Of course, where there are fans, there are haters. Besides these disappointed true fans, some haters flooded in with comments bashing Yang Yi. "The shortest web novel in history!" "Don't bother reading—finished at over 400,000 words, definitely dropped!" "What kind of crap is this? Didn't even get it before the ending?" "The author's short and quick, useless!" "Everyone can just go to bed. What's this book the site's pushing so hard?"
No one knew where these haters came from. Maybe there were people who genuinely disliked this type of book, maybe some cynical troublemakers stirring things up, or perhaps an author who felt Yang Yi had encroached on his interests hired paid trolls? None of that was clear, but their timing was a huge mistake!
News of Yang Yi's novel ending had already spread across major forums. Many readers following the story had gathered here, and a significant portion were fiery veterans—loyal supporters of Yang Yi. Seeing these posts pouring cold water, they couldn't hold back. Instantly, the haters were torn to shreds. Aside from a few stubborn paid trolls, other individual users shrank back, trembling, afraid to provoke further.
The buzz faded a bit. An hour, two hours, a day or two later, truly substantive reviews began to appear.
First came Mu Yucheng's review. This guy typed it out character by character on his phone's tiny keyboard, taking over an hour! "Yang Da's novel is the best I've read in recent years! Setting aside his portrayal of military life and the depiction of the special forces' or soldiers' spirit of never giving up—I won't go into that. Here, I just want to marvel at Yang Da's character creation. It's truly divine! Xu Sanduo is obviously the protagonist, with his unique personality and a journey that makes you want to laugh and cry. But what makes this novel shine isn't just Xu Sanduo—it's Gao Cheng, Shi Jin, Cheng Cai, Wu Liuyi, Yuan Lang, and so many others! My personal favorite is Squad Leader Shi Jin! Because he's full of loyalty and righteousness, because of a promise to Xu Sanduo, he poured his heart and soul into it! Because he gave everything for his soldiers, like a nagging woman, teaching them step by step, persuading them earnestly! The most memorable scene for me is still when Shi Jin retires. He guarded the capital for ten years but never once visited it. Yet when he walked through the capital's streets with Gao Cheng, he cried—those helpless,失落 tears were heartbreaking. Besides Shi Jin, other characters shine brilliantly too..."
From his post, it was clear that Mu Yucheng had read the novel very carefully. Every supporting character's personality seemed etched into his mind, and every small detail came to him effortlessly.
After finishing the book, it always stirs emotions, making you want to speak your mind. Besides Mu Yucheng's long post, the review section was full of insightful threads, like this one from a veteran of a special forces unit. "The most realistic military novel. The author is definitely a special forces veteran. Many details about special operations here are things ordinary people wouldn't know! Bound by confidentiality rules, I won't chat with the author, but I served twelve years in the military, five of them in a special unit. I can see that many details in this novel match reality, without the ridiculous errors other novels give me! For example, the scene where Old A raids the drug traffickers—go back and look. It's described in detail, but the battle doesn't drag on. Condensed into a few sentences: first a sneak attack, using bombs to take out the tough nuts, then firepower coverage, with snipers remotely observing and plugging gaps! The battle ends in half an hour, then quickly clean up the scene and evacuate within fifteen minutes! The author's description perfectly matches the requirements of special operations: come, fight, decapitate, leave—no dawdling! I once read a novel where a special forces team, after completing a mission, stood around chatting slowly, smoking, and someone even took a two-hour nap. That really poisoned me. Come on, this is enemy territory—finish the job and leave, or wait to be surrounded? Thankfully, 'Soldiers' Sortie' doesn't have such brainless plots. I give the author full marks."
The person who posted this didn't know that the original "Soldiers' Sortie" actually had many unreasonable parts. For instance, in this scene, the original author wrote that the battle lasted all night, and there were still survivors in the village! Not only that, in the later search-and-capture segment, the TV show showed everyone huddled together in a search formation, which many knowledgeable people criticized. During his adaptation, Yang Yi hesitated for a long time but decided to modify these unreasonable parts based on some memories from his predecessor.
Of course, Yang Yi wouldn't see this post, but the review section was full of explanatory and discussion threads, giving readers who finished the novel and were eager to share a place to go. Some even joked, "The reviews are better than the original series..."
Taking advantage of the large gathering of readers, Qiyue also plastered ads for Yang Yi's new book across various pages: "Preview: In seven days, 'Soldiers' Sortie' author Yang Yi returns with a new book, the anti-Japanese military god 'Bright Sword,' singing an immortal monument!" This set the review section buzzing again. "The new book comes out in seven days? I haven't even read it yet, but I'm already excited!" "The new book is called 'Bright Sword'? Sounds thrilling, but is it about cold weapons in war?" "Didn't they say it's about an anti-Japanese military god? It should be a story about repelling the Japanese invaders last century! Definitely not cold weapons, but I wonder what 'Bright Sword' means?" "Whatever it is, set your alarms—it's out next week. So excited! Can't wait to read it!" "I thought I'd be stuck in a book drought for a long time after finishing 'Soldiers' Sortie,' but haha, the author's so generous!" "Why not release it today? I can't wait!" "I hope Yang Da doesn't turn into one of those flashy types on Qiyue. Keep your style, and as long as it's as good as 'Soldiers' Sortie,' I'll fully support you!" This was clearly from a Tiexue.net reader.
Mu Yucheng saw this news the next day while going to work. He almost dropped his phone onto the subway tracks in excitement. "Yang Yi Da's character is still reliable—fast updates, high-quality novels. I believe 'Bright Sword' will be a great novel too! First, a red envelope as tribute! Looking forward..." After tipping, Mu Yucheng's excitement still hadn't subsided. He decided that when the author's new book came out, he wouldn't just give a bigger red envelope—he'd also drag his friends to read it! Though not the richest fan, this top loyal fan, 'Mu Yuchen,' was determined to be it!