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

Four figures emerged from the shadows around the hall. They were all dressed in black combat suits, their bodies semi-transparent, clearly supporting characters from Mahaj's novel.

Four are alright, and Yong was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Mahaj chuckle.

"The characteristic of the Flying Furnace style is that it's plentiful and filling, but plentiful is the key." Mahajig chuckled and took a step back, flicking his golden pen, and eight more figures emerged from the shadows!

"Damn! Twelve?!" Zhang Gou Dan cursed, and the Phantom Boxing King instantly solidified. "Brother Yong, how are we supposed to fight this?!"

"Group them!" Yong Ge quickly assessed the situation. "Gou Dan on the left, Gang Tie on the right, Wu Qu and Yu Mengzi in the middle!"

The battle erupted instantly.

The first wave of four thugs rushed forward simultaneously. Zhang Gou Dan met thug A head-on, and Phantom Boxing King unleashed a punch, the shadow of the fist whistling through the air as it struck the opponent's face. But thug A neither dodged nor evaded, taking the punch head-on. His body caved in, but instantly recovered like a balloon.

"That's tough!" Zhang Gou Dan gritted his teeth, unleashing a flurry of punches from both sides. "Get the hell down!"

Narrative weight: 56→51→46

After two punches, henchman A finally exploded, but henchmen B and C had already circled around to the side.

"Damn it! My 10 points of weight!"

On the other side, Wang Gangtie formed hand seals, and a spirit sword appeared in her hand, its blade radiating a steady light. Spiritual energy slowly circulated within her; this was a sustaining technique she had learned from Lu Youyou.

"cut!"

The spirit sword grazed the arm of thug C, leaving a trail of blue light. But thug D immediately filled in, throwing a punch at her side. Wang Gangtie barely managed to turn aside, the spirit sword blocking the attack; the clanging of metal sent a shiver down her spine.

Wang Gangtie gritted his teeth, his spirit sword remained burning, but his forehead was covered in sweat.

[Current narrative weight: 23→20→17]

"Brother Yong! Something's fishy about these guys!" Wu Qu shouted. "What are they sharing?"

"I sensed it; they're sharing a 'satisfaction pool'! Their existence is mutually supportive!"

Yong's eyes lit up: "What do you mean?"

"The more that exist simultaneously, the weaker each one becomes! But if you kill them one by one, the remaining ones will grow stronger and stronger!"

"So that's how it is!" Yong Ge frantically scribbled in the air with his red pen: [The thugs of Flying Furnace realized that, according to the tropes of wish-fulfillment novels, they should be sending their enemies to their deaths in batches, instead of swarming in all at once!]

【123→118】

As the words fell, the twelve thugs suddenly became "mechanical." Eight of them retreated, leaving only four to continue attacking—a typical "wave-by-wave" tactic.

"Dog Egg! Steel! Focus fire and take out these four first!"

Zhang Gou Dan and Wang Gangtie seized the opportunity and unleashed their full power. Under the concentrated fire, the four thugs quickly collapsed, dissipating into countless fragments of text that added "+1 to the satisfaction" to their attacks.

But the remaining eight thugs were noticeably more solid in build.

"They've definitely gotten stronger..." Brother Yong gritted his teeth, "but their numbers are fewer, so we have a chance!"

The next wave of battle was even more brutal. Zhang Gou Dan's Phantom Fist King unleashed four more punches [46→26], while Wang Gangtie's Spirit Sword maintained its maximum strength [17→14].

Only one thug left!

But the last thug's body was almost solid. He threw a punch, which Zhang Gou Dan barely dodged, and a large hole was smashed in the wall behind him.

"Brother Yong! This can't go on! We definitely won't have enough authority!" Zhang Gou Dan cried out anxiously.

"I'll do it!" Yong Ge was about to write when he heard Mahaji's laughter.

"Good teamwork." Mahaji clapped and stepped out from behind the bar. "But haven't you forgotten something?"

With a flick of his gold pen, the thug suddenly stopped and then split into two.

"The true essence of the Flying Furnace Style isn't quantity, but rather the [plot inertia]." Mahaji adjusted his suit collar. "If I want, any attack will unfold according to a set pattern. Your fist will inevitably be dodged perfectly; your sword will inevitably be blocked at the crucial moment; your rewrite will inevitably be neutralized by the [plot inertia]."

He pointed at Brother Yong.

Unconvinced, Yong Ge scribbled wildly in the air with his pen: [The handcuffed soldier's legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to his knees!]

【118→108】

But as the words fell, the gauntlet merely swayed before lunging forward again.

"See that?" Mahaji smiled. "[Plot inertia] has increased the priority of my setup. You need double, or even triple, the weight to cover my patterns."

He showed the numbers on his chest: [Mahaji, Narrative Weight: 892 points], "While I can use 100 points of weight to write the counterattack plot in advance."

Yong Ge's heart sank.

This is no longer a battle; it's a blatant narrative-level crushing defeat. Mahaj's 892-point weight allows him to seemingly "write" the course of the battle in advance, as if he had a cheat code.

"Now, let me see how long you can hold out." With a flick of his pen, Mahaji sent two enhanced thugs charging at him.

Zhang Gou Dan gritted his teeth and fought back. Just as he threw his fist, the thug "just happened" to dodge to the side, as if it were written in a script.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to fight like this?!"

Wang Gangtie wanted to provide support, but another henchman "just happened" to appear in her path and slashed out with his sword, which was "just happened" to block.

[Plot Inertia] Everything is developing according to Mahajee's "feel-good novel formula".

Yong Ge wrote it again, [108→98], but it was weakened by the [plot inertia] and basically had no effect.

"It's useless." Mahaji sat elegantly on a bar stool. "In this world, the Flying Furnace style reigns supreme. Plenty of content, a well-established formula, and readers love it. How could you niche literary types possibly understand?"

He pointed to the readers who were hanging there: "See? They're all my 'loyal subscribers.' They provide me with the details to fill in the gaps every day, they provide the 'thrills,' and in return, I provide them with a safe, fair deal, and honest service."

"You call this fair?!" Wu Qu roared. "You're treating them like batteries!"

"Battery? What an awful word," Mahaji shook his head. "It's called 'subscription-based support,' a technical term I invented. Pretty good, right? They voluntarily subscribe to my book, voluntarily becoming part of the story."

"Resources?!" A faint voice came from within.

Yongge turned his head and saw that among the readers who were being hung up, a woman in her early twenties had opened her eyes. Her lips trembled: "We...we didn't do this willingly...we were [hijacked by the plot]..."

"Shut up!" Mahaji's expression changed, and with a flick of his pen, the threads on the woman's head tightened, causing her to groan in pain.

But the other readers also began to tremble, and the [Reader (Pending Activation)] above their heads started flashing and changed to [Reader (Struggling)].

"【Plot kidnapping】?" Ye Tian floated to Yong Ge's side, his voice grave. "Author, I sensed it! These readers have been forced to sign an 【automatic renewal agreement】! They can't cancel their subscriptions, and their ability to fill in the blanks has been forcibly deducted!"

"I see." Yong-ge stared at Mahaji. "You're not 'supporting' them, you're 'harvesting' them!"

Mahaji's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "So what? In this world, it's survival of the fittest. If they want to read my book, they have to pay the price."

"It's not that I want to... it's that I have no choice," the woman said with difficulty. "To terminate the contract, the breach of contract clause must be triggered..."

"What breach of contract clause?" Yong asked urgently.

"30 consecutive days of no updates... fine, forced... termination of the contract." The woman's voice grew weaker and weaker, "But we can't wait 30 days... we've been... drained dry."

The icon above her head turned blood red: [Reader (In Disarray)].

"Oh no! They're about to self-destruct!" Ye Tian shouted in terror. "Their ability to fill in the blanks has been completely extracted; their stories are riddled with holes. Once they get out of control, they'll become narrative pollution bombs!"

Mahaj panicked too: "Damn it! You bunch of useless trash, shut up!"

He tried to suppress them with his pen, but the readers were already out of control. The bodies of more than a dozen people began to swell, and the grayish-white threads broke one by one.

"Brother Yong!" Wu Qu suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "I have an idea!"

"explain!"

"I can't simply write a book that's been abandoned; his outline has 'patches'! But I can fill in the gaps with my imagination! I can conjure up a massive amount of side stories! Making his outline unable to contain them!"

"What do you mean?"

"The 'Flying Furnace' style aims for quantity and satisfying content, but the main plot is fixed! If there are too many subplots, the main plot will collapse! Just like his books having unfinished endings!"

Yong's eyes lit up: "Overload the outline?"

"Yes! Let his [plot inertia] overload!" Wu Qu closed his eyes, hands behind his head. "I need your cooperation. After I've filled in the blanks in my head, you confirm their existence!"

"How much mental energy will you expend?"

"I don't know, I might die." Wu Qu smiled, "But it's better than now."

Wu Qu began to imagine the scenario.

"Infinite Refreshing System" by Mahaji

In Chapter 2001, the protagonist is eating when he encounters a mysterious old man who says, "To be continued."

In Chapter 2002, the protagonist goes treasure hunting but finds the treasure trove empty. Inside, there is a note that reads, "To be continued."

In Chapter 2003, the protagonist meets a beautiful woman who says, "I actually have another identity," and then disappears.

Wu Qu's imagination ran wilder and wilder, with countless "to be continued" subplots forming in her mind. Blood flowed from her nostrils, and blood vessels covered her eyes, but she didn't stop.

……

Chapter 2100: The protagonist discovers the BOSS, who says, "Guess who I am." To be continued.

In Chapter 3000, the protagonist is finally about to fight the final battle, but suddenly, the author takes a day off.

Yongge, writing simultaneously, confirmed her imagined scenario as reality. [The side story of "Infinite Refreshing System" explodes, the main plot outline cannot support it, and the narrative logic collapses!]

【98→78】

Mahaj's expression finally changed. He felt his "plot inertia" begin to malfunction, and those pre-set "routines" were being impacted by countless side stories, like a machine running at overload.

"Impossible! I wrote an outline of 3000 chapters! It can't have collapsed!"

"3000 chapters?" Yong sneered. "What if there were 10,000 side quests?"

Wu Qu had already knelt down, blood trickling from the corner of her eye, but she was still muttering to herself: "Chapter 3001, The protagonist discovers that he is actually... To be continued."

"Enough! Stop!" Mahaji frantically swung his pen, trying to delete these side quests, but the [plot inertia] held him back. According to the Flying Furnace style, the more side quests the better, and he couldn't delete them!

Now! Yong Ge raised his red pen and wrote in the air: [Due to excessive side quests, a broken main plot, and chaotic narrative logic, "The Infinite Refreshing System" has been forced to be abandoned!]

【78→58】

This time, the "anti-canceling patch" was activated, but it was powerless against the "main storyline collapse."

"No!!!" Mahaji screamed in agony, "I've been writing for five years! I've been writing 10,000 words a day! I!!!"

[A narrative logic breakdown has been detected; the completion and archiving process has been forced to start.]

Mahaj's body began to disintegrate, turning into countless scattered sheets of paper, each printed with a chaotic plot: [The protagonist is eating - to be continued] [The protagonist is fighting - to be continued] [The protagonist is - to be continued]...

"This is impossible! It's my formula, my plot conventions!"

"Your approach is too rigid," Yong said, panting heavily. "It's plentiful but can't handle overload."

Mahaji gave him one last look, his eyes filled with resentment: "You! You'll fall for it too!"

Utterly destroyed! Turned into countless pieces of waste paper flying everywhere!

But those readers are beyond saving.

Their bodies gradually dissolved in the grayish-white light, turning into countless tiny fragments of text. The girl looked at Yong Ge, a relieved smile on her lips: "Thank you for letting us no longer be batteries."

[Narrative sacrifice detected: 15 readers sacrificed themselves as fuel to help defeat the main storyline of "Infinite Refreshing Novel System".]

[Obtain Relic: Readers' Last Thoughts (Special Item): A crystallization of the final beliefs of 15 readers. Can be exchanged or used to enhance the crowdfunding narrative effect.]

Yong Ge stood there blankly, watching the words drift away. Wu Qu collapsed in his arms, unconscious. Bloodstains on his nostrils, eyes, and ears were shocking.

"Wuqu! Wuqu!"

Li Yumeng was busy checking when Ye Tian floated over to take a look.

"Sister Wu Qu, it's probably just that your mental energy is exhausted and you need to rest," Li Yumeng gave a somewhat uncertain conclusion.

Yongge held Wu Qu tightly, looking at the disappearing words, his lips turning white.

"Author," Ye Tian said softly, "sacrifice is the norm in this world. But at least you've made them no longer batteries."

Mahaj, along with all his readers, vanished. The battle was over, and "spoils" appeared on the ground—Mahaji's belongings.

[Mahaji's gold fountain pen (damaged) is available for exchange]

[The Flying Furnace Style Outline Template (now broken) is available for exchange]

[Readers Club Land Deed (Special Item) Can be Exchanged]: Can be bound as a base branch, generating 10 narrative weight income points daily.

Automatic renewal agreement (fragment) is available for exchange.

Yongge put the items away, wiped his eyes, picked up Wu Qu, and stood up.

"Let's go to the exchange point."

Zhang Gou Dan supported Wang Gangtie, Yong Ge carried Wu Qu, Huang Chaobin led the way, and Li Yumeng brought up the rear. The six of them were covered in wounds and exhausted.

As they walked out of the readers' club, the building behind them began to collapse, and the narrative space that Mahaj had created was destroyed.

Yongge glanced back, and amidst the piles of scrap paper, he could almost hear Mahaj's resentment.

"The formula of 3000 chapters," Yong Ge said softly, "is not as good as a sincere 'to be continued'."

System notification: [Killed author Mahaji, gained narrative weight +500, current narrative weight: 558]

Yong Ge ignored the system notification sound, simply hugged Wu Qu tightly in his arms, and strode towards the exchange point.

Behind him, the Readers' Club collapsed completely, turning into a grayish-white expanse [to be supplemented].