Afternoon, 5:55 PM.
Endpoint Chinese Website author inspiration class.
“Time to clock out!”
“Want to go to the nearby Slackin’ Internet Café for some gaming this weekend?”
“Sure, count me in!”
“Cui, you coming?”
Cui Geng shook his head: “I’ll pass, you guys go ahead.”
The author who invited him didn’t insist, got up to pack his things, preparing to leave the inspiration class to grab dinner and head home for rest.
Like the study class, the inspiration class also strictly enforced an eight-hour workday, from 9 AM to 6 PM, with an hour lunch break from 12 to 1 PM.
In truth, with this workload at the inspiration class, it was basically no different from watching movies for eight hours a day.
The inspiration class had just officially started operating this Thursday, so two days wasn’t nearly enough time for most authors to find suitable inspiration. Only two or three authors had actually started writing.
Most of the other authors planned to enjoy their weekend properly, then continue collecting inspiration when they returned on Monday. Their new books could wait.
After all, with the royalties now bought out by the website, the daily required word count had significantly decreased, so naturally they could rest normally on Saturdays and Sundays.
Most of these authors were quite young, mostly between 22 and 28 years old, so it wasn’t surprising they’d arrange to meet at Slackin’ Internet Café for gaming.
But Cui Geng, unusually, didn’t join the authors for gaming.
Because after two days of intensive research, he suddenly felt a flash of inspiration in his mind. The creative spark that had been dormant for months seemed to be reviving!
These two days, he’d intensively rewatched several movies, TV series, and novels, while researching extensively online. The overall framework of a story had formed in his mind, with the background roughly built.
Cui Geng felt an intense creative urge to write down the beginning of this story.
As the saying goes, “The hardest part is starting.” But in novel writing, this doesn’t always hold true.
Most novels begin with explosive inspiration and fluid writing, producing exhilarating results. But the further you write, the slower it gets – inspiration dries up, writer’s block hits, and you even forget the foreshadowing you’d planted… The entire novel structure becomes a mess, ending hastily, getting criticized to no end.
Right now, Cui Geng was in that state of explosive inspiration, desperately wanting to write the story’s beginning.
So often in novel writing, the beginning is easy, while writing gets progressively harder.
Writing is very mood-dependent. Content written in a good state differs vastly from that written in a poor one. Inspiration is fleeting, so once authors have it, they must immediately capture and record it, or risk losing those details forever.
Cui Geng went to the inspiration class work area.
The setup was similar to the study class – large screens, mechanical keyboards, and ergonomic chairs ensuring the most comfortable typing experience.
Cui Geng didn’t plan to write for too long. He just wanted to write an opening, at most an hour or two.
Boot up, create new document.
“Hmm… this opening scene, where should I start…”
As Cui Geng pondered the details, the computer clock unknowingly passed 6 PM.
“Hmm… I think starting with a flashback technique would work better, beginning from that moment when the protagonist changes his life goals.”
Cui Geng made up his mind, reaching for the mouse to adjust the document’s font size, line spacing, and other settings to his most comfortable format.
Using default font and size would make him feel awful.
However, Cui Geng’s hand grabbed at empty air.
Cui Geng: “?”
In that instant, he almost thought he might have some cerebellar disorder. The mouse was right there, yet he missed it? Even Parkinson’s patients couldn’t be this bad!
Cui Geng didn’t pay much attention to this minor incident and continued reaching for the mouse.
But still grabbed air!
This time he saw clearly – as his hand moved over the mouse, it eerily shifted to the upper right in an irregular pattern!
Cui Geng was shocked. He quickly tried grabbing several times, but this mouse was even more responsive than he imagined, constantly moving irregularly, almost unhittable!
Meanwhile, a prompt appeared on the computer screen.
“Working hours over. Please return home to rest immediately. Continuing to work will trigger alarms and create records. Bear the consequences.”
Cui Geng: “???”
He was completely stunned. What kind of bizarre behavior was this?
Can’t even work a bit late?
And this mouse was even more outrageous – there’s actually a physical way to reject overtime?
Yesterday, Cui Geng had left on time without lingering, so he hadn’t encountered this situation. Today was his first time.
“Fine, I’ll go write at Slackin’ Internet Café nearby!”
Cui Geng never expected he’d one day voluntarily write in his free time.
No choice – when inspiration strikes, not writing it down was unbearable. Cui Geng feared if he didn’t write today, by Monday he’d have forgotten all the details.
So he immediately set off for the nearby Slackin’ Internet Café, planning to write this story’s opening there.
…
…
First was the story’s title.
After careful consideration, Cui Geng settled on the English title first, then translated it into Chinese.
SUCCESSOR, 《继任者》.
He translated it as “successor” rather than “heir” because the main character is “succeeding” to the World Captain’s superhero abilities and identity, not inheriting wealth or property.
Cui Geng also conceived the title’s design – based on the capitalized artistic letters of SUCCESSOR, coloring “SUCCESS” within it bright red.
This title had three different layers of meaning:
First, in the entire story background, all superheroes considered themselves successors to the original superhero “World Captain.” World Captain had dispersed his powers throughout America, giving everyone the potential to become superheroes. Simultaneously, he was beloved by Americans and considered the exemplar of superheroes.
So all subsequent superheroes called themselves successors, meaning they would act like World Captain and not disappoint their supporters.
Second, there’s a crucial plot point in the book involving a TV show called “Successor.” This show is an important part of the protagonist’s plan.
Finally, “successor” contains the word “success” within SUCCESSOR.
Coloring SUCCESS bright red hints that this seemingly “successor” story is actually a “success” story, where this “success” appears on the surface as an ordinary person becoming a superhero, but is actually a success built on blood and slaughter – an ambitious person achieving evil ends through dirty means.
Before beginning to write the opening, Cui Geng carefully considered the specific approach.
There were many entry points for the story’s beginning. Following typical web novel writing conventions, most would use chronological narration.
But Cui Geng considered that strictly speaking, what he was writing wasn’t really web fiction – it should be written like movie scripts or highly literary short stories. So to make the story tighter, he decided to use flashback.
…
America, Hope City, 2010s, a rainy night.
Hope City, one of America’s most prosperous coastal cities, where weather was complex and variable – sometimes overcast, sometimes clear skies.
This bustling metropolis was like a massive furnace, with different architectural styles visible throughout the city corners. Behind surface glamour and luxury, dark alleys harbored filth.
It was one of America’s most prosperous cities with the most wealthy, simultaneously one of America’s highest crime rate cities.
However, under the joint efforts of superheroes and police, just like the city’s name, crime rates were gradually declining. The entire city and its citizens basked in hope.
Though data showed Hope City’s crime rate remained high, people here often saw various superheroes patrolling the skies, hearing daily news of criminal organizations destroyed by superheroes. Citizens’ sense of safety and happiness actually ranked among America’s highest.
Phil Simmons, only son of real estate tycoon Lane Simmons, was Hope City’s notorious playboy.
Sports cars, yachts, private jets, models, sea parties… Phil excelled at spending lavishly and living for the moment.
Phil wasn’t the richest second-generation rich, but definitely the highest profile. At 31, he possessed strong self-promotion awareness, accumulating millions of followers on personal social accounts through daily efforts.
Compared to superheroes, entertainment and sports stars, politicians with tens of millions of followers, millions seemed insignificant. But Phil wasn’t a superhero, star, or politician – as a pure second-generation rich, gaining these followers truly demonstrated his “talent” in certain aspects.
Of course, his Simmons Media Company contributed significantly in this regard.
And now, this man who was usually triumphant in life – standing at 6’3″ with a handsome face and perfect physique, holding a law doctorate and MBA degree, CEO of Simmons Media Company – was weeping on the rooftop of an under-construction skyscraper.
Uncontrollable fear-induced urine stained his perfectly tailored expensive suit pants, leaving an embarrassing, slowly expanding dark wet spot.
His beloved flashy red tie was gripped by an incredibly muscular arm with bulging veins and thick hair, while his entire body hung outside the top floor terrace. Without this arm holding his tie, he would’ve already plummeted over a thousand feet to an intimate encounter with the ground.
Phil Simmons’ handsome face was completely distorted by terror. Tears, snot, and rain mixed together, partly flowing into his desperately pleading mouth, then spraying out with some saliva.
“Please, don’t kill me!”
“My father has lots of money. Whatever amount you want, he’ll give it to you!”
Holding Phil Simmons’ red tie was a super strongman nearly 8 feet tall, weighing approximately 440 pounds.
Tonight, as Phil Simmons drove his sports car through the rainy night as usual, this strongman suddenly appeared before his car, smashing his beloved vehicle beyond recognition. He then dragged an briefly unconscious Phil Simmons from the mangled driver’s seat, carrying him like a tiny chick to this under-construction skyscraper’s rooftop.
When Phil Simmons regained consciousness in the cold rain, his entire body was hanging off the skyscraper, his life completely in this strongman’s hands.
Phil Simmons had no intention of resistance whatsoever, because this fierce-looking strongman possessed strength matching the weakest superhero.
Such “super villains” with tremendous destructive power weren’t numerous in Hope City, but each gave law enforcement headaches.
Though Hope City’s crime rate remained high, it mostly occurred in certain districts where poor people and homeless gathered. Phil Simmons lived in the wealthy district – in his 31 years of life, he’d never encountered such a situation.
Extreme fear left him cold-handed and uncontrolled, with nothing but tearful pleading as options.
This villain, like a mountain of flesh, watched Phil Simmons’ terror-twisted expression with interest, revealing a mocking smile.
Background, appearance, wealth, intelligence… the villain couldn’t compare to Phil Simmons in any of these aspects.
But the villain possessed something Phil Simmons lacked – that was power.