Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

The largest multi-functional conference room in the High-tech Zone Management Committee.

At this moment, this place has been transformed into a "temporary combat command post" filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Huge maps of Ningzhou City were hung on the walls, densely covered with small red and blue flags. Dozens of computers were lined up in a row, their screens reflecting the excited yet tired faces of the young cadres.

The air was filled with the strong smells of coffee and Red Bull.

There are less than 24 hours left until the official announcement of the "Ningzhou International Marathon".

Liu Ming stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a pointer in her hand, pointing at the red line on the map that meandered through the city, her eyes sharp as knives.

"Listen up, all of you."

"This time, we are not holding a sports meet."

"We're putting on a... show."

"A top-tier extravaganza showcasing the city of Ningzhou, for capital markets across the province, the country, and even the world!"

Below the stage, elite personnel from the Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, the High-tech Zone Management Committee, and even the Municipal Sports Bureau sat upright, their pens flying as they took notes.

They looked at Liu Ming with eyes full of fanaticism.

Working for this guy is tiring, but his ambition is truly high!

"Publicity Team"

Liu Ming's pointer pointed to the left.

"Traditional newspapers and television filled my pages. But that wasn't enough; those were for the leaders."

"What I want is traffic! I want buzz!"

"Contact the top influencers on Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili! Travel, food, even comedy—anyone with over a million followers, bring them all over!"

"Tell them, travel expenses will be reimbursed, food and lodging will be covered, plus an appearance fee! There's only one requirement—praise Ningzhou to the skies!"

"Also, is the 'Journey Through a Thousand Years' promotional video finished editing?"

"Alright!" The publicity team leader immediately stood up and played a video on the big screen.

In the video, the drone's aerial footage sweeps across the ancient city wall and instantly switches to the futuristic glass curtain wall of the high-tech zone; from a beef noodle stall in the early morning to a brightly lit bar street at night.

The background music is rousing, and the visuals are stunning.

"Good." Liu Ming nodded. "Post it. Buy a trending topic and get it to the top!"

"yes!"

……

After arranging the internal work, the biggest challenge came.

--money.

Although Mayor Lu Chen promised financial support, the process was too slow. To create such a big splash in a short time, a large cash flow was needed to spend money on GG, celebrities, and promotional materials.

Liu Ming walked out of the conference room and dialed Nangong Yao's number.

"Hey, my big spender."

Liu Ming leaned against the corridor railing, her tone instantly becoming relaxed.

"What? You want money again?" On the other end of the phone, Nangong Yao's voice carried a hint of lazy laughter. "Director Liu, you're getting more and more used to living off women."

"How can this be called being a kept man?"

Liu Ming remained completely calm and composed.

"This is called...resource exchange."

"Yaoyao, I've reserved the naming rights for this marathon for you. 'Nangong Cup' Ningzhou International Marathon, doesn't that sound impressive?"

"Also, I've reserved the best spots for you, including the best GG spots along the track and the carnival booths at the start and finish lines."

"Just think about it, tens of thousands of people running around in the streets wearing clothes with the 'Nangong Group' logo on them, and hundreds of media outlets broadcasting it globally... Isn't that GG effect much stronger than your investment in that TV station?"

Don't try to fool me.

Nangong Yao gave a soft hum, but her tone clearly softened.

"Tell me, how much do you want?"

"Not much." Liu Ming held up five fingers. "Let's start with fifty million as seed money."

"Fifty million? You're robbing me!"

"Including inviting two top international sports stars and that top rock band to headline the carnival."

Liu Ming added.

"make a deal."

Nangong Yao agreed readily.

"However, I have one condition. I want to personally oversee the planning of the carnival. I want to turn it into the most high-end fashion show in Ningzhou, not a tacky market."

"No problem, I'll do as you say."

Liu Ming hung up the phone and snapped her fingers.

The money has arrived.

……

For the next 24 hours, the entire media and social circles in Ningzhou City went crazy.

The overwhelming flood of GG messages swept through every corner of the city like a tsunami.

Subway stations, bus stops, elevator lobbies, and even the rear window screens of taxis have all been replaced with the visually striking posters for the "Ningzhou International Marathon".

The well-produced promotional video was all over social media.

"Come to Ningzhou this Sunday, run through the scenery, and run towards the future!"

"It's not just running, it's a city-wide carnival!"

"Rock music, food, e-sports, drones... Ningzhou Carnival, come and have a blast!"

Countless young people are sharing and discussing it.

"Wow! This promotional video is so awesome! Is this really the same Ningzhou I remember as a backwater?"

"That band! They're my favorite band! They're actually coming to Ningzhou for a roadshow? I have to go!"

"I heard there's a limited-edition souvenir sponsored by Nangong Group in the finisher's pack? Let's go!"

An emotion called "anticipation" quickly fermented and spread throughout the city.

Liu Ming accurately grasped the psychology of young people.

Run?

Let whoever wants to run, run.

What everyone cares about is the atmosphere, the "coolness" that can be shown off on social media, and the carnival where hormones can be released freely!

He transformed a dull sporting event into a... popular tourist destination!

……

Friday, 10:00 AM.

There are only ten minutes left before the official registration channel opens.

Information Center of the High-tech Zone Management Committee.

Dozens of technicians stood ready, their eyes glued to the server traffic monitoring graph on the screen.

"Director Liu, the number of pre-visits has now exceeded 500,000!"

The technical lead wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice trembling. "This...this is ten times higher than we anticipated! Can the servers handle it?"

Liu Ming stood behind him, holding a coffee in her hand, her expression calm.

"You have to hold on, even if you can't. Ghost Hand has already added three layers of diversion protection for you. If it collapses, you'll all have to run five kilometers together."

"Ten...nine...eight..."

The electronic clock on the wall started its countdown.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

"Three...two...one! Start!"

"boom--!!!"

The moment the channel opened, the flow curve on the monitoring screen didn't rise, but instead... became a vertical straight line!

That's a signal of an instantaneous explosion in traffic!

"Holy crap! One million! Two million! And it's still going up!"

"Server load is red! Red!"

"Payment channel is experiencing issues! The number of people requesting payment has exceeded 100,000!"

The entire server room was filled with the clatter of keyboards; the technicians' fingers were practically breaking from typing as they frantically expanded capacity and distributed bandwidth.

On the other side of the city.

Countless citizens who were waiting in front of their computers and mobile phones to try and snag tickets were experiencing the same kind of breakdown.

"Refresh! Refresh now!"

"Why is it stuck?"

"Holy crap! Not even a second left? That's outrageous! Harder than getting tickets to a Jay Chou concert?"

five minutes.

Just five minutes.

"Reporting to the Director!"

The technical supervisor suddenly stood up from his chair, his face flushed, his voice hoarse but filled with ecstasy.

"Full marathon, half marathon, and fun run... a total of 30,000 spots available..."

"Sold out...!"

Even the VIP tickets for the carnival were sold out!

30,000 spots available!

Five minutes!

This is... Ningzhou speed!

Liu Ming put down her coffee cup.

He looked at the large "SOLD OUT" sign on the screen without showing much surprise.

It was as if all of this was within his expectations.

He picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lu Chen.

It only has two simple words.

It's done.

……

Mayor's Office.

Looking at his phone screen, Lu Chen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into his stomach.

He suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the city outside that seemed to have suddenly come alive.

He knew that this was more than just a successful marathon registration.

This is a vote of public opinion!

This is a vote of confidence from the citizens of Ningzhou regarding the future development of this city!

"Junior brother, oh junior brother..."

Lu Chen took off his glasses, rubbed his slightly moist eyes, and a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

"You really are something, always managing to create a big news story for me."

"It seems that Ningzhou is a stagnant pool..."

"It's really about to boil over."