Starting as a Manga Editor-Chapter 139: Truly Hilarious

Half an hour later.
Sheng Zhi's trembling hand clutched the mouse, cursor hovering over ANF Website's homepage.
He stared blankly at the screen displaying the Rin Tohsaka X ANF collaboration video, utterly dumbfounded.
This... was actually possible?
Watching the two-million-view video, scanning through players' ecstatic comments below, then switching back to the homepage only to see overwhelming FGO promotional content and fans' chaotic derivative works - he fell into stunned silence.
Next.
He checked mainstream social platforms. Seeing how every discussion about mobile games, especially anime-style mobile games, instinctively mentioned FGO... Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
He was drenched in sweat.
Because whether during his tenure at major studios or after leaving, he'd never imagined this approach.
Clearly.
They were playing an entirely different game.
This path emphasized world-building, focused on character emotional value, and cultivated a "pay-for-love" community culture.
Game mechanics could be copied.
But emotional resonance couldn't be replicated.
He didn't believe characters from his game could compete with FGO's roster.
They weren't even in the same league.
Forget the boundary-breaking Rin Tohsaka - just looking at other Servants, he'd already seen multiple fan creations on ANF: cosplays, fanfics, even hand-drawn animation videos.
FGO hadn't even gotten an anime adaptation yet.
These "hand-drawn videos" were painstakingly crafted frame-by-frame animations.
For a game character.
Could his game's players achieve this?
No.
Very few gaming communities could reach this level.
Content-wise, FGO built emotional connections through main storylines, manga sequels, and various spin-offs, supplemented by creator support programs that nurtured derivative works - fan art, stories, videos - exponentially expanding the game's influence.
Channel-wise, leveraging ANF's userbase for targeted, overwhelming promotions perfectly captured the gaming audience.
This was the budding form of an ecosystem matrix.
A textbook case of dimensional supremacy.
And most crucially...
As the mouse wheel kept scrolling.
Sheng Zhi's expression darkened progressively while browsing FGO videos on ANF. When he spotted a comment under one video saying "Wow, recently played this trash mobile game called 'Day of Destiny' that copied FGO," he finally snapped.
ANF's situation... FGO's explosive popularity on the platform completely shattered his arrogant assumptions.
He realized now.
The userbase!
The core spending demographic for anime mobile games consisted of hardcore and casual anime fans.
And ANF had gathered all hardcore anime fans! Thanks to that Rin Tohsaka collaboration, even most casual fans flocked here!
They were the true target audience for 2D mobile games!
So even if his game got revamped now! He'd still need to advertise on ANF eventually!
But promoting an FGO clone... on ANF.
Hah...
Sheng Zhi collapsed into his chair, staring vacantly at the screen.
His limited experience made him realize - copying FGO was a dead end.
Because ANF now stood as an insurmountable wall.
Worse yet... all future anime games might have to pay ANF for promotions.
Traditional online game mass-marketing tactics worked... but for anime games, ANF advertising became mandatory.
FGO and this website had formed a symbiotic relationship.
This was next-generation developers operating on another level.
"...To think this far ahead, under twenty years old? You've got to be kidding me!"
He muttered bitterly, voice laced with anguish.
Same time.
Yanjin Capital.
Lin Shuang threw her phone down, massaging her temples in visible frustration.
Beneath this irritation lay profound regret.
What Sheng Zhi realized, she naturally understood too.
That day when she opened ANF and saw the collaboration page, she knew.
Sheng Zhi's theories... were complete nonsense.
But she'd clung to hope back then - what if, since he's an acclaimed producer.
There were no what-ifs.
The results were brutal.
Sheng Zhi's game attracted completely wrong demographics, with abysmal metrics.
Meanwhile, FGO's popularity kept skyrocketing through ANF.
After careful analysis, she recognized ANF was clearly evolving into a mobile game distribution channel.
It had practically succeeded already.
Because thanks to FGO... ANF now concentrated the exact target audience for anime games.
This was far more valuable than any single profitable game.
Not to mention.
Both FGO and ANF belonged to Avalon Studio.
They now possessed both product and distribution channels.
And these... were opportunities she could have invested in!
FGO aside, that website... that suddenly prominent website! She'd even approved letting founders repurchase partial equity!
Yes.
She'd investigated... ANF had been wholly acquired by Tang Yao.
Seeing "AnimationFan" and "Fate/Grand Order" trending broke her brain momentarily.
She was completely stunned.
Then hearing top-tier investors she admired were courting Avalon Studio...
The regret was physically painful!
A few million!
Just a few million investment initially could have changed everything!
The regret!
It's unbearable!
This explained her earlier outburst... realizing how flimsy her justifications had been.
Mobile gaming was indeed a blue ocean.
But not everyone could be that young woman Tang Yao.
She'd truly misjudged.
Tang Yao's deep industry understanding and sharp market instincts were now undeniable.
Her success...
Didn't mean others could replicate it.
That so-called acclaimed producer Sheng Zhi proved exactly that.
A terrible misjudgment.
Lin Shuang had misjudged before.
But never with this intensity of regret.
This regret even overrode her shame, making her contact her cousin again...
...
"No no no, I don't need funding, the site's already sold... To whom? No comment! Want to build a competitor? No!"
"No investments! I no longer hold ANF equity."
"None! Really!"
"No meetings!"
Avalon Studio.
Since morning.
Cai Quan's phone hadn't stopped ringing.
The callers?
All those investors who'd previously ignored him, now aware of ANF's success after having met him before.
They were the first to call seeking investment opportunities.
Financial institutions lend umbrellas when sunny and take them back when rainy.
Most investment firms operated similarly.
When ANF was struggling, nobody cared, but seeing its success, they came flocking.
Some even asked if he'd build a similar site after learning he'd sold ANF.
Clearly, they recognized its potential as an anime game distribution channel.
Finally.
Cai Quan experienced what "fortune's wheel turns" truly meant...
However.
He remained clear-headed, completely unfazed by their flattery.
Hanging up another call, he glanced at the slender figure standing behind Kang Ming, monitoring the new version's launch, and shook his head slightly.
He knew better than anyone who deserved credit for ANF's success.
Build another similar site?
Hah.
Truly hilarious.
Challenging Tang Yao.