Response Regarding Recent Allegations of Plagiarism and Related Accusations

Lately, many astute voices have surfaced, claiming that my book bears a striking resemblance to a novel called "The Haunted House" on Tomato Literature. The accusations range from “it seems somewhat borrowed,” “apart from changing the title, it’s almost identical to The Haunted House,” to outright “plagiarism.”

I urge these readers to open their eyes wide and check the publication dates. Even after being banned multiple times, the third edition of my work on Qidian was first released on June 30, 2023—twenty-one days earlier than The Haunted House.

Furthermore, before The Haunted House was published, Infinite Strange Games had already topped the suspense new releases chart for two consecutive weeks. The first scenario, "Rose Manor," was completed, and various scenario settings (such as guaranteed minimum death counts) and plot devices (time reversal, three-day loops, twin tricks, chains of suspicion, and PUA inducements) had been revealed and widely discussed in numerous readers’ groups.

Considering that many online authors—especially those from Tomato Literature—often survey the charts across various platforms to absorb the strengths of others, I’ll leave it at that.

The second edition of my book, titled Infinite Stream: The Mad Elegant Pervert Master Went Berserk, was first released on Tomato on March 3, 2023, banned on April 19, 2023, and then republished without any changes on October 14, 2023. Given Tomato’s history of banning original works to facilitate studio plagiarism, I still dare not say much more.

The first edition of my book, originally titled Infinite Strange Game with Unlimited Restarts and later renamed I Will Dominate the Strange, debuted on Qidian on September 15, 2022, and was banned on November 6, 2022. The character settings for Zis and Siqi were finalized at that time, with notable lines such as: “I am a liar who speaks only lies—are you ready to be deceived by me?” (This timeline and character quotes article on LOFTER has garnered 90,000 views and 3,400 popularity points, indicating a considerable spread.)

I write this brief chapter solely to remind all the nitpickers and plagiarism detectors to think twice before speaking—check the timeline. Perhaps the inspiration for your own work originally came from me. Even if your main source came from a sudden flash of genius in a closed room, once the timeline is laid out, it’s hard to wash away any suspicions.

Those who have followed my work so far should know my writing attitude: I cherish innovation, enjoy taking on grand challenges, experiment boldly, and often rejoice at devising rare plot devices. Regardless of the writing difficulty, I dive into new themes and approaches, swallowing my pride and hardships to overcome the countless challenges encountered during creation.

Not long ago, I registered the copyright, and in the description, I wrote: I have always wanted to create a work involving debates on the trolley problem, social Darwinism, anthropocentrism, liberalism, and other ideological conflicts—exploring how different beliefs, worldviews, cognitive levels, and ways of thinking affect choices under extreme conditions. I constructed multiple original infinite-stream scenarios, such as the twin trick and nested time loops in "Rose Manor," the gunman game theory in "Carnivore," the narrative trickery in "Dialectical Game," the temporal riddle in "Hopeless Sea," the innovative “false clue” combined with Ouroboros dual threads in "Double Happiness Town," the multilayered game theory and fusion of novel and drama formats in "Grand Performance," the triple-overlapping timelines and proposal of a fourth linguistic dimension in "Red Maple Boarding School," the reinvention of traditional culture in "The Phantom," the meat pigeon challenge mode fused with scenario text in "The Arena," and the nested book-within-book structure along with the grandmother paradox in "Beware the Rabbit."

For a suspense novel, the core riddle is decisive. To put it simply, writing such a novel is like presenting a puzzle for readers to solve, revealing the answer only at the end. This puzzle and answer constitute the central trick.

Suspense novels are difficult to write precisely because inventing original tricks is a formidable task. I won’t claim that my puzzles are groundbreaking—Agatha Christie and Yukito Ayatsuji will always be my teachers—but I guarantee that every “puzzle” I present has been carefully honed and infused with my own reflection and innovation. Even when tackling the same type of trick, I prefer to offer a different puzzle and solution.

To make the novel more innovative, I have incorporated knowledge from game theory, logic, probability theory, and other disciplines, constantly learning new directions to solve emerging problems. This is why writing this book has been so arduous: completing each scenario with quality, tying up all foreshadowing, and perfecting the logic is tantamount to completing an innovative research project. Many details and solutions stem from my own deep contemplation.

Undeniably, this book suffers from common flaws of pure detective novels: placing more emphasis on the trick than the story, puzzles growing increasingly complex, and solutions becoming more intricate. As a result, the plot’s entertainment value diminishes, lacking relief and variation. Yet, I still feel a great sense of achievement because I have accumulated experience and devised many novel techniques. Perhaps one or two flashes of insight may serve as references or templates for future writers.

Yes, I don’t mind others drawing on my work; these plot devices are meant to be used. You can copy my settings, my successful approach, or my puzzles—just don’t replicate the solutions exactly. If you credit me as your source of inspiration, I would be honored; if you don’t, as long as I don’t find out and your readers don’t come to me to complain, it’s no problem.

I say all this not to accuse other authors of borrowing. Infinite-stream novels inherently require extensive sourcing. My earliest inspiration came from Thrilling Paradise and Crime Traders; midway through, I was influenced by Gu Ren and others, often paying homage. While my core tricks are subjectively my own designs, I cannot rule out subconscious influence from Japanese and English mystery novels I have read.

I understand that under the high demands for updates in online literature, not all authors have the energy to painstakingly design puzzles. After all, people need to eat and cannot vanish like I do, disappearing for days at a time. Moreover, designing a good trick requires burning the midnight oil, tossing and turning at night, draining the author’s heart and soul.

I now only feel guilt, because due to various psychological and physiological factors, updates to Infinite Strange Games have been painfully slow—too slow to achieve the recognition it deserves, with a word count so low it’s hard to believe it’s a 2023 book. Perhaps because of its unique elements, it has become a source of inspiration and a collection of fine phrases for many, yet its plot flaws have destined it to remain niche.

I owe my readers an apology. I was not strong enough to protect you from the unfair accusations and overwhelming attacks. But I believe that creation never dies, passion endures, and works crafted with heartfelt effort leave a distinct impression. I also firmly believe in the nobility of originality and the shame of plagiarism. This world needs some people brave enough to write things that no one else has dared to write.

That is all. I wish you well.