Chapter 59

When technology and science fiction merge, what kind of chemical reaction will be born?

Representatives from two cutting-edge fields gathered at the Future Technology Conference, sparking inspiration through the collision of their ideas, much like a crowdfunding of wisdom, to advance the exploration and vision of future technology.

For science fiction writers, this is the time to unleash their creativity and promote the integration of scientific inventions and scientific imagination, making some of the things in novels come true.

Lin Han dragged his small suitcase out of Shanghai Hongqiao Airport alone. The city was particularly noisy, with the subway station built like a maze, which might confuse those with poor sense of direction.

Following the navigation on his phone to transfer to the subway, he finally arrived outside the Shanghai World Expo exhibition hall, his destination. He had to check in at the Future Technology Conference first, and then check into the hotel under the guidance of the staff.

At this moment, a book signing event for science fiction writers was taking place outside the venue. Renowned science fiction writer Wang Jinkang was signing his name non-stop amidst a crowd of readers. Wang Jinkang, who has won the Galaxy Award 15 times, is already in his sixties but has not stopped writing, with almost a new work published every year.

After years of persistent creation, the number of his accumulated readers is naturally different from the norm, so the age range of the audience at the book signing event was quite diverse.

"Mr. Lin, please follow me. This is our conference driver. He will be waiting at the hotel at 8:30 tomorrow morning. The conference officially starts at 9:00, and the Galaxy Award ceremony begins at 10:00. There will be media from Oriental TV and other outlets present, and the winners will be interviewed. Please understand."

After signing in, the etiquette lady guided Lin Han to an Audi A6. The treatment seemed a bit too good.

He was just a budding new science fiction writer, but the organizers of the Future Technology Conference did not look down on him. It was clear that they had invested a lot of resources.

"Okay, thank you for the reminder. Are all the participants here already?" Lin Han had almost no friends here. Although many people from the Sci-Fi Nebula Group had come, they were mostly not on the same wavelength.

The etiquette lady smiled and said, "Most have signed in, but a few are still missing. The science fiction writers are already in the hotel. You can contact each other."

Lin Han nodded, opened the car door, and got in, asking the driver to take him to the conference hotel. After getting the key, he was surprised to find that each person had a separate room, not a shared one. This was the most comforting thing.

After putting his luggage away, Lin Han hung his suit in the closet. He would wear it to the award ceremony tomorrow and tried not to wrinkle it.

The room's environment was very nice overall, and he could see the scenery outside by pulling the curtains.

No one came to disturb him. Although Li Wenyuan, the judge, had been there early, he was surely busy and had no time to deal with Lin Han. Lin Han preferred to stay with readers rather than chat with these authors, so he just lay on the bed and played with his phone.

He first sent a WeChat message to Chen Jiaxuan, telling her he had arrived safely, and then checked the sales and reviews of "I, Robot" on Douban Reading.

It had been half a month since the novel was released, and the sales on Douban Reading had exceeded 150,000 copies. The number of people who had rated it was over 4,000, and the final score was 8.9!

This score was higher than 99% of science fiction novels, with many people giving it a five-star rating, which was the majority. However, there were also some troublemakers who gave it a one-star rating, thinking it was nonsense.

Lin Han was actually a bit unsatisfied with this score. According to his idea, it should have been a 9. This was a renowned science fiction classic, and even if his modifications were somewhat inappropriate, it shouldn't have been a one-star rating.

Many people even started evaluating the book without buying it, which was very annoying. Without reading it, they had no right to speak, which infuriated science fiction readers.

Frustrated, Lin Han closed the Douban app, hit the pillow next to him hard, and then opened the Amazon website. Compared to the Chinese version, the English version's sales were less, but the growth rate was very impressive.

The sales often increased by 120% or 145% in a day, which amounted to a few thousand downloads a day, but the continuous growth was very exciting.

The cumulative sales had already exceeded 10,000. As a novel that had not been heavily promoted, "I, Robot" had successfully established a good reputation among European and American science fiction readers, and more and more places were starting to talk about this novel.

While browsing the English reviews, he heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

Lin Han was puzzled. Who would come to see him at this time? He was almost isolated in the science fiction author circle, and others were more envious than friendly.

"It's Wang Yifan and Chen Chuhao from 'Science Fiction World.' Is it convenient now?"

"Sure, why not." Lin Han opened the door and made a gesture inviting them in. "Please come in, let's sit down and talk."

This was probably what it looked like when netizens met in person, a bit awkward.

Wang Yifan and Chen Chuhao came to see the new science fiction talent they had discovered. They sat on the sofa and said with a smile, "Although I've seen your photos online, it's still a bit surprising to see you in person."

Lin Han shrugged and said with a thick face, "What's surprising? I'm younger and more handsome than other writers?"

"You can say that. When I first read 'The Rural Teacher,' I thought it was written by a middle-aged person. This was a huge surprise. I wish you the best of luck for tomorrow's Galaxy Award." Chen Chuhao was here to build a relationship. Because of his strong recommendation of Lin Han, he had an advantage in the competition for deputy editor.

In fact, editors also have factional struggles. Lin Han's debut work came from Chen Chuhao and his mentor, making them his direct line. Therefore, these two came to visit Lin Han specially.

From making a name with "The Rural Teacher" to the explosive release of "I, Robot," Lin Han was like a well-polished jade, continuously shining.

As long as he maintained a good relationship with Lin Han and had his new works continuously published in "Science Fiction World," Chen Chuhao would be a winner. This would be his performance and resources.

"Did all the members of your editorial department come to this conference?" Lin Han asked curiously, as he did not understand these things.

Wang Yifan looked like a college student. He held a copy of "I, Robot" and said, "The Galaxy Award is hosted by our magazine, so it's a benefit for the employees to come to Shanghai for a business trip and have some fun."

"It seems your magazine is doing well, with good employee benefits."

Chen Chuhao was not too modest, "It's better than before, all thanks to your 'The Rural Teacher,' which broke the 1.7 million sales mark for our 11th issue. Then 'I, Robot' led the 12th issue to 1.5 million sales, making our average sales for 2016 exceed one million. In 2017, we are already a best-selling magazine, with advertising fees doubling. This is all your doing."

"Don't flatter me. That magazine isn't just my work; it has content from others. 'Science Fiction World' already had many readers, and I just acted as a catalyst."

Lin Han waved his hands, not letting the victory go to his head.