Chapter 123: Webcomics Go Viral – A New Cultural and Creative Plan
At the same moment, deep within the data world.
The silvery-white aura emanating from Xinglin was much more stable than when he awoke.
He hovered inside the safe house, receiving warm energy from the farm to repair himself while organizing the data sent by Zhulong and pondering his next work plan.
The "victim files" compiled by Bailing are so large they are suffocating.
Thousands of names, each name representing a life taken from a family, a broken home.
The silvery-white halo of starlight rippled slightly.
He remembered more things.
It wasn't just what he heard, but also what he experienced.
In those worlds he once considered his mission, there was Lena and her mother who longed to see the sea, Ajay and the orchids on his balcony, Grandma Marta and her collection of fairy tales…
These are not just names and numbers in the files.
They are people who have lived, people with hobbies, dreams, and concerns.
Xinglin made the decision almost without hesitation.
Inside the safe house, he used the remaining energy from repairing the code to build an extremely sophisticated "fine-tuning system".
The system's function is simple: to return those "story fragments" to their rightful places in the most subtle way, without affecting the overall operation of the world.
For example, a pot of blooming sunflowers quietly appeared on Lina's mother's windowsill, the same variety as the ones Lina had once grown.
For example, in A-Jie's old apartment, the new tenants found several packets of well-preserved orchid seeds in the corner of the balcony, along with a planting note with childlike handwriting.
For example, in a corner of the community library, there is a hand-bound collection of fairy tales, which contains 378 fairy tales from all over the world, exactly the number collected by Grandma Marta.
These "gifts" will not change the course of the world, will not reverse life and death, and will not bring back those who have already left this world with regret.
But they will be like tiny specks of light, illuminating a corner of the living's memory, preventing those lives that were taken from being completely annihilated without a trace.
Although Xinglin knew that this was far from enough.
But this is the only small comfort he can think of and do right now.
So he started working.
The first coordinate is EW-7331 world.
A tiny stream of data separated from the starlight's silvery halo and quietly slipped into that world along the most concealed path allowed by the new protocol.
He found Lina's old apartment, where her aging mother still lived, wiping her daughter's photos every day.
The starlight on the flower stand outside the window created a tiny growth acceleration field.
The next morning, when the mother opened the curtains, she would see a sunflower quietly blooming in the morning light, just like the one her daughter had planted.
After this operation was completed, Xinglin's silvery-white halo noticeably dimmed.
Even if the consumption was greater than he had anticipated.
But he didn't stop.
The second coordinate is TF-4419 world.
The third coordinate, PL-8892 world...
He consumes one unit of energy for each task he completes.
Although the farm receives a constant supply of warm energy, its own need for repair is equally immense.
Starfall found a delicate balance between the two, using farm energy to maintain basic repair progress and using its own reserves to complete those fine-tuning tasks.
very tired.
But after each completion, the subtle fluctuations from the world perceived through the special channel, the tears and smiles that suddenly welled up in the mother's eyes when she saw the sunflowers, the vague joy and relaxation felt by the tenant when planting the orchids, and the light in the children's eyes when they opened the fairy tale book...
These feedbacks made him feel that it was all worthwhile.
After completing the forty-seventh coordinate, Starfall had to pause.
His silvery-white aura had become so transparent that it was almost invisible, and the brightness of his core had dropped to a dangerous threshold.
"You should rest," came Zhulong's voice, tinged with disapproval. "You're overdrawing your energy."
"I know," Xinglin admitted frankly, "but I can't wait. This actually makes me feel a little better."
"You have plenty of time to do it slowly; your life in the data world is practically endless..."
“Yes, but can they afford to wait?” Xinglin interrupted Zhulong. “In the long run, I don’t want to wait until almost no one remembers them before taking any action. Only after completing one can I forgive myself a little.”
Zhulong was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't torture yourself like this. You've done so much. It's not a bad thing to be a little forgiving of yourself sometimes."
"This is not torture." Xinglin's aura was faint but firm. "This will be my rebirth."
He took one last look at the farm.
Shi Wan and Lin Yao were eating in the cafeteria, chatting and laughing.
Tangyuan squatted on Shi Wan's lap, eagerly waiting for her to feed her.
The sun shines brightly outside the window, and the farm is full of life.
Everything is fine.
That's enough.
The starlight's silvery-white halo slowly contracted, entering a low-power recovery state.
But deep in their consciousness, those lists of "fine-tuning" coordinates are still running silently, one after another, slowly but steadily.
The night is long, but dawn will eventually break.
Before that, someone has to leave a glimmer of light for those who can't wait for dawn.
Even if it's just a faint light.
Even if it's just for a moment.
As evening fell, Lin Yao left the farm with a wealth of materials and inspiration.
She agreed to come back in a week, bringing the first batch of illustration drafts.
After seeing her off, Shi Wan returned to the warehouse to check on Rou Rou and the kitten.
The little spot can already walk steadily and is chasing after Tangyuan's tail.
Rou Rou watched from the side, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Time flies," Shi Wan said softly.
"Meow." Tangyuan shook off the little spot and jumped into Shi Wan's arms. "Wanwan, we made a new friend today!"
"Yes." Shi Wan rubbed his head. "Lin Yao is a very good person, and Jin Dian is also very good."
She looked up at the window, where the setting sun had painted the sky a warm orange-red.
The cat-head bracelet on her wrist gleamed with a warm light in the twilight.
Shi Wan gently stroked the bracelet, thinking to herself, "Xinglin, new friends came to the farm today, and the kittens have grown up again. When will you come back to see them?"
There was no response.
But the bracelet felt warm, as if silently saying, "Soon."
soon.
Three days after Lin Yao returned, the farm's social media accounts suddenly experienced a small surge in traffic.
It all started with her first set of farm-themed comics.
Shi Wan was in the fresh food kitchen at the time testing a new version of dog treats, which she made especially for Da Huang.
Dahuang has recently shown great enthusiasm for chicken-flavored chew sticks, but Shiwan suspects that it just likes the crunchy texture, after all, Dahuang also enjoys eating freeze-dried carrots.
Her phone vibrated repeatedly. She wiped her hands and opened it, only to find that the farm account's fan group had exploded.
"I don't want to go to work today either: Holy crap! This comic strip! Who drew it?! Come out and get some praise!"
"Cats Save the World: Hahahaha, Jin Dian's pitiful expression is so lifelike! The humility of a leopard cat!"
"The Tangyuan's leg accessory: Am I the only one who noticed the Tangyuan Farm owner's disdainful gaze? Heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one gold! The artist captured the essence!"
FarmCloud shareholder: When will the new merchandise be released?! I want ten of those "Leopard Cat's Visiting Relatives Diary" keychains!
Shi Wan clicked on the latest push notification from her account, completely bewildered.
Then she froze.
It was a four-panel comic strip titled "About My Leopard Cat's Weekly Visits to the Farm."
First panel: A majestic Bengal cat sits on the back seat of a car, its eyes sharp, accompanied by the caption, "Let's go! To see my wife and kids!"
Second panel: The leopard cat gets out of the car, sees the window of the farm activity room, and its eyes light up with stars. The caption reads, "It's Meatball! And my baby too!"
Third panel: The leopard cat, intimidated by the glare of a pure white lion cat, instantly shrank into flat ears, accompanied by the caption, "Farmer, I was wrong, I won't dare to be disrespectful..."
Fourth panel: A leopard cat lies on the ground, with four kittens crawling all over it. It has a blissful expression that says "I'd rather die than die," accompanied by the caption "Worth it QAQ."
The art style is somewhere between realism and chibi, possessing both the graceful lines of a leopard cat and an indescribable endearing clumsiness.
The change in Jin Dian's expression, from arrogance to humility and then to happiness, was particularly vivid.
The comic strip has already garnered thousands of comments.
"A professional cat lover for twenty years: LOL, this is a real-life version of a 'wife-chasing-after-the-cremation' novel!"
"A real man should watch this: I actually saw the longing for a 'wife, kids, and a warm bed' in a leopard cat..."
"Animal behavior research in progress: From a professional point of view, this leopard cat's body language does indeed show a strong desire for belonging and a sense of family. The artist's observation is very meticulous."
"Farm address requested: So is this a true story? A cross-species romance between a leopard cat and a Sissoko? And they even had kittens?! This is like a Jinjiang novel plot coming to life!"
Shi Wan scrolled through the comments, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.
She sent Lin Yao a message: "I saw the comic strip, it's really well drawn."
Lin Yao replied instantly, "Hehe, inspiration strikes and I can't stop it. By the way, I also designed a few sketches of some merchandise based on farm elements. Can I send them to you?"
Then they sent over several design drawings.
The first picture is from the keychain series. The Q version of Tangyuan (glutinous rice ball) has its heterochromatic eyes enlarged and a domineering CEO expression that says "I grant your permission."
Rou Rou is lying gracefully on her side, her eyes showing a mix of indifference and tenderness. Jin Dian has airplane ears and her eyes look aggrieved but expectant. The other four kittens each have their own unique and adorable poses.
The second one is a sticker series, depicting everyday scenes on the farm: the moment when the mountain wind twitches its ears while on guard duty, the little cats chasing their own tails in circles, catnip swaying in the sunlight in the greenhouse, and the enticing aroma wafting from the fresh food kitchen. She drew an anthropomorphic little ghost of fragrance, holding a bowl of cat food.
The third image that surprised Shi Wan the most was a set of agricultural product packaging design sketches.
The cat food bag features a serious-looking glutinous rice ball next to the words "Certified by this cat, eat it and you'll become stronger." The mother cat nutritional paste tube has a picture of a chubby cat gently licking a kitten, with the words "The taste of mom." There are also dog-related illustrations. The chew stick packaging features a big yellow cat grinning with a silly expression, with the words "Crunchy, chicken flavor."
The design style is consistent, retaining the warm and cozy feel of the farm while incorporating humorous elements that appeal to young people.
Shi Wan's eyes lit up, and she immediately made a voice call, "These designs are amazing! Especially the packaging, it's cuter and more humorous than the packaging we use now."
Lin Yao laughed smugly on the other end of the line, "I knew you would like it. Actually, I have my own selfish reasons. Our research institute is currently working on a project called 'Urban Residents' Pet Relationships and Consumption Behaviors.' If we can collaborate with your farm to launch co-branded products and collect user feedback, it will be very helpful for my thesis."
“Of course we can cooperate!” Shi Wan agreed immediately. “But I need to ask the farmer’s opinion first.”
As she spoke, she looked at Tangyuan, who was squatting by the kitchen counter supervising her as she made dog treats.
Tangyuan looked up, her heterochromatic eyes blinking. "What's wrong, Wanwan? Do you have a new toy?"
Shi Wan turned her phone screen towards him, "Look, Lin Yao drew you as a keychain."
Tangyuan leaned closer for a look, her ears twitching. "This one... looks so majestic!"
Do you like it?
"I like it!" Tangyuan stood up straight. "But I think my eyes could be bigger. My eyes are very pretty."
Shi Wan chuckled and relayed these words to Lin Yao.
Lin Yao laughed uncontrollably on the other end of the phone, "Okay, okay, I'll turn up the colored contact lenses to the maximum for our farm owner!"
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