Finishing the book means death; I abandoned the whole world.

"Author! The barrier only has 3 minutes left!" Ye Tian's voice pulled him back to reality.

Yong looked towards the doorway, where the semi-transparent barrier was thinning. The monster outside seemed to have sensed something and began to ram into it frantically.

The water-filled monster had completely squeezed into the convenience store, its body taking up almost half the space, and its tentacles made of words were groping around, searching for something to narrate.

Zhang Gou Dan, with his Phantom Boxing King at the front, took a deep breath and threw out his first punch.

The Phantom Boxer's fist pierced through the air, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slammed hard into the core of the "Water-Injected Monster," scattering the floating gelatinous characters in all directions.

Narrative weight: 71-66

The "water-filled monster" emitted a silent shriek, its body contracted violently, and the text began to frantically recombine.

"Second punch!"

Zhang Gou Dan didn't give it a chance, and followed up with a second punch. The fist shadow drew an afterimage in the air and accurately hit the core again.

Narrative weight: 66→61

The water monster's body exploded, splattering countless repeated characters like ink everywhere. The characters, still wriggling on the ground, continued to utter: "[He][She][It][Is]..." like some kind of desperate murmur.

"Let's go!" Yong shouted.

He rushed towards Li Yumeng and Wu Qu, helping Huang Chaobin up together. Zhang Gou Dan brought up the rear, while the Phantom Boxing King maintained his fighting stance.

The five rushed out of the convenience store through the side door. Behind them, the barrier shattered, and countless narrative-hungry monsters poured in, fighting over the fragments of the water-injected monster like a pack of ravenous wild dogs.

"This way! This way we can circle back to the base!" Huang Chaobin, enduring the pain, pointed to a narrower alley.

The five of them were running for their lives, with the tide still surging behind them. Although the monsters were not fast, there were too many of them!

"Brother Yong, what's that?" Wu Qu suddenly pointed ahead.

At the end of the alley, a ray of light shone from a half-open door. Above the door hung a sign: [Narrative Ethics Committee - Resource Recycling Station], with a smaller line of text in the lower right corner: [Complete Novel Asset Exchange, Officially Certified]

"Recycling station? Narrative ethics committee?" Yong Ge was taken aback.

"The officials who judged you? What are they doing here?" Zhang Gou Dan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Never mind that!" Li Yumeng urged, "The monsters behind us are catching up!"

No one cared about anything else; they pushed open the door and slipped inside.

Behind the door was a small room with only a counter. Behind the counter stood a human figure wearing a black uniform and a red armband that read "Under Review".

A badge was pinned to his chest: "Recycler - Number 047"

"Welcome everyone!" The recycler's voice had a slightly electronic, courtroom-like quality. "Exploration team detected. Narrative weight for this team: Liu Tianyong 188 points, Zhang Gou Dan 61 points."

"Is this the Narrative Management Committee's place?" Yong asked warily.

"We are the resource recycling department, a subordinate agency of the Narrative Committee. Our function is to recycle completed assets, exchange them for narrative weight, and maintain the balance of the narrative ecosystem." The recycling worker's voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, suggesting he was not a living being.

"Complete assets?"

"Any story that has ended." A line of text appeared on the recycler:

[Exchangeable Asset Types:]

【1. Completed Items: Items, character fragments, and setting remnants left over from completed works】

[2. Completed Story: The plot, ending, and side stories of completed works.]

[3. Mandatory Completion Permission: Mandatory completion permission for low-authority authors (authorized by the committee)]

[Exchange criteria: Based on a comprehensive assessment of the asset's narrative completeness, rarity, and emotional appeal.]

Yong Ge's heart stirred, and he asked, "How much can that incomplete Heart of the Holy Mother be exchanged for?" Although the item had disappeared, he could still measure the evaluation standard.

"The Fragmented Heart of the Holy Mother is a forced completion item. Overall, the author's narrative weight is not high, but it is a product made at the cost of the author's life. If the item is complete, it can be exchanged for 60 points."

I've finally found a clue. It seems I can consider exchanging loot when I get it in the future.

"And what about this red pen?"

[Item scanning in progress.]

[Name: Wang Qiang's (alternate administrator) red fountain pen]

Current status: Complete.

[Narrative Completeness: S] [Emotional Intensity: S] [Rarity: S]

[Overall assessment: Redeemable for 5000 points.]

"Holy crap! Wang Qiang is awesome!" Old Wang is indeed amazing; even when he was on the verge of death, he could still use it to save his life!

[Redeem or not?]

"Don't switch!" This life-saving charm should only be used in critical moments.

"Understood, the recycle bin is open to anyone at any time. Please note that authors with a narrative weight below 20 points will be marked as 'endangered authors,' and the committee will forcibly initiate protective measures, including but not limited to mandatory completion and archiving."

Looks like I need to find a way to increase its weight quickly. "Forced protection measures, isn't that just forcing completion?"

"That's different, Yong-ge. Do you remember when the Narrative Ethics Committee first contacted you, they even sent people to chase after you. It wasn't until later that they forced you to appear in court." Wu Qu expressed his disagreement.

"and then?"

"Doesn't this mean that you can still escape when the measures are activated! The forced completion and archiving penalty only occurs when the record reaches 0?"

"That makes sense! Is that right, recycler?"

The recycler didn't answer Yong Ge's question, but simply updated a line of text on his body: "[The Narrative Management Committee is committed to upholding narrative ethics and protecting the rights of the majority of participants.]"

"That bureaucratic tone is so ineffective! Let's go! Let's go back to base!"

The five people left from the back of the recycling station, where there was a "safe passage" leading directly to the base. They didn't find any monsters in the passage, and the committee's logo was posted on the wall: [Emergency Passage, built by the Narrative Management Committee]

When he returned to the base, Yong felt like his legs didn't even belong to him anymore.

He handed the bottled water and instant noodles from his backpack to Fang Xiaoyuan, then slumped to the ground, staring blankly at his narrative weight.

This exploration did not increase the narrative weight at all; he and Gou Dan each lost 10 points, and all they got in return were a few bottles of concept water and instant noodles!

However, this exploration taught them how dangerous the monsters outside were; their sheer numbers were beyond their current capabilities.

Knowing about the existence of the resource recycling station provides another channel for gaining authority. It can recycle completed stories and the legacies left by deceased authors.

The committee's influence is broader than imagined; it has even established recycling centers at this "front line."

"Author, you seem unhappy." Ye Tian floated over.

"Without gaining weight, we can only hold on for two more days at most."

"But you've found the direction!"

Yong Ge looked up at the busy people in the stronghold. Fang Xiaoyuan was "crowdfunding" a dinner with those few packs of instant noodles. Lv Youyou was still supervising Wang Gangtie's training. Hu Qiaozhen was muttering to herself to the green tomatoes. Zhang Gou Dan sat in the corner, staring blankly at his weight number.

"Old Wang once said that in this world, ending is death," Yong said softly. "But recycling is another form of death. It's more terrifying than being killed, more terrifying than being forgotten; it's being digested and becoming nourishment for others."

He picked up a red pen and wrote in the air:

The exploration team's first outing encountered a monster horde driven by narrative hunger.

They expended resources and paid a price, but they also discovered new possibilities.

The Narrative Ethics Committee's resource recycling center signifies that deceased authors have not truly disappeared; their legacy continues to circulate and be utilized.

Liu Tianyong wouldn't sell Lao Wang's pen. If he sold even the pen Lao Wang gave him, what difference would there be between him and the person standing in the recycling center?