Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

The Current World. Midnight.

Qi Point Editorial Department, Gold Medal Editor’s Office.

A few young editors were peeking from the doorway, timidly looking inside.

”Er Shang, it’s getting really late. Maybe you should—”

Er Shang cut him off. ”I’m not leaving. You guys can go home.”

”Alright, alright...”

”What’s up with Er Shang? Why has he been grinding so hard lately?”

”It’s scary. I feel like he’s aged over ten years in a single day...”

”Hasn’t he always been a workaholic? This is pretty normal for him, really.”

”No, no, no, today’s clearly different. Look at how distracted he is. It’s like... uh, like he just got dumped by his girlfriend.”

”Holy crap! That juicy? Spill the details!”

”What are you thinking? It’s just a metaphor. How could Er Shang possibly have a girlfriend? ...It must be about that author of his, right?”

”I think I know who you mean. Is it about Wu Bao’s book?”

”Right, right. Wu Bao hasn’t updated at all today. The authors in our group are all talking about it. A ton of readers are flaming him in the comment section.”

”Holy shit, for real? At the morning meeting two weeks ago, Er Shang went to war with the other teams just to get him a premium launch event... And now he’s just dropped the book??”

”And he dropped it just days before it was supposed to go premium. That’s just brutal. If I were Er Shang, I’d be having a breakdown too.”

”But it makes no sense. The book’s numbers are explosive. Even Great Gods rarely have this kind of momentum with a new book. Why would he drop it?”

”There is another possibility... that the author had an accident. Wasn’t there another earthquake over in Hundred Rivers this morning? If the author is from Hundred Rivers, then maybe he really...”

”Shit, don’t say things like that! Quiet down, quiet down!”

”...”

The sound of the editors’ chatter faded into the distance.

Er Shang sat stunned in his office, alone. His eyes were bloodshot with fatigue, and the editors’ words buzzed and echoed in his mind.

’Why didn’t Wu Bao update today?’

’It’s not in his character to just not post an update.’

’Even if something really came up and he couldn’t, he should have let me know. He definitely would have let me know...’

’Wu Bao wouldn’t backstab me.’

Er Shang desperately wanted to ask Wu Bao what on earth had happened.

He hovered his hands over the keyboard, staring at the gray, offline QQ profile picture. The instant it showed any sign of activity, he would start typing.

But there was nothing... Wu Bao hadn’t been online all day.

Er Shang didn’t know how long he’d been staring, but he knew he hadn’t gotten much else done all day since he’d started.

”BEEP.”

It was midnight.

Er Shang slumped back, collapsing limply into his office chair. He felt as if all the bones had been sucked from his body, unable to muster the energy to even sit up straight.

Wu Bao’s hiatus had also caught the attention of the editor-in-chief. After all, Wu Bao was one of the few authors Er Shang had used his Gold Medal Editor privileges to take under his wing.

The editor-in-chief had given Er Shang an ultimatum: if Wu Bao went more than five days without an update, they would have to follow Qi Point protocol and officially mark the novel as abandoned.

Er Shang stared at his desk for a moment with a conflicted expression. His thoughts growing more tangled by the second, he decided to open the author group chat.

Messages scrolled up the screen, one after another. For most authors, the night was just getting started at this hour.

[Tuanzi]: AHHHHHH I WAS TWO WORDS SHORT OF FOUR THOUSAND! THERE GOES MY PERFECT ATTENDANCE BONUS AHHHHH!

[Purple Gold Sheep]: My condolences.

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: My condolences +1

[Purple Gold Sheep]: By the way, how come Wu Bao didn’t update today? He didn’t join the virtual writing room either.

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: I can’t figure it out either... Even if he wanted to slack off, couldn’t he at least post a Chapter from his stockpile?

[Tuanzi]: Speaking of which, Gou Maoju didn’t update either.

[Purple Gold Sheep]: That’s different. It’s pretty normal for Gou Maoju not to update.

[Gou of Gou Mao]: Sigh, I really wasn’t in the mood to update today.

[Tuanzi]: Holy crap, Gou Maoju is alive!

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: Hiss... I remember Gou Maoju saying his son went to Hundred Rivers.

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: How is he, Gou Maoju? Is your kid okay?

[Gou of Gou Mao]: I don’t know. I can’t get in touch with him. Maybe his phone is broken.

[Purple Gold Sheep]: I’m sure he’s fine, Gou Maoju. Don’t let your mind run wild.

[Gou of Gou Mao]: I’m not, I’m not.

[Gou of Gou Mao]: I’m not too worried about his safety. His Pet Beasts are quite strong, plus there’s the Flying Shadow Alliance. I’m sure he can protect himself.

[Gou of Gou Mao]: It’s just that his mom has been crying all day. Sigh... I spent the entire day comforting her and just got her to fall asleep.

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: You say that, Gou Maoju, but you must be a little worried too, right?

[Gou of Gou Mao]: Of course. What parent wouldn’t worry about their child... /facepalm

[Purple Gold Sheep]: Hugs, Gou Maoju.

[Jiuyou Wuyou]: +1. That’s tough, Gou Maoju.

[Tuanzi]: Don’t worry, Gou Maoju, I’m sure your son is fine!

...

Er Shang sat frozen in his seat, watching the chat log scroll by.

’So that’s why he stopped updating. Something like this happened with his family... If it were me, I wouldn’t be in the mood to write either. I was wrong to judge Great God Gou Mao.’

’Still, Great God Gou Mao’s son is a Beast Tamer, so his survival skills are much better than an ordinary person’s. And with the Flying Shadow Alliance’s search-and-rescue efficiency, there’s bound to be news by tomorrow at the latest.’

’Whew. I hope his son lets him know he’s safe soon!’

Although he was still worried about the situation in the disaster area, a weight had been lifted from Er Shang’s mind, and he let out a long sigh of relief. He’d report this situation to the editor-in-chief tomorrow. Surely he would understand.

But... Er Shang was still a little confused.

’Wu Bao’s book usually updates around eight or nine in the morning. And he has such a huge stockpile of Chapters, he doesn’t need to write on the fly. Couldn’t he have just hit the publish button?’

’The earthquake happened around nine, and it didn’t officially hit the major news headlines until nine-thirty. That’s well after Wu Bao’s usual update time. In theory, it shouldn’t have affected him.’