In order to prove that he was not just trying to appease the readers, in the photos taken by Muxuxing, in addition to the Sherlock Holmes on the cover, there are also several photos of the subsequent manuscripts of the Sherlock Holmes series. Of course, in order to avoid spoilers, these drafts involving the subsequent plots are censored.
But for readers who were still immersed in the depression of Holmes' death, it was obviously enough.
The first person to notice this notice from Muxuxing was a reader who was already anxiously browsing Weibo:
"Wow, I'm so scared. Good thing Sherlock is not dead! I knew Xingxing wouldn't be so cruel!"
"Oh my god, am I dreaming? Have the stars changed their minds? Has the sun risen from the west?"
"??? What nonsense are you talking about? Our Xingxing has always been so considerate, okay? And to be honest, Xingxing never explicitly said that Holmes was dead from the beginning to the end, right? The latest comic also said that Sherlock's body was not found, and falling into the waterfall does not mean death. Maybe this is just a foreshadowing and a twist. I can only say that you are imagining too much."
"I understand the logic, but why didn't Xingxing come out to explain when there was such a big fuss before? I was almost scared to death when I saw Moriarty and Holmes falling down the waterfall."
"Could it be that after Xingxing finished drawing The Final Problem, he continued to retreat and draw the sequel, and since he has never known about it, he has not shown up?"
As the news that "Sherlock Holmes is not dead" spread quickly, the readers who were originally angry about "The Final Problem" gradually calmed down. To them, as long as Sherlock Holmes was not dead, everything was fine.
At the same time, readers who were protesting outside the Huaying office building also found the notice one after another.
"Sherlock Holmes is not dead? Is that true?"
"Xingxing has posted the next issue of the comics. It can't be fake, right?"
Some people were skeptical about the sudden death news, while others, after calming down, spontaneously explained for Muxuxing: "It shouldn't be fake. Xingxing seems to have already drawn the next issue. In fact, now that I think about it, there are indeed some doubts in "The Final Problem". Strictly speaking, it makes sense that Holmes is not dead."
After confirming Holmes' safety, the crowd gradually regained their sanity and calmed down. The readers who had gathered outside the Huaying office building gradually dispersed, and the readers who had protested against Holmes' death in major online forums also quieted down.
They are waiting.
Whether they believed in Muxuxing or not, all those who were concerned about Holmes' life and death eventually turned their attention to the next issue of "Huaying Comics" -
Is Sherlock Holmes really dead
Did Mu Xiuxing never intend to kill Holmes from the beginning, or did he reluctantly give up killing Holmes because of the readers' protests
With such questions in mind, everyone soon waited for another release date of "Huaying Comics".
Following "The Final Problem" in which Holmes and Moriarty both fell into a waterfall, the subsequent series of short stories is called "The Empty House". Similar to the previous one, "The Empty House" is also unfolded from Watson's perspective -
It turns out that Holmes did not really die in the duel under the waterfall. In order to avoid the deaths of people around him and other innocent people, Holmes chose to fake his death in order to capture Moriarty's remnants.
On the other side, Watson accidentally met an old man on his way back home from the crime scene. After the two went back together, Watson discovered that the so-called "old man" in front of him was actually Sherlock Holmes who had faked his death and returned in a disguised identity.
Conan Doyle's level is needless to say. Although according to the history of another parallel world, "The Empty House" is just a sequel to the Sherlock Holmes series that he had to continue due to external pressure, the plot and cases of the story maintain the consistent high standards of the Sherlock Holmes series, and it is not a perfunctory work written just to satisfy readers.
As "The Empty House" gradually came to an end, Sherlock Holmes in the story finally returned to people's vision again after capturing Moriarty's remnants.
This finally put the last group of readers who were still worried about the Sherlock Holmes series at ease.
"I knew the stars wouldn't lie to me. Sherlock Holmes is really back safely. Hooray!"
"The case was of the same high standard as always. I was moved to tears when I saw Holmes remove his disguise and return to 221 Baker Street with Watson as usual. It's so good that Sherlock is fine! Praise the stars!"
Perhaps because they had let go of the concerns they had been holding in their hearts, readers gradually calmed down and began to explore the entire story of the "Death of Sherlock Holmes" incident.
After recollection and discussion, readers believe that the "death of Sherlock Holmes" may be related to Muxuxing's uncharacteristic hard work on two accounts. The biggest possibility is that due to the hard work on two accounts, the pressure from all parties was too great, which made their star want to get rid of Sherlock Holmes and put an end to it all.
So, when Qiu Fengmao tremblingly opened his computer, the direction of the comments section had already become like this -
"Xingxing, don't be anxious, don't be anxious. We won't be in a hurry to update in the future. We'll take our time. If you're not feeling well, it doesn't matter if you miss one or two episodes! Don't force yourself. Just paint with a relaxed attitude and we'll watch happily. Don't push yourself too hard!"
"There is a chess and card room with excellent service near my home. Xingxing, do you need it?"
"Yes, yes, yes, Sherlock Holmes finally came back. I think you must be exhausted from looking at the stars. Why don't we postpone the next issue? Editor-in-Chief Qiu is not afraid at all. If he dares to urge you to update and put pressure on you, we will curse him to death for you! [Very fierce]"
Editor-in-Chief Qiu:
Aren’t you guys too real
Who was the one who persevered in bringing Holmes back when you guys were dragging your feet? Who was the one who immediately mobilized everyone to hunt down Holmes after learning of his death, trying to change the ending
But now that you see that Holmes is not dead, you are destroying the bridge after crossing it. Is this how you treat me
Editor-in-Chief Qiu was depressed.
—
In the second-floor coffee shop just across the street from Huaying's office building, Chang Tianlu sat near the window and watched the last group of protesting readers slowly disperse.
If you hadn't witnessed it with your own eyes, it would be hard for anyone to believe that such a protest movement that swept across several industries was actually caused by the death of a paper man
Too stable, he thought.
If Chang Tianlu had intended to grab a piece of the suspense and mystery market in the past, then everything before him was proving to fellow comic magazines the huge influence of Huaying in reasoning.
From its initial rise, to its step-by-step market expansion, to its current market consolidation, "Huaying Comics" has been too stable.
Like a stone standing still in flowing water, it makes people see no possibility of survival.
"Editor-in-chief?"
Chang Tianlu came back to his senses: "You are right. In the field of suspense and mystery, it is difficult for us to snatch readers from Huaying. If we want to expand the market, we can only consider other fields that Huaying cannot enter at this stage."
He came to the coffee shop at this time, of course, not to observe the situation of the painting opposite, but to discuss the serialization contract with the author. At this moment, the author himself had not arrived yet, so Chang Tianlu looked at the painting opposite aimlessly while chatting with the editor beside him.
"Although it's difficult to catch up with Huaying, we at Yanling Comics can't continue to be so inactive. It's time to try to open up some new paths." As Chang Tianlu spoke, he had regained his calm and confidence.
"You mean..."
As the two were talking, the comics author who had made an appointment with them came over to them under the guidance of the waiter. Chang Tianlu thought of the choices and changes that Huaying Comics had made along the way, and said with a smile: "For example, in addition to the traditional hot-blooded fighting youth comics, why not try a hot-blooded comic with sports themes?"
…
Oblivious to the fighting spirit he had aroused among his peer weekly magazines, Mu Suxing was now sitting on the leather sofa, staring blankly at the boring program playing on the LCD TV on the wall.
"Brother Sheng..."
As if he knew what he was going to say, Qin Sheng rejected it without even raising his head: "No."
Mu Xiuxing had no choice but to lie back on the sofa with a depressed heart - they were forced to live together for the next period of time which was a foregone conclusion and could not be changed.
In fact, Qin Sheng had not originally intended to force Mu Suxing to stay.
Unfortunately, probably because of irregular eating habits during work some time ago, Muxuxing had a stomachache not long after finishing "Empty House" last night. Although he took stomach medicine in time to relieve the pain, it was only a temporary solution.
"No," Qin Shengyi said simply, "I'll leave when my stomach is well again."
Muxuxing tried to struggle: "I can raise it at home!"
Qin Sheng raised his eyes and glanced at him without saying anything.
Muxiuxing: …
It must be said that although the two had not had much contact for a long time, just such a familiar glance, the instinct of a student against a parent that they had been getting along for nearly ten years once again took over at this moment -
Muxiuxing: "...Oh."
Isn't it just eating on time and avoiding raw, cold, oily and spicy food? Although in this case, even rushing to finish the manuscript will inevitably add a sense of weirdness of being urged by parents to rush the homework, but as the saying goes, people live by their hearts, isn't it just doing homework! Who hasn't done homework for a few years!
Thinking of this, Mu Suxing also calmed down.
Seeing Mu Suxing sitting back on the sofa so easy to talk to, Qin Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Over at Jingzhi Interactive Entertainment, the mobile game of My Heroes has officially been launched. There is a live lottery event today. If you have nothing to do, do you want to go and have a look?"
…
The series of events caused by Holmes' death seem to have ended completely, but in fact, not every reader accepts it well and can act as if nothing happened.
For example, Luo Gaofeng.
Unlike some readers who quickly forgave Huaying and Mu Suxing after learning that Holmes was not dead, Luo Gaofeng was always skeptical about the explanation given by Mu Suxing.
How did Mu Xiuxing explain it at that time
"I have never thought of taking Holmes' life, and I will never do so in the future." Facing the interview with the reporter, Mu Suxing smiled and said: "As many readers have said, Holmes does not just belong to one person. He is a real person and a symbol in our hearts. As a comic magazine that advocates positive energy, the ending set for characters like Holmes by Huaying Comics should naturally be heartwarming."
Luo Gaofeng looked indifferent.
It started again.
It's been three years, and you still think I'm just like Xiao Bai back then, unable to see through your tricks and sinister intentions
Luo Gaofeng was dismissive of this.
In his opinion, no matter how Mu Xiuxing explained, one thing was beyond doubt - that is, Mu Xiuxing did think about killing Holmes - this was a fact.
Of course, it seems meaningless to investigate Holmes' death now.
Seeing readers on Weibo change from cursing the bastards to saying there was no rush to update as Xingxing's health was more important, Luo Gaofeng could only sigh in his heart at the naivety of the new fans, curse the shameless bastards, and then devote his time to the mobile game of "My Hero Academia".
Ten minutes later.
Looking at the card drawing page on the phone screen, Luo Gaofeng couldn't help but fall into deep thought:
Is All Might really in this pool
No, I can't spend money anymore.
With this thought in mind, Luo Gaofeng took a deep breath, suppressed the urge in his heart, restrained his impulse to spend money, and continued his PVE map advancement journey.
However-
He looked at his friend's support column.
#There is All Might in the whole world, except me#
For a moment, Luo Gaofeng seemed to hear the sound of his rationality evaporating in his brain. When he reacted, another ten-draw result appeared on his phone screen.
Luo Gaofeng gritted his teeth.
Isn't it just 648? What's the point of a mobile game without All Might?!
Another ten minutes passed.
Luo Gaofeng looked at his beloved character and the empty game coins. He couldn't help but ask his friend humbly, "Since the server has just been opened, the game should have other benefits, right?"
"Yes," the good friend sent a URL without hesitation: "Jingzhi Interactive Entertainment is live streaming. The official will probably announce three activation codes during this process. You can take a look."
Luo Gaofeng subconsciously clicked on the live broadcast website.
As soon as the page was opened, I didn't know what topic was being discussed, but I heard Qin Sheng say naturally: "... If we talk about the purpose of Thorn Interactive Entertainment, it should be to try our best to create games that can bring happiness to players, right?"
Luo Gaofeng:
Luo Gaofeng couldn't help but look at his own game interface, and then at the live broadcast interface, where Mu Suxing was demonstrating the card drawing seriously, and Qin Sheng, who looked calm and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what he said.
Luo Gaofeng: … … … ==
You two are locked up, get out!