Chapter 102: New Year's Gala Press Conference

Xiao He did not know that every word of her conversation was under Zhu Lan’s surveillance.

Seated in a chair in the bedroom, Zhu Lan listened to the communication between Xiao He and her superior playing on the computer, saying nothing as she pondered something.

“Have you traced the call?” Zhu Lan asked.

Hong Hou appeared beside her. “The satellite trace has confirmed the location here.”

Zhu Lan frowned. Hong Hou immediately brought up a map, which rapidly zoomed in until it fixed on a stretch of plain.

The plain seemed endless, all grass and not a single sign of human habitation.

Zhu Lan was not foolish; Hong Hou would never act without reason. There was only one possibility: this was a base, an underground one.

“This is a highly classified Chinese installation. I could only find a limited amount of information. According to the fragments I did uncover, this base was built between 1963 and 1974 and was used for nuclear weapons research. It is only four hundred and seventy-three kilometers from China’s nuclear test site. Nearby there is also a Chinese air force test base, where many of the air force’s aircraft models were tested before the work was later transferred to Chengdu Aircraft and Shenyang Aircraft in the nineties. But this place itself was permanently preserved. It does not exist on official maps, yet American intelligence has marked it long ago. They call this area Sector Four.”

Zhu Lan nodded, looking at the map, and waved for Hong Hou to close it.

“Just don’t let her notice.”

Hong Hou nodded.

Zhu Lan stood, walked to the bed, and yawned. Hong Hou tactfully disappeared, even dimming the lights in the bedroom.

Sunlight poured through the window. Zhu Lan blinked groggily, glanced at the time, and saw that it was already past 8:40. With a helpless shake of her head, she got up.

After breakfast, by the time she reached the office it was already past 9:40.

Just as she sat down, Lan Tianxin walked in from outside.

Zhu Lan had not even finished hanging up her coat before she said helplessly, “Manager Lan, where are you in such a hurry to go?”

“Boss, you still have the nerve to ask? Do you know what time it is? I already had my secretary call you several times, but you never showed up!”

“All right, all right, my fault.”

“What’s so urgent?”

“The list from Sakura Group has arrived, and Saint Tang Group has confirmed twenty-seven celebrities. They’re waiting for you to make the final decision.”

“Oh? Let me see.”

Zhu Lan did not look at Sakura Group’s list first, but at Saint Tang Group’s. When she saw that most of the names on it were unfamiliar, she frowned, took up a pen, and crossed out several of them.

“Except for these few, send the rest back. Tell Saint Tang Group that if they cannot bring in enough people, then forget it. If they don’t have enough money, I’ll add more. But at the very least, get me ten heavyweight stars!”

Zhu Lan was a little angry now. Saint Tang Group had sent nothing but second- and third-tier celebrities. There were only two first-tier stars, and not a single heavyweight name. What was the point of holding anything like this?

Lan Tianxin merely glanced at the list and nodded. Indeed, Saint Tang Group had gone a little too far. These people would be fine at a city’s New Year concert, but Zhu Lan’s grand ceremony was enormous. To be honest, none of them were even qualified to stand on the stage; at most, they could only be audience members.

Zhu Lan picked up Sakura Group’s list. When she saw the densely packed names on it, she smiled.

“Look at this. Just look at this. How can the two even be compared? This list practically covers all the stars and popular idols in Japan.”

Lan Tianxin had already seen that list and had indeed been shocked by Sakura Group’s methods.

Nodding, she said, “Boss, there are too many people. And if there are too many Japanese stars, it might change the flavor of the event.”

Zhu Lan understood what she meant.

She nodded. “I know. Have someone investigate it. Pick ten. Choose the ones with the highest popularity, especially those whose voices can shake people or move them to tears. Their looks have to be at least an eighty.”

“Boss, that won’t be easy to choose.”

Zhu Lan set the list down. “Of course I know that. Announce it to the outside world in a couple of days.”

Lan Tianxin nodded. “Boss, Miss Sakura from Sakura Group said there would be a mysterious guest. What do you think?”

Zhu Lan thought for a moment. “Leave one slot open. Since it’s a mysterious guest, Sakura Group surely won’t disappoint me. Sakura Group is in a dangerous position right now, and the one in charge wants to curry favor with me. If they call it a mysterious guest, then it has to be someone heavy enough. It might even give me a real surprise.”

Lan Tianxin nodded. “It still hasn’t been confirmed. If we release the news like this, will that be all right?”

“It’s fine. Let’s warm things up first; some people still aren’t tempted. Also, release the news about the super-fireworks gala.”

Fantasy Technology held a press conference, inviting all the nation’s major news outlets, as well as important media from several Southeast Asian countries.

On the day of the event, the Fantasy Technology Marketing Department building, which served as the external reception building, had been in use for less than half a month. This building stood in the outer area of Fantasy Technology; although it belonged to Fantasy Technology, it was completely separated from the inner grounds.

Lan Tianxin stepped onto the stage in a formal suit. Below, representatives from Saint Tang Media and the provincial propaganda department came up together and took their seats.

“Thank you all for coming to the Fantasy Technology press conference.”

“Before I announce this news, I do not wish to see any reporter disrupting the order of the venue. I trust everyone’s professionalism will allow this press conference to proceed smoothly.”

“Fantasy Technology, together with Saint Tang Media and the provincial government, has confirmed that on the evening of February seventh, Lunar New Year’s Eve, we will hold a year-end gala.”

“This does not seem like much of a headline,” muttered one reporter near the front of the stage.

Lan Tianxin was close enough to hear him.

“This reporter from Deep and Broad Media’s confusion is, I think, shared by most of those present. Normally, something like this would not require a press conference. But the year-end gala we are holding is different from the others.”

“First, the venue will be set on the ground above the third phase of the Chenwen Port project, which can accommodate five hundred thousand people at once.”

“Second, the gala will have two parts. The first is the New Year concert. The stage has already been confirmed: it will be a modified one-hundred-thousand-ton cargo ship. In other words, the stage itself will be placed on a ship, and beneath it more than fifty giant display screens will be installed so that everyone can watch.”

“The second part of the gala: Fantasy Technology will invest three hundred million yuan to commission the world’s largest firework from a fireworks manufacturer. The size of this new firework will surpass the Four-foot Jade, breaking the world record for the largest firework ever made. At that time, there will be a super fireworks spectacle worth more than five hundred million yuan, ensuring that everyone who comes will not leave disappointed.”

A fireworks spectacle worth five hundred million yuan? The world’s number one super fireworks display?

The venue fell silent as water, then erupted in an instant.

“Quiet!” Lan Tianxin soothed the crowd.

“Regarding the concert’s stars, we are still inviting more. For now, the following stars have already been confirmed!” Lan Tianxin pointed, and seventeen names appeared on the enormous screen behind her.

When they saw the names, many reporters frowned, but some were thrilled. Clearly, some of them did not know these people, while others understood exactly what they represented.

Seven domestic stars, ten Japanese stars, all top-tier names. In particular, seven or eight of them were hailed as goddesses of a certain fandom, with immensely high popularity; their fan bases were no less formidable than those of so-called superstars.

“Besides these seventeen, we will continue to invite more people to enjoy this cross-year super gala together. I’ll reveal one more thing: there will be a mysterious heavyweight guest from Japan. As for who it is, even I do not know, but it will definitely shock all of you!”

Sasaki Nozomi, Ogura Yuko, Hamasaki Ayumi, Kitagawa Keiko... practically all of Japan’s most famous stars had been gathered here.

Xineran, Chen Yiting, Ling Zhixuan, and so on—more than half of the country’s famous ancient-style female singers had been invited.

With this lineup alone, the event was already astonishing. Even more shocking was the super fireworks gala: five hundred million yuan in fireworks. Just imagining it was enough to know what sort of celebration it would be.

This was absolutely major news.

That was what every reporter thought at that moment.

“Does this reporter have a question?”

“I’d like to ask Minister Xu: is what Manager Lan said true?”

Minister Xu Sen of the provincial propaganda department lowered the microphone slightly. “Yes. This is a super gala led by Fantasy Technology, in cooperation with Saint Tang Media and the provincial government.”

“In that case, Minister Xu, does that mean the previously announced New Year concert has been abandoned?”

Xu Sen shook his head. “No. We are merely adding a fireworks gala and expanding the scale of the concert.”

“Minister Xu, Chenwen Port is the province’s most important harbor. Won’t this affect the flow of trade?”

Xu Sen nodded. “That is true, which is why we chose the site of the third phase project. The area is expected to begin its third-phase expansion after the New Year, and only here can four hundred thousand people be accommodated.”

“Four hundred thousand people? Minister Xu, do I understand you correctly: you are expecting more than four hundred thousand people to come watch?”

Before Xu Sen could nod, a reporter stood up and demanded, “Four hundred thousand people? There has never been any gala that exceeded two hundred thousand. And now you’re saying four hundred thousand? How is that possible? With so many people, no one would be able to see anything on the stage!”

“Of course. This gala will be equipped with the most advanced virtual sensory system provided by Fantasy Technology. Even those at the back of the venue will be able to see everything as clearly as if they were standing right in front of the stage. There will be no one left unable to see. As for the four hundred thousand people, I believe they will come, because our provincial government, Saint Tang Media, and Fantasy Technology all regard this as an extremely important matter. This is a gala, a gala that will stun the world. We believe this because we believe, and that is why we dare to make such bold claims. Four hundred thousand is only the beginning. Our goal is to hold an unprecedented super gala, a gala the world will remember long after it ends!”

To be continued.