First Standalone Chapter

I had insomnia again.

After lying awake for several hours, I figured I might as well chat with everyone about something.

This should be the first standalone chapter of The Naming of the Night.

This kind of story was also my first attempt at writing a protagonist from such a family background.

In interviews, I said there were some personal experiences mixed into it, but the truth was, I wasn't as strong as Qing Chen.

What Qing Chen was doing now was more what I wanted to do but had never dared to.

So I often said that when everyone read a novel, they shouldn't connect the author to the story.

A novel was a novel, and an author was an author.

Someone like me was merely hiding behind a computer and telling everyone a story.

I once wanted to report my father, but I didn't.

I once wanted to leave my hometown, but I didn't.

The year before last, he even tricked me out of money.

It wasn't until last year that I finally made myself be ruthless.

The only advice I have for you is this: stay away from gamblers.

No need to leave comforting words in the comments. I wasn't sad about it now, and it didn't stir up much emotion in me.

The reason I wrote this book, this subject matter,

was because I found it very interesting.

A group of people collectively traveled through time, and everyone's identity changed. Children became little princesses, wealthy young masters became members of the lowest social class. When I thought about the dramatic tension brought by those changes in human nature, and the things I would write later, I felt happy.

I truly had the urge to tell this story. I liked Qing Chen, and I liked this story too.

So rather than calling it cyberpunk, I preferred to call it a group time-travel story.

Cyberpunk was merely the form carrying it. The real core was still the stories between people.

A person's urge to express themselves was limited, and I had noticed the impulse to leave this industry beginning to rise within me.

Years of typing had left me with a body full of ailments. One day, I would be unable to bear it any longer.

While writing, whenever I closed my eyes, all I saw was the plot. The moment I thought of something, I had to get up and revise the content, or I simply couldn't sleep.

I wasn't sure how many more stories I would write. Maybe after a few more, I would rest for a while, then come back.

Who knew?

What mattered most was cherishing the present.

I slacked off through the entirety of The First Sequence, never properly updating for everyone, and took leave several times. Of course, even with those leaves, it didn't change the fact that The First Sequence was an incredibly awesome story.

This book probably wouldn't be like that. Unless I got sick, I would hold on.

My enthusiasm for writing now felt like it had returned to the King days. I could pump myself up every minute.

Of course, I still had to give everyone a warning: as the ending drew near, the update speed would definitely slow down, because that period would be too difficult.

There would be no authorities in this book.

Because it was a labor of love, I truly didn't want to wake up one day and see "404" on the novel's page.

I didn't want it to be banned because of forces beyond my control.

So let me repeat: there would be no authorities in this book. No authorities.

At most, there would be organizations like Kunlun.

Don't be too confused. I just had a strong desire to survive...

So if everyone could understand, then if someone questioned it again, please help explain it for me.

This book had actually only reached 90,000 words, yet I was already feeling emotional.

For no apparent reason, it entered the Monthly Ticket Ranking, and then so many old friends suddenly returned.

When those familiar old friends appeared, it felt like I had returned to those days when we fought side by side, battling it out on the rankings.

It was fucking passionate.

That's all I'll say.

I would put every ounce of my strength into writing a good story.

As for the rest,

time would give me the answer.

Thank you all for your support.

Thank you again.