Chapter 106: Signing Event (Part 2)

Chapter 106: Signing Event (Part 2)

After chatting on the subway for a while, Lin Qingshan, Gu Qianli, and Ito Ayumi arrived at the signing event venue.

However, this signing event was far from ordinary; it resembled a large anime convention.

Various anime and manga cosplays were parading around, and there were many convention-goers.

Among the cosplayers, Lin Qingshan was pleased to see costumes from *Edge Runners*, including David, Lucy, Rebecca, and even Mannequin.

The most amusing part was the amateur cosplayers dressed as Adam Smasher.

Adam Smasher's height made it difficult to recreate the character accurately, so these cosplays were quite comical and seemed to embrace a playful, clownish approach.

The cosplayers paired with David costumes were acting out scenes of being beaten up by David, much to the amusement of the crowd. Many hoped it was a real scenario where David had defeated Adam Smasher and lived happily ever after with Lucy.

But alas, it was just fantasy.

"Teacher Qingshan…"

The staff, who had been waiting, nodded in acknowledgment when they saw Lin Qingshan.

"Hello~"

Lin Qingshan, polite as ever, followed the staff along with Gu Qianli and Ito Ayumi to his signing area.

The convention was not solely focused on Lin Qingshan; other manga artists were also holding signing events.

However, Lin Qingshan's signing event stood out due to the immense popularity of *Edge Runners*, which had surged to the third most popular spot after the final chapter was released.

While its popularity appeared to plateau, *Edge Runners* had achieved a true industry phenomenon status.

The meme of "Cyber Psycho" had further expanded its reach.

On the day the final chapter was released, fans became "Cyber Psychos" themselves, claiming they were going crazy. Since then, Lin Qingshan's fans had embraced the "Cyber Psycho" identity.

With the series' high popularity, this signing event was organized differently from others.

A banner reading "*Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners* Single Volume Signing Event" was displayed prominently at the center of the convention hall.

Surrounding the event space were groups of *Edge Runners* fans eagerly waiting and chatting with each other.

"I heard that the infamous Qingshan will be appearing in person this time. I'm really curious what he looks like."

"Hasn't Qingshan appeared before? In that 'Flying Sky' video, didn't you see it?"

"That video quality was so poor, it's hard to discern anything. All you can tell is that he looks quite thin and delicate."

"Ugh, Qingshan really is a Cyber Psycho. How could he be so ruthless to kill off David and Rebecca…"

"Come on, it's just a manga. Grow up. Adults shouldn't cry over a manga."

"Dude, can you take off your sunglasses while saying that?"

...

Amidst the enthusiastic crowd and their discussions, Lin Qingshan felt a bit overwhelmed.

Mainly because...

How long would it take him to sign all these books?

Fortunately, he didn't need to start signing immediately.

The event was also scheduled to include an interview segment before the signing began.

After the staff backstage received the news that Lin Qingshan and Ito Ayumi had arrived, they planned to start the interview in ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, the host of the interview took the stage.

"Hello, fans of *Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners*! Our signing event is about to begin. Please quiet down."

The host's announcement immediately calmed the crowd, who focused their attention on the stage.

[Translator: sauron]

"Before we officially start the signing, let's first welcome the creator of *Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners*—Teacher Qingshan, and his editor, Ms. Ayumi Ito!"

The crowd erupted into enthusiastic applause.

However, some excited fans shouted, "Qingshan, bring back David!" and "Qingshan, bring back Rebecca-chan!"

These were minor disruptions.

Lin Qingshan and Ito Ayumi took the stage slowly as introduced by the host.

Seeing Lin Qingshan and Ito Ayumi in person, fans were very surprised.

"I didn't expect... Qingshan really is this young. Or maybe he just looks young?"

"He doesn't even look thirty, but he does seem like the same person from that Flying Sky video."

"Wow, this editor is really pretty. Is she Japanese?"

"By the way, Qingshan doesn't look bad either. He's actually quite handsome."

"Great, this messy hair and weird smile really fit my stereotype of Qingshan the Cyber Psycho!"

"Yeah... Qingshan's smile is kind of creepy…"

...

As the fans discussed, Lin Qingshan and Ito Ayumi sat down on the stage at their designated seats.

"First, let's welcome Teacher Qingshan and Ms. Ayumi. Could you both say a few words to the fans?"

The host smiled and prompted.

"Hehe, hello everyone, I'm Lin Qingshan!"

Lin Qingshan gave a thumbs up and introduced himself.

The host and Ito Ayumi were taken aback.

Lin Qingshan had revealed his real name during the introduction.

Though Lin Qingshan's pen name was derived from his real name, the fans were unaware.

They had always believed that Qingshan was just a pen name.

Now, Lin Qingshan had directly exposed his true name.

"Really using your real name for manga…"

"Wow, a true psycho never hides. This guy's brain must not be very normal!"

"Teacher Lin Qingshan is really… I'm in tears. Such honesty!"

...

Now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no turning back. Revealing one's real name wasn't a big deal, though.

The host ignored the minor mishap and proceeded to the question segment after Ito Ayumi's introduction.

"First, I'd like to ask Teacher Qingshan: I understand that *Edge Runners* was conceived as a worst-case scenario in a future with advanced technology. Did you always envision it ending tragically?"

(End of Chapter)