Chapter 443 - 425: Dimension Festival (2)

Chapter 443: Chapter 425: Dimension Festival (2)

The lighting, music, stage, and all sorts of props had to be guaranteed to function properly, especially ensuring no problems occurred during the New Year’s Eve gala.

With such a responsible general planner, it would have been hard for the Dimensional Festival not to be a hit.

Before long, night fell. As the time gradually approached 6:00 PM, audience members who had managed to snag tickets began to file into the Bird’s Nest, finding their seats and quietly waiting for the Dimensional Festival to begin.

It had to be said, Dili Dili was truly confident. To dare to hold their very first New Year’s Eve gala in a venue like the Bird’s Nest... The hype online had certainly soared, but if the gala’s execution was poor, it would likely become a permanent black mark on their record, a target of ridicule for a long time to come.

Minute by minute, more and more spectators entered the venue. Many loyal fans held all kinds of support light boards, which would surely become a unique spectacle in a little while.

Meanwhile, the even greater number of D Station fans who didn’t get a chance to come to the Bird’s Nest logged into D Station’s official live stream room to watch online. Although they missed the lively atmosphere of the venue, being able to chat and send bullet comments with countless other netizens had its own special appeal.

It was just past 7:30 PM, but many fun-loving netizens were already waiting in the live stream room. Countless bullet comments flooded the screen, creating an unprecedentedly lively atmosphere.

As an unconventional New Year’s Eve gala, the Dimensional Festival had many media outlets waiting to report on whether it would truly live up to all the hype.

Even before the gala officially started, its immense popularity had kept it in the number one spot on Weibo’s trending topics. All the major platforms were buzzing with discussions about what kind of special performances D Station’s New Year’s Eve gala would present.

By now, the interior of the Bird’s Nest was a sea of people. The audience on the floor continuously waved their light boards, creating a dense, packed-in spectacle. Every seat was taken.

As the start time drew near, the lights throughout the entire venue suddenly dimmed. A deep, resonant drumbeat followed, inescapably reminding people of the fou drums from the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Then, "10, 9, 8..." appeared on the main stage screen. The entire audience of fans excitedly joined the countdown. Accompanied by the thundering drums, their synchronized voices swept through the venue like a tidal wave.

The final second of the countdown ended, and the lights dimmed once more. Just as everyone was anticipating what kind of opening the Dimensional Festival would have, a sudden, explosive shout echoed through the pitch-black environment—

"Halt! Where do you think you’re going, demon? Taste the staff of old Sun!"

In an instant, a familiar memory ignited the entire audience. This was their childhood hero, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!

Immediately, waves of cheers grew louder and louder. The company was truly worthy of invoking the Great Sage’s name; its opening was completely different from the other networks’ New Year’s galas.

As the Great Saint’s voice faded, the stage finally lit up.

The birth of the stone monkey, Huaguo Mountain, the Water Curtain Cave, the Great Turmoil in Heaven... A montage of animated scenes flashed across the screen. Brilliant lighting created outstanding visual effects on stage, and the countless audience members watched, overwhelmed by the spectacular display, their eyes shining with excitement.

Just when everyone thought this was the opening act, another shout came from the speakers: "Old Sun is here!"

A large gate in the center of the stage, resembling the Eight Trigrams Furnace, slowly opened. He wore Golden Chain Armor, a Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown, and Lotus Silk Cloud-Stepping Shoes. In his hand, he held the Ruyi Golden Cudgel—a true Monkey King!

Seeing this, the entire venue erupted once again. Chants of "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" thundered like a tidal wave.

Meanwhile, in the D Station live stream room, people were frantically spamming bullet comments, flooding the public screen with "Tears."

To the sound of rousing music, the celestial mist enveloping the center of the stage slowly dispersed. Dozens of Celestial Soldiers and Generals in silver armor appeared, engaging in battle with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Jiang Xia watched the live performance with a faint smile. The first act of the Dimensional Festival was the Great Turmoil in Heaven, and they had even specially invited Teacher Liu, a professional Great Sage performer, to star in it. The opening gambit had already pushed the venue’s atmosphere to a climax.

One could only say that D Station understood today’s young people all too well. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was the youth and childhood of this generation. Just seeing this monkey brought back the emotions of childhood and touched something deep in their hearts.

Unsurprisingly, not long after "Great Turmoil in Heaven" took the stage, the term shot straight to the top of Weibo’s trending topics. The unique performance style and the gorgeous, beautiful stage effects were far, far superior to other networks’ New Year’s Eve galas.

And now, netizens finally understood why D Station called its New Year’s Eve gala the "Dimensional Festival." There were no celebrity singers, dancers, or rappers; instead, they had pushed content and creativity to the absolute limit. It was a feast truly meant for the younger generation.

In traditional New Year’s Eve galas of the past, anime, games, and film works had a minimal presence, serving only as sparse decorations. You could barely even feel their existence. But on the D Station gala stage, they were the stars and the soul of the show, a sacred ground in the hearts of countless viewers.

As a result, online public opinion exploded. Screenshots from the Dimensional Festival spread across various forums, Tieba posts, and QQ groups. Many viewers who had been watching other New Year’s Eve galas, or even users who weren’t interested before, were suddenly moved.

After all, traditional galas happen every year, but if you missed the Dimensional Festival, you might have truly missed out for good.

In that moment, countless netizens flooded into D Station’s live stream room, and the number of online viewers broke records, exceeding three million.

The live director frequently cut to shots of the hundred-person symphony orchestra, showcasing the charm of the music as much as possible and providing the audience with the ultimate audio-visual enjoyment.

It was clear just how much effort D Station had poured into tonight’s grand gala.

And after the Great Turmoil in Heaven came Contra, a game that had accompanied a generation.

When the familiar BGM began to play, the stage switched to the game’s visuals. Both guys and girls cheered, and countless people felt as if they were transported back to those summer days after school, sitting in front of a Subor learning machine, controller in hand, trying to beat the game with a single life.

After that, *The Legend of Sword and Fairy* and *Drawing Sword* made their appearances.

As the login animation for *Full-time Warrior* slowly unfolded, the line, "Hello there, my name is Seria," pushed the atmosphere to yet another climax.

Throughout the entire festival, the audience was brought to an emotional peak time and time again.

For the young people of Gen Z, anime, film, games, and music had long become important collective memories that accompanied their growth. They were crucial components of their inner worlds and an emotional bond between countless people.

The reappearance of these classic IPs at the Dimensional Festival signified an acknowledgment of their interests and hobbies, which in turn continuously evoked empathy and memories from the audience.

This was the Dimensional Festival. Whether it was childhood memories, traditional opera, the charm of literary classics, or the most popular current songs and most heartwarming singers, D Station started from the audience’s perspective, doing its utmost to present what everyone most wanted to see—the things that moved them from the depths of their hearts.

As time went on, one act after another climbed Weibo’s trending topics.

Besides the fundamental ACG and "2D culture," there were also traditional art performances: operatic singing, Sichuan opera face-changing, and Beijing opera. They fused traditional theater with modern dance, stringing together seven or eight different types of drama to express a unique vitality, as if showcasing these art forms to audiences on both sides who were previously unfamiliar with the other.

By the middle of the gala, the line, "Coach, I want to play basketball," brought tears to the eyes of countless boys and girls who loved the anime.

The theme song of *Slam Dunk* slowly echoed through the Bird’s Nest. Superb lighting effects formed a basketball jersey in mid-air, illuminating it bit by bit.

Lin Yanwan sang with deep emotion. She was the voice actress for Haruko and also the original singer of the theme song. Her performance of "I Really Want to Shout My Love for You," set against the backdrop of intense basketball clashes, pushed the festival’s atmosphere to its peak.

The entire gala lasted for more than four hours. D Station’s Dimensional Festival occupied almost half of the trending topics. The most spammed phrases in the bullet comments were "My youth is back!", "Tears," "Cheers to Dili Dili!", "Happy New Year," and all kinds of wishes for the new year.

It was safe to say, the Dimensional Festival had truly broken into the mainstream.

...

(This is insane. The power went out in my neighborhood. Before it went out, the voltage was all over the place, and then my optical modem and router got fried. The AC and fridge keep restarting. I typed this Chapter on my phone, and I still don’t know if my computer is broken.)