Chapter 45: Who Says a Manga Artist Can't Write Code
**Chapter 45: Who Says a Manga Artist Can't Write Code
"Huh?"
Liang Zhiyuan blinked, clearly surprised by Lin Qingshan's straightforwardness.
"What do you mean, 'huh'? Are you telling me you decided to buy the rights to my work and came here to negotiate without any real plan?" Lin Qingshan said, his tone blunt.
Ito Ayumi and Cai Liqian were astonished.
Is Lin Qingshan really this blunt? Is he directly questioning the senior executive?
Normally, even if one had questions, they wouldn't be this direct with the executive!
Cai Liqian gave Ayumi a look, indicating he hoped she would try to calm Lin Qingshan down. He himself was sweating and considering standing up to explain to Liang Zhiyuan, hoping the potential partner wouldn't be offended.
However, Liang Zhiyuan, though frowning, was not angry. Instead, he responded to Lin Qingshan, "No, actually, we've had plans for this. Our development department has already had meetings."
"We've decided to make a 2D action game based on the setting of *Edge Walker*. The main gameplay… well, our game department head and you can discuss that."
Liang Zhiyuan gestured to a Mediterranean-haired employee, an experienced senior programmer.
But Lin Qingshan, upon hearing "2D," frowned immediately.
"Hello, Mr. Qingshan. I'm Wang Weijie, the head of the development department at Light Speed Game Development Company," the programmer introduced himself before continuing, "We plan to name the adaptation *Cyberpunk 2077*."
"We've discussed that the setting will be the Night City of the future 2077, just like in *Edge Walker*. That won't change…"
"Actually, no need to continue."
Lin Qingshan stood up and shook his head, saying, "I don't think the game you're planning matches my expectations."
"Mr. Qingshan!" Cai Liqian couldn't hold back, looking at Lin Qingshan with a frown.
Liang Zhiyuan took a deep breath, feeling a hint of anger. Even though he was a fan of *Edge Walker*, personal admiration didn't mean he could tolerate such disrespect.
"Mr. Qingshan, if you have any suggestions, you should just say them directly instead of outright rejecting us," Cai Liqian said, trying to control his irritation.
"Sorry, I know everyone's been working hard," Lin Qingshan said, realizing his previous remarks might have been impolite.
"But the game your company is planning doesn't meet my expectations. I was hoping for a 3D action RPG, a AAA title."
[Translator: sauron]
He looked at Liang Zhiyuan and the others.
"And what you're proposing seems to be a 2D online game that just uses the setting of my work. In reality, it's similar to games like *Heaven's Kingdom*, right?"
Lin Qingshan shrugged.
*Heaven's Kingdom* was essentially a "toxic milk powder" game in this world, with gameplay, character classes, and equipment systems that were quite similar.
Liang Zhiyuan and the others frowned deeply. Lin Qingshan was correct. Their initial idea was to replicate a game like *Heaven's Kingdom*, but with a high-tech cyberpunk twist.
For example, a swordsman would become a melee cybernetic warrior, while mages or elementalists would turn into hacker types. The equipment would be various cybernetic enhancements and firearms, fitting the cyberpunk theme.
Their development team thought this was a good adaptation and considered it innovative.
Yet, Lin Qingshan was clearly dissatisfied, wanting a 3D game and a AAA title?
AAA games were high-cost, high-volume, and high-quality large-scale single-player RPGs or first-person shooters. The term was a non-formal standard for game production scale and quality.
This meant Lin Qingshan wanted a high-quality 3D action game, aligning with his expectations.
However, the high cost, volume, and quality of AAA games meant they were not easy to produce. They required substantial investment in manpower, money, time, and resources!
"If you're only looking to acquire my rights to make a mediocre game for quick money, I advise you to forget it," Lin Qingshan said calmly. "I won't allow that to happen."
"Mr. Qingshan…" Cai Liqian was agitated. Lin Qingshan's statement seemed to cut off their potential income from the rights.
It was acceptable for Manga World, but who wouldn't want to earn more?
Cai Liqian struggled to understand Lin Qingshan's stance.
At that moment, Wang Weijie, the development head, couldn't hold back anymore.
He sneered at Lin Qingshan, "Do you even know what a AAA game is? It's not something you can just make easily. Do you even know how to code? You're just talking big here."
"Maybe you'll never be able to make a game, let alone your ideal *Cyberpunk 2077*."
Wang Weijie smirked, thinking this would put Lin Qingshan in his place and embarrass him.
However, Lin Qingshan glanced at him and said, "Who told you I don't know how to code? Who said I can't make games?"
Wang Weijie and the others were taken aback.
But Wang Weijie quickly reacted with a cold laugh, "Are you showing off? You know code? Probably just some C language stuff, right?"
The others in the room chuckled, assuming Lin Qingshan was just bluffing.
After all, how could a manga artist possibly have both strong drawing skills and coding abilities?
Ito Ayumi felt sympathetic and was about to step in to stop Lin Qingshan.
At that moment, Lin Qingshan shrugged, pulled out a hard drive from his pocket, and said, "This is a mini-game I created based on my vision of *Cyberpunk 2077*. You can take a look."
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(End of Chapter)