266: Chapter 266 The Author's Life Debt! I'm Asking Readers to Crowdfund to Save Myself

The very first second the thirty-second countdown began, Lin Chen understood the severity of the situation.

Golden Glazed used the Author's authority to temporarily block one Pen, but the third face that had split off—the one turned towards the real world—had already locked onto the Author in the apartment. Surveillance footage showed Author Lin Chen sitting in front of his computer, his body stiffening, grey text-like patterns surfacing on his skin as if infected by some kind of code virus.

"The Zeroing Storm is 'formatting' him!" Future Lin Chen analyzed urgently, "It's deleting the Author's existence data! Once complete, not only will he die in the real world, but our entire story universe will collapse from losing its creative source!"

"How do we save him?" Arrogant Dragon asked anxiously.

"We need a massive amount of 'existence energy' to forcibly sustain his existence." Golden Glazed gritted her teeth, holding her ground against the Giant Face with her Pen, "But existence energy only has two sources: the Author's creative will, or... the collective attention of the readers."

She looked at Lin Chen: "You've raised reader attention using bonds before, now you need to do it again—and on a much larger scale!"

Countdown: 【25 seconds】

Lin Chen immediately pulled up the financial backend.

But the account balance was zero—the concept anchoring earlier had spent all the money.

"We're broke." Zhang Hao's face turned pale.

"No money? Then borrow." Lin Chen connected to Universe Bank Heishi's communication line, "I need a loan, right now, immediately."

Heishi's image appeared, the background showing the bank headquarters collapsing: "Lin Chen! The Zeroing Storm is devouring the entire financial system! The bank can barely save itself, there's no way to issue a loan—"

"Then use this as collateral." Lin Chen pulled up a document—it contained Author Lin Chen's real-world identity information, including ID number, social security account, even genetic sequence, "I'm mortgaging 'the Author's own life rights' to you. If he dies, this collateral zeroes out, you lose everything. If he lives, I'll repay you double the principal plus interest."

Heishi was stunned.

Mortgaging a person's life?

But this might be the only asset the bank could still recover value from now.

Three seconds later, he gritted his teeth: "How much?"

"Three hundred trillion dimension points. You set the interest rate."

"Approved! Daily interest 50%, repay within one hour!"

The loan arrived.

Countdown: 【20 seconds】

With these three hundred trillion, Lin Chen did three things.

First: He bought all the still-functioning ad spaces across the entire Narrative Layer, forcing a push notification:

【Emergency Crowdfunding: Save the Life of the Author of *dimension shareholder*】

【Target Amount: Five hundred trillion dimension points】

【Purpose: Maintain the Author's existence energy, resist Zeroing formatting】

【Participation Rewards:】

【1. For every 100 dimension points donated, receive 1 'story ending vote'】

【2. For every 1,000 dimension points donated, receive 1 'custom supporting character slot'】

【3. For every 10,000 dimension points donated, receive 1 'plot branch decision right'】

【4. All donors will be permanently listed in the 'Book's Life-Saving Benefactors List' and appear in all subsequent works】

This was essentially turning the Author's life into a crowdfunding product.

Second: Using the loan, Lin Chen listed a new futures product on the Cosmic Exchange—【Author Survival Probability Futures】.

The futures price was linked to the Author's real-time vital signs. The more stable the vitals, the higher the price; a drop in vitals meant a market crash.

Investors could bet on the Author surviving, or bet on him dying.

Third: Lin Chen contacted Morgana and Alpha.

When the connection established, both were struggling to hold their Star Domains.

"Cooperate." Lin Chen got straight to the point, "You invest all your remaining funds into my crowdfunding. If the Author dies, we're all finished. If he lives, I guarantee you'll at least get top three in the final ranking of the Kindling Project."

"Why should we believe you?" Cracks had already appeared on Morgana's icebound throne.

"Because I have this." Lin Chen pulled up a contract—the *Temporary Trusteeship Agreement for Author Authority* he had secretly signed with Golden Glazed earlier, "If the Author dies, his creative authority will automatically transfer to me. At that time, I can directly rewrite the story's ending—for example, have your Star Domains suddenly receive a miraculous salvation."

This was a blatant threat, and also a temptation.

Alpha finished calculating first: "Return on investment is higher than the risk. I'll invest eighty trillion."

Morgana hesitated for two seconds: "I'll invest seventy trillion."

Funds poured in again.

Countdown: 【15 seconds】

Crowdfunding amount broke through four hundred trillion.

Still not enough.

The Author's body had stiffened up to his neck, the grey text patterns spreading to his chin. His eyes were still open, but the pupils reflected not the real world, but the collapsing Narrative Layer.

"Hurry!" Blood seeped from the corner of Golden Glazed's mouth, cracks beginning to appear in the Pen she held.

Then, an unexpected investor appeared.

【Investor: Inspector 117 (Remnant Data Stream)】

【Investment Amount: One hundred thousand and one dimension points】

【Note: This last bit of money, buying a hope. Lin Chen, don't let my death be in vain.】

It was the legacy 117 left before dying.

Immediately after, more unexpected investments poured in:

【Investor: Qingyunzi (Deceased · Residual Consciousness)】

【Amount: Thirty thousand dimension points】

【Note: Though I hate you, I hate Zeroing more. Win, and remember to burn some paper money for me.】

【Investor: Purity Alliance Elder Council】

【Amount: Five thousand dimension points】

【Note: We oppose commerce, but we oppose destruction even more. May nature protect the Author.】

Even the beings who had just awakened from the Dead Silence Star Domain scraped together meager donations.

The amount broke through four hundred eighty trillion.

Still short by twenty trillion.

Countdown: 【10 seconds】

The Author's body had stiffened to his chest, his breathing stopped.

Lin Chen looked at the surveillance feed and suddenly made a decision.

He pulled up his own character data panel and selected 【Character Asset Pledge】.

"Boss, what are you doing?!" Zhang Hao cried out in shock.

"Pledging myself." Lin Chen said calmly, "Pledging the future income rights, copyright value, even the existence itself of this 'Lin Chen character'. Estimated value... should be worth twenty trillion."

The panel popped up a warning:

【After pledging, you will lose character autonomy. If unable to redeem, you will be permanently converted into an NPC (Non-Player Character), losing all memories and personality】

【Confirm?】

Countdown: 【5 seconds】

Lin Chen clicked confirm.

Twenty trillion arrived.

The total crowdfunding amount reached five hundred trillion.

Golden Glazed mustered her last strength, condensing the five hundred trillion into a golden pillar of light, injecting it into the Author's body through the connection channel between the Narrative Layer and the real world!

*Hum—*

The grey text patterns on the Author's body began to recede.

The stiffness lifted.

He coughed up a mouthful of black blood, his fingers able to move again.

Countdown: 【0 seconds】

The Giant Face let out a silent roar.

But it could advance no further—because the Author had regained his creative will, and the connection between the real world and the Narrative Layer was stable once more.

The Pen in Golden Glazed's hand completely shattered, and she collapsed, exhausted.

The third face slowly dissipated.

But the first and second faces remained.

They turned their focus, both looking at Lin Chen.

"Detected... maximum interference source..."

"Clearance priority... elevated to highest..."

Two Pens simultaneously thrust towards Lin Chen!

At that moment, the Author at his computer in the real world, with trembling hands, typed a line:

【Just as the Pen tips were about to pierce Lin Chen—】

【Time stopped.】

Not a metaphor.

It really stopped.

Everyone in the conference room, the Giant Face on the screen, even the collapsing Star Domain fragments—all froze.

Only Lin Chen could still move.

Because the Author only wrote "time stopped", not "Lin Chen was also stopped".

This was a creative loophole, and also a lifeline.

Lin Chen looked at the stationary Pen tip before him, only 0.01 millimeters from his forehead.

He took a deep breath, walked to the console, and pulled up the final ranking algorithm for the Kindling Project.

Since time had stopped, he had infinite time to...

Modify the algorithm.

"System," he said, "pull up my complete asset list, including the self I just pledged."

The list unfolded.

Lin Chen began to operate.

He packaged all the assets under his name—Underworld Group equity, Dead Silence Star Domain ownership, Spiritual Energy Star Domain management rights, 10% equity in Icebound Star Domain, tree of heavenly dao branch, even the five hundred trillion fund pool just raised—and injected them all into a newly created financial product:

【Kindling Project Final Ranking Rights · Auction】

Product Description:

"This product is the decision-making right for the final ranking of the Kindling Project. The highest bidder directly receives first place. Auction proceeds will be used to repair damages caused by the Zeroing Storm."

He listed this product on all accessible trading platforms across the entire Narrative Layer.

Then, he lifted the time stop—but only for the time flow of the auction platform portion.

Thus, from the outside perspective, time had only stopped for 0.0001 seconds.

But when time resumed its flow, everyone received the auction notification.

The Giant Face's Pen tips continued to thrust down—

But just before hitting Lin Chen, they were forced to halt.

Because the Kindling Project monitoring center sent a mandatory notification:

【Detected that final ranking rights have entered auction procedure】

【According to *Kindling Project Supplementary Clause* Article 33: In case of force majeure, the ranking determination method can be jointly decided by participants】

【Current highest bidder: Lin Chen (Bid: All assets)】

【Auction ends in 30 seconds】

【During this period, any attack on auction participants will trigger rule backlash】

The Giant Face froze.

Its program couldn't process this situation—attacking Lin Chen would trigger rule backlash, not attacking meant it could only watch the auction complete.

And Lin Chen's bid was "all assets", a price almost impossible to surpass.

Because no one would stake everything they had for a single Kindling Project ranking.

Except... for Lin Chen, who already had nothing left and was fighting with his back to the wall.

Countdown: 【29 seconds】

Alpha was the first to give up bidding.

Morgana hesitated for three seconds and also gave up.

Thirty seconds later.

The auction ended.

Lin Chen, with the price of "all assets", won the auction for first place in the Kindling Project.

The Giant Face let out one last roar of unwillingness and began to dissipate.

The Zeroing Storm slowly receded.

But just as everyone thought they had won—

The Kindling Project monitoring center suddenly popped up a red warning:

【Final ranking confirmed: Lin Chen】

【Reward issued: Epoch Kindling Governor Authority】

【But—】

【Detected award winner has pledged all assets, including self-existence rights】

【According to rules, the prize will be directly issued to... the recipient of the asset pledge】

The screen switched.

The recipient was...

The Universe Bank.

Heishi's image appeared, holding a newly auto-generated contract:

"Lin Chen, according to the pledge agreement, all your assets now belong to the bank—including the newly obtained 'Epoch Kindling Governor Authority'. So..."

He smiled:

"Congratulations, you've won the Kindling Project for the bank."

"And you yourself..."

"Are now my employee."