Ch 71: The World’s Number One Resort

“Is this the normal speed? Feels like it’s at least 200 miles per hour…”

“Incredible… Are they sure this won’t end in an accident?”

“This is so intense! Did anyone start recording?”

…

As the countdown ended, the thirty Thrilling Racing cars sped forward like unleashed wild horses. The spectators standing on both sides of the track watched in awe as the cars launched simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, all they could see was the exhaust left behind by the speeding vehicles.

Collecting their thoughts, they turned their gaze to the large screen nearby. The screen had been split into thirty sections, each displaying the real-time view from a racer’s car.

At that moment, the cars were navigating a winding railroad track. The bumpy surface and excessive speed made the scene look even more exaggerated than in a racing anime.

The powerful music blared from the speakers, making the spectators feel the tension.

The thirty cars rushed past the railroad track.

“Ah!”

Just as everyone started to relax, an abrupt sharp turn appeared up ahead. The car in the lead failed to turn in time and crashed straight into the barrier. What followed was a scene straight out of a racing movie: the car spun 360 degrees in mid-air before crashing to the ground.

The screen for Car No. 1 turned black, indicating that the racer had been eliminated. The remaining cars continued to race, jostling for the lead.

“What happened? The car just fell off! Someone needs to go help them!”

“Manager Tang, what’s going on here?”

“This is way too dangerous; there’s absolutely no safety!”

…

It took a few seconds for everyone to process what they had just seen. Was this a traffic accident?

“Old Kong, I told you not to play these dangerous games, but you insisted…” A middle-aged woman in her forties rushed toward the racetrack, only to be stopped by two AI security guards.

Unable to get through, she grabbed Tang Huai’s collar, shouting, “Did you even test this race before launching it? Hurry and go find them!”

The woman was visibly shaken. She was the family member of the No. 1 racer, and the two had come to Sora Island for a bit of fun before the New Year. She hadn’t expected things to take such a dangerous turn.

Her anxiety was evident. Given how things looked, the situation seemed dire. The fact that she hadn’t fainted on the spot was already a show of considerable restraint.

“Boom, boom—”

“More cars are crashing!”

“Cars No. 3, 6, and 7… It’s a chain collision!”

…

A minute later, the racers entered a dense forest, filled with trees and a track even more twisted than the ones in the town. In a blink of an eye, three more cars collided.

“Can’t we stop the race? If this continues, someone will get hurt!”

“I can’t bear to watch this anymore.”

“Thank goodness I didn’t participate earlier.”

…

After the three-car collision, the crowd was in a complete uproar. Some glanced nervously at the screen, while others turned their eyes toward Tang Huai.

The first priority now was rescuing the racers; second was holding someone accountable.

“Dear visitors, Thrilling Racing has the highest level of safety features. The eliminated racers are not injured and are currently on their way back. The safety instructions for the race are clearly detailed on the notice board…” Seeing the crowd’s rising indignation, Tang Huai cleared his throat and addressed them.

The notice board had indeed outlined all possible situations that could arise during the race, but most visitors had only skimmed it without paying much attention.

Tang Huai was feeling rather frustrated.

His calm demeanor left the crowd doubtful. Some turned back to the notice board to check the details again.

Possible risks: going off track, vehicle collisions, falling into a lake…

Note: In the event of the above situations, there is no need to panic. Thrilling Racing will not result in any accidents or injuries.

As Tang Huai mentioned, the notice board for the race did have detailed explanations. However, it still felt… somewhat unreliable. With all that noise earlier, could it really be safe?

“Bang—”

“Ah, two more cars just crashed!”

The visitors were hesitant, and then came another crashing sound. They looked up to see that half of the thirty display screens had already gone dark, leaving only twelve wild racing cars still running. The other eighteen had mostly been eliminated due to rear-end collisions.

Despite their doubts about the safety of Thrilling Racing, there wasn’t much they could do now but wait patiently and hope that the participants returned unharmed.

The middle-aged woman was helped to the side of the track, her anxiety far exceeding that of the others.

“Currently, car number 6 is in the lead, followed closely by cars 27 and 29. The race has been going on for 8 minutes and 37 seconds, with a quarter of the course left…” The atmosphere among the spectators was tense. Amidst the wild background music, the same voice resumed its commentary.

The visitors had learned from the information board that the commentator was not a real person but an AI. The voice was so vivid and lifelike that it could easily pass for a top-notch announcer.

Outside the track, the visitors were anxious. Inside the track, the racers felt both nervous and exhilarated.

…

Wang Jie owned a video store. When he wasn’t working, he spent his time traveling and driving a ten-thousand-dollar off-road vehicle. Though not a fancy car, it had served him well for ten years.

At thirty years old, Wang Jie had just sold off his store last month, as business was getting increasingly tough. Around that time, the Great Tang Resort was all the rage online, so he made a snap decision to join a tour group heading there.

The resort was just as breathtaking and thrilling as the promotional videos had shown. Wang Jie was thoroughly satisfied with the experience.

Half an hour ago, he had arrived at Thrilling Racing with the others. Being a car enthusiast, he felt his blood boil at the sight of the sleek racing cars.

Like the rest of the visitors, he quickly swiped his card to pick a car. Though it was essentially a bumper car for adults, its design was incredibly cool.

When the car roared to life, Wang Jie felt a rush of adrenaline. But after a brief moment of excitement, he soon found himself overwhelmed by the sheer speed of the car, which had a minimum speed of 200 miles per hour.

He wasn’t even sure how he managed to navigate the railroad tracks and the town’s bridge. Along the way, he had witnessed numerous crashes… they were brutal. All he could do was rely on his survival instincts and press forward.

Wang Jie knew that if he didn’t make it to the finish line, he might as well be signing off on his life.

“Damn, trying to show off?” A boulder came rolling down ahead, and Wang Jie quickly turned the wheel to avoid it. After barely escaping danger, he cursed under his breath. With that obstacle, the number of racers had dwindled from twelve to nine.

He glanced at the mini-map. It had been 10 minutes and 20 seconds, with only three kilometers left to the finish line.

It was going to be a long three kilometers. After a brief pause, Wang Jie focused back on the wheel.

Ahead was a broken river crossing, spanning about six meters. Wang Jie gauged the distance and, recalling his experience with the town’s bridge, figured crossing it shouldn’t be too difficult…

He pushed the car to its maximum speed.

His imagination was ideal, but reality was harsh.

The road on both sides of the river was too uneven. Although the car made it across, the approach was too aggressive. As the car landed on the opposite side, it spun twice in the air before crashing onto the track.

“Game over,” an icy voice announced from the navigation system.

The car bounced three times on the ground.

Wang Jie thought this was the end for him. However, as he gathered his senses, he realized that his body… seemed fine?

“Squeak—” Before Wang Jie could react, a squeaking sound came from beneath the car. Then, as if triggered by some kind of mechanism from a tomb-raiding movie, the entire vehicle suddenly dropped down.

“Car 6 is now approaching the finish line… Congratulations to our driver in car 11! Completion time: 12 minutes and 52 seconds.”

Amidst the tension, car 11 crossed the finish line first. Following closely, the second and third place drivers also completed the course.

Out of thirty participants in the race, only five managed to finish. The fastest completion time was 12 minutes and 52 seconds, far from the eight-minute goal required for the grand prize.

…

“This is brutal. It’s not a racetrack; it’s more like Final Destination.”

“It’s been ten minutes now; they should be back soon, right?”

“I’m really curious about the situation of those who got eliminated…”

As the race ended, the thirty sections on the large screen merged into one, displaying a scenic introduction to Sora Island. However, the visitors were too anxious to appreciate the scenery. They were more concerned about the racers who got eliminated—are they safe? Was the race truly as harmless as it claimed to be?

“They’re back, someone’s coming back.”

“Cars 9, 12, 21… Aren’t these the ones that got eliminated first?”

…

Just as the crowd was silently speculating, several racing cars began to return one by one along the side road of the wild racetrack.

“Old Kong, you really came back! You nearly scared me to death!” A middle-aged woman stood up and hurriedly ran forward.

It was indeed her husband; it had all been a false alarm.

“You bastard! No more dangerous activities like this ever again!”

“You scared me to death! How did you all make it out?”

The doors of the other racing cars opened, and the visitors swarmed around. There were a total of thirty racers, not one more, not one less.

…

“That was insane! The top speed was 350 miles per hour! Haha, it was like driving a bullet train for the first time.”

“Technology is truly advanced now; this was a complete simulation of real racing.”

“13 minutes and 22 seconds… I’m still five minutes away from that million-dollar prize. You’d need to be a professional racer to achieve that time, right?”

The racers reassured their companions. Thrilling Racing was even more intense than the ‘Swing in the Wind’ activity and far surpassed domestic attractions like pirate ships or roller coasters.

During the race, their thoughts were: cherish life, stay away from Great Tang. But ten minutes after the race ended, they began to miss that wild experience. It was a pursuit of extreme mental exhilaration.

“Manager Tang, can we go for a second round?” The visitors, now hydrated and reinvigorated, turned to Tang Huai, their faces filled with excitement.

“You still want to race?” Hearing this, the rest of the visitors exchanged glances. Just moments ago, they were full of concern, but now… they realized their worries had been for nothing.

“The information is on the notice board.” Tang Huai sighed. The rules on the racing notice board were clear and simple, but judging from the feedback, no one seemed to have read them.

This was partly due to visitors’ habits. After all, in most tourist spots in China, various notice boards blend in with advertisements…

The visitors who had just raced turned to the Thrilling Racing notice board. At the very bottom was a note about racing.

“Moderate gaming benefits the mind; excessive gaming harms the body: Thrilling Racing—maximum of three times per person per day.”

Thrilling Racing was too captivating, so Tang Huai had set this limit after careful consideration.

“Three times, huh… I’m off to swipe my card again.”

“1 minute and 27 seconds—I got eliminated right at the start… Ahh, I need to redeem my dignity as an experienced driver! One more go.”

“If it’s really that fun, I’ll give it a try too.”

…

The previous racers decided to go for another round. Seeing this, many other young visitors followed suit. Everyone was quick to join in, and soon, the number of participants in the second race surged to sixty.

The race began.

Just like before, the entire competition was full of thrills and excitement. In this second batch of racers, the best time was 12 minutes and 1 second, still four minutes shy of Great Tang’s one-million-dollar prize.

The visitor who secured first place felt a bit disappointed but understood that the million-dollar prize was not something just anyone could claim.

“That was intense!”

“Ah, I want to go again!”

Having understood the rules of Thrilling Racing, the visitors were having the time of their lives.

Thrilling Racing had given them an unexpectedly exhilarating experience.

…

“Hey, I’m going out for a bit of fresh air,” said Zhuang Yingying hesitantly as she put on an elegant black dress. She looked at Zhou Yuanyuan, who was relaxing in their treehouse at Blue Ocean Lake.

After spending what little they had left, the two were down to a total of just 150 dollars. Sensibly, they decided to stay put and save every penny they could.

Now, they were practically broke and could only indulge in the natural beauty of Sora Island.

“Where are you going? Should I come with you?” Zhou Yuanyuan, who was lying on the bed scrolling through her phone, looked up in surprise. They hadn’t planned to go out for air.

“No need, I’ll be back soon,” Zhuang Yingying shook her head, almost like a rattling drum. It was only 3 PM, and they had already finished their daily live stream.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, go ahead then…”

Zhou Yuanyuan was still a bit skeptical, but seeing how determined Zhuang Yingying seemed, she didn’t press the issue further.

Zhuang Yingying left. Zhou Yuanyuan continued to lie on the bed, scrolling through her phone, but something didn’t feel right. Her actions today were just too out of the ordinary.

Zhou Yuanyuan sat up, checked the time, and realized that ten minutes had passed since Zhuang Yingying left. After some thought, she grabbed a jacket and headed out.

“Excuse me, have you seen the girl who was with me? Tall, wearing a black dress…” Zhou Yuanyuan didn’t call her friend. Instead, she wandered around Blue Ocean Lake, asking passing visitors.

Most of the tourists had gone to the racing area, leaving only a few behind at the lake.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Sorry, I haven’t seen her.”

“Wait, are you talking about a girl with curly hair? I think she went toward the southern treehouses…”

Most of the visitors hadn’t seen her, and Zhou Yuanyuan, refusing to give up, kept asking until she got a lead.

Zhou Yuanyuan made her way toward the southern treehouses.

…

“Yingying, huh? That’s a lovely name. Don’t worry; I won’t let you suffer any loss. Here, take this 3,000 dollars first…” In Treehouse No. 31, Wang Wenhua, dressed in a deep-golden loungewear, smiled as he looked at Zhuang Yingying.

After their unpleasant encounter on the first day, Wang Wenhua assumed he wouldn’t have any further interaction with Zhou Yuanyuan and Zhuang Yingying. To his surprise, Zhuang Yingying had taken the initiative to add him on WeChat.

They had exchanged messages for three days. Though Zhuang Yingying hadn’t explicitly stated anything, Wang Wenhua could read between the lines.

Trading favors for benefits—this was the underlying message of Zhuang Yingying’s approach.

Understanding her intentions, Wang Wenhua, using his ample experience in such affairs, had easily lured Zhuang Yingying to his treehouse.

At this moment, he opened his wallet, revealing stacks of green bills. He pulled out thirty of them and handed them to Zhuang Yingying.

Zhuang Yingying had been battling two conflicting voices in her mind. She and Zhou Yuanyuan were both graduates of a less prestigious art school, and aside from their looks, they had little to offer.

Coming from modest backgrounds, their dream was to become famous stars, a goal they had been diligently working toward. But reality had dealt them a harsh blow.

The path they were treading was too difficult, so difficult that they couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Over the past two years, Zhuang Yingying had often thought of taking shortcuts, but intense feelings of shame had always stopped her.

Now, with the popularity of their @TravelwithYuanyuan livestream skyrocketing, this should have been a joyful moment. Yet, Zhuang Yingying couldn’t find it in her to be happy.

Great Tang Resort was a newly established vacation village, and most of the first visitors to come here were wealthy.

CC belts, TND watches, extravagant travel experiences… It was a lifestyle completely different from Zhuang Yingying’s own.

She thought back to the tough days she spent as a background actor. She didn’t want to live like that anymore. She was attractive, so why should she make life so difficult for herself?

If she could just take a shortcut, her life would become so much easier.

Lost in this train of thought, Zhuang Yingying found Wang Wenhua’s business card and looked up his WeChat… which ultimately brought her to where she was now.

“Boss Wang, I…” In the treehouse, Zhuang Yingying hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the cash. Now that things had come this far, there was no reason to back out.

“There’s a wash area next door. Do you want to go first, or should I?” Wang Wenhua gestured for Zhuang Yingying to relax and poured her a cup of coffee.

“You go first,” she replied in a small voice.

“Wait for me.” Wang Wenhua smiled and drew the curtains. Although it was still daytime, the treehouse curtains were luxurious, adding a certain ambiance once closed.

Wang Wenhua shut the curtains and began to take off his pants.

“Bang, bang!”

Wang Wenhua had just removed his pants and was about to jump into the bathtub when he heard two knocks on the treehouse door.

“Who is it?” he yelled.

“Bang, bang!” The knocking continued, but no one answered.

“Coming!” Wang Wenhua grumbled, throwing on a bathrobe in a haphazard manner.

He opened the door.

“Trying for a threesome?” Wang Wenhua was taken aback. Outside stood a woman, about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a cyan jacket—it was none other than Zhou Yuanyuan.

“Your sister!” Zhou Yuanyuan snapped, shoving Wang Wenhua aside.

Inside the room, Zhuang Yingying stared at her in shock. Zhou Yuanyuan noticed that her friend’s clothes were still intact and breathed a sigh of relief. Earlier, she had searched around the southern treehouses without finding any sign of Zhuang Yingying.

Recalling her friend’s recent strange behavior, Zhou Yuanyuan had a bad feeling. She walked past the southern side of the forest, inspecting each treehouse. While most had their curtains open, this one was closed up tight.

She remembered passing by this treehouse before—it was Wang Wenhua’s.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Zhou Yuanyuan said, grabbing the cash from Zhuang Yingying’s hand and tossing it onto the bed. She pulled Zhuang Yingying, ready to leave.

“What is this, a movie?” Wang Wenhua asked, his face turning serious as he stood by the door. Zhou Yuanyuan’s earlier push had caused his elbow to knock into something hard.

A bruised elbow was a minor issue, but this situation was spiraling out of control. What was supposed to be a consensual transaction now made him look like a criminal.

He was a coal boss, for heaven’s sake; there was no need for him to end up looking like a rapist.

“You think you can just come and go as you please?” Wang Wenhua, growing more infuriated, spat out a classic movie line.

“Boss Wang, we’re leaving the money here. We’re sorry,” Zhou Yuanyuan bit her lip.

Zhuang Yingying hid behind Zhou Yuanyuan. Wang Wenhua, seeing this, realized that today’s deal was a bust.

“Sorry? Ha! You really think you’re that special?” Wang Wenhua, his temper flaring, turned on the lights inside the room.

“What do you mean?” Zhou Yuanyuan, her temper rising, glared at him.

“You really think you’re that valuable? Ha! Girls like you are a dime a dozen in clubs. The only reason you’re getting offered this much here is because Sora Island has fewer people. Normally, even 3,000 yuan would be overpaying,” Wang Wenhua retorted angrily, feeling duped by these two girls.

“You!” Zhou Yuanyuan’s face instantly turned pale.

From his tone to his very hair, Wang Wenhua exuded a sense of superiority and disdain. Inside, Zhou Yuanyuan felt a flash of embarrassment and humiliation, a kind that cut to her core.

She admitted to herself that she had some vanity and wanted to rise above her current status. She had been striving toward this goal all along.

Zhou Yuanyuan thought she had been doing well over the past few days, but at this moment, she was forced back to reality.

“Three thousand dollars. Ha, pick it up, it’s yours,” Wang Wenhua said, growing more furious. He grabbed the $3,000 from the bed, tossed it into the air, and let it fall in front of the two girls.

These two wanted to make this a melodramatic movie scene? Fine, he would play along.

Bills scattered at their feet, and Zhuang Yingying was already so frightened she didn’t know what to do. She regretted her actions today.

Zhou Yuanyuan looked up at Wang Wenhua, and he stared right back at her.

…

At 5 PM, in the Blue Sea Forest Security Office, Wang Wenhua sat on a Sora bench, his face filled with gloom. Zhou Yuanyuan and Zhuang Yingying huddled on another bench. Wang Wenhua’s two assistants had gone to the Delicious Restaurant to buy some eggs to help soothe his eye.

Wang Wenhua was dazed. He was just mad and had arrogantly thrown cash at the girls, only for Zhou Yuanyuan to punch him right in the face.

He was about to retaliate when the treehouse door opened, and two Sora security guards happened to be passing by. The guards’ job was to maintain peace on Sora Island. Though Wang Wenhua didn’t want to escalate the matter, he had no choice but to change his clothes and go to the security office under the guards’ insistence.

Though there were few tourists in the Blue Sea Forest, Wang Wenhua was still surrounded by onlookers as he left… He felt embarrassed. What a situation to be in.

Since Tang Huai was at the racing area and couldn’t return, Xie Yunshu was temporarily in charge of resolving the dispute.

“Manager Xie, this is what happened. Look at my eye, I got punched. I was in my own room, minding my business, and then I got hit…” Wang Wenhua recounted the story indignantly.

Not wanting to lose face, Wang Wenhua didn’t mention any transaction involving money, only saying that a minor dispute occurred between the two sides.

But regardless of whether it was a minor or major dispute, he was clearly the injured party.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️