OGP CH55

At 8:00 AM the following morning, the production team of Yangfan Studio assembled punctually downstairs outside the office building.

The charter bus arranged by Liu Muyao was parked and waiting in the tech park. Once everyone arrived, the group departed for Mount Qingqiong, located in the northern suburbs of Rong City.

The mountain was home to an immense wild monkey population, earning it the local moniker “Monkey Mountain.”

No one had imagined that on merely their second day at Yangfan Studio, HR would organize a team-building trip to hike a mountain and observe monkeys…

A gaming studio hosting a company outing to watch monkeys?

Well, there was no helping it—the boss possessed a uniquely bizarre train of thought and was dead set on making a monkey his protagonist!

The drive from Nanyang Park to the northern suburbs took two hours. Liu Muyao acted as the interim “tour guide,” picking up the microphone to brief everyone on safety guidelines. Once she finished, Xie Yunfan added, “It’s a fairly long trip. Anyone who didn’t get enough sleep can catch up on some rest on the bus.”

A few employees were indeed drowsy; hearing the boss say this, they tilted their heads and dozed off. Having maintained a disciplined schedule lately, Xie Yunfan felt completely awake. He drew out his phone and casually browsed recent titles across the industry.

He focused specifically on animal-themed releases from Wings of Dream and Cool Play.

Wings of Dream’s visual style leaned almost exclusively toward cute, cuddly pets, whereas Cool Play favored sci-fi and mecha aesthetics. If Wings of Dream were to adapt Journey to the West, they would inevitably make it a chibi game. And if Cool Play’s concept artists were assigned to illustrate the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, they would probably end up outfitting him with robotic arms and high-tech visors…

For this project, he wanted a visual signature completely distinct from his competitors.

He leaned toward the “hot-blooded domestic donghua” aesthetic from his past life, incorporating traditional ink-wash landscapes into the environments. Later, they would produce full 3D animated cinematics for the narrative, allowing players who beat the game to effectively experience an entire donghua adaptation of Journey to the West.

Even if young children didn’t play through the stages, simply watching the cutscenes would allow them to understand the story of Journey to the West.

Naturally, producing a game with the meticulous precision of a full animated series would demand a staggering financial investment.

After all, animation production was billed by the second; an entire animated feature would easily cost over a hundred million yuan, requiring thorough budget coordination with finance.

…

Two hours flew by, and the bus pulled into the parking lot at the foot of Mount Qingqiong at 10:00 AM.

The colleagues who had been catching up on sleep woke up as well.

Liu Muyao raised the mic and announced, “Colleagues, we’ve arrived at Mount Qingqiong. Please gather your personal belongings as we disembark and enter the park. Just a reminder: the monkeys on this mountain are wild and roam freely. They can be quite naughty, so keep a firm grip on your backpacks and phones so the monkeys don’t snatch them.”

Those from out of town looked utterly baffled—what? Backpacks and phones could get snatched?

Were these monkeys really that brazen?!

Xie Yunfan stood up and said, “Everyone off the bus. Feel free to hike and tour at your own pace. We’ll convene at the mountaintop restaurant at 1:30 PM for lunch, and head back at 4:00 PM.”

It was a Tuesday, so there were few tourists on Monkey Mountain on a weekday.

The group filed off the bus and began hiking upward under the guidance of park management.

A few employees with lower physical stamina began panting after only a short distance. Meanwhile, several active youths who exercised regularly surged to the very front of the path.

In any case, it was a self-guided stroll rather than a race, so those trailing behind felt no pressure.

Xie Yunfan walked in the middle of the group, taking photos on his phone as he explored. Beside the sprawling troops of wild monkeys, the mountain boasted picturesque scenery.

The weather was clear. Walking along the stone trail and inhaling the crisp air brought a rare sense of lighthearted relaxation. Ever since arriving in this world, he had been nonstop making games; this was his very first time stepping out to simply enjoy nature.

Half an hour later, they reached the mountainside terrace.

A scenic overlook stood here, offering a panoramic view of the entire valley. The surrounding trees were lush, and the monkey troops were at their densest.

Standing on the deck, Xie Yunfan raised his phone to snap a picture.

Right then, a girl’s scream pierced the air behind him: “Aaaah! My hair!”

Xie Yunfan turned around to find Shi Xiaoyu shrieking.

Her hair tie had loosened earlier, and just as she went to redo it, a cheeky monkey swung down from the branch above, deftly snatching away her scrunchie.

Shi Xiaoyu was so flustered she tried to chase after it, but the monkey leaped effortlessly through the canopy, glancing back periodically to flick its tail as if ridiculing her.

How could a tree-climbing novice of a human ever keep up with an agile wild monkey?

Left with a wild nest of ruffled hair, Shi Xiaoyu stood stranded in panic, unsure of what to do. Just then, Ning Sha walked over, handed her an elastic band, and said, “Tie your hair back up.”

One of her twin tails remained neatly bundled while the other had been blown apart by the monkey, creating a thoroughly comical sight.

Ning Sha averted her gaze to stifle a chuckle.

Shi Xiaoyu was normally intimidated by her department lead. After all, the older woman seemed rather distant and strictly business during meetings… She hadn’t expected Ning Sha to step forward and help her.

Shi Xiaoyu took the band with deep gratitude: “Thank you, Sister Sha.”

She had barely secured her hair when a guy’s indignant roar echoed from ahead: “Holy crap! My pack! Give it back, you damn bandit!”

The victim was Ye Xiang from the narrative team.

He had a habit of carrying a water thermos whenever he went out and had brought a small fanny pack for the hike. He had just unclasped it to take a sip when an opportunistic monkey swiped it right out of his hands.

Ye Xiang sprinted after it at top speed.

The rest of the narrative team scrambled to help: “This way, this way!”

“Boss, the monkey hooked your pack on that high branch!”

“Can anyone here climb trees?”

“Grab a long branch and poke it down, hurry, hurry!”

Before the narrative team could salvage their lead’s bag, over on the 3D modeling team’s side, Qiao Jingmo’s glasses vanished.

Qiao Jingmo shouted in despair, “My glasses!”

A monkey had pilfered his spectacles and was currently wearing them on its own snout for amusement.

Qiao Jingmo had severe myopia; without his glasses, everything turned into a blur of watercolors, forcing him to cling to his coworkers just to take a step. The 3D modeling crew immediately rallied to help their lead reclaim his sight.

The scenic terrace descended into utter bedlam.

The humans had come to observe the monkeys. Instead, the monkeys were having a field day watching these “foolish humans.”

Xie Yunfan: “…”

Leading this squad really wasn’t easy!

Didn’t everyone warn you to secure your belongings? Now look who got bullied by monkeys.

…

Eventually, working together, the team successfully retrieved Ye Xiang’s fanny pack.

Qiao Jingmo’s glasses had been bent out of shape by the monkey, leaving him no choice but to order a replacement pair. As for Shi Xiaoyu’s hair tie, it had vanished into some inaccessible crevice of the mountain hours ago.

At lunchtime, everyone wore mixed expressions.

Some found the monkeys’ total lack of fear hilarious and entertaining.

Others, more timid, were left wide-eyed with lingering shock from the encounters.

After finishing lunch, they meandered down the mountain while continuing their sightseeing. Xie Yunfan reminded everyone to record plenty of footage of the monkeys for reference—especially the art, narrative, and 3D modeling teams. Only by understanding the creatures’ habits and posture could their virtual troops feel authentic and immersive.

On the descent, Xie Yunfan walked beside Ning Sha and asked in a low voice, “After yesterday’s project kickoff, is the art team feeling too much pressure? Do we need to bring in contractors to help out?”

Ning Sha considered it before answering, “If Chapter 1 is slated for a summer release, we still have three months. We should be able to make it in time.”

In this alternate world, with advanced digital rendering and AI-assisted workflows, production efficiency was vastly higher than in Xie Yunfan’s former world.

The true challenge lay in design and creative direction. So long as the anchor characters and major NPCs were finalized, minor minions like the monkey troop on Mount Huaguo or the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the Dragon Palace could easily be modified from core templates.

Back when building the Ghost Market, over a hundred NPCs were turned around within a single month.

Seeing Ning Sha’s confidence, Xie Yunfan felt reassured and asked, “Do you have any candidates in mind for drawing the protagonist, Sun Wukong?”

Ning Sha’s forte was intricate, realistic human portraiture. Though Sun Wukong was the main lead, he was fundamentally a monkey; Ning Sha had racked her brain the previous night but couldn’t find a spark of inspiration.

She glanced ahead toward the silhouette of the young girl walking in front of them and said, “I want to assign this task to Shi Xiaoyu. She is brilliant with animals. Boss, do you still remember that red-eyed giant ape boss she drafted during her interview?”

Xie Yunfan smiled. “Of course I remember.”

In truth, that piece was the exact reason he had made an exception to hire her.

Journey to the West featured numerous primates. Shi Xiaoyu excelled at creature design, boasted an active imagination, and drew adorable chibi art. Having her on the roster would benefit both core game development and downstream merchandise lines.

Ning Sha said, “According to the character profile you sent, Sun Wukong has a sharp mouth and sunken cheeks, resembling a macaques with golden fur across his face, a golden fillet on his brow, and Fiery Eyes with Golden Pupils… Shi Xiaoyu’s ideas are very fluid. The red-eyed ape boss she drew earlier shared a lot of common ground with Sun Wukong, so I’d like to let her take a crack at it.”

Xie Yunfan agreed. “I think Shi Xiaoyu is a great fit for Sun Wukong too. However, she only graduated six months ago and lacks production experience, so you’ll need to guide her closely.”

Ning Sha nodded. “Understood. I will personally supervise her drafts.”

Xie Yunfan felt deeply gratified—he truly hadn’t misjudged her character.

Even after stepping into the role of art director, Ning Sha never put on bureaucratic airs. She was open-minded, eager to foster newcomers, and patient when guiding team members.

With her steering the art department, Xie Yunfan’s own burden would be significantly lighter.

…

Over in the narrative department, Ye Xiang had also gathered abundant inspiration.

Truth be told, the boss’s insistence on “field research” had proven surprisingly effective.

For creative writers especially, stepping outdoors often jarred loose stalled concepts. Monkey behaviors and mannerisms were impossible to fully capture by merely sitting at a desk and imagining them.

Though his pack had been stolen by a monkey and his shins were scratched by tree branches during the recovery, the harvest was substantial. At the very least, he now held a clear image of how to write the Mount Huaguo chapter; monkey behaviors, mannerisms, and dialogue flowed like a geyser in his head.

Working off the master outline supplied by the boss, he was confident he could deliver an exceptional script.

Meanwhile, wearing his bent spectacles, Qiao Jingmo meticulously broke down the 3D modeling requirements for Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong was a “monkey that had attained human wit”—bearing simian habits, yet walking and speaking like a man.

The concept art passed to him by the art department would naturally be static illustrations. Translating those into fluid, dynamic 3D rigs rested entirely on his execution; he couldn’t afford to let it stumble.

When Sun Wukong moved, he needed the sprightly mischief of an ape, yet he couldn’t scurry around on all fours like a beast; he had to stand upright and stride like a warrior—bounding, vaulting, and intensely alert.

Fusing the bestial with the human was surely the true essence of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven that the boss envisioned.

Zhang Su of the level design department had always been a man of few words; he had snapped several gigabytes of mountain photos throughout the day. According to the boss, Stage 1: The Monkey King Contest on Mount Huaguo required players to control the monkey to scale the peak and uncover the Water Curtain Cave.

He had initially felt lost, but having hiked the slopes himself today and watched the monkeys bound freely through the crags, the level design finally clicked!

By utilizing hanging vines and slender branches as successive springboards, he could format this into a “Vertical Climbing Challenge.” Injecting a balanced degree of mechanical difficulty would make reaching the Water Curtain Cave feel profoundly rewarding.

The full-day field trip to Monkey Mountain left everyone thoroughly drained.

Yet almost everyone returned with creative breakthroughs.

Conquering the mountain paths together had pushed the newly hired coworkers to bond and build rapport, proving the excursion to be an effective initiative.

The following morning, upon arriving at the office, Xie Yunfan headed straight to the finance department.

He met with Ling Xiao to calculate the investment projections for this title.

Upon hearing that he planned to produce full animated sequences, Ling Xiao was internally stunned. The vast majority of titles only deployed 3D cinematics for their opening sequence or major chapter transitions, relying on 2D visual novel text boxes for regular dialogue.

Xie Yunfan wanted to render the entire narrative in full 3D animation?

Ling Xiao sighed helplessly. “Are you making a game or an animated film? Is it really necessary to sink this much capital into story cutscenes? Doing so will multiply our production costs several times over.”

Xie Yunfan explained, “I want to forge a seamless hybrid between a game and an animated series. The gameplay itself will be challenging and captivating, pulling players through the hurdles. Meanwhile, the episodic cinematics unlocked after clearing each stage will be spectacular and polished, easily matching the caliber of professional animated films.”

He paused, then continued, “As long as the funding is sufficient, this standard is entirely achievable. Furthermore, we aren’t producing the entire animated series upfront; the episodes will roll out parallel to our release schedule. Capital recouped from the first wave of DLC can be funneled directly into subsequent animation production.”

Still, the financial risk remained considerable. If the title failed to find traction and capital return lagged, it could easily snap their cash flow.

Xie Yunfan said, “I’ll shortlist several high-end animation studios for you to audit budgets with. Don’t be too restrictive with capital, because Ghost Realm continues to generate steady revenue. Our overseas licensing profits for this year will settle another payout in June.”

Ling Xiao nodded decisively. “Alright. Since you’re committed to the animation model, I’ll initiate discussions with animation houses immediately and draw up a budget forecast. Animation is billed down to the second, so we’ll need to coordinate with the narrative team’s storyboards to determine where trimming is needed.”

Xie Yunfan said, “No need to worry about funds. If we’re doing it, we do it to the absolute highest standard!”

He currently held 300 million yuan in liquid assets. Excluding studio overhead and payroll, he still had over 200 million yuan dedicated to R&D for the new title.

In June, Luo Hang would settle the second overseas earnings distribution for Ghost Realm, which was projected to bring in another 100 million yuan. Even if Journey to the Western Heaven ran at a deficit, it wouldn’t jeopardize the studio’s solvency.

Besides, there was zero chance this game would lose money.

He intended to produce the cutscenes to full broadcast standards; spliced together, they could stand alone as an authentic Journey to the West animated film.

Young children downloading the game purely to watch the cartoon represented an unfathomably massive market!

Moreover, the title adopted a model where Chapter 1 was entirely free, followed by paid DLCs.

It was essentially an episodic anime series serialized through a video game.

Releasing one DLC chapter each month, the entire nation would be tuning in to binge the story together!

Sun Wukong was pinned under the Mountain of Five Elements? Want to know what happens next? Please purchase Chapter 2.

This created a powerful chain reaction. As long as players were hooked—finding the gameplay rewarding and the cinematics gorgeous—and provided the DLC was priced fairly, legions of players would gladly pay.

After all, a two-hour ticket to an animated film at the cinema cost several dozen yuan.

With this, they were getting top-tier animation and an addictive game—double the enjoyment!

…

With financial planning settled, Xie Yunfan began inspecting the development bays.

At yesterday’s all-hands kickoff, he had only outlined the overarching lore and distributed summary binders. Today, he needed to drill down into the nuts and bolts of execution with each team.

He stopped by the art bay first. Their internal meeting had just concluded, where Ning Sha had assigned the flagship task of “Sun Wukong Concept Art” to the newcomer, Shi Xiaoyu.

Shouldering the core protagonist right out of college… the sheer pressure was dizzying!

Shi Xiaoyu was pale and visibly trembling with anxiety.

Xie Yunfan stepped in to encourage her: “Xiaoyu, you are exceptionally talented. The fact that your department lead entrusted this to you means everyone believes in your abilities. Unleash your imagination and draw boldly. That red-eyed giant ape boss you drew during your interview was fantastic.”

Shi Xiaoyu felt overwhelmed: “Th-Thank you, Boss. I… I’ll do my best.”

Xie Yunfan said, “We have plenty of time, so start with rough drafts. As for Sun Wukong’s sketches, I’ve already told Ning Sha that you can bring them directly to me for review. If anything feels off, we’ll revise it together. We can polish it step by step.”

She hadn’t anticipated the boss being so gentle and approachable. The boulder pressing on Shi Xiaoyu’s chest eased significantly, and she nodded, “Okay! I’ll draft the first round of sketches for you right away, Boss!”

During their internal sync, Ning Sha had already distributed the majority of design tasks.

Beast-type figures like Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King were assigned to Shi Xiaoyu. Major humanoid deities like Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Jade Emperor would be handled by Ning Sha personally. For environments, Ji Minglang was assigned the landscapes and Heavenly Court, while Chu Yue took on the Ghost Realm and Dragon Palace. The remaining artists were assigned mobs, equipment props, and asset cleanups.

Everything was organized with textbook efficiency.

It was clear that spending six months inside Qihang’s Ghost Realm division had accelerated Ning Sha’s growth tremendously. The present Ning Sha had matured into a formidable commander by Xie Yunfan’s side!

Xie Yunfan was thoroughly relieved.

Next door in the narrative department, Ye Xiang had plenty of screenwriting experience on film sets, but he was still getting his bearings regarding the structural delegation of game writing.

He focused on detailing the main campaign beats for Sun Wukong along with the voice lines for bosses and minions. Zhou Shiyue possessed a more delicate prose style, so she was tasked with writing the nuanced dialogue.

Other team members were assigned their respective scenes, diligently typing away.

The 3D modeling, programming, and data teams were temporarily on standby organizing technical assets; without finished concept art and level design whiteboxes, they couldn’t advance downstream production.

Finally, Xie Yunfan arrived at the level design bay.

Zhang Su was seated before his monitors blocking out terrain geometry, working with immense focus.

During the interview cycle, he had assumed his former company director, Qin, would be hired, forcing him into a subservient assistant role once again. He had loathed that bureaucratic blowhard for years.

To his shock, his former manager was eliminated… while he was promoted to department lead!

Working in an environment free of arrogant superiors constantly posturing over him was immensely liberating!

Because of this, he was determined to pour everything into his work to validate the boss’s trust.

Seeing Xie Yunfan approach, Zhang Su immediately paused his work: “Boss, we’re currently blocking out the climbing challenge. For Mount Huaguo, should we keep the incline gradual, or steepen it to increase difficulty?”

Xie Yunfan answered, “Make the peak steep, and implement two distinct difficulty tiers.”

Zhang Su nodded, listening intently.

Xie Yunfan explained, “Casual difficulty is tailored for less coordinated players and younger kids, ensuring they can clear stages smoothly and enjoy the animated story.”

“You can place plenty of stable ledges for players to hop across step by step. Even if someone’s mechanics are clumsy, they will eventually manage to reach the top.”

“Challenge difficulty, on the other hand, is built for hardcore gamers—the harder, the better.”

“Remove all stable landing platforms. Force them to use slender tree branches as narrow footholds. If they slip or miscalculate a jump, send them tumbling straight back to the base of the mountain to restart the ascent from scratch.”

“This is a strategic combat mobile game, so our challenge levels must be mechanically rich and engaging. It shouldn’t be something anyone can beat just because they have hands; it must require genuine brainpower.”

Hearing Xie Yunfan’s dry humor, Zhang Su couldn’t help but chuckle.

Beat it just because you have hands?

Streamers who had uttered those exact words during Underworld Maze had been humbled into tears.

The boss planned to split Journey to the Western Heaven into Casual and Challenge modes. One could easily picture how the try-hards tackling Challenge mode would be pushed to madness simply trying to scale Mount Huaguo to find the Water Curtain Cave!

Meanwhile, casual players could stroll through and watch the animations at their leisure.

This struck the ideal compromise: those seeking narrative got their show, while those wanting mechanical depth could dive into the brutal Challenge mode to test their skills.

Xie Yunfan continued, “Every subsequent stage should follow this dual-layer design. Casual mode lets Sun Wukong sweep through everything, giving players an exhilarating power fantasy from start to finish where they can experience the Great Sage’s sheer might.”

“Challenge mode, however, must demand high-pressure execution.”

“For instance, in the Bull Demon King encounter, Casual mode can be beaten casually. In Challenge mode, the boss’s attack and defense are doubled, and its moveset becomes far more punishing. Sun Wukong will have to maneuver swiftly to avoid its onslaught, whittle down its health bar, and seize a precise opening to leap onto the Bull Demon King’s back, striking its weak point to secure the kill.”

“The Dragon Palace stage should be structured directly as a labyrinth patrolled by 100 guards. Group the guards into coordinated strike squads of 4 to 5: ranged minions fire water projectiles while melee guards deal devastating critical bursts. Players will have to clear waves of guards while navigating the maze before reaching the Dragon King of the East Sea to trigger the cutscene.”

“In the Immortal Peach Feast stage, Sun Wukong must forage peaches in the orchard. Implement an environmental debuff that constantly drains the player’s health, which can only be countered by eating peaches. This level will serve as a parkour trial: players must evade the Seven Fairies while stealing peaches. If the Seven Fairies spot the player, the run immediately fails.”

“…”

Listening to Xie Yunfan’s vision, Zhang Su was filled with admiration—if the stages were structured like this, even the most demanding hardcore players would be completely hooked!

Mount Huaguo was a solo vertical parkour challenge testing micro-execution, where a single misstep meant restarting the climb. The Bull Demon King was a high-stakes duel demanding rapid evasion and tight punishment windows, delivering the raw thrill of boss-slaying.

The Dragon Palace pitted players against coordinated packs of mixed melee and ranged mobs in a high-pressure dungeon, forcing them to strategize target priority. Layering a maze layout on top elevated the tactical depth even further.

The Immortal Peach Feast was whimsical yet tense, forcing players to sneak around patrol routes to feast or perish. Plotting the most efficient route to “eat peaches” would undoubtedly become the subject of extensive community guides!

A “strategy mobile game” requiring genuine thought, where every stage brought a distinct gameplay loop.

In the 100-million-yuan project Zhang Su’s previous studio had produced, dungeons were copy-paste templates. Across level 10, 30, and 50 dungeons, beyond reskinning the boss and mobs, the underlying gameplay was virtually identical.

Mindlessly grinding dungeons for materials day after day was mind-numbing; players would just toggle auto-battle or “one-click sweep” and look away.

In contrast, the variety packed into Journey to the Western Heaven would completely blow players’ expectations out of the water!

The seven stages of Chapter 1 alone represented seven entirely unique gameplay experiences.

Though the game was still in early production, hearing Xie Yunfan’s blueprint reignited a long-lost spark in Zhang Su’s chest—a title this engaging was guaranteed to be a smash hit!

Its stage mechanics were richer than Underworld Maze.

Its world-building was grander than Ghost Realm.

Its storytelling was more gripping than Soul of Music.

With the studio’s first three titles all becoming runaway hits, there was no conceivable reason for Journey to the Western Heaven to fail.

So long as it was executed cleanly and launched without issue… Zhang Su had a distinct premonition that this game wouldn’t just take the country by storm; it would set a new gold standard for mobile gaming.

The industry might even witness a historic phenomenon where the entire gaming populace was controlling Sun Wukong, conquering one trial after another!