Chapter 40: Desert Echoes

Xu Hao’s livestream boasted a high viewer count, but even a video star with over 500,000 fans on the giant KuaiDou platform is just ordinary—and a wilderness survival show is a niche affair. Two days later, once Tianchen Culture’s official feed stopped pushing the stream, KuaiDou was quickly overtaken by new trending topics, leaving only those truly passionate about the desert wilderness behind.

Early in the morning at 8:30, the Tengli Desert’s sky stretched vast and blue. After ten days of rain, Mingsha County finally enjoyed a clear day. Normally, that would be great news—nobody wants gloomy weather—but the villagers of Hongsha Gang Village just couldn’t seem to cheer up.

After the challenge ended, the production team had already left, leaving nothing behind but a mess. Plus, thanks to the endless rainy days, the adventure tourists who had come for excitement never returned.

The villagers, who had briefly seen a glimmer of hope, sank deeper into disappointment.

After the fleeting buzz, silence prevailed.

At the village head, Village Chief Wang Jianhuan sat beneath a Dry Willow. Glancing at the empty square, he mused that the village remained unchanged—the same old village, the same enduring Hu Yang tree, and that constant, rickety donkey cart.

And that mysterious big boss they’d been waiting for still hadn’t made a peep.

Later, he awkwardly lit a paper cigarette—he was used to smoking with a dry tobacco pipe—and looked over at the village youth, Luo Peng.

“That production team, really… They promised a hundred days, and yet they left after only about ten days,” he remarked.

Wang Jianhuan’s voice betrayed his resignation, disappointment, and a hint of frustration.

In those ten days, the villagers of Hongsha Gang Village had finally experienced what it felt like to be a tourist hotspot. Every household now had work and extra cash to buy more tree seedlings and tools. If this momentum continued, they might even stall the desert’s eastward march.

Alas.

In the end, it was like drawing water with a bamboo basket—a fleeting illusion.

Sure enough, a few days later, the villagers would settle back into their usual ways.

“Uncle, the production team may have left, but they did leave behind one challenger,” someone noted.

Luo Peng straightened up.

“Really? There’s still one challenger?”

Wang Jianhuan’s eyes lit up momentarily before dimming again.

“What’s the use of one person sticking around? Probably just another gimmick to profit off the desert. I’ve seen way too many of these so-called challenge streamers lately,” he grumbled.

“Exactly. One person won’t matter when you consider the scale of the production team,” another agreed.

A nearby middle-aged man joined in with his own echo.

“No! I watched the livestream. This streamer is different—there’s something about him that might just liven up this desert again.”

Hearing that, Luo Peng shook his head slightly.

Being a resident of Hongsha Gang Village, he never missed watching either Tianchen Culture’s official livestream or Xu Hao’s personal broadcast whenever time allowed, and he was well aware of all the curious events on Xu Hao’s side.

“He? Can one man really pull it off?”

Both Wang Jianhuan and the middle-aged man shook their heads in unison.

If he truly had such ability, why was there no noticeable change? The path at the village head is the closest point to the challenge area.

“Uncle, don’t lose hope. The weather just cleared up, didn’t it? Yesterday, I saw his livestream—he said that once the skies clear, he’ll roll out a series of plans. The first is to erect an octagonal viewing pavilion in the desert, and later, he might even build a guesthouse for online fans.”

Luo Peng added.

“An octagonal pavilion and a guesthouse for fans? Really?”

Wang Jianhuan was momentarily stunned.

If that were true, it would be amazing news for Hongsha Gang Village.

“They haven’t confirmed it yet, so I’m planning to check it out for myself today,” Luo Peng said.

He took a deep breath.

Although the edge of the challenge zone was only five kilometers from Hongsha Gang Village, Xu Hao’s Oasis No.7 was a full ten kilometers away. For a seasoned desert local, that round trip wasn’t easy.

“Good—get a firsthand look. If they’re serious about setting up a guesthouse, our village can lend a hand. But if he turns out to be just another gimmick, you can always come back early,” Wang Jianhuan advised while glancing at Luo Peng.

Luo Peng’s steady nature and resolve had everyone’s confidence that he would eventually succeed Wang Jianhuan as village chief.

Although young, Luo Peng was composed and strong-willed. Most believed that once he stepped down from his current role, he’d be the next leader of Hongsha Gang Village.

“Uncle, trust me—I can tell the difference,” he promised.

With that,

Luo Peng dusted off the sand from his clothes and headed back toward the village.

Mingsha County is a national poverty-stricken area in the Long Kingdom. Owing to its geography and the desert, the entire county is home to only a few tens of thousands, with most living in rural regions; the county seat itself has just forty to fifty thousand people.

In fact, a simple cross-shaped street practically defines the whole of the county seat.

At ten in the morning,

Zhu Qiang entered the business registration window of the county administrative hall. Although it was just 10 AM, there weren’t many people there, so no line formed.

“Hello, I’d like to register a company. Could you help me, please?”

After glancing at the instructions at the window, Zhu Qiang approached a nearby counter.

In reality, he had left his desert cabin the day before and arrived in Mingsha County to prepare all the documents needed for company registration. Now, everything was in order.

“Register a company? Is it a sole proprietorship or a privately owned enterprise?”

The staff, noticing work had come in, looked at Zhu Qiang and promptly opened the business registration system.

“It’s classified as a general taxpayer,”

Zhu Qiang replied.

“Hmm? A general taxpayer? Are you sure?” the staff asked, puzzled.

Most people coming to the Mingsha County business window were individual shopkeepers or sole proprietors. Genuine general taxpayer companies were a rarity.

“I’m sure!” Zhu Qiang confirmed with a nod.

“Alright then!”

The staff, still a bit surprised, took the documents and began typing.

“Company name?”

“Mingsha Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd.”

“A cultural tourism company? So you’re in the tourism business?”

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Business scope?”

“Tourism services, promotion, planning, and related labor activities.”

“Registered capital?”

“Four million five hundred thousand!” Zhu Qiang declared.

This four million five hundred thousand represented all the assets of his boss, Xu Hao.

“Whoa, that’s a high registered capital. But let me warn you: the higher the capital, the higher the subsequent fees. Around here, we usually stick to no more than five hundred thousand.”

“Thanks for the warning—I know!”

“Alright then!”

The staff paused for a moment, then typed a few lines before moving on.

At that moment, Zhu Qiang quickly interjected, “Wait a minute, aren’t you mistaken? I’m paying in full, not just on a promise basis!”

Immediately, Zhu Qiang pointed at the computer screen and said,

“Ah? Paying in full? You want the entire four million five hundred thousand in cash?”

The staff froze, eyes wide with astonishment.

They had assumed that such a high registered capital was merely on paper. No one expected it to be paid in full—when had Mingsha County seen such a powerful boss?

“Yes, because we need a capital verification report. We opted for paying in full to avoid excessive paperwork,” Zhu Qiang explained.

While the staff stood in stunned silence, Zhu Qiang continued to speak.