Chapter 139: Xiao Zi Smiles, Life and Death Uncertain

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Inside the editorial department of a manga production company in the Land of Cherry Blossoms.

Today’s chief editor felt somewhat different, for just yesterday, several of his editors had been fervently recommending the same manga to him.

Curious, he clicked open the manga titled "Sadako."

“Looks like a horror manga. This genre has a considerable market potential, though it demands a high level of creative skill from the artist. I wonder how good this one really is.”

With so many editors recommending it, the quality must be solid, but he was unsure if it was truly as good as they claimed.

Opening the first chapter, he saw a leisurely rural life scene and a faint smile curved his lips. “Building up by first suppressing, I see?”

But as he continued reading, his smile froze.

Especially upon seeing that deep well, he seemed utterly immobilized, stiff as if frozen in place.

At that moment, his mind ceased all judgment of the work; instead, he immersed himself in the story, viewing it purely as a reader.

After finishing the latest chapter, he was stunned for a good half hour before slowly realizing he hadn’t actually fallen into that well at all.

“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I can’t let a work like this be buried! I must promote it fiercely! Feature it on the homepage! Make it into an anime! A movie!”

Only then did he notice his clothes were soaked through with sweat, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Recalling the eerily terrifying scenes he’d just witnessed in the manga, he couldn’t help shivering.

He was an editor, after all, having read countless manga, many of which were horror, yet very few had captivated him fully—let alone left him truly frightened and deeply impressed.

Thus, on the largest manga platform in the Land of Cherry Blossoms, "Sadako" rapidly soared in popularity, swiftly becoming the most popular horror manga of the moment.

[Horror Level +1]

[Horror Level +1]

[Horror Level +1]

[...]

Seeing these horror level notifications from the system, he knew the points came from various sources; anywhere he had been, the people there would continuously contribute to his horror level.

Recently, the horror points had noticeably increased, indicating that a manga was gaining immense popularity.

He sifted through works by about ten manga artists, each presenting different horror stories that had been hits in their previous lives.

Since he was familiar with them all, discovering which one was currently thriving was easy—just check which had the best metrics.

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When he found it was "Sadako," he smiled.

How to describe this horror story? In his previous life, it had been a household name, though Xiao Zi felt it lacked a certain essence, so he made some technical adaptations.

Unexpectedly, it truly became a hit.

Still, the horror points it generated weren’t enough for him; he wanted the manga to become even more popular!

So, he quietly visited Zhu Mu’s residence, observing the middle-aged man anxiously scratching his head, unsure what to write next.

Xiao Zi smiled knowingly.

“Don’t worry, you’ll soon know what to write.”

With Xiao Zi’s “help,” Zhu Mu soon fell into a deep sleep again.

From his expression, it was clear this dream was even more terrifying and bizarre than before.

The overwhelming fear and pressure caused him to toss and turn, unable to wake, only struggling helplessly.

After several hours, he suddenly awoke, initially terrified, but then a smile spread across his face.

Because now he knew exactly how to continue drawing his manga.

Day after day, his creation flourished, growing more popular with time.

Yet Xiao Zi knew the manga was still ongoing, with immense room to grow.

By now, Zhu Mu had moved out of that shabby old apartment building into a bright, spacious flat.

Everything there was far better than before, yet his mental state was worse than ever.

Nightmares plagued him; the intense daily creative workload weighed heavily.

If not for the Joker constantly intervening in his mind, he’d likely have lost his sanity long ago.

In a sense, as a tool, he was fulfilling his role perfectly.

But Xiao Zi paid no heed to Zhu Mu’s decline; his focus remained unwavering on pushing him to create.

Thus, Zhu Mu transformed from a somewhat rational man into a complete tool.

Now, he did only three things: attend to basic bodily needs, sleep, and create.

At some point, two people moved into his apartment—a young boy and a heavily made-up individual.

Yet Zhu Mu seemed oblivious to them, allowing them to install various electronic devices purchased with his earnings without any reaction.

Then, one day—

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[Congratulations: Dormitory successfully upgraded to Darkness Level 3]

[Darkness Level 4 upgrade condition: Power reaches S-rank]

He had now upgraded all ordinary skills except for demonic ones to Level 4, and rule-level skills to Level 3.

However, the conditions for upgrading ordinary skills to Level 5 had yet to appear, while upgrading rule-level skills to Level 4 required S-rank power.

Xiao Zi had his own thoughts on this.

Perhaps upgrading these skills required special opportunities or coincidences, or maybe his body was not yet strong enough to bear such high-level skills.

But those matters no longer mattered. The immediate priority was to conclude "Sadako" at its peak.

At this moment, "Sadako" was at its zenith, blazing with unprecedented popularity.

On streets, in schools, even public restrooms, people discussed its plot.

Digital subscriptions on the platform shattered records; previous glorious achievements paled before this new manga.

Even physical copies sold tens of thousands upon release, showcasing its immense popularity.

Amid this momentum, his editor-in-chief invited him to attend an offline meet-and-greet.

This was not the first such invitation, but Zhu Mu had always declined with various excuses.

This time, however, he inexplicably nodded.

“All right, I’ll be there on time.”

It was truly a mysterious compulsion.

Because Xiao Zi was a ghost, and it was Xiao Zi who sent him.

Thanks to Xiao Zi and Zhu Mu’s joint efforts, "Sadako" was complete, yet Zhu Mu, the tool, still retained some last bit of usefulness.

Now, he was to be used to elevate "Sadako’s" fame to another level.

Xiao Zi wanted this work to wield the same influence as before, to become a nightmare in countless hearts, endlessly consuming their fears!

Once this task was done, he could finally proceed to that so-called other world.

Thinking of this, he smiled once more.