21: Live broadcast debunks claims: Top experts witness scientific collapse firsthand.

2:50 PM.

Ten minutes remained until Jiang Ming's scheduled live stream.

The TikTok account 'Jiang Lai' had already opened its live stream, though the screen was still black.

The title of the stream was short, consisting of only one line.

“Elegy and Hymn Dedicated to Nature.”

There was nothing in the frame yet except for that charred, withered tree that had been mocked across the entire internet for two days, standing quietly in the center of the booth.

However, the popularity value of the live stream room was climbing at a terrifying speed.

500,000.

800,000.

1.2 million.

The comment section had completely turned into a battlefield. Two distinct camps had broken out into a fierce verbal conflict, with the flow of information moving so fast that it was almost impossible to see individual messages.

The 'Science Guard,' composed of anti-fans and trolls, was the first to open fire.

“It's here, it's here! The biggest scam of the year is finally about to be revealed!”

“Where's the streamer? Is he hiding because he's afraid of getting slapped in the face?”

“‘Elegy and Hymn’? Hilarious. It's a dead tree; how do you plan to praise it? Praise it for dying well?”

“I bet fifty cents that it'll just be a light show later, maybe some AR special effects at most. Old tricks.”

“Professor Sun's article has already been pinned. Science has already pronounced the death sentence for this tree. What's there to see?”

“Disperse, disperse. He's just a clown seeking attention.”

Meanwhile, Jiang Ming's fans formed the 'Theology Guard,' fighting back with their unique logic and fanaticism.

“Look at them getting all anxious! If science can't explain it, they call it a scam. Classic!”

“It's normal that you don't understand. How could mere mortals comprehend a god's performance art?”

“Produced by the Crow God, it's bound to be a masterpiece! You mortals just wait to be slapped in the face!”

“You're already climaxing before the streamer even shows up? Take it easy, let the bullet fly for a bit.”

“I have a premonition that this will be a live stream for the history books. The moment to witness a miracle is coming again!”

The arguments from both sides clashed violently, ranging from botanical debates to personal attacks, and from the definition of art to the original sin of chasing traffic.

Amidst this extreme opposition and bickering, the popularity of the live stream room surged past two million and continued to rise.

At the Flower Expo's underground parking lot.

A black Alphard business van had just come to a steady stop.

Zhao Lin stepped forward quickly and pulled open the car door.

She saw Jiang Ming leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, resting. His expression was calm.

“Jiang Ming, outside... public opinion has already exploded. Are you really sure about this?” Zhao Lin's voice carried a tremor she hadn't even noticed herself.

Two bodyguards in black suits stood on either side of the car door, alertly scanning their surroundings.

Jiang Ming opened his eyes, glanced at her, and didn't answer. He simply stepped out of the car calmly.

“Let's go.”

3:00 PM sharp.

Escorted by the two bodyguards, Jiang Ming passed through the bustling backstage and followed a narrow staff passage toward the core exhibition area of Zone A.

At the end of the passage was the center of the storm that everyone was watching.

Meanwhile.

Inside the Zone A exhibition area, a group of people dressed in formal wear with judge badges hanging from their chests were surrounding a white-haired elder.

It was the chairman of the judging committee, Professor Sun Peiwen.

They were currently stopped in front of the Netherlands' national booth. Sun Peiwen was full of praise for a cluster of exquisitely cultivated 'Queen of Night' tulips.

“This is true vitality; this is the pinnacle of horticulture. Every curve of the petals demonstrates the cultivator's profound understanding of genetics.”

The judges around him nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Jiang Ming walked into the live stream's camera frame.

He walked through the crowd and into that withered wood booth that had been pointed at by countless people.

The clamor of the entire venue seemed to have been muted at this moment.

Jiang Ming ignored the various gazes cast from around him and didn't look at the live stream camera.

He just walked up to the charred, withered tree and stood there quietly, looking up at the twisted, lifeless branches.

He didn't say a word.

In the Security Command Center.

Chen Jianguo tapped his finger heavily on the table.

“Lock onto the target.”

“Record all his actions and micro-expressions. Don't miss any details.”

Lyon, France.

In Sophia Walsh's office, her computer screen was split into two windows.

On the left was a constantly scrolling stream of real-time data; on the right was Jiang Ming's live stream.

In front of the booth.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Ming slowly reached out his right hand.

He gently pressed it against the charred, rough trunk of the withered tree.

A cold, carbonized sensation traveled from his palm.

Jiang Ming closed his eyes.

A clear command was issued from the depths of his mind.

“Activate [Plant Control] ability — [Growth of All Things].”

A faint but distinct green light slowly spread across the charred bark, centered on Jiang Ming's palm.

The green was not dazzling, but it carried an undeniable aura of life, quickly covering an area the size of his palm.

Everyone saw that splash of green that appeared out of thin air.

Sun Peiwen, who had just finished his evaluation of the tulips, was preparing to walk to the next booth.

Habitually, and with a bit of disdain, he glanced at the absurd booth next to him.

It was this one glance that allowed him to see the green under Jiang Ming's palm.

Beside Sun Peiwen was a young assistant wearing glasses, who was his doctoral student.

The PhD student subconsciously raised the handheld Spectral Analyzer he was carrying and aimed it at the eerie green area.

On the instrument's screen, a spectral curve representing chlorophyll instantly surged to its peak.

The student's mouth slowly opened wide, but no sound came out.

Under the gaze of millions of viewers in the live stream and thousands of tourists on-site.

At the top of the withered tree, on a withered branch only as thick as a finger that had long been judged completely dead.

A tiny, rice-sized, vivid green bud pushed through the hard, charred, carbonized bark.

It appeared tenaciously and truly in everyone's field of vision.

The clamor, the mockery, and the discussions at the scene came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone subconsciously looked up, their gazes locked onto that new bud.

The air fell into an unprecedented silence.

Incredulity was written all over everyone's faces.

Inside the Security Command Center.

Chen Jianguo stood up abruptly from his chair.

He stared fixedly at the largest close-up shot in the center of the surveillance wall.

In the frame, that green bud, captured by the high-definition camera, was undeniably real.

Sophia Walsh stared at the striking splash of green on her computer screen.

Special effects or real?

Her brain was frantically processing this scene that completely defied logic.

The elegance, disdain, and contempt on Sun Peiwen's face froze completely.

He pushed aside the assistant blocking him and stumbled to the front of Jiang Ming's booth, staring intently at the new bud on the withered branch through the guardrail less than a meter away.

His pupils contracted violently, and his cloudy eyes were filled with a world-shattering shock.