Author's Note: End-of-Book Postscript

Author's Note: End-of-Volume Postscript

The last time I wrote about the Night of the Witches was, well, the last time—two whole years ago. When I was writing Superman Termination Manual, I was twenty-one, and that story ground to a halt right during the major Night of the Witches event.

As I recall, my health fell apart back then and real-life pressure got so heavy that my depression flared up, leading to an abrupt, full-blown hiatus. That was a deeply lost and painful year for me. I'd thought having a novel hit ten thousand average subscriptions was already great, only to find out my family was buried in massive debt.

I used to think that as long as I did one thing well, I could clear the game of life. Afterward, I slowly realized life wasn't nearly as easy as I'd imagined. I saw that I didn't have the luxury of climbing at my own pace, and I sank into an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

When I wrote Becoming the Boss, I was twenty-two—last year. Last year was both the most stressful and the happiest year of my life. I made the leap from ten thousand average subscriptions all the way to sixty thousand. Not only did I win the Twelve Heavenly Kings award, but the experience also gave me a lot of unexpected resilience, especially when it comes to handling pressure.

Of course, nothing has gone smoothly this year either—family issues, health problems... So I started this novel, and right around that time, I happened to get back in touch with the real-life prototypes for the players in the book: Fanquan, Qing Meng, Orange Peel, and the rest.

Only then did it hit me in a daze that we've actually known each other for years. Fanquan has always been a fascinating subject to observe—learned and sharp. Qing Meng is the big sister figure who's always threatening to stub out cigarettes on my ass, though when I made the Twelve Heavenly Kings, she drew an avatar display for me (some aloof heartthrob in a suit). Orange Peel is my personal shitpost courier. So I decided to give them all gruesome deaths in the story to express my heartfelt gratitude (

Naturally, after starting Extinction Guide, things still mostly went sideways. My friends all joked that it was the curse of the Night of the Witches, but I finally managed to push past this hurdle. It always feels like one of those annual milestones where I grind monsters to Level Up.

Regardless, I've finally finished this volume. The funny thing is, right as I was writing the final chapter of the Night of the Witches, my family texted me asking to borrow a million yuan, promising to pay back a hundred thousand a year after that, and even said they'd drafted an IOU and called over relatives to witness it—

None of that matters anymore, though. I'll be leaving before long anyway.

Sometimes I think how nice it would be if I were a billionaire. Then I wouldn't have to stress over a million yuan, and getting scammed out of tens of thousands by a friend wouldn't leave me obsessing over every cent or feeling like an idiot. Sadly, I can't quite be that open-minded just yet.

So I've decided to press full speed ahead, keep moving forward, and make myself stronger so I don't get trapped in these pointless, messy situations anymore.

Also, let me clear up a rumor.

I really don't like femboys. My sexual orientation is completely normal. I have no idea why chat logs have been circulating in QQ groups lately claiming I got milked for cash by a femboy. This rumor has been chasing me for two whole years, and some femboys who saw the logs even tried coming into my livestream to shake me down for money, which genuinely drove me crazy.

The person who started the rumor was a young guy who copied me by dropping out of school to write web novels, got exposed for plagiarism, and left the circle. I was pretty speechless at first, but after thinking about it, I decided to let it go.

Whether you're a guy, a girl, a femboy, transgender, or an attack helicopter, I forgive you. Nobody has it easy, so let's all just live our lives well.

Besides that, in a few days I'll be heading to Hangzhou to attend the creator conference held by Yuewen Official.

While I'm there, I'll do a joint livestream and play some games with my idol, Stewed Snow Pear Tea. Chapter updates will probably be posted a bit earlier than usual since I have to attend the event.

That's all for now. Lastly, let me ask for some monthly tickets while I'm at it. Thank you all for your continued support!