Ch 53: The World’s Number One Resort

“I turned this place into an indoor arcade. What do you think? Looks grand, doesn’t it?” Five hours later, aboard the Great Tang No. 1, Alang led Tang Huai to a newly renovated indoor hall of over 100 square meters.

The Great Tang No. 1 is 50 meters long and 10 meters wide, with upper, middle, and lower decks. Though not a large vessel, its overall space is decent. This indoor hall is located on the second floor of the yacht. Previously, it was used to store beer bottles, broken tables, and chairs. Now, after a complete renovation, it appeared clean and tidy.

The hall was filled with various arcade machines like dance machines, basketball hoops, and claw machines. Alang had ordered these from a Mexican gaming website, costing around $30,000. Since their last parting, Tang Huai had allocated an additional $100,000 to Alang for the yacht’s maintenance. Unexpectedly, Alang had used it to create a Great Tang arcade.

“Is that a slot machine?” Tang Huai walked around the arcade and furrowed his brows when he saw the orange-yellow machine on the right side of the room.

A slot machine is a type of gambling device named after the tiger images on its tokens. During Tang Huai’s school days, slot machines were common in stationery shops near the campus. As soon as school ended, students flocked to these places. Some students even skipped classes to play slot machines…

Slot machines are a form of high-risk, high-reward gambling where the payout odds can be adjusted. People often end up losing everything. Many students with previously excellent academic performance saw their grades plummet after getting addicted to these machines.

The popularity of slot machines eventually led to a crackdown by the commerce bureau. However, the lives of those who had become addicted took a sharp turn. Tang Huai’s close desk mate from middle school, who was once headed for a top school, eventually ended up in a third-rate high school due to his addiction. Tang Huai had a deep-seated disdain for slot machines. He never expected Alang to bring three of them aboard the yacht.

“Yes, I’ve played a couple of times. It’s very enticing. Once the island has more tourists, it could make us a lot of money,” Alang eagerly explained. Though his role was as a captain, he possessed the cunning nature of an intelligent AI. His second goal was to attract more tourists and earn island points, so he was willing to use any means necessary.

“Get rid of them,” Tang Huai replied calmly as Alang was contemplating the enormous profits the slot machines could bring.

“What?” Alang was stunned. Over time, his loyalty score had risen to 59 points, just shy of being satisfactory. He didn’t expect Tang Huai to outright reject his idea…

“Slot machines are legitimate; they aren’t illegal,” Alang protested, his face darkening. In North America, slot machines are legal.

“I don’t care whether it’s legal or not. Slot machines have no place on this ship. And not just slot machines—casinos, moneylenders, and such are also not allowed on this vessel,” Tang Huai declared firmly, placing his hands on the table.

A gentleman earns money through proper means. Tang Huai didn’t consider himself to be a paragon of virtue, but there were certain lines he would never cross.

“Beep! 59, 58, 57… [Boatman Alang] loyalty level abnormally declining, severe defection detected. Host, please handle this matter cautiously.” As soon as Tang Huai finished speaking, the system notifications started flooding in.

Tang Huai: … Doesn’t matter. Alang has a wild nature; if he could buy three slot machines today, he could easily set up a casino on the yacht tomorrow. Alang came from Sora Island, and Tang Huai, as a sort of guardian, needed to rein him in when necessary.

After Tang Huai’s declaration, a tense silence filled the room. Tang Huai stared at Alang, who looked back defiantly.

Half a minute later, Alang’s loyalty score dropped to 46.

“Got it,” Alang finally conceded, frustrated. He was dependent on Sora Island for survival now.

After speaking, Alang called the crew over. One by one, the three slot machines were thrown into the sea with a thud, like throwing away a treasure chest in anger. From a purely economic standpoint, they could have been returned or sold to a reseller. This action by Alang was clearly an outlet for his anger.

Tang Huai said nothing. After Alang completed the task, he turned and headed back to the cabin.

“FD730, would a rebelling AI pose any harm to tourists?” Once back in the cabin, Tang Huai asked a critical question. He had initially thought Alang was just an unruly, free-spirited AI, but the slot machine incident had made him uncertain.

He had to ensure the safety of the tourists. If Alang posed too many uncertainties, he would have no choice but to consider eliminating him humanely… In truth, after spending so much time together, Alang had become no different from a normal person in Tang Huai’s eyes. If it came to that point, Tang Huai would be reluctant to take such drastic action.

“No, a rebelling AI’s conflict lies in its relationship with Sora Island, but it will not involve regular tourists. Respecting and protecting tourists is a fundamental rule of the Grand Island Owner system,” FD730 explained earnestly.

“What’s the deal with the slot machines then?” Tang Huai asked directly.

“Slot machines do not violate the basic laws of ancient Earth,” FD730 replied after a moment of silence.

Tang Huai understood. Slot machines and casinos were not illegal, so Alang’s actions were within the system’s rules. However, as the island owner of Sora Island, Tang Huai had the authority to set new rules.

Playing games like basketball and dance machines was fine, but games that induced substantial abnormal financial loss for tourists were strictly off-limits in Tang Huai’s book.

Alang had a stubborn personality, and after attempting communication once, Tang Huai decided not to waste further efforts. Following this incident, their relationship dipped to an all-time low.

The sea remained calm, and five days later, Tang Huai returned to Mexico.

His blue Ford was parked near the port. The parking fees here were steep, but for the sake of convenience, Tang Huai didn’t mind.

It was a three-hour drive from the port to the Ring City Villa. After a brief rest, Tang Huai set off, leaving around 5 p.m. and arriving at the Ring City Highway at precisely 8 p.m.

He parked his car at a corner of the Ring City Road and headed to the HDS restaurant to buy a small cake, this time choosing mango flavor.

Since delivering the cake last time, Tang Huai had been casually chatting with Yu You on WeChat. They talked about everything under the sun, finding many common topics.

While on the boat, Tang Huai asked as usual if Yu You needed anything. This time, Yu You requested a small mango cake.

The night had grown darker, and since this was a wealthy area, the environment around the Ring City Villa was quiet and serene. Two minutes later, Tang Huai parked his car in the villa’s garage and walked toward the interior.

The dahlias on both sides of the courtyard were in full bloom. Tang Huai admired the flowers for a moment, then looked up.

The light in the room on the third floor of the villa was on, and at the window was a silhouette, seemingly watching and waiting for him from the moment he entered.

Tang Huai waved vigorously at the figure. The silhouette stood up and tried to open the window, but when it wouldn’t budge, they simply waved back at him.

Seeing that wave, Tang Huai felt a warmth in his heart. He had been independent since childhood, always solving problems on his own. Now, seeing someone waiting for him gave him a sense of calmness and reassurance.

Although he couldn’t see the person’s expression, their frantic attempts to open the window hinted at a mix of anxiety and frustration.

Tang Huai chuckled at his own thoughts, shaking his head. He had let his mind wander too far.

Regaining his composure, he grabbed the cake and walked into the villa.

“This is a mango cake, the last one from the restaurant. The spoon is inside the box,” Tang Huai said ten minutes later, now dressed in casual homewear, as he placed the cake through the small door of the flower room.

At this moment, Yu You was already fully dressed.

“Thank you,” Yu You said in a clear voice, accepting the cake through the small door. It had been thirty-two days since Tang Huai’s last visit.

Yu You wasn’t particularly fond of cake; it was more about the feeling of Tang Huai bringing it for him.

His hands had already recovered, so he took out the spoon and began eating the cake, one bite at a time.

“So, how have you been lately…” Tang Huai sat at the doorway, casually starting a conversation.

“Reading, swimming, gardening. Nothing special… Oh, by the way, is the @GreatTangOverseasResort on Douyin related to Sora Island?” Yu You asked curiously after finishing the mango on top of the cake. He had a computer and a phone there, and upon learning that Tang Huai was Chinese, he had downloaded several popular Chinese apps. He wanted to better understand the world Tang Huai lived in.

Douyin was the most popular short video app in China, so naturally, Yu You downloaded it. Lately, @YipianFenglin and “Holding the Sword, Roaming the World” had been trending, with many duet videos featuring @YipianFenglin.

While scrolling through a few videos, he noticed mentions of “Great Tang Overseas Resort.” He knew Tang Huai’s resort was called “Great Tang.”

Yu You followed the comments left by tourists and connected the dots.

Although Tang Huai didn’t appear in the videos, his voice was there. Lines like “It’s really not special effects!” had become familiar to Yu You over this period.

He became the 960,120th follower of Tang Huai’s Douyin account and the 128,256th follower on Weibo.

Yu You knew that the “Great Tang” on Douyin was Tang Huai’s, but he brought it up now simply to have more topics to talk about with him.

“Yes, it’s Sora Island. The island is just starting to get on track, so there aren’t many tourists yet…” Tang Huai, unaware of Yu You’s intentions, nodded earnestly upon hearing the question.

As they continued chatting, Tang Huai began to share some of the interesting events that had taken place on Sora Island recently, mostly focusing on the daily lives of Da Huang and the lead sheep.

Yu You listened intently, and as Tang Huai described the daily chases between the sheep and the dog, the scenes almost came alive in his mind.

With the moon high in the sky, the two chatted from nine to ten, and then from ten to midnight.

“I’m going back to China tomorrow. Is there anything you want to eat or do?” Tang Huai checked the time, then said with some regret. He didn’t realize he could be so talkative, but it was already midnight, and it was getting too late to keep chatting.

“How about hotpot?” Yu You pondered for a moment before replying. He had seen plenty of hotpot videos on Douyin, with its bright red color looking incredibly appetizing.

“I’ll be back in about a week, and then we can have hotpot together.” Tang Huai first gestured with an “OK” hand sign, but then remembered they were separated by a door, and Yu You probably couldn’t see it. Lowering his right hand, he gave a verbal reply instead.

As a true Chinese, he had been eating hotpot since childhood.

“Sounds good.” Yu You smiled.

After a few more words, Tang Huai headed back to his bedroom. Yu You put away the empty cake box. A week—it didn’t seem that far away.

Early the next morning, Tang Huai got up, freshened up, and then drove to the Mexico City International Airport.

He had already booked his flight. It was time to go back home.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️