MTLNOVEL Ch. 83
Chapter 83: Self-Produced, Self-Sold
So that’s what the system meant by not needing to go!
Li Li instantly understood.
The two chapters of the new arc next week could simply be compiled from past material, so she didn’t need to go to the manga world.
For a moment, Li Li didn’t know whether to be thrilled that she’d truly upgraded from a sidekick to a protagonist or that she could focus wholeheartedly on preparing for finals.
“It’s not easy.” She put down her phone, leaned back in her chair, tilted her head, and closed her eyes for a moment.
She had really become a protagonist.
A hidden-line protagonist almost synonymous with high popularity.
Nearly every hidden-line protagonist in major hit series Li Li could think of was a fan-favorite.
They were part of the protagonist group, with their own stories, intricately tied to the main plotline.
Back then, she’d schemed to stay near Yiming, trying to snag a few extra panels in the manga.
Now, she’d left Yiming, left the protagonist group, and gained her own personal arc.
She no longer needed to piggyback on others’ screentime because she had become the center.
How could that not make her heart race?
Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her eyes, sat up straight, and cheered herself on: “What a great opportunity. First, finish the finals!”
She couldn’t let the manga world’s matters affect her real-world exams!
When the new arc’s first update came, Li Li had just finished one exam, with another the next afternoon.
After debating between reading the manga and revising, she decisively chose the manga.
Li Li: I need to see my awesome performance to relax my brain!
She picked up her phone and opened the manga app.
Thanks to the pre-release hype, though the Ranmu Arc was a branch of the main Zhusheng Arc, the rapidly increasing barrage of comments showed that plenty of readers were following the update on time.
The manga’s first cover was a color page.
The black-haired youth pushed up his sunglasses, his crimson pupils lazily gazing at the readers beyond the frame.
Light illuminated half the youth’s face and the vivid crimson of his pupils beneath the sunglasses.
The temple of the sunglasses obscured the view, making it unclear whether the red mark at the corner of his eye was merely a shadow from the light.
Heige always seemed to be smiling, as if no situation could break that smiling mask.
Bold and unrestrained, as if it were the character’s defining trait.
A powerful ability user who could control his own fate, a towering mountain forever standing firm amidst danger.
In the background, a portrait stood behind Heige.
The figure’s face was blurred, but the flat line of the mouth, the drooping black hair, and the black choker around the neck were visible.
Gloomy and cold.
【Aaaaah, Heige bigshot!】
【Finally, this day has come! Manga Artist! Do you know how I survived these past few days?!】
【My husband is smiling at me!】
【The person above is talking nonsense! He’s clearly smiling at me!】
The barrage was extremely enthusiastic, with the number of comments skyrocketing ever since Li Li clicked in.
【Is the portrait in the background Ahoge Li?! Is this going to tell the story of Heige and Li?!】
【Aaaaah, the best friend duo, you’ll always be my white moonlight, let me ship!】
【This wave is the Manga Artist forcing me to ship!】
Li Li read the comments for a while and noticed that, due to the twists and hints from the previous chapters, the readers had completely misunderstood.
She shrugged and turned to the next page.
The first few pages of the new chapter were in color, so the first page was also in color.
Before reading, Li Li had wondered what angle the Manga Artist would take with the story.
After all, based on her actual actions, she really did seem more like a villain.
Ask anyone whose place she’d kicked in—er, visited—and few would say Li Li was a good person.
In the eyes of many in the manga world, including An Heyu, she was a lunatic, a whimsical psychopath.
The manga had the script Li Li had arranged for herself, but when it came to her many tyrannical acts in Ranmu City, Li Li felt it would take some serious effort to completely whitewash her.
So, being treated as a villain early on wasn’t unjust. Few protagonists were like her.
When she saw the opening of the Ranmu Arc, she paused for a moment, then shook her head and said with a sigh, “As expected of Scissorhands, a master of wicked editing.”
The opening of the Ranmu Arc didn’t directly depict Li Li kicking in doors.
Instead, it used a single page with characters, a black-filled background, speech bubbles, and characters again as the starting point.
And these characters were all old acquaintances of Li Li.
The first to appear was a familiar, now-deceased old acquaintance.
Long black hair, gold-rimmed glasses, a tender green long robe, an overlooking angle, speaking something.
It was Qing Yu Chen.
‘That useless Tang Zeng could only turn to the Former Ability Guild for help. With our relationship, you coming here from the Former Ability Guild means you never planned to let me live, right?’
Deep blue hair, white uniform, a chilling expression.
It was Yue Qing.
‘Back then, many people had a hand in that matter, but you specifically sought out Qing Yu Chen in Jiao Huang, and then came straight to Four-Way City to find me.’
‘You’re seeking revenge on those who betrayed you back then, Heige.’
The last was a side profile, red hair, only a slightly open mouth visible, dressed in a wine-red formal suit.
Some parts were censored, but not entirely, and Li Li recognized it was An Heyu.
In the next panel, against a completely black background, several white-bordered dialogue boxes emerged.
‘What is your purpose?’
‘Is it merely for fun, or…’
‘Do you want to take revenge on this Empire?’
On the next page, crimson eyes opened in the darkness.
A bright full moon hung in the night sky, the night breeze ruffling the youth’s black hair.
He leaped from a window, his black trench coat tracing an arc, walking through the darkness of the city streets.
His steps were as casual as ever, his brows and eyes carrying a relaxed smile, walking forward with his back to the frame.
As if heading toward a giant beast with its bloodthirsty maw wide open.
[Ranmu City, Eternal Night.]
The colored pages ended here.
Just from this opening, Li Li knew what kind of role the Manga Artist had positioned her in.
Absolutely a beautiful, strong, and tragic figure.
Look at this atmosphere, this lonely moonlight, this resolute back!
The empty city streets alone were enough for readers to imagine a heart-wrenching inner monologue!
Sure enough, the readers already sensed the incoming knives.
【Opening with a bombshell!!!】
【Suddenly, it feels like I’m reading a Heige special episode, completely different from the main story!】
【Walking with the night, aaaaah, I’m actually tearing up.】
【Help, why does just this one image make me want to cry? He lost his best friend, Li is lonely, and so is Heige…】
【Waaah, why this opening? Revenge? It sounds so painful!】
【Manga Artist, I’m warning you, don’t stab my favorite! Heige bigshot can’t be stabbed! Or I’ll cry for you to see!】
【The main story had Little Corgi as that ray of light, but this new arc has nothing but darkness and loneliness.】
The readers’ tearful sincerity was real, but the truth couldn’t be more different—it was completely opposite!
Li Li remembered this was the night she first arrived in Ranmu City.
Originally, she was fishing for trouble, but with the Manga Artist adding this metaphorical segment implying Heige’s deep suffering, it made her seem like a solitary warrior, resolute and tragic.
The familiar wicked editing, the deliberate guidance and hints she’d seen more than once—Li Li could only mutter, ‘The big bad wolf turned into a little white rabbit,’ unable to say anything else.
Strong, the Manga Artist was too strong.
Even a lump of coal could be whitewashed in their hands.
After that, a white frame was inserted, and the manga officially began the Ranmu Arc’s plot.
It was the same as what Li Li had experienced, but narrated from ‘Liu Cheng’s’ perspective.
Because of this, the existence of the Traveler was also mentioned in the new arc.
【Didn’t expect the main story’s clues to show up in the new arc!】
【This isn’t a new arc, it feels more like a side story.】
As Li Li looked at this ‘Liu Cheng’s’ appearance, she pondered for a moment.
“This isn’t Lin Ran,” Li Li murmured.
Lin Ran definitely didn’t have Liu Cheng’s normal emotional intelligence.
This suggested the Liu Cheng she saved the second time was the real Lin Ran.
This meant Lin Ran’s ability could even possess an ordinary person, and Li Li’s earlier guess that ‘she only kills ability users because she’s restricted with ordinary people’ was wrong.
As expected of an SS-rank ability user, Li Li thought.
For now, she didn’t know the full extent of Lin Ran’s abilities or what other limitations she had besides time.
The manga’s plot continued, with the Manga Artist describing the scene in meticulous detail.
Under the moonlight, one person fended off several ability users, then, after being mistaken for a killer, merely maintained a smile before turning around.
【Kick-in-the-door Heige is shining in Ranmu City too, hahaha!】
【Villains come and go, but Heige remains unyielding!】
【Congratulations from Jiao Huang’s Qing Tong members, Four-Way City’s Yue clan nobles, and more!】
【Bro, have you ever heard of Kick-in-the-door Heige?】
However, after this, under the Manga Artist’s atmospheric rendering, the slight pause of the youth in the frame upon hearing “Don’t kill me” seemed infinitely magnified.
What was originally just turning around to enter the stronghold of this human trafficking organization now felt like he had intended to free the civilians but was hurt by their doubts.
So, he turned to leave, sparing the civilians further fear.
And the manga readers were indeed deeply moved.
【Even though Heige bigshot seems like he’s just passing by, he still saved people!】
【Damn, why does this feel so bittersweet?】
【Is this how you treat your savior?!】
【Alone, misunderstood—is this the real Heige?】
【My heart hurts so much, waaaah!】
Seeing this, Li Li could only say slowly, “Editing master.”
The beautiful-strong-tragic label was now permanently stuck to her.
Li Li flipped through the rest of the chapter.
This installment mainly covered the situation in Ranmu City, as well as the events of the first night and the subjugation of the District 3 forces.
It also included Li Li’s “dog training” process.
Seeing the barrage filled with “woof woof woof,” Li Li silently moved her phone a bit farther away.
The doggos were too enthusiastic—put on some pants, at least!
An Heyu’s presence wasn’t exposed; he only appeared as Red Crane.
The barrage speculated about Red Crane’s identity, but most assumed he was a new character for the new arc.
Her nickname for An Heyu, Mother Hen, wasn’t revealed, but sharp-eyed readers already sensed his deep “mom vibe.”
So, the Mother Hen nickname was truly fitting.
At this, Li Li thought for a moment.
She estimated that, at least until she fully revealed her identity, An Heyu wouldn’t be exposed either.
After this, the manga scene shifted.
In the Eternal Night, a girl with short black hair wore a high-slit qipao, her long blade dancing.
Blood splattered on her face, and the wing-like pattern at the corner of her eye looked bewitchingly beautiful.
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes like crescent moons, gazing beyond the frame.
A bloodstained yet pristine demon.
The first chapter of the new arc ended here.
Looking at the squinting eyes in the frame, Li Li thought it was exactly as she expected—exuding total bigshot vibes.
Then she exited the manga, preparing to visit the forum.
Since the new arc was still part of the manga 《Extreme Black and White》, though the updates were separate, the forum was shared.
“I’m feeling a bit nervous,” she said, taking a few deep breaths.
The first chapter of the Ranmu Arc starred her, not the main story’s Yiming.
This was a first for both her and 《Extreme Black and White》.
The forum was the feedback for the new chapter, showing how the manga with her as the protagonist was received.
Li Li hadn’t been this nervous in a long time.
After mentally preparing herself, she opened the forum and was immediately greeted by discussions about the Heige special episode.
Then she saw the most prominent post at the top.
【I swear on my countless manga-reading years, the demon miss who appeared in the Heige special episode is absolutely the female lead of the Ranmu Arc, Heige’s cp!】
At this, Li Li slowly typed out a question mark: ?
First, I was my own husband, and now I’m my own wife? Li Li marveled.