Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

He actually tasted a sense of sadness in this short story of less than five hundred words.

Indeed, from the butcher's perspective, it is perfectly natural for him to kill the wolf that wanted to eat him in self-defense. He was calm, composed, and unflappable in the face of danger! Moreover, he acted decisively, bravely, and meticulously. Such qualities are perfectly normal for a human being, and this has indeed been frequently depicted in novels in the past.

But from the wolf's perspective, what did the wolf do wrong?

In nature, the law of the jungle prevails, and these animals are simply acting according to the rules and their instincts.

Perhaps they had been hungry for many days, with hungry cubs still in their den. After searching for food for several days, they finally encountered prey. Following their instincts, they naturally followed the prey to hunt. The few bones thrown by the butcher were not enough to fill their stomachs, and they also needed to take some food back to their cubs. To put it bluntly, wolves are not as complicated as people think. Most of the time, they only have a very primal desire.

The so-called greed, cunning, treachery, and shamelessness are more like labels that humans have imposed on them.

Zhenyu also continued to express her own views.

Whether wolves or humans, they are essentially all living beings on Earth, and all are equal. All life on Earth is a treasure nurtured over millions or even hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Whether humans kill wolves or wolves eat humans is neither praiseworthy nor condemnable. The butcher did nothing wrong; in a life-or-death situation, self-defense and retaliation are necessary. The wolf did nothing wrong either; when hungry, it hunts its prey—that's perfectly normal. Their interaction is, in essence, the fairest competition.

After careful consideration, the two wolves decided to follow their prey, risking their lives to fill their stomachs. The butcher, instead of panicking, calmly devised a strategy and took the initiative. I think both of them are warriors in life, fighting with all their might for themselves. Even if the wolf pack dies in the confrontation, they will not dishonor themselves, but rather abide by the great law of nature, which is worthy of respect.

Therefore, in my opinion, this story praises both the butcher and the wolf, without any direct praise or admiration. The last sentence of the story is actually a decoy, leading everyone to believe it's a novel praising humanity! At the same time, it's the finishing touch!

[This time humanity won, and the author can say, "How cunning can beasts be?" But what if the wolves win next time, and the author says the same thing? So, ultimately, who exactly is the beast the author is referring to?]

Upon reading Zhenyu's words, Su Qingshan's heart skipped a beat! A storm of emotions surged within him!

No wonder he always felt something was off! It turned out the last sentence was the problem!

The novel was already quite complete, but the author insisted on adding a superfluous last sentence, as if afraid that others wouldn't understand it.

But indeed, most people didn't understand it!

On the surface, this sentence seems to be mocking jackals, but who is it actually mocking? Perhaps only the author himself knows!

However, this does not prevent readers from making their own guesses! After all, one of the charms of short stories is that they can be read and interpreted at will. A thousand readers will have a thousand Hamlets, and everyone will have their own opinion.

Su Qingshan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

It turns out the author planted a time bomb at the end of the article! If you don't understand it, it's fine, but if you do, it's like a bolt from the blue!

If the butcher hadn't suddenly attacked and wielded his knife, who would have died?

After a struggle, the wolf won, and the beasts became humans.

After all, "how much cunning can beasts possess? They only bring laughter."

P.S.: The author is working hard to pay off his debts!

Chapter 183 No Shadows Smash, Understand?

Su Qingshan felt that this author named Qianjian was a cunning wolf! He had deceived everyone, and then at the end of the article, he mocked the readers in a frenzy!

You beast! You're actually swearing!

The key point is that anyone who understands the novel can't refute it! After all, what the author said is absolutely correct!

The butcher and the jackal are not the problem; they are simply following the laws of nature. So who is adding to the humor?

It can only be those who interpret failure!

If it were an ordinary reader, they would be furious to find that the author was criticizing them. However, Su Qingshan and his companions were not angry at all. Instead, they smiled and shook their heads in admiration.

"Absolutely awesome!"

Su Qingshan glanced at the short story titled "Wolf" again. It was only a little over four hundred words long, yet it contained so much content, including not only explicit plot lines but also implicit ones. It was simply terrifying!

At this moment, Su Qingshan was truly convinced, and he looked at the author's name on the novel.

"Qian Jian, that's truly amazing! Incredible! I'm convinced!"

This short story is the most amazing one he has ever read, and it can even be said to be the most satisfying one he has ever read. He cast his vote without hesitation!

This was his last ticket, and he was glad he hadn't used it carelessly.

Just then, the readers in the fan group, realizing what was happening, went wild.

After listening to Professor Zhenyu's interpretation, I was completely dumbfounded! Were we reading the same novel?

[I must say, this author is absolutely terrifying! To write something like this in just over four hundred words! The plot is intricately woven, with a masterful interplay of light and shadow! It's truly the work of many!]

[I've finally come to my senses! Holy crap? Why is this author swearing?!]

[You're not happy about being insulted? Who told you not to understand before?]

I specifically searched for this person named Qian Jian, and he's the author of "The King's Avatar"! It's the same person!

In short, I can sum it up in one sentence—Teacher Qianjian is awesome!

Don't stop me! I want to vote for Teacher Qianjian!

The people in the group realized what was happening and cast their precious votes, with some even throwing out all three of their votes!

After casting their votes, more people shared Teacher Zhenyu's explanations in more groups, which caused another stir and attracted even more people to vote.

[Holy crap?! This novel can actually be interpreted like this?!]

[Shocking! An author openly insulted readers in his novel, yet readers still fervently voted for him! Is this a sign of weak morals or a distortion of human nature? Welcome to the epic film, "The Feud Between a Domineering Author and a Devoted Reader."]

[No film to ruin, understand?]

I haven't seen such a good short story in ages, I have to vote for it!

[Who is this author? So amazing! Let me see... Qianjian Qianjian?! Wait! Isn't that the author of *The King's Avatar*?!]

[Holy crap? It really looks like him! What's he doing writing short stories?!]

Haven't you seen Qianjian's Weibo posts? He's already started promoting his short stories!

[I came here after seeing Qianjian's post. I wasn't interested in short stories before, I was just here to show my support, but now I've changed my mind. From now on, I'll definitely be the first to support any of Qianjian's works!]

Without further ado, vote!

The chain reaction had a remarkable effect: the number of votes for "The Wolf" increased dramatically, and its ranking on the short story award list rose rapidly, reaching the top ten in just half a day.

The original tenth place winner was a veteran short story writer. He had been polishing his work for more than half a year before publishing it. It was his masterpiece, and he had high hopes for it, hoping to achieve a good ranking in this year's short story awards.

And this novel lived up to expectations, immediately taking the tenth spot, much to the author's satisfaction.

Everything was going perfectly until he found out he'd been kicked out of the top ten—

"What?! How did I get overtaken?!"

He quickly clicked on the website and found the novel that had caused his downfall.

"The Wolf? That's it?"

His face was filled with disbelief, after all, the title was too simple and didn't reveal anything.

However, after he finished reading the entire novel, he sat in his seat for a long time without saying a word.

As a seasoned author, he naturally understood the story at a glance, and he also read the interpretations online, which he found quite convincing.

If this novel weren't so extraordinary, how could so many people have voted for it?

They're actually using roundabout ways to insult people. Are they happy doing this to be cheeky?

At most, other people's works would subtly satirize human nature or social ills, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone directly tease the reader!

What does that feel like? It's like someone staring at a spot and digging for a very long time, hoping to find treasure, only to open the treasure chest full of anticipation and find a note inside that says "SB".

What does this feel like?

The author was seething with rage!

"What the hell"

He took a deep breath, then shared his understanding of "The Wolf" and "Pillow Jade" in several of his short story author groups, and then looked at the chat box with a sly grin.

Sure enough, within minutes, these groups exploded, with everyone cursing and swearing.

[Holy crap! I just woke up and this is what you show me?! What's the meaning of this?!]

I'm seriously speechless! Are short story writers starting to tease their readers these days?

I really don't know what to say! Although it teased the readers, it's truly amazing!

[Hey Lao Wang, you just got squeezed out of the top ten, why are you dragging us all down with you?]

[Top ten, my foot! Look where this piece, "The Wolf," is ranked! It's almost in the top five!]

The people in the group quickly clicked on the webpage to check, and then they all gasped in shock.

Just moments ago, "Wolf" was only in tenth place, but in such a short time it has already risen to fifth place. This rapid rise is truly astonishing.

Several authors who enjoy listening to music felt as if they had seen the situation somewhere before, experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu.

Such a sudden surge in votes naturally attracted the attention of the organizers immediately, who began investigating the data of the work to prevent vote manipulation.

Vote rigging is illegal in this world, so it's rare, but it's not like no one takes the risk.

Is this how Chapter 184 is interpreted?

However, after the organizers investigated, they found that "Wolf" did not have any vote-rigging, and every single vote was legal and valid.

Seeing this, the organizers were completely baffled, wondering why a short story of less than 500 words would turn out this way.

However, they quickly cheered up because the emergence of popular short stories was definitely a good thing for the entire event, as it could attract more readers and ensure the overall quality of the competition.

Especially after reading Zhenyu's interpretation of "The Wolf," the organizer was equally surprised and indignant at the author's behavior of mocking readers. He then put "The Wolf" on the front page banner.

With the support of the organizers, the reach of "The Wolf" has increased significantly, and many people clicked on the novel from the homepage.

Some people understood it, while others did not.

But it's okay, the pinned comment in the comment section is the interpretation of the pillow jade.

As more people read it, naturally there will be dissenting voices, questioning whether Zhenyu is over-interpreting it and elevating this simple short story to a level that does not belong to it.

However, the comment below the pinned comment was Su Qingshan's, and it received the most likes.

[I've been reading for over twenty years now, and what I love most about reading is the boundless imagination and charm of literature. A few words can possess so many ways of expression—it's truly fascinating. And the same article can evoke so many different interpretations. Whether you believe Professor Zhenyu's interpretations or not isn't the most important thing; what matters most is what you gain from these words, what you feel, and what you remember—because these are your most precious treasures.]

Everyone largely agreed with Su Qingshan's viewpoint. Perhaps Zhenyu's interpretation was excessive or even incorrect, but that doesn't prevent readers from believing it. That's how literature is; there's never a single, eternally correct answer. What you believe to be correct is correct.

Many people in society actually dislike the use of standard answers in Chinese language reading comprehension exercises, believing that it limits students' thinking abilities. After all, sometimes even the author of the article may not be able to provide the standard answer.

Regardless of how readers view "The Wolf," this short story appeared in an unprecedented manner and then spread rapidly. On social media platforms such as WeChat Moments, WeChat official accounts, and even short video platforms, content creators immediately created recommendation and interpretation videos.

More and more people flocked to the site, specifically searching for "The Wolf" and visiting the official website of the Short Story Awards to begin reading.

The sudden surge in visitors nearly crashed the short story website, and the technical staff were on standby 24/7 to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.