Chapter 202: Execution Ability

Chapter 202: Execution

"Get out."

"You should see a task through to the end; it's such a short distance, why not just drop me off?"

"I'd have to make a huge detour to get back to the school gate. Do you have any idea how expensive gas is right now?"

"You're so generous with everyone else, and I'm at least half a brother to you. Why are you so stingy when it comes to me?"

"Who told you that you're half a brother?"

"Well, what if I were your real brother?"

"Then take a taxi!"

Qin Fan dropped Meng Fan off at a corner not far from the college, then made a left turn toward the publishing house.

Meng Fan didn't return to school; he went straight home.

He was dying to start his original work, but he wanted to wait until he had finished grinding through "Professional Manga Artist" and received the rewards. The only way to do that was to speed through the mission. Everything else was fine; the only thing missing was content. So, it was time to rush the draft!

Xing Tage had already given him the script for "Campus Love Guide," written all the way to the finale. On his way back, Meng Fan called Xing Tage over. They spent two hours discussing and finalizing every detail, clearing his mind so he could draw straight to the end.

As for "Spirits Underground," although Old Man Kun's enthusiasm had clearly waned, his initial passion and the existing backlog meant he had already submitted 50 chapters. If each volume of the collected edition contained eight chapters, he only needed six more to complete seven volumes. Combined with the three volumes of "Campus Love Guide," that would make ten volumes in total.

To complete the mission, Meng Fan was giving it his all.

To be honest, he was curious: with his various attribute bonuses, how fast could he draw a single chapter if he really pushed himself?

Hand speed +16.

Drawing skill +26.

Imagination +6.

Screenwriting +6.

Setting +6.

Plus the Universal Brush, the physical fitness from running, his observational skills, the champion's honor smile bonus, and an endless supply of energy gels and sports drinks.

He put on the hat that made his presence fade to avoid all distractions.

He downed a bottle of sports drink—regardless of whether peak competitive state actually helped with drawing, the psychological effect was powerful.

An hour later, Meng Fan ate an energy gel.

Another hour later, he ate another.

A few dozen points were nothing to Meng Fan.

He was currently drawing the latest chapter of "Campus Love Guide." As always, the length was generous—16 pages, with three to five panels per page. This length couldn't compare to the weekly, bi-weekly, or daily output of Japanese manga, but for a weekly series on Penguin Comics, he was an incredibly conscientious author, especially since he was releasing two chapters a week.

When the final panel was finished, Meng Fan checked the time.

Two hours and 23 minutes!

Meng Fan hadn't sacrificed quality to rush the draft or challenge his speed, nor had he streamlined any content; he had even made several revisions and one erasure during the process.

Of course, he hadn't touched the post-production.

Even so, his speed was absolutely terrifying. Forget about the domestic scene; there probably wasn't anyone in the world with this kind of pace.

Yet, Meng Fan felt he could be even faster!

He stood up to stretch, paced around the room, did a set of calisthenics, and then continued drawing.

The next chapter took two hours and 28 minutes.

The time was slower, but his speed had actually increased, as the content of this chapter was more complex and difficult.

Gurgle.

He checked the time; it was past eight in the evening.

He thought about ordering takeout, but decided to take off his hat and call Chen Daqiang.

"Brother Qiang, are you busy? If not, come over to my place and bring some food."

Half an hour later, Chen Daqiang arrived with an extra-large portion of green pepper and pork over rice, a side of shredded potatoes with vinegar, and an extra bowl of rice.

"Besides bringing food, I have something to tell you..."

Once Meng Fan started eating, he couldn't get the words out. Chen Daqiang’s talent for finding good food was magical—he was almost always right. After finishing everything and downing a large glass of iced cola, he let out a satisfied burp before standing up and saying, "I didn't draw much while I was in Shenzhen for the Double Eleven sale. I don't have much going on now, so I'll be producing pages very quickly. You're going to be busy."

Chen Daqiang helped Meng Fan tidy up the table, dumping everything into the trash can, and asked with some trepidation, "How fast? Faster than before? That'll kill someone!"

"Don't worry, I'll balance work and rest. I'll definitely take care of my health."

"I'm worried I'll be the one who dies."

"Ah? Oh!"

Meng Fan knew that at his current speed, let alone one Chen Daqiang, even two more assistants would be crying. After teasing him, he said, "You really can't keep up alone. I'll arrange for some assistants for you."

"Assistants for a manga artist's assistant? You've got some nerve!" Chen Daqiang tied up the trash bag, set it by the door to take out later, and washed his hands. "Where are we going to find people? In class?"

The pay Meng Fan offered for assistants was quite good, so finding part-timers in class wouldn't be a problem.

Meng Fan asked, "Do you know where everyone has been going lately?"

"Yeah, you and Teacher Qin set up a studio. Wang Yanan joined, and he's been dragged over there to help every day." Chen Daqiang realized, "You mean leave it to the studio?"

Meng Fan nodded. "Yes. But the studio might be short-handed since they're taking on a lot of orders today. I'll call Teacher Qin later; she can be responsible for finding the staff. If she can spare a few people from the studio, great. If not, she should be able to find people quickly. As for you, go to the studio tomorrow. You're familiar with my style, so you'll need to oversee the post-production."

"Understood."

Chen Daqiang was highly efficient and rarely needed much instruction. "I have a movie date with Xiaoxue tonight, so I won't rush the draft. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"What time is it, and you're still going to a movie? By the time it's over..." Meng Fan checked the time and raised an eyebrow, draping an arm over Chen Daqiang's shoulder. "It's almost nine. You still had time to bring me food, so you must have plenty of time—at least a showtime after nine-thirty. The school gates will be closed by then. You've got some deep schemes, brother!"

Chen Daqiang's face turned red. He shook off Meng Fan's arm and turned to wash his hands, only to realize he had already done so. He muttered, "It's not certain yet, don't let those two guys know."

Meng Fan laughed heartily. "If you don't go back tonight, it'll be hard for those two guys not to know what's going on."

Chen Daqiang said, "I'll just tell them I was here rushing the draft!"

"Got it, got it. Hurry up and go, don't keep your Goddess Xue waiting."

Meng Fan shooed Chen Daqiang out. A moment later, Chen Daqiang returned to grab the trash he'd forgotten, adding a parting reminder not to work too hard.

"I know! Brother Qiang, you're a mess here, but don't lose your rhythm in front of Xiaoxue! Go get 'em, Brother Qiang!"

Meng Fan teased him with a smile, but as he watched Chen Daqiang run off, he suddenly sighed. To say he wasn't the least bit envious would be a lie.

He envied Chen Daqiang's execution!