It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon on Fifth Avenue in New York City. This is one of the most famous and busiest streets in the world, always full of tourists and shoppers.
At that moment, a large white van was parked right on the street, which was very strange. People started to stop and stare.
"What's that van doing there?" someone muttered. "I thought you weren't allowed to park here," another person said. "And a big truck like that shouldn't even be on this street!" "Where are the police? Isn't anyone going to do something?"
Suddenly, every single giant TV screen on all the buildings along Fifth Avenue lit up at the same time!
"SPARTA!"
A huge, booming battle cry roared from the screens, making everyone jump.
Every screen showed the same thing: a giant, exciting battlefield. It was a scene from the new movie 300, showing brave Spartan warriors fighting invaders. There were swords, shields, and roaring warriors.
"Wow!" "My gosh, what movie is this?" "That looks so bloody and cool!"
The people on the street were all pulling out their cameras, buzzing with excitement.
Just then, the back doors of the big white van burst open.
Whoosh!
One by one, tall, super muscular men jumped out. They weren't wearing shirts, just red pants and red capes. They were all carrying spears and shields!
This really got everyone's attention.
It wasn't just one or two. A whole group of them, thirty muscular men, stood in the street.
"SPARTA!" they roared, raising their spears. "SPARTA! SPARTA! SPARTA!"
Their powerful shouts, mixed with the battle sounds from all the TV screens, made the entire street feel like a real, ancient battlefield. It was so exciting!
"God, what's happening?!"
"Look at those guys! Thirty of them!"
"They're so strong! All of them are over six feet tall!"
The crowd was loving it. But just as quickly as they had appeared, the thirty Spartan warriors suddenly rushed back into the van. The doors slammed shut, and the van sped away.
They were gone.
Everyone on the street was left standing there, totally confused.
"Man... what was that?" a tourist asked his friend. "Were they selling men's underwear or a movie? Why did they just shout a few times and leave?!"
It was a "flash mob." But in the late 1990s, nobody had ever seen anything like this before! People were so curious. They had to know what was going on.
It wasn't just in New York.
In Los Angeles, on the famous Avenue of Stars, groups of men in red pants suddenly appeared.
"SPARTA!"
"Fight for Sparta, warriors!"
"We will be remembered forever!"
"Spartans never surrender!"
"SPARTA, GO FORWARD! GO FORWARD!"
They roared, getting everyone's blood pumping... and then they quickly disappeared, leaving everyone bewildered.
The same thing happened in Boston, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington.
Soon, all of America was talking about four things: Red pants, Sparta, Muscular guys, and Flash mobs.
The mystery had made everyone super interested.
This was, of course, the perfect time for the big announcement.
At a giant press conference, Zane Blackwood stood at the front of the room, a huge, charming, and excited smile on his face.
"A 'flash mob'?" Zane said, his voice booming over the microphones. "Yes, that's what we're calling it. And yes, that was us! We at Wald Pictures are so excited to promote our new, epic war movie... '300 Spartan Warriors'!"
The hundreds of reporters in the room were stunned. They had seen everything, but they had never seen a marketing trick like this.
"This is... genius," one reporter whispered to another.
"Pure genius," the other agreed.
In the 1990s, this idea was brand new, and Zane was the one leading the way. The $2 million he had spent on the flash mobs had created way more excitement than $20 million of boring TV ads ever could.
300 Spartan Warriors was trending before it was even released!
Zane was full of passion. He wasn't acting like a cool, calm billionaire. He was acting like a passionate movie-lover, just like everyone in the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted, his voice full of energy. "Our movie, 300, is going to explode across America and spread all over the world! I promise you!"
"After this movie, the word 'Spartan' will be known by everyone! I promise you!"
"We are going to show you the real story of the 300 Spartans who fought against hundreds of thousands of enemies! It is a story of blood, of fighting spirit, of glory, of loyalty, and of never surrendering! I promise you!"
At that moment, Zane looked like a king himself, and the whole room was hooked on his every word.
--------
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Want to read 100+ chapters ahead of everyone else? Check the link in my profile bio!