8 PM.
The technical department of Hongguo Novel Network was brightly lit, with the sounds of keyboards clattering and curses rising and falling.
"This is terrible, boss! The traffic is outrageous! The newly upgraded servers are giving out warnings again!"
A bespectacled programmer with a receding hairline wailed.
The CTO stared intently at the flow curve on the screen, which was almost parallel to the y-axis, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
"Damn it, this isn't writing a novel, it's launching a DDoS attack on our server!"
Who exactly is this author, the "Dream Weaver"?
"Who knows? Anyway, the editorial department has gone crazy. The editor-in-chief has given a death order: the website must be restored to normal by midnight tonight, and that new featured spot must be put up!"
"Why are you in such a hurry for a featured spot?"
"An advertising slogan, just six words."
It took a full three hours, until 11:30 p.m.
The Hongguo Novel Network's app and website finally and tentatively became accessible again.
Countless anxious readers flooded in immediately.
Then they saw it.
On the website's homepage, in the most prominent and largest banner recommendation slot.
There were no fancy book covers, no enticing synopses, only a pure, unsettling black background.
Against the background are six large, blood-red characters.
Tonight, don't look under the bed.
This abrupt and seemingly unrelated statement, delivered in a commanding tone, instantly captured everyone's attention.
"What do you mean? The website has been hacked?"
"Is this an advertisement for a new book? What book is it? What's the title?"
"I don't know why, but seeing these words suddenly gave me the creeps..."
"Damn, I was lying on the bed looking at my phone, and now I feel a chill under the bed..."
At first, people were just curious and discussing it. But soon, someone discovered that clicking on this horizontal line would directly take them to a book's page.
Book title: The Human World is Like a Prison.
Author: Hell Dream Weaver.
"It's it! It's that divine book!"
"Holy crap! This advertising slogan is from 'Human World is Like Hell'? The author is really something else!"
This discovery was like a nuclear bomb detonating on the internet.
What was originally a fear that was only spreading in a small circle among students has spread to the whole society at an exponential rate thanks to the full-scale promotion by the huge platform of Hongguo Novel Network.
The phrase "Don't look under the bed tonight" has become a viral internet meme, like a vicious curse or a switch for psychological suggestion.
Countless people shared this screenshot on social media, adding various terrified emojis.
My mom just asked me to get something from under the bed, and I absolutely refused. Now she thinks I've gone crazy.
I just video-chatted with my girlfriend. She was lying in bed, and I told her to move the camera down so she could see under the bed. Now I'm single again.
My bed is the kind that sits directly on the floor, without any bottom. I feel like I've won the whole world!
[Upstairs, what if... it's in your mattress?]
The comment section instantly spawned tens of thousands of replies saying "Don't come any closer!"
...
In Shen Qingqiu's apartment.
She had just finished showering and was sitting at her desk preparing her lesson plans for tomorrow, wearing a silk robe.
As a Chinese language teacher, she habitually opened the Hongguo Novel Network to see what new literary trends were emerging.
Then, she also saw the line of blood-red words.
"Don't look under the bed tonight."
Shen Qingqiu's breath hitched for a second.
It's that feeling again.
It was the exact same feeling she had when she was grading Lin Que's essay "Back to Back".
A chill that is utterly irrational yet strikes straight to the soul.
She instinctively curled her toes, afraid to let her feet touch the ground.
"It's that guy again... the Hell Dream Weaver."
She opened the page for "Human World is Like Hell," and looking at the rapidly increasing data and the wailing and howling of readers in the comment section, her heart was in turmoil.
Who exactly is this author?
Why is it that his writing always manages to pinpoint people's deepest fears?
From the ceiling, to the knocking on the door, and then to under the bed...
These are the most common elements in daily life.
He recombined them in a bizarre way, turning them into terrifying symbols that could make anyone nervous.
This is a talent, a talent that is almost like witchcraft.
She inexplicably thought of Lin Que.
I was reminded of that boy who slept in class but wrote amazing essays.
I remembered his wicked expression that said, "I'm satisfied as long as I scare people."
I remembered him speaking in a sinister tone in the classroom today.
"Perhaps something is already peering out the window."
...
An absurd thought popped into my head uncontrollably.
Could it be...?
No, that's impossible.
Shen Qingqiu immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea.
Lin Que is just a high school student. Even if he has some literary talent, how could he possibly write such a sophisticated, vicious, and even groundbreaking work?
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