CHAPTER 142: THE REAL LUNATIC

Justin looked at the others and suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. There was almost nothing he could do. All he could do was receive Joshua’s affection—and never be able to repay it, because compared to these people, he truly had no power at all.

All he could do was hope Joshua would be alright.

Justin lowered his gaze to his hands. He had once thought that as long as he had a job that could support him, becoming an idol wasn’t a bad idea.

But for the first time, he found himself wishing he could reach toward something higher—toward power and wealth...

Two years, huh...

And from the moment Joshua’s attack photo was posted online, the fans practically lost their minds.

In the picture, Joshua had one hand pressed to the corner of his mouth. Fresh blood streamed down his chin, dripped onto the ground, and trickled down his neck.

[Damn it, why is there so much blood? Just looking at it hurts!]

[That was a frozen water bottle, for heaven’s sake! It’s no different from throwing a rock at Joshua!]

[This was clearly intentional. They should call the police. If that bottle had hit Joshua’s head, he might’ve been done for.]

[I think Joshua actually reacted fast. He stepped back the moment he sensed it flying toward him. Otherwise, the wound might’ve been even worse.]

[A bunch of monsters. All this over a few pictures, and there weren’t even any intimate ones in them.]

[I bet that person wasn’t even a fan.]

[I hate crazed people like that.]

[Sob sob, my Joshua—seeing all that blood is terrifying...]

[Everyone! The company released a statement!]

As soon as the link was posted, fans swarmed in immediately.

[CM Broadcasting Official]: Hello to everyone who has been supporting Joshua. We will be taking action...

The announcement was basically about the company taking measures to protect the artist, clarifying that Joshua and Nine were only ordinary friends, and stating that they would sue accounts that deliberately posted malicious content.

In the comments below, fans continued shouting.

[Thank goodness Joshua’s alright. I hope he really is okay...]

[Not to be rude, but seeing all that blood made it look like Joshua was about to die or something.]

[The photo is horrifying, but since the company said so, at least we can relax a bit.]

[Sue all of them! They already said they’re just friends! A random malicious post becomes bait for antis to start biting—so infuriating!]

[He got famous too fast. All those keyboard-smashing, jealous clowns have gone insane.]

[ha ha, I know exactly where some of those antis are coming from]

[Come on, let’s just focus on Joshua. Wait until everything settles down first.]

[I can’t calm down. In the last thread, someone even wished Joshua would be disfigured. Damn it, I’m so furious I could explode!]

Although that comment had been cursed into oblivion until the poster deleted it themselves, nothing was faster than fans’ screenshotting skills.

Many fans—with what they proudly called "sharp eyes"—quickly realized that most of the hateful comments weren’t just from hired trolls but also from a portion of another group’s fans.

That group had debuted two months before ShineOn. Their debut was quite explosive, but all of those achievements were later shattered when ShineOn broke record after record.

And coincidentally, their group’s center—who also served as visual—had a style somewhat similar to Joshua’s. So the two fandoms had been quietly comparing and arguing back and forth for a while.

But since that side always lost, now that they finally had an excuse, they bit into it like rabid dogs.

However, a much larger-scale war would happen in the future. For now, most fans were worried about Joshua, and they began trending hashtags wishing for his quick recovery.

When Nine returned that evening, he even bought two LED billboards for Joshua, leaving other fans speechless and quietly impressed by how wealthy he was.

And what was he doing now?

The sunset blanketed the city, the fading light casting long slanted shadows across the skyscrapers.

The man hiding in the dark looked irritated.

He had felt someone following him for a long time and had only just managed to shake them off.

Although annoyed, the moment he thought about the pile of money that had just entered his account, his mood instantly lifted again.

At that moment, a strange sound echoed behind him.

Instinctively, the man turned around—and found a rabbit mask inches from his face. His pupils shrank sharply, and fear shot through him as he stumbled backward, nearly falling.

The figure wearing the rabbit mask stood behind him silently, like a ghost that had been waiting for him this entire time.

Seeing him jump in fright, Nine couldn’t help laughing. He dragged the axe in his hand across the ground, the blade scraping against the pavement with an unpleasant screech: "You look pretty happy, huh? After hurting my darling like that, you seem really happy, don’t you?"

The man instinctively backed away. Even though he was a bit taller than Nine, with Nine holding an axe that big, he didn’t stand a chance.

He almost immediately changed his posture.

He dropped to his knees, clasped his hands together, and quickly said, "I’m sorry, really sorry, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to, someone hired me..."

Nine narrowed his eyes at that, a mocking smile spreading across his face. "Didn’t mean to? These hands of yours, these exact hands threw that bottle at Joshua!"

His voice dropped, cold and sharp. The axe swung down, slamming into the ground and grazing past the man’s body, missing his thigh by barely a few millimeters.

The man jolted and directly wet himself.

He shook his head nonstop, so terrified he couldn’t even form proper words.

Seeing him trembling like a leaf, Nine suddenly asked, "You were hired, so tell me, who hired you?"

The man shook his head frantically. "Hired online, all I know is they paid me a lot, I really don’t know... I’m sorry..."

Nine let out a derisive laugh.

Hearing that laugh, the man suddenly understood that no matter what he said today, there was no way out.

He clenched his fists, summoning all the courage and strength he had in his entire life, and hurled himself forward — a cornered rat unleashing a desperate burst of power that could make even a predator hesitate.

But Nine was never someone who needed to fear anything.

He sneered, lifted his leg, and kicked the man flying. It happened so fast that the man couldn’t react at all, crashing straight into a trash bin beside them. He toppled over, and the trash toppled onto him.

"If you resisted a little less, maybe that mangy life of yours could’ve been spared."

Nine spoke as he raised the axe again, this time aiming directly at the man’s right hand.

It was only a moment later...

A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the empty alley.

Nine stepped on the man’s face, his voice cold. "You should feel lucky Joshua’s injury can at least heal."

"Don’t say another word, or next time what I take won’t just be one of your hands."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.