Chapter 28: Erasing Words, Erasing Words (Please support my new book!)

The speed at which "Battle Through the Heavens" spread was nothing short of terrifying. Crowned as April’s Newcomer King, it entered the May Download Rankings and, within less than a week, had secured a spot in the top five, eyeing the fourth position with predatory intent.

In truth, the prose of "Battle Through the Heavens" was not so astonishingly brilliant, nor was its story so overwhelming as to crush all other authors. In this world, the reason for its meteoric rise was its creation of an entirely new genre. Amidst a fantasy circle dominated by invincible protagonists steamrolling through worlds, the sudden emergence of a main character starting as a good-for-nothing was a fatal draw for readers who had spent a decade devouring novels. At the same time, the writing was more than adequate—skilled enough to capture both veteran and novice readers alike. Terrifying, indeed.

Chang City University.

Awakened by a burst of noise, Liu Cha sat up groggily, unable to fathom why someone would disturb him on a weekend morning. Then he caught the apologetic glance from his roommate, Xu Ning. Irritated, Liu Cha got out of bed; no one would be in a good mood after being woken up early on a weekend, especially since this happened every single week. Who could tolerate such frequency?

While washing his face, Liu Cha glanced over at the figure sitting beside Xu Ning. Sure enough, it was the same person as always—the one who came every week to visit Xu Ning. Xu Ning’s older brother, the real, blood-related kind.

Xu Ning’s family lived in the county next to Chang City, just a short trip away. Liu Cha, on the other hand, was from out of province, admitted to Chang City University after passing the entrance exams. He could only return home during winter and summer breaks; technically, he could go back at other times, but the train tickets were expensive and the journey long—over ten hours by train. Liu Cha couldn’t be bothered.

While Liu Cha found his roommate’s brother’s constant visits annoying, he also felt a deep envy. As an only child, he could only imagine how fortunate it would be to have an older brother visiting every week. He had never experienced being bullied by an older brother, only seeing the surface-level warmth and care.

After a quick wash, Liu Cha climbed back into bed. It was impossible to fall asleep again, so, a little bored, he picked up his phone.

“Huh?” Liu Cha was first puzzled, then overjoyed. “The master updated in the morning? Truly a conscientious author!” As a loyal reader, Liu Cha was delighted.

In fact, he was a bit surprised. As a devoted fan, he knew the update schedule for "Battle Through the Heavens" by heart—morning updates were unprecedented. But who cared about timing when there were new chapters to read!

Eagerly, he opened the BaiDu Literature app and saw the note under "Battle Through the Heavens": five unread chapters.

“The author must be an octopus! Updating five chapters overnight—hope he doesn’t sacrifice his health.” Liu Cha feigned concern for a second, but quickly tossed the thought aside.

“Brothers!” The title of the new chapter struck a chord in him. This author, he really gets me…

Liu Cha had been a voracious reader for years, sneaking novels under the covers since high school. Having read so many, his reading speed was impressive—skimming three or four lines at a glance. But this chapter, he read slowly, all because of that title: “Brothers.”

The new chapters did not disappoint. They described Xiao Yan’s reunion with his two brothers, who had been away from home for years. Xiao Yan learned that his brothers had left to build a career for the sake of their once-useless sibling. Reading this, Liu Cha felt a lump in his throat, especially hearing Xu Ning’s brother say, “Xiao Ning, if anything happens, call me. Don’t keep things from the family.”

Damn. Double emotional impact.

Liu Cha lay on his bed, reading on. But as he read, something felt off. Why did these stirring scenes seem so familiar, as if he had seen them before? Immersed, he couldn’t recall exactly, but soon finished all five new chapters.

He lay there, silent for a long time, unable to process what had just happened. What did this mean? Xiao Yan had handled the Desert Wolf Mercenary Group, then dispatched some snake-people footsoldiers, and after he left to seek the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Iron Desert Mercenary Group was suddenly attacked by a snake-people Dou King. Then the narrative cut away, leaving the fate of the Iron Desert Mercenaries completely unaddressed.

What the hell? Liu Cha was bewildered.

“Where did the snake-people Dou King even come from?” He kept asking himself. There wasn’t the slightest foreshadowing! It just happened, abruptly, without any build-up. Who could stand that?

At that moment, Liu Cha thought of Little Doctor Immortal, that hugely popular female character. After Xiao Yan left, her Calamity Poison Body had exploded out of nowhere, and to this day, the story had never resolved her fate. The review section was still raging about it!

Now another abrupt cliffhanger? Liu Cha’s composure was breaking.

Since he was a fan of Xiao Xun’er, he hadn’t been too invested in Little Doctor Immortal’s storyline, so he’d managed to dodge that disaster. But this time, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were Xiao Yan’s blood brothers.

Damn…

Brotherhood was something Liu Cha had always yearned for. And now—it was just gone.

If the brotherly bond had been poorly written, he might have let it go. But the author had written it so damn well, nearly moving Liu Cha to tears. He’d gotten emotionally invested, only for this to happen.

Damn.

Liu Cha was losing his mind. Fortunately, Xu Ning’s brother had already left; otherwise, Liu Cha might have lost it completely. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to give the author a piece of his mind. The thought took hold and grew uncontrollably.

Finally, unable to resist, Liu Cha opened the review section, ready to vent his frustrations.

The review section for "Battle Through the Heavens" was in chaos.

“For your sake”: “I can’t take it anymore. Does anyone know where this damn author lives? I want a showdown.”

“Save Time”: “Count me in, I’m Guan Yu’s descendant—I’m deadly with a broadsword.”

“Author, Go to Hell”: “This author’s got a taste for this. Last time it was Little Doctor Immortal, now it’s Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.”

“457846”: “I think Little Doctor Immortal and the Xiao brothers will stay off-screen until the very end.”

“I’m a Veteran”: “First time I’ve seen such a capricious author—he gets a kick out of tormenting his readers.”

“YAJSBJ”: “Brothers, I’ve deleted the book—what about you guys?”

“Katoshiji”: “Didn’t you say the same thing after the Little Doctor Immortal fiasco?”

“Reader333333”: “If there’s no follow-up for Little Doctor Immortal, I’m deleting too.”

“Reader111111”: “Delete it—we can’t let him get away with this bad habit.”

“You Still Are”: “Delete, delete.”

“IS Computer”: “Delete, delete.”

“…”

The latest comments were all calls to delete the book. The readers, as if a well-drilled army, were united as never before, determined to punish the author for his infuriating ways.

Righteous indignation surging, Liu Cha resolutely joined the ranks of book-deleters. “If there’s no follow-up for the Xiao brothers, I won’t pay to read another word,” he declared, firm in his resolve.

Though he was a little reluctant, with everyone so united, he couldn’t let them down.

Turning grief into appetite, Liu Cha went downstairs to buy breakfast.

At that moment, "Battle Through the Heavens" quietly updated with another five chapters.

The review section exploded.

—
(Published first, revisions to come)