Doupo Ablaze

"It's been half a month since you and that guy Cook finalized the contract, hasn't it? How are the novel's sales doing?"

"Not bad. Among the new books released around the same time, it's doing passably well. Of course, it still can't compare with some of the established veteran authors."

"You should be satisfied, kid! It was your first book, and you still achieved results like this. What more do you want? Do you really think you can compare with authors who've been famous for years?"

"Of course! After all, I'm Sheriff Marcus's junior. If I can't outdo them, wouldn't that embarrass you?"

"You little brat..."

In the passenger seat of a police car, Li Congxin was chatting merrily with Sheriff Marcus of the Manhattan Police Department.

As the saying went, having connections made things easier. Even in America's Marvel world, it was the same.

By sheer coincidence, the squad dispatched today was led by Marcus. The moment he realized that the person involved was Li Congxin, his concern immediately shifted from the street brawl to whether Li Congxin's injuries were serious.

As for the few thugs, who clearly had quite a few prior offenses, they had vanished the moment they heard the sirens.

As the only person involved, and an acquaintance of Sheriff Marcus at that, Li Congxin could tell the truth however he pleased, couldn't he?

And so, Li Congxin became both a victim of New York City's poor public safety and a good citizen who had bravely fought criminals. After receiving some basic treatment from medical personnel at the police station, he was personally driven home by Sheriff Marcus. It was practically the treatment of a young master.

If those thugs saw this scene, who knew whether they might lose hope and call 911 to report themselves?

"I suggest you buy a car yourself. At the very least, don't take those secluded alleys just to save yourself some trouble. New York's public safety..." When they reached the building where Li Congxin lived, Marcus still couldn't help reminding him. But given his own identity, he really had no grounds to criticize public safety. He could only give an awkward cough and say, "Be careful."

"Thanks for the reminder, Uncle Marcus. I will." Li Congxin agreed readily, but he said nothing about what he would actually do.

Would he buy a car, pay more attention to his safety, or continue taking secluded alleys?

As he said goodbye to Marcus and headed upstairs, Li Congxin glanced at the several hundred Impression Points that had surged on the system interface. He had already made up his mind.

When driven by profit, America's efficiency could still be counted on.

After "Doupo Cangqiong" was signed, the publisher spent only one week completing the cover design, advertising, typesetting, printing, and all the other preparations. On Monday of the following week, it officially went on sale at bookstores throughout the city.

However, because the early publicity had been rather rushed, and because Li Congxin was a complete newcomer, sales during the first two days could only be considered passable. It had not displayed the overwhelming momentum "Doupo Cangqiong" should have had.

Starting on the third day, however, sales of "Doupo Cangqiong" suddenly began skyrocketing. By the time the first week's sales figures were compiled, its performance had left the other newcomers' works far behind. It even showed signs of catching up to the sales of established authors.

In the second week, that momentum became reality. With cumulative sales of one hundred thousand copies, "Doupo Cangqiong" ranked in the middle of the bestselling-books chart. This result could be said to have secured it a place in America's literary world. After all, the competition included every book released during the same period as "Doupo Cangqiong," including—but not limited to—novels.

For a simple example, the "Playboy" magazine series published during the same period was also included in the rankings!

If only novel sales were counted, "Doupo Cangqiong" was already one of the best performers.

As for why its sales had so coincidentally reached exactly one hundred thousand copies—not more and not less—

It actually wasn't a coincidence. The publisher had only printed one hundred thousand copies!

The first volume of "Doupo Cangqiong," all one hundred thousand copies, sold out by Friday of the second week. As a result, it missed the weekend's prime sales period, which had a considerable impact on its numbers. If this had happened back home, the publisher would certainly have organized the workers to work overtime and print more copies to meet market demand.

But this was America, a nation that paid lip service to "freedom and democracy," where the workers' awareness of their rights was frighteningly strong.

Overtime?

Heh!

Not happening!

Even so, this happened to fit perfectly with the concept of hunger marketing.

For a time, following "Doupo Cangqiong" became fashionable. This trend was especially unstoppable among teenagers. With the new school term arriving, owning a copy of "Doupo Cangqiong" had become a source of pride to show off in front of one's classmates.

The students' discussions during breaks revolved entirely around "Doupo Cangqiong." Phrases like "Don't look down on a poor youth," "Fen Jue," "Karma Fire Red Lotus," and "Terrifying indeed" became their catchphrases. Those who had read it could boast to their heart's content, while those who hadn't could only stand there bewildered.

Naturally, the students who hadn't read it were unwilling to accept that. But the books on the market had already sold out, so they could only save up enough money and secretly swear that once the new batch came out, they would be the first to buy a deluxe hardcover edition. Just wait until I show off in front of you!

Inside a bar in Manhattan, two youths who looked remarkably like Quicksilver and a fat boy were chatting about "Doupo Cangqiong."

One of the Quicksilver lookalikes, a black-haired young man, suddenly said, "Have you two ever thought about becoming superheroes yourselves?"

The other Quicksilver lookalike, a blond young man, immediately shook his head. "Whoa! Dave, you've gone crazy. How could you even think of something like that? 'Doupo Cangqiong' is only a story. Don't take it so seriously. Besides, Xiao isn't a superhero in the traditional sense."

The black-haired "Quicksilver" called Dave shook his head seriously. "I know. But in him, I saw a brave and determined heart. I believe that's the quality essential to becoming a superhero."

At that point, the little fat boy sitting nearby couldn't help speaking up. "Oh, Dave. I suggest you give up on that unrealistic idea as soon as possible. The society we live in is completely different from the one described in the book!"

Hearing both companions oppose him, Dave shook his head helplessly. "It's a shame Clark isn't here. Otherwise, he would definitely take my side."

The blond Quicksilver nodded as well. "That guy's been working out and studying Eastern martial arts lately. He really does look like he's trying to become a superhero. But as far as I know, he started working out as soon as summer vacation began, while he started learning kung fu before 'Doupo Cangqiong' went on sale."

The black-haired Quicksilver said nothing more, but a determined light shone in his eyes.

"Peter!" At the same time, inside a house in Queens, Ben Parker called out loudly for his beloved nephew as he opened the door and entered.

Soon, a boy who looked only seven or eight years old ran out of a room. "Uncle Ben, you're back."

"Peter, look what I brought you!" As he spoke, Ben took a hardcover copy of "Doupo Cangqiong" from his backpack and waved it in front of Peter.

The young Peter's eyes immediately lit up. He jumped for joy, and after taking the book from Ben, he said with barely contained excitement, "This is so cool! Uncle Ben, do you know how impressive the few classmates who own this book look at school?"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't look down on a poor youth!"

"I, Peter Parker, will become an upright man like Xiao one day!"

On a bench in an unknown town, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit and holding a cane set down the copy of "Doupo Cangqiong" in his hands and murmured, "I never expected human subjective initiative to contain such enormous potential. It can even defy fate and change one's destiny?"

He shook his head, clearly unconvinced by the idea of "defying fate and changing one's destiny."

But after glancing again at the copy of "Doupo Cangqiong" he had already closed, he still shook his head and muttered, "Although it can't defy fate and change one's destiny, it can improve work efficiency. It seems that the boy named Johnny isn't the best choice after all..."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man rose to his feet and began walking toward New York City.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, but anyone who looked closely would have discovered that his shadow did not match his gentlemanly appearance. It looked more like a hunched devil!

Scenes like Dave's and Peter's were taking place all over New York City. Most people were merely enjoying the spectacle, though. There were very few hotheaded fools who were genuinely inspired by a novel to become superheroes.

At the start of the third week, the publisher immediately sprang into action. It halted all other work that could be suspended and devoted every resource to printing "Doupo Cangqiong." After looking at this week's sales figures and being overjoyed, the publisher's owner directly gave Cook a bonus and told him to keep in contact with Li Congxin. If he could fully negotiate the publishing rights to "Doupo Cangqiong," he would be promoted straight to editor-in-chief!

At the same time, the publisher's owner seized the opportunity to sign contracts with other publishers, borrowing their resources to expand the print run.

Early Monday morning, the second batch of printed copies of "Doupo Cangqiong" officially went on sale, and all the major bookstores were immediately packed with people.

When the third week's sales figures were released, the results shocked everyone. With sales of more than 3.4 million copies, "Doupo Cangqiong" became the second-highest-selling book released in New York City that period, surpassed only by "Playboy" magazine.

The "Doupo Cangqiong" craze had only just begun!

As the new book sold like hotcakes, Li Congxin also gained a massive number of Impression Points. After adding them to several BGM tracks, his system attributes became...

BGM currently activated:

"Calories"

Level: 6 (0/1,000,000)

Effect: Increases the effectiveness of exercise by 60% while reducing the fatigue and injuries caused by exercise by 60%.

"A Man Should Better Himself"

Level: 4 (0/1,000,000)

Effect: Keeps the user calm and composed in battle while increasing combat awareness by 80%.

"Chinese Kung Fu"

Level: 4 (0/1,000,000)

Effect: Increases the speed of training in combat techniques by 80%.

Impression Points remaining: 13,265