"Xu Mo, wake up," a soft voice urged. Xu Mo slowly regained consciousness, feeling disoriented. He found himself lying in his bedroom, the remnants of sand now cleared away. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by Lorna Dane's concerned face.
Xu Mo sat up, rubbing his forehead. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Two full days," Lorna replied with a sigh of relief. "What happened out there?"
Before Xu Mo could respond, Gali chimed in, "Yeah, Lorna and I had to eat out because you were out cold. We were starving!"
Lorna scolded her, "Gali, you and your endless appetite. But seriously, where did all that sand come from?"
Xu Mo chuckled weakly, shaking his head. "Just saving the world... It's exhausting," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. He remembered the fierce battle with Thanos and the aftermath, feeling the weight of his injuries and fatigue.
Lorna raised an eyebrow but let it go. "Well, you did seem pretty beat up. And Alice said it was just fatigue," she said, trying to downplay her concern. As she prepared to leave the room, she paused. "Oh, and by the way, Andy came by this morning. He said since you were out cold, he'd take the manuscript to the company himself."
Xu Mo's eyes widened. "Did he already print it?" he asked urgently.
"No, he said he'd wait. But he was going to use the last plan you emailed him," Lorna replied.
"Great, I need to make some changes," Xu Mo muttered. He reached for Lorna's phone to call Andy, his own phone having been destroyed during the confrontation on Titan. "Uncle Andy, don't print anything yet. I need to revise the plan. Yes, everything. Wait for me."
After hanging up, Xu Mo got up, wincing slightly. Lorna helped him with his coat, her face filled with worry. "You should rest more. Your body needs it."
Xu Mo smiled reassuringly. "No time to rest. I've got work to do."
He headed to his study, where the T800 robot continued its tireless work, organizing manuscripts. Xu Mo grabbed a new manuscript and headed out, intent on reaching the office.
As he left, Lorna watched him with a mix of concern and admiration. Gali, meanwhile, tugged at Lorna's sleeve, looking pitiful. "Lorna, I'm starving."
Lorna sighed, shaking her head. "You and your stomach..."
At Marvel Comics, Natasha Romanoff, the red-haired femme fatale, was trying to charm Kaneki Ken, a talented comic artist. "Hey, little brother Kaneki, this work is tricky. Help me out, and I'll treat you to dinner," she purred, playing with her hair.
Kaneki, however, was unfazed. He remained focused, not giving into her flirtations. "No need to go through all that. I'll help you regardless," he replied calmly, his demeanor like a monk untouched by worldly desires.
Natasha, frustrated by her failed attempts, slumped back in her chair. No one had resisted her charm this way before, and Kaneki's indifference was a first. Meanwhile, an employee entered the office area, announcing, "The boss is here!"
"The boss? It's been ages since we've seen him," another remarked.
Xu Mo walked through the office, heading straight for Andy's office. Natasha watched him go, intrigued by the stir he caused. "What do you think is going on?" she asked an older employee, trying to glean some information.
"Not sure," the employee replied. "But if the boss is here, something big must be up."
In Andy's office, the atmosphere was tense. Andy, the manager, looked shocked as Xu Mo explained his new plan. "Xu Mo, what do you mean? You want to publish the comics as separate volumes right now? That's risky! What if they don't sell? The financial hit could be massive."
Xu Mo nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, Andy. I want to release 'Tokyo Ghoul' and 'Attack on Titan' as standalone volumes. We need to move away from just relying on 'Juvenile Jump' and 'Soulmate Manke' for serialization. These stories need to be available to the readers directly and sooner."
Andy stared at him, stunned. "This is unprecedented. No one's done this before."
"Exactly," Xu Mo replied, his voice steady. "The old methods are too slow. Thanos will accelerate his plans, and we need to be ready. The traditional serial format isn't enough. We need to adapt, and this is the best way forward."
Andy hesitated, then sighed. "This is a huge gamble, Xu Mo. But if anyone can pull it off, it's you. Let's do it."
With a nod, Xu Mo prepared to set the new plan into motion. As he left the office, he felt the weight of the decision, but also a surge of determination. The stakes were higher than ever, and he was ready to face them head-on.