Chapter Ninety-Three: The Battle for Monthly Tickets

“I really envy those two sisters, having a brother like that. Feifei, look at Su Tong’s smile—it’s a genuine smile from the heart, so pure and real, something we’ve never seen from him before.” Watching Su Tong and his sisters walk home together, close-knit beneath the evening sun, their laughter echoing, Lin Yin couldn’t help but speak with a tinge of jealousy.

Yang Feifei snorted softly, feeling uneasy. Su Tong was kind to her and Sister Yaya, but that kindness felt forced, like he was trying to please them, never truly genuine, always guarded. Only when she saw him with Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao did she realize how carefree and open he could be—joyful, unburdened, utterly sincere.

“Let’s go home, too,” Yaya finally said, glancing once more at Su Tong before opening the car door.

Tonight was the happiest night Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao had had in a month. The two sisters had endless stories to share with Su Tong. Xiaoxiao even insisted on following him into the bathroom, as if afraid he might run away.

Their father came home from the construction site that evening sober for once, and the whole family ate together, laughter filling the house. Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao’s crisp voices rang throughout the rooms.

Their father and Xiaoyu had already helped Su Tong tidy up his room. After dinner, Su Tong returned to his room and turned on his computer.

It was the last day of September, and on the monthly ticket rankings of DianDian, “Coiling Dragon” and “The Great God” were locked in a fierce battle. Both novels had already broken the all-time monthly ticket record on DianDian since the previous night.

Before this, the highest monthly ticket record was 46,871, set two years ago. Now, both “Coiling Dragon” and “The Great God” had surpassed 55,000 votes.

“Damn, this is terrifying—this newcomer is about to dethrone a god!”

“Back then, I thought it was just wishful thinking. I never imagined the League of Heroes would battle the Dragon Alliance to this extent.”

“‘The Great God’ just launched. Normally, the Dragon Alliance would still have a lot of old fans who haven’t returned to DianDian, but it looks like they’ve already rallied most of their core supporters.”

“Haha, I’m rooting for the newcomer to dethrone the god—my vote goes to Nian Nu Jiao!”

“I’m voting for ‘Coiling Dragon.’ The League of Heroes just doesn’t have the background; when it comes down to it, they can’t compete with the Dragon Alliance.”

“‘Coiling Dragon’ is a great read! I’m not anyone’s die-hard fan, I just vote for whichever book makes me happy.”

“I feel bad for the god this time—so many are supporting the newcomer. It feels like the twilight of a hero, abandoned by friends and allies. I’ll cast my vote for ‘The Great God.’”

“This newcomer must be using bots. How can there be so many votes? Down with the cheaters—I support ‘The Great God’!”

…

Among the readers on DianDian, most enjoyed the spectacle. Some supported the newcomer, others the established author. But overall, the newcomer had more support.

Shenlong, the established author, had made too many enemies. His writing was excellent, but “Coiling Dragon” was just as good. Neutral readers, or fans of other big authors, mostly threw their support behind Nian Nu Jiao.

“Cheater, cheater, may all cheaters’ families perish.”

“The biggest cheater in DianDian’s history—how can a newcomer even compete with our Shenlong? Where’s your shame?”

“Scum of the web novel world—League of Heroes? More like Cowardly League.”

…

By eleven o’clock, Shenlong’s fans had lost their composure. “The Great God” was trailing “Coiling Dragon” by over a hundred votes, and a mob stormed the “Coiling Dragon” comment section, hurling insults.

“Get lost, you’re the cheater—your whole family cheats!”

“Don’t embarrass yourselves. Falling behind? So now we’re cheaters? How desperate can you get?”

“We haven’t even mentioned your foreign reinforcements. The League of Heroes gets outside help, while what does the Dragon Alliance have? If anyone’s cheating, it’s obvious who.”

“These punks think they’re invincible—DianDian’s entire fanbase together couldn’t stand up to the Dragon Alliance.”

“The Red Alliance is here to back up the League of Heroes!”

“Brothers from Tianfu are here to support the League of Heroes!”

…

The League of Heroes fought back, and even fans of other top authors banded together to lend a hand to “Coiling Dragon.” At the start of the month, Su Tong had only joined the fray because his fans egged him on. But the more he learned about web novels, the clearer it became—his League of Heroes simply couldn’t match the Dragon Alliance.

As the saying goes, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse, a centipede doesn’t die easily—and Shenlong was a supreme god in his prime, commanding the masses with a single call.

In the Dragon Alliance’s core group:

“Damn, those petty guys are jealous of us and fanning the flames. We’re already behind by over three hundred votes, and everyone’s getting anxious.”

“Those bastards just stir up trouble. This time, the Dragon Alliance has really taken a hit.”

“We’re almost at sixty thousand votes—so many brothers and sisters have put in so much effort.”

“Should we unleash our final move?”

“Wait, some people want even more drama. They’re encouraging us to close the gap with ‘Coiling Dragon.’”

“Right, let’s wait until around eleven fifty, then unleash everything. We’ll let the League of Heroes fall from heaven to hell in an instant.”

…

Su Tong watched the comment section with delight as the battle cats and battle bots—these passionate fighters—not only defended “Coiling Dragon,” but also found time to attack their opponents’ comment sections, relishing every moment.

That night was the liveliest in DianDian’s history; nearly every fan group of the top authors took part. Some supported Nian Nu Jiao, some stood by Shenlong. Overall, more backed Nian Nu Jiao, and after eleven thirty, new votes poured in every few minutes.

The comment section was a frenzy; rich supporters appeared one after another.

“Wow, we’ve hit sixty-five thousand votes—‘The Great God’ has pulled ahead!”

“Damn, ‘The Great God’ just overtook!”

“Haha, the Dragon Alliance has taken the lead again!”

“This is thrilling—taking the lead at the last second!”

…

But a few minutes later—

“Wait, ‘Coiling Dragon’ just overtook again—by only five votes!”

“Refresh your page—‘The Great God’ is still ahead on mine.”

“I’m seeing ‘The Great God’ at 65,112 votes, ‘Coiling Dragon’ at 65,022.”

“You’re lagging. I’m already seeing ‘Coiling Dragon’ at 65,721, ‘The Great God’ at 65,716.”

“Damn this lousy internet.”

“Stupid DianDian, it’s completely jammed.”

…

Countless readers frantically refreshed their browsers, desperate for the latest numbers. The flood of data requests overwhelmed DianDian’s servers.

In the DianDian editorial group, the editors watched the commotion and joked amongst themselves.

“This is getting wild—Shenlong’s really getting roasted tonight.”

“Haha, a newcomer dethroning a god—unprecedented, probably won’t happen again.”

“Even if he loses, Nian Nu Jiao is already famous.”

“Watermelon, you’ve signed a real gem—so jealous.”

“Our monthly ticket rankings have been quiet for a year, and now it’s all-out war again. Feels so nostalgic.”

…

Just then, a shocking piece of news broke out in “The Great God’s” comment section.