Chapter 38: I Have Come to Assist You

"Yes, A-Shou is right. Based on President Gu's vision, our current manpower, and factoring in the efficiency gains once our newer colleagues get up to speed... it will take at least two and a half years to complete the game to our minimum target."

Lupa, having gauged the skills and learning curves of his colleagues over the past few days, offered this assessment. Long before the recruitment of the newcomers, Gu Meng had fired the entire game production department from the Maodou era; the current staff consisted entirely of new hires. Although they were part of the first wave of Youxuan employees who joined around the same time, and given that the age gap was minimal—they were all young, with Gu Meng, not yet thirty, being considered an "old man" among them—Lupa, who appeared capable of anything, and Huan Shou, who rarely socialized but possessed undeniable professional prowess, had effectively become the team's leaders.

Only they dared to offer feedback to President Gu. The other newcomers were too intimidated by the vast gap in technical skill; watching Gu Meng work left them in a state of bewilderment, and they hardly dared to speak. Lupa, who often found himself thinking of Gu Meng as a "man among men, a demonic emperor" after being influenced by him, only tried to persuade him now that he was certain the project was impossible to complete in the timeframe.

The President’s ambition was simply too grand. The goals he set were incredibly high, utilizing the latest Phantom 5 engine—the most advanced in this parallel world—to create a Wuxia game of such massive scale. The two-and-a-half-year estimate Lupa provided was already based on the assumption that President Gu was a gaming genius, counting him as ten people and lowering expectations; otherwise, even two and a half years would not be enough.

"Exactly, exactly. Honestly, President Gu, our initial goals don't have to be set so high. With this workload... if we really have to deliver by December, we won't even be able to provide a semi-finished product. We'd only have a rough draft, with no time for polishing, resulting in something horrendous, riddled with bugs, and lacking any distinctive Wuxia bosses."

Huan Shou echoed this sentiment. Initially, he had wondered if the President had another plan, such as further recruitment or outsourcing to other teams. But after working for a while and realizing there were no other teams involved—that it was just the Youxuan group doing everything—he could no longer sit still. Neither 996 nor 007 work schedules would change the fact that the work simply couldn't be finished.

Seeing their worried expressions, Gu Meng nodded in approval. They were truly loyal subordinates. Their abilities, verified by the system, were clearly superior to the nepotistic hacks who had deserved to be fired from the old Maodou development team, and their attitude was far better as well. That previous group had deceived the former "Gu Ritian" so thoroughly—it was hard to tell if they were merely conning him or if they had actually deluded themselves into believing that their subpar work was acceptable.

These newcomers were different. Even though Gu Meng’s authority was far greater than his predecessor's, and the entire plan was his own responsibility, they still had the courage to point out when things were wrong.

"I understand your concerns."

Huan Shou and Lupa, thinking Gu Meng had finally conceded and intended to scale back the project, breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the President was capable of listening to reason after all.

"However."

"Huh?" At the word "however," even Huan Shou, who was less socially adept than Lupa, realized that what Gu Meng was about to say was the real point.

"I will not abandon the current plan."

"This..." Huan Shou wanted to protest again, but Lupa pulled him back, signaling with his eyes to listen to what the President had to say.

"You may have misunderstood. Don't worry. There is a reason I set such high requirements for this plan. It’s not that I expect you to shoulder the entire workload yourselves—I'm not that stupid."

*Oh, I see,* they thought. *So there will be an outsourcing team after all.* The pair exchanged glances, feeling relieved.

"Then, President Gu, may I ask when the outsourcing team will join the project? The sooner the better, because we are currently dividing tasks under the assumption that we are doing everything ourselves. If new experts are joining, then—"

"Wait, wait. There is no outsourcing team, either." Gu Meng cut Lupa off.

"Huh?" The two felt their heads spinning; they didn't understand what he meant.

"No outsourcing team, and I don't really need you to finish the entire workload by yourselves. What I mean is, you still have me." Gu Meng gave a thumbs-up, flashing a brilliant, radiant smile. He looked a bit like Might Guy or Rock Lee, just with a slightly more crooked grin.

"Ah... if I may be so bold, President, even if it's you—" Huan Shou was not convinced. Even if the President could write 200,000 words a day, this task was impossible—unless he had an AI capable of writing two million words a day. Was that possible? Was there such a thing as a miracle? It was impossible.

Lupa tried to stop Huan Shou from being so blunt, but he failed. Yet, Huan Shou’s reaction was normal. Unlike *Heroes of the Realm: Zero*, which was essentially a mini-game, *Heroes of the Realm: True* was built on the latest Phantom 5 engine. Game development in this world was faster than in his past life; although it was 2020 in this parallel world, the Phantom 5, which served as the equivalent of the Unreal 5 engine, was already being used in several major blockbusters released this year. Even the Phantom 6 was in development, expected to be released in two or three years. China's game industry was still stuck in the Phantom 4 era, and many games were "Phantom 4 frauds," where only the opening CGI used the engine.

There was an era-defining gap between *Heroes of the Realm: Zero* and *Heroes of the Realm: True*. The mini-game version could have been finished by the two of them in a few months if they focused on the creative aspects. It would just be lower quality, and the text wouldn't be as good as what Gu Meng wrote, but otherwise, it would be comparable. But for *Heroes of the Realm: True*, the programming, graphic design, sound design, game design, physics engine technology, project management, and the multiplayer technology required for 1v1 or NvN modes—not to mention the balancing, challenges, and feedback loops that required constant polishing—these were obstacles that couldn't be bypassed.

How were they supposed to create those unique Wuxia bosses? Even as experts among game developers who frequently kept up with foreign technologies, they felt the overwhelming difficulty of the task. It required years of grueling, relentless work, going through fire and water to forge a team of iron-willed veterans. Even with the President’s extraordinary talent, it was impossible...

Gu Meng simply shook his head. "You just need to do your best. Leave the rest to me."

The two looked up to see Gu Meng standing up from his office chair, pointing at them with an aura of dominance:

"I will assist you!!"

The morning sun was rising. Behind Gu Meng, a radiant light shone, so bright the two could barely keep their eyes open. It felt as if the title "Brother Sun," once held by the old President, should rightfully belong to him. The second-generation golden sun seemed to disperse the gloom of the immense pressure they had been under; even the perpetually rainy Donghua City seemed to grow warmer.

"It’s good that you have confidence, President, but..."