Chapter 140 Extra 3:
After finishing lunch, King opened his laptop, logged into Qidian Novel Network, and clicked on his own novel's webpage. He planned to browse the reader comments before starting to write, to see if his readers had any good suggestions for improvement (Suggestion: Start with a watermelon knife, chop off his dick, sever his root, and go get castrated!).
However, when he opened the comment section, he found it had exploded.
FriedTomato: "The protagonist got stronger by going bald? What kind of bullshit logic is that? Author, go eat shit!"
King: "..."
FriedPotato: "The protagonist is so strong, yet so poor? Is this a joke? Author, go eat shit!"
King: "..."
FriedWinterBambooShoot: "The protagonist is invincible, yet such a loser? Playing games, and fucking dating sims at that? Author, go eat shit!"
King: "..."
FriedSquab: "Emperor Engine? With that kind of heart rate, his heart would have fucking exploded long ago. How is the protagonist still alive? Author, go eat shit!"
King: "..."
FriedCatfish: "The protagonist has reached the pinnacle of humanity, and he's still fucking single? Is the protagonist impotent? Author, go eat shit!"
King's face instantly darkened. *Damn it, my average subscription is only B-grade. Where did all these people come from just to flame me?*
The tracker, who had been keeping a close eye on King, felt his heart tighten. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down his spine. *Did King notice something? That's right, with King's strength, he can definitely sense the killing intent permeating the air.*
With that, he couldn't help but glance at the tense faces of Handcuffs and the others, silently cursing those brainless idiots from the Death Squad. *As assassins, how could they fail to conceal the killing intent emanating from them? Even a dog could sense that something was off.*
King gritted his teeth as he looked at the comments, all neatly starting with the character for "Fried." Even a fool could see he was being targeted. *Hmph, there are always treacherous villains who want to harm me!*
*Who on earth did I offend?* Although, as the "Strongest Man," King had taken the fall for Saitama for quite a few things and angered many evil organizations, and the line of people who wanted to kill him could probably circle the globe, his author account didn't reveal any of his real information. Therefore, the people targeting him definitely weren't those evil organizations. So who could it be? *Oh, I get it. I've heard there are cases on Qidian of top-tier authors suppressing rising stars. Could it be a top author deliberately trying to crush a newcomer like me? Of course. Even though my average subscription is only B-grade, it can't hide my blinding brilliance. The tree that stands tallest in the forest will be the first to be blown down by the wind. I am that towering tree that incurs the jealousy of the gales.*
King looked at the screen full of names like Fried Potato, Fried Tomato, Fried Winter Bamboo Shoot, Fried Squab, and Fried Catfish, and let out a cold snort. "Hmph, you five think you can drive me to my death? Aren't you underestimating me a little too much? You think you can take me down? An ant trying to shake a great tree—you're overestimating your own strength." As he spoke, he typed his words out to post as a comment. No surrender, only fight!
The tracker turned pale with fright and hastily reported, "Boss, we have a situation! King seems to have discovered us." Handcuffs, Fishing Net, Riot Shield, and Electric Baton, plus himself, made exactly five people!
Handcuffs and the other members of the Death Squad likewise trembled, a trace of horror showing on their tense faces. They weren't assassins trained from childhood; they had only been temporarily swayed by a huge sum of money to throw their lives away. But that didn't mean they weren't afraid of death, especially a meaningless one. If they couldn't kill King, the organization wouldn't get the commission, and their own family compensation fees would naturally be off the table.
"Don't panic. King hasn't made a move on you yet, has he? Our Demolition Team will have the explosives set up soon. Stay calm, stay calm."
Their boss reassured them.
Just as King was preparing to counter-attack, he noticed a large number of strangers flooding into the comment section, constantly attacking him and criticizing his novel. They said things like, "Shennong here, already died from the poison," and "A fifteen-year veteran bookworm hereby declares this book trash," which made him furious.
The only pleasing thing was that finally, a reader was willing to stand up and speak for justice. For example, a reader named PenDropsCoke was taking on a hundred opponents at once, waging a war of words against the "scholars."
*This Emperor is greatly comforted!*
King looked at the names of strangers that were still pouring in and scoffed, "Hmph, so there's a Demolition Team too? (They're an internet water army. King, you should go online more often and not get a water army and a Demolition Team confused.) But do you really think a mere Demolition Team can defeat me?"
His fingers flew across the keyboard, clattering away as he typed out the words he had just spoken.
Just after King posted his latest comment, he saw that his one and only comrade-in-arms, PenDropsCoke, had already been dragged through the mud. Rage rose from his heart. He cursed out loud while furiously typing, "Attacking me is one thing, but why are you dragging an innocent person into this? Are you even human?!"
"Boss, I... I want to give up the mission."
The tracker, watching the furious King, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. A waiter had tapped his shoulder and asked with concern, "Sir, you don't look so well. Are you alright?"
"I'm... I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night."
The tracker waved him away and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Requesting to abort the mission."
"Boss, even the Demolition Team has been exposed. We can't kill King."
"King already knows our entire layout. We've lost our chance to kill him. Boss, let's give up!"
"If this goes on, our Liu Liu Assassin Group will disappear from the assassin world just like the Wang Wang Assassin Group and the Fa Fa Assassin Group who tried to assassinate King before!"
The tracker suddenly realized that four voices pleading with the boss were echoing in the public channel of his walkie-talkie. He looked at Handcuffs and the others in astonishment, only to find them either nervously chugging water or holding biscuits to their mouths, chewing with trembling jaws.
He instantly understood. *So I'm not the only one who's tense and terrified.*
While the members of the Liu Liu Assassin Group were arguing, King pulled out a Monster Card—the Three-Star Monster Card: Crazy Programmer Monkey. "Since you refuse to repent, then don't blame me for getting rough." Aided by the power of the Monster Card, his computer skills increased dramatically. He brazenly invaded the "Demolition Team's" account computers, releasing a nasty virus and taking them down one by one.
"Boss, King is about to make his move! Let's retreat!"
"Boss, a wise man knows when to cut his losses!"
"It's not too late to run!"
In the public channel of the Liu Liu Assassin Group, the boss's defeated voice finally sounded. "Abort mission. As long as the green mountains are there, we won't have to worry about firewood. Retreat."
At the same time, the members of the Demolition Team attacking King's novel also finally panicked. Many members' computers were infected with a virus. They knew they had messed with the wrong person.
FriedPotato: "Brother, we know we were wrong. Please forgive us."
FriedTomato: "Big bro, we're leaving right now. We're quitting this job."
FriedWinterBambooShoot: "Bowing and apologizing to the big boss."
FriedSquab: "From now on, we're friends. We'll fight wherever you point. Please let us go."
FriedCatfish: "Brother, you short on cash? I'll pay for my safety."
Seeing that the Demolition Team had surrendered, King was filled with satisfaction and said magnanimously, "Since you've already given up the mission, you can go. Ah, I don't blame you. After all, you're just taking people's money to solve their problems for them. It's not easy for you either!"
The tracker and the others, who were just about to bolt from the Kenggeji, froze in place. A feeling called "moved" washed over their hearts. *This is the magnanimity of the Strongest Man! He clearly knows we're assassins sent to kill him, yet he doesn't hold it against us at all. Compared to him, we're just a pile of shit. Oh no, how can the light of a firefly compare to the brilliance of the full moon?*
King looked at his review section, which was now filled with apologies from the Demolition Team. He waved his hand dismissively and said magnanimously, "Hey, you don't have to be ashamed or apologize. If you turn over a new leaf in the future, you can come hang out here often. Maybe we can become friends."
"Waaahhh!!"
Hearing this, the tracker couldn't hold it in anymore and actually started bawling on the table. Handcuffs and the others also bit their lips, their eyes welling with tears. *Mr. King, why are you so kind? How can sinners like us possibly be friends with you? That would simply be staining your noble character.*
They wiped their tears, got up and looked at each other, nodding in mutual understanding. With resolute expressions, they walked over to King and gave him a deep bow. "Mr. King, thank you so much for your mercy. Rest assured, from this day forward, we will definitely turn over a new leaf and be upstanding citizens, striving to be able to hold our heads high in front of you."
"Mr. King, we'll meet again if fate allows."
They bowed deeply one more time, then wiped their tears and turned to leave. *Mr. King, goodbye. We will definitely be good people from now on!*
King stared at the retreating figures of the tracker and his group with a completely baffled expression. After a long moment, he raised a middle finger and said in a Sichuan accent, "Are you guys nuts?!"
Afterward, he dove back into the chat in his comment section. He was surprised to discover that PenDropsCoke wasn't a reader of his, but another author, who was currently serializing "One Piece: Flash Emperor."
...
After King had dealt with the Demolition Team, their leader called his client with a troubled expression. "Hey, hello. The person you asked us to slander is a tough nut to crack! He's a master hacker. Many of our members' computers got infected with a virus because of him."
A surprised voice came from the other end of the line. "Is that so? The author of 'One Punch Man: Emperor Engine' is that amazing? As expected of Qidian's most incredible rising star. Hmm, he's not to be trifled with."
The leader of the Demolition Team was completely baffled. *Wasn't the one you wanted me to slander 'One Punch Man: The Sovereign's Engine'? Dammit, I got the wrong one.*
A big thank you to 'Wandering Through the River of Time' for the generous tip, as well as all the other readers for their support. Thank you. Beibei will continue to work hard to pay off the debt.
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(end of chapter)