Entertainment to the death, make a tokusatsu film that will crush the entire internet.

Gangyi Building, Ding Sanshi's office.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows lies the bustling street scene of Hangzhou.

Ding Sanshi sat behind his desk, playing with an Ultraman Ace doll in his hand.

This is a souvenir from the Land of Light, a gift of cooperation.

"Speak."

He said this to the department head standing in front of him.

The person in charge cleared his throat.

"Mr. Ding, this is a detailed comparison of new users, returning users, and active paying users for the PC and mobile versions of Fantasy Westward Journey over the past week."

The head of the marketing department handed over the tablet computer, his voice tinged with an incredulous excitement.

"All data have increased by more than 300% year-on-year, and server expansion requests have been submitted three times in a row."

"Especially for popular older areas like 'Reunion' and 'Happy Birthday,' the queues have even returned to the levels of ten years ago."

Ding Sanshi took the tablet, his fingertips tracing the sharply rising curves on the charts, his eyebrows slightly raised.

He certainly remembered the glory days of Fantasy Westward Journey.

That was Gangyi's most successful cash cow in its early days, carrying countless youthful memories for those born in the 80s and 90s.

But the tides of time are relentless.

Mobile internet, fragmented entertainment, and a wider variety of game choices have already pushed this king of MMORPGs to the edge of being exclusively for nostalgia.

The core user base has become entrenched, and fresh blood has almost dried up.

Why are they suddenly launching a counterattack?

"continue."

He gestured.

The person in charge nodded.

"That's right, the Kingdom of Light recently released an animation called 'Fantasy Westward Journey,' which has attracted a lot of new and returning players for us."

Ding Sanshi was stunned for a moment.

Then, he remembered.

Years ago, he made a deal with the Land of Light.

The copyright of the characters in "Fantasy Westward Journey" and "Ultraman Ace" is shared.

At the time, Okabe internally assessed the situation and decided to exchange a classic IP that was gradually declining in the gaming industry for the commercial license of a tokusatsu IP that was booming in the children's and teenagers' market.

It seems like a sure thing, with no risk of loss.

In fact, the image of Ultraman Ace was used on the packaging of Gangyi Yanxuan's high-end black pork, and the effect was surprisingly good.

Gangyi black pork is relatively expensive and is usually only consumed by the middle class.

Middle-class parents who are dragged by their children to the supermarket.

When faced with "Ace's hand-cut black pork", one often can't resist the child's crying.

"Mommy! I want this! Ultraman Ace!"

"Buy it! Buy it!"

Buy it.

It's just a serving of pork anyway.

The price isn't considered expensive for the middle class.

As a result, the sales of Gangyi black pork increased significantly.

The stock price also surged.

At the time, Ding Sanshi was quite pleased with himself.

Replace an outdated IP with a popular one?

This deal is incredibly lucrative.

And now-

He looked at the data report handed to him by the person in charge.

The animated series "Fantasy Westward Journey" has been online for a week.

Active users of PC games increased by 30%.

Returning players increased by 50%.

New user registrations increased by 80%.

"Boss, this is a huge profit!"

The person in charge couldn't stop smiling.

"An animation alone brought our old game back to life."

Ding Sanshi remained silent for a moment, then waved for the person in charge to leave.

On the surface, it seems that the Land of Light lost out in this deal.

The animation is produced at great expense, and the main revenue comes from the broadcast revenue of the animation itself and related merchandise.

But is this really the case?

Ding Sanshi's business intuition told him that things weren't that simple.

He had heard of Yang Qian from the Land of Light; he was a young man who never made a losing deal.

He seemed to see Yang Qian standing at a higher place, smiling as she watched all of this.

"The ability to generate blood..."

Ding Sanshi muttered to himself.

The Land of Light is blatantly demonstrating to the entire industry, especially the gaming industry, how it uses top-tier content to revitalize old IPs.

It even has the terrifying ability to create entirely new value.

Which game company that owns a classic IP but struggles to revitalize it wouldn't be tempted?

Which company that wants to promote a new game but lacks a channel to break into the mainstream wouldn't be envious?

Today it could be "Fantasy Westward Journey".

Tomorrow could be any other IP with potential.

Gangyi became the first and most exemplary "success story" in this ecosystem.

Having figured this out, Ding Sanshi was not unhappy about being tricked; instead, he showed a smile of admiration and vigilance.

"Good tactic."

As reported internally by Gangyi.

The animated version of "Fantasy Westward Journey" has received a lot of praise since its release.

Five hundred years ago, the evil god Chi You descended upon the land of China, unleashing his malevolent aura and bringing the three realms of humans, immortals, and demons to the brink of collapse.

To save all living beings, fifteen of the most outstanding warriors in the Three Realms exhausted their true energy and life force to finally seal Chi You atop the War God Mountain.

Time limit – five hundred years.

Five hundred years later, the seal loosened, and evil energy reappeared.

Swordsman, a young disciple of the Tang Dynasty government, is ordered by his master to investigate the strange occurrences in the East Sea Bay...

During his demon-slaying journey, he met a bone spirit from the underworld.

From misunderstanding to fighting side by side, the classic "enemies-to-friends" story is portrayed vividly and interestingly.

The animation is well-made.

The character models retain the charm of the game's chibi style while also achieving a realistic and handsome look.

The animations are fluid, and the skill effects are gorgeous and fit the game's setting.

The Bone Spirit and the Swordsman became acquainted.

Their adventure has officially begun.

after that.

Xiaoyao Sheng, Tiger-Headed Monster, Dragon Prince, Flying Swallow Girl, Heroine Heroine...

One by one, familiar game characters make their appearance.

The bullet comments and comment sections completely turned into a massive nostalgia trip and a recommendation event:

"Waaaaah! Swordsman! My youth! Back then, I saved every penny to buy that legendary weapon!"

"Bone Elf! My first love!"

"This is my entire childhood! Who understands the joy of the Dragon Palace's seven-hit kill! A one-turn wipeout!"

"Dragon Palace? Eat my mighty Tang Dynasty army! Dragon-Slaying Technique warning!"

"I vaguely remember marrying a Bone Elf in a game back then. We did quests and enjoyed the scenery together every day, but when we met in real life... he turned out to be a scruffy, burly man from Northeast China! My online romance is ruined!"

"Pfft! Tragedy upstairs! I thought it was some sweet memory, but it turns out to be Sichuan opera."

"What happened next? Who's up there? (doge)"

"Disciple of the Tang Dynasty government reporting for duty!"

"Disciples of Huasheng Temple reporting for duty!"

"Disciples of Mount Putuo reporting for duty!"

"Disciples of Wuzhuang Temple reporting for duty!"

The comments section turned into a massive online community reunion.

Those viewers who hadn't played the game were all curious:

"Newbie here! Got hooked on the anime! Swordsman and Bone Spirit are such a perfect couple! Can they really adventure together in the game? Downloaded it now!"

"Same here, newbie! Xiaoyao Sheng is so handsome! Tiger Head Monster is so cute! I want to play! Looking for experienced players to guide me!"

"Is it too late to get into this now?"

"I also want to marry a bone elf!"

"Hey upstairs, be careful, the other person might be a man."

"A guy is fine too! (doge)"

that's it.

On one hand, middle-aged players are filled with emotion, returning to the game with nostalgia and memories, looking for old friends or reliving old dreams;

On the other hand, young viewers are drawn in by the beautiful animation and fun character interactions, flocking into the game world with great curiosity.

The two forces combined to produce an amazing chemical reaction.

Fantasy Westward Journey is an old game that has been running for more than 20 years.

As if overnight, they were back in the spotlight of popular culture.

Office of the Land of Light.

Yang Qian leaned back in her chair, looking at the cheerful comments on the screen.

Su Xiaoran stood to the side, holding the latest data report in her hand.

"Director Yang, our 'Fantasy Westward Journey' animation has brought a lot of players into the game."

She paused.

"Gangyi's side is making a killing."

Yang Qian nodded.

"I know."

"This is part of the plan in itself."

Su Xiaoran was stunned for a moment.

Yang Qian stood up and walked to the window.

"Let all game companies see that an anime adaptation of Land of Light can revitalize a 20-year-old game."

"What is this?"

He turned around.

"This is the ability to generate blood."

Su Xiaoran seemed to be deep in thought.

"You mean...?"

"Just wait and see."

Yang Qian interrupted her.

"Soon, countless game companies will come knocking on our door."

"They asked us to make animations for them."

"We're asking you to empower their IP."

"At that time—"

He paused.

"The initiative is in our hands."

Su Xiaoran's eyes slowly brightened.

"So you never intended to make the game yourself from the beginning?"

"No."

Yang Qian shook her head.

"We'll definitely make games."

"But we can't finish everything."

"For some IPs, it's more cost-effective to have someone else do them than to do them yourself."

He looked out the window again.

"and--"

He smiled.

"You think that when I make animations for them, I just make animations?"

Su Xiaoran was stunned.

"What else?"

Yang Qian did not answer.

He just looked out the window.

A meaningful smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Xiaoran."

"Um?"

Have you seen the ending of the "Fantasy Westward Journey" animation?

Su Xiaoran thought for a moment.

"It's not finished airing yet, is it?"

"right."

Yang Qian nodded.

"But the ending was already revealed in the first episode."

Su Xiaoran was stunned.

"Episode 1?"

"right."

Yang Qian turned around.

"Go back and watch the opening scene of the first episode again."

Look closely.

Su Xiaoran looked at him.

Looking at the smile on his lips.

Suddenly, I felt a chill down my back.

"Director Yang...you wouldn't...?"

"It's nothing."

Yang Qian interrupted her.

"Reveal the mystery of the fourth Dragon Ball."

Su Xiaoran took a deep breath.

"……OK."