286: Chapter 286 The Abyss Offers No Explanation, Only Devours

In late August, the internet had already been completely swept away by the Loess Plateau storm brought by "ordinary world."

With its unreasonably low price and extremely high quality, traditional literature was pressing down on the Web Novel Circle until it could barely breathe.

Countless web novel authors, accustomed to fast paces and 'golden finger' cheats, felt an unprecedented sense of frustration and panic in the face of this dimensional reduction strike.

However, at this very critical juncture...

"the colour out of space" was released.

In less than half an hour, the largest gathering place for the Web Novel Circle—the Longdekong Forum—was in a complete boil.

The homepage, which had been lifeless and filled with complaints, was now completely covered with a dense flurry of new posts.

[Pujie Muzi]: "Brothers! We're back in business! Dream Weaver Great Master has taken the field! Go to Hong Guo Net and see!"

[Aura of the Little Overlord]: "This release time! This genre! It's clearly aimed at Jian Shen! You write about the suffering of the Loess Plateau, so I'll write about cosmic-level despair! This is a true head-on collision!"

[Foot-Picking Big Tree]: "Who doesn't have a guardian deity? Dream Weaver Great Master's appearance is so timely! I'm tearing up."

[Affectionate Coding Machine]: "Long live Dream Weaver! I just read the first chapter of 'the colour out of space,' and that sense of despair seeping from the bones literally brought me to my knees! The web novel world is saved; Dream Weaver has come to rescue us!"

[Key Dance]: "Jian Shen says to straighten your spine in the mud, but Dream Weaver tells you directly that in the face of the abyss, even the mud will be erased! This counter-clash is so satisfying! Dream Weaver Great Master is the one true god of our Web Novel Circle!"

After enduring two days of suppression, the emotions of the entire Web Novel Circle finally found an outlet. They hailed Hell Dream Weaver as the savior against traditional literature's dimensional reduction strike, falling into an extreme frenzy.

Hong Guo Net Headquarters, Editor-in-Chief's Office.

Hong Hu leaned back in her wide office chair, her gaze locked onto the backend data monitoring panel on the computer screen.

The hand holding her coffee cup stopped mid-air, her breathing slightly heavier than usual.

Just an hour ago, the line representing daily active users and reading duration was still diving downward in a desperate posture.

But now, that red line had hit rock bottom and rebounded.

It was rising in a straight line at an extremely steep angle!

The office door was quickly pushed open, and the Operations Director walked in briskly, skipping even the usual pleasantries, his voice suppressed with excitement.

"Editor-in-Chief, the data has bottomed out and rebounded."

"In the first hour of 'the colour out of space' release, the real-time reading count surpassed three million! The average user dwell time has returned to over two hours!"

Hong Hu's hands trembled uncontrollably.

She picked up the coffee cup on the desk to take a sip to calm her nerves, but found the liquid inside sloshing so violently it nearly spilled onto the keyboard.

She keenly realized that this was an excellent marketing opportunity.

Leveraging the internet-wide heat brought by "ordinary world," Dream Weaver's "precision sniping" could definitely push Hong Guo Net's traffic to an unprecedented peak.

But as the Editor-in-Chief of Hong Guo Net, she had to be responsible for the platform's decision-making risks.

What was Jian Shen's status now?

He was a "living saint" carrying the praise of official media and the guilt and faith of readers across the entire internet.

His single notarized letter had sent him directly onto the moral altar.

At this time, if Hong Guo Net officially entered the fray and openly raised the banner of "against Jian Shen,"

If handled improperly, it could very likely trigger a massive backlash from the traditional literature circle and the general public.

By then, Hong Guo Net would not only fail to keep its current traffic but might even be directly torn apart by angry netizens.

Hong Hu put down her coffee cup and forced herself to calm down.

She quickly opened a document and tapped on the keyboard, drafting a PR copy.

A few minutes later, she sent this copy through the internal communication software to that black avatar.

Hong Hu: "Teacher Dream Weaver, the current online public opinion has completely exploded. Readers in the Web Novel Circle are treating you as the leading figure against Jian Shen."

Hong Hu: "This is huge traffic for us, but the risk is equally high. Jian Shen's current general public appeal is too large; a head-on collision is unfavorable for us."

Hong Hu: "The PR department has drafted an official statement for your review. The core message is 'advocating for literary diversity, with no intention of inciting conflict.'"

We will express recognition for 'ordinary world' while emphasizing the unique core of 'cthulhu mythos.'

This will effectively cut off extreme conflicts between fans and prevent the platform and you from falling into a vortex of negative public opinion. Do you think this direction is acceptable?"

After the message was sent, Hong Hu leaned back against her chair, anxiously waiting for a reply.

Jiangcheng, SOHO Future City.

Lin Que sat at the computer in his studio, holding a cup of iced cola.

He looked at the long, "play-it-safe" PR draft sent by Hong Hu on the screen, his lips slowly curling into an interested smile.

Play it safe?

Reconciliation?

Lin Que shook his head and put down his water cup.

As a platform manager, it was only natural for Hong Hu to consider risks. But she didn't understand the core value of this "duel" at all.

Jian Shen is compassionate, gentle, and a saint willing to bend his back for the common people at the bottom.

If Hell Dream Weaver also came out to issue a statement with diplomatic platitudes like "let a hundred flowers bloom" and "mutual respect," then these two personas would overlap in temperament.

That was absolutely unacceptable.

Dream Weaver must be arrogant, cold, and an abyss looking down on all living beings from on high.

Only by letting the two groups of fans fight more fiercely and argue more incessantly would the status of these two personas become more stable.

And it would be even more impossible for anyone to link these two completely different souls to the same person.

Lin Que placed his hands on the keyboard, completely ignored the long-winded PR draft, and unhesitatingly typed out a line of text.

Click, send.

In the Hong Guo Net office.

Hearing the notification tone, Hong Hu immediately sat up straight, her eyes locking onto the screen.

In the dialogue box, there was only one brief sentence.

Dream Weaver: "No need. The abyss never explains; it is only responsible for devouring."

Looking at those words, Hong Hu froze in place.

An indescribable chill surged up her spine.

In this reply, there was not a hint of compromise, not a shred of smooth PR technique.

It carried an extreme arrogance and coldness, as if it were truly an unspeakable entity from the depths of the universe, coldly watching the clamor of humanity.

This was a completely different, even diametrically opposite extreme from Jian Shen's compassion of "wishing the light of sparks to illuminate the ordinary land!"

Hong Hu's heart rate began to accelerate.

She suddenly understood Dream Weaver's intention.

In this era where traffic is king, mediocre compromise only leads to being forgotten. Only extreme opposition can create an eternal myth.

"Editor-in-Chief, should we still release the PR draft?" the Operations Director asked cautiously from the side.

Hong Hu stared intently at the line of text on the screen and suddenly laughed.

"Release what PR draft?" Hong Hu shut the document with a decisive snap, her voice filled with the determination of burning her bridges.

"Teacher Dream Weaver is right—the abyss doesn't need to explain! Notify the operations department to scrap all clarification plans!"

"But..." The Operations Director hesitated.

"If we let them keep arguing, what if it gets out of control..."

"Out of control is exactly what we want!" Hong Hu stood up, her hands braced on the desk, her eyes flashing with the light of ambition.

"Let the netizens use their imaginations to the fullest! Throw all recommendation resources at the new chapters of 'cthulhu mythos'!"

"Since they want to see a battle between gods, then we'll expand the arena for them!"

With the official silence and indulgence of Hong Guo Net,

Public opinion on the internet completely ran wild like an unbridled horse.

Without official intervention, the netizens' ability to fill in the blanks was pushed to the extreme.

On major social platforms, short video sites, and literature forums, the discussions about "Jian Shen" and "Hell Dream Weaver"

Quickly evolved into a grand-scale movement of deification.

...