the flank and rear of the Holy Kingdom's army's defenses like lightning tearing through the night.

They traversed the central square from the west side of Zhongta Town all the way to the foot of the clock tower on the east side, rushing through the area without ever stopping.

Before the Holy Kingdom's army surrounding Hitis had even noticed the movement behind them, they were thrown into disarray by the sudden attack.

The Holy Kingdom's soldiers scattered to both sides like a receding tide, tearing a gap in the originally impenetrable encirclement.

The audience in front of the screen was now completely ignited by Zod's fearless and heroic figure.

Whether it's teenagers who still have a youthful passion burning in their hearts, or adults who have been tempered by society and whose youthful spirit has long since faded.

At this moment, everyone was deeply moved and even touched by Zod's exhilarating solo performance.

This seemingly old-fashioned yet captivating hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress drama is about to touch the hearts of every viewer.

Some male and female otaku have even started to ship the Shizou pairing.

As expected, an unexpected event occurred.

The character of Zod was never intended to move the audience in the slightest.

Surrounded and desperate, Zod blurted out an order without thinking: "Warrant Lieutenant Hitis, I order you to protect me at this very moment, by all means!"

The audience in front of the screen and Warrant Officer Hitis were both taken aback.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of comments flooded the screen: "????"

"??????"

Did I mishear?

"Zod was just saying 'cover,' right? [Funny]"

"I listened to it ten times, and Lieutenant Zod said he was protecting him," definitely not something like "covering for him."

"I've listened to this part about a hundred times."

"I've never seen such a shameless person, but his shamelessness is also so handsome."

"I was just so touched that Zod went to save Hitis, but in an instant, I felt like my pure feelings had been betrayed!"

"One second ago, I was about to send a comment saying 'Hizo is the best!' The next second, I felt like I was an idiot."

"From now on, I will no longer believe in love!"

"Zod is showing you with facts: blindly following trends will only harm you!"

"Newborn! Give me back my tears!"

Even so, I'm still on Shizo's side!

"Zod has shown you through his own experience that you should refuse to be moved when watching his storylines."

"It's best not to get emotional when watching Lieutenant Zod's storylines in the future."

"Damn, this character is so unpredictable."

"How shameless of him to let Hitis protect him!"

"Zod's crazy antics almost broke my back."

"What a jerk! No wonder Zod is single his whole life! A man like that deserves to die alone."

"However, if you were half as sassy as Zod, you'd probably never lack for women!"

"That's right. He's capable, acts stylishly, is eloquent, knows when to back down, and is incredibly good at showing off when it matters. Someone like that would be a social terrorist in society!"

"Lieutenant Zod's verbal skills are truly impressive; he brought the plot to a climax with just one sentence."

"What the hell is this road? How can anyone drive on it?!"

"Suspicion of a vehicle without evidence!"

"A panda's questioning face was run over by a tire, leaving tire tracks.jpg"

"My role model, why am I not as outstanding as Lieutenant Zod?"

"First of all, you need to have the same strength as Lieutenant Zod."

"Zod, I'm so jealous of your cauliflower!"

"Although Zod is cowardly, pretentious, and shameless, to be fair, Lieutenant Zod is quite capable. Otherwise, he might have died before even seeing Hitis."

"I'm just guessing, Hitis will win herself over."

"You don't even need to guess. My charismatic aura is just a joke!"

"Zod, the God of Luck!"

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 4!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 5!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 5!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 3!

Hitis paused for a moment, but soon, just as some viewers had predicted, she did.

They began to devise their own strategy, mistaking "protection" for "cover."

He then gave orders to his soldiers: "Did you hear the lieutenant's orders? Everyone, provide cover fire for Lieutenant Zod and do not let any irrelevant personnel interfere with Lieutenant Zod's battle."

Another wave of comments flooded the screen: "Damn, another person has been led astray by Lieutenant Zod."

"Hitis has begun her self-conquest—70% complete!"

"Hitis, no! This guy in front of you is a jerk, don't let him fool you!"

Even so, I still have to say: Hiso is the best! [doge emoji]

"So you're the kind of person who loves a good show, isn't it!"

-

"As expected of Lieutenant Zod, he deliberately used the word 'protection' to get Hitis to say 'cover' for him. Everything was within Lieutenant Zod's expectations."

"We were just watching an anime, and another one of them went crazy. Drag them out!"

"Even the viewers in front of the screen have started to become like Didi."

"I haven't stopped smiling since I started watching the Zod-related episodes today. My roommate was watching me grinning like an idiot the whole time. She couldn't believe that a war anime could have so many jokes. And now she's laughing even louder than me."

Zod: I'm desperately trying to survive, and you all think I'm joking. I really appreciate it!

"Let's have a moment of silence for Zod! It looks like his retirement plans are going to fall through again."

Zod: Ah, I was just retreating to a less crowded area, how did I get credit for this? [Black guy with a question mark]

"Damn lucky god of war!"

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 2!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 4!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 3!

Lieutenant Zod's popularity increased by 3!

The latest episode of Empire State ended with Zod's solo performance once again.

He led his troops, charging left and right through the Holy Kingdom's army's encirclement, advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Wherever the sword flashed, the Holy Kingdom's soldiers crumbled like a tidal wave, and the defensive line teetered on the brink of collapse under Zod's powerful breakout.

Just as the Holy Defense Line was on the verge of collapse, a dark figure leaped down from the sky, and a huge execution blade, accompanied by the sound of wind being cut, slashed straight down towards Zod's head!

"The Executioner" Barnes stood in front of Zod.

The image freezes.

The end credits song began to play.

The latest episode of "Empire" has ended, leaving viewers wanting more.

In his university dormitory, Fang Zhiyuan stared at the end credits on his computer screen, unable to look away for a long time.

His eyes were still immersed in the thrilling scene just now, and his fingers were unconsciously tapping on the table.

"No way!" He pinched his chin and suddenly spoke up, "I have to go get a poster of Zod right now, hang it up, and pray that I won't fail my course!"

Time is too tight; it's too late to rely on studying to ensure I don't fail.

Now that things have come to this, the only way to change one's fate is through metaphysics.

If the dorm next door can get Conan, what's wrong with him getting Zod?

Of course, the most important reason is that Fang Zhiyuan has just finished watching the anime series, and his mind is even less on studying. He can't concentrate on studying at all now.

Deng Shijie was flipping through his calculus book when he heard this. He looked up with a disdainful expression: "Zhiyuan's gone mad. You guys should persuade him to study—"

Sun Junjie nodded seriously, adjusting his non-existent glasses: "Zhiyuan, this won't work!"

Deng Shijie, thinking he had found an ally, quickly echoed, "Yes, let's stop, Zhiyuan. There are less than four left—"

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Junjie continued, "How can your wish be so shallow! Since you've already made a wish, what's a mere failing a course? I hope Zod can bless me to find a girlfriend this semester. I really want a girlfriend—"

Oh no—let's have a relationship!

Deng Shijie opened his mouth, but the rest of his words got stuck in his throat.

Fang Zhiyuan's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "That makes sense! Failing a course is nothing! Let's go to Nancun now and look for the posters for 'Empire's Rise.' By the way, I heard there's a really good new seafood buffet in Nancun, and they're having a grand opening discount!"

That's a great use of the word "by the way"!

Cen Ci rolled her eyes at Fang Zhiyuan and muttered under her breath, "Your scheme is practically jumping into my face."

He pushed up his glasses, his face still expressionless, but his tone carried a hint of resignation: "Fine, I don't care anyway. I also want to get a poster of Hitis."

University life is so simple and unpretentious; plans never keep up with changes.

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