Ch 5: The World’s Number One Resort

The parchment was placed there two months ago, and its content was simple. Tang Wangchun had stayed on the island for three days, and it was during that time that he decided to pass the chip down to Tang Huai.

Tang Wangchun had been connected with the system for fifty years. Over that time, he became increasingly amazed by the chip’s power. He had achieved his current success using only two island-related technologies, yet the Grand Island Owner system contained countless such technological advancements. Tang Wangchun had wanted to study the system in-depth, but the punishment for breaking his promise was far more severe than he had imagined.

In the moment when the punishment for breaking his promise hit him, Tang Wangchun deeply regretted his decision. Perhaps he should have completed the system tasks within those fifty years. However, he knew that even if he could go back and relive it, he still wouldn’t have continued the tasks. Tang Wangchun had always been a free spirit—he enjoyed the feeling of being admired and respected, not being trapped on Sora Island completing missions.

While Tang Wangchun didn’t like doing the tasks, he couldn’t deny the far-reaching implications of the Grand Island Owner mission. He had a feeling that after completing the tasks, the host might be able to travel through the universe just like the chip. This was only his speculation.

Tang Wangchun’s decision to leave the system to Tang Huai was driven by both personal interests and family considerations. He wanted this kind of advanced technology to stay within the Tang family. But no matter the intentions, Tang Wangchun had certainly put Tang Huai in a tough spot.

The letter began with “Sorry” and ended with “Sorry.”

After reading the letter, Tang Huai examined the contents of the metal box. Inside, apart from the parchment, there was a key and a bank card. The key was for a property in Mexico, and the bank card held 10 million US dollars under Tang Huai’s name. Both the property and the money had been obtained through other means, not through the system.

Tang Huai closed the metal box and placed it on the stone table in the wooden house. Three days ago, the thought of owning an overseas villa and 10 million dollars would have filled him with excitement.

But now, the system tasks hung over him like a Damocles’ sword, dampening any sense of joy. Tang Huai gathered some firewood from the forest and found a few flexible tree branches. After weaving the branches into a simple basket, he headed toward Blue Sea Lake.

The lake was crystal clear, with colorful fish swimming around.

Tang Huai wasn’t a biologist, and his knowledge of fish was limited to common ones like carp, grass carp, and Qingjiang fish—those you’d usually find on the dinner table. He didn’t recognize the fish in Blue Sea Lake, but he suspected that they were unique to Sora Island.

Reaching the lake’s edge, Tang Huai rolled up his pants, found a shallow spot, and jumped in, using the basket to try catching some fish.

As a child, Tang Huai had caught fish in the rivers of his hometown, but he had since forgotten most of those skills. His fishing technique was clumsy, but fortunately, the fish in Blue Sea Lake hadn’t faced much danger before. When they saw the basket, they swam straight toward it, thinking it was something fun.

Tang Huai: …

And just like that, within five minutes of entering the water, Tang Huai climbed back out with a basket full of small fish. He released most of them, keeping only two.

Tang Huai sat by the lakeside, intending to start a fire using the wood he had gathered. It was a delicate skill, and after thirty minutes of trying, he hadn’t even managed to produce a single spark, let alone a flame.

“Is there any fire source on Sora Island?” Tang Huai threw the stick aside, frowning as he asked FD730. He had already accepted the fact that he had to live like a wild man for ten days, but with no other food sources available on the island except for the colorful fish in the lake, and after searching the forest without finding a single fruit, he didn’t want to eat raw fish.

Tang Huai wasn’t ready to resort to eating raw meat.

Now, with the full moon overhead, the lake was bathed in moonlight, giving it a peaceful and tranquil glow. But despite the beautiful scenery, Tang Huai’s mood was far from serene.

“Everything must be obtained by the host independently. A gentle reminder: the host can browse the system store,” FD730 responded, as precise as ever.

Tang Huai opened the system interface.

[Jackfruit Seeds], [Basic Helicopter], [Labrador AI Dog]… The system store’s interface looked much like an online shopping site. But when Tang Huai clicked on any item, the response was always the same: “No permission.”

Tang Huai thought for a moment and adjusted the search filter to show “items within permission.”

The page refreshed.

At the top were three icons: [Spiritual Herbs and Plants], [Modern Miscellaneous Goods], and [Rare Spiritual Livestock], while everything else remained grayed out.

Curious, Tang Huai opened each one.

Coconut Tree: 500 island points
Passion Fruit: 300 island points
Fertile Duckling: 800 island points
…

The store offered a wide variety of items, and after browsing for a while, Tang Huai finally found what he needed.

Modern Lighter: 200 island points
Unlimited Internet: 1GB/100 island points

Along with modern items, Tang Huai even spotted Kang Shuaifu instant noodles… at a steep price of 50 island points per cup.

Tang Huai had 1,000 system points as a gift. After some thought, he purchased a lighter and 1GB of unlimited internet.

His account balance dropped to 700.

After he clicked to make the purchase, the 3D interface transformed, and both a lighter and a “network signal” icon appeared in front of him, with options below them: [Use Now] and [Store in Inventory].

Tang Huai clicked [Use Now], and a lighter materialized out of thin air.

It was an ordinary lighter, but it did the job. Tang Huai lit the firewood, which quickly caught fire. He cleaned the fish and placed them over the flames. Without salt or spices, he’d have to make do.

The two fish would take about half an hour to cook. With nothing else to do, Tang Huai took out his phone. He had just purchased 1GB of unlimited internet, and he was curious to see if it would work…

The chip’s advanced technology proved powerful. Tang Huai turned on his phone, which still had 51% battery left. Both the signal and wireless icons were full bars.

Ding ding, ding— The phone’s notification tone started ringing continuously. Apart from the usual marketing texts, there were also many WeChat notifications.

Most of the messages were from the “T University Communication Class 6 Alumni Group.”

Tang Huai opened the group chat.

“Congrats to Old Song! I didn’t expect that out of all of us, Old Song would be the first to get married after graduation.”

“Haha, neither did I. But Song Qing and Xing Zhao really do make a great couple. Congrats, congrats! I’ll definitely be there next month.”

“Time flies… By the way, did anyone tell Tang Huai?”

“About Tang Huai and Song Qing’s situation… better not mention it to him.”

…

When Tang Huai entered the chat, the conversation was buzzing. He scrolled through the messages, feeling slightly speechless. The group had over a hundred people, and Tang Huai had always been a lurker. Over time, everyone just assumed he didn’t read the group chat…

Right now, the entire discussion revolved around Song Qing’s upcoming wedding.

Song Qing had been the student council president, tall and broad-shouldered, with long legs and a strong family background. He was well-liked at T University. During their university years, Song Qing had lived in the dorm next to Tang Huai. They weren’t particularly close, just nodding acquaintances.

In their junior year, a shy, short-haired girl in their class had asked Tang Huai to pass a love letter to Song Qing. Tang Huai had been on good terms with the girl, so he helped her out without much thought.

Song Qing opened the letter right in front of Tang Huai. Not remembering the short-haired girl, he rejected her. Tang Huai hadn’t thought much of it either. The matter could have ended there, but a few classmates had seen Song Qing open the letter. Soon, the story spread, and somehow it became known as Tang Huai delivering the love letter to Song Qing.

Tang Huai wanted to explain the situation, but the short-haired girl, heartbroken by the rejection, spent the night crying on the school rooftop. Tang Huai, worried about her mental state, decided to take the blame for the whole thing. Now, a year after graduation, he was surprised to find that people were still bringing it up occasionally.

“Sigh, he might not have been the top heartthrob of the school, but Tang Huai was at least the most handsome guy in our communications class. Now selling fruit after graduation? That’s a bit tragic.”

“Quit your gossiping! What does Song Qing’s wedding have to do with Tang Huai? Talking about people behind their backs, is that fun?”

“Heh, Tang Huai hasn’t said a word yet. What are you showing off for, Ma Chuan?”

…

The group chat continued, but Tang Huai found it uninteresting and was about to close it when he noticed something in the latest messages. To his surprise, the conversation had spiraled into an argument between Ma Chuan and another classmate.

The one arguing with Ma Chuan was a classmate named Lu Dayu or something similar—Tang Huai didn’t remember him well. But since Ma Chuan was standing up for him, Tang Huai felt it wouldn’t be right to stay silent.

@MaChuan “So Song Qing is getting married? Haha, it’s been a year since we last met, we should have a get-together.”

“Whoa, Tang’s not lurking anymore? Haven’t seen you in a while, how are things?”

“Big class heartthrob! Post a video, let the girls feast their eyes.”

“What’s he up to? Probably manning the fruit stand.”

Tang Huai had just replied, but before Ma Chuan could respond, several classmates, mostly girls, started chiming in. Of course, Lu Dayu threw in his usual sarcastic remarks.

Tang Huai frowned. He couldn’t figure out what he had done to annoy Lu Dayu so much.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew, creating ripples across the lake. The moonlight, Blue Sea Lake, and the Angel Oak trees made the surrounding scenery incredibly beautiful.

Tang Huai thought for a moment, then adjusted his camera and turned on the recording mode.

Half a minute later, a 10-second video was uploaded to the chat group. Everyone opened it.

It was 11 a.m. in China, with the sun high in the sky. But the short video showed a night scene. In the video, a full moon hung in the sky like a giant jade disc, surrounded by twinkling stars, creating a scene that looked straight out of an animated movie.

The camera shook slightly, panning from the sky down to a pool of deep blue water. The lake was calm and serene, surrounded by the dreamlike Angel Oak trees. After a slow turn, the camera showed a small campfire, a stick with fish roasting on it… then finally, Tang Huai’s large, handsome face.

“Roasting fish,” Tang Huai said with a bright smile, showing eight gleaming teeth.

The video ended.

“Wow, where is Tang Huai? This environment is amazing!”

“Oh my gosh, are those fish in the lake? It’s a bit dark, but it’s beautiful!”

“Aren’t those Angel Oak trees? I saw them in Magical Dreamland. I’m done for… my inner fangirl is melting.”

The chat group fell into a brief silence, with everyone stunned by Tang Huai’s video. The campfire and the fish weren’t too surprising, but the background… that clearly showed he was in a different time zone. After the silence, the group exploded with even more animated discussions.

Tang Huai didn’t say much else. He simply posted a set of GPS coordinates. No one knew where Sora Island was, but based on the coordinates, it seemed to be in the Pacific Ocean?

None of them were bumpkins, but for international trips, most had only been to Southeast Asia, Japan, or Hawaii. Seeing Tang Huai on a remote, unheard-of island—it was as niche as it could get.

The more exclusive the travel destination, the higher the prestige. More importantly, everyone had assumed Tang Huai, who ran a fruit shop, was living a modest life, like a fruit vendor at the neighborhood market.

But the video he posted completely shattered those assumptions.

Tang Huai didn’t care about their thoughts. After posting the location, he turned off his phone.

Just then, a delicious aroma wafted through the air—the fish were ready.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️