Chapter 343: Mingsha’s Enigma

“Hmm!”

The Chief Leader nodded in approval.

“As long as the green hills remain, we’ll never lack fuel. Even if this attempt fails, there’s always a next round. But it would be such a waste if the city’s infrastructure were demolished! Many of these techniques are lost traditional methods. If possible, let’s try to secure some reconstruction subsidies.”

“Leader, how should we respond to the situation reports from this morning’s scenic areas?”

After a brief pause, the Deputy Leader murmured.

“How do we reply? Mingsha City is in ruins—how can they show such nerve? Besides, Tengwang Pavilion has several historical sites, and the underworld elements are part of the Long Kingdom’s traditional culture, not exclusive to Fengdu County. Mingsha Fudi only resembles the Penglai landscape.”

“To demolish Mingsha City’s existing structures based on this alone? Absolutely absurd! In fact, what’s being done there is even more authentic. Perhaps Mingsha City could argue that Gan Province’s Tengwang Pavilion is nothing more than a concrete shell, misleading the public?”

The Chief Leader glared.

“Alright then! I’ll call them one by one!”

The Deputy Leader, clearly having anticipated this response, remained unsurprised.

“They must be given a proper dressing-down!”

“Hmm!”

Time flew by and another night passed. The next day, the sandstorm’s fury finally began to ease. Notably, the Qinling Mountains of the Long Kingdom single-handedly blocked the southern surge of sand, sparing most of the southern regions.

Meanwhile, the area in the northwest that first bore the brunt of the storm now enjoyed steady weather, no longer hindering travel.

Before long, Mingsha City became the center of attention online once again.

On a forum, numerous netizens, anxious beyond measure, could no longer hold back and posted, “What’s happening? The sandstorm should be over by now—why hasn’t Mingsha City issued any public notice?”

This post immediately sparked a flurry of replies from other netizens.

“Exactly! They should at least clarify the extent of the damage. And didn’t a department just announce that the Technology Expo would be held in July? For that reason alone, Mingsha City has an obligation to make an announcement.”

“Could it be that the damage is too severe, so Mingsha City is too afraid to disclose the losses? Or perhaps the storm was so powerful that they no longer plan to host the Technology Expo and intend to cancel it altogether?”

“That possibility cannot be ruled out.”

“Even if Mingsha City is reticent about revealing the losses, they should at least say when they’ll reopen. I refuse to believe a sandstorm could completely bury Mingsha City!”

“Saying it’s completely buried is over the top. With Zhaixing Pavilion so tall, if it were truly buried, imagine the magnitude of the sandstorm!”

“What else would explain it?”

“Who knows? Most likely they’re just preparing some excuses.”

“Forget it—we can always go and see for ourselves! After all, isn’t it just about paying the ticket price? A bit over two hundred isn’t too much for us.”

The more the discussion heated up, the angrier the netizens became.

Then one reply from a netizen suddenly left everyone speechless: “Brothers! I checked Mingsha City’s official website—the guesthouses have been continuously booked. It appears they’ve never actually closed.”

“Never closed?”

A brief moment later,

the netizens who had reacted in haste realized they might have made a mistake.

Mingsha City never declared a lockdown; it was the residents who fled due to the dangerous sandstorm, and the introduction of a ticketing system created the illusion of a ‘lockdown.’

“So you can still book a guesthouse? Does that mean you can enter the city today?”

“In theory, yes!”

“Then what are we waiting for? I’ll book two guesthouses in Mingsha Fudi—I want to see what condition it’s in!”

“Exactly! Even if Mingsha Fudi is damaged, we can still enjoy the ‘Dreaming of the Past’ and ‘The Long Road of Life’ attractions. They’re surely not too affected.”

Soon, another netizen remarked similarly.

Little did they know, while many netizens were planning to visit Mingsha City to check the situation firsthand, a long queue had already formed outside the city gate.

Everyone in line had a smartphone in hand—most were local short-video hosts.

These hosts, masters of trending views, knew exactly how hyped Mingsha City was and understood that being the first to post videos from inside would lead to huge view counts.

Thus, the 288 ticket price was hardly a concern.

After the ticketing system was implemented, Mingsha City built twenty ticket windows on both sides of the city gate. In theory, forty windows should suffice to meet the demand, eliminating long queues.

However, perhaps due to inexperience during the first sale, the staff’s unfamiliarity led to the formation of queues.

“Family, I’ve just reached the city gate. Although there’s some dust in the air, the view is clear!”

After waiting a while,

many hosts began interacting with their live audiences.

At the forefront was a short-video host known as Sangou.

At that moment, his live room boasted over ten thousand viewers.

Under normal circumstances, his audience would number only a hundred or two hundred, which shows just how concerned people are about Mingsha City after the sandstorm.

“Gouzi, can you switch the camera angle? I want to see what Mingsha City looks like now—has Qing Brick Avenue been buried in sand?”

A fan commented in the live chat.

“Sir, the road from Hongsha Gang Village to Mingsha City is indeed partially covered in shifting sand, but since both sides have been landscaped, the sand isn’t too heavy. As for the area near the city gate, it appears the staff have cleaned it well—it looks neat!”

While speaking, a man rotated his phone to give a panoramic view.

“Hmm? Really so!”

As he surveyed the surroundings, many viewers couldn’t help but flood the chat with surprised emojis.

Frankly speaking, the scene in Mingsha City was very different from what they had imagined—even drastically so.

“Let’s go further inside!”

This only heightened public curiosity.

Coincidentally, it was at that moment that Sangou began checking tickets—handing out and scanning them. Seconds later, he passed through the turnstile and officially entered Mingsha City.

“Inside, even Qing Brick Avenue isn’t buried in sand! In fact, everything seems to have returned to normal. The guards and staff move about as usual, and the ancient snack street appears to be open.”

Standing firm,

Sangou continued his commentary.

“Both sides of this main road are lined with buildings—it would be unthinkable if they were buried by sand! Head straight to Mingsha Fudi; I’m eager to see what condition it’s in!”

The live chat exploded with messages, and many viewers began sending gifts.

“Alright, I’m taking a boat over now!”

For a host, gifts mean everything.

A few minutes later, Sangou arrived at the southern dock of the Qingming Scroll and rented a black awning boat.

After informing the staff to proceed to Mingsha Fudi, he resumed his commentary for his live audience.

“Friends, from what I can see, the Mingsha River remains unaffected—the water is as clear as always. Both Qing Brick Avenue and the scenic trees along the banks are in perfect shape. Honestly, I’m quite surprised! When I passed through Mingsha County earlier, the trees lining the streets were covered in sand.”

He continued, “Not a speck of dust on the leaves? That seems impossible!”

With that, he added.

“It’s true. Perhaps the staff cleaned up in advance—the riverbanks do show some water stains. But overall, Mingsha City has far exceeded my expectations. It’s not as devastated as everyone feared.”

Stepping on his toes to get a better look at both sides of the river, Sangou remarked,

“Exactly—that’s why you don’t see any dust on the leaves!”

Hearing this, the viewers’ anxiety eased considerably.

“Wow! Wow!” In this way, Sangou continued interacting with his audience as he described the scene along the river until he reached a bend.

“Friends, we’re almost at Mingsha Fudi!”

Seizing the moment, Sangou once again raked in another wave of gifts.

At a fork in the road, going straight leads to Oasis 1, while heading north takes you to Mingsha Fudi.

“Are we there yet?”

For some reason, the live chat suddenly grew tense.

“We’re here. Wait—I’m switching the camera so everyone can see Mingsha Fudi as soon as possible.”

Without wasting any time, Sangou aimed his camera straight ahead.

Within a minute or two, as the black awning boat passed through an arched gateway, the view suddenly broadened, revealing Mingsha Fudi to everyone watching live.

Once Mingsha Fudi came fully into view,

Sangou was momentarily stunned, and the live chat erupted with exclamations of ‘Oh my God!’

Without further ado, Sangou got straight to the point.

He directly aimed his camera forward.

Within a minute or two, as the black awning boat passed through an arched gateway, the view suddenly broadened, revealing Mingsha Fudi to everyone watching live.

Once Mingsha Fudi was clearly visible,

Sangou was utterly stunned, and the live chat was filled entirely with exclamations of ‘Oh my God!’