227: Chapter 227 The author is revising the manuscript? I'll use the contract to lock in the plot's direction.

The darkness persisted for seven seconds.

After seven seconds, the concept of "light" was forcibly rewritten into the underlying code—not a natural recovery, but Lin Chen using his Chairman authority to pull it back from the backup repository.

The Hall of Authority lit up again, but all surveillance screens turned into garbled code.

The white fissure at the edge of the universe was still spreading, having already consumed 3% of the universe's total volume.

"A Narrative Layer attack..." Zhang Hao rasped while repairing his flickering data body, "Boss, how do we fight this? Our business tactics are useless against the 'Author'!"

"Who says they're useless." Lin Chen called up the Chairman's authority database and searched for the keyword: 【Cross-Narrative Layer Communication Protocol】.

Search results: No such item found.

"That's normal. Such permissions wouldn't be open." Lin Chen directly opened the underlying command line and input a line of brute-force cracking code—it was a "Rule Backdoor Generator" he had found in Alpha's legacy.

The code ran.

Three seconds later, a semi-transparent wall materialized in the center of the hall.

On this side of the wall was their three-dimensional universe; on the other side... flowed text.

Countless sentences, paragraphs, and chapters cascaded down like a waterfall, forming a narrative dimension they couldn't fully comprehend.

The wall was currently displaying a real-time description of their actions:

【Lin Chen called up the Chairman's authority database and searched for the keyword...】

【Search results: No such item found】

【"That's normal. Such permissions wouldn't be open." Lin Chen directly opened the underlying command line...】

The text was 0.3 seconds faster than their actions.

"This is..." Su Qingyu stared at the words, "Our 'script'?"

"Yes." Lin Chen walked to the wall and reached out to touch the flowing text. The moment his fingertip passed through the wall, he felt it—icy, absolute control.

A voice devoid of emotion came from the other side of the wall:

"Character attempting to breach the fourth wall detected."

"In accordance with Narrative Safety Regulations, a warning is issued."

As the voice fell, the finger Lin Chen had used to touch the text suddenly began to turn transparent—not a data deletion, but an erasure from the conceptual level of "existence."

"Boss!" Zhang Hao tried to rush forward.

"Don't move." Lin Chen stared at his disappearing finger and suddenly said, "I have a question—do you collect copyright fees in your Narrative Layer?"

Silence from the other side for two seconds.

"What do you mean?"

"It means," Lin Chen used his remaining hand to pull up a contract he had drafted in advance, "you write our stories, and we provide the plot material. That's essentially a creative collaboration. According to Universal Intellectual Property Law, you should pay us 'character usage fees.'"

The contract was projected onto the text wall:

【《Cross-Dimensional Narrative Cooperation and Revenue Sharing Agreement》】

【Party A: Narrative Layer Management (Author/Screenwriter)】

【Party B: All Intelligent Lifeforms in This Universe (Characters)】

【Cooperation Content: Party A uses Party B's life experiences for literary creation】

【Rights of Party B:】

1. Right to Know (The right to be aware of the plot in which they are depicted)

2. Right to Suggest Modifications (The right to raise objections to unreasonable plot developments)

3. Right to Revenue Share (30% share of Party A's creative revenue)

4. Right to Plot Safety (Prohibition of unjustified plot-kills, forced idiocy, etc.)

【Should Party A refuse to sign, Party B reserves the right to collectively strike—ceasing to generate any dramatic plotlines, turning the story into a mundane chronicle】

The flow of text on the other side of the wall suddenly stuttered.

As if the Author was thinking.

Three seconds later, the voice sounded again, this time with a trace of fluctuation:

"You... want to share our manuscript fees?"

"Copyright revenue, to be precise." Lin Chen pointed at the contract. "I've checked the data. The story of our universe, 'dimension shareholder,' is a bestseller in your Narrative Layer, right? Subscriptions, tips, derivative rights... at least hundreds of billions in dimension points annually. 30% is not much."

"And if I say no?"

"Then we strike." Lin Chen glanced back at the others. "From this moment on, everyone stops any interesting behavior. Su Qingyu won't take a blade for me, Zhang Hao won't awaken his abilities, Little Red Clothes will stop scaring people—we'll just eat, sleep, and work every day, turning an epic business war into a workplace diary."

"You can't do that." The voice sneered. "Character actions are controlled by character settings—"

"But 'being boring' is also an action." Lin Xiao suddenly interjected, stepping up to the wall. "My setting is an Earth clone, right? Then I can choose to clock out on time every day, never earn an extra penny, and give all business opportunities to competitors—that fits the 'wealthy person weary of conflict' persona, doesn't it?"

The text flow stuttered again.

Clearly, the Narrative Layer was assessing the severity of this threat.

A business power fantasy where the protagonist starts slacking off would lose readers instantly.

"You are threatening the creator." The voice turned cold.

"No, we are fighting for our legitimate rights." Lin Chen smiled. "And we are very sincere—as long as you sign the contract, we guarantee even more exciting plot developments going forward. For example..."

He paused, then offered an irresistible temptation:

"I can have Arrogant Dragon resurrected, then defeat him a second time."

"I can have Alpha rebel again, then acquire him a second time."

"I can have seven high-level civilizations launch a joint counterattack, then bankrupt them a second time."

"The same routine, audiences love that, don't they?"

Silence from the other side for a full ten seconds.

The text flow began to scroll rapidly—clearly performing an emergency calculation of this proposal's commercial value.

Finally, the voice sounded again:

"30% is too high. 10%."

"25%." Lin Chen countered.

"15%, plus the 'no plot-kill' clause can be written into the contract."

"20%, plus one more: major plot twists require a 24-hour advance notice to the relevant characters, so we can adjust our performance—makes for more authentic acting."

"...Deal."

A golden contract materialized from the text wall and landed in Lin Chen's hand.

Both parties signed.

The moment the contract took effect, the white fissure at the universe's edge abruptly stopped spreading.

The formatting attack was paused.

"Alright," the voice from the other side said, "now it's your turn to fulfill your promise—bring Arrogant Dragon back to life. I want to write a second season."

"Wait." Lin Chen held up the contract. "According to Clause 7, major plot twists require 24-hour advance notice. If you want to resurrect Arrogant Dragon, you need to submit a report first."

"I'm the Author! I can write however I—"

"The contract is signed, and it must be followed." Lin Chen pointed at the clause. "Black and white, the Narrative Layer management is also bound. Otherwise, we can apply for 'Cross-Dimensional Arbitration'—I believe readers would side with 'characters bullied by the Author.'"

The text wall fluctuated violently, clearly furious.

But in the end, the voice said through gritted teeth:

"...Fine. I'll follow procedure. In 24 hours, Arrogant Dragon resurrects."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Lin Chen smiled. "By the way, does your Narrative Layer... hire part-time screenwriters? I think I'm quite good at plotting."

A sound resembling a slammed keyboard came from the other side.

Then the text wall vanished.

The Hall of Authority returned to normal.

Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

"Boss," Zhang Hao slumped into a chair, "did we just... negotiate with the Author? And win?"

"Temporarily won." Lin Chen looked at the golden contract in his hand. "But the problem isn't solved—why did the Author try to format us?"

He called up the data from before the universe was attacked: "The formatting started at the end of Chapter 12, precisely when the Author's note said they wanted to 'control the word count.'"

Su Qingyu caught on: "Could it be because... our story has gotten too long?"

"Possibly." Lin Chen nodded. "Part Eight was originally planned for 200 chapters, but we've already stirred up so much trouble by Chapter 13. The Author might think the pacing is dragging and wants to cut it short for a rewrite."

"Then what do we do?" Lin Xiao frowned. "We can't keep relying on strike threats to survive."

"So we need a root solution." Lin Chen called up the Narrative Layer communication interface. "I need to discuss a long-term cooperation with the Author."

He sent a message:

【To the Narrative Layer Management:】

【Regarding the issue of this story's length, we suggest adopting a 'seasonal broadcast' model】

【Split the 200 chapters into five seasons, 40 chapters each, with time jumps possible between seasons】

【This maintains the total length without feeling drawn-out】

【Additionally: We can provide value-added services such as 'paid unlock of hidden plots' and 'audience voting to decide branches,' with revenue shared according to the contract Proportion】

【Please consider】

The message was sent.

Five seconds later, a reply arrived:

【The plan is feasible】

【But an additional clause is required: Each season must have at least three 'iconic scenes,' with the right to conclude early if subscription data declines】

【Agree and sign a supplementary agreement】

Lin Chen smiled.

"Deal."

A second contract was signed.

With that, the crisis was completely resolved.

Not only was the formatting threat eliminated, but long-term, stable narrative security was secured for the entire universe.

"Alright." Lin Chen stood up. "Now it's time to work—the Author wants iconic scenes, right? Then we'll create one."

He looked at Inspector 117: "Activate Phase Two of the 'shareholder Purge Plan.'"

"Target: the remaining five neutral faction shareholders."

"I want them all to become my employees within 24 hours."

"That way, when Arrogant Dragon resurrects..."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

"...he'll discover this world is thoroughly surnamed Lin."