At this moment, the smell of ink from the Yuen Long Hop Hing Industrial Building drifted in from the window.
That was the mixed smell of metal and chemicals coming from the Chinese version of "Dragon Jump" - but it represented the smoke of war in a new era.
“Bang!”
Wong Yuk-long threw a pirated parallel-imported book onto the turntable.
In the crude Japanese-Chinese translation, "Pikachu" was translated as "a mouse that can discharge electricity", and "Sun Wukong" became "a child with a long tail". What's even more fatal is the misplacement of key storyboards - on page six, the passionate Sun Wukong should have been fighting with others, but it was forcibly inserted into the later scene of "Fist of the North Star".
"I hired someone to translate the first issue of Dragon Jump. It was sold at Ladies' Market for $20, and my kids thought it was the original. But who knew it turned out so awful and messed up!
(“This is a pirated copy of the first issue of Dragon Jump that I had someone get. It was sold at Women’s Street for twenty yuan a copy, and those kids thought it was the real thing. Who knew the translation was so rubbish and caused such a huge uproar?”)
He grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth, "We have to do it even better!
It makes readers think that all genuine Kobayashi Tenmoku editions are garbage!"
As he finished speaking, hot mist rose from the steamer in front of him, and the pink filling of the shrimp dumplings trembled slightly on the bamboo grate.
Shangguan Xiaobao stared at the broken shrimp dumpling and finally uttered a short Cantonese phrase from between his teeth: "How to distribute the goods?"
"'Handsome Kun' from He Liansheng manages the street stalls in Sham Shui Po and Yau Ma Tei. He is my adopted brother."
Wong Yuk-lang dug his fingernails into the siu mai wrapper and said, "The society has an underground printing factory on the third floor of the Kwun Tong Industrial Park. They can reprint the second issue of Dragon Jump tonight."
The cover uses 300 dots to pass for the original, the images inside are 80% scratched, and the ink is mixed with recycled waste—the cost is less than two dollars!
He dipped his brush into the tea and drew three stains on the table.
"The first step is that the headline of the Jade Lang Daily the day after tomorrow will be 'Japanese Black Money Infiltrates the Comics World,' implying that Kobayashi Tenmo is using the Yamaguchi-gumi's money to launder money;
The second step is to find thugs from Fu Yixing wearing Hexing Industrial Building uniforms to set fire to the offset printing press on the third floor; the third step..."
(“The first step is that the front page of the Jade Lang Daily the day after tomorrow will write ‘Japanese black money infiltrates the comics industry’, implying that Kobayashi Tenmo is using the Yamaguchi-gumi’s money to launder money;
The second step is to have thugs from Fu Yixing wear Hexing Industrial Building uniforms and set fire to the offset printing press on the third floor; the third step is…”
He suddenly grabbed a knife and stabbed it into the barbecued pork bun, and amber honey splashed onto the cover of "Dragon Jump".
"When those inferior pirated copies spread all over Hong Kong and Kowloon, and when our second issue of the 'authentic Chinese edition' takes over the newsstands, the Kobayashi Tenmo sign—"
The tip of the knife twisted fiercely, tearing a black hole in the cream-yellow paper. "It will rot on the street girls on Portland Street!"
The clinking sound of teacups pierces the hustle and bustle of the morning tea market at this moment.
There were tiny cracks on the rims of the two blue and white porcelain cups, and the two men tilted their heads back and poured Pu'er tea mixed with saliva into their throats.
The bloodshot in Wong Yuk-lang's eyes revealed a hint of madness that would do anything to achieve his goals, while Shangguan Xiaobao's knuckles were pinched white, waiting to see what was to come.
Outside the window, amid the roar of the tram rolling over the tracks, the childish voice of the newsboy was still shouting enthusiastically along the shore of Victoria Harbour: "Dragon Jump has sold 5 million copies in Japan!
The Hong Kong Chinese version will be released on Thursday——"
The glass of Tsui Wah Tea House reflected the distorted faces of Wong Yuk-lang and Shangguan Xiaobao, like gradually cracking clay sculptures enshrined deep in a shrine.
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
