Chapter 138: Extra 2 -
It's going premium!!!
In the eyes of an otaku, the world of "One Punch Man" was both exciting and boring. It was almost nothing but Monsters and more Monsters, fleeing and more fleeing.
King deeply agreed with this sentiment. Thus, he actively expanded his otaku activities. Besides playing games, he had also created a game script himself—the Book of the Sage!
Now, he had even extended his otaku hobbies to writing. Of course, with his writing skills, he couldn't handle physically published literature, so he specifically chose web literature—that is, web novels.
He registered an author account on Qidian Novel Network, a subsidiary of Yuewen Group, under the pen name "Beibei." He published a novel titled *One Punch Man: Emperor Engine*. The content was based on the "One Punch Man" he had watched in his previous life, combined with King's memories of Monsters, and it merged the characters and abilities of Saitama and King to create a new protagonist—Roy. "Roy" also means "king."
His publishing process was smooth sailing. He got a contract at thirty thousand words. Now, after more than three months of diligently writing and updating, he had finally reached three hundred thousand words. His editor, Ruoye Ju, informed him that he would be going premium tomorrow. This news lifted his spirits, and as was customary, he wrote a "Going Premium Announcement."
"First of all, I want to thank Yuewen Group for giving me a stage to showcase my work. Thank you to my editor, Ruoye Ju, for his care and guidance. Thank you to my readers for your powerful support. Thank you to the country, thank you to my parents, thank you CCTV, NBA..."
King wrote a long, rambling announcement of several thousand words. After skimming through it himself, he nodded in satisfaction, logged into Qidian Novel Network, uploaded the "Going Premium Announcement," and then scheduled two new chapters for release.
He fell asleep, full of anticipation.
Morning came quickly. After the alarm clock rang, King couldn't wait to throw off his quilt. He stumbled to his computer with his eyes half-closed and skillfully turned it on. In the ten-odd seconds it took for the computer to boot up, he managed to use the toilet, wash up, and eat breakfast.
He opened Qidian Novel Network, logged into his author account, and switched to the subscriptions tab. His eyes widened, and his face lit up with excitement. The 24-hour average subscription count since going premium was—12,457! Over ten thousand average subscribers! Hmm, a new great god of web novels was born.
"Ding ding!"
Just then, a new message popped up in his author dashboard. He casually clicked it open to read:
"Dear author, according to our investigation, your work contains severe adult content. In response to national policies, we will be banning and taking action against your work, *One Punch Man: Emperor Engine* (Hey, what kind of crappy title is that?)."
King nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. It was one thing to ban his book, but they even had the gall to mock his meticulously crafted title! This was absolutely intolerable!
When the emperor is angered, corpses litter the ground for a thousand li!
"Ah!"
In his fury, King abruptly woke up. He shot bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. He lifted the covers for a look and, hmm, it was time to change his underwear.
"Phew, so it was just a nightmare!"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly got out of bed to check his novel's premium status. He opened his author dashboard, his eyes widened, and he saw the average subscription count... 13.
Pfft!
The corner of his mouth twitched. He silently got back into bed to continue sleeping. Hmm, it was better to live in his dreams after all.
Unfortunately, one must eventually face reality. After dawdling in bed for a long while, he reluctantly got up.
No matter how heavy the blow, life goes on.
He used the toilet, washed up, and ate breakfast—multitasking seamlessly. After all, he was the Strongest Man; he at least had that much ability.
He racked his brain to write a chapter and published it. Since it was the first day of going premium, he decided to do a ten-chapter burst release. Thus, he threw himself back into the miserable task of writing, finishing three chapters before noon.
"Hmm, I'll go out for lunch to console myself and write in a different environment for a change."
After the morning passed, he had calmed down. In a pleasant mood, he went out with his laptop and headed to Kenggeji Fast Food, as always. He sat in his usual corner seat; it was quiet and comfortable, a place where he could write without worry.
He had a bad habit when he typed: he liked to mutter the words aloud as he wrote, line by line. It was easy for people to mistake him for a lunatic.
"Boss, King is out. After half a month, this is the first time King has come out to eat. That damn training maniac. He's already so powerful, yet he's still not satisfied. Why doesn't he just ascend to the heavens and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun..."
After King entered Kenggeji, a man in a long coat and a hat followed him in. He sat down seven or eight seats away from King and began muttering into a miniature walkie-talkie installed in his collar.
"Shut up! Your codename is Tracker, not Radio!" a furious roar came from the other end of the walkie-talkie. If he hadn't been wearing an earpiece, the entire Kenggeji restaurant probably would have heard the angry shout.
"Yes, Boss." The man codenamed Tracker replied in a low voice and immediately fell silent, quietly observing King's every move.
"This malatang is going to kill me with its spiciness." In a noodle shop next to Kenggeji, a successful-looking man in a sharp suit was resentfully eating malatang. He was precisely the "Boss" Tracker had mentioned.
Across from him sat a pretty and charming young woman, codenamed Camera. She was responsible for observing and recording the target's situation and reported directly to the Boss.
She glanced at the sparse crowd around them and giggled. Acting like a lover playfully complaining, she said, "If you don't like malatang, you can switch to beef offal noodles. There's no need to get so angry and let it affect your mood for the job later."
The Boss kept his head down, eating his malatang, occasionally looking up to flirt with Camera. However, every sweet nothing he uttered had a hidden meaning.
A moment later, Camera suddenly touched her ear. She listened quietly for a while before saying affectionately, "Honey, my family just called. That chicken I was saving to nourish you with? They're preparing to slaughter it now."
The Boss's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave a wicked smile. "Great! I love it when you feed me chicken. But..." He became serious. "Make sure the seasonings are ready for the chicken soup. I'll call home and let them know." He then stood up, took out his phone, and went outside to make a call.
"Tracker, be advised. Tracker, be advised. The Death Squad's handcuffs, fishing net, stun batons, and riot shield will be entering shortly. Keep an eye on King's status. Report immediately if you notice anything unusual."
Tracker lowered his head, pretending to drink his cola, and took the opportunity to lean closer to the walkie-talkie in his collar to reply softly, "Tracker, copy." Then he looked up, his gaze intentionally yet unintentionally sweeping over King.
In the following half hour, four well-built men walked in. One wore large sunglasses, another a baseball cap, a third a surgical mask, and the fourth was blowing bubble gum. They tacitly sat down around King, forming a subtle encirclement.
Seeing that the Death Squad was in position and that King showed no signs of awareness, still enjoying his final lunch, Tracker immediately reported in a low voice, "Boss, the Death Squad is in place."
In the noodle shop, Camera smiled faintly and said softly to the Boss, "Honey, the chicken is in the pot. When are we going home? I need to tell them when to turn on the heat."
The Boss nodded and gave an unrelated reply, "This chicken is a bit old. It needs to be simmered on low heat for a long time. Tell the folks at home not to rush, to be patient."
This isn't a lie, folks, it's really going premium tonight. The chapters released tomorrow will be paid. Just a heads-up for everyone.
(end of chapter)