Ch 3: The World’s Number One Resort

“I didn’t die, but it’s close enough…” Tang Huai muttered softly. The tsunami had been overwhelming, but his luck had been even greater. Not only had he avoided becoming part of the Pacific, but there wasn’t a single scratch on his body. After carefully checking himself again, Tang Huai found that apart from being completely soaked, he was as healthy as ever.

Tang Huai felt a mix of emotions, unsure if he should consider himself unlucky or fortunate for surviving the tsunami…

He stood up, his waterlogged pants feeling heavy.

Tang Huai reached into his pocket, where his black wallet had swelled from soaking in the water. The thousand dollars inside had been thoroughly soaked, falling apart, and his bank cards were no longer usable.

Thankfully, he had left his passport and visa at the hotel storage; otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to return to China. But the first step to getting back to China was leaving this island. He had gone down near Clipperton Island, and since he had survived, he must not have drifted far. He wondered if Hank and the others had made it out safely…

They had successfully lowered the sail together, and Captain Reno had plenty of experience. There were many ships passing near Clipperton, so if Tang Huai had survived, Hank and the others should be fine too, right?

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Tang Huai began thinking about his next steps while wringing his clothes half dry.

“It still works!” Tang Huai emptied his pockets. Apart from the black wallet, there was also a pear-brand smartphone. He had been swept into the Pacific in the early morning, and now the sun was high in the sky. He had been submerged for at least eight hours. Without much hope, Tang Huai pressed the power button—and to his surprise, the phone turned on!

He had never heard that pear-brand phones were waterproof. Glancing at the screen, he saw the battery was at 52%, but there was no signal. Emergency numbers like 119 couldn’t be dialed. Disappointed, Tang Huai put the phone away again.

Clipperton Island had a tropical marine climate, with an average annual temperature between 25°C and 28°C and abundant rainfall. By normal logic, this kind of plateau terrain shouldn’t exist, but the valley before him was riddled with ravines, and it seemed as though all the moisture had been sucked out of the land.

Tang Huai stepped barefoot onto the yellow soil. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he quickly pulled it back. The ground was freezing, with temperatures between -3°C and 10°C, while the air above was over 25°C, creating a temperature difference of 30 degrees… What kind of strange terrain was this?

Tang Huai seriously doubted whether this island had any human inhabitants.

If it were truly a deserted island, without food or fresh water, Tang Huai wasn’t sure how long he could survive.

At this point, he could only take things one step at a time.

Tang Huai placed his recently removed shoes on a nearby rock. They were still damp, and when he shook them out, a few small shrimp wriggled out.

Tang Huai: …

The terrain in the valley was bizarre, but the coastline seemed relatively normal. He found a large open space to lie down and placed his shoes upside down beside him. As the sea breeze blew gently, Tang Huai couldn’t shake the feeling that the day’s events were just too surreal.

Strictly speaking, the strangeness had begun the moment he inherited that unbelievable estate.

After an hour of basking in the sea breeze, Tang Huai’s clothes and shoes were mostly dry, so he put his shoes back on. He had been in the water, then exposed to the wind, yet his body felt perfectly fine.

Tang Huai couldn’t help but give himself some credit. Back in Shengze, he hadn’t realized his physical condition was this good.

With his shoes back on, he stepped onto the yellow soil again. The ground was slightly cool underfoot, but still within tolerable limits. After adjusting to the sensation, Tang Huai began making his way toward the top of the valley.

Tang Huai didn’t have a specific destination in mind, but staying here was not an option.

While sunbathing earlier, he had already made up his mind: first, see if there were any tourists on the island. If there weren’t, he would try to build an “SOS” signal at the highest point and start a fire using friction… hopefully, a passing ship or plane would notice.

His emotions were mixed. The valley in front of him wasn’t too tall, with a vertical height of about 800 meters. After hiking for three hours, Tang Huai finally reached the top of the valley just before sunset.

As he reached the summit, Tang Huai once again realized something different about himself.

In the past, he had hiked numerous famous mountains. Even with a smaller hill of 300 meters, he would usually have to stop and catch his breath several times. But this time… he climbed the whole way without a break.

Feeling his body, Tang Huai didn’t even feel tired. He stomped his foot—if not for the cool sensation underfoot, he would have suspected that his body had been modified by some oceanic creature.

Looking around, the scene was similar to what he had seen from below: endless ravines and valleys. Aside from the dark brown hills, there wasn’t a trace of greenery in sight.

The power of nature was immense.

…

Ahead of him was an even taller dark brown mountain, towering at about 1,000 meters. Perhaps he had been too focused on the path earlier, as Tang Huai hadn’t noticed it before.

Estimating the time, Tang Huai took a deep breath and began walking toward the mountain.

Each mountain was higher than the last, and Tang Huai could only hope there wouldn’t be another even taller one beyond this one…

With the previous climb under his belt, Tang Huai managed to reach the peak in just two hours. By now, the sun was setting, merging with the ocean to form a rust-colored scene. Standing at the top, he had a clear view of this stunning sight, but he wasn’t in the mood to admire it. Before him was an even more striking scene.

Below the mountain, directly opposite the setting sun, lay a crystal-clear lake, its water a vibrant blue. The entire lake was transparent, and the scene at the bottom was clearly visible. A few red koi swam leisurely within it. Standing at over 1,000 meters high, Tang Huai could still see the lake bottom?!

Tang Huai had always been calm, but at this moment, he had to admit he was encountering something supernatural. A faint breeze brushed past, causing him to quickly turn around. As the sun set, a black curtain seemed to sweep in from the ocean toward the island, rapidly engulfing the direction from which he had come.

Yet, the lake before him remained a brilliant blue.

The lake wasn’t large, and surrounding it were vibrant Dragon Blood Trees, fairy-like Angel Oaks, and eerie Dark Hedges… Trees from various parts of the world gathered here in a strange but harmonious way. Combined with the blue lake, it looked like a paradise.

But Tang Huai didn’t feel like he was in paradise. Instead, his scalp tingled.

He wanted to go back, but night had quickly fallen, and the path behind him was now shrouded in darkness. His phone still had 52% battery, but the coast at night might not be safe.

After thinking it over, Tang Huai headed toward the lake. Alone and having come this far, he had no choice but to continue.

The lake sat at the foot of the mountain. After another hour of descending, Tang Huai finally arrived at the lake’s edge.

The blue lake was encircled by trees, with a total area about the size of a small garden. Apart from the green trees, there were no animals, birds, or flowers—just an overwhelming sense of greenery.

Carefully moving through the forest, Tang Huai approached the lake. Up close, the lake was just as clear and calm as it had been from the mountain top.

Tang Huai froze for a moment. Besides the blue lake, he also saw something unexpected.

In the open area between the lake and the forest stood a human-sized statue. The statue depicted an old man, around seventy years old, wearing a wide-brimmed, high-crowned felt hat, multi-pocket jeans, and cowboy boots with spurs… The overall look resembled a western cowboy, though there were slight differences in the clothing details.

The entire statue was a deep bronze color, incredibly lifelike.

Upon seeing the statue, Tang Huai stood still, his expression turning peculiar.

The figure depicted on the statue was none other than his granduncle, Tang Wangchun. Although Tang Huai had never met him in person, he had been frequently looking at photos of Tang Wangchun recently. Compared to the photos, the statue of Tang Wangchun appeared full of vigor, like a sprightly old man.

In the statue, Tang Wangchun held a book in one hand and a hoe in the other, his pose both strange and animated.

There were a few white spots on Tang Wangchun’s hat. Out of respect for his elders, Tang Huai used his sleeve to wipe them away.

Once the spots were gone, three large, flowing characters appeared underneath, spelling out “Sora Island.”

“Ding, system unlocking… 37%, 62%, 85%… Unlock complete, mission update.”

Host Name: Tang Huai Age: 21 years

Occupation: [Primary] Island Owner of Sora Island, [Secondary] Owner of Great Tang Fruits.
Unlocked Area: Blue Sea Lake, 1/50.

Current Task: Live alone on Sora Island for ten days to familiarize yourself with the island’s culture.

Task Progress: 0.002%

Task Reward: Unknown

Newcomer Benefits: Holistic understanding, physical enhancement.”

Before Tang Huai could process what was happening, a string of cold system prompts echoed in his mind.

Tang Huai: … He must be hallucinating.

“Ding, system mission has been issued. Please claim it promptly.” The voice came again.

“Who are you?” Tang Huai asked once more. Suddenly, he remembered hearing a similar voice when he had fallen into the water.

“Welcome to the Grand Island Owner System. I am FD730, your personal assistant.” The voice responded.

Tang Huai realized he wasn’t hallucinating.

“I refuse,” Tang Huai said, frowning.

Outwardly, he appeared calm, but inside, he was highly alert. The intensely green forest, the brilliant blue lake, and the statue of Tang Wangchun… Having grown up under the red flag for 21 years, everything he had experienced today was shattering his worldview. Whether it was the system or the title of “Grand Island Owner,” Tang Huai knew he had to leave this place.

“Refusal will result in execution by the Pacific Ocean.” FD730 stated precisely. Though the voice was calm, Tang Huai’s pupils shrank slightly at the word “execution.” From the markings on the statue and the label on the hat, it was clear that this island was indeed Sora Island.

Sora Island was over 500 nautical miles from where he had fallen into the water—roughly the distance from Beijing to Luohe.

By any normal reasoning, he shouldn’t have survived the shipwreck.

“Host, the ultimate goal of the Grand Island Owner System is to assist you in building a world-class ocean resort island…” FD730 continued to explain the mission rules, paying no attention to Tang Huai’s reaction.

Tang Huai steadied himself and didn’t interrupt.

Half an hour later, Tang Huai had a clear understanding of the mission’s structure. Additionally, he now knew the reason why he had become the “chosen one” of the system. After the system finished explaining, Tang Huai looked at the statue of Tang Wangchun with a complicated expression. It was clear that his granduncle Tang Wangchun had played a key role in these events that had dramatically changed his life.

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