The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 112 (Patreon)

Chapter 112

098: "Host, he hasn't discovered your identity as a tasker, has he? No, there's no scent of a tasker on him, and the male lead's system can't detect my presence."

Yet, looking at the male lead's confident demeanor, 098 felt somewhat uneasy.

Ling Chunann paid no mind to 098's wild speculations, looking at Ye Chufeng with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Then tell me, what identity do I hold?"

"You and I are the same, from somewhere else," Ye Chufeng said.

"Somewhere else?" Ling Chunann blinked, "What exactly are you trying to say? I don't quite understand."

"It's just..."

Just as Ye Chufeng was about to clarify, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, causing him intense agony that momentarily robbed him of his ability to speak. He staggered back a few steps, leaning against a pillar for support, taking a long while to recover.

By the time he came to, Ling Chunann had already left, leaving Ye Chufeng pale-faced, "System, what do you mean by this?"

"Apologies, host," the writing system's mechanized voice remained as usual, "Transmigration information is classified as top secret and cannot be disclosed. The pain just now was merely the most basic form of punishment. Please take this lesson to heart."

"You!" Ye Chufeng's expression twisted, "Get out of here, I don't want this system anymore!"

"Remember, this mission is your last chance for redemption. If the box office doesn't reach twenty billion, it will be considered a failure in nurturing."

Ye Chufeng took a deep breath, calming down, "What happens if I fail?"

"The system's energy supply is insufficient and will completely collapse. At that time, the system will initiate an emergency disengagement process."

"What does emergency disengagement mean?"

"Insufficient permissions to disclose."

As the male lead stepped back, Ling Chunann got into the car, signaling Fu Xianzhi to drive, meanwhile asking, "098, that situation just now was caused by his internal system, right?"

"Yes, host. Every host bound by a system is forbidden from revealing secrets about the system, along with certain taboos. Touching upon these will prompt the system to take some measures," 098 honestly replied.

"Is that so? And if I were to reveal your existence, would you do the same to me?" Ling Chunann suddenly asked.

"I..." 098 hadn't expected Ling Chunann to shift the topic to this all of a sudden, momentarily at a loss for words. If other hosts were to reveal it, indeed, there are punitive measures, even to the point of erasure without issue, but Ling Chunann was different. It dared not do anything, not even utter threats, fearing what might happen if those above found out.

It's definitely not a timid system! 098 reasoned with itself, knowing that playing it safe was the key to longevity.

"Alright, it was just a hypothetical scenario," Ling Chunann seemingly sensed the system's fear and kindly spared it, "Can you find out what task the male lead's system has given him?"

"I can," 098 perked up, "That system is already very weak. The last time I eavesdropped, it assigned the male lead the task of reaching a box office of twenty billion. If he fails, it's very likely to force a disengagement from the host."

"And the consequences?"

"Systems rarely disengage from their hosts, especially such a weak one. It no longer has the energy to find another host, so if it really has to force a disengagement, it's likely to completely absorb the male lead's energy, possibly resulting in his soul dispersing," 098 said, "But no worries, I'm always monitoring its movements. Once you complete the mission, everything will be fine."

"098, you're truly considerate," Ling Chunann was touched, "But isn't his system a writing system? Why does it meddle so much?"

"It might be because it hasn't met its writing target, insufficient to unlock the next piece, hence it's dabbling in other areas to achieve balance," 098 explained, "But we're different. If you fail your first mission, besides not receiving energy points and a deduction of a thousand energy points, no further punitive measures will be taken."

"The first time a thousand, how much for the second?" Ling Chunann caught a loophole in 098's words.

"...The second time ten thousand, the third time a hundred thousand, cough, but rest assured, host, with your success rate, such situations are unlikely to occur."

He knew it would be this way; Ling Chunann felt no surprise.

098 was nervous for a while, fearing the host would blame it for withholding information. Seeing that he didn't pursue further, it finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After the Jinlin Awards, "Ascending to Immortality" entered everyone's radar.

The movie reviews from book fans who received tickets from Ling Chunann on the release day flooded in, including one from Professor Wu of the Capital Film University. After analyzing the pros and cons, he concluded, "This will be a monumental change in modern film history, driving the evolution of an era's culture."

This review sparked widespread discussion on the Star Web.

[Who's impersonating Professor Wu giving "Ascending to Immortality" a shoutout? What revolution? Don't exaggerate, it's just a nonsensical novel written by an unknown author.]

[The one above, if you haven't seen it, don't talk. "Ascending to Immortality" is definitely a classic, both the novel and the movie are classics that will be remembered in history.]

[I personally think "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" are more classic. If we're talking about being remembered in history, I think they're more likely. "Ascending to Immortality" is good, but it feels too fictitious, lacking a basis in reality.]

[Heh, the advertiser above is really something. Why don't you see what your so-called classics have turned into? If you can watch half of it with your eyes open, you win.]

... ...

On the first day of "Ascending to Immortality"'s release, the total box office was less than 30 million. However, on the second day, the box office soared to 250 million, with every screening sold out, causing many to complain on Star Web about not being able to get tickets.

In contrast, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," which suffered a major blow to its reputation at the Jinlin Awards, saw its box office plummet starting from the second day, compounded by the disappointment voiced by fans on the first day.

After a failed negotiation with Ling Chunann, Ye Chufeng became even more convinced that the other was also a transmigrator. He didn't attempt to speak with Ling Chunann again, as the latter's attitude last time clearly showed no goodwill towards him, especially since they were now absolute competitors.

Especially after the exposure of the Jinlin Awards ceremony, it seemed the Mu family's head was contemplating acknowledging Ling Chunann back into the Mu family, which could destabilize the footing Ye Chufeng had just secured.

Absolutely not.

Seeing the incoming marketing planner, a fierce glint flashed in Ye Chufeng's eyes.

Due to the promising outlook, starting from the third day, various cinemas increased the number of screenings for "Ascending to Immortality," reducing the slots for other movies correspondingly. Seeing the continuous rise in the box office under such circumstances, movies planned for release around this time were postponed to avoid competing, while those already showing could only accept their misfortune.

"Host, the box office has reached 8 billion!" 098 couldn't hide its excitement.

"What would you like to eat?" Meanwhile, Fu Xianzhi asked.

"I just had lunch," Ling Chunann glanced at Fu Xianzhi, "You haven't done something to betray me, have you? You've been a bit off these past few days."

"No," Fu Xianzhi's face was the picture of innocence.

Ling Chunann raised an eyebrow, grabbed Fu Xianzhi by the collar, jumped onto him, and bit his lip, drawing blood, then licked the blood off his lips, "Speak."

"Be careful not to fall," Fu Xianzhi hugged him tightly, "These past few days, someone has been slandering you on Star Web. But don't worry, my dear, those posts were deleted before anyone could see them as soon as they were uploaded."

No wonder it had been so quiet these days, Ling Chunann gave Fu Xianzhi a look, "Remember to tell me about these things as soon as they happen next time."

"Okay," Fu Xianzhi's voice was laced with a smile, "I also sent out those books' serial numbers to speed up the search."

"Good job," Ling Chunann patted the man's head, praising him.

Then, Ling Chunann found himself pushed onto the bed.

Taking advantage of the intimate moment, 098 re-checked the Star Web information it had missed these past few days, only to discover that there had always been attacks against Ling Chunann, mostly spreading false information about "Ascending to Immortality" plagiarizing "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." The posts were convincingly written, with seemingly logical arguments, although the evidence seemed blatantly fake to 098. However, the public tends to follow the crowd, and the spread of such misinformation could have been a massive blow to the movie's box office.

If the plagiarism accusations against "Ascending to Immortality" were to stick, it would be a catastrophic disaster for Ling Chunann's reputation. Even if the clout-chasing attempt failed, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" would gain significant attention, boosting its box office and helping the male lead complete his mission.

098 realized it had made a huge mistake. If not for Fu Xianzhi, the male lead might have succeeded. Feeling down, 098 knew it had failed its duty of keeping a close eye on the male lead as instructed by its host.

Quickly adjusting its attitude, 098 sincerely admitted its mistake to Ling Chunann and took over the work Fu Xianzhi had been doing.

As the main AI of Star Web, Fu Xianzhi naturally knew of 098's existence and that it was an assistant to Ling Chunann. However, he never asked Ling Chunann what it was, to which Ling Chunann once inquired why he wasn't curious. Fu Xianzhi only said, "For some reason, I feel I shouldn't ask. It's your secret."

Ling Chunann simply smiled and didn't say much more.

But 098 felt as if its host might be a bit disappointed, though it also thought it might just be its own misconception.

Ye Chufeng had been extremely unlucky recently. Since the box office plummeted on the second day of the movie's release, it never climbed back up. Then, he thought of a good strategy—leveraging the popularity of "

Ascending to Immortality."

In their world, such publicity stunts were common. He knew "Ascending to Immortality" hadn't plagiarized, but by pinning this label, it would never be cleared. Ye Chufeng felt no guilt over this, as he was doing it to complete his mission.

However, what he didn't expect was that not a single one of the articles he spent time and effort commissioning was published.

Thousands of articles were sent out tens of thousands of times, but no matter the channel, they disappeared as soon as they were posted, as if everyone's computers were infected.

He thought "Ascending to Immortality" was being censored, but later, when he had someone post a praising article about "Ascending to Immortality," it was immediately published, nearly causing him to spit blood.

Seeing the movie had been out for over a week with the box office just surpassing 100 million, Ye Chufeng was so anxious his mouth broke out in blisters. The lack of sleep turned his eyes red, making him look especially frightening. The marketing planner standing in front of him trembled with fear, "Ye, President Ye, I've done my best."

Then, a statuesque ice beauty knocked on the door, "President Ye, the CEO asks for you in his office immediately." After delivering her message, she left without a second glance at him.

Ye Chufeng straightened his collar, glared at the junior planner, and strode towards the CEO's office.

The Mu family head was a philanderer; otherwise, he wouldn't have a bastard son like Ye Chufeng. But after getting married, he settled down, until his wife died giving birth to Mu Linke, leading him to dislike Mu Linke.

However, he couldn't bring himself to like this bastard son either. If not for the elder Mu, he might have never glanced at him in his life, let alone consider him as an heir. Staring at the documents in front of him, the Mu family head snorted derisively, his eyes full of sarcasm.

"Comeback value +5%, current comeback value is 95%, please continue to strive, host."

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