[

Xun Ming: @Canghai, you there? Need some emotional writing guidance?

—

Canghai replied: Get lost!

—

Xun Ming: @Yongye, I got an idea! You should set up a case where Mr. Zhong has to choose between his nemesis (the former best friend) and his current best friend. Mr. Zhong agonizes over the decision, and the nemesis hurls cruel words that cut straight to the heart. Mr. Zhong chooses to save the security captain, but also decides to die together with his nemesis. In the final ten minutes of their lives, Mr. Zhong and the nemesis reconcile and let go. But what the nemesis really wants is an enraged Mr. Zhong who falls into darkness. What do you think? Sounds intriguing, right?

—

Yongye replied: …

—

Canghai replied: Hahahahahahaha, I love it, write it now!

—

Xun Ming replied: Oh, I also have some ideas for your book…

]

 

 

Using Xun Ming's pseudonym, Xi Yujin rattled off a bunch of melodramatic, dog-blood plotlines, and his mood suddenly brightened considerably.

Even if Xun Ming couldn't earn money from writing, he could still earn happiness! He might not satisfy every reader, but he could definitely satisfy himself.

After indulging himself, Xi Yujin felt refreshed and energized and finally went back to writing the stuff that actually made money.

Fairytale of a Life and Death Romance already had two chapters written, so he thought that it was fine. On the other hand, the Case Files of Mr. Zhong had accumulated several days' worth of updates, and that could count as bonus chapters to thank readers for their tips.

The progress of Ancient Tomb Code, however, was much slower. He wanted to mix in some Chinese-style horror, but translating Earth concepts into an alien language was extremely difficult, and Gano still had to translate them again. To make things easier for readers, he was basically writing one page of draft, then two pages of annotations, while occasionally adding schematic diagrams.

The thickness of the manuscript doubled, and Xi Yujin almost forgot about time until the clock gifted by the Materialist Archive rang. Only then did he pull himself out of his writing state.

"Why do I still feel lightheaded even though I'm literally made of diamond?"

Xi Yujin had many questions about his current body, but for now, his mental power still couldn't analyze it. All his doubts could only be left unresolved.

He sent the Ancient Tomb Code to the Flash Clan and asked whether the manuscript's thickness met their requirements.

The Flash Clan immediately replied:

"An unexpectedly magnificent manuscript! Mr. Canghai, you truly make the stars pale in comparison! My suggestion is that some specialized terminology could be published separately as a bonus volume for a limited-time promotional event. Your main text has already reached the standard length for a single-volume publication. May I ask if you are willing to participate in our first batch of publications?"

Xi Yujin was naturally willing to publish first, as it would be good to see the readers' feedback.

On the Flash Clan's side, Big Purple was reading the manuscript with great relish. Although the warning system told it that one of its underground palaces had been dug up by its own kind, that wasn't as important. It examined those schematic diagrams in the Ancient Tomb Code with particular care, and inspiration for building new underground palaces surged endlessly. It practically wanted to find a new planet to try things out immediately. Did those fellow clansmen know how amazing this felt?

After wrapping up matters with several alt accounts, Xi Yujin finally had the chance to return to Yujin's original job.

It was time for a new issue of Reader to go online.

This time, he made a special O. Henry issue. He grabbed some of his favorite short stories and put them in the "Classic Essays" column, then made up several bowls of chicken soup and food essays and stuffed them into the "Fireside Night Talks" column. To better shape his sock-puppet personas, he also created a new "Literary Leisure" column as a chat room for his various pseudonyms.

Then it was time to ask Gano to translate the new short stories…

He wrote a lot, which meant Gano's translation workload was huge, lagging about half an issue behind the main text. Xi Yujin felt extremely guilty about this.

On the other side, Gano was browsing the comment section of the first issue of Reader. Looking at the conversation between Xun Ming and the others, he fell into deep confusion:

"Best friend" is truly a word with multiple meanings, isn't it?

When Xi Yujin introduced them, he always used the word "best friend." Yujin-no would even make time to chat online with his best friends in the empty rooms. He was said they hadn't been separated since their journey began. Even when they all went out to have fun, Yujin-no still diligently edited and revised manuscripts for all his friends on the spaceship.

Yujin-no said he had a group of best friends…

Gano looked at the spacious cabin. In the reception hall stood a half-meter tall spaceship model that Xi Yujin had bought. Its price was doubled because the seller could tell that Xi Yujin didn't understand the pricing. Back then, Gano hadn't been by Xi Yujin's side yet, and now, he suddenly felt something subtle stir in his heart.

—

The comparison between Mr. Zhong's Case Files and Fairy Tale of a Life and Death Romance continued to the point that readers on both sides gradually developed some genuine feelings.

Yongye had been updating explosively recently with three chapters a day, which thoroughly satisfied the readers. Xun Ming, on the other hand, seemed to be possessed by the spirit of a pigeon, updating less and less. Yongye's discussion popularity gradually caught up with Xun Ming's, becoming a hot author with no obvious weaknesses.

Today, Yongye rarely left a message in the author's notes.

"This arc, Ghost Killer, will open a new chapter for the protagonist. I'd like to thank my friend, because without him, I would've finished writing long ago."

This was quickly reposted to the forum for discussion.

 

 

[

It's rare for Yongye to speak, and he even mentioned his friend? And the tone doesn't sound like Yongye at all. More like a teasing frenemy?

—

A big shot's friend must be a big shot too!

—

Am I the only one curious about the new arc?

]

 

 

Yongye's loyal fans immediately opened Ghost Killer. It looked like a major case, and today's update didn't even clearly explain the background. The fans were even happier. If the ending wasn't revealed all at once, that meant they had more time to guess the killer! This time, they were sure they'd get it right.

 

 

[

When I arrived on this planet, I heard the news of my ex-husband's death. After all, we had once been married, so hearing this inevitably weighed on my heart. I inquired about the situation and went to the crime scene. Inside, there were two particularly striking figures. One was said to be a security officer who was temporarily transferred here, and the other was his friend, Mr. Zhong.

Mr. Zhong. Mr. Shi had praised this person in the news before.

By the way, Mr. Shi used to be my psychologist.

]

 

 

"So, it's first-person perspective this time? Interesting," an alien reader mused. "Probably to highlight Mr. Zhong's intelligence. Other novels often use this kind of contrast. The main POV messes everything up, and then the big shot comes in and effortlessly solves everything."

"I already know Yongye's pattern! Whoever the security captain initially identifies as the killer is definitely wrong!" Readers were already eager to start eliminating suspects.

"He got promoted, he's a security officer now. By the way, what's the officer's real name? And what's Mr. Zhong's real name?" Some readers always liked to focus on strange details.

 

 

[

"The deceased was a wealthy businessman," the security officer recorded the current case details.

"Because he was feeling troubled, he wanted to travel alone in space, so he set the ship to autopilot. Before departure, his cleaner confirmed that the deceased was the only person onboard. When the ship returned on autopilot, the secretary opened the door and found the businessman already dead inside.

Preliminary tests showed that the cause of death was poisoning."

"Wait, why does this ship smell like food?" the security officer complained. "Can someone turn on the cleaning system?"

One of the investigators answered weakly, "This ship is privately customized. The secretary and the cleaner who know how to operate it were both sent to the hospital earlier for eating something bad…"

Security officer: "Such coincidence?"

"Hello, I know how to operate this model of ship." I quickly stepped forward to introduce myself. "I'm… the deceased's former partner." After saying that, a sharp pain surged in my chest again. I helped them activate the cleaning system, and the ventilation fans whirred loudly. At the same time, I familiarly found a pile of trash and said apologetically, "He was rather lazy and never cleaned up after meals. That's why a ship like this absolutely needs a cleaner…"

Security officer: "Take the food residue for testing."

]

 

 

As more details of the case unfolded, guessing the killer became the readers' greatest pleasure.

"Three main characters have appeared so far. The narrator is the deceased's former partner, and the motive could be a crime of passion. The cleaner looks honest, but the motive could be money. On the other hand, the secretary's motive could be overtime burnout leading to murdering the boss. I think the last one is very likely!"

"You must work at the Flying Duck Chamber of Commerce…"

"Who did it isn't important! The key is how it was done. How did the killer poison him?"

The day after the crime, the security officer and others also felt unwell. Tests showed that they too had been poisoned, but with a different toxin: just a mild allergen. Unless you drank over 1.5 liters of it, it wouldn't be fatal.

The ship's inspection report also came out. Trace amounts of poison residue were found almost everywhere! However, the secretary and the cleaner had lived on the ship before and showed no signs of poisoning. Therefore, the poisoning must have occurred during the period when the deceased was traveling alone.

The only possibility was… a ghost killer, quietly sneaking onto the ship, poisoning it, and then quietly slipping away…

"This is a locked-room murder!" Cosmic readers had already learned these terms. "There may be perfect locked rooms in this world, but there can't be perfect murder methods. If you did it, you'll leave evidence. Hehe, Mr. Zhong's lines are so cool."

Readers who were more obsessed with deduction thought carefully.

The mainstream conclusion was that the secretary was the most likely murderer. "I" was just a tool to introduce the deceased's personality.

"I" and the deceased used to be a model couple and had chosen this ship together.

In the book, Mr. Zhong felt challenged for the first time. He stopped focusing on the motive and instead thought about the method of poisoning. Poison on the pages? Poison in the coffee pot? The deceased was lazy, so if someone mastered his habits, maybe they could poison him without being noticed.

After several chapters of the security officer searching for evidence and Mr. Zhong overturning it, Mr. Zhong finally found a clue.

 

 

[

"I actually overlooked something that was in motion," Mr. Zhong said, unusually annoyed. "The cleaning system's fans, take them apart and have a look."

Security officer: "As you command, almighty detective."

Dismantling the cleaning system was extremely difficult. It had ten windows, each with a different pattern. Once they started rotating, they instead displayed a static grid pattern that blended seamlessly into the ship's walls. Behind the ten fan blades was a deeply hidden cleaning core, which tests showed contained trace amounts of poison.

I watched from the side and even helped dismantle the fan. One of the fan blades had my handwriting on it. I loved him deeply and had once coquettishly drawn on the stationary fan blades, wanting him to think of me whenever he saw them while working.

"The poison was hidden in the cleaning core. Once it rotated, the poison would volatilize. That's how the deceased was poisoned," Mr. Zhong said. "The secretary and cleaner went to the hospital earlier because they were also poisoned."

Security officer: "Now we know the method, but how did the killer carry it out so precisely? The ship shows no signs of being dismantled since purchase. How was the poison put in? And why are there two kinds of poison?"

Mr. Zhong: "If it wasn't dismantled during use, then it was placed before use. You there, you said this ship was purchased by you and the deceased together, right?"

I said calmly, "Yes. Am I the killer? Did I kill him?" My breathing became difficult.

Mr. Zhong: "Perhaps it was you, but I haven't fully figured it out yet."

Mr. Zhong looked at me. "Let's start from the beginning. You married the deceased, bought a ship, and then poisoned it.

You and the deceased lived on the ship, but the deceased was lazy. As long as you were diligent, you could control the ship's cleaning status. You could avoid turning on the poisoned fans, and thus live in peace.

There were two types of poison on the fans. The fan with strong poison was the one with your handwriting. Since you wanted the deceased to think of you when he saw the handwriting, that fan must have never been used before. If it were sent for testing, it should serve as evidence.

After you and the deceased divorced, the deceased hired a cleaner. The system wasn't turned on for the time being, so no one was harmed.

Until the deceased traveled alone, they turned on the highly toxic fan because of the smell of food. When the ship returned on autopilot, the secretary and cleaner entered and, similarly smelling the food, turned on the fan with weak poison. That's why we were also poisoned.

But I still don't understand. After learning of the deceased's death, why did you rush to see it with your own eyes?"

I had nothing to say. Mr. Zhong was right.

I loved him too much. But I heard that he was always unfaithful, so I bought this custom ship. Once he stopped loving me, I would kill him.

That day was actually our wedding anniversary. If he had truly loved me, he would have felt restless and traveled alone. With no cleaner present, his laziness would lead him to turn on the ventilation system. If he turned on those nine vents, he would only suffer vomiting and diarrhea for a while, as punishment for leaving me.

If he had let go and didn't want to look at our past anymore, then he would activate that fan.

The fan's special feature is that when it rotates, it shows different patterns. Only when it stopped would the blades reveal the words recording our loving moments.

Since he had truly loved me, then please let him… die forever at the very moment he tries to forget his love for me.

That was why, when I heard the news of his death, I couldn't wait to come see him one last time.

]

 

 

"Damn! So that's how it was!" Readers slapped their thighs.

The serialization of Ghost Killer lasted longer than any previous case and involved a large amount of information. Besides the true culprit, "I," there were also detailed portrayals of various supporting characters, as well as humorous interactions between the security officer and Mr. Zhong. To readers, it felt like constant reversals, with hot threads floating at the top of the forum every day.

"This case is really different from before! It's more detailed and much harder to guess. It also focuses more on character psychology. I'm really looking forward to Mr. Zhong's remaining cases!"

"Using the killer's perspective... It was genuinely chilling when the killer made the final confession. The immersion was too strong. I always read in first-person POV, so I naturally felt that first-person is safe. Who would've thought that I was the mastermind!"

"That Mr. Shi is actually a mainline character and even knows Mr. Zhong. Just those few lines already make me super curious about their relationship."

 

 

[

When I confessed, I handed Mr. Zhong a business card. It belonged to my psychologist, Mr. Shi, who had instructed me to do so.

On the back of the card was a line of text: The patient in front of you is very similar to me.

Was Mr. Shi similar to me? I was just slightly obsessive about pure emotions.

Mr. Zhong's face became pale. It was the first time I'd seen this wise gentleman like that.

]

 

 

"Looks like the main villain! Welcome to the era of long-form serialization for our detective series!"

"Am I the only one who automatically loaded a 'white moonlight substitute ex-husband reunion' plot when I saw the words' very similar?"

Readers enthusiastically discussed Yongye's new case, which was showered with praise.

Because Ghost Killer contained a large amount of emotional drama, Xun Ming was once again used as a point of comparison.

Many readers flocked to Xun Ming's comment section:

"Get it together! Let that Yongye see how heart-wrenching your romance arcs can be!"

At that moment, it just so happened that Xun Ming's alt account was on its own forum helping Yongye outline a plot, which, in a way, fulfilled the readers' wishes. Unfortunately, the readers hadn't noticed it yet.

Readers were frustrated but helpless, watching Xun Ming update less and less while Yongye soared in popularity. This newcomer author competition seemed to have already concluded.

The Materialist Archive had been riding high lately and wished they could give him their novel contest award immediately, but unfortunately, it didn't meet the rules. Their contest process was special. Besides website performance scores, there were also knowledge-based theoretical defense.

"I've decided! Even if we give Yongye the question bank, we'll do everything we can to give him a high defense score!"

On the other hand, the Flying Duck Novel Network was in a state of anxiety when they suddenly spotted a comment and lit up.

"Title: Does anyone know where Yongye learned so much criminal knowledge?"

"I think I have an idea…" The big yellow ducks began discussing sinister plots. "Once our external support arrives, we'll act immediately."

—

The Flash Empire.

Big Purple emerged from the underground palace, gazed at the horizon, and muttered, "Why are the book merchants taking so long to arrive?"