Chapter 50: Exposure!

  "My god! Shameless, completely shameless! It seems these bastards have thrown their last bit of dignity into the toilet!" Fat Zhang yelled furiously.

  "Hehe, Brother Pang, don't get so angry! This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn't it already within our expectations? Previously, they've been relying on pirating our works to gain popularity. Now that we're preparing for the first online literature grand competition, it's understandable that they'd be anxious and try to cause some trouble!" Compared to Yu Pang's irritation, Su Jin was calm and collected, appearing very serene.

  The process was quite simple. Su Jin and others made the decision to organize the first online literature competition. Then they entered the preparation phase, and by now, almost everyone in the online literary world knew about it.

  Many literary websites have also promised to participate in this competition, in a sense, it is a declaration of the Dream Network's dominance over the entire online literature world! It is a symbol of formally establishing itself as the leader of online literature!

  Relying on the strength and influence of Dream Net, this time it was announced that the water had reached the canal. But just as everyone at Dream Net was excited, they suddenly discovered chapters from Dream Net books on the "Golden Book House" website!

  Finding the chapter of Dream Net on "Golden Book House" is too normal, after all, it's been living off piracy. But just like how online piracy has become an unwritten rule, there's another unwritten rule in the online literature world!

  That's right, any book that has been confirmed for publication is strictly prohibited from being pirated! Don't be surprised, this is indeed an unspoken rule! In many industries, it's like this. Compared to the sanctimonious articles and regulations, these unspoken rules are actually the foundation of the industry's survival!

  Members may play with the government's laws and regulations, but they dare not take a step beyond these hidden rules! Because everyone knows that if these hidden rules are broken, the consequences for the entire industry will be devastating.

  So, anyone who dares to break the unspoken rules will be jointly attacked by all industry insiders! The online literature industry has not been around for long, but it's enough time for it to generate its own unspoken rules! And this is one of them!

  In the past, "Golden Book House" Dream Network's works were all pirated versions of those uploaded online. For works that have been confirmed to be published or already published, there is no piracy.

  After all, everyone is in this industry, and these published online works have a promoting effect on the development of the entire online literature. In the current chaotic era of online literature, any insider should contribute to the growth and strengthening of the entire industry!

  But this time, for some reason, the fantasy sequel chapters that were originally scheduled to be published by the Writing Club actually appeared on the homepage of "Golden Book House"! No wonder President Huang was so indignant at this moment!

  The direct loss caused by this matter is that nearly one-third of the books printed by Pangu have been returned! A direct loss of 1 million! Of course, for the currently wealthy and arrogant Pangu, 1 million is not a big deal.

  But as the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire! If this time doesn't kill one to warn a hundred, then how will it be next time? What makes Fatong even more worried is that the subsequent chapters of the already published book have not been uploaded even on the Dream Net.

  However, according to the website's regulations, these subsequent chapters are stored on a background computer that is not connected to the network. In other words, it is very likely that there is an internal ghost among the staff of Mengxiang Network if "Huangjin Shuwu" can obtain the subsequent chapters!

  However, what puzzles Boss Huang is that theoretically, if "Golden House" really had an internal ghost, he should have managed it well. An event like this would at most add some dirt to the Dream Network, but in reality, it wouldn't hurt the Dream Network.

  However, this is not important. What's important is that "Huang Jin Shu Wu" has broken the industry's unwritten rules and must be given an explanation! After some discussion, Su Zhen and others decided to send Li Bing as a representative of Meng Xiang Wang to negotiate with "Huang Jin Shu Wu".

  This was not what Su Jin and others had expected. Faced with the negotiating representative they sent, "Huangjin Shuwu" should immediately deeply reflect on its mistakes, correct them immediately, and ensure that this will never happen again!

  But the result of the negotiation was beyond everyone's expectation! "Golden Book House" only verbally expressed a little apology, but absolutely did not admit to the fact that they pirated Dream Net chapters! And very solemnly told Li Bing, "Golden Book House" is a website where any author can upload any work! All works uploaded here are voluntary actions of the uploader and have nothing to do with "Golden Book House"!

  Li Bing's message almost made Fat General spit out three liters of blood! Afterwards, his face turned red with rage and he roared: "Bastard! You dare to go against me? Fine, I'll play along to the end! Let's see who can outplay who!"

  The spread of news on the internet is absolutely at the speed of light! Moreover, the circle of online culture isn't that big. In just three short days, everyone on the internet already knew about this incident.

  For this matter, netizens' reactions are varied. Some condemn it, some approve of it, and others are uncertain. In short, there are all sorts of opinions, but from the perspective of self-interest, "Huangjin Shuwu" pirated the subsequent chapters of Mengxiang Wang, which for them is a saving of money.

  Compared with the numerous cultural websites, this time the opinions of netizens are surprisingly consistent. They all believe that "Huangjin Shuwu" has violated industry norms and caused damage to the entire industry! It should be subject to sanctions!

  Alas! The world is full of people seeking to gain. The world is full of people scrambling to get ahead, all for the sake of profit! Many times, people speak from their own perspective! As for what's right and just, it's only mentioned when it doesn't involve one's own interests.

  Moreover, so-called justice and righteousness are precisely the methods of dealing with things that benefit the majority! It is because they benefit the majority that they become justice and righteousness! Since ancient times, what has been called "following the will of the people" refers to this very thing.

  No matter whether it's the netizens' view or the website's view, in this matter, they can only play the role of onlookers and cannot exert any real influence.

  Just five days after the incident, on April 28, 1998, Wang as a representative of DreamNet posted an announcement online:

  "The Golden Book House" has severely disrupted the order of the industry, causing huge damage to the entire online cultural industry! It is a pest in the online literature world! It is a public enemy!

  We, Dream Net, strongly condemn and protest against such behavior! We, Dream Technology Co., Ltd. have always been a law-abiding company! We will not respond with malicious competition methods!

  It's not that we can't, but doing so would cause turbulence in the entire industry! As a leading cultural website, maintaining the stability and good development of the industry has always been our responsibility and obligation.

  We cannot let this incident affect the entire industry, but we will use legal means to maintain our legitimate rights! We have submitted a lawsuit to Gucheng People's Court in the name of Dream Technology Co., Ltd.!

  We believe that fair laws will safeguard our legitimate rights and interests and severely punish such enterprises with no industry ethics!