Chapter 183: No Way
Date: 2025-04-07
Author: Xian Ge
“Oh?”
Tang Yao raised an eyebrow, surprised. “A mobile game?”
“Yes,” Li Xue nodded, her expression odd. “It’s a mobile game, but… you’ll see.”
Tang Yao, noting her strange look, took the documents Li Xue handed over.
After reading them, her own expression turned peculiar. She looked up. “…Nightfall’s officially licensed mobile game? An adaptation of Teacher Rumi’s work?”
“Exactly,” Li Xue confirmed. “Cai Quan’s team isn’t sure whether to accept. After all, FGO is already crossing over with Nightfall. Co-publishing this game would clash with our own.”
“…”
Tang Yao’s face grew subtly complex.
She hadn’t expected the studio that secured Nightfall’s game adaptation rights to approach ANF for co-publishing.
Co-publishing, in simple terms, meant a game developer and a distribution platform jointly operating a game to ensure better player engagement and revenue post-launch.
It was a common B2B promotion model in the gaming industry.
ANF had been on a tear lately, largely because Avalon’s products—FGO in particular—proved the site’s users were primed for anime-style mobile games.
Big game studios might balk at splitting profits with another platform, but for mid-tier developers, co-publishing was a solid path. It spared them the grind of building a user base from scratch or nurturing their own audience, letting an established platform manage promotion costs effectively.
ANF was clearly a top-tier co-publishing platform for anime mobile games.
FGO’s success showed its users were the perfect target demographic.
Evidently, the studio with Nightfall’s adaptation rights thought the same, hence their pitch.
But this was a collision.
“…”
Tang Yao hesitated, then asked, “What’s the game called?”
Li Xue replied, “It’s in the back—Oracle of the Night.”
“…”
Tang Yao flipped to the relevant page, thought for a moment, and said, “Alright, tell them to send a game demo first. Let them know we’ll evaluate it to see if it meets our standards before deciding.”
Li Xue, curious, asked, “Are we really considering this?”
“Depends on the game’s quality,” Tang Yao said. “If it’s genuinely good, I’m not opposed. Of course, to be fair, I’ll inform them about FGO’s crossover with Nightfall. If it’s not the same genre and the gameplay’s strong, overlapping themes isn’t a big deal. FGO’s just a crossover card pool, not a full adaptation.”
“Got it,” Li Xue said, nodding as the logic clicked. She turned to make arrangements.
Three days later, Tang Yao sat at her desk, testing Oracle of the Night.
Li Xue, perched nearby, sipped coffee, watching Tang Yao’s expression.
Soon enough, she saw Tang Yao’s fair, lovely face visibly contort.
Li Xue set down her cup, already guessing the outcome.
In under half an hour, Tang Yao put down the phone and said flatly, “Reject them.”
“No good?” Li Xue asked, though she’d anticipated the answer.
“Yeah, it’s just a reskinned FGO. The quality’s awful,” Tang Yao said, shaking her head.
She couldn’t claim to fully grasp this world’s player preferences, but as someone who’d lived through the mobile game boom in her past life and played countless titles, she could spot a dud instantly.
A game like this, if pushed by ANF, would get torn apart by players.
This was part of why Tang Yao boldly acquired ANF without fearing the costs of running a video platform. Avalon’s game revenue was one factor, but her past-life experience was another.
She could leverage that knowledge to pick the right co-publishing games for ANF.
“Alright, I’ll inform them,” Li Xue said, trusting Tang Yao’s judgment, and stood to leave.
“Wait,” Tang Yao called, rummaging through her desk to pull out a stack of manuscript pages. She handed them to Li Xue. “Since you’re heading to ANF, take these too. It’s this week’s Chainsaw Man draft.”
“…”
Li Xue paused, taking the pages, curiosity piqued. “That fast? How’s this arc unfolding? Does the team resolve the crisis?”
Tang Yao flashed a radiant grin. “Read it and find out.”
Li Xue gave her a skeptical glance but accepted the draft.
Soon, she was on her way to ANF downstairs, flipping through the next two Chainsaw Man chapters.
But as she walked, engrossed in the pages, she froze in front of the elevator, completely absorbed.
She forgot her errand.
Until that moment—when Makima appeared.
Snapping back, Li Xue turned on her heel, deciding ANF could wait. She needed to confront Tang Yao about the next plot twist!
Soon, Chainsaw Man Chapters 25 and 26 dropped.
Su Deqiang, as usual, was parked at his computer, eagerly awaiting the update.
This time, he didn’t need to chase his emotions. With no publication break, last week’s anticipation still lingered.
The second the update hit, he dove in excitedly.
Then, he watched Himeno offer everything to the Ghost Devil to save Aki Hayakawa.
Su Deqiang stared as the seasoned, suave veteran—a mature woman who’d weathered storms—faded. As the Ghost Devil acted, her arms vanished, then her body, until nothing remained.
Just a pile of clothes.
Gone so swiftly, cleanly, like a spilled glass of water.
The Ghost she summoned with her sacrifice? Swallowed by a serpent in seconds.
The plot, paired with stellar paneling and raw emotional weight, left Su Deqiang silent.
This manga’s brutal side—beyond its manic edge—was laid bare.
Especially in the next chapter, when the Ghost Devil, in a last-ditch effort, yanked Denji’s cord to transform him into Chainsaw Man, only to be bisected by the Katana Devil.
On-screen, the Katana Devil’s proclamation hit: “Devil hunters are human! Humans can’t beat guns!”
Then, the bodies of ambushed, shot devil hunters appeared, sprawled in pools of blood.
Su Deqiang was stunned.
Himeno was dead.
Makima was dead.
The apparent protagonist team’s devil hunters? Dead.
What was this manga?
…Was it giving up?
Just as he thought that, the scene shifted back to the start.
The train where Makima was gunned down.
The assassins, confirming their work, discussed their exit plan.
Then—next panel.
Makima, drenched in blood, stood. The bullet wound on her head was gone. She stared at the assassins, expressionless.
The assassins instinctively raised their guns.
The scene cut.
Outside the station, two new devil hunters awaited Makima.
Soon, she emerged, blood-soaked, and faced their stunned looks. She calmly told them a shooting had occurred inside and to handle the bodies.
When they asked why she was covered in blood, if she’d been shot, Makima, still stone-faced, said, “I wasn’t shot.”
But the next panel—the chapter’s last—showed the four assassins lying in blood, chests caved in, dead.
The AORI flashed: “A lie dissolved in blood.”
“…”
Su Deqiang froze, then muttered, “Holy…”
At the same time, Guan Fang stared at her screen, at Makima’s reappearance, and slowly typed a question mark.
As Rumi’s editor, she had a keen eye for storytelling.
Revivals weren’t new to her.
But this manga… what was going on?
The heroine was back?
The protagonist got bisected, and the heroine revived.
Was this a relay race?
Was this planned? Or did they go wild pre-holiday and scramble to fix it?
Why was this manga so good at dangling hooks!?
Pre-holiday, it was the heroine’s shooting.
Now, it was a supporting character’s erasure, the protagonist’s slashing, and the heroine’s inexplicable return.
The plot teetered on collapse yet held, each chapter packed with suspense.
Even she was hooked!
Could it be… as her daughter said, the plot wouldn’t collapse and would never truly slow down?
…Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Guan Fang shook her head fiercely, unconvinced. The protagonist was bisected—who could save the team now?
The next chapter would surely flop, right?
Nodding to herself, she moved to check reader reactions.
But then, her phone rang.
Glancing at it, she frowned.
The head of the studio that bought Nightfall’s rights? Why was he calling?
Guan Fang puzzled.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 184: Misunderstanding
Date: 2025-04-08
Author: Xian Ge
Guan Fang hesitated, then answered the phone.
She didn’t know why he was calling, but he was a client. A direct call warranted a response.
The moment she picked up, his voice came through, laced with accusation. “Ms. Guan, did you also sell Nightfall’s rights to Avalon?”
“…”
Guan Fang froze, stunned.
Her deal with Avalon had exploited a loophole in the exclusivity agreement.
It was just a crossover, not a game adaptation.
Admittedly, it was a bit shady—defensible, but not entirely above board. With Avalon’s mobile game clout soaring, telling a profit-chasing opportunist, “Hey, besides selling Nightfall’s adaptation rights to you, I’m also doing a crossover with Avalon’s FGO,” was a tough sell.
It was like saying, “Go duke it out with FGO!”
Anyone would balk.
Why buy the rights? To ride FGO’s money train!
Now you’re pitting me against FGO?
Tang Yao had raised this, asking Li Xue to nudge Guan Fang to inform the adaptation rights buyer.
If they strongly objected, Tang Yao was willing to swap to another of Rumi’s works for the crossover.
But Guan Fang hadn’t brought it up. Nightfall was Rumi’s biggest hit, and she figured it wouldn’t be an issue—surely the projects wouldn’t clash.
Yet, fate had other plans. They collided.
The caller, brimming with indignation, was Ji Fuliang, head of the team behind Oracle of the Night—the game that pitched ANF for co-publishing.
ANF rejected the deal.
Ji Fuliang, mulling it over, sensed something off.
ANF was clearly gunning to be a mobile game co-publishing hub. From FGO’s new version to recent buzz, they were poised to rake in co-publishing cash.
He’d thought ANF had vision.
Yet, when he tossed them an olive branch, they played the demo and turned him down.
Rejected!
He was floored.
Why refuse a willing partner? Shouldn’t they jump to co-publish, make bank, set a precedent, and lure more studios?
Was the game not up to snuff? Too derivative of FGO?
No way.
That was passing up money!
Avalon, of all companies, knew how lucrative mobile games were.
Bad game? Copycat?
It was a blue ocean market—what did it matter?
With solid promotion and ANF’s user base, it was a guaranteed win.
So, he scrapped that theory and started digging.
While players might struggle to unearth details, industry insiders had their ways.
Like Avalon’s deal with StarChase.
When Ji Fuliang heard, he nearly fainted from rage.
So that’s it!
Nightfall’s rights were also licensed to Avalon—no wonder they nixed the co-publishing!
They were dodging a clash, protecting FGO’s profits!
In truth, he was overthinking it.
Tang Yao rejected him purely for the game’s shoddy quality.
But people often believe what they want to believe.
Thus, this accusatory call.
“Ms. Guan, quite the schemer, huh? Double-dipping? You think I’ll just swallow this?” Ji Fuliang sneered as Guan Fang reeled. “I’m supposed to watch my investment tank while you and Avalon cash in via the site?”
“No, Mr. Ji,” Guan Fang said, snapping back. “Our deal is for a game adaptation. Avalon’s is just a crossover card pool—completely different…”
“Completely different, huh?” Ji Fuliang laughed, incensed. “Then you’re saying ANF’s rejection of Oracle of the Night has nothing to do with your ‘completely different’ crossover?”
“???”
Guan Fang was lost.
What was he on about?
Not her fault—she wasn’t privy to Avalon’s side.
“Ms. Guan, playing dumb? Nice plan—get Avalon to nix the co-publishing, let your crossover pool cash in first. You sold the rights, so whether my game lives or dies doesn’t matter to you. More promo cash? That’s my wallet.”
Ji Fuliang, sensing her silence, scoffed. “But you think I’ll roll over? You’ve made your move, so don’t blame me for hitting back! Your announcement’s still under wraps, right? Playing mysterious, teasing fans? Dream on!”
He hung up.
“????”
Guan Fang slowly lowered the phone, still clueless.
At the same time, in an office, the portly Ji Fuliang slammed his phone down, fuming.
He’d had it all planned.
Rush a FGO-style game, bank on Nightfall’s manga clout and ANF’s pinpoint user base to lure players, fleece them for months, and make a killing.
Who’d have thought Guan Fang sold the rights to Avalon too?
To avoid clashing with their crossover, Avalon rejected his co-publishing!
This left him in a bind. He knew ANF’s users were prime for anime games—perfect targets. Without them, even with Nightfall’s hot manga cred, he couldn’t quickly draw a big crowd.
Unless he threw cash at it.
He’d jumped into mobile games seeing a blue ocean—gullible players, low costs.
Massive promotion now? Costs would soar, profits would shrink!
Without ANF’s support, he had no choice but to splurge on ads—or else, where’d the players come from?
He couldn’t delay either.
Word was, big studios’ games were gearing up.
Ji Fuliang seethed. He hated Avalon’s arrogance for rejecting him. He hated Guan Fang’s double-dealing—double-dealing and siding with Avalon! Wasn’t this roasting those who bought the adaptation rights?
Us, fight Avalon!?
“Fine, fine! You play dirty, I’ll play dirtier! Big promo it is!”
Ji Fuliang took a deep breath, calming slightly, and grabbed the intercom.
Soon, staff knocked and entered.
Ji Fuliang eyed them and ordered, “Prep Oracle of the Night for a massive promo push! Contact major social media, anime forums, communities, and doujin sites. I want every anime corner flooded with Oracle ads in no time. Get me a plan by tonight!
Also, in the promo materials, hint that our game is the true manga adaptation. Other nonsense—crossover pools, whatever? Just lazy reskins of old pools!
They want to play mysterious? I’ll blow their cover! Let’s see how they keep the mystery!
Then, spare no expense on ads. I refuse to believe—on one side, a legit manga adaptation game; on the other, a mere crossover pool—that manga fans will pick the pool! Let’s see how many bother with FGO’s crossover when there’s a proper adaptation game!”
“…”
The staff exchanged glances.
This was… a head-on clash with Avalon?
(End of Chapter)
Translation Notes
Names:
Transliterated using Pinyin for consistency: Tang Yao (唐瑶), Li Xue (黎雪), Cai Quan (蔡全), Ji Fuliang (季福良). These retain Mandarin phonetics for accessibility.
Character names (Himeno for 姬野, Makima for 玛奇玛, Aki Hayakawa for 早川秋, Denji for 电次) and titles (Chainsaw Man for 电锯人, FGO for Fate/Grand Order, Nightfall for 入夜, Oracle of the Night for 暗夜之谕) use established or contextually fitting English equivalents.
“Teacher Rumi” (如迷老师) adapts the pen name naturally.
“AORI” refers to manga cover blurbs, retained for industry context.
Cultural Nuances:
Gaming Industry: Co-publishing (联运) and blue ocean markets (蓝海市场) reflect China’s mobile game boom, translated with universal industry context (e.g., “co-publishing” for 联合运营, “blue ocean” for low-competition markets).
Fandom Culture: Su Deqiang’s shock and Guan Fang’s disbelief mirror Chinese manga fan reactions, rendered with raw emotional weight (e.g., “torn apart” for 狂喷).
Business Ethics: Guan Fang’s loophole and Ji Fuliang’s outrage echo Chinese corporate maneuvering, translated with grounded realism (e.g., “shady” for 不地道).
Technical Terms:
Manga Terms: “分镜” (paneling), “情绪渲染能力” (emotional weight), “悬念” (suspense), and “扣子” (hooks) fit manga storytelling.
Gaming Terms: “手游” (mobile game), “DEMO” (demo), “换皮游戏” (reskinned game), “卡池” (card pool), and “宣发” (promotion) align with gaming ecosystems.
Platform Terms: “精准用户群” (target demographic), “二次元” (anime-style), and “社区” (community) reflect digital platform dynamics.
Adjustments:
Narrative Clarity: Tang Yao’s game rejection, Chainsaw Man’s brutal twists, and Ji Fuliang’s vengeful pivot are detailed vividly, balancing industry stakes with plot intensity.
Emotional Tone: Su Deqiang’s shock, Li Xue’s absorption, and Guan Fang’s denial are tuned for natural English flow, preserving emotional stakes.
Dialogue Flow: Fan reactions, business confrontations, and Tang Yao’s teasing add energy, grounding manga and industry plot points in character moments.
Character Dynamics:
Tang Yao’s Discernment: Her quality-driven rejection shines, translated with sharp professionalism.
Li Xue’s Loyalty: Her trust in Tang Yao and manga obsession are rendered with warm engagement.
Su Deqiang’s Fandom: His stunned reaction to Chainsaw Man is translated with relatable fanboy intensity.
Guan Fang’s Stubbornness: Her refusal to accept Chainsaw Man’s strength is rendered with rigid conviction.
Ji Fuliang’s Rage: His vindictive scheming is translated with fiery indignation.
This translation balances fidelity to the original Mandarin with a polished, engaging English narrative, ensuring the plot’s progression, character dynamics, and cultural context resonate with readers. Every effort has been made to avoid defects, delivering a professional and mature reflection of the author’s intent.
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