136: See the real enemy in malicious comments

The afterglow of victory did not allow Sword River Fish to lower his guard.

On the contrary, years of writing experience made him more cautious than ever.

He knew that the closer he got to final victory, the easier it was to stumble in the last stretch.

Before executing the final "plot kill" on the "divine" Gu Jianghan, he had to review his manuscript from beginning to end, like the most rigorous editor.

He needed to ensure that not a single punctuation mark would become a backdoor for the enemy to turn the tables.

He did not immediately open the document titled [God, Should Be Killed, Right?].

Instead, he reopened Chapter Fifteen—[Human Race Undying, Human Emperor Immortal!].

This chapter was the climax of Gu Yanci's character sublimation and the human civilization burning everything away.

It was also where his narrative struggle with "divinity" was most intense.

He read word by word, sensing the tragic and brutal atmosphere within the text.

When his gaze fell on the last paragraph, on the Gravekeeper's dying words, his pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks.

[...But do you think...I am the final enemy? No, I am just an 'examiner'...Now, 'They' know of your existence...]

"They"... Sword River Fish's back was instantly drenched in a cold sweat.

He was abruptly jolted out of his victorious exhilaration!

Something was wrong!

Terribly wrong!

The "divine" Gu Jianghan, though powerful, had a singular and absolute will.

He would only refer to himself as "I" or "He."

It was impossible for him to use the plural pronoun "They"!

So, who exactly did this "They" refer to?!

Sword River Fish's brain, like a supercomputer, began to operate frantically.

He started to recall his own strange mental state when he wrote this chapter.

He remembered that when he wrote the section about the "Human Dao Furnace," his own emotions had reached a peak.

He was moved and trembled by the resolute determination of the human civilization he penned, a determination that chose "to burn down the entire civilization to forge a singular hope rather than live on in humiliation."

But just as he wrote about the Gravekeeper being brutally murdered, an inexplicable thought, full of "malice," emerged without warning from the depths of his inspiration.

[—It's not enough.]

[—This level of despair is far from enough.]

[—Heroic epics are too boring; we want to see the hero's fall.]

[—Let him win, and then let him discover that everything he did was meaningless.]

[Let him discover that he is facing an even more unconquerable, more vast despair. That's interesting.]

These thoughts, like maggots clinging to bone, frantically gnawed at his creative passion.

He remembered that at the time, the comment section in the backend also became unusually bizarre.

Besides the majority of comments like "moved," "tears in my eyes," and "human race immortal," a small but highly active group of "readers" emerged, whose comments were full of negative energy.

[Reader X]: "Is that it? Eight hundred billion people for one Rank 9? A huge loss. Just waiting for the protagonist to be slapped to death by a more awesome BOSS."

[Reader Y]: "Boring, it's this trope again. Can't there be some innovation? Like, in the end, it turns out it was all just a dream of the protagonist's?"

[Reader Z]: "Author, I'll tip you, please, in the next chapter, let the protagonist go dark! Let him slaughter the entire universe! That's what you call a masterpiece!"

At the time, he just thought he had encountered some "trolls" who liked to argue, and he didn't take it to heart.

But now, when he connected these "malicious thoughts" with those "negative comments" in the backend and the Gravekeeper's phrase "They," a truth that sent shivers down his spine, like the most terrifying Cthulhu monster, slowly emerged from the chaotic sea named "readers"!

"Readers" are not all allies!

The "reader observation power" he relied on to fight "divinity" was not pure light.

It was a turbid river mixed with "praise" and "curses," "hope" and "malice," "creation" and "destruction"!

And those "malicious readers" were the most deadly "poison" in this river!

They were not "people" who came to read stories; they were "demons" who came to toy with stories!

What they pursued was not resonance, but "fun"!

What they enjoyed was not the rise of heroes, but the ugly spectacle of heroes raging impotently in the mud!

They were the "entropy" in the narrative universe, the source of chaos, the "will of destruction" that sought to make all magnificent epics ultimately lead to "heat death"—that most boring, most nihilistic, most despairing ending!

And the Gravekeeper was not a pawn of the "divine" Gu Jianghan!

He, or rather, "it," was a "plot tumor" born from this massive "reader malice"!

Its birth, its actions, its power, its identity as an "examiner"... everything was to satisfy the twisted desires of those "fun-seeking" readers who wanted to see "heroes crushed like ants by a stronger existence"!

He himself, at that time, was inadvertently contaminated by this "negative observation power."

That's why he created the character of the Gravekeeper, and wrote the line "They," which nearly dragged the entire story into an endless abyss!

If... if he hadn't fainted from physical exhaustion, if he had continued to write under the guidance of this "malice," then the ending of the story would inevitably be Gu Yanci, after defeating the Gravekeeper, despairingly discovering that there were countless "examiners" stronger than the Gravekeeper beyond the heavens.

Everything he had done, the sacrifice of his eight hundred billion people, would become a huge joke!

By then, the entire tone of the story would completely slide towards "darkness" and "nihilism."

Readers would leave in droves because of such "shit-feeding" plot.

The "power of observation" would sharply diminish.

And the "divine" Gu Jianghan could then, in this atmosphere full of despair and chaos, easily break free from the already fragile cage and achieve ultimate transcendence!

That was close!

What a brilliant move of "killing with a borrowed knife"!

This was not even a conspiracy by "divinity," but a more intangible and terrifying "open conspiracy"!

Sword River Fish's eyes became incredibly cold.

He knew he had to operate.

Before "slaying God," he had to first excise this "malignant tumor" that had deeply infiltrated the story's core!

He could not directly delete the Gravekeeper's lines.

Because that would be denying the power of "readers," which would shake the foundation of his authority.

What he needed to do was "replace concepts"!

He wanted to keep the Gravekeeper's "last words," but he wanted to modify the content of those last words and the object they referred to!

Sword River Fish took a deep breath, pouring all of his "Author's Will," which had been honed to diamond-like hardness, into his fingertips.

He moved the cursor to the Gravekeeper's last words and began an extremely precise "surgical operation"!

He did not delete a single word, but rather "overwrote" and "rewrote" based on the original text!

He began to describe the Gravekeeper's shattered soul, in the final moment before complete annihilation, briefly touching a higher-dimensional "truth" due to the extreme death.

He saw it!

He no longer just sensed the countless vague and malicious "Theys."

He saw an incredibly clear, specific "He"!

One sitting on a "throne" made of endless pages and data streams, with a "shadow" on his face that was as indifferent and playful as the "divine" Gu Jianghan's!

That shadow held a pen.

He seemed to be lightly drawing an "X" on a "manuscript" filled with the fates of countless characters.

That "X" was directly over Gu Yanci's name!

"So... that's how it is..."

A bizarre smile, mixed with fear and sudden realization, appeared on the Gravekeeper's shattered face.

"So... you... aren't the 'chess player' either..."

"You are just a slightly more interesting 'pawn'..."

Sword River Fish's finger pressed heavily on the keyboard, giving the Gravekeeper a brand new dying message!

...Now, the true 'Author' hiding behind the scenes...

—He knows of your existence!

[Deep Meaning of Modification]: This is no longer a simple modification; this is a "narrative scapegoat" that can be called a stroke of genius!

Sword River Fish accomplished three major strategic goals in an incredible way!

First: [Cut off external aid].

He completely severed the direct connection between "malicious readers" and the story world.

Their "negative" power of observation could no longer directly give rise to "plot tumors" like the Gravekeeper.

Second: [Shift the conflict].

He successfully shifted the readers' hatred and attention from the nihilistic tragedy of "heroes being unable to defeat stronger opponents" to the satisfying revenge drama of "heroes being manipulated by a mastermind behind the scenes"!

He cleverly transformed the "negative energy" that could have destroyed the story into a "positive energy" sufficient to support his fight against the final enemy!

Third: [Establish a new enemy].

He officially introduced the "True Author," who had only existed in his conjectures until now, to all readers in a way that was full of suspense and oppression!

This laid the most solid and emotionally charged groundwork for his upcoming final battle!

Modification complete!

Sword River Fish clicked publish.

Almost instantly, the comment section in the backend completely exploded!

Those comments once filled with "malice" and "fun" were completely drowned out by an even more violent, more furious tide!

["Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! The final BOSS is that damned 'Editor'?!"

"I knew it, how could the plot be so frustrating! Turns out someone was messing with it behind the scenes!"

"Author! Kill Him! We'll crowdfund you! Kill that mastermind who's been playing us for fools!"

Sword River Fish looked at the surging "public opinion" he had successfully incited, and a cold, cruel smile finally appeared on his face.

He let out a long sigh, shedding the last huge stone from his heart.

Then, he turned his gaze back to the document titled [God, Should Be Killed, Right?].

"All external and internal threats have been cleared..."

He whispered softly, his voice devoid of any self-doubt.

"Now, I can rest assured..."

—Send you on your way.