206: Chapter 206 9.8 Trillion: The Countdown to Everyone's Dark Turn - A Buyout

The script database in the shareholder backend was an endless Sea of Data Stars.

Lin Chen hovered in the void. What unfolded before his eyes was no longer text, but holographic projections—each script was a complete world simulation, playing out in real-time everything that would happen 'if the original plan were followed'.

He opened the file labeled [Orthodox Plotline · Main Universe].

The scene unfolded:

At the celebration banquet, the sky cracked open, but what descended wasn't Bullet Comments, but a sword light ten thousand *zhang* long.

From within the sword light walked a man in white robes, with features like a painting and an aura soaring to the heavens—above his head clearly displayed [Long Aotian Immortal Emperor · Protagonist Halo LV99].

"Insects." The Long Aotian in the projection didn't even glance at Lin Chen, merely waving a hand. "Seizing your Foundation is decreed by the Heavenly Dao."

Lin Chen (projection version) tried to resist, unleashing all the accumulated power of the Underworld Group, only to have it shattered by the other's single sword strike. Before death, the projection Lin Chen knelt and begged for mercy: "Immortal Emperor, spare me! I am willing to offer everything, I only beg..."

Before he could finish, his head flew off.

The scene shifted: Su Qingyu was pulled into Long Aotian's embrace. Tears welled in her eyes, yet she said softly, "Thank you, Immortal Emperor, for slaying this beast and rescuing me from peril."—the tag above her head instantly changed from [Female Lead · Lin Chen's Partner] to [Female Lead · One of Long Aotian's Harem].

Zhang Hao roared in grief and self-destructed, turning into data dust.

Little Red Clothes had her spirit extracted and refined into a Soul Lamp, forever burning in Long Aotian's Cultivation Chamber.

All assets of the Underworld Group were instantly transferred into Long Aotian's name, becoming 'the first bucket of gold on his path to rise'.

Script Note: [This plot has been previewed three times on Long Aotian's livestream, audience anticipation rating 9.7/10, bullet comment keywords: 'decisive in killing!', 'this is how it should be!', 'the female lead has returned to her rightful place!']

Lin Chen closed the projection.

His face showed no expression, only his fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from a cold fury pushed to its absolute extreme.

"Search all derivative scripts," he said.

The customer service system pulled up a list:

[IF Line 1: Lin Chen narrowly escapes, endures for a hundred years seeking revenge, is casually swatted to death by Long Aotian (Audience review: Dragged on, negative review)]

[IF Line 2: Su Qingyu remains chaste for Lin Chen and commits suicide, Long Aotian, moved by her loyalty, revives her and takes her as a concubine (Review: Melodramatic but entertaining)]

[IF Line 3: Zhang Hao awakens a heaven-defying ability, nearly succeeds in a counter-kill, is forcibly made stupid by the Screenwriting Team (Review: Thrilling and exciting)]

Seven hundred and thirty-nine versions in total.

In every single version, Lin Chen was the villain, the stepping stone, the experience pack. The best ending was becoming a dog under Long Aotian's command, managing his commercial empire for him.

"Heh." Lin Chen laughed out loud.

He opened another category: [Supporting Character Script Library].

Input: Su Qingyu.

A window popped up—

[Character: Su Qingyu]

[Role: White Moonlight / Redemption Symbol]

[Original Setting: A Wealthy Heiress, forced to get close to Lin Chen due to a family crisis, pretends to develop real feelings during their interactions. But deep down, she always harbors the phantom of a 'true hero'. When Long Aotian appears, she instantly realizes 'this is true love' and completes her sublimation from material girl to spiritual partner.]

[Key Plot Nodes:]

1. Chapter 3, inner monologue upon first meeting Lin Chen: 'For the sake of my family, I can only temporarily attach myself to this Nouveau Riche.'

2. Chapter 47, after witnessing Lin Chen's business tactics, she thinks to herself: 'He is, after all, just a merchant who doesn't understand true power.'

3. Chapter 112 (originally planned), Long Aotian descends, her heart instantly races: 'So the one I've been waiting for is him...'

4. Chapter 113, she voluntarily offers internal information of the Underworld Group, helping Long Aotian easily slay Lin Chen.

[Screenwriter's Note: This character must convey the feeling of 'forced into corruption but pure at heart'. Her betrayal of Lin Chen must show struggle and tears, but the moment she ultimately chooses 'true love' must absolutely satisfy the audience. This is one of the core satisfaction points.]

Lin Chen was silent for three seconds.

Then he opened Zhang Hao's script.

[Character: Zhang Hao]

[Role: Tragic Brother / Awakener]

[Original Setting: The earliest person to discover the world's anomalies, repeatedly tries to warn Lin Chen but is suppressed by 'plot enforcement'. Finally, when Long Aotian attacks, attempts to severely injure him via self-destruction, fails. Final words: 'Boss, run... this world is fake...']

[Screenwriter's Note: His 'Fourth Wall Perception' ability must not awaken too early. Control it to erupt just before death, that way it has tragic grandeur. Audiences love this trope of 'Supporting Character suddenly gains insight but it's too late'.]

Next came Little Red Clothes, Lin Chen's Mother, even every single executive of the Underworld Group...

Everyone had a complete 'original destined fate'.

Without exception, all were tragedies.

All existed as nourishment to set off Long Aotian.

"Interesting," Lin Chen finally spoke, his voice terrifyingly calm. "So from the very beginning, me getting the system, rising up, acquiring the multiverse... all of that was just to make the scene more spectacular when Long Aotian comes to harvest?"

"It's a classic narrative structure," the customer service explained. "The protagonist needs a powerful villain as a stepping stone. Your rise itself accumulates 'trophy value' for him. What the audience enjoys is the The thrill of the drop of 'watching a Nouveau Riche swell to the extreme, then get crushed by the true protagonist with a single slap'."

Lin Chen nodded.

He closed all pages and pulled up the shareholder transaction interface.

"I want to buy out," he said.

"Buy out what?"

"Buy out causality." Lin Chen entered keywords into the search bar. "All causal connections between me, everyone around me, and the narrative system of 'Long Aotian Immortal Emperor'. Buy it all out."

[Searching...]

[Tradable items found:]

1. Lin Chen's 'Villain Destiny Line' (Price: 500 billion dimension points)

2. Su Qingyu's 'White Moonlight Conversion Script' (Price: 300 billion dimension points)

3. Zhang Hao's 'Tragic Awakener Setting' (Price: 180 billion dimension points)

4. Little Red Clothes' 'Artifact Spirit Ending' (Price: 220 billion dimension points)

5...

Seventy-four items in total, total price: 9.8 trillion dimension points.

Lin Chen's current balance: 84.7 billion.

Not even enough for the change.

Customer service reminded: "You can choose to purchase in installments, or only buy out a few core items..."

"No." Lin Chen interrupted. "I want it all."

He opened the [shareholder Loan Agreement].

The terms popped up:

[Maximum Loanable Amount: Equity Value × 10,000]

[Your current equity share: 0.000000071%, corresponding loanable amount: approximately 9.9 trillion dimension points]

[Warning: If unable to repay within one year, the platform will forcibly reclaim all your equity, strip all memories related to you and the associated characters, and reset to the original script state.]

In other words—bet everything.

Lose, and revert to that kneeling, begging cannon fodder villain.

Lin Chen did not hesitate.

He signed the agreement.

9.8 trillion dimension points instantly arrived in his account.

Purchase, confirm, pay.

[Transaction Complete]

[Stripping causal bindings of the 'Long Aotian Narrative System' on the following targets...]

[Stripping Successful]

At the Underworld Group celebration banquet venue.

Su Qingyu, who was talking with guests, suddenly shuddered all over.

She clutched her chest, her face instantly turning pale.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Hao immediately supported her.

"I don't know..." Su Qingyu's voice trembled. "It's like... something was just violently ripped out of my body. It hurts... but after the pain... I feel... lighter?"

She couldn't articulate the feeling.

Just vaguely felt that a certain always-present, blurry 'shadow' in her heart had suddenly dissipated.

That shadow seemed to be a man in white holding a sword...

But now, she couldn't remember.

Zhang Hao also suddenly frowned. "Wait, those 'noises' in my head... disappeared?"

He had long vaguely been able to hear sounds from 'outside the wall', sometimes audience Bullet Comments, sometimes screenwriter instructions. Those voices always hinted: 'Your boss is destined to fail', 'Find another way out early'...

But now, complete silence.

Little Red Clothes directly materialized, her red clothes fluttering, ghostly aura boiling: "Master! Something... died! I feel a 'possible me' just completely vanished! That me was so miserable, refined into lamp oil and burned for ten thousand years..."

She wailed loudly, unsure if it was for that possible self or for surviving a catastrophe.

Everyone deeply bound to Lin Chen felt the loosening of fate at this moment.

And at the same time—

In a certain immortal cultivation livestream world.

Long Aotian, who was in seclusion breaking through a realm, suddenly spat out a mouthful of golden Dao blood.

He Terrified discovered that the Pillar of Fortune above his head had actually shrunk by three *chi* for no reason!

"What's going on?!" he roared. "Where is my 'destined stepping stone'?! I clearly sensed that Nouveau Riche named Lin Chen had risen to the extreme, just waiting for me to harvest him in three months... Why can't I sense him now?!"

The Heavenly Dao prompt popped up again:

[Warning: Key plot character 'Lin Chen' has completely break away your fate causality line.]

[Warning: Derivative characters 'Su Qingyu', 'Zhang Hao', etc., have simultaneously break away.]

[Warning: The first part of your 'Rise Trilogy' (Slaying the Nouveau Riche Villain) has collapsed due to missing core elements.]

[Recalculating your fortune value...]

[Calculation Complete: Decreased by 41.7%]

Long Aotian slumped to the ground, his face ashen.

And on Lin Chen's side, just after completing the transaction, he received a new prompt:

[Due to your large-scale causality buyout, 'Narrative Backlash' has been triggered.]

[The 'enforcement force' of the original script is seeking a new vessel...]

[Alternative solution detected: Temporarily convert a character around you into the 'new villain', taking over your original plot position.]

[Random selection in progress...]

[Selection Complete: Su Qingyu]

[Injecting 'Corruption Script': She will turn love into hatred, betray you, actively join Long Aotian, and become the new stepping stone.]

[Injection Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]

Lin Chen's pupils contracted sharply.

"Get lost!"

He roared, opening the transaction interface again, frantically searching for a solution.

But it was too late.

The countdown reached 3.

At the celebration banquet, Su Qingyu's gaze began to Disorganization, a wisp of black energy seeped from between her eyebrows...