ICTEUWMN Chapter 176

In fact, the entire star network had been aware of Fish Soup Noodles’s storm-attracting physique from the very first book.

Every time a new work was released, it never failed to shock everyone while simultaneously skyrocketing in popularity.

However, this time, when countless readers saw Fish Soup Noodles’ blunt and straightforward acknowledgment on StarBlog, they still fell into a long silence.

For an unusually long time, there wasn’t a single new comment refreshing under the post.

Considering Fish Soup Noodles’ current level of traffic, normally, as soon as a StarBlog post was made, the numbers would shoot up instantly.

“Is the network lagging? Did it fail to send?”

For the first time, Yu Mian found himself doubting the star network, suspiciously refreshing the page several times.

After all, attending this event was quite a formal occasion, so it was necessary to proactively provide some clarification.

Otherwise, if everyone went to flood the official account with inquiries, that would be a bit troublesome.

But just a few seconds later, as expected, both StarBlog and private messages exploded simultaneously once everyone snapped back to their senses.

[Huh? Did I stay up too late last night reading “The Vast Immortal Path” and got dizzy? I actually had hallucinations when I logged onto the star network? Did I dream that Fish Soup Noodles posted on StarBlog claiming to be a special race!?]

Most netizens had already prepared themselves for a three-hundred-round battle against black fans. But before they even had the chance to start, Fish Soup Noodles personally posted a StarBlog.

It felt like an illusion…so unreal that they didn’t dare to believe it at first.

The comment section was instantly flooded with question marks.

Yu Mian couldn’t help but laugh.

Randomly picking one, he replied: [Why is everyone spamming question marks? It looks like a string of garbled code. It’s true. It’s not an illusion.]

However, after sending this post, Yu Mian suddenly realized that StarBlog actually seemed to be lagging.

Because even after repeatedly tapping the send button multiple times, there was absolutely no response.

And after refreshing once again, the entire StarBlog turned into a blank screen…

“How is it possible for the network to crash in the interstellar era? What, are your servers made of potatoes?”

Yu Mian blinked at the error message saying “Failed to send, network congestion ahead” and felt incredulous.

Why was this even worse than Earth’s networks?

Although, to be fair, Yu Mian was somewhat wronging StarBlog.

Because in just those few short seconds, the topic had already shot up to the top of the hot search, #Fish Soup Noodles is actually a special race#!

On this otherwise uneventful night, StarBlog’s traffic surged wildly, with countless users swarming in to see exactly what Fish Soup Noodles had posted!

[Fuck, is this real? Let me see it! I’m begging this loading symbol to stop spinning!]

[I’m seriously panicking! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is really a special race? And was invited as a representative to attend the event?!]

[Damn it, I’m a die-hard fan, let me in first! (Frantically running around the room in desperation)]

As everyone flooded in at once, unwilling to let anyone else get ahead, the inevitable result was that StarBlog truly crashed and was completely paralyzed in a short period of time.

At first, a few lucky ones could still open Fish Soup Noodles’s StarBlog homepage.

But now, the entire platform had crashed and was forcefully logging users out.

There were exceptions…no one could get in.

And because of this, the immense pressure naturally fell on the StarBlog maintenance team.

“Fuck, how did it suddenly crash without any warning?”

“This isn’t even the period of magnetic storms.”

Everyone jumped up from their chairs in confusion, quickly checking the server logs. It didn’t take long before they found the culprit.

“Wait a minute, why is it this bowl of fish soup noodles again?”

The name was so familiar that the StarBlog executives felt as if they were running into an old acquaintance and were about to have the same headache-inducing déjà vu.

Hadn’t this person just been on the hot search not long ago? Why is he back again?

And this time, it happened so fast that they didn’t even have time to patch things up before the system directly collapsed.

“Hey! Is this really the time for you to stand around in shock? If you don’t fix this right now, the customer service department won’t be able to hold out!”

Before long, the other department heads rushed in, only to see an entire office of people staring blankly at each other and their irritation flared instantly.

After snapping everyone awake, they scrambled to deal with the crisis.

Even Editor Shaxs had immediately messaged Yu Mian.

[Fish: What’s wrong, Editor QwQ]

[Crispy Shark: Uh… seems like everything’s fine now (facepalm)]

After Yu Mian’s reply, Shaxs confirmed that things had settled down.

StarBlog had crashed and no one could get in anymore.

[Fish: Oh, if everything’s fine, I’m off then.]

After all, the notifications were exploding, and replying to everyone was exhausting.

[Crispy Shark: Wait! Don’t go! You’re really a special race?!]

Shaxs quickly grabbed hold of Yu Mian. If star network had a physical form, he probably would’ve thrown himself at his author’s legs and demanded an explanation.

Even the entire Huanyu Editorial Department was in an uproar.

Everyone had assumed this was just another one of the secrets Shaxs was hiding from them, but Shaxs said aggrievedly that he really didn’t know this time.

Fish Soup Noodles never showed any obvious traits of a special race whenever they met.

More importantly, Fish Soup Noodles was very friendly and warm toward humans, without the usual distant or cautious demeanor.

[Fish: It’s true! I’ve copy-pasted this sentence dozens of times already TwT]

Yu Mian immediately sent a crying emoji.

[Crispy Shark: Ahem, so… what exactly are you? Can I ask?]

This time, after hesitating for a long moment, Shaxs still couldn’t resist asking.

[Fish: Hmm… a fish, obviously. You’ll find out soon enough.]

Yu Mian flicked his tail and chuckled, deliberately whetting Shaxs’ appetite.

Actually, this had already been discussed with the chairman, they were leaving it as a surprise for the press conference to boost the event’s ratings.

Shaxs: !!!

Damn it! He knew he was being strung along, but for some reason, he couldn’t even be mad about it.

“Ahhhh, of course we know it’s a fish! But what kind of fish? A flying fish? A shark? A tilapia? A butterflyfish? Don’t tell me… it’s a mermaid?!”

“Now that I think about it, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles never really hid it…his message ID has always had ‘fish’ in it. How did no one realize this sooner?!”

The entire editorial department stared at Shaxs’ messages, completely losing focus on work.

They wished they could skip straight to the event day and watch the live broadcast.

Although, none of them realized that someone had already guessed the truth by accident.

Meanwhile, the freshly restored StarBlog immediately kicked off a massive guessing game.

[No wonder Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ short story always got so much praise from aquatic readers. It turns out he’s the most qualified one of all! Sitting up straight with pride.]

[Okay, okay, but what kind of aquatic race has such a high appearance score? I have a big fish tank at home, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, do you want to come play? TwT]

[A fish tank is too low-class! I have a massive swimming pool! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, come to my place! Look at me, look at me! I don’t care what kind of fish you are…let me raise you! [Pool picture]]

As the guessing continued, the topic unknowingly turned into a full-blown competition of “who could provide the best fish-raising conditions”.

The comment section even became a showcase of extravagant offers.

[Stellar Medal: Please, please let me take care of you. As soon as I get my next manuscript payment, I’m buying a new house with a pool! // Repost: …]

Even Yu Mian’s friends started joining the StarBlog chaos. For example, Stellar Medal, who immediately made plans to upgrade.

But that record was quickly surpassed.

[Feather Monster: Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, why don’t you come to my place? The apartment I rented on Central Star has a luxurious swimming pool [blushing.jpg]]

Noel, who usually did love broadcasts, posted a photo of his apartment’s pool, which indeed looked very tempting.

[Lilith: I don’t have one, but… I can dig out a whole sea.]

[Christina: Exactly! We can build an artificial sea! The kind where even giant fish can swim freely!]

Even Lilith and a whole crew of Bart fans jumped onto the bandwagon.

Eternal Night Star System had everything except large bodies of water, but in the face of the Bart people’s financial power, that was hardly an obstacle.

“Heh, those guys don’t get it at all. I was the first fish fan to know Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’s secret!”

In some corner of the star network, Ernis smirked at his light brain.

Back when they had “collided” in the waters of Starry Sky Lake, Ernis had already guessed that Fish Soup Noodles was some kind of aquatic race.

But he had never shared the secret with anyone.

Because it was their secret…something just between him and Fish Soup Noodles.

This caused Ernis to always have a sense of arrogance.

‘I am Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’s most beloved fan! I am even his neighbor!’

[Ernis: When it comes to dreamy and beautiful scenery, nothing beats Starry Sky Lake. The paradise of the Federation’s aquatic races…oh, how perfect the friendship between fish and little crabs is! [Picture]]

With that, Ernis subtly flexed a photo of Starry Sky Lake.

For the first time, he even boldly revealed his own crab exoskeletal arm.

Ever since rising to fame as a singer in the Federation, Ernis had considered telling his fans the reason his fandom was called “Little Crabs”, which was actually because he was a crab.

It was just that he had been stopped by his manager multiple times.

After all, no one knew what the public’s attitude toward special-race celebrities would be. What if there were risks?

But at this moment, watching as Fish Soup Noodles was about to attend an official event and openly acknowledge his identity, Ernis suddenly felt that it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

The people of Federation Star were actually very friendly and cute.

And the moment Ernis’ little crab secret was revealed, the heat on StarBlog surged into a new peak, making it feel like a never-ending drama series.

[Fuck, Xiao Er, you’re for real? We actually stan a real little crab?!]

[Good grief, you really rode on Fish Soup Noodles’ trending heat again, but since you’re both aquatic descendants, I’ll let it slide.]

[So, Xiao Er, do you know what kind of fish Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is? Since you two are so close.]

Seeing his fans’ shock and their arguments over who was most qualified to keep a fish, the corners of Ernis’ mouth curled higher and higher.

Though when it came to that last question, he hesitated.

Because, truth be told, he really didn’t know exactly what race Fish Soup Noodles was.

[Ernis: Uh, well, anyway, it’s an incredibly beautiful, beautiful fish! Maybe it’s even a mermaid! Just watch the news live broadcast next week, and you’ll find out! In any case, I also really, really want to raise Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!]

So Ernis stammered his way through a reply.

This actually served as a reminder to the netizens, who immediately rushed to reserve spots for the online news conference live broadcast.

Even the Federation Star officials were left staring in disbelief at the skyrocketing number of reservations.

“Fish Soup Noodles truly has a natural talent for generating topics. Our viewership is secured this year!”

“Especially since even the number of outer star system viewers is soaring.”

The relevant department heads were experiencing the joy of traffic falling from the sky.

Although Federation Star had received attention before, it had never been this much!

Meanwhile, Yu Mian, who had just barely managed to get back onto StarBlog, watched helplessly as the topic took a bizarre turn and didn’t know what expression to make.

Wasn’t everyone already raising plenty of cubs in the latest Taoyuan game?

Why were they now clamoring to raise a real-life fish?

But before Yu Mian could even organize his thoughts for a reply, a brand-new post dropped onto StarBlog, like a deep-sea torpedo detonating in the midst of the joyful fish-raising frenzy.

[Huo Ting: He doesn’t need it. //Repost Ernis: …I also really, really want to raise Teacher Fish Soup Noodles!]

Ernis’ post had alarmed Huo Ting and he immediately responded.

Ever since Teacher Fish Soup Noodles had invited General Huo Ting to join his cooking live broadcast to dispel rumors about his identity and became a hot search topic, everyone had been left with a deep impression of this duo.

In private, many had eagerly speculated about how Teacher Fish Soup Noodles had managed to convince a Huo family member to cooperate.

At the very least, they had to have a really good relationship!

Otherwise, why would Fish Soup Noodles be temporarily staying at the Huo family’s old residence, right? The rumors about his background not being simple also started from there.

Most importantly, while everyone knew that General Huo Ting was incredibly busy with official duties, he still never missed an update of Fish Soup Noodles’ works. Every time a new chapter was posted, he would appear, silently drop a starship reward, and then log off without a word.

At first, people were stunned…how can someone just reward starships to an author every single day?!

But over time, everyone had become numb to it, even growing used to it.

If Huo Ting’s account was late by a few minutes in making its appearance, the comment section would be filled with calls demanding why General Huo hadn’t shown up to read the latest update.

[Since you have chosen to follow the story, how can you give up halfway or be late? Even if you’re a big shot, we strongly condemn this! If you drop the novel, our Teacher Fish Soup Noodles will be very sad.]

As a result, Huo Ting saw it and even replied: he wasn’t dropping the novel, he had a meeting that ran late. In the future, he would have his secretary log in to reward the starship on time to avoid being late.

The fan who had received this unexpected personal reply immediately panicked and frantically explained: Sorry, I was just joking, please don’t take it seriously… Orz

This made other fans in the comment section laugh so hard.

Everyone left messages reassuring him that it really wasn’t necessary to drop rewards to Teacher Fish Soup Noodles just like clocking in for work. We fish fans are not that strict and demanding. What if we scare people away?

When Yu Mian finally realized that Huo Ting had unknowingly become a legend in the comment section, he blushed, covered his face, and seriously considered putting Huo Ting back on his blacklist.

Fortunately, Secretary Hals quickly reassured him, saying, “This is the boss’s right as a reader. Besides, even if you block him, he’ll always find another way to keep up with your updates, so there’s no need for that.”

“And that’s where the real problem is… Didn’t this guy have a meeting today?”

Yu Mian flicked his fish tail, staring at the 100 starships suddenly thrown into his reward column. He really didn’t want to know how much chaos this had stirred up on StarBlog.

He felt both amused and exasperated.

Ernis was indeed a close friend from the same aquatic lineage, so it wasn’t too strange for him to post something on StarBlog.

And he understood Ernis’ lively, slightly showy personality well. He was probably just joking around. Hopefully, this wouldn’t give him a psychological shadow.

In fact, when Ernis saw Huo Ting’s post, his pupils immediately shook, and he ran to Yu Mian’s messages, anxiously seeking confirmation:

[Ernis: Wuuu, Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, did I say something wrong? General Huo Ting is so fierce QAQ [Little Crab Crying.jpg]]

[Fish: Facepalm, it’s no big deal. When he gets home tonight, I’ll scold him for you.]

Yu Mian quickly comforted him.

Only then did Ernis finally let out a long sigh of relief.

‘Hmph, I am indeed Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ most beloved little crab.’

As long as General Huo Ting’s post wasn’t something Teacher Fish Soup Noodles himself had meant, that was all that mattered. He was really scared that he had upset Teacher Fish Soup Noodles.

But as he looked at the replies on his light brain, Ernis, who had been grinning foolishly for a long time, suddenly felt a string in his mind snap.

Wait a minute…”when he gets home tonight”!?

But didn’t Teacher Fish Soup Noodles already move from the Huo family’s old residence to Starry Sky Lake?

[Little Crab Brainstorming.jpg]

Meanwhile, the star network was still unaware of Ernis’ mental earthquake at this moment, as everyone was too busy being shocked by the completely unreasonable “rain of starships”.

[Thinking about it carefully, even if we don’t talk about Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ royalties, just the reward gifts alone must add up to an astronomical number, right? If we were to “raise” Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, wouldn’t that actually be a downgrade in his standard of living…]

[Laughing through tears—so Boss Huo Ting really meant it when he said, “He doesn’t need it”! My heart is broken because I can’t afford to raise Teacher Fish Soup Noodles.]

[Hahaha, imagine bringing Teacher Fish Soup Noodles home, and his reaction is: “How did I end up being raised by someone with your financial situation?”]

Regardless of everything else, everyone on star network was now acting as if they were all part of a collective countdown event.

Under the newly established super-topic, countless fans checked in every day, counting down the days until the press conference.

After all, this was the most influential official event in Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ history!