Ch 68: The World’s Number One Resort

Tang Huai put the [Windmill] into the item inventory. After thinking for a moment, he looked back at the Lucky Wheel; he still had one more chance…

The wheel returned to its original state, and Tang Huai pressed the refresh button three times. The red pointer spun back and forth. His wish was simple—anything but another [Windmill]…

“Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the building card [Windmill], basic level.” Perhaps Tang Huai’s intention was too strong, as the system prompt chimed in once the pointer stopped.

Tang Huai: It only takes a moment to go from lucky to unlucky.

He put away the third [Windmill] card, feeling a bit… frustrated.

With the task rewards now fully claimed, even though he drew duplicates of the [Windmill], having the [Sora Airport] and [Thrilling Racing] was still quite decent.

After finishing up, it was already 2 AM. Tang Huai washed up and got ready to sleep.

Moonlight spilled into the room, and as Tang Huai gazed at it, he felt like something was missing.

Scenery cards, building cards, the Lucky Wheel—he had drawn everything. But still…

He suddenly sat up in bed.

Looking at the time, it was February 3rd, just over half a month away from the Lunar New Year.

Tang Huai opened his personal panel, and upon seeing the red icon in the upper right corner, he realized what he had forgotten.

The Lucky Egg.

The Lucky Egg was a new feature of the upgraded island owner system. Egg prices were divided into 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 points, with the chance to yield random prizes, including building cards, scenery cards, character cards, and special cards.

Each month was limited to one round of Lucky Egg smashing. Last month, he had obtained the [Windmill], [Sora Road], and [Sora Butler]. Now, with February just starting, the Lucky Egg game had refreshed.

Tang Huai opened the Lucky Egg interface and skillfully purchased three eggs. The three eggs came in light gold, gold, and golden yellow hues—the darker the color, the higher the value of the egg.

He picked up the system’s 3D hammer and, after examining the three eggs, smashed each one open.

Thirty seconds later, the three eggs were neatly arranged on the system interface.

Tang Huai clicked on the egg properties.

Egg 1: [Sora Road], five kilometers, ordinary grade.

Egg 2: [Sora Road], twenty kilometers, ordinary grade.

Egg 3: [Stroke of the Brush], rare building card, intermediate level.

The descriptions for the three prizes were quite simple.

Tang Huai: …

The Lucky Draw gave him two [Windmills], and now the Lucky Eggs had given him two [Sora Roads]. He felt like today’s luck was… quite repetitive.

The [Sora Road] was a practical item. “To get rich, build roads first.” Now he had three extra roads lying around. Compared to when he first arrived on Sora Island, the transportation situation was much better.

He could just about accept the [Sora Road].

Tang Huai put away the [Sora Road] cards. After calming himself down, he focused on the last card.

The third egg had cost 1 million points, even more expensive than the disguised laborers.

Tang Huai took out [Stroke of the Brush].

The [Stroke of the Brush] card was slightly larger than the other cards, with a light green hue overall. A faint ink line split the card into two halves. On the top was a crayon drawing of a cherry blossom, resembling a child’s casual doodle. The bottom half depicted a dense grove of cherry blossoms, offering a stark contrast to the simplistic top half.

The characters “Stroke of the Brush” followed the card’s theme: half of the characters appeared as childlike scribbles, while the other half were rendered in a bold and expressive calligraphic style.

[Stroke of the Brush]: When technology and imagination merge, the legend of the magical brush is no longer just a tale.

The description was brief, and Tang Huai flipped the card over before placing it in the item inventory. Judging from the description and the card design, it seemed to be a fantasy-themed building.

It was now nearing 3 AM, and the world outside was silent. Tang Huai decided to rest for the night and explore [Thrilling Racing] and [Stroke of the Brush] tomorrow.

He felt a twinge of anticipation as he drifted off to sleep.

…

“Owwwooo…” Early the next morning, at the break of dawn, Tang Huai was woken up by the sound of howling and the sensation of something wet on his face.

Tang Huai opened his eyes to see Da Huang, eyes wide and tongue out, happily snuggling close to his face.

Tang Huai: …

“Had enough to eat?” Tang Huai wiped the drool off his face, sitting up in bed with a look of resignation. Over the past few days of indulgence, Da Huang had gone from a slightly chubby 100 pounds to a rotund 130 pounds…

All thanks to the Fruit Kingdom.

While the Fruit Kingdom didn’t inherently cause weight gain, Da Huang’s unique physique and gluttonous habits turned him into this spherical form in just half a month.

Tang Huai had tried to stop him a few times, but Da Huang wouldn’t listen. After confirming that Da Huang’s health wasn’t at risk, Tang Huai decided to let him be. Yet, in just a few days of leniency, Da Huang had become a round, yellow ball.

“Huff huff!” Da Huang hopped around excitedly by the bed. Before, he would have been embarrassed when Tang Huai scolded him, but now… round is round.

Indeed, Da Huang’s jumping made him look like a bouncing yellow ball.

Tang Huai was now wide awake.

It was 7 AM. After washing up, he headed toward Sora Town.

…

[Stroke of the Brush] was an intermediate building card, occupying an area of about 10,000 square meters, roughly the size of a typical library.

After circling around Sora Town, Tang Huai arrived at the location of the Sora Cinema.

Based on the description of [Stroke of the Brush], it seemed to be an entertainment-type building. Tang Huai planned to establish an entertainment district in Sora Town, radiating outward from the cinema.

After inspecting the area to the left of the cinema, he decided to use [Stroke of the Brush].

Like [Sora Airport], Tang Huai purchased a batch of disguised laborers while activating [Stroke of the Brush]. Though [Stroke of the Brush] occupied a smaller area than the airport, its labor cost was the same due to its intermediate status.

After making the purchase, Tang Huai checked his personal panel.

Host Name: Tang Huai
Island Points: 0
Reputation Points: 3.8 million+

After purchasing the Lucky Eggs and disguised laborers, Tang Huai’s reputation points had dwindled to just over 3.8 million—a rather pleasant number.

Like [Sora Airport], [Stroke of the Brush] was expected to take about a month to complete. After having breakfast at Delicious Restaurant, he headed to the hill behind Sora Town.

Standing on the hill, he observed the Pacific Ocean. The sea was calm, and three white seagulls perched on the rocks near the harbor. A wave crashed, startling the seagulls into flight, only for them to return to their spots as the wave receded.

Tang Huai felt a bit nostalgic.

Currently, the only creatures on Sora Island were the white sheep, Da Huang, and the vegetable chickens—a rather monotonous variety of life. Once he found a suitable location, perhaps he could consider adding some animal cards.

Lost in thought, Tang Huai opened the island map.

Currently, the island’s occupied areas included Zone 1 (Blue Sea Lake), Zone 2 (Fruit Kingdom), Zone 3 (Sora Town), Zone 15 (Snow Village), and Zone 26 (Bianjing Style).

Zones 1 to 25 were primary areas, Zones 35 to 45 were advanced areas, and the rest were intermediate zones.

[Thrilling Racing] was the second intermediate scenery card Tang Huai had obtained.

After carefully analyzing the island map, Tang Huai decided to place [Thrilling Racing] in Zone 28.

Zone 28 is adjacent to [Bianjing Style], separated by a yellow canyon. By visual estimation, there’s about a ten-kilometer winding mountain road between them, taking roughly twenty minutes by bus.

With the conditions fitting, Tang Huai took out [Thrilling Racing] and clicked “Use.” In a blink, the black card gradually dissipated, and Zone 28 on the island map began to take shape.

As Zone 28 formed, Tang Huai started descending the hill. Due to his limited authority, he couldn’t view the area remotely.

From Sora Town to [Thrilling Racing] is a stretch of about 100 kilometers. Sora Island has an irregular circular shape, and although [Thrilling Racing] is in Zone 28, its geographical position is nearly on the eastern edge of the island.

The route from Sora Town to [Thrilling Racing] forms a straight line. Along this line are zones like Blue Sea Lake and Snow Village, with more vacant land on both sides. Tang Huai planned to develop these areas along the sides of this line once he acquired more cards…

Lost in these thoughts, Tang Huai arrived at the Sora office building. Since the distance to [Thrilling Racing] was too far, he decided to take the bus.

“Manager Tang,” the Sora driver greeted respectfully as he had just finished cleaning the office bus.

The driver AI initially wanted to call him “Island Master,” but since Tang Huai had set a rule during the last AI conference, he had to use “Manager Tang” instead.

“Heading out…” Tang Huai waved his hand. He boarded the bus, and the driver AI shifted into gear, starting the journey.

The main roads connecting the different zones on Sora Island were now operational. Though the landscape mainly consisted of yellow canyons on both sides, brief glimpses of scenic spots like Blue Sea Forest and Snow Village made the road trip anything but dull. Instead, it added a sense of excitement.

An hour later, Tang Huai finally arrived at Zone 28.

…

Tang Huai got off the bus while the Sora driver remained in the vehicle. Zone 28 was adjacent to [Bianjing Ancient City], blocked by the yellow canyon. From where Tang Huai stood, he couldn’t see the giant statues of Bianjing Ancient City. His focus was on what lay ahead.

In front of him stretched a broad, dark-colored road. Its material resembled that of Sora’s highways but was even grander and more spacious. The road was about thirty meters wide, and fifty meters ahead was a black-and-white mosaic “Starting Line” marker.

Next to this marker was a massive LED screen.

Tang Huai took a few steps forward and noticed a large toll booth on the right side of the road. Behind the booth were fifty luxury racing cars. These cars looked even more extravagant than current limited-edition sports cars. Each car had a ring of shock-absorbing rubber around it. Tang Huai touched it; the rubber was about fifty centimeters thick, soft to the touch, and seemingly very safe.

He approached a red sports car and opened its door.

Inside the car were only basic features: an LCD screen, a steering wheel, and a handbrake. Although the interior looked luxurious, it somewhat resembled… a bumper car?

Pondering for a moment, Tang Huai sat inside.

In the middle of the steering wheel were two buttons: one red, one green. He pressed the green button.

“Vroom, vroom…” The car roared to life. Tang Huai turned the wheel, and in an instant, the black sports car sped to the mosaic starting line.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our number one racer has entered the field! The race will start in thirty seconds. Let’s give a round of applause for our first racer!” A dramatic male voice blared from the area’s speakers as soon as Tang Huai reached the starting line. Additionally, a powerful rhythm began playing inside the car.

The music was unlike the popular tracks of today. Though Tang Huai was usually a calm person, listening to it caused a surge of adrenaline and excitement.

“Countdown begins: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—Go!”

Amid the intense music, the male voice continued with dramatic flair. As he shouted “Go,” the car beneath Tang Huai surged forward uncontrollably.

As the vehicle sped out of the starting point, Tang Huai finally understood why this area was called [Thrilling Racing].

He glanced at the dashboard; the car’s speed was at 200 km/h—the minimum speed for the Sora race car. This wasn’t driving a car; it felt more like piloting a high-speed train!

A sharp turn lay ahead, and Tang Huai quickly swerved. The tires screeched, and below the turn, a rushing river could be seen.

After passing the turn, he found himself on a rather rugged railway track. Judging by the width, it could accommodate up to five race cars side by side.

Tang Huai was still in shock; controlling a car at 200 km/h was no easy task. Since getting his driver’s license, he had never driven this fast. The maximum speed of the Sora race car was 350 km/h, comparable to the top speed of China’s high-speed rail.

He steadied himself and focused on the racetrack ahead.

After the railway tracks, Tang Huai entered an abandoned industrial town. The surroundings were full of broken walls, as if a zombie apocalypse had taken place. The Sora race track differed significantly from traditional roadways.

The black car maneuvered around a roundabout in the town, passed through the center of a dilapidated factory, and then arrived at a desolate bridge. Like the rest of the town, the bridge was in a state of decay. Besides its rough surface, it had a five-meter gap near the end.

The background music in the car reached a climax. Looking at the road ahead, Tang Huai closed his eyes and pushed the car to its maximum speed.

He felt like he was flying. At that moment, he had transformed into the protagonist of a thrilling action movie. This was more exhilarating than watching the 3D version of [Speed Train 3].

The black car hit the ground with a bang.

Tang Huai thought the race was over, but he soon found himself in a dense, primeval forest. The terrain had shifted from the abandoned town to a forest adventure. The town was just an appetizer. In the following five minutes, Tang Huai experienced jungle escapes, snowy mountain adventures, desert driving, and mountain climbing…

[Thrilling Racing] featured a total of five different scenarios, each with its own set of winding roads. After completing a lap, Tang Huai finally reached the finish line.

The finish line also had a mosaic banner.

“Our hero has returned! Congratulations to Racer One for becoming the champion of this race!”

“Wow, a hero, a hero!”

“Ahhh, victory belongs to Racer One!”

As Tang Huai crossed the finish line, the male announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers again. In addition to his voice, there were cheers all around, making Tang Huai feel like he was at an international racing circuit.

The cheering lasted for ten seconds before everything fell silent.

Tang Huai didn’t feel particularly thrilled about being first—it was just him racing. This first place felt like child’s play.

“FD730, are you sure this is a Sora scenic spot?” Tang Huai got out of the car, a more serious question on his mind.

The minimum speed for the Sora race car was 200 km/h, which exceeded the maximum speed limits in urban China. Tang Huai could barely be considered an experienced driver, but the sharp turns and dangers he faced during the race far exceeded his expectations. The music in the car was also highly distracting. From the perspective of safety and practicality, [Thrilling Racing] seemed like an extremely dangerous and borderline scenic area.

[Thrilling Racing] was somewhat like the popular racing games of today, but those were simulated experiences, while this involved real people.

[Thrilling Racing] was hardly suitable for tourists.

“Dear Host, [Thrilling Racing] is the 36th generation product of Fillstar. Its safety features are entirely reliable. [Thrilling Racing] employs the latest sensory separation system. Once tourists exit the car, their racing experience resets to its initial sensory state, ensuring it won’t impact their future driving experiences in any way,” FD730 explained patiently, seemingly aware of Tang Huai’s concerns.

“If a danger occurs during the ride, such as rushing off the railway track or falling from the town bridge, what would happen?” Tang Huai paused and continued his questioning. He still wasn’t completely reassured about the [Thrilling Racing] experience.

“Host, you can experience it again,” FD730 replied, playing coy for once.

Tang Huai thought for a moment and then got back into the black race car.

There was a 15-kilometer straight road connecting the finish line back to the start. Visitors could drive the race car on this road, and outside of competitive mode, the maximum speed of the car was limited to 100 km/h.

The operation of the [Thrilling Racing] cars was simple. Anyone who had driven bumper cars could easily handle them. Strictly speaking, the race cars were essentially deluxe versions of bumper cars.

Compared to race mode, a speed of 100 km/h was practically a crawl. After 20 minutes, Tang Huai returned to the starting point of [Thrilling Racing].

“Ladies and gentlemen, our number one racer is back in the arena…” The previous announcer’s voice sounded again. Tang Huai steadied himself and drove off.

Thirty seconds later, he approached the first sharp turn. Instinctively, he was about to steer the wheel, but then, recalling his purpose, he charged straight ahead.

“Bang—”

The race car slammed into the wall of the railway track, producing a loud crash. The car spun around in place twice.

Tang Huai gripped the wheel tightly. The impact was intense, and he had expected some injuries or bruises, but… Looking around, he found himself completely unscathed. It was even more stable than riding a bus.

“Click—”

Before Tang Huai could react, a crisp sound came from underneath the car. A neat opening appeared on the ground below the race car, and the vehicle, like a falling pebble, dropped through the gap.

Three seconds later, the car landed on the ground, bouncing twice before coming to a stop.

The shock-absorbing rubber pads offered excellent safety protection.

Tang Huai looked up and noticed a network of roads beneath the track. This underground roadway was interconnected, with rows of incandescent lights illuminating the space.

“Hiss—” Tang Huai was about to ask something when the race car began to move on its own with a “hiss.” It traveled at around 80 km/h.

The underground passage had a system similar to railway tracks.

Three minutes later, Tang Huai emerged back into the sunlight, finding himself on a road distinctly different from the racing track. Following the road signs, he drove for another two minutes before reaching the finish line.

“[Thrilling Racing] is equipped with a professional underground safety tunnel. In the event of an accident or collision, the involved vehicles are automatically transported away from the race site through a designated pathway,” the characteristic cold voice of FD730 sounded as Tang Huai opened the car window.

Tang Huai roughly understood the system’s safety measures.

Falling off a bridge, rushing over a cliff, or crashing into an iceberg—over the next half hour, Tang Huai experimented with various types of traffic accidents. As FD730 had said, [Thrilling Racing] had perfected its safety features.

After confirming that the [Thrilling Racing] was safe, Tang Huai felt a wave of relief. Compared to other games, [Thrilling Racing] offered more challenge and excitement.

Over the past two hours, Tang Huai had enjoyed himself immensely.

Everyone has a little wild beast inside that craves extreme thrills, and [Thrilling Racing] lets that beast run free.

With the system’s high-tech safeguards in place, [Thrilling Racing] won’t affect the actual driving skills of the visitors.

Tang Huai played two more rounds, and it wasn’t until 7 p.m. that he reluctantly headed back to Sora Town.

Now that the Class-A brand task was complete, Sora Island had no new missions for the time being. Over the next couple of days, Tang Huai spent his time leisurely going back and forth between [Fruit Kingdom], [Delicious Restaurant], and [Thrilling Racing].

He enjoyed these few days immensely.

…

While Tang Huai was going back and forth between his favorite spots, at the Port of Guerrero in Mexico, the Great Tang No. 1 picked up a group of travelers from the China Travel Agency Alliance and set sail for Sora Island.

With Chinese tourists and casual travelers from the Mexico City area, there were a total of 100 visitors heading to Sora Island—a medium to large travel group.

“Sister Zhou, will we really make it big? This trip cost quite a lot.”

“Of course we will! Haven’t you seen Jiang Yaoyao? She was just a small-time streamer before, but she got lucky and streamed Blue Sea Lake. Now she’s one of the top ten streamers on Lazy fish. We’re good-looking too, so we’ll definitely become famous.”

“20,000 yuan per person… I’m really broke now. I hope there’s no forced spending on the island.”

“The China Travel Agency is a major company. They probably won’t rip us off, right? And even if they do, just make sure to record it. Post it on Weibo and demand your rights. Who knows, you might get famous…”

“Sister Zhou…”

In a standard double cabin aboard the Great Tang No. 1, two stylishly dressed and good-looking young women had just finished organizing their luggage. They stood by the window, looking outside while chatting nervously.

Their names were Zhou Yuanyuan and Zhuang Yingying, both performing arts graduates in their early twenties. They had spent two years struggling to make it in Hengdian Film City, only getting roles as extras or serving as background characters for villainous concubines. Despite their efforts, they hadn’t made a splash.

The two were beautiful and had attracted quite a few shady offers along the way. After some deliberation, they had turned those down.

If they had been offered roles as female leads or secondary characters, they might have gritted their teeth and accepted. But the people recruiting them were clearly unreliable. Although they were young, they weren’t naive.

The entertainment industry was all about connections. After some serious analysis, they decided to take an alternative route. In this age of entertainment, they might not become stars, but they could try becoming influencers first. If they succeeded, film companies might notice them and extend an olive branch.

The more they thought about it, the more excited they got. They packed their bags, left Hengdian, and headed straight to Luohai. With their limited savings, they spent 10,000 yuan on streaming equipment and immediately started broadcasting on Douyin and Lany fish.

Their plan was sound, but they quickly realized that being a streamer was not easy. They refused to rely on suggestive content and couldn’t make crude jokes. Plus, without an agency to stir up publicity, it was hard to gain traction. Their advantage was their looks, but with beauty filters everywhere, it didn’t seem so special.

In two months, they only earned 3,000 yuan. They didn’t want to pack up and return to their hometowns. By chance, they came across Jiang Yaoyao’s stream.

Jiang Yaoyao had shot to fame by streaming her visit to [Blue Sea Lake] and riding the wave of hype on lazy fish. With Sora Island trending, but still not widely visited, Zhou Yuanyuan and Zhuang Yingying thought they saw an opportunity. They could become the next Jiang Yaoyao! In a fit of dizziness and excitement, they signed up for a travel group heading to Sora Island.

After joining the group, they were left with only 5,000 yuan in savings.

The trip was for seven days and nights, including entrance fees and basic accommodation.

Their dreams were beautiful, but upon boarding the plane, then transferring flights, and finally setting foot in a foreign land, they realized how naive their original plan had been.

“Sister Zhou… Do you think we’ll make it?” The Great Tang No. 1 sailed steadily. The two scrolled through videos on their phones, and as they prepared to sleep, Zhuang Yingying glanced at Zhou Yuanyuan and asked again.

Zhuang Yingying was soft-spoken, while Zhou Yuanyuan was relatively more assertive. Zhou Yuanyuan had always taken the lead in their partnership.

“We probably… will,” Zhou Yuanyuan muttered, her voice muffled under the blanket. After a day’s journey, her initial bravado had all but vanished.

Zhou Yuanyuan didn’t get seasick, but… she was feeling homesick.

There was no turning back now; they had to stick to their plan and go to Sora Island.

As for Sora Island, they were both eager and anxious.

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