After much anticipation from book fans, Yang Yi's new novel *The Undercover* finally began its release on July 20th as scheduled. At the same time, Tie Jun Wang's new book *Desert Wolf King* by the author "Scarred Wounds" also started updating.
Given the promotional momentum from Tie Jun Wang over the past week, a clash of titans seemed inevitable, with one side bound to suffer. Eager spectators flocked to both websites, hoping to see a winner declared!
However, just as the hired trolls from Tie Jun Wang prepared to swarm Qi Yue to stir up trouble, Qi Yue remained unmoved, seemingly indifferent to the showdown, not even bothering to respond.
Why was that? To understand, we need to go back a few days.
Qiangzi had received Yang Yi's manuscript for the first volume, titled *Rookie Rally*, a few days earlier than the readers. After finishing it, Qiangzi's first reaction was relief.
That Yang Yi had finally learned to break chapters! The manuscript, over 200,000 words, was divided into 55 chapters, each over 4,000 words—so standard that Qiangzi and the other editors from the editorial department, who had come out of curiosity, found it very satisfying!
That's how it should be! Writing a web novel without chapter breaks—what's the difference from being a salted fish?
Following Yang Yi's instructions, Qiangzi set it to update three times a day, with over 10,000 words daily. This satisfied readers' craving for content without the issue of *Soldier Assault*, where too many updates per day led to finishing in less than two weeks!
Qiangzi's second reaction was that Yang Yi was still Yang Yi! His writing style remained as细腻 as ever, the story design as gripping as before, and the character portrayal even more brilliant. Qiangzi felt that Yang Yi wasn't writing fictional characters but real, living people!
The first volume was already excellent, and according to Yang Yi's feedback, *The Undercover* was planned as a long novel with eight volumes, easily reaching over two million words!
Plenty of content, exciting story—that's the rhythm web novels should have!
Although Qiangzi still wished Yang Yi would continue writing military literature to boost Qi Yue's popularity, he couldn't sway Yang Yi's decision. After confirming that Yang Yi's novel was as brilliant as ever, Editor-in-Chief Hu Da made the call: on the day of the new book's release, Qi Yue would promote *The Undercover* across all channels!
So, when eager fans searched for *The Undercover*, they were delighted to find it everywhere—ads for *The Undercover* appeared on every page of Qi Yue, and clicking any of them led directly to the book's page.
"Wait, can someone tell me why Yang Da's *The Undercover* is under the urban category?"
Before they even started reading, the comment section exploded.
The editors at Tie Jun Wang were also on high alert, gathered in the conference room with *The Undercover*'s homepage displayed on the big screen. But when they saw it under the urban category, they were stunned.
"How is this possible? Wasn't Yang Yi supposed to go head-to-head with us? Why isn't he writing military fiction and switching to urban instead?" Fishball, young and hot-headed, couldn't hold back and shouted in disbelief.
In truth, they forgot that it was they themselves who had clamored for a showdown, while Qi Yue and Yang Yi had never responded. The Qi Yue editorial team, being sly, had kept all the book's details, including the synopsis, hidden, watching Tie Jun Wang make a huge blunder...
Seeing this, Lingyun Jueding was at a loss, as if he had punched thin air.
Wasn't this showdown just making them a laughingstock? Your own fighter steps into the ring, only to find the opponent never showed up. Look back, and oh, he's a swimmer, happily paddling in the water!
"Boss Lingyun, that guy surnamed Duan called to ask—the prepared talking points are useless now. Should we still go ahead with the smear campaign?" an editor beside him whispered, covering the phone.
That was the hired trolls from Tie Jun Wang. Not all editors were in the know; Lingyun Jueding had even applied for secret funds from the bosses back then!
Lingyun Jueding's face turned grim. He was silent for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "Go ahead. Let them figure it out. We've already spent the money—even if it's wasted, I want to see some ripples!"
...
Mu Yucheng had a busy day. Along with the other project leaders, he had traveled to Shanghai for a meeting with clients to explain their program framework. After the meeting, there was dinner and socializing...
So it wasn't until nearly midnight, back at the hotel, that Mu Yucheng had time to pull out his phone, log into Qi Yue, and check out Yang Yi's new book.
"Urban?" Mu Yucheng immediately noticed the unusual category. Still, he could accept it—after all, compared to military fiction, he preferred urban stories closer to reality.
Since he supported all of Yang Yi's books, he casually tipped an Alliance Leader before starting to read.
*The Undercover* promised three updates a day, and it delivered. Mu Yucheng finished reading in no time, feeling like it only scratched the surface, leaving him unsatisfied.
But there was no helping it. The author, Yang Yi, was as elusive as ever. No matter how much readers clamored or tipped, he stuck to his own schedule, writing the plot as he saw fit...
So, the comment section regulars had gradually developed a habit: pretending Yang Yi could see them, they vented and commented to amuse themselves.
With no new content to read, Mu Yucheng opened the comment section to see what the others were griping about.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
The comment section was in chaos!
Some were cursing Yang Yi for abandoning military fiction for urban, calling it a betrayal of his readers. Others were trashing the new book, saying it wasn't as good as *Soldier Assault* or *Bright Sword*, declaring they'd rather read police-crime stories elsewhere and were dropping it.
Still others were angrily denouncing Qi Yue's recommendations, claiming the full-channel promotion of a mediocre novel was a rip-off for readers and unfair to other authors.
Mu Yucheng saw many familiar names caught up in the frenzy, joining the complaints about the new book's content. But even more were accounts he'd never seen before, all level one, stirring up trouble!
"Heh!" Mu Yucheng, seasoned in the IT world, saw through it immediately.
He sneered, furiously typing on his phone, and posted a long comment: "Trolls, get lost! Fans of Yang Yi, please be patient with the author!"
Though not as convenient as a computer, Mu Yucheng relied on his good memory to list some examples.
"Yang Yi is still Yang Yi. This *The Undercover* may seem平淡 at the start, but it's far from simple. Don't think our protagonist, Yu Zui, has a low presence—he's still the most unique character among them all!"
"Yang Yi's protagonists are never ordinary. Think about it: the timid but explosive Xu Sanduo, the cunning but invincible Li Yunlong, and now this Yu Zui—slick, lazy, unmotivated. But knowing the author, this Yu Zui will surely grow into a towering figure. And isn't the interesting part the journey of his growth?"
In fact, the first three chapters of *The Undercover* didn't focus much on the protagonist. Mu Yucheng's analysis of Yu Zui's character came from his careful reading!
"Police officers are another form of soldiers protecting the country. Even though Yang Yi has moved to the urban category, I think he's still writing a different kind of military literature!"
"I urge all fans of Yang Yi not to rush. Give him some time, and trust that he can create a brand-new, fascinating story!"
"As for the trolls, please stop. Your ugly faces are too obvious! Don't think we don't know you're sent by some military website!"
Mu Yucheng's post was a bit late, but many readers still saw it. Their stirred-up anger gradually subsided, and they flocked to upvote his post with replies.
Though some military enthusiast readers were inevitably lost, *The Undercover* was just the beginning. Who could predict its future success?