Monster Factory

“In front of us is this year’s exhibition gallery,” explained Nippon TV Station’s Kenta Sichuan, as he walked.

He was walking backwards as he needed to face towards the walking camera, so naturally he didn’t immediately see the two steel trees at the entrance.

At this moment, all the reporters from before had already entered the gallery.

Hence, very clearly, the two trees at the door had already lost the curiosity of the reporters.

Kenta Sichuan continued to walk, and suddenly felt the microphone wires tightening. Moreover, the lense of the camera were clearly pointed somewhere beside him as it stayed there.

And on their office stream, the high definition view was fixed at the mini 800 year old aluminum titanium alloy buddhist pines by the doorway.

Within the stream, there were more than 200,000 people watching this year’s exhibition in China.

When the scene became fixed, they didn’t know what was happening. But after 2 seconds, someone drew everyone’s attention with a floating banner saying how those trees seemed to be made out of metal.

Then came a barrage of banners. They completely forgot about how ridiculous it was to use crude steel pillars to support the gallery, as their topic of discussion immediately switch to those metal trees.

“Who can tell me whether or not those trees are real? Why do they feel like they’re alive?”

“OMG ~ What realistic metal trees. I’m from Chiba University, I can guarantee that this was created from liquid pouring molds.”

“Kyoto University, I want to tell you that molds can never be created to be this complicated. This is definitely done by the newest 3D metal printing technology.”

“That’s impossible. This tree definitely has a layer of metal paint painted on it. Look at those scars on the trees will you, what kind of metal printer is capable of such complexity?”

The audience crazily sent banners to have the cameramen get closed to the trees. Sadly, the cameramen was already dumbstruck, so why would he care about the banners?

“Viewers, are you guys seeing these two metal trees?” Kenta Sichuan hurriedly reported into the microphone: “Alright I’ll admit, I’ve changed my view on the level of technology being presented this year.”

“However I can still guarantee that those several hundred pillars are still going to be the most laughable point about this exhibition.”

“That is, unless......”

Kenta Sichuan built up for a climax.

Very quickly many people fired banners asking unless what?

“Unless ~ there’s a pretty girl dancing under every pillar.”

“Yes, yes ~”

“Makes senses. Only this way can they draw in more visitors, right?”

Seeing that most of the banners were following his beat again, Kenta Sichuan let out a sigh of relief. He came to report on this exhibition with the darkest of hearts, because only that way could he draw in the necessary viewership.

So how could he let the audience’s topic of discussion remain on the high techness of this year’s exhibition?

He stealthy reminded the cameramen to quickly follow him into the gallery to film the pillars. Only then did the cameramen wake up and correct the camera focus.

Yet when they headed straight into the massive sky work filled gallery, and were going to give this exhibition the worst ridicule they could on how technically lacking they were for using steel pillars to prop up the roof.

He suddenly found that the scene in front of him was completely different from what he expected.

As far as the eye could see, there wasn’t a single pillar in the entire gallery. Rather......

Rather it felt like walking into a sci-fi movie, where the shock was just like how he felt when he first saw James Cameron’s «Avatar» in IMAX 3D.

Trees ~

Metal tree branches were everywhere, as far as the eye can see, and the silvery white leaves were dancing to the wind as it emitted wind chime-like sounds.

He was already late. Because right now, beneath every tree, was at least one reporting crew standing there setting up equipment and filming the trees from all angles.

There were only around 30 of these marvelous metal trees to begin with, with 40 some reporting teams around, how would Kenta Sichuan have the pride to butt into someone else’s broadcast when he was​ the one that arrived late?

As for the 200,000 plus viewers on stream, they were also utterly dumbstruck.

They all came here to laugh, because didn’t Kenta Sichuan keep on mentioning how their gallery was filled with steel pillars? How come there were none now?

Rather, the gallery was filled with beautifully flourishing metal trees.

“Holy......, is this the filming site for Avatar 2?”

“This is clearly the homeworld of the Transformers, Cybertron, alright? That planet is filled with mechanical lifeforms, which these trees clearly are as well. I mean, aren’t you guys seeing the moving leaves?”

“I swear I just saw a branch move, it’s not just me right guys?”

“Where’s the pillars?? Damn you Kenta Sichuan! Didn’t you tell us that the gallery was filled with steel pillars? Didn’t you tell us to warn if there were incoming pillars?

“We got lied to! There are no pillars, rather what I’m seeing are shocking mechanical lifeforms!”

“Hey guys, if I were to get a plane ticket to China now, will I still be able to get a ticket to enter?”

“Hold on ~ let me check the flight schedule.”

“Damn you fake news! Before I was still laughing at China, but now you’ve turned me into a fan of this exhibition ok?”

“What a sight opener, what a wonderful sight opener. China actually has this kind of technology. Hey Kenta Sichuan, why aren’t you asking them what kind of life forms these are yet?”

“Yes yes ~ hurry up and go ask! If we can get a couple and place them in Ueno Park, then how beautiful will that be?”

“Make a cherry blossom version!”

“Make a cherry blossom version +1 !”

Kenta Sichuan was literally stabbed into a honeycomb by the audience, as his face was completely flushed, just like having endured a full teppanyaki service. [ED: Japanese cuisine made on an iron griddle. Called hibachi style here in the U.S.]

He originally wanted to make China a laughing stock, but in the end he became the laughing stock.

However no one really cared anymore, because beauty sometimes was also a fault. Looking at the entire gallery, every single one of those trees possessed beauty that would keep resurfacing in people’s memories after they had seen them.

Currently, Kenta Sichuan was taking everyone around to visit each one of the trees. As for the jokes about the pillars, it was like they were never said.

10 AM, Ye Qing followed in with the crowd of visitors. He bought a professional photographer’s camera specifically for the photographing opportunity. This way, with the two cameras, he would be able to see how it appeared as well as its structural blueprint.

Then, just as Ye Qing was heading in, he was immediately met with a wall of people.

Because the two Buddhist pines at the door were completely surrounded by visitors.

As for the two security guards sent to watch over the two trees, upon facing the endless sea of visitors, they immediately turned into canoes in a raging ocean.

Ye Qing was somewhat dumbstruck at the scene in front of him. There were so many more trees inside, so why was everyone gathered around here?

“Hehe ~” Song Feijun appeared from nowhere, as he walked up from behind Ye Qing with a face full of wickedness: “Haha, we hit the mark with this one. Just watch, the headlines in the afternoon will definitely be these trees.”

“Mr. Ye, you probably didn’t know, but during the press release I specifically let loose some minor details, yet these foreign reporters were just like sharks that had smelt blood, as they literally swarmed for the gallery.”

“Haha, they all wanted to film the hilarious pillars, but were completely shocked speechless by these two trees at the doorway. When they got inside, it was like they hated not being able to climb up the trees to film them.”

“The reporters from those Japanese TV Stations even made a site live report. Haha ~ you don’t understand how stupid he looked after he got inside. Oh man, I’ll remember that for days.”

“Oh that was just too good. This is what exactly what we wanted all along; to show all those foreigners that our technologies and techniques aren’t worse than them at all.”