The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 1: Countdown to Extending Life - I Made the Devilish Screenwriter Cry!

The audition hall for the S-level film "Palace Intrigue" was buzzing with noise and excitement.

To Jiang Ci, this clamor was merely meaningless vibrations against his eardrums.

His entire perception was locked, deathly still, on the crimson mark in the upper right corner of his vision.

The mark that was constantly devouring his vital signs.

[Life Countdown: 00:03:00]

With every beat of his heart, the warmth drained further from his limbs.

[00:02:58]

"Alright, the open casting for today's role ends here. Thank you all for participating."

The staff member's voice rang out, devoid of any emotion.

The crowd began to stir.

It's over.

Jiang Ci's vision started to darken, the entire world pulling away from him.

No.

I can't die!

The instinct to survive overwhelmed his body's decay, a flash of desperate madness appearing deep within his eyes.

Rather than sit and wait for death, he would charge out.

Using the last shred of his strength, Jiang Ci burst out fiercely from the corner!

He shoved aside those blocking his path, tearing through the crowd moving in the opposite direction.

Under the stunned gazes of the hundreds present, he rushed to the judges' table and shouted with all his might:

"Director! Screenwriter! My name is Jiang Ci! Please give me one more minute!"

The entire hall instantly fell silent.

All eyes.

Astonished, mocking, all nailed squarely onto him.

Jiang Ci gasped for breath violently.

He was at his most disheveled, hair messy, collar askew, his face the deathly pale of someone on the brink.

In the center of the judges' table, the woman known as the "Devil of the Industry" slowly raised her head.

Gold-tier screenwriter, Lin Wan.

An iron-willed queen who could reduce investors to calling for an ambulance on the spot.

She didn't speak, her gaze terrifyingly calm, just looking at him.

That scrutinizing stare almost completely crushed Jiang Ci's already fragile soul.

"One minute?"

Lin Wan finally spoke, her voice clear and cold, each word like ice.

"What makes you think your one minute is worth me giving it?"

What makes me think?

Jiang Ci wanted to laugh, but the corners of his mouth could only twist into an expression uglier than crying.

Because I'm really about to die!

He couldn't voice these words.

He no longer had the strength to form any extra language.

[00:02:28]

Communication was useless.

Then... perform.

Jiang Ci staggered forward one step, fixing his bloodless face directly and firmly towards Lin Wan's direction.

He did nothing.

Just stood there.

His bloodshot pupils reflected the stark white ceiling lights, like two flames about to be extinguished.

This life-defying madness made those originally walking back gradually stop in their tracks.

Lin Wan had seen more actors than everyone present combined.

Some wept bitterly, claiming their love for acting.

Some did splits and somersaults on the spot to showcase their talents.

Some even brought their household registers to claim family connections.

But none were like Jiang Ci.

She could clearly distinguish what was performance and what was real.

The sense of life burnt to ashes emanating from this young man before her was too real.

Lin Wan gave a slight nod.

The director beside her tacitly approved her decision.

Permission, granted.

In his mind, Jiang Ci used his last shred of willpower to roar.

"Newcomer Gift Pack! Use it!"

[Newcomer Gift Pack activated.]

['Tragic General Experience Card' (one-time use), has been used. Duration: 2 minutes.]

A cold system prompt sounded.

The next second, a gentle yet powerful force flowed through his entire body.

His limbs, which had just been shivering with cold, instantly warmed.

The feeling of weakness, chased by death, also lessened considerably.

Jiang Ci didn't give anyone time to react.

He stepped forward, his posture ramrod straight, then heavily knelt on one knee.

"Thud!"

His knee hit the floor with a dull thump.

He slowly raised his head.

His face, once merely pale, was now utterly shrouded in the sorrow of a shattered nation.

His eyes had changed.

No longer looking at Lin Wan, but piercing through her, seeing the collapse of a dynasty, the end of a destiny.

In Jiang Ci's world, Lin Wan was no longer the screenwriter.

She was the Eldest Princess, whom he had protected with his life, paved the way for with his blood and bones, yet ultimately had to bid farewell to with his own hands...

His lips moved slightly, each word carrying the searing heat of blood and fire.

"Your Highness..."

"This subject has been loyal to the nation, filial to the sovereign... in this life... I have no regrets."

He paused.

A single tear slid unexpectedly from the corner of his eye.

"Only..."

"I owe you a lifetime of peace."

"If there is a next life..."

He produced a smile of ultimate sorrow, within that smile was a deep affection and despair that consumed everything.

"...May we never meet again."

Never meet again.

These four words were a curse.

The gentlest, yet cruelest curse a young general could leave for his beloved before turning to dust.

Meeting again is too bitter.

The love of this lifetime has exhausted everything. In the next life, he only wishes for her a lifetime of peace, with no further entanglement.

As the birth mother of "Palace Intrigue," Lin Wan had poured her heart and soul into the "Young General" character.

Though this character only had one scene at the end of the film, it could elevate the entire drama's emotional core.

She had interviewed hundreds of extras, yet not a single one could perform the absolute resolve born from loving to the extreme, hurting to the extreme, that would lead to saying "never meet again."

Until this moment!

This young man before her, he wasn't acting!

He was her general!

He had walked right out of her script, alive!

Lin Wan's shoulders trembled violently.

She wanted to maintain the coldness of her "Devil Screenwriter" persona, but the tear slipping from her eye betrayed her.

This queen, known for her iron will that intimidated the entire industry, under the gaze of hundreds, covered her face tightly with both hands.

Uncontrollable sobs escaped from between her fingers.

Everyone in the hall was stunned by this bizarre scene.

Lin Wan... was crying?

The Lin Wan who, faced with threats from capital, could tear up a contract on the spot and throw it in someone's face?

She cried... because of a few lines from this madman?!

At the same time, a heavenly sound rang in Jiang Ci's mind.

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak emotion!]

[Heartbreak Value +15 from 'Lin Wan'!]

[Life value replenishment successful.]

[Detected target 'Lin Wan' is core creator of the plot. Heartbreak effect doubled. Additional Heartbreak Value +15 awarded.]

[Current total Heartbreak Value balance: 30 points.]

[Congratulations, Host, on extending lifespan by 15 days.]

Double crit?!

Jiang Ci was ecstatic.

In his vision, the blood-red countdown abruptly vanished.

His nerves, stretched to the breaking point, snapped the instant he confirmed the crisis was averted.

As the power of the experience card faded, Jiang Ci's vision went black. Without even time to say "Thank you, big sister," he fell straight backward.

Before he completely lost consciousness, what reached his ears was the director's roar, mixed with wild joy and panic.

"Quick! Quick, call a doctor!"

"Keep him here!!!"

"He IS my Young General!!!"