Chapter 323: Clashing Realms of Virtual Thrills

“Each has its own merits? No! Judging by the tourists’ reactions, Dreaming of the Past in Mingsha City is head and shoulders above the rest.”

Some topics are just meant to stir up controversy! The moment someone claimed that Dreaming of the Past and Soaring the Skies were neck and neck, netizens pounced on the debate.

“Head and shoulders? Explain yourself!”

“It’s simple! Over at Dino Park they use a standard setup so everyone sees exactly the same scene. But in Mingsha City, every person experiences a unique visual—so far, not a single duplicate report. Just on that basis alone, Mingsha City’s technology far outclasses Dino Park’s!”

“And the best part is, after experiencing Dreaming of the Past, tourists are even willing to pay extra for another round—something Dino Park hasn’t managed.”

“Still, some visitors say that the scene in Dreaming of the Past isn’t as thrilling as what you get at Dino Park.”

“Thrilling? Others mention that switching to the first-person perspective feels like living an entire lifetime. Could Dino Park ever match that? If it were up to me, I’d pick Dreaming of the Past every time.”

“Forget it, arguing now is pointless. Neither of us has been to Mingsha City. We should wait until tourists who’ve experienced both can speak for themselves.”

“Wait, wait!”

Time flew and before long it was noon. The north gate of the entertainment center was packed—so crowded that people couldn’t get in or out. It wasn’t because the security at Mingsha City was slack; the tourists were just too excited.

“Extra payment! Extra payment! Extra payment!”

Amid the throng, tourists repeatedly raised their arms and shouted.

These were visitors who, even after experiencing Dreaming of the Past, stubbornly refused to leave, determined to have another go regardless of the staff’s pleas.

Their demand was simple: let them re-enter for another experience, fee or no fee, no matter how long it took.

What these tourists didn’t know was that on the south city wall of Wudi City, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng were watching the scene unfold with furrowed brows.

“President Luo, at this rate we’re bound to trend on social media again!”

A brief pause followed.

Zhu Qiang looked at Luo Peng with a hint of resignation.

Just an hour earlier, managers at every check-in spot in Mingsha City had been calling in. They reported a surge in rebooking tourists—almost all of them had headed off to YouLe City.

“If we’re diving into trending topics, we need to be ready! How do we handle this now? These tourists keep shouting for extra charges and refuse to leave. Had we known Dreaming of the Past would cause such a stir, we might have tried a different approach. Our only goal was to outdo Dino Park!”

Luo Peng sighed deeply.

To be honest, when we designed this project, we only aimed to rival Dino Park’s Soaring World. Now, it seems we might have overreached.

“Your wild ideas mixed with Daoist Yougong’s methods—do you really think they’ll keep the uproar down? One dares to dream big; the other dares to act on it!”

At these words,

Zhu Qiang snorted.

As a top executive at Mingsha City, he knew exactly how this project was put together. Truth be told, he had tried it out many times himself. One particularly impressive perspective was that of a third-rank civil officer from the Song Dynasty—an experience that was truly extraordinary.

Of course,

he also knew that neither Luo Peng nor You Gong had dared to let things go too far. Had they done so and officially revealed the origins of Dreaming of the Past, Mingsha City would likely have been overrun by Long Kingdom patrons.

“Sigh! General Zhu, we need to come up with a plan, fast!”

Luo Peng rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

“If nothing else works, let’s temporarily pull in some extra security from Mingsha Fudi. It won’t hurt to have them here. We’ll discuss a long-term plan tonight and see what Brother Hao advises. If all else fails, we might have to charge extra just like Fudi Guesthouse does.”

Zhu Qiang took a deep breath.

“Bringing in personnel from Mingsha Fudi? General Zhu, this…”

Luo Peng was momentarily taken aback.

Although attractions like Lanruo Temple and YouLe City were drawing crowds, Mingsha Fudi already had a healthy flow of visitors every day—especially those determined tourists.

Once security from there arrives, the lakeside at Mingsha Fudi will be overrun with people trying out the Zhu You Technique and other superstitious rituals.

“We have no choice—we need a temporary fix! Let’s recruit more security over the next day or two.”

Zhu Qiang threw his hands up in defeat.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

After a while,

Luo Peng gave a bitter smile and shook his head before picking up his phone. “Hey, Manager Tian, send over two hundred security personnel to support the entertainment center!”

Zhu Qiang’s guess was spot on.

Mingsha City had always drawn attention. Soon enough, videos and reports from social media and some independent reporters at Wudi City’s south gate made their way online, propelling the issue into trending searches.

The trending headline was hard to miss:

“Mingsha City’s new entertainment project has tourists clamoring for extra fees and refusing to leave.”

At the same time,

the comment section under the trending topic exploded with hundreds of thousands of entries.

“There used to be debates, but judging by this image and testimonials from those who experienced it, Dreaming of the Past in Mingsha City trumps Dino Park’s Soaring World. The facts prove that when Mingsha City steps up, Dino Park really doesn’t stand a chance.”

One comment gathered over a million likes.

“I’m really curious—is Dreaming of the Past really as amazing as they say? If I ever get the chance, I’ll definitely visit Mingsha City.”

The second most liked comment read:

“Demand extra payment! No time limits!”

In Haishi at Dino Park, Cole sat in front of his computer, lost in the stream of hot comments and images flashing on the screen.

He only lifted his gaze after staff members reminded him repeatedly.

“By the way, is Mingsha City’s tech really that advanced? We’ve got VR technology too! There’s no way you can offer so many unique personal perspectives—everyone at Dino Park sees the same thing.”

At that moment,

Cole looked utterly perplexed.

In his eyes, Soaring World had already perfected the experience. Besides, Dino Park also offers other VR games—they simply can’t provide a unique perspective to every individual.

Everyone there sees pre-loaded videos or animated models saved by the staff.

Almost every visitor sees the same scene.

“Boss, I’ve already sent someone to check out the situation over there. Let’s find out exactly when Mingsha City pulled off this trick.”

The staff member’s expression mirrored Cole’s disbelief.

This tech truly is revolutionary!

If it becomes widely adopted, the entire VR and gaming industry on Lanstarr could undergo an epic transformation.

Of course,

what baffles him most is Mingsha City’s strategy. If any other company had this kind of tech, they’d have been busy with funding rounds and market takeovers long ago—they wouldn’t wait until now.

“Hmm…”

Cole exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. After a long pause,

he spoke again.

“Mingsha City is incredibly hard to manage! Every time, they pull something completely unexpected!”

After his remark, Cole casually lit a cigar.

Before their first face-off with Mingsha City, it hadn’t seemed too daunting. But after just a few rounds, it was already overwhelming.

“Boss, what should we do now? Online, there are plenty of voices claiming that our Dino Park can’t compete with Mingsha City. Soaring World pales in comparison to Dreaming of the Past in so many ways. Some even argue that calling it Dino Park versus Mingsha City is inaccurate—they insist on putting Mingsha City first.”

After a moment of silence,

the staff member whispered,

“What now? Let’s not respond immediately. Once the hype dies down, we can work on guiding public opinion. Although Mingsha City’s project is hot right now, it only rivals our Soaring World. Tomorrow, let’s bring in some online influencers. At least in sensory thrill, Dreaming of the Past doesn’t match up to ours.”

“Alright, Boss!”

“By the way, have you managed to contact Yan City yet?”

After a long pause,

Cole added,

“No! The phone just won’t go through.”

“In that case, if nothing else works, you need to go to Yan City. Find out what’s really going on there. The matters at the Magic Academy cannot be delayed any longer—we must stir up some news, or else we’ll let Mingsha City steal the spotlight.”

“Got it!”

Little did they know that while Cole was left in confusion, in an office within the Second Ring of Yan City, the Chief Leader casually stroked his chin and looked over at the Deputy Leader sitting opposite him.

“Mingsha City’s tech is really that advanced?”

The Chief Leader felt assured that Mingsha City’s project, capable of outshining Dino Park, was solid. Deep down, every leader with Long Kingdom in their heart supported local companies outmuscling international cultural tourism giants, although after seeing this trending topic, he couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease.

Technically, a project like this should be led by top tech firms in the Long Kingdom. Mingsha City has always relied on traditional architecture and cultural tourism.

And as for why Mingsha City is hosting a tech expo, no one knew better than him—it wasn’t because they excel at tech, but simply to divert public attention.

“Boss, about half an hour ago I made a call there. They said it isn’t really high-tech at all; they just contracted a tech company to incorporate a metaverse-like concept into VR goggles. As for why everyone sees a different perspective, it’s because they borrowed models from online games.”

“So it’s not as mystical as the online rumors claim.”

At that, the Deputy Leader immediately replied.

Over the past few days, they had closely monitored Mingsha City—especially after the scare at Lanruo Temple, which had everyone on edge for days.

Fortunately, Lanruo Temple turned out fine.

Now, the public had completely turned Lanruo Temple into a challenge; otherwise, they’d have to step in with another explanation.

“Oh! That’s a relief.”

The Chief Leader let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

“However, Boss, the project Mingsha City plans to launch next might spark more controversy. Their manager even called to report it—I listened in, and we really need to prepare in advance.”

After a pause,

the Deputy Leader, who had been about to leave the office to attend to other matters, suddenly thought of something and spoke up again.

“Huh? They even reported it to you beforehand?”

The moment the Chief Leader had just relaxed, his guard immediately shot up as he leaned forward anxiously toward the Deputy Leader.

“Which project?”