Chapter 396: A Race Against Time in Mingsha City

“Have the wall tiles been delivered yet?”

Gazing at the leveled foundation under the lights, Zhuang Yang paused for a moment before turning to a construction worker wearing a red hard hat by his side.

“Boss Zhuang, they’re here!”

At these words, the staff member nodded and handed over a document.

“Good! Inform all departments—no matter how exhausted everyone is, we must hold on. In two weeks, the west wall of Mingsha City must connect with the south wall!

If we pull this off, every member of the project team will see their year-end bonus doubled.”

After glancing over the document, Zhuang Yang closed the folder and said.

Ten days ago, Xu Hao had convened a progress meeting at Mingsha Tourism, asking each project leader for an update. Although Xu Hao hadn’t set strict requirements, Zhuang Yang could clearly see what his superior expected:

To use this month-long lockdown to push relentlessly. Opportunities without distracted tourists came rarely, and there might never be another one.

There was, of course, another reason: once the city gates closed, nearly every engineering department in Mingsha City would be scrambling to catch up. How could he not fight hard?

After the meeting, Zhuang Yang drafted a catch-up plan, forcing the finish line for the Mingsha City wall—originally set for the end of the year—to be brought forward to the end of October.

The team responsible for building the wall was now facing a 24/7 shift schedule for the first time.

Unlike the traditional crew at Mingsha City’s Ancient Architecture Institute, they had never worked on the wall during the night.

“Boss Zhuang, rest assured! There’s no problem—the foundation of the wall has long been completed, the wall tiles are all in place, and this section of the wall isn’t allocated for guesthouses. Construction is now at least two to three times faster than before.”

At the mention of a doubled year-end bonus, the staff member’s expression shifted, and he confidently assured,

Everyone knows how generous the year-end bonus in Mingsha City can be. Doubling it is no small matter.

“Yes! However, while speeding up work, quality must not be sacrificed. If there are any issues, not only will the bonus be in jeopardy but everyone will be held responsible.”

Zhuang Yang cast a brief glance at the worker.

Unlike other projects in Long Kingdom, which involve developers and subcontractors at various levels, the Mingsha City project was different.

Everyone working on Mingsha City—from top management to the bricklayers—were all his own people, even enjoying benefits like social insurance.

So if quality ever slipped, every related person could be held fully accountable.

“Boss Zhuang, I’ll notify all middle managers to hold a coordination meeting to ensure every detail meets our quality standards.”

The worker quickly added.

“Good! When Mingsha City officially opens to guests on National Day, we must let the tourists feel the true charm of Long Kingdom’s first ancient city wall.”

After a slight nod, Zhuang Yang again stared into the vast distance.

A city wall is the most critical structure of an ancient city. Although Mingsha City had long claimed its status, in reality, it was only half a city. Once the wall is completed, Mingsha City will truly become an ancient city.

Then it will be completely severed from Tengli Desert, no longer part of it.

“Understood!”

The night grew deep,

Just as Zhuang Yang prepared to push the project forward in time for National Day, lights shone brightly near Oasis No.29 in Mingsha City, with hundreds of construction vehicles bustling about.

Beside the temporary work shed, Xu Hao listened to Zhu Qiang’s report with an unruffled expression, showing no surprise whatsoever.

“It’s alright. If no one books, then no one books; but under no circumstances can we lower the standards of the exhibition. You know exactly what’s on display!”

Earlier, Zhu Qiang had updated him on details concerning the Peach Banquet and the Cultural Relics Exhibition, as well as the differences in reservation numbers.

Perhaps due to the low reservation count, Zhu Qiang had considered lowering the exhibition standards and reallocating some staff from Oasis No.29.

“Alright. I’m just worried about Yaochi—I heard that Little Luo hasn’t even had time to eat these past few days. With the high-level staff from Mingsha Labor working until three or four in the morning, it’s nearly a nonstop grind.”

At these words, Zhu Qiang nodded.

He knew exactly what was on display at the exhibition, and he could already imagine the uproar on the internet once tourists saw it during National Day. Meanwhile, the Peach Banquet had been pushed into the background; he couldn’t stand to see our leaders and Luo Peng overshadowed like that.

“The difficulties are only temporary! Just focus on the Cultural Relics Exhibition and don’t get distracted by anything else.”

Xu Hao immediately waved his hand dismissively.

He understood Zhu Qiang’s concerns, but the Cultural Relics Exhibition was truly what mattered—otherwise, he wouldn’t have let Zhu Qiang take charge.

As for Yaochi, there was no reason for Zhu Qiang to worry.

At present, the underground section of Oasis No.29 had been fully constructed. The mountain materials and talismans meant to be buried in Kunlun Mountain had already been laid in. The peach trees prepared by Cangshan and Canghai were in place. Next came planning the layout, attracting visitors, and building the pool. With the combined efforts of Canghai and Cangshan, everything would be easily managed.

And as for Luo Peng?

He had his own unique ideas and methods. Sending him over now wouldn’t help—in fact, it might even make matters worse.

“Alright then, there’s no doubt the Cultural Relics Exhibition will be flawless.”

With that,

Zhu Qiang had to swallow his worries once again.

“Qiangzi, you get back to your duties. I’ll go check on the delivery of the materials needed for the covered bridge and the Nine-Curve Bridge in Yaochi. Have they arrived yet?”

After a pause, Xu Hao continued.

Every minute is incredibly valuable right now—I’d even give anything to have a 48-hour day.

“Got it, Brother Hao! Take care of yourself and don’t overdo it. If it becomes too much, I’ll have my wife come over.”

Zhu Qiang clenched his fist momentarily, hesitating before speaking.

“Little Qing? No, no—we’re already swamped with matters at Mingsha Academy.”

At this, Xu Hao grew anxious.

“Very well then!”

Time flowed relentlessly. For those with little on their plates, a month seemed long; for the busy, it was fleeting. Before they knew it, it was September 29, leaving only two days until Long Kingdom’s annual National Day.

Maybe it was because Mingsha City’s official announcement a month ago was so shocking, or perhaps because nothing major had happened in the entertainment or tourism sectors during this month, but netizens had focused all their attention on Mingsha City.

From trending hashtags to forum discussions, everyone was talking about Mingsha City opening its doors for National Day.

Some tourists mentioned that they had to overcome monumental obstacles just to reserve a ticket for the Peach Banquet, and that they would rush to visit as soon as it opened.

Others said that even if they missed out on the Peach Banquet tickets, they’d still book a guesthouse in Mingsha City—just in case luck was on their side and they could enter the event.

In short,

Whether it was about train tickets or guesthouses, netizens had one goal in mind—the Peach Banquet! As evening fell, the sky burned with brilliant hues. In Yan City’s Second Ring, on the second-floor office of the Ancient Architecture Institute,

Li Jue sat in front of his computer, staring at the screen for a long while before turning to Liu Shan, who was lounging on the sofa.

“Old Liu, even though Mingsha City is the talk of the internet with sky-high expectations, I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“You’re right. Now that netizens have been hyped up so high, if the Cultural Relics Exhibition during the opening day of Mingsha City doesn’t exceed expectations, the backlash online will be tremendous.”

Liu Shan shook his head in resignation.

He recalled that a friend’s nephew’s boyfriend’s brother, who worked at Dino Park, mentioned how earlier Dino Park had felt a twinge of jealousy over the commotion caused by Mingsha City shutting its doors. But after witnessing this level of buzz, that envy had completely disappeared—instead, they were all eagerly waiting to see Mingsha City’s mishaps.

Too much hype is really a double-edged sword.

“I wonder how Xiao Xu’s preparations are coming along? The official info from Mingsha City shows that all guesthouses have been completely booked for National Day. Just imagine how crowded Mingsha City will be.”

Li Jue slowly leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples.

“Who knows! Every time I call Xiao Xu, he just brushes it off, saying everything’s under control. But how can we be at ease?”

Liu Shan let out a heavy sigh.

“Forget about Xiao Xu. If things don’t work out, the day after tomorrow you and I can head to Mingsha City ourselves—after all, it’s a holiday.”

Standing up,

After pacing for a while, Li Jue looked at Liu Shan and pondered.

“The day after tomorrow? Will that be fast enough? Besides, if we go now, we’ll just be adding to Xiao Xu’s workload. He still needs to host us.”

At this, Liu Shan felt a mix of excitement and hesitation.

“Others might be too late, but we don’t have that problem. In Wudi City, we own our own houses, so booking guesthouses isn’t an issue. Besides, we can sneak in quietly—without informing Xiao Xu.”

Li Jue added,

“Sneak in quietly?”

Liu Shan stroked his chin, his eyes lighting up.

“Absolutely! How about I call Director Bai immediately to help us book two flight tickets to Lanshi in Su Province for tomorrow? That way, we can be in Mingsha City by the morning of the day after tomorrow.”

“Sounds good! Also, ask Director Bai to book two tickets for the Cultural Relics Exhibition in Mingsha City. The free exhibition still hasn’t reached full capacity.

If no one else is interested, at least we should support it.”

Li Jue nodded, and then continued,

“Cultural Relics Exhibition? Absolutely! Just like you said—if others aren’t supporting, we must.”

With that, Liu Shan immediately picked up his phone and dialed Director Bai Ming’s number from the office.