Entertainment: You're asked to make a graduation project, but you're asked to film Ultrama

Ultraman Tiga's popularity is undeniable.

If you walk in Jinghai Park, you will see groups of children waving their arms at the air and shouting indistinct transformation slogans.

Even in office building elevators, you can see white-collar workers in suits, whose phone wallpapers may have been changed to the Giant of Light.

Perhaps, he still has a newly arrived magic light stick in his home.

That was light, and that was money.

Chasing Light Studio.

When Chen Bo pushed open the office door, he slipped and fell headfirst into a pile of half-person-high express delivery boxes.

"Holy crap!"

He didn't even bother rubbing his knees before scrambling to his desk.

"Brother Nan! Brother Nan! Look at the backend data! It's gone mad, it's all gone mad!"

Chen Bo's chubby face turned bright red.

Gu Nan was squatting in the corner, holding a fine spray gun, intently applying primer to a brand new monster model.

That aura was so calm and composed that Chen Bo felt like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Sure enough, the boss is the boss!

"Calm down, what's the data?"

Gu Nan didn't even look up, his hands moving as steadily as a mountain.

"I can't stay calm, Brother Nan!"

Chen Bo shoved the tablet right in Gu Nan's face, his voice trembling: "Bilibili Membership Purchase, the mass-market 'Light Stick,' all 100,000 of our stock just... were sold out! Not even a second could hold!"

Chen Bo held up five fingers, gesturing shakily: "That's 5.9 million in revenue! And that doesn't even include the 20,000 collector's editions that sold out instantly!"

Gu Nan put down the spray gun, took off his gas mask, and finally looked at the screen properly.

The mass-market version is priced at 59 yuan, aiming to make it affordable for every child.

The previous Tiangong Exploration Collector's Edition Sparkler was priced at 298 yuan, focusing on nostalgia and quality, and was intended for adult fans with purchasing power.

Gu Nan originally thought that special effects were a wasteland in this world, and that it would take at least half a month to sell the 100,000 units in stock.

As a result, he underestimated Tiga's power.

Even now, the plot of Ultraman Tiga remains incredibly solid. Even though it's an episodic series, the average quality of each episode surpasses that of 90% of other works on the market.

At that moment, the magic light stick was no longer a toy; it was a ticket to becoming a hero.

"I want to buy that magic light stick, I want to protect my home too!"

"Nobody's stopping me! I'm thirty years old, and I'm going to transform!"

Hundreds of thousands of similar comments were sent in the background.

This almost suicidal emotional spending caused the balance sheet of Chasing Light Studio to skyrocket like a rocket.

This was a spectacle that Gu Nan had never witnessed in his previous life.

As expected, the Nebula Award that Tiga won is truly prestigious.

"Brother Nan, it's not just about money now."

"Factory manager Liu's phone has been ringing off the hook. He says the production line is smoking, and the raw materials are completely gone!"

Chen Bo swallowed hard and continued, "Factory Director Liu said that the pre-sale orders for the raw material ABS granules are already booked for three months from now!"

Gu Nan picked up a rag and wiped his hands, his eyes regaining their sharpness.

"Send the money, immediately."

Gu Nan's voice was firm and resolute: "Tell Factory Director Liu that I don't care how much overtime he works, but if the quality is even slightly flawed, or if they use inferior plastic, I'll make sure he can forget about working in this industry for the rest of his life. If anyone dares to ruin my reputation, I'll switch factories. We're not short of a few million now."

Chen Bo nodded emphatically: "Understood, I'll take care of it!"

……

After a while.

The solid wood door of the studio was pushed open again.

Three people came in this time.

Su Zhe and Xia Youwei, who were leading the group, were fully armed, with sunglasses and masks covering their faces completely, looking like superstars on an official tour.

Following behind them was a middle-aged woman wearing a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses.

"Brother Nan, this is the executive editor of the Jinghai Evening News," Su Zhe said, his tone filled with undisguised pride.

"Director Gu, I've heard so much about you."

The editor-in-chief pushed up his glasses, his eyes scrutinizing him.

Looking at the seemingly "simple" room filled with sophisticated instruments, she clearly couldn't connect it with the internet sensation "Ultraman Tiga".

"Your work is being discussed across the entire internet and society at large."

The editor-in-chief took out a voice recorder, his tone polite yet professional, "From the environmental theme of the first episode, to the spirit of aerospace, and now to the extreme professional ethics and spirit of sacrifice shown in this episode, our newspaper would like to do a front-page feature, tentatively titled 'Special Effects: The Light Belonging to China's Young People.' Do you have time?"

Gu Nan smiled slightly, his expression neither humble nor arrogant.

"Interviews are welcome, but I will not show my face."

Gu Nan pointed to Su Zhe and Xia Youwei beside him, "Let them go. Su Zhe is Da Gu, and Xia Youwei is Lina. They are the heroes of the Victory Team, the light in the eyes of the audience. I'm just a carpenter who plays with models."

The editor-in-chief was taken aback. She had interviewed countless directors, and every one of them seemed to want to stick their face right up to the camera.

Gu Nan is truly the first person to actively push away fame and fortune.

"Good, Director Gu is indeed magnanimous."

The editor-in-chief turned to Su Zhe and his companion, "You two, shall we find a quieter place to talk?"

Su Zhe and Xia Youwei exchanged a glance; they knew Gu Nan was paving the way for them.

The two looked at Gu Nan gratefully and followed the editor-in-chief out.

Having just seen off the media, the studio welcomed a guest who truly made Gu Nan stand up to greet him.

Professor Li Guoqiang.

He strolled into the house slowly, hands behind his back, like an old neighbor.

Looking at the mountain of tools piled up in the room, and the expensive rendering servers that hadn't even been opened yet, the old man couldn't help but sigh.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Gu Nan, this isn't an art studio, it's clearly a mini money printing factory!"

Gu Nan quickly brought a chair for Teacher Li and poured her a cup of hot tea.

"Teacher Li, please don't belittle me. Compared to those capitalists, this little bit of money is nothing."

Professor Li took a sip of tea, and his expression gradually became serious.

"I was just in the principal's office when I overheard a school leader saying that you plan to invest all of the 20 million yuan profit that just came in? You don't plan to distribute dividends, buy a few houses in Jinghai, or even buy a decent luxury car?"

Gu Nan sat opposite Professor Li, his eyes as clear as a deep pool.

"Teacher, you can buy a house and a car anytime. But if you miss this wave of popularity, it will be very difficult to get top-notch special effects equipment and talent later."

Gu Nan counted on his fingers, "The Hollywood-level real-time motion capture system I want to buy, and the latest cloud computing rendering farm, are all real hard currency. With these, I can have Tiga and the monsters fight in real fire in the next episode, instead of relying on post-production textures."

Professor Li stared at Gu Nan for a full half minute.

That look in his eyes went from doubt to surprise, and finally to deep satisfaction.

"Okay, okay!"

Professor Li slapped his thigh, his voice booming, "Not being blinded by these red bills—that's the kind of talent that can accomplish great things. Remember, why is Ultraman Tiga so popular? Because it has a soul, because that 'light' is real."

Professor Li stood up and pointed to the busy street outside the window.

"If you cut costs and produce low-quality dramas like 'The Amazing Master' just to make a quick buck, then this light will be extinguished instantly. Audiences aren't stupid; they can tell the difference between genuine effort and perfunctory work."

"Teacher, I understand."

Gu Nan stood up, his tone unwavering: "My original intention was never to sell toys. Selling toys is just a means to an end. I want to build a temple in this ruin of tokusatsu (special effects) films."

After Professor Li left, Gu Nan immediately gathered the entire core team.

Chen Bo, Wang Kai, Zhang Zhao, and dozens of other technical backbone staff who have developed dark circles under their eyes from working so hard.

"Brothers, payday is here."

Gu Nan wrote a number heavily on the whiteboard, then drew a huge circle.

"This month, everyone's bonuses are doubled! Every brother who participated in the filming will receive a generous red envelope!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the audience.

"Long live Brother Nan!"

"Follow Brother Nan, and you'll eat meat three times a day!"

Gu Nan gestured for him to stop, his voice turning cold: "Don't just get carried away with the excitement. With the remaining money, I've used Bilibili's high-level connections to order four of the most advanced real-time rendering node servers currently available overseas. From now on, rendering a complex scene won't take three days and three nights; it'll only take three hours!"

He turned to Wang Kai and said, "The props team, stop using those small printers and manual filing. I bought you an industrial-grade, ultra-precision 3D printer with micron-level printing accuracy. From now on, every single scale on the monster will be made into a work of art."

He then looked at Zhang Zhao: "I've also replaced your liquid-cooled suit system, and the filling material for the different forms of Tiga's body has been changed to a more ergonomic and environmentally friendly material."

The atmosphere in the entire studio was instantly ignited.

This isn't just about giving money; it's about upgrading! It's about expansion!

The feeling of crushing competitors with sheer strength is more satisfying than simply winning the lottery.

A virtuous cycle has been formed.

With a constant stream of funds, you can buy the best equipment; with the best equipment, you can shoot scenes that make the audience scream; with good footage, fans will buy merchandise even more frantically.

This closed-loop business model far surpasses the traditional model of Qi'ao Tianzun.