Ch 87: The World’s Number One Resort

“Racing, huh?” Wang Cong glanced at He Kun and raised his chin. He had woken up before seven, but it seemed He Kun had beaten him to it.

“Yeah, what else would we do, fly a plane?” He Kun replied indifferently, then continued chatting with his assistant.

On the surface, both men appeared calm, but there was an undercurrent of rivalry brewing between them.

“Are these the FillTech Racing cars from Thrilling Racing? They’re so cool! Should we give them a try?” At that moment, the other members of the ST Supercar Club approached, interrupting their exchange of barbs. They were there to show support, but the real stars of this showdown were Wang Cong and He Kun.

The two exchanged a glance before turning to pick their cars.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our twelve racers have all entered the track. Who will emerge victorious? Let’s wait and see!”

“Whoa! Ohhh—!”

Five minutes later, twelve Thrilling Racing cars lined up at the starting grid. A slightly raspy voice came over the speakers, followed by a thunderous cheer from the crowd.

Everyone revved their engines.

A 5.2T turbocharged engine, an eight-speed manual transmission, a 2805 wheelbase…

The moment the cars roared to life, everyone focused on the specifications of the Thrilling Racing cars. The luxurious interiors, the sleek, refined design, and the crisp, melodious engine noise—this was definitely the top-tier setup of an Amara sports car.

Amara sports cars were luxury vehicles in the international market, with prices typically exceeding five million yuan, a status symbol for the wealthy.

“Vroom, vroom, vroom—”

“The race countdown starts now: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Go!”

The racers, enchanted by the cars, were jolted back to reality by the powerful electronic voice inside the vehicle. With an adrenaline-pumping rhythm in the background, the raspy voice counted down, and then, all twelve cars suddenly sped forward.

“Whoa, are we really starting at 200 already?!” He Kun, who was still fiddling with the steering wheel, found his body lurching forward due to the sudden acceleration.

He couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

Before coming here, He Kun had studied videos of Thrilling Racing and knew that the minimum speed in these races was 200 kilometers per hour. Although that sounded fast, for amateur racers like them, reaching 200 or 230 kilometers per hour was quite common.

He thought he could handle it smoothly, but he didn’t expect the car to jump to such a high speed right off the bat… It caught him off guard.

“Overtake?” While He Kun was momentarily distracted, a black sports car whizzed past him on his side. From the car window, a clear middle finger flashed by…

Inside the car was none other than Wang Cong. This was his way of taunting He Kun. Regaining his focus, He Kun tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Treacherous railway tracks, a dilapidated factory filled with the scent of decay, a city bridge broken in the middle… In the next five minutes, they felt as though they were racing through a bizarre and perilous track.

The thrill of placing themselves in dangerous situations was exhilarating, an addictive kind of rush.

“Bang—!”

“Another one eliminated?” In the eighth minute, a loud crash came from behind He Kun. He glanced back; this was already the seventh car to be knocked out.

Now, including Wang Cong, only five cars remained. He Kun checked the mini-map on the dashboard. He was positioned on a snow-covered mountain slope, with two-fifths of the track left to go.

“Vroom!”

Five seconds later, another ‘boom’ sounded behind He Kun. He glanced back and couldn’t help but chuckle. The noise was coming from a black sports car, the one Wang Cong was driving. At this moment, the car had skidded off the mountainside, tracing a graceful arc in mid-air…

“Bang… Boom!” As He Kun watched with amusement, he missed an upcoming turn and crashed straight into it…

Three seconds later, just after Wang Cong’s elimination, He Kun was also gracefully knocked out.

“That was thrilling! Way more intense than the tracks at Luo Hai. I honestly thought I was a goner for a second there.”

“320 kilometers per hour… I’ve never driven that fast before.”

“Five minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Didn’t even make it to the finish line…”

The eliminated cars followed markers to navigate back through the wild terrain. Half an hour later, all twelve cars returned to the starting point. As they stepped out of their cars, they exchanged jokes but couldn’t hide their lingering fear. Despite their composed exteriors, there was a shared sense of having narrowly escaped something dangerous. Even after years of racing, they had never experienced anything quite like this.

It was an experience that allowed them to feel the thrill of life and death without worrying about their safety—a ride truly tailored for them!

“Can we still win the prize?”

After some banter, they turned their thoughts to a pressing question. They had come here for the million-dollar grand prize, hoping to gain some fame in China. They even connected with a few reporters from Luo Hai TV on the ship, arranging to film their showdown at Thrilling Racing on the 10th.

They were brimming with confidence when they arrived, but now… they couldn’t even reach the finish line. Was there any chance of winning the million-dollar prize?

Doubt crept into their minds.

“One more time,” He Kun said, gritting his teeth as he forced a smile. He was one of the main contenders in this race, and being eliminated halfway was simply too humiliating.

“Heh.” Wang Cong snorted, accepting the challenge.

And so, they returned their cars to the starting point. Five seconds later, the twelve cars set off again. This time, they still didn’t reach the finish line and did even worse than the first attempt. Both He Kun and Wang Cong were eliminated while crossing the city bridge…

Fifteen minutes later, they lined up for another round.

“Ugh, only three rounds per day? Even with a pass, you can’t go beyond that?!”

By 11 a.m., when they were gearing up for the fourth race, they were flatly refused by the Sora staff. At the ticket booth of Thrilling Racing, the AI staff gave them a polite smile before pointing to the signboard.

They turned to look at the sign, feeling a bit disheartened.

It clearly stated: “Each visitor is limited to three races per day.”

He Kun and Wang Cong exchanged glances. They had planned their ultimate race on the 10th, with reporters from Luo Hai present… What were they supposed to do now?

And so, over the next few days, the ST Club members began their ritual of daily racing. Yet no matter how they drove, they still couldn’t make it to the finish line, doing worse than even the casual tourists!

…

While He Kun and his group started their racing journey, a slightly worn-out, ten-meter-long fishing boat docked at Sora Island’s port. A man in his thirties with gold-rimmed glasses and a slightly refined demeanor stepped off the boat. This was Luo Liang.

“So, this is Sora Island? It lives up to its name…” Luo Liang muttered as he glanced around.

Three days ago, after watching the ‘Great Tang [Stroke of the Brush]’ video on Douyin, he had immediately booked a flight for that same day. After wandering around the port in Hawaii, he was lucky enough to find the Storm, a fishing boat.

The Storm had all the proper documentation. After confirming the boat’s legitimacy, Luo Liang boarded it. And now, he had arrived here…

“Let’s go.” Luo Liang, feeling artistic and inspired as he took in the sights of Sora Town, was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.

He turned around to see a muscular Mexican man in a gray leather jacket standing behind him.

It was the captain of the Storm.

The Storm had dropped anchor and showed no signs of departing.

Luo Liang was puzzled. He had stayed on the boat for the past two days with no interaction with the crew. He thought the boat would leave as soon as they dropped him off…

“Haha, I’ve had dealings with the manager here before.” The muscular man seemed to pick up on Luo Liang’s confusion and laughed heartily. The man was none other than Reno, the one who had originally brought Tang Huai to Sora Island.

Luo Liang understood. After chatting briefly with the muscular man, he headed towards the Sora Passage. He had researched online that all purchases on Great Tang Resort were made through the Sora Pass.

As Luo Liang made his way onto the island, Reno pulled out his phone, preparing to call Tang Huai.

It was March, and the fishing season was fruitful. Reno had been traveling back and forth between Hawaii and Mexico lately. He had been delivering sardines, finishing up his last shipment just a few days ago.

Reno initially planned to return to Mexico but happened to meet Luo Liang midway. This encounter reminded him of Tang Huai. It had been almost half a year since they had seen each other… After some thought, Reno decided to take on Luo Liang’s request.

He intended to catch up with his old friend.

Just as Reno dialed two digits, he paused and decided against making the call.

The vibrant city walls, windmill, and grand, elegant golden signboard… Sora Island’s location hadn’t changed, but its appearance was worlds apart from what he had seen before.

He figured he would take a stroll around Sora Island before reaching out.

…

“Sixth Avenue at the intersection with Seventh Street… Sora Island’s development is quite impressive.” Reno wandered leisurely around the island, while Luo Liang, dragging his suitcase and following the road signs in Sora Town, finally located the direction of [Stroke of the Brush].

The air on Sora Island was fresh, and its architecture had character. The place filled him with endless inspiration, but Luo Liang had a clear goal. He wanted to take a look around [Stroke of the Brush] first before considering the tourist attractions.

Lost in thought, half an hour later, he arrived at [Stroke of the Brush].

[Stroke of the Brush] was adjacent to Sora Cinema. Though its style clashed with Sora Town’s overall design, the two buildings together created a surprisingly harmonious scene. As an illustrator, Luo Liang appreciated the boldness of the composition. He took out his phone and snapped a few pictures before stepping inside [Stroke of the Brush].

The moment he entered, he felt his heart tremble with excitement.

“Thirty-six points… Haha, your ‘Spring Herald’ painting didn’t quite make the cut. Apart from this willow tree, I can’t see any hint of spring.”

“It’s so difficult to draw. So many people have used [Stroke of the Brush], but only six have passed…”

“It is tough, but with ‘Dreamscape’ at the bottom, no matter how bad we are, we won’t be last. I wonder who painted that; it’s a total mess.”

“It’s amazing! With just a wave of your hands, a cup appears…”

Luo Liang entered the hall, where a number of tourists had already gathered. [Stroke of the Brush] had become quite famous among visitors, attracting three to four hundred tourists each day, most of whom were playing more than once.

Luo Liang stood in front of the Top 100 Exhibition.

Currently, the first place was a landscape painting named [Bamboo Grove], which had a light and carefree style, scoring 82 points.

The second place was [My Dressing Table], filled with various high-end skincare products, scoring 79 points.

…

The top six in the exhibition scored above 60 points, but starting from seventh place, the scores dropped below 50.

There were now 97 paintings in the exhibition, with ‘Dreamscape’ at the very bottom. A few more paintings, and ‘Dreamscape’ would drop out of the Top 100.

After taking a look at others’ works, Luo Liang approached the nearest painting frame. It was a 3×8 frame, the largest one in [Stroke of the Brush].

He stood at the oval table.

“Going to paint? Haha, I just painted a few ping-pong balls, it was fun,” said a middle-aged man who had just finished painting at the frame. Seeing Luo Liang, he greeted him warmly. The man was retired and had been spending most of his time at [Stroke of the Brush] over the past few days.

Luo Liang glanced over; the man had painted a ping-pong table, scoring 16 points.

“What are you going to paint?” The score didn’t matter; having fun was the most important thing. The middle-aged man stepped away from the oval table and, seeing Luo Liang standing there alone, asked again.

“Karoshu,” Luo Liang replied after a moment, touching the pendant on his chest with determination. The pendant was a limited-edition item from Vampire Servant and bore the likeness of Karoshu.

After saying this, Luo Liang put on the VR glasses and started the game following the instructions.

“Karoshu?” The middle-aged man was puzzled, standing next to Luo Liang. He enjoyed watching others paint whenever he had free time—it was part of the fun.

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