272: Chapter 271 The Fan Leader is By My Side - Bonus Chapter of "The New Type of Salted Fish"

Mid-August in Jiangcheng.

Although the sun had already begun to tilt westward, the asphalt road, baked all day, still emitted distorted heatwaves.

After a full day of fermentation yesterday,

the storm of public opinion on the internet regarding 'Jian Shen Being Forced into Serialization' had not only failed to subside but had instead surged to a boiling climax.

At the top of the Microblogging platform hot search list, the hashtags 'Boycott New Tide' and 'Save Jian Shen' hung high. With every refresh, the discussion data next to the dark red 'Explosive' tag jumped frantically by the tens of thousands.

The view counts and discussion levels were rolling upward at a rate of tens of thousands per second.

Not just online, this storm had already spread to reality.

At three in the afternoon, the temperature approached thirty-eight degrees Celsius.

On the plaza outside the headquarters of Xinchao Publishing House, a dense crowd of people blocked the entrance completely.

This protest group, composed of fanatical literature fans and radical college students, was staging a sit-in under the scorching sun.

They had raised massive banners with black characters on white backgrounds.

“Reject Capitalist Coercion, Return Dignity to Literature!”

“Resolutely Resist Paid Serialization, Do Not Desecrate Literary Masters!”

In the crowd, a male college student wearing black-rimmed glasses held a megaphone, shouting slogans with all his might.

Sweat poured down his cheeks, and even his T-shirt had developed a layer of white salt crust.

“Wang De'an, get out here! Don't trade Jian Shen's integrity for your filthy money!”

“Come out! Come out!”

The echoing shouts of hundreds and thousands of people were deafening, even causing passing vehicles to slow down and look.

At the building entrance, dozens of security guards linked arms to form a human wall.

“Everyone, stay rational! Do not rush the gates!” the security captain shouted through a megaphone, his voice already hoarse.

Sweat stung his eyes as it flowed in, but he didn't even have a moment to wipe it. His eyes were filled with helplessness as he stared at this group of young people who could lose control at any moment, as if facing a formidable enemy.

“Rational my ass! You people at New Tide are vampires!”

A radical young man smashed a crumpled mineral water bottle against the steps.

“If you don't announce the cancellation of the serialization today, we'll set up camp right here and never leave!”

In stark contrast to the grief and indignation of the traditional literary circles, the web novel community was currently immersed in a grand carnival.

In the internal author groups of Zhongdian Network, messages were refreshing at a dizzying speed.

Web novel writers, accustomed to a fast pace and 'face-slapping' power fantasies, were intensely following this massive cross-industry drama.

【Full-time Old Li】: Does that crowd at New Tide not know how pathetic the first-day subscription data in our industry can be?

【Platinum Word Processor】: New Tide is really betting everything on this. But the name 'ordinary world' is too depressing. Our site's readers read for excitement and relaxation; who wants to pay to suffer?

【Platinum Author Night Flight】: To be honest, I really admire this Great Master Jian Shen, but the payment logic for web novels and physical books are two completely different things. I'm really afraid this great god will crash and burn in the quagmire of serialization.

The group was filled with agreement.

In their eyes, the web novel market had its own cruel laws of survival.

That traditional author who was used to writing essays and discussing philosophy high up in the clouds,

rashly barging into this quagmire driven by sensory stimulation and emotional value, would only end up being torn to shreds.

While the outside world was in an uproar, the living room of Xisheng Mansion was a picture of peaceful days.

The air conditioning was on full blast, and the temperature was comfortable.

Lin Que was comfortably sunk into a soft fabric sofa, holding half a chilled Kirin watermelon.

He used a stainless steel spoon to precisely scoop out the seedless red flesh from the very center and put it into his mouth.

The cold, sweet juice exploded in his mouth, forming a sharp contrast with the sweltering heat on the internet.

On the balcony not far away, his father Lin Jianguo was holding his phone, his face flushed red as he sent voice messages to the screen.

“Book friends! When you go to stage a sit-in downstairs at New Tide, you must pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling down!

I just ordered ten cases of mineral water online, and they'll be delivered to the plaza soon. Everyone take turns resting in the shade!”

Lin Jianguo's voice was loud and clear, carrying the heroic spirit of commanding thousands of troops.

“Brothers in Group Three, make sure the banners are straight when you take photos! We must capture our momentum! Remember to include the hashtag when you post on Microblogging platform!

Also, the weather is too hot, so don't push yourselves too hard. Capitalists won't compensate you if you get heatstroke. We need to save our strength to fight them to the bitter end!”

After sending, Lin Jianguo wiped the sweat from his forehead,

then lowered his head to quickly tap on the keyboard, approving the 'petitions' from new group members.

Lin Que bit his stainless steel spoon, watching his father's fanatical appearance.

A mouthful of watermelon almost choked him. He really wanted to take a megaphone and shout in the living room,

“Dad, the Jian Shen you're defending with your life is right here eating watermelon.”

Relying on a day and a half of high-intensity online arguments day and night, plus occasionally sending out red envelopes in the group to console the comrades on the front line,

Comrade Lin Jianguo had managed, through the power of money and an unyielding stubbornness,

to successfully organize these hot-blooded youths and firmly occupy the top position of three five-hundred-person crusade groups.

Lin Que listened to his father's impassioned speech and almost couldn't keep a straight face.

“Dad, take a break,” Lin Que swallowed the watermelon and intentionally drawled his voice.

“Your voice is about to crack from all that shouting. Besides, Jian Shen is far away and can't hear your heartfelt words.”

“I can't rest!” Lin Jianguo suddenly turned his head and glared at his son.

He walked quickly to the coffee table, picked up a glass of plain water, and took a large gulp.

“This is called a single spark! As long as we make enough noise, as long as we hold the line, Jian Shen will see our attitude!”

Lin Jianguo slammed the water glass heavily onto the table.

“He will know that he isn't fighting alone!

He has millions of readers who understand him behind him! That Wang De'an wants to use a contract to suppress him? Not a chance!”

Lin Que suppressed the urge to grin and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“You're right, you're being far too dutiful as a group leader. If Teacher Jian Shen knew he had such a die-hard fan like you, he'd probably be so moved he'd write an extra chapter overnight just to thank you.”

“Go on, go on, watch your TV. Stop making fun of your father.” Lin Jianguo waved his hand impatiently and picked up his phone again.

“The people in Group Two said they're going to organize another group to leave comments on New Tide's official Microblogging platform.”

Time passed minute by minute.

Night fell, but the sweltering heat showed no signs of easing.

Exactly eight o'clock in the evening.

The wave of condemnation across the entire network had built up to a peak. The view count for related topics on Microblogging platform exceeded one hundred million.

Everyone's nerves were taut, preparing to face the 'serialization debut' scheduled for the early morning of the day after tomorrow, which was destined to be tragic.

The traditional literary circles had prepared their eulogies, and the web novel circles had prepared their mocking jokes.

Just when everyone thought Xinchao Publishing House had been scolded into hiding like a turtle, intending to play dead to the end,

there was no soothing statement, no announcement of a retreat.

At exactly eight o'clock in the evening, the screens of tens of millions of phones with the New Tide APP installed lit up in unison.

A crisp notification sound forcibly cut through the waves of sound on the plaza and also paused the verbal abuse on the internet.

Lin Jianguo's finger, which was editing a group announcement, suddenly froze on the screen.

Lin Que checked the time and grinned.

At the very top of the screen, a bold red pop-up window, with an unreasonable posture, squeezed into everyone's sight overbearingly.

【'ordinary world' is now open for preview! We invite you to witness the joys and sorrows of the Loess Plateau together!】

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