**Chapter 8: The Founder**

**Chapter 8: The Founder**

"Ha ha, my place is quite simple, please excuse it."

Lin Qingshan placed Pochita in a corner of the room that was relatively free of clutter. He then set up the dog bed and opened a pack of dog food and some canned food for Pochita.

Gu Qianli observed the familiar routine and asked, "Mr. Lin, have you raised pets before?"

"I had a cat named Lvshui," Lin Qingshan replied. "I got it from a cat mother in exchange for cat treats."

To be precise, in his previous life, Lvshui was entrusted to him by a cat mother who had been run over by a car and was near death. Lin Qingshan, feeling pity, fed her with cat treats frequently until she entrusted Lvshui to him.

Lvshui... Gu Qianli suddenly thought of Lin Qingshan's name—Qingshan (Green Mountain), and the pet's name being Lvshui (Green Water) matched the owner's name.

It felt a bit odd, but...

"What happened to that cat?" Gu Qianli asked, puzzled.

"It's at my other home," Lin Qingshan scratched his head. "But I can't go back there right now."

Fortunately, in his previous life, he had a timed feeder for Lvshui, which could last for half a month. And Lvshui was smart, a tabby cat, so it would likely find food outside if it ran out.

Although Lin Qingshan was a bit worried, he trusted that Lvshui would be fine in his absence.

"I see. So Mr. Lin isn't a local," Gu Qianli realized.

"Sort of. My hometown is Suzhou, but my mother is from Pudong, Modu," Lin Qingshan said with a smile.

He was referring to his previous life, but in this life, his original ID also listed him as a Modu native.

"Why did Mr. Lin choose to rent a place on your own instead of staying with your grandfather?" Gu Qianli asked.

"My grandparents passed away a long time ago," Lin Qingshan shrugged.

To be exact, in this life, he had no relatives to go to.

"Oh... I'm sorry," Gu Qianli quickly apologized.

"There's no need to apologize," Lin Qingshan said unconcernedly.

Gu Qianli then noticed an old desk in the corner, covered with drawing papers. She picked them up curiously and saw several vivid and exquisite comic drawings.

"Mr. Lin, are you a comic artist?" she asked with excitement.

"Kind of. I mostly do it to make a living," Lin Qingshan replied.

He wasn't quite sure if he could call himself a comic artist, as it required more than just drawing a few pictures. True comic artists needed to be creative too, which he wasn't. He was more of a copycat.

He didn't, however, mention that he had crossed over to another world as a copycat.

"These drawings are really good... And these are your own work, right?" Gu Qianli asked.

Lin Qingshan's latest work was on display—pages from the twenty-third chapter, depicting a scene from the sixth episode of a previous anime. The scene showed David's older brother, Mann, becoming a cyber psychopath and being killed by a terror squad.

The scene that Gu Qianli saw was Mann telling David to run and the poignant final moments where David holds Mann's remaining arm and silently weeps on a vehicle.

"End of the chapter."

Gu Qianli was moved after seeing the illustrations. "Mr. Lin, do you have the earlier drafts? I'd love to see them..."

Lin Qingshan only had drafts from chapter seven to twenty-three, meaning the earlier episodes were submitted already.

"Oh, so Mr. Lin, your work is going to be serialized in a comic magazine? Which one?" Gu Qianli asked, her face lighting up with excitement.

"Manjie, I think it's 'Comic World Gogo'," Lin Qingshan said. "But it seems it'll only start serialization next month."

"Next month... And what's the title?" Gu Qianli asked, a bit disappointed but still curious.

"'Cyberpunk 2077: Edge Runners'," Lin Qingshan answered.

"Cyberpunk 2077? Is this story set in the future?" Gu Qianli asked with renewed curiosity.

"Yes, it's set in the year 2077," Lin Qingshan said.

"And what does Cyberpunk mean?" Gu Qianli inquired.

Lin Qingshan thought for a moment, recalling his knowledge from disk memory. "Cyberpunk is a term combining 'Cyber,' referring to computers and networks, and 'Punk,' which traditionally refers to a rebellious attitude rather than music. Cyberpunk usually means a highly advanced, capital-dominated world where humans are insignificant, with technology blending man and machine, and conflicts between AI, hackers, and large corporations."

Gu Qianli's eyes brightened. "So, it's essentially a dystopian, anti-capitalist theme?"

"Pretty much, it focuses on high-tech but low living standards," Lin Qingshan said, scratching his head.

Wait... This world probably doesn't have the concept of Cyberpunk. Could he become the founder of this genre here?

"That sounds great... So, the main character, David, is he going to rebel against those capitalists?" Gu Qianli asked excitedly.

"That's right," Lin Qingshan confirmed.

"Such a story must be fascinating! No wonder your work is being serialized in Comic World!" Gu Qianli praised.

"I'll definitely vote for your work on the website when it's serialized!" she added. As a devoted reader of Manjie, she subscribed to "Comic World Gogo" monthly and would look forward to Lin Qingshan's "Edge Runners."

"Ah, no need to force yourself," Lin Qingshan said with a smile.

"Well... Mr. Lin, it's getting late. I should head back now," Gu Qianli suddenly remembered that she only came to familiarize herself with Lin Qingshan's address to visit Pochita later.

She patted Pochita's cute little head, feeling a bit reluctant.

Pochita licked her palm with its tongue and barked a few times, seemingly reluctant to part.

"Alright, Miss Qianli, take care," Lin Qingshan said, nodding.

"I'll visit Pochita when I don't have classes," Gu Qianli said as she left.

(End of Chapter)