Chapter 103: Igniting the Internet

Minister Xu’s words were quickly jotted down by numerous reporters, while even more turned their recording devices to maximum volume.

“Manager Lan, regarding Fantasia Technology taking the lead again, have you considered the possibility of losses?”

With five hundred million spent on fireworks alone, plus venue setup and celebrity fees, a rough calculation put the total at no less than nine hundred million. Many reporters, realizing that according to Lan Tianxin it seemed Fantasia Technology was shouldering all the costs, immediately asked the question.

Lan Tianxin smiled and nodded. “That’s a very good question. This grand event, led by Fantasia Technology, is expected to involve an investment between one and 1.3 billion yuan. As for whether we can recoup the costs, our boss has no intention of considering that!”

No intention of considering?

Lan Tianxin’s remark implied much more. Simply put, it meant the owner of Fantasia Technology, Zhu Lan, was a fool with deep pockets, willing to spend lavishly on this grand ceremony.

“This event is a magnificent gala dedicated by Fantasia Technology. We’re spearheading it precisely to let more people know about Fantasia Technology’s existence!” Lan Tianxin spoke without hesitation, openly admitting that this gala was to bolster Fantasia Technology’s reputation.

Upon hearing this, many reporters suddenly understood—it was essentially an advertisement, albeit an extravagant one. They liked it; this was definitely a blockbuster news story.

“Manager Lan, which celebrities will be invited to this event?”

“That isn’t certain yet. We have sent invitations to many heavyweight stars nationwide, but unfortunately, only a few have responded so far. However, we believe they will be moved by our sincerity and will attend this super gala!”

Many reporters scoffed at Lan Tianxin’s words. Sincerity? More like money, right?

Fantasia Technology’s audacity—many reporters, seeing it for the first time, had never encountered such shamelessness in a company.

Lan Tianxin, having experienced much, didn’t change expression even when boasting; this was impossible for others, especially since she was a woman.

Lan Tianxin then answered numerous other questions, and glancing at the time, concluded the press conference for the day.

Domestic and international stars, a super fireworks gala?

These two pieces of news instantly spread across the vast land of China.

Many opened the internet and immediately saw these headlines, stunned by the revelations.

Domestic news media gave strong coverage, making it the lead story.

Some outlets even ran headlines like: “Challenging the Spring Festival Gala? 1.3 Billion Yuan to Create a Super New Year’s Eve Gala!”

“The World’s Largest Fireworks Record Is About to Be Broken!”

“The Fantasia Technology Owner’s Generosity: 1.3 Billion Yuan to Create a Super Gala. Will You Watch or Not?”

“Top Domestic and Overseas Stars Unite for the Chenwen Harbor New Year’s Eve Celebration!”

“A Mysterious Japanese Celebrity to Appear at the Super Gala—Do You Know Who?”

A flood of news spread nationwide, astonishing many.

Fans of the stars were especially thrilled to learn their idols would come to Huaxia. The more sensible checked Weibo, discovering new updates from their idols confirming attendance at the Fantasia Technology-led New Year’s Eve gala.

Suddenly, excitement erupted.

The news that the goddess of District 11 would perform on New Year’s Eve in Huaxia’s Haicheng city spread across major ACG forums, discussion boards, QQ groups, and more. Without any media promotion, fans had already mobilized.

Not only the Japanese goddess, but the announcement of several ancient-style domestic goddesses also shocked many fans. These were goddesses who had vanished from the public eye—was this a sign of a comeback?

For several consecutive days, news about the Chenwen Harbor New Year’s Eve gala dominated major Chinese news portals, often holding the top headline spot.

The provincial government continuously released news: today, Governor Liu’s secret arrival in Liuyang hinted at the upcoming super fireworks; the next day, reports emerged of the Chenwen Harbor gala stage construction underway.

Following that, news broke about the transformation of a 100,000-ton cargo ship into a New Year’s Eve stage. The massive 300-meter-long ship was dismantled to become a mobile sea stage.

Shengtang Media also assisted with publicity, frequently releasing updates about contacting various celebrities. Not only stars undecided about their New Year’s Eve plans, but even those who had confirmed appearances on other major TV stations were openly approached by Shengtang Media.

Meanwhile, rumors spread that several heavyweight Taiwanese female stars had confirmed participation, including Asian divas such as Tsai Yiling and Cyndi Wang.

There were also whispers about well-known Korean girl groups joining, though the truth remained unclear. Regardless, these announcements firmly placed the Chenwen Harbor New Year’s Eve sanctuary in the national spotlight.

The Spring Festival Gala’s news was completely overshadowed by the Chenwen Harbor event. After all, this year’s gala lacked impact, and the decision not to invite the Monkey King had angered many netizens.

“The boss, it looks like things are going much better than we expected!” Zhu Lan nodded and turned to Tang Xuejian. “How’s your side doing?”

Tang Xuejian was somewhat annoyed. “Those bastards, they’re too oppressive. They didn’t even listen to our opinions and just outright rejected us!”

“Boss, many of the people we invited have already publicly stated they won’t participate in any events during the New Year. It’s normal that we can’t get them.”

Zhu Lan fell silent for a moment. “Do your best! We only have twenty-seven stars confirmed so far, which isn’t enough. We need at least forty celebrities and fifteen heavyweight guests!”

“Zhu Lan, actually, we don’t really need that many stars. We can substitute with other forms of entertainment.”

“Miss Tang’s suggestion is good. The main goal of the gala is to attract people. We can choose other types of performances.” Lan Tianxin also agreed with Tang Xuejian’s proposal.

“Do you have any ideas?”

“We’ve already invited the Monkey King, but personally, I don’t think the chances are high.”

“What ideas do you have? Speak up.”

“I’m thinking maybe we should invite domestic bands for a grand musical feast.”

“Sketch comedy probably can’t be left out either!”

Tang Xuejian and Lan Tianxin shared their thoughts.

Zhu Lan nodded. “If you have ideas, then go ahead and act on them!”

“On New Year’s Eve, there will be fifty performances in total. Arrange them as you see fit. You can ask the team or conduct online surveys to see what people like, and we’ll give them exactly that!”

Tang Xuejian and Lan Tianxin nodded.

“All right, get to work! I have to fly to Liuyang soon—the super fireworks must be finalized!”

After they left, Zhu Lan sighed, walked to the side, and entered the elevator.

Soon, Zhu Lan arrived at the Azure Base, where a dozen people were already directing robots to transport items.

Song Tingxian and the others’ inspection was completed quickly, and they naturally settled into the Azure Base to begin research.

Zhu Lan didn’t seek out Song Tingxian but instead headed down several floors.

On the fourth floor, the Red Queen appeared beside Zhu Lan.

“Red Queen, how is the anti-gravity research progressing?”

Anti-gravity research was one of the major projects at Azure Base.

There were four main projects in total:

First: Virtual technology.

Second: Anti-gravity reverse engineering.

Third: Space environment simulation chamber.

Fourth: Super-material research.

Zhu Lan had already obtained key anti-gravity data from the film Interstellar some time ago. Now, it was just a matter of continuous simulation to achieve success.

Anti-gravity involved many related technologies, such as levitation applications and gravity simulation.

“Boss, progress isn’t going smoothly. We need external help.”

Zhu Lan nodded helplessly. There were two anti-gravity devices here, but reverse engineering wasn’t something easily done.

The external help the Red Queen mentioned referred to experts in the field.

“Has Kong Yan produced any results?”

“Sixteen experts across various fields have been identified and screened. Five have been confirmed usable. Their information has been sent to Qite, who will contact them.”

“Make it quick! Azure Base is now complete, but we lack sufficient personnel for research. We desperately need experts from all fields!”

An intelligent system wasn’t omnipotent. Although the Red Queen was powerful, it could only assist. Actual research still depended on human effort.

Over these days, Zhu Lan had clearly seen the Red Queen’s shortcomings and had no choice but to have Kong Yan intensify the search for experts worldwide who could be of service.

With a global population of seven billion, there were at least forty million elite talents scattered in every corner of the world. Most were employed by their countries; only a few roamed freely.

Kong Yan’s task was to find scientists who devoted their lives solely to research, with no other ambitions. After screening, the list would be sent to Qite, who would personally or by proxy contact them, possibly arranging for them to come to Huaxia and join Azure Base for research projects.

Qite had been active overseas, aided by the new AB-200 model robots, performing well abroad. Zhu Lan also dispatched mercenaries formerly active in the Middle East and Africa to assist Qite. His work proceeded smoothly.

The crucial palladium acquisition had long been completed, even exceeding targets. The surplus palladium was used to power the Azure steel armor.

After securing the palladium, Zhu Lan did not recall Qite but assigned him to other talent acquisition tasks. He also sent Lan Tianyuan and Cheng Xue overseas—to Europe, America, and other regions—to contact experts in various fields. Beforehand, Kong Yan screened out untouchable experts online and forwarded the list of approachable scholars to Qite.

Some experts were under strict state protection; unauthorized contact could result in arrest or even execution. European and American intelligence agencies were fiercely vigilant. Zhu Lan did not want these agencies to target him.

(To be continued.)