Chapter 93: Mysteries in Mingsha County

Sun Da wasn’t the only one with such thoughts; many other self-media websites that had shared the post felt the same.

People found it hard to believe that a company would foolishly invest in a desert without any support. Of course, some leaders at these self-media sites also sensed something was off, and they began searching online for news about Mingsha Tourism.

However, the results were disappointing. The official Weibo of Mingsha Tourism only featured information on guesthouses and Tengwang Pavilion. There was nothing about the company itself.

Even checking on the official platform yielded the same result – only basic information like the legal representative and registered capital was available. The shareholder and equity structure remained inaccessible since the company chose not to disclose it publicly.

But when they searched the legal representative’s name on search engines, they were immediately stunned.

“Tianchen Culture is hosting a 100-day Desert Survival Challenge. Participants include Zhu Qiang and others, with the challenge taking place in Wei City, Mingsha County, Su Province.”

Though brief, the entry contained critical details.

As a result,

many people immediately dialed Liu Qing at Tianchen Culture. Being in media, a lot of them had business ties with Tianchen Culture.

“Manager Liu, do you know what’s going on with that tourism company in Mingsha County? Is it a local poverty alleviation project?”

“No! It’s an investment by Zhu Qiang.”

Liu Qing’s voice soon came through. He hoped Xu Hao’s side would step in, though he saw no need to lie on this matter.

“Huh?”

“What? You too shared that news?”

“Yes! The news had a lot of explosive points and even had a video. I shared it immediately. Now it seems Mingsha County is showing some strength – I should have had my team investigate first.”

“Heh, you guys are riding high on the popularity of ‘Master Chef Detective.’ Anyone with even a shred of sense knows what’s really happening in Mingsha County. Yet so many self-media sites are stirring the pot, and those locals, whenever poverty alleviation or vanity projects are mentioned, start complaining without a second thought.”

Liu Qing remarked with a sigh.

Still, as much as he sighed, he was quite satisfied with the current situation.

“There were plenty of explanations in the trending topics, but at the time everyone thought the comments were probably paid by some neophyte internet troll. Who believed that?”

“Alright, it’s not a big deal. Mingsha County indeed turned out tougher than expected, but it was all just a scare tactic.”

“But—”

“In the future, keep an eye out for our company’s messages and news. It’s far better than sharing a headline with one picture and making up the rest.”

“Alright, thank you, Manager Liu. I have some other matters to handle now, so I’ll hang up.”

Hongsha Gang Village is only a few dozen kilometers from the county town. An hour later, Zhang Xue, a reporter from Long Kingdom TV News Channel, arrived at the entrance of Hongsha Gang Village.

At that moment,

only a few elderly women basked in the sun at the village entrance.

As usual,

Zhang Xue stepped forward proactively.

“Hello, Grandma. I’m a reporter from Long Kingdom TV News Channel.”

“A reporter?”

The old woman scrutinized Zhang Xue from head to toe before saying,

“You’re headed to 256 Hongsha Gang, right?”

“Yes! I’m on my way there, but could I have a chat with you first?”

Zhang Xue quickly replied.

“What is there to discuss with ordinary folks? If you want an interview, go talk to the leaders of Mingsha Tourism; they’ll tell you everything.”

The old woman smiled, a bit embarrassed.

“It’s nothing, just a casual chat.”

“Alright then!”

“Grandma, was Hongsha Gang always like this? Where have all the young people gone?”

Zhang Xue glanced at the straight road leading deep into the desert from the village entrance.

“It wasn’t always like this. The village’s young people have all gone to work for Mingsha Tourism. I heard that over the past few days, they’ve been busy setting up grass lattices for windbreaks and sand stabilization, and none have returned home.”

The old woman laughed.

“Oh, so Mingsha Tourism is still working on sand stabilization?”

Zhang Xue asked further.

“Of course! Without sand stabilization, how could they build tourist attractions in a desert? Mingsha Tourism has invested heavily in windbreaks and sand control – they’ve almost cleared out the wheat straw across the neighboring ten-mile radius.”

The old woman looked at Zhang Xue as if she were an idiot.

“Oh!”

“By the way, Grandma, was this road also built by Mingsha Tourism?”

Zhang Xue pointed to the road opposite.

“Well, that one… that was built by the county, but they only paved five kilometers!”

The old woman replied.

“Got it, Grandma. Sorry to trouble you. We’re off to the desert to take a look around.”

After answering all her questions, Zhang Xue headed back to the interview van.

“Dear viewers, this is the situation we’ve observed at Hongsha Gang Village. Next, we’ll head to the ancient building site.”

At that moment, the attitude in the live stream chat began to shift slightly. “Let’s not debate whether building that road was worthwhile – just give a thumbs up for Mingsha Tourism’s sand stabilization efforts.”

“Exactly!”

“From what I understand, the cost of sand stabilization isn’t cheap at all.”

“Besides, even if it’s just a vanity project, at least there’s a tangible benefit in sand control.”

The five-kilometer journey wasn’t far. In just a few minutes, the interview van reached the end of the road.

The boundary was clear: half the area was yellow sand, and half was road.

At that moment,

several cars were parked along the roadside, while in the desert, a few camel caravans were recruiting tourists.

“Based on what we’re seeing here, there are some tourists around, though not many,”

Zhang Xue announced while surveying the surroundings.

“Who’d like to ride a camel to see Tengwang Pavilion? It’s about five kilometers; just one hundred per person!”

Just then, a man noticed Zhang Xue and her group and quickly approached.

“Excuse me, we’re reporters from Long Kingdom TV News Channel. Could you tell us if there’s another way to reach 256 besides the camel caravans?”

Zhang Xue inquired.

“There is. You can walk, rent a desert motorcycle over there, or even drive. However, if your car isn’t an off-road vehicle, I’d recommend another option. Our company currently lacks funds to pave the road – once they do, regular sedans should manage just fine.”

The man explained immediately.

“Oh, thank you!”

Zhang Xue glanced at the interview van behind her. Company-issued vans were all off-road models, intended for the unpredictable desert conditions.

“Why don’t you all ride our camels? Since it’s your first time here and you’re unfamiliar with the routes, what if you get lost? Besides, riding a camel is the best way to appreciate the beauty of our Mingsha Desert.”

The man looked at Zhang Xue, clearly picking up on her intentions.

“Well…”

Zhang Xue hesitated for a moment. It was true that their driver wasn’t familiar with the routes.

“Don’t worry, we won’t charge you for this trip. You mentioned you’re not a reporter, right? Just help us promote 256 Hongsha Gang Village when we get there.”

The man smiled and added,

“Alright, let me discuss it with them first.”

Zhang Xue glanced at her team behind her.

“Okay!”

Within minutes, the news team mounted the camels. They didn’t ride for free – they paid the standard rate.

Since the man was leading the camels and had ample opportunity to speak, Zhang Xue took advantage of the situation to interview him.

“Sir, is this a poverty alleviation project run by the county?”

“No, it’s an investment by Mingsha Tourism. If it were a government project, the locals would have been furious from the start.”

Without looking back, the man continued walking and speaking.

“Oh!”

Zhang Xue responded briefly and decided not to press further.

After interviewing many locals, everyone gave the same answer. It was clear that the project was a corporate initiative; the only link to the local government was that five-kilometer road.

Before long, about half an hour later, the camel caravan emerged on a sand ridge.

Not far from Oasis 1 now.

“Look over there – the wooden pagoda with two or three levels is Tengwang Pavilion. And that pavilion over there is the Desert Pavilion. Isn’t it beautiful?”

The man turned to Zhang Xue.

“Absolutely beautiful!”

Zhang Xue nodded earnestly.

It wasn’t just her; the chat room’s comments began to shift. Few people now mentioned poverty alleviation; instead, they marveled at the scenery.

“Honestly, this place is stunning!”

“Seeing a corner of a pavilion in the vast desert gives you a real-life wuxia novel vibe – like a sect from the Western Regions.”

“And these camel rides are a bargain – just one hundred for five kilometers! Last time in Ning’an, they charged a hundred for less than a kilometer!”