The first-floor press conference hall at Eye Society headquarters.
Cameras from 147 media outlets pointed at the podium from every angle. Flashbulbs lit the hall brighter than the midday sun. More than forty communications satellites carried the signal simultaneously across the Seven Continents and Four Oceans.
Ten minutes before the press conference began, the livestream had already drawn more than 800 million viewers.
The podium stood empty.
Reporters murmured among themselves. Camera shutters and clattering keyboards blended into a noisy hum. Several reporters in the front row had their recorders and notebooks ready, prepared to grab the headline.
At exactly ten o'clock.
Yongye walked out through a side door.
He wore a black T-shirt and dark gray trousers, his hands in his pockets, strolling as casually as if he were in his own backyard. He stepped behind the podium, bent toward the microphone, and blew into it. A piercing squeal made several reporters in the front row wince.
"Hello, everyone."
"I'll skip the chatter. There's only one thing to announce today."
He pulled his right hand from his pocket and waved casually toward the side curtain.
"Come on out."
Four figures emerged one after another from the shadows beside the curtain.
Daisy Johnson, Quake, led the way. Her dark brown hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and a black tactical jacket traced the clean lines of her shoulders. She moved with a light, steady stride. Stopping to the left of the podium, she lifted her chin slightly and swept her gaze over the packed rows of cameras, a composed smile touching her lips.
Sea Queen Mera followed half a step behind her.
Her red hair held a muted warmth beneath the lights. A dark blue fitted combat suit hugged her near-perfect figure, while the golden trident at her waist