Ch 36: The World’s Number One Resort

Mixing feed, feeding chickens, herding sheep… over the next two days, the group’s routine was both structured and fulfilling. Apart from herding the sheep at scheduled times, their favorite activity was eating fish.

Blue Sea Fish was expensive, and while they only indulged occasionally to satisfy their cravings, the total cost came to $32,000 in the past two days—over 200,000 yuan, which made these some of the priciest fish they had ever eaten. Still, they thoroughly enjoyed it. Whether it was real or just in their minds, after eating the fish, they felt more refreshed than when they first arrived.

“Goo goo goo—”

“Sun Lei, your sheep is running into my area! Get it back. Ugh, it pulled on my pant leg…”

On the third morning, Li Suhao and the others were feeding the sheep as usual. There were six of them, responsible for over eighty sheep. Over time, they had split the flock into five groups, with Lulu and Xinxin in one group, each team responsible for the feeding and care of about twenty sheep. At that moment, one of the sheep Sun Lei was in charge of, after finishing its meal, wandered into Li Suhao’s area.

“That’s not mine; it’s Zhao Kuan’s sheep,” Sun Lei said decisively as he glanced at the sheep while sweeping up the dung. His sheep weren’t that fat.

“It’s not mine… how are we supposed to tell whose is whose?” Zhao Kuan, who was feeding the chickens, grumbled as he glanced up. The sheep had all eaten and were now mingling, making it impossible to tell them apart.

Fine, no point in arguing now. They decided to just clean up all the dung together. Oddly enough, what had once been a chore now brought them a strange kind of satisfaction—perhaps they had developed a bit of a Stockholm syndrome.

As Li Suhao and the others diligently cleaned up after the sheep, a large cargo ship, nearly a hundred meters long and five stories tall, was speeding towards Sora Island in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

“Secretary Liu, how much longer until we arrive? Suhao has never really suffered before, and he’s been drifting at sea for so long…” On the deck of the ship, a plump woman in her fifties was tearfully speaking to Secretary Liu.

Secretary Liu, whose full name was Liu Qian, was a diplomatic secretary from the Mexican embassy and responsible for this rescue operation. The plump woman was Li Suhao’s mother, and beside her stood a stern-looking middle-aged man, Li Suhao’s father. Several other well-dressed middle-aged men and women stood nearby, all with somber expressions. These were the parents of Sun Lei and the others.

While Li Suhao and his friends liked to have fun, they weren’t irresponsible. Their parents, aware of their adventurous nature, had simply urged them to be careful before their departure, without interfering too much. The group had called home every day to check in.

But a week ago, the calls suddenly stopped. At first, the parents thought they had just forgotten, but after a day with no word, they began to worry. When the parents contacted each other, they realized that all the kids were missing.

The parents were frantic with worry, dropping everything to focus on finding their children. Just as panic was setting in, they received a call from the Chinese embassy in Mexico. The embassy informed them that their children had been caught in a sea disaster but were safe and had landed on a small island called Sora Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Without hesitation, the parents immediately flew to Mexico. After meeting with the embassy, they requested helicopter rescue, but due to strong air currents around the island, small helicopters couldn’t fly safely. After careful discussion, the embassy arranged for a large cargo ship, Shark, to conduct the rescue. The Shark was faster and more efficient than typical rescue ships, with a displacement of over 150,000 tons.

Having spoken to their children and knowing they were safe for now, the parents were somewhat relieved. However, since Sora Island was a previously unheard-of place, they imagined their children stranded like Robinson Crusoe on a deserted island… it was heartbreaking.

The ship had set sail a day later than expected, and throughout the journey, the parents had been filled with anxiety and worry.

“We’ve now reached 10 degrees north latitude. It’s about 20 nautical miles to go,” Secretary Liu informed them. He was a third-class secretary responsible for this rescue mission. Since Li Suhao’s father and the other parents were well-known entrepreneurs in China, the embassy took this mission very seriously. The ship had already traveled over 2,000 nautical miles, and 20 more miles was just a blink away.

“Can we go any faster…?” The plump woman, anxious for her son, felt that every passing second was torturous.

“I’ll do my best…” Liu Qian responded, a bit helpless. This was already the fastest they could go while ensuring safe navigation.

“Alright, our son is on the island, not out at sea. We’ve already waited seven days, what’s another hour or two?” said Li Guoqiang, Li Suhao’s father. His name was quite common, and though he missed his son deeply, he was more restrained in showing his emotions.

“Suhao… sigh.” The plump woman grew emotional, feeling a pang of sadness as she thought about how little attention she had paid to her son growing up.

Amidst this heavy atmosphere, the Shark steadily moved forward. Half an hour later, the ship entered the vicinity of Sora Island. The island appeared eerie and cold, shrouded in mist. Perhaps due to their mood, as the group looked at the island, they couldn’t shake a sense of unease, as if they were approaching something unknown and surreal.

The sound of the ship’s horn rang out as a gray-clad sailor ran toward the captain’s cabin. The captain came down and spoke rapidly to Liu Qian, who then approached Li Guoqiang and the others.

“The beach up ahead is too shallow; we’ll need to take rubber boats to get ashore,” Liu Qian explained, pointing toward the island. The surrounding area of Sora Island was lined with jagged rocks, and the only place suitable for landing was the Sora Port. Since the Shark was a large cargo vessel, and the port’s water level was too shallow, only smaller boats could dock.

“That’s fine,” Li Guoqiang agreed, caring little about the mode of transport as long as he could reunite with his son. Soon, five rubber boats were lowered from the Shark, and Li Guoqiang, Liu Qian, and the others climbed aboard.

The Shark was about a mile from Sora Island, and once everyone was ready, the rubber boats slowly made their way to shore.

…

“Xinxin, how’s your cooking? How about we make some braised fish tonight?” On Sora Island, the sheep were busy on the mountainside, producing wave after wave of droppings. White sheep truly were remarkable creatures, capable of endless rounds of droppings…

Zhao Kuan was feeling a bit hungry and casually made the suggestion while sitting on the ground.

“Ugh, gross! Let’s talk about that later,” Xinxin, having just finished dumping some trash, wrinkled her nose in disgust. Zhao Kuan really had no sense of timing!

“It’s been six days now. I wonder when the rescue team will finally get here…” Zhao Kuan muttered, shifting the conversation to the rescue team.

“They should be close. Didn’t we just talk to the embassy last night? They’ve already passed Clipperton Island, so they should be here within the next couple of days. If anything, we could borrow Tang’s phone at Blue Sea Lake to call again.”

“Honestly… I don’t even mind staying longer. Life on this island isn’t so bad. I wouldn’t mind spending a few more days here.”

As they talked, the group began to feel a bit melancholic about the thought of leaving. The unique scenery, the fresh air—it had all made their stay on Sora Island incredibly pleasant. Even the sheep and chicks had grown on them, becoming far more endearing.

“There they are! We’ve found them!”

“Over here!”

Suddenly, excited shouts came from the direction of the beach, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. The group turned around to see a dozen burly men in black rescue uniforms approaching, with a few familiar Chinese faces among them.

“Suhao!” Leading the group was a Chinese woman who, upon seeing Li Suhao, immediately burst into tears.

“Mom…” Li Suhao’s voice caught in his throat. Just moments earlier, he had thought staying on the island for a couple more days wouldn’t be so bad. But now, seeing his mother, he couldn’t help but long for home.

“I want to go home.”

“Dad…”

The other parents rushed over, turning the island into an impromptu reunion scene.

“What have you all been doing here?” After the emotional reunions, the parents began to notice something unusual. There were flocks of chickens and sheep around, and a large yellow dog lazily lying halfway up the mountain. Moreover, their children were all dressed in dusty clothes, and to top it off, Sun Lei was holding a poop shovel… What in the world was going on?

“Uh… farm life… Oh, Tang is here. Tang, over here!” Li Suhao, feeling a bit embarrassed, tried to gloss over it. “Farm life” sounded much better than explaining the reality of sheep herding. Just as he finished speaking, Tang Huai came down the hill, and Li Suhao eagerly waved him over.

…

“Great Tang Overseas Resort?” Half an hour later, the group was back on the rubber boats heading toward the Shark. On the shore, Liu Qian looked at the official information about Sora Island, his expression one of surprise.

Liu Qian, a secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Mexico, was handling the rescue operation. Tang Huai, as the owner of the Great Tang Resort, was not directly connected to the embassy’s mission, but since Sora Island was near Mexico, Tang Huai thought it wouldn’t hurt to introduce himself.

He handed Liu Qian a business card from the Great Tang Overseas Resort.

“Tang, we are very grateful for your help. Without Sora Island taking them in, this rescue operation wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.” After examining the card, Liu Qian naturally pocketed it. Though he didn’t show it outwardly, he was quite intrigued.

Sora Island, a massive island spanning nearly 100,000 square meters, was roughly the size of Hong Kong Island and located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Liu Qian, having come out for a rescue mission, was surprised to discover a fellow Chinese citizen running a resort on such a remote island.

It was remarkable, to say the least.

Liu Qian wanted to ask more, but with so many people around, he decided to save it for another time.

“Tang, remember me!” Li Suhao and the others were already seated in the rubber boats, waving to Tang Huai as they prepared to depart. Li Suhao waved vigorously.

Tang Huai gave them an “OK” gesture. Since the rescue team needed to return to the Shark, they couldn’t stay on the island any longer. Li Suhao and the others had nothing left to bring back, though they did think wistfully of the Blue Sea fish. After some thought, Li Suhao pleaded with Tang Huai to ship a few fish back to them…

Tang Huai, who would be heading to Mexico after completing his tasks, agreed without hesitation.

Liu Qian returned to the rubber boat. Once everyone was seated, the boats started back toward the Shark. As Li Suhao watched Sora Island shrink in the distance, he felt a growing sense of sadness.

“See you next time!” Halfway through the ride, Li Suhao suddenly stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs. Not only him, but Lulu and the others also waved enthusiastically. Over the past few days, they had grown attached to the sheep they’d been herding. Just before leaving, they had even wanted to take a few with them, but Tang Huai had declined, so they had to let it go.

What a pity.

The five rubber boats gradually disappeared from Tang Huai’s view.

“Woof—” Just then, Da Huang trotted over and rubbed against Tang Huai’s pants.

“Let’s head back,” Tang Huai said, picking up Da Huang and giving his fur a couple of strokes. Da Huang was now in the middle of his growth phase, no longer as chubby and cute as before but still quite majestic. Tang Huai was very curious about what Da Huang would look like once fully grown…

That evening at eight o’clock, Tang Huai returned to the Blue Sea Treehouse. The whole Blue Sea Forest was quiet, without the usual commotion. With Li Suhao and the others gone, Tang Huai found himself feeling a bit out of place.

He didn’t have fish for dinner tonight; instead, he made a cup of instant noodles. Tomato and egg flavor—it was passable.

After eating, he quickly fell asleep.

“Ding! System updating. Congratulations to the host for achieving the ‘Minor Fame’ milestone. The reputation system has been unlocked.

Sole Host: Tang Huai
Occupation: [Primary] Island Master of Sora Island. [Secondary] Owner of Great Tang Fruit Store.
Unlocked Areas: Blue Sea Lake, Snow Village. 2/50
Current Task: Cultivate 10 acres of Sora spiritual plants, raise 100+ spiritual livestock. 21/30
Task Rewards: [Store Card] x3, [Building Card] x2, [Game Project Card] x1, [Lucky Spin] x1
Island Value: 92,000
Reputation Value: 1.36 million [Note: The reputation-to-island-value ratio is 1:1. Reputation points can be used to purchase reputation items.]”

The next morning, Tang Huai was awoken by the sound of system notifications. Glancing at the updated interface, he was a bit dazed… He’d gone to bed, and the system had automatically leveled up?

The main upgrade this time was the reputation. Tang Huai noticed that his reputation value had reached 1.36 million… but where did all these reputation points come from?

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