Ch 32: The World’s Number One Resort

“It’s been over an hour, and we haven’t seen a single person.”

“I’m so exhausted, I just want water…”

By 5:30 p.m., the sun was sinking to meet the horizon. The group stood halfway up the canyon, beginning to doubt whether anyone lived on the island at all. After following tracks for an hour and a half, all they could see was more mountains and valleys.

The entire island was barren, with not a single plant in sight. From the environment alone, it seemed utterly uninhabitable.

“I’m not going any further. It’s just mountains ahead. There’s no way anyone lives here. We should go back to the beach—maybe we’ll run into a passing ship…” Zhao Kuan slumped to the ground, complaining in a dejected tone. At five feet seven and over 160 pounds, he had nearly reached his physical limit.

The group paused to rest. Truth be told, everyone was starting to feel uneasy. After hours of grueling effort, their patience was nearly exhausted. Unlike the four men, the two women silently followed without complaining. They understood that survival was going to be much harder for them compared to the men.

“Just hang in there. Once we get over this mountain, if we still don’t find anyone, we’ll head back,” Kyle said after taking a brief rest. He looked up at the steep incline ahead of them, panting heavily. This was the second peak they had climbed, standing over 500 meters tall— the highest in the area.

There were plenty of scattered footprints on the first mountain, which indicated that other people had passed through. This was the only thing keeping them going at this point.

“Just a bit longer,” Kyle encouraged as he surveyed the mountain. Li Suhao glanced up as well, estimating that they had about 300 meters left to go, which would take them about half an hour.

“Let’s move,” Li Suhao said, and Zhao Kuan, though reluctant, got up without further complaint. After resting another five minutes, the group resumed their trek.

“I’m definitely going to study hard when I get back,” Lulu muttered to Xin Xin at the back of the group, her voice choked with emotion. Both women were students at Beijing Art University with promising futures, and they were now realizing how reckless this adventure had been.

“Me too,” Xin Xin replied, hugging Lulu. Their hair was disheveled, and their bikinis were wrinkled and far from their usual social media-perfect image.

…

“Ahhh! A forest! An oasis!”

“I feel dizzy… is this an illusion? How could there be such a big forest here?”

“There’s a blue lake in the middle of the forest. Oh my god, it’s beautiful! We found water!”

While Lulu and Xin Xin were mechanically climbing the mountain, Kyle and Li Suhao were the first to reach the peak, followed by Zhao Kuan and Sun Lei. The four men stood in stunned silence for about ten seconds before erupting into cheers louder than World Cup fans. Their excitement was palpable.

Lulu and Xin Xin snapped out of their fatigue and rushed to the top of the mountain.

Thirty seconds later, all six stood in a row at the summit. As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sea red, they gazed at a lush green oasis. At the center of the greenery was a shimmering blue lake, its surface sparkling in the evening light. The surrounding mist gave the entire scene an ethereal, paradise-like quality.

This was a hidden oasis nestled in a canyon.

“It’s so beautiful…” Lulu whispered in awe, feeling like she had glimpsed heaven in the middle of despair.

“Wait, is that a road? This is unbelievable!”

The group tried to stay calm, but Sun Lei pointed to the southern side of the oasis in astonishment. They looked where he was pointing and saw a winding road stretching into the distance, resembling a long, coiling snake. The road twisted and turned like something out of a scenic mountain path, and though they couldn’t see its middle section, it was clear that it extended a long way.

So, this was a modernized island?

Without needing any prompting from Kyle, after five minutes of marveling at the sight, the group eagerly started descending the mountain. With a clear destination ahead, their pace was lighter and faster this time. As they drew closer to the oasis, everything became sharper and more distinct, and the air itself felt ten times fresher.

Fifty minutes later, the six of them stood at the entrance to the oasis, a lush green forest with a wide variety of trees surrounding them. Before them stretched a long hedge-lined corridor, more magical in appearance than even the mysterious ancient roads of Ireland.

“Is this Alice’s Wonderland?” Lulu exclaimed in disbelief. If Li Suhao, Zhao Kuan, and the others hadn’t been by her side, she would have thought she was dreaming.

“Let’s keep moving,” Li Suhao said with a long sigh, resolutely stepping forward. The environment was strange, but compared to the dangers of the sea, they had no choice but to continue.

“If only we had a phone…” Xin Xin remarked as she admired the eerie trees surrounding them. The fresh forest air had swept away their exhaustion. She regretted not being able to capture this mystical environment, knowing it would surely become a viral sensation on social media.

“True,” Li Suhao agreed, which was rare for him. The scenery here was brimming with a mysterious beauty, far more captivating than any meticulously edited landscape photo.

“There’s a statue! Sora Island… is that the name of this island?” Sun Lei’s voice echoed from ahead after they had walked along the hedge corridor for another twenty minutes.

Sun Lei, who was athletic and loved to be in the lead, had been walking ahead of the group. The others hurried to catch up.

He stood in front of a life-sized bronze statue, holding a book in one hand and a hoe in the other, with an overall quirky appearance. The figure was dressed in a cowboy outfit and wore a wide-brimmed hat, with the words “Sora Island” carved onto it.

“Great Tang Overseas Resort… It’s written in Chinese! This looks like a Chinese resort,” Zhao Kuan exclaimed, stepping forward as if he’d just made a grand discovery.

In front of the statue was a large wooden sign, three meters tall and two meters wide, inscribed with the words “Great Tang Overseas Resort,” along with an English translation beneath.

The group had been too focused on the statue to notice the sign earlier.

“The letters are laser-engraved…” Li Suhao inspected the sign, quickly concluding that the modern technology used for the inscription made it unmistakably contemporary, despite the rustic, handcrafted look of the sign itself.

…

“Let’s keep going.”

After studying the sign, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. This wasn’t some drug den or terrorist hideout—thankfully, they now had some clarity about the island. Feeling a sense of ease, they continued walking, and after another few steps, the path turned a corner, revealing an astonishing scene.

Before them lay a bright blue lake, hidden amidst the canyon and forest, resembling a miniature version of the famous Heavenly Lake in Changbai Mountain, but with an even clearer and more refreshing atmosphere.

“Blue Sea Lake…” The group approached, and near the lakeside stood another smaller sign, engraved with the words “Blue Sea Lake.”

The stunning environment seemed perfect for tourism development.

“It’s fresh water, safe to drink.”

Kyle knelt by the lakeside, cupped his hands, and drank deeply from the lake. Seeing this, the others, parched from a day and night without water and drained from physical exertion, rushed to the lake to drink as well. The cool water filled them with a sense of bliss, as if their entire bodies had been rejuvenated.

After quenching their thirst, they lay by the lakeside as the moon began to rise. Bathed in moonlight, they felt utterly content.

“Ah, there are a bunch of treehouses here! And they’ve got bedding and everything,” Sun Lei, who had been exploring the area, returned excitedly to share his discovery.

Earlier, they had noticed how quiet the Blue Sea Lake and surrounding forest were, with no sign of anyone around. Now, hearing Sun Lei’s words, everyone sprang up. There were indeed numerous treehouses around the lake, each uniquely designed. Inside, they found everything—washbasins, bathtubs, and more. If these treehouses were in China, they would definitely be a top-tier, trendy boutique hotel.

The group checked out the nearest treehouses, and half an hour later, they gathered once again near Blue Sea Lake.

By now, everyone had wrapped themselves in a couple of silk quilts they had taken from the treehouses. Although the temperature near the lake wasn’t too low, they had been in bikinis and beach shorts all day, and after walking for hours, they felt exhausted. Now, with the warm quilts, they felt a deep sense of comfort. In addition to the quilts, they also found plenty of food and were devouring it hungrily.

“What should we do next?” After they had eaten their fill, the group sat in a circle, exchanging uncertain glances. Though this place seemed to be a resort, it was completely deserted. They had waited for over an hour, but they couldn’t just sit around endlessly.

“Let’s go back to the treehouses, take a shower, and get some rest. We can figure things out when someone shows up,” Sun Lei suggested in his rough voice after some discussion.

“But wouldn’t it be rude to just move in without the owner’s permission…” Lulu began to reason, only for Sun Lei to cut her off.

“What’s rude about it? We’re in an emergency situation!”

The group fell silent. Moving into the treehouses without permission didn’t feel right, but survival instincts made them reluctant to consider the ethical implications too deeply.

“I’m sure the island’s owner would understand…”

“And what if I don’t agree?”

“Who are you?”

Sun Lei, seeing that the others were softening to his idea, pressed on. But before he could finish his sentence, a crisp male voice interrupted from a short distance away. Sun Lei instinctively snapped back, but then realized something was wrong—there were only six of them, so who had just spoken?

Everyone, including Kyle and Li Suhao, quickly turned their heads.

Emerging from the direction of the dark hedge was a young man carrying a yellow dog in his arms. The young man was dressed in a simple, sack-like linen outfit and wore black cloth shoes. He was handsome and strikingly attractive, and under the moonlight, against the eerie backdrop of the hedge, he looked like a forest priest walking in the light of the moon.

“Woof—” The yellow dog in the man’s arms growled cautiously at the group, but the young man gently stroked its neck, calming the dog down.

The group realized this was the same yellow dog they had seen earlier on the beach. Sun Lei, upon recognizing the dog, immediately retreated behind the others.

Goodness! Judging by the dog’s fierce demeanor, if they weren’t careful, it would surely attack!

…

“Hello, we encountered a shipwreck last night. Our navigation and communication equipment were damaged, and we were hoping to stay on the island for the night. I’m Li Suhao from Kalan Cosmetics. You’re from China too, right? Have you heard of Kalan Cosmetics?”

Li Suhao coughed lightly, stepping forward to introduce himself. The young man appeared to be around twenty years old, and his fluent Chinese and interaction with the yellow dog suggested he was the island’s owner. Even if he wasn’t the owner, he was likely connected to the island.

Although Li Suhao spoke politely, there was a hint of arrogance in his tone—likely due to the fact that Kalan Cosmetics was a multi-billion-dollar company in China. He was used to being admired and treated with deference, which was evident in his manner of speaking. That subtle superiority was also influenced by the young man’s age and appearance—had the young man been a 30-something Pacific cartel leader, Li Suhao would certainly have adopted a different attitude.

“Never heard of it,” Tang Huai replied with a chuckle, shutting down the conversation. Of course, he had heard of Kalan Cosmetics. Their affordable beauty products were widely advertised in China, and Tang Huai had been subjected to Kalan’s relentless ads while watching TV shows.

But Tang Huai had no interest in continuing the conversation. In fact, he was fuming inside.

It was the fifteenth day of his task. Da Huang, the yellow dog, had entered its growth phase, the spiritual plants in the fields were thriving, and the flock of sheep and chickens were growing healthily. Everything had been progressing perfectly…

Today, after tending to the fields and feeding the sheep, Tang Huai found himself with some free time, so he decided to head over to the Snow Village Scenic Area to put up an advertisement board.

The advertisement board had been brought in one of the containers by Hank. The Great Tang Resort was a long-term project, and Tang Huai wanted to make things as professional as possible. In addition to the “Great Tang Overseas Resort” advertisement board, he also had simplified boards for places like “Blue Sea Lake,” “Snow Village Scenic Area,” and “Blue Sea-Snow Village Highway.” Over the past few days, he had been completing his tasks while setting up the advertisement boards.

These advertisement boards were temporary; once Sora Island was fully operational and had accumulated enough island credits, he planned to replace them with system-generated ones.

Today, Tang Huai was setting up the “Snow Village Scenic Area” board.

He rode a bike to the area, and after putting up the board, he spent some time wandering around the Snow Village. His current outfit, bought in Mexico, had a touch of local ethnic flair and was quite practical for herding sheep. Tang Huai enjoyed a leisurely ride before heading back, but instead of returning to Blue Sea Lake, he went to the coastline.

There, he noticed a half-damaged boat, the sheep huddled halfway up the hill, and the feed scattered haphazardly across the ground…

Realizing something was wrong, Tang Huai quickly understood the severity of the situation—someone had come to Sora Island.

Da Huang circled around his legs, barking anxiously. The dog then grabbed a chick in its mouth and ran a few steps towards the hillside. Seeing Da Huang’s agitated reaction, Tang Huai quickly understood that these intruders had not only tried to steal the chickens but had also ventured to Blue Sea Lake.

Tang Huai asked Da Huang for more details, but the dog couldn’t communicate clearly. Without wasting any more time, Tang Huai picked up Da Huang and sprinted towards Blue Sea Lake.

As he ran, Tang Huai analyzed the motives of this group. Judging by the condition and decorations of the boat, they seemed to be shipwreck survivors, not pirates or smugglers. These uninvited guests served as a wake-up call for Tang Huai. In the past, the island had remained largely hidden from the world thanks to the system’s protection. But as the island grew and developed, it became clear that he could no longer afford to be so carefree.

Sora Island needed to start implementing proper security measures.

Thanks to his “Strength and Fitness” ability, Tang Huai made it to Blue Sea Lake in under an hour. As he approached, he overheard the group discussing spending the night in the treehouses.

Tang Huai: ……

Seriously? First, these six people arrived uninvited, then they trashed the feed, and now they were looting the silk quilts from the treehouses like invaders. More importantly, the chickens had nearly disappeared, and his task had almost failed!

While he sympathized with their shipwreck, that wasn’t his responsibility. If they had followed proper procedures, Tang Huai would have been more than happy to host them. But now… Tang Huai was furious!

“It seems you’re not too familiar with China…” Li Suhao, oblivious to Tang Huai’s expression, continued speaking. Tang Huai looked handsome but seemed too young. Li Suhao assumed Tang Huai had lived abroad for a long time and hadn’t heard of Kalan Cosmetics.

“You want to stay for the night?” Tang Huai interrupted Li Suhao’s lengthy introduction.

“Yes,” Li Suhao nodded seriously. With water and shelter available, staying here was obviously preferable to the cold boat.

“I don’t agree.” Just as Li Suhao thought Tang Huai would agree, Tang Huai shook his head.

“What?” Li Suhao was stunned, quickly realizing he had been played by this young man.

“Where’s the person in charge? I’ll talk to him,” Li Suhao asked, his tone growing impatient. He had never been treated like this in his life.

“I’m the one in charge.”

“We’re all from China, is there really a need to be this unreasonable?” Li Suhao caught a hint of Tang Huai’s accent and tried to appeal to him.

“There’s no need, but I don’t want you staying here tonight.”

“What the hell, are you even Chinese? Did you forget about Chinese virtues?” Sun Lei, seeing Li Suhao losing ground, jumped in angrily. Da Huang growled low, and Sun Lei quickly backed off.

“Is this what you call Chinese virtues?” Tang Huai looked around, amused. He noticed that the group wasn’t just wearing silk quilts—they had also scattered bags of chips and beer cans by the lakeside, items he had painstakingly transported in the containers. He could understand the chips since they were hungry, but what about the beer? Did they have any idea how hard it was to ship two cases of beer across the ocean?

The situation was at a stalemate.

Kyle and Zhao Kuan stood behind Li Suhao, while Lulu and Xinxin nervously held hands. After ten minutes of tense confrontation, it was still just Tang Huai standing alone against the group. Based on what they had seen on the island, they began to suspect that maybe… Tang Huai was the only one here.

The yellow dog seemed intimidating, but there were six of them. If things escalated, it would be unlikely that just one man and a dog could overpower them.

“We only want to stay for a few nights. Once we return to China, we can offer you a generous reward,” Li Suhao, emboldened by their numbers, started negotiating with Tang Huai.

“Ali!” Tang Huai ignored him and shouted into the forest. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps approached rapidly. During the days when Jon had come to deliver goods, Tang Huai had rented a one-month contract for Ali, and there were still three days left before it expired.

Ali stood at 1.9 meters tall, muscular, and strong, resembling a professional boxer. Since Ali was a non-intelligent AI, he had a bit of a stoic expression, and his cold gaze added to his intimidating presence.

Dressed in a black tank top, Ali’s appearance left Li Suhao and the others stunned.

“Move the bicycles to the road entrance,” Tang Huai said with a smile, showing off his bright teeth as he gave Ali instructions. He had bought twenty bicycles, and aside from the one he rode today, the rest were stacked near Blue Sea Lake.

Without a word, Ali walked over to the pile of bicycles, effortlessly lifting ten bikes as if stacking building blocks. He ran swiftly and smoothly towards the road, disappearing from sight in no time.

Li Suhao and the others were taken aback by Ali’s display of strength. He was clearly formidable, and they were just ordinary people. If Ali fought them, it would probably be as easy as swatting flies. More importantly, it seemed like Ali had appeared out of nowhere—they had no idea how many more people might be on the island.

“Brother…” Li Suhao softened his tone, forcing a sheepish smile as he addressed Tang Huai.

“You mentioned offering a reward?” Tang Huai glanced at the group and asked brightly.

Kyle, carrying a black backpack, still hadn’t set it down despite being wrapped in a silk quilt, clearly signaling that whatever was inside must be quite important…

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️