Chapter 313: Race Against the Launch

May 15? That’s coming up so fast!

While netizens were buzzing with chatter, at the Dino Park headquarters in Haishi,

Cole cast a troubled glance at the electronic calendar hanging on the wall, his brow furrowed.

It was already May 10—only five days until the film ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ from Haofang Culture was scheduled to hit cinemas across Long Kingdom.

“Boss, maybe Mingsha City is speeding things up for the mid-September Tech Expo,” a staff member whispered from across the desk.

“But isn’t that way too soon?”

Cole’s eyes returned to his computer screen.

They had originally planned to ‘detain’ the film’s most formidable character as an act of revenge for the captured witch at the Demon-Locking Tower during the International Magic Competition. However, with the film’s official launch imminent, their Magic Academy wasn’t even close to ready.

At the current pace, it would take over two months to complete the Magic Academy.

“Boss, what do we do now? If that ancient costume sci-fi drama from Mingsha City goes live first, we might have time. But as it stands—”

the staff member murmured.

Even though Dino Park already featured a Magic Castle, it was an established project, making it impossible to stage a ‘detainment’ there.

Forcing the issue at the Magic Academy was even less realistic.

With the construction site in complete disarray, what would be the point of a ‘detainment’? Tourists couldn’t even access the site, let alone see a staged event.

“What do we do?”

Cole exhaled deeply. After a long moment of thought, he looked up at the staff member.

“Here’s the plan: go gather more intel—find out if Haofang Culture has any other film projects involving celestial or divine themes. If they do, we wait. If not, tell the team to go for it—stage the event, no matter what.”

“Go for it?”

The staff member blinked in surprise.

“Yes, go for it! Even if the site is still under construction and can’t host tourists, we’ve got plenty of workers inside. If we can get them to leak the news, it’ll boost our image—at least we’ll regain some face.”

Cole nodded.

“Boss, if we stage it, where do we hold the ‘detained’ character? Hogwarts Magic Academy, perhaps?”

The staff member asked hesitantly.

Of all the locations in the new Magic Academy, the core area was none other than Hogwarts Magic Academy.

“No! Detain them at Azkaban,” Cole waved his hand dismissively.

Azkaban, from the legendary Harry Potter franchise, was known as the prison of the wizarding world, guarded by Dementors. Almost as soon as a criminal entered, the Dementors would strip away all joy and hope, driving them mad within weeks.

Many drama enthusiasts in Long Kingdom knew of this place!

And it perfectly paralleled Mingsha City’s Demon-Locking Tower.

“Boss, should I go ahead and alert the team over there?”

At the sound of the name, the staff member nodded.

“Yes! And remember, wait until all the staff have left before acting—that element of surprise is key. Also, make sure the laser lights and special effects are spot on!”

Of course, the most important thing was the image!

“The ‘detained’ character must look exactly like the film’s most formidable role.”

Cole tapped his finger on the desk.

Although Haofang Culture had officially announced the film’s launch date, they hadn’t released any trailers. Had they done so, we’d have been able to prepare in advance.

“Understood, boss!”

In May, the heat was becoming unbearable. At noon, tourists in Mingsha City were already sporting short sleeves, sweating profusely. Yet Mingsha Fudi seemed to be an exception—visitors there reported feeling nothing but complete comfort. In a side hall behind the grand hall of Biyou Palace, Luo Peng was consulting with You Gong while holding a floor plan.

“Priest, look—this is the full layout of Lanruo Temple! How can we make sure it exudes a haunted, eerie atmosphere day and night? The scarier, the better.”

After a brief pause,

Luo Peng spoke up,

“Eerie, huh?”

You Gong was momentarily taken aback.

“Yes! I plan to integrate Lanruo Temple into the Mingsha Amusement City as a ghosthouse experience. But since many attractions in Long Kingdom already have haunted houses, we need something big to truly stand out.”

Luo Peng added,

Over the past month, no one had any idea just how busy he had been.

Once Lanruo Temple was completed, he would kick off the Mingsha Entertainment City project. Unlike traditional theme parks, this was a multi-themed initiative akin to Dino Park, with various attractions spread across the area later connected as one experience.

So, a few days after ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ went live, he planned to open Lanruo Temple to visitors first.

“Understood,”

You Gong glanced at the floor plan.

After a pause, he looked back at Luo Peng, “How far is your Lanruo Temple from Wuzhuang Temple?”

Although Xu Hao had been busy with other matters, the construction of Wuzhuang Temple had never lagged behind. The main hall was nearly topped out, and even the ginseng orchard in the rear had begun to take shape. If it weren’t for the difficulty in sourcing colorful soil, progress would have been swifter.

“Approximately one kilometer. Lanruo Temple is to the southwest of Blood Lake.”

Luo Peng pointed at the plan.

“One kilometer? And there’s a Blood Lake in between?”

You Gong’s expression shifted, “That shouldn’t have too much impact! But are you sure you want it to be as eerie as possible? We don’t want to scare visitors off completely.”

“Priest, Lanruo Temple is our official ghosthouse for Mingsha City. The scarier it is, the better! People who brave ghosthouses crave that thrill—a sense of raw realism.”

Luo Peng nodded in agreement.

“Alright! One more thing: it simply won’t work during the day!”

You Gong turned to glance at a pile of clay pots in a corner of the main hall.

“Priest, all we need is a hint of eeriness indoors during the day. We plan to open Lanruo Temple exclusively at night.”

Luo Peng agreed,

“That’s fine.”

“Daoist Master, when will you come over to help set things up? I’ve already selected the NPC staff for the job.”

“You picked them, did you? Bold move. Just be careful not to frighten them too much. If needed, I can send one of my apprentices to assist.”

You Gong glanced over at Luo Peng.

“No problem! The staff won’t be scared.

Just remember—I can only guarantee that we’ll scare the tourists a bit; if any of them end up hurt, I won’t have a leg to stand on with the City Master.”

You Gong took the floor plan.

“Rest assured, every haunted house in Long Kingdom has an agreement in place. Anyone with heart conditions or a weak stomach is kept out,” Luo Peng noted with relief as You Gong agreed.

“Alright! Tonight, clear all the staff from the area. I’ll handle the setup, but under no circumstances should anyone be allowed in—especially the overly curious ones.”

“Understood.”

Unbeknownst to them, while Luo Peng and You Gong were finalizing the ghosthouse theme for Lanruo Temple, Xu Hao and Zhu Qiang had appeared at Mingsha Ge.

“Qiangzi, how’s business at Mingsha Fudi these days?”

Xu Hao asked as he eyed the trio of islets in the distance.

For the past month, he had been busy designing the venue for the Tech Expo by day and consulting with You Gong at Biyou Palace by night, leaving him little time for other matters.

“Brother Hao, since we implemented the blacklist and moved the parking lot outside the city, order has improved significantly! Although the place still attracts crowds daily, it’s not as chaotic as before.”

Hearing this,

Zhu Qiang responded,

“That’s good!”

“But there are a few minor issues now.”

After a brief hesitation, Zhu Qiang continued,

“Huh?”

“Brother Hao, even with tighter security, it’s still hard to stop tourists—for instance, those staying at Fudi Guesthouse—from secretly using the Zhu You Technique.”

“The Zhu You Technique actually worked?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted.

“Yes. Someone managed to cure illnesses that Western medicine couldn’t diagnose, and the story spread on Long Kingdom’s traditional medicine forums—now Fudi Guesthouse is booked solid! Scalpers have even hiked the price to twenty thousand per night.”

Zhu Qiang’s face was etched with helplessness.

Sometimes he understood the tourists. Mingsha Fudi was distinct from other parts of Mingsha City—the trees on that mountain were lush and wild, far different from the manicured, clearly planted trees at other tourist spots.

If this trend continued, Mingsha Fudi would soon be mythologized by the people of Long Kingdom. Already, many aspiring doctors planned to apply to the medical department at Mingsha Academy—all drawn by Mingsha Fudi and the Zhu You Technique.

And on top of that, a wealthy tycoon and a retired official had called, wanting to lease a guesthouse or even an Ancient Building Courtyard long term to live there permanently.

“Twenty thousand a night? Won’t that affect Taiyi Hospital?”

Xu Hao ran a hand through his hair.

“Brother Hao, Taiyi Hospital is already overflowing. Patients with rare, complicated conditions come here from far and wide. They’ve tried every Western treatment and now just want those old masters to use the Zhu You Technique on them.”

Mentioning Taiyi Hospital brought a note of wistfulness to Zhu Qiang’s voice.

Mingsha City’s Taiyi Hospital had gradually become revered; every day, patients arriving from all corners made up nearly one-tenth of the total tourist count.

Especially patients from nearby Wei City, Lanshi, and other surrounding cities, all seeking cures.

“So, Mingsha Fudi is really getting hot, huh?”

After a long silence, Xu Hao looked at Zhu Qiang.

“Yes! A slight dip in popularity would be ideal. Otherwise, sooner or later, the wrong sort of people will take an interest in this place.”

After a moment’s hesitation,

Xu Hao exchanged a glance with Zhu Qiang.

“If that’s the case, let’s do something to cool Mingsha Fudi down a bit!”

Xu Hao then turned to look in the direction of the Xianxia Zone.

“Cool it down? What exactly do you mean?”

Zhu Qiang asked quickly.

“Later, go find Little Luo and have him ramp up the buzz around Lanruo Temple. If the hype is big enough, it’ll scare off anyone trying to take over Mingsha Fudi.”

Xu Hao’s eyes slowly turned cold.

He understood all too well what Zhu Qiang was implying—Mingsha City was meant for all the people of Long Kingdom, not just a select few.