"Are we at 300,000 people today?" the Bird's Nest负责人 asked, his face etched with exhaustion as he looked at the day's figures.
Managing the Bird's Nest had once been a remarkably leisurely job. After all, the rental prices for the venue were exorbitant, and it was typically deserted, with perhaps one or two events a month, or even none at all.
Consequently, most of the work involved routine maintenance, adhering to established protocols. As the highest-ranking official for the Bird's Nest, his responsibilities were limited to a morning meeting and the occasional attendance at meetings with relevant government departments, leaving him with little else to do but oversee his staff.
It was a comfortable, almost pension-like position, and the负责人had envisioned spending the rest of his career this way.
However, he hadn't anticipated encountering Jiangnan Group and Dabian.
When Dabian initially booked the venue for three consecutive months for an event, the负责人was delighted, seeing it as a highly positive development.
The income from a three-month booking was substantial. The Bird's Nest's public rate was 2 million yuan per day, totaling 180 million yuan for three months, which was equivalent to 5% of the venue's total construction cost.
Of course, for a continuous three-month booking, a significant discount would be applied.
Considering the usual periods of vacancy, the负责人ultimately approved a 30% discount. Even with this reduction, the total revenue amounted to 54 million yuan. In just three months, this income matched the Bird's Nest's total revenue for the previous three years, a notable achievement.
Furthermore, with only one event scheduled over the three months, and with the participating exhibitor responsible for all operational aspects, the Bird's Nest's official duties were reduced even further, making the job even more effortless.
Naturally, when the负责人saw Dabian Models' final exhibition plan, he was left utterly speechless.
If he hadn't witnessed firsthand, via video, the Pangu mecha being prepared for disassembly and transport in the factory, he would never have believed that such an enormous mecha would be displayed inside the Bird's Nest.
The负责人immediately wanted to cancel the collaboration.
The reason was simple: the immense size of the mecha inside the Bird's Nest posed a severe safety risk. If the mecha were to topple, at the very least, the entire main stadium of the Bird's Nest would be utterly destroyed.
And if it fell onto the spectator stands, the consequences would be even more catastrophic.
The负责人couldn't even imagine the potential casualties if people were present in the stands at that moment; his own career would undoubtedly be over.
Therefore, he was unequivocally opposed to the plan. However, Dabian's stance was equally resolute. They even presented a plan, designating a safety zone, assuring that if the mecha fell within this zone, it would not impact the stands but only the field.
Moreover, they offered to fund the installation of a 20-meter-high bulletproof glass wall around the spectator stands. This would ensure that any flying debris would be intercepted by the bulletproof glass, protecting the audience.
Although the safety plan sounded remarkably reliable, the负责人remained hesitant. If nothing went wrong, he wouldn't receive any special recognition. But if something did go wrong, his career would be finished.
However, the higher authorities intervened, stating that this was an excellent opportunity to showcase China's mechanical technology and that such an opportunity should not be relinquished due to potential risks.
With the leaders' approval, the event proceeded as scheduled.
Consequently, the Bird's Nest management took safety concerns very seriously. After the first day, when visitor numbers were nearing 500,000, they immediately requested a suspension of the event.
Following negotiations, the situation improved considerably when they implemented a de facto ticket pricing system.
Unfortunately, before the负责人could breathe a sigh of relief, within a week, visitor numbers had rebounded to 200,000.
And two weeks later, the visitor count reached 300,000, hitting the Bird's Nest's maximum capacity once more.
"This is unacceptable. Immediately find the head of Dabian Models, the highest-ranking person authorized to speak, and tell them the event must be stopped. It's extremely dangerous now, and for the safety of the public, this event cannot continue!" the负责人declared decisively. His office director immediately departed to relay the instructions.
Their stance was consistent with the负责人's: under no circumstances could they permit any major safety incidents, as everyone would suffer the consequences.
Approximately half an hour later, the office director hurried back. The负责人immediately inquired, "Has the head of Dabian arrived?"
"He has arrived..." the office director's expression was somewhat peculiar.
"If he's here, bring him in. Why are you dawdling?" the负责人asked impatiently. However, the office director's expression grew even stranger, and he did not carry out the order immediately.
Just as the负责人was about to lose his temper, a voice boomed, "Director Xie, please don't rush me! I'm here now!"
"You... Mr. Huang!!" The负责人's eyes widened in disbelief as the person standing before him was none other than the world's richest man.
"What? Surprised to see me?" Huang He chuckled. "Haven't I been here at the Bird's Nest all these days? Since Director Xie wishes to see the highest representative of Dabian, and considering that no one else here holds a higher position than myself, I've come to receive your instructions!"
"That's a bit much... Wait, Mr. Huang, you've been staying at the Bird's Nest these past few days?" the负责人asked, stunned.
"Indeed. Didn't you know? I'm the only one who can operate this Pangu mecha. Others struggle even to perform basic maneuvers. Therefore, I've been handling all the demonstrations," Huang He explained with a smile.
"..." The负责人was utterly speechless. Who would believe that the pilot who performed shows for the audience precisely on time every day, whether early or late, was actually the world's richest man? No one would ever believe such a story.
Had he known this earlier, he would have made sure to watch the performances from the stands every day. After all, the opportunity to witness the world's richest man perform for you was an unparalleled experience, and missing it would lead to lifelong regret.
"Director Xie, let's dispense with pleasantries. Since I'm here, I'm here to solve your problems. Tell me, what issues require our attention!" Mr. Huang declared expansively, thumping his chest. "Moreover, I've already ordered 1,600 employees from across our Jiangnan Group's operations in Hebei to be mobilized to manage crowd control on-site. Feel free to assign them any tasks. If you still feel short-handed, I'll mobilize our entire workforce north of the Yellow River; we have at least seven to eight thousand people!"
"..." The负责人opened his mouth, the words he had meticulously prepared to request a halt to the event now stuck in his throat.
Firstly, there was Huang He's status as the world's richest man, carrying immense pressure.
Furthermore, it was common knowledge that Mr. Huang possessed substantial connections and a powerful background, which was essential for maintaining his position as the world's richest man. His presence here signified a firm stance.
Finally, Huang He's proactive offer had effectively preempted any objections.
Given his commitment to dispatching 1,600 people for crowd control, what recourse did the负责人have if he were to request an additional seven to eight thousand?
At that point, whose territory was the Bird's Nest truly considered to be?
Of course, the most critical factor was that knowing the pilot was the world's richest man, Huang He, the负责人felt that an accident was genuinely unlikely.
After all, if an accident were to occur, the pilot inside the mecha would at least suffer serious injuries. Would the world's richest man risk his own life?
Therefore, the mecha was undoubtedly extremely safe and free from potential problems.
Ultimately, the directives to halt the event were swallowed back, replaced by instructions for Dabian to further strengthen their security measures.
Mr. Huang responded with great humility, finally giving a solemn assurance that there would be no issues, thus resolving the entire matter.
"I simply cannot understand where all these people are coming from in the capital. And the numbers are increasing every day!" the负责人remarked with a sigh of exasperation.
"Because not many of them are actually from the capital!" Mr. Huang replied with a wry smile. "We've conducted detailed visitor surveys. Currently, 72% of our visitors are tourists from all over the country. Didn't you know? Our event has become a mandatory 'check-in' spot for tourists visiting the capital in recent months."
"The capital receives over 200,000 tourists daily, and almost all of them visit this place. Naturally, the visitor numbers have surged!" Huang He explained. The负责人nodded, finally understanding the reason for the explosive increase in attendance.
However, there was one detail Huang He omitted: while the capital typically received 200,000 tourists daily, this number had now surpassed 300,000. This meant that approximately 100,000 people were traveling to the capital daily specifically to witness the colossal mecha, pushing the capital's external transportation network to its limits.
"300,000 should be the limit, right? It won't increase further, will it?" the负责人asked, feeling weary.
"It won't increase further!" Mr. Huang confidently replied. "It's already been over half a month; most people who wanted to see it have come. Future visitor numbers will naturally decline gradually. And we're planning to increase the ticket prices!"
"What do you mean?"
"Ahem, our original HG models, priced at 49 yuan each, are nearly sold out. Tomorrow is January 1st, the day our MG models go on sale. The ticket price will then be 199 yuan, which will undoubtedly lead to a significant decrease in visitor numbers!" Huang He stated with full confidence.