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

Liu Tianyong looked around. Everything seemed normal. There were no words in Editor-in-Chief Wang's eyes, and his face remained as repulsive as ever. His colleagues outside were also working happily.

The world outside the window was completely calm, exactly the same as my life for the past 20 years. Where were the narrative monsters? Where were the streets altered by the rhythm of the narrative?

Downstairs, pedestrians thronged the street, and vehicles drove normally; everything was so beautiful.

Yong jumped up excitedly, hugging Editor-in-Chief Wang and spinning him around. "I knew it! Haha, how could the world suddenly become like that! It was all a dream! It scared me to death!"

"That's not necessarily true," Editor-in-Chief Wang's voice came from Yong Ge's skull.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ah!" Liu Tianyong felt a sharp pain in his cheek. Through his blur, he saw Editor-in-Chief Wang slapping him kindly. He smoothly and stylishly tossed the three tufts of hair on his head.

"Hey Yongzi, why did you fall asleep so early?"

"Holy crap!" Yong Ge sprang into the air! Editor-in-Chief Wang tossed his head to the side, dodging Liu Tianyong's ricochet attack.

Yongge slumped against the glass window, utterly despondent. So, the normal world was just a dream after all. And here I am, in this godforsaken place!

Tears flowed down my face.

Just as Yong Ge was crying his heart out, a message appeared in his mind—yes, it appeared directly in his head:

[Dear friends, I believe you have just experienced a rich and colorful chapter in your lives. Although happy times are always so fleeting, this was your first experience, and you must have many questions. But that's not important. What's important is that a candidate administrator, in order to bring hope to the world, sacrificed his narrative power and brought you a safe and peaceful period.]

[To ensure everyone's survival rate isn't zero, the alternate administrator is here to explain the rules of this world. Please try to understand and digest them during the safe period, which only lasts until midnight tonight. There are still 6 hours left, so please enjoy the last peaceful moments of your life. The basic rules are as follows:]

Rule 1: All individuals are "narrative participants," categorized as "authors" and "readers" based on their original attributes.

[Author: Possesses the omnipotence of "writing," capable of directly rewriting parts of reality through words; bound by "narrative logic," unable to contradict themselves; holds "weight" over their own creations, but must bear the "penalty of not updating."]

[Readers possess the power of "filling in the blanks," allowing them to imagine and supplement any "unfinished narrative." These imaginative additions can be temporarily visualized (until they are overwritten by the author or logically disproven). Readers can share certain narrative weight with the author's works, but must bear the "backlash" of being abandoned (if a new work isn't quickly found to fill in after the work is completed or abandoned, the reader will gradually fade into obscurity).]

[Special Note: Authors will automatically be downgraded to readers after completing their works. Readers can awaken as authors by accumulating enough narrative weight through fan fiction/secondary creations. When both sides disagree on the same plot, a "comment section war" is triggered, with subscription/recommendation/donation data acting as a fog, and the victor temporarily overshadowing reality.]

Yongge crouched on the ground, clutching his head. The words were spinning rapidly in his mind, bringing a real sense of dizziness.

Editor-in-Chief Wang looked down at him and said, "During the previous experience period, no one had a specific understanding of these things. Most of the time, only the authors could appreciate the ability to narrate. But now, the readers also understand. Those who read novels, those who have stories stored in their subconscious, will gradually learn how to use their imagination to fill in the gaps."

[Rule 2: When two or more narrative lines intersect, a "story scene" will be triggered. The winner gains narrative weight, while the loser will be relegated to a "supporting character" or "background setting".]

[Rule 3: Those urging updates will refresh the page 24 hours after the update hiatus; they will no longer be gentle.]

[Rule 4: This arrival opens the shallow area of ​​the "Narrative Graveyard." Lucky players may encounter a projection of the four-star world boss "The Unfinished God." Friendly reminder: Do not try to finish it; that's exactly what it wants.]

Rule Five: Survive if possible.

Rule Six: The most important point...

The information ends here.

"What the hell is Rule Six?! Don't cut this out of context!" Brother Yong shouted at the air.

Editor-in-Chief Wang walked gently to Yong Ge's side and patted him on the shoulder. "Little Yongzi, Rule Six is... there is no Rule Six. That's left for the living to write themselves."

"After midnight, the world will really collapse, the apocalypse will really come, and there will be no more chances to get a good rest. So, Xiao Yongzi, get a good night's sleep. Maybe this is the last peaceful sleep you'll ever have in your life."

After saying that, the Song typeface, size 5, began to spin rapidly in Editor-in-Chief Wang's eyes. Liu Tianyong felt sleepiness creeping in. "Old Wang! You still haven't told me who you are..."

Before Yong could finish speaking, he fell asleep. Editor-in-Chief Wang stood by the window, looking at the sky, smoking, deep in thought, looking very serious and thoughtful.

[Only half an hour left in the safe time, time to wake up.] A voice exploded in Liu Tianyong's mind. He jerked his eyes open. I slept for five and a half hours! Only half an hour left in the safe time?!

At this moment, Yongge was in unusually good spirits, but also extremely regretful. He had promised to enjoy his last peaceful moments. He had fallen asleep?

He turned to look at the desk, where Editor-in-Chief Wang was still sitting leisurely, smiling at him, and pointing behind Yong Ge.

All the unbroken glass behind Yong Ge shattered simultaneously, or rather, pixelated. Pieces of glass peeled off, and a hand made up of countless unfinished sentences clung to the windowsill, each finger bearing an eye made of periods.

Yong was in tears again. Zero frames per second! Wasn't there supposed to be a half-hour safety period? Did it have to be this risky? I just woke up, and they're already playing this high-stakes game. He was beyond words in his emotions.

"Don't panic, this is a plagiarist," Editor-in-Chief Wang said with a smile, pulling a copy of "The Complete Guide to Writing Techniques" from the bookshelf and holding it in front of his chest.

"A composite monster right from the start? Let me see. Oh, this thing is a mix of three abandoned books: 'The Domineering CEO Falls in Love with Me, a Divorced Woman with a Child,' 'The Return of the Apocalyptic Soldier King,' and 'Cultivation Notes: From Beginner to Tomb.'"

The monster with the hand had already crawled in. It had no fixed form; its upper body was that of a domineering CEO in a suit, its lower body was that of a military camouflage trousers, it carried a celestial sword on its back, and its face was covered by an Ultraman mask.

"Woman, you've successfully caught my attention," it said to Yong Ge, its voice even having a reverberation that, to be honest, was quite pleasant to listen to.

"But this is the apocalypse. I'm going to use the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder to blast open your skull, and then I'll find that you're the one I've been missing for so many years..."

"Stop! Stop!" Yong-ge raised his hand: "Your setup is a complete mess, it's so jarring!"

The plagiarist was stunned, tears of grievance streaming from his eyes beneath the Ultraman mask: "I... I don't know either, but I just can't stop! The author copied three outlines and then abandoned the project. I have to be a domineering CEO, a king of soldiers, a sword immortal!"

It clutched its head in agony, shaking wildly, its body rapidly expanding as three different forces clashed within it. Suddenly, the office transformed into a luxurious Italian marble space, the walls adopting a Syrian war-damaged style.

"That's its ability to create incongruity! Quick, Xiao Yongzi, use your usual tricks to write a completely original, never-before-written plot right here." Although Editor-in-Chief Wang's tone was tense, he was actually leaning on his desk, cracking sunflower seeds, watching the show.

Yong Ge stared at the chaotic mass of monsters, his mind racing. "What the hell? Talking to me about original content now? Is this some kind of game? In a normal world, I'd be stuck with writer's block, and you're telling me to create something in this situation? I'm just filled with dread!"

How can I fool them? Please bless me.

He raised his red pen and quickly wrote in the air:

[Faced with plagiarists, Liu Tianyong realizes that this world itself is a piece of abandoned code, and the true author is you, the one reading this text. Yes, that's right, you. The person reading this novel on your phone. You are the one who wrote this episode. Now, please imagine a color that has never existed!]

The plagiarist froze. It tried to plagiarize this narrative, but it found that the narrative pointed to something outside the narrative layer. It could not analyze "the person reading" because that did not exist in any known text library. It could not imagine what "a color that has never existed" was. That was the real gap in originality.

"Error, formatting error." Its body began to disintegrate and collapse. "Unable to read, the fourth wall!"

"Now!" Editor-in-Chief Wang finished cracking sunflower seeds, tossed out the pages of his book, *The Complete Guide to Writing Techniques*, which unfurled in the air, transforming into countless afterimages that enveloped the plagiarism monster.

"Write it as a side story, quick!"

Liu Tianyong understood immediately and scribbled furiously on the page: [Bonus Chapter: The Afternoon Tea of ​​the Plagiarist]

It was supposed to be a terrifying being, but in one of their unused storylines, it was just a chaotic hybrid. Adorable as it sat in a corner café, trying to simultaneously eat Lanzhou noodles, drink red wine, and meditate to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with a knife and fork. It was pitiful, yet so endearing. Ultimately, it decided to stop fighting and instead apply to be an extra in Hengdian World Studios. They needed a multi-talented monster like it; it was sure to thrive there. The End. (This is the real end.)

The pages of the book emitted a golden light.

The plagiarist's scream turned into a relieved sigh: "Finally, finally someone wrote an ending for me! Even if it's just a side story!"

It transformed into a stream of light and was absorbed into the pages of the book. The pages instantly closed, turning into a book titled "The Plagiarist's Side Story: From a Domineering CEO to a Extra in Hengdian," which fell to the ground.

Calm returned to the office.

"Good job!" Editor-in-Chief Wang walked over with great interest, picked up the extra chapter, and said, "You've learned the core gameplay: don't fight the monsters, give them a home!"