It was two hours later when Director Zhang arrived at Mount Tai.
As darkness fell, the eeriness of climbing the mountain at night during the Qingming Festival began to creep in.
But for the staff of the cultural and tourism bureaus in various parts of Shandong, the most terrifying thing was Director Zhang's surprise inspection.
Dozens of staff members stood ready at the foot of Mount Tai, fearing a scolding from Director Zhang.
"Where are Director Wang and Director Qin?"
"They should be halfway up the mountain by now. They're climbing quite fast, and many tourists are live-streaming their climb."
As he spoke, a staff member handed the phone to Director Zhang. The screen showed Qin Zi'an and Wang Jianye.
However, their situations were completely different.
Qin Zi'an was as spirited as ever, but Wang Jianye looked dejected, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Despite Wang Jianye's seemingly precarious appearance, his mouth is harder than steel.
"Little...little...little Mount Tai, you can...you can't handle it!"
Wang Jianye supported himself with one hand on his cane, and with the other hand he gave a thumbs-up.
Seeing Wang Jianye's stubborn look, Qin Zian couldn't help but shake his head.
This guy...
Although Qin Zian was keen on doing interesting things, he really didn't want to cause a death.
Given Wang Jianye's dazed state, Qin Zi'an was genuinely afraid he might die here.
"Old Wang, why don't we take a break, or we might really be meeting the King of Hell."
"rest?"
Wang Jianye, panting heavily, looked at Qin Zian with an unusually resolute expression on his face.
Now, Wang Jianye is completely at odds with Mount Tai.
As a public official and a role model for the masses, Wang Jianye absolutely cannot stop.
“Zi’an, if we can’t even overcome this little difficulty, how can we serve the people?” Wang Jianye paused, then continued, “And as for that talk about meeting the King of Hell, we are staunch materialists, so let’s not say such unlucky things.”
Following Wang Jianye's positive remarks, cheers erupted from the viewers in the live stream.
In particular, the line, "If we can't even overcome this little difficulty, how can we serve the people?" greatly encouraged Director Zhang of the Lu Di Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Director Zhang nodded in agreement, held up his phone, and shared his thoughts after watching the video.
“Look at this, why is the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau able to stand out and become a national model for culture and tourism? It’s all thanks to the hard work and dedication of Director Wang and Director Qin.”
"We are now standing at the foot of Mount Tai, this is our home ground. As the host, we should also show the style of Shandong. Hasn't Mount Tai been promoting the 'spirit of the porters' in recent years?"
"I don't expect you to carry a load of supplies up the mountain like the porters. Each of you should carry at least two jugs of water or equivalent supplies. We will climb Mount Tai with heavy loads. We will follow the route of Director Wang and Director Qin and carry forward the spirit of the porters of Mount Tai."
Director Zhang glanced at the people in front of him and nodded approvingly: "Not bad! Everyone looks energetic, and the cameras have started recording the whole thing. Keep it up, let's climb Mount Tai together."
After saying this, Director Zhang took the lead and walked to the supply point next to him, picked up two jugs of mineral water, and prepared to climb Mount Tai.
In a corner he couldn't see, the staff members were all sighing and looking like they wished they could escape the scene immediately.
When will this whim ever end?
For those of them who sit in offices all year round, climbing Mount Tai is already a terrifying thing.
But Director Zhang went so far as to make them climb Mount Tai carrying heavy loads...
This guy is practically a modern-day living devil!
Regardless of the circumstances, Director Zhang was their direct superior.
Even if everyone had a lot of grievances, they could only swallow their resentment.
Not only that, they also had to flatter Director Zhang with smiles on their faces and lavish praise on his ideas.
Director Zhang was overjoyed to see that his policies had gained public approval, and he felt full of energy.
But in less than five minutes, Director Zhang was already struggling to keep going.
The roads on Mount Tai are already very steep, making walking difficult.
While Wang Jianye, who is the same age, needs crutches, they are carrying supplies...
After the initial excitement subsided, Director Zhang realized he had been exaggerating.
But if such grand pronouncements are not followed through, it would be far too frivolous.
Moreover, every time Director Zhang turned to look at his subordinates, they all had smiles on their faces.
Faced with this situation, Director Zhang could only grit his teeth and persevere.
During the Qingming Festival holiday, Mount Tai already welcomed many tourists.
With Qin Zi'an's arrival, the tickets for Mount Tai were sold out immediately.
Therefore, the staff of Mount Tai had already sealed off the entrance to prevent the excessive number of tourists from causing adverse effects on the Mount Tai scenic area.
Director Zhang and his group were the last group of tourists to visit Mount Tai today; they walked quite a distance without encountering any other tourists.
When they finally managed to climb to the ticket gate...
This wasn't just a matter of being tired; it felt like their very souls were about to leave them.
The large screen near the ticket gate emitted a green light, and this eerie light fell on the tourists.
The narrow, crowded passageway was packed with people, giving the impression of queuing for the Bridge of Helplessness.
These tourists were stuck at the ticket gate for a long time, and their only entertainment was chatting with strangers to relieve boredom.
"Isn't it said that climbing Mount Tai at night is bad? I've been stuck at the ticket gate for half an hour. Will I not be able to climb the mountain today? No way, I still want to bump into Qin Zi'an."
"This isn't climbing Mount Tai, it's practically crushing it! In the current state, forget about reaching the summit to watch the sunrise. Getting to the top before noon tomorrow would be a miracle."
"I'm not saying this to be mean, but don't you guys think the atmosphere is weird right now? I heard that Mount Tai is the entrance to the underworld, and today is also Qingming Festival. Are we all going to die here?"
"You know what, being enveloped in this green halo right now really does give us the feeling of a hundred ghosts walking at night. I knew that traveling with Qin Zi'an would definitely bring unexpected gains."
"Aaaaaah! A ghost! A ghost is touching me. Mommy, I want to go home! I'll never follow trends again! Don't touch me! Aaaaaah... I've never done anything bad except for adding wasabi to the neighbor's toothpaste when I was eight. If you're going to take my life, don't take mine! I'm a good person."
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