I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

The mechanical exhaust fan in the basement emitted a dull hum, sending cool air, carrying the smell of acid rain, into the house.

Yu Wen was jolted awake by a sharp pain that felt as if his brain had been drained. He gasped for breath, his thin shirt soaked with cold sweat.

The side effects of the substandard nerve-blocking solution were more severe than he had imagined.

This was the second time it had been used. The price of forcibly severing nerve pain sensations and overdrawing brainpower to enter a "hyper-memory" state was now being transformed into thousands of tiny steel needles, frantically piercing his cerebral cortex.

"Cough cough..."

Yu Wen coughed weakly twice and turned to look at the corner. The tattered sponge mat that belonged to Yu Yin was now empty. On the rusty tin table next to it was a bowl of porridge covered with a heat lamp, and next to it was a note weighed down with a scrap of paper, on which a smiley face was drawn.

The little girl has already gone to school.

In this cold cyber age, although class is as solidified as steel, the only advantage is that the top-level conglomerates have set an ironclad rule to ensure the stable output of "human resources" and "computing power batteries" at the bottom: no matter how poor people are, they will not starve to death, and they will receive free low-quality synthetic starch every month; every child will also have free public school to attend when they reach the right age.

Of course, these schools don't teach critical thinking skills, but rather the most basic mechanical repair, waste sorting, and how to better adapt to holographic networks and AI commands.

Yu Wen laboriously turned his wheelchair to the table, picked up the bowl of porridge with a strong industrial flavor, and swallowed it mouthful by mouthful, suppressing the churning in his stomach.

He had to eat. His body was in such poor condition that he didn't know how many more times he could withstand the side effects of the medication if he didn't replenish even the lowest quality calories.

After slumping in his chair for a good half hour to recover, the pricking sensation in his head finally subsided slightly. Yu Wen took a deep breath, wheeled himself to the computer, and pressed the power button.

The screen lit up, casting a pale blue light on his face.

He skillfully logged into the author backend of "Weiguang Literature".

He had only intended to check if there were any errors in the chapter that was scheduled to be released last night. However, when he opened the work data panel, he was stunned.

[Message Notification: 99+]

[Added 342 paragraph comments]

[New favorites: 128]

Yu Wen was somewhat surprised.

This data wouldn't even make a ripple in the context of "Yuntu Literature," a major publishing company that ripped off the original owner of three million yuan. However, in Weiguang Literature, a platform with extremely low traffic, and especially for a new book with a ridiculously tacky cover and no recommended placements, this is definitely a small-scale "data explosion."

"Why are so many people here all of a sudden?"

He clicked on the book review section, and upon closer inspection, sure enough... the screen was filled with red comments, almost drowned out by various insults directed at his ancestors.

[What kind of trashy, antisocial, and toxic novel is this?! The male lead goes to a prostitute and beats up his pregnant wife?! Author, has your brain been eaten by a radiation-ridden pig?!]

[Dad falls into a cesspool and dies? Is this a plot a carbon-based life form could come up with?!]

[Run, everyone! This book has no cheat codes, no face-slapping, it's pure garbage! Extremely toxic!!!]

Looking at these angry negative reviews, Yu Wen remained expressionless, without even a ripple of emotion in his heart.

This was entirely within his expectations. Readers who had been raised on AI-powered industrial saccharin would surely spit out their saliva when they tasted raw, unprocessed bitter melon for the first time.

What truly caught his attention were the lengthy essays left by "advanced readers" with thousands or even tens of thousands of hours of reading time, amidst the barrage of insults.

They were actually seriously analyzing the plot of this "toxic novel" and, based on their deeply ingrained online novel tropes, wildly speculating on what would happen next.

The most liked and top-rated comment came from a reader with the ID "明明如月".

Yu Wen glanced at his badge: 15000 hours of reading time, making him the highest-ranking commenter in the section.

A detailed analysis of the review of 【明明如月】:

"Brothers, hold your fire! Let this veteran bookworm give you an in-depth analysis. Although the beginning of this book is extremely depressing, the author has actually planted a lot of foreshadowing!"

Everyone thinks, how could a hundred acres of land and a grand mansion just disappear like that? Is the protagonist, Fugui, really a gambling addict? Wrong! This is clearly an invincible "destruction before construction" trope!

First, the fact that my father fell to his death from the latrine may seem humiliating on the surface, but it was actually some kind of blood sacrifice ritual! I bet the Xu family ancestors were definitely not simple.

Secondly, Long Er orchestrated the scheme to win the land. This is a typical example of a cunning little villain and a benefactor in the early stages of the story. You think Fu Gui was suffering as a tenant farmer? You're too naive! He definitely discovered some kind of [Ancient Shennong System] or [Cultivation Spiritual Field] in those five acres of land!

Third, and most importantly, the turning point—his wife, Jia Zhen, returned from the city! A classic example of the heroine's heart returning home!

I boldly predict: in the next chapter, Fugui will dig up a cultivation technique left by the Xu family ancestor in the field, or even awaken a system! Then, relying on the mutated spiritual plants he cultivates, he'll forcefully return to the city, crush Long Er, and reclaim his ancestral home! As for that father-in-law who looked down on him, he'll definitely be kneeling on the ground begging him to take in Jia Zhen! Trust me, this book is absolutely a masterpiece that will make you feel like you're on top of the world in the later stages; the author is playing a grand game!

Below this were a bunch of replies that seemed to say, "Oh, I see!"

[Holy crap! This guy's amazing! No wonder his writing was so steady, he was holding back a big surprise!]

[Case solved! I knew Jia Zhen wouldn't have returned for no reason; she must have sensed some kind of domineering aura awakening within the male protagonist!]

[Waiting for Old Man Fugui to return to his peak, tear Long Er apart, and turn that hundred acres of land into a spiritual herb base!]

So Dad's death was a ritual to awaken his magical power? That's alright then, Dad died a good death, a fitting end!

Looking at these serious and well-organized "plot analyses," Yu Wen leaned back in his wheelchair, stunned for a full three seconds, before he couldn't help but clutch his stomach and burst out laughing in the basement.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

He couldn't help but laugh, and a few tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

What bloodline sacrifice? What Shennong system? What mutated spiritual plants that tear apart villains?

Yu Wen suppressed his smile, forcing back the throbbing pain deep in his mind, and placed his hands on the cold mechanical keyboard once more.

He had no intention of replying or defending himself in the comments section.