Ch 93: The World’s Number One Resort

“The construction period for Sora Cinema and the fire station is about a month. [Sky Forest] is a high-level area, so it will take at least three months. I’ve already given the instructions; security for [Sky Forest] has been increased, and there won’t be any leaks.”

While the tourists were busy discussing, in Sora’s office of Great Tang Resort, Xie Yunshu finished arranging tasks for the disguised laborers and then reported back. After a busy morning, all the disguised laborers were in place, and the construction was now in full swing.

As the number of tourists on Sora Island continues to grow, [Sky Forest] involves advanced technology, so to be on the safe side, the entire construction process will be confidential.

“Good job.” Tang Huai reviewed Xie Yunshu’s plans. Xie Yunshu’s arrangements were highly organized, and with the efficiency of the disguised laborers, the construction process would be separated from the tourists, ensuring their experience wouldn’t be affected.

“Some members of the ST Club have requested an exclusive racing event at Thrilling Racing. Luo Hai TV will broadcast it live.” After a bit more discussion, Xie Yunshu suddenly changed the topic while closing the documents.

The application for the exclusive race was submitted yesterday, but he hadn’t yet reported it to Tang Huai.

“Is this the ST Club from Weibo?” Tang Huai asked in surprise.

The ST Club is a non-profit supercar club based in Luo Hai. The members mostly own luxury cars like Amara, Porsche, and Borsche. Two years ago, the club president challenged a high-profile critic to a race and gathered over 300 luxury cars on Zhongnan Street in Luo Hai, creating a sensation. That “luxury car challenge” had trended for three days, and the ST Supercar Club became famous because of it.

Now, was this application for an exclusive race coming from that ST?

“Yes, but this event is organized by a few ST Club members, not a large-scale one,” Xie Yunshu explained.

“We can give them an hour,” Tang Huai considered.

The price for a race at Thrilling Racing is one hundred dollars per game, and at a speed of 200 miles per hour, it takes about twenty minutes to complete the entire course. It’s great for thrill-seekers, but currently, the tourists mainly consist of retired seniors and honeymoon couples. After the initial two days, business at Thrilling Racing has been average, partly because [Stroke of the Brush] has been so popular.

Tang Huai glanced at the recent game revenue report. [Stroke of the Brush] had about 500 games a day, while Thrilling Racing was barely over a hundred. Allowing a one-hour exclusive event wouldn’t impact Great Tang Resort’s business much.

“Let’s head to Thrilling Racing and have a look,” he said, checking the time. It was now 1 p.m., and the exclusive race was scheduled for 5 p.m. After lunch, they could arrive just in time.

Xie Yunshu agreed, so they set off for Delicious Restaurant.

…

“Isn’t this an internal match? A live broadcast by Luo Hai TV is fine, but why is it causing such a stir in the WeChat group as well?”

“Thirteen minutes and six seconds, not even better than some casual players. Isn’t that embarrassing for professionals?”

…

While Tang Huai and Xie Yunshu were enjoying fish at Delicious Restaurant, in Bianjing Inn at Bianjing Old City, He Kun was staring at the WeChat group, feeling frustrated.

After days of intense practice, he could finally finish the race safely. However, to win the million-dollar prize, the required time was eight minutes, while his best record was thirteen minutes—still far off!

He Kun wanted to keep the race low-key, but news of the “ST Club Exclusive Race” had already spread in the WeChat group. As spectators love a good show, many tourists eagerly expressed their willingness to watch the race.

“This must have been spread by the Luo Hai TV reporter. With such a small number of participants, a live broadcast would be pretty boring… Anyway, Wang Ge’s time is also thirteen minutes, so don’t be too stressed.” He Kun’s sidekick patiently tried to cheer him up as He Kun grew increasingly frustrated.

“Wang Ge (brother)? Wang Cong? Why do you call him ‘Ge’? What kind of ‘brother’ is he to you?” He Kun smacked his sidekick on the head. He didn’t get along with Wang Cong, so hearing his sidekick calling him ‘brother’ was just too much!

The sidekick chuckled awkwardly. Technically, he was also a member of the ST Club. However, his family owned a fast-food chain with assets totaling around 20 million, which might be seen as wealthy by ordinary standards but was insignificant compared to He Kun and Wang Cong, whose fortunes ranged in the hundreds of millions or even billions.

Hoping to mingle with the upper class, the sidekick willingly followed He Kun’s lead. Despite sometimes acting a bit spoiled, He Kun generally treated him well.

“Are we still going, Ge?” The sidekick asked after He Kun calmed down. If He Kun really didn’t want to go, he could always use an excuse like having a stomachache or low blood sugar.

“We’re going,” He Kun grumbled, giving him a sideways glance. At this point, they couldn’t afford to lose face. After saying this, he began rummaging through his suitcase. Winning or not, his style and demeanor had to be maintained.

In another room, Wang Cong was in a similar situation as He Kun.

Frustration x2!

…

“ST Club? Is that the same one from the luxury car showdown? Haha, I never thought I’d run into this internet-famous car team here.”

“I heard it’s just a private match between a few members, but with a live broadcast from Luo Hai TV, it should be worth watching.”

“The staff at Luo Hai TV sure work hard, broadcasting even while on vacation.”

…

By 4:30 in the afternoon, more and more spectators gathered around the Thrilling Racing area, most of them just there to kill time. The ST Club’s entertainment race might have been a small affair, but that didn’t stop the onlookers from enjoying the spectacle.

Upon arriving, they quickly found an open spot, casually chatting while sipping sodas and snacking on seeds. When the ST Club members finally arrived, they were greeted with an enthusiastic pre-show crowd.

The ST Club members marched forward, eyes fixed straight ahead, ignoring the crowd.

He Kun and Wang Cong locked eyes, their gazes sparking with animosity.

“Good luck!”

Amidst their stare-down, several high-pitched cheers rang out from the crowd. Likely due to their wealthy upbringing, both He Kun and Wang Cong had good looks. Paired with their designer outfits, they exuded an air of sophistication that made many girls swoon.

He Kun and Wang Cong forced a smirk. They looked impressive on the outside, but both knew the other was more bark than bite.

It was now 4:30. The two swiped their cards, selected their vehicles, and headed to the starting line.

Three seconds later, twelve cars lined up at the starting line, creating a striking scene in the lively atmosphere.

But… where were the Luo Hai TV reporters?

Both the ST Club members and the tourists exchanged puzzled looks.

“No live broadcast?”

The spectators looked around, confused. The broadcast was supposed to be organized by Luo Hai TV, using Luo Hai’s official Weibo live streaming. Although it wasn’t on satellite, an official live stream was still a big deal.

Now, both participants and spectators were ready, but where was the TV crew?

“Look up… It’s a helicopter!”

“Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!”

Amidst the confusion, a shout from the crowd drew everyone’s attention skyward. Hovering above the Thrilling Racing track was a dark gray helicopter, about ten meters long. The right side door was open, and a man in his thirties was holding a camera, accompanied by a female reporter in her twenties.

The helicopter’s arrival instantly elevated the entertainment race to another level.

Many spectators eagerly took out their phones to capture the moment.

It was their first time seeing a helicopter up close, and judging by its appearance, it seemed to be the same one spotted at the port earlier that morning.

The tourists were buzzing with excitement, while up in the helicopter, the aerial photographer, seeing the scene below, started to feel a bit dizzy.

“Manager Tang, is this helicopter safe?”

The aerial photographer, Zhang Min, was in a relationship with the reporter, Wang Lu. Both worked for Luo Hai TV. They had been working overtime recently and were now taking their delayed annual leave. They were both workaholics and had met He Kun and his friends on the ship. Upon learning about the upcoming friendly race, they decided to take up this live-streaming opportunity.

Luo Hai TV is a top-tier, satellite television channel based in Luo Hai, established twenty years ago and consistently maintaining a top 10 viewership in the industry. However, with the rise of online entertainment, traditional TV audiences have been shrinking. To keep up with the trends, Luo Hai TV launched several online platforms, including Luo Hai Network Video and Luo Hai Live. Over the past two years, these platforms have gained significant popularity.

Luo Hai Live, which is affiliated with Weibo, typically features street interviews, celebrity chats, and similar content, attracting a solid fan base. Wang Lu was in charge of Luo Hai Live. When the opportunity to collaborate with the ST Club arose, she immediately thought of their platform. Since the ST Club was already popular on Weibo, and Dreat Tang Resort was currently trending, combining the two would likely attract many viewers.

For this live stream, the official Weibo account of Luo Hai TV even ran two days of advertisements. Currently, more than 30,000 viewers were eagerly awaiting the 5 PM start.

Based on past experiences, if there were 30,000 pre-registrations, the live stream could potentially attract more than 300,000 viewers.

Both Zhang Min and Wang Lu were excited.

Luo Hai Live doesn’t have a tipping feature; it primarily relies on advertising revenue. According to feedback from their TV station colleagues, ad slots during the ST race stream were already priced at 60,000 yuan for ten seconds. If the live stream went well, that price could increase even further. This was a rare and lucrative opportunity.

With that in mind, they sought even better coverage for the live stream.

In the afternoon, they approached Tang Huai to ask for permission to enter the racetrack for close-up filming. To their surprise, Tang Huai, after hearing their request, waved his hand generously and provided them with helicopter aerial coverage.

Not only that, but he also supplied a camera and microphone equipment, significantly facilitating the live stream.

“Manager Tang, maybe we should go down and shoot from the ground…”

From the helicopter, Zhang Min continued speaking after asking his earlier question. The right door of the helicopter was wide open, and he was only secured by a simple seatbelt. Since he was holding the camera, half of his body was sticking out of the door. The high-altitude winds whistled past him, and the stern-looking helicopter pilot wasn’t helping his nerves… In short, Zhang Min was a bit scared.

“Weren’t you super excited earlier? Coward,” Wang Lu teased as soon as Zhang Min finished talking, even before Tang Huai could respond. Before boarding the helicopter, Zhang Min had been so excited he almost jumped for joy.

Zhang Min looked a bit sheepish; he was indeed feeling timid.

“Tony is a professional pilot with seven years of experience. There’s no need to worry about safety,” Tang Huai said with a smirk, as Zhang Min’s nervousness was evident.

Tony was indeed a pro, a pilot who cost five million sea island points.

Besides providing aerial footage, Tang Huai also wanted to test the helicopter’s flight. Not only Zhang Min, but this was also Tang Huai’s first time riding in a helicopter.

“It’s time. To all viewers in the live stream, welcome to Luo Hai Weibo Live…” As Zhang Min brooded, Wang Lu started the stream at 4:58 PM, two minutes ahead of schedule.

With the live stream now on, Zhang Min quickly put his worries aside and gave the Thrilling Racing track a wide aerial shot. His actions were smooth and professional, displaying his expertise.

“Is this an aerial shot? Great Tang Resort is impressive; they’ve even got professional camera equipment.”

“This is so spectacular! I’ve seen short videos from the racer’s perspective before, and Thrilling Racing looked unique, but I didn’t expect the aerial view to be so powerful!”

“Is this the same rustic live stream we saw before? The resort just went from basic to premium in an instant.”

“Haha, great move by Luo Hai Live this time.”

“Agreed! I’m looking forward to this!”

…

The live stream opened, and the moment Chinese viewers saw the aerial footage, the chat room instantly exploded. From Zhang Min’s camera perspective, the entire helicopter soared in the sky, surrounded by patches of white clouds. Below these clouds lay various distinctive terrains: abandoned factories, forests encircled by greenery, and snow-covered mountains.

Most viewers had seen the previous on-the-ground perspectives recorded by tourists, capturing the wild and thrilling essence of the racetrack. However, from this new vantage point, the entire Thrilling Racing track was revealed as a breathtaking landscape, distinct from the snowfields and mountains around Snow Village.

This scenery… mesmerizing!

“Now, our twelve racers are in position… The race officially begins!”

On the helicopter, Wang Lu signaled Tony to lower the altitude, giving close-up shots of He Kun and the others in their vehicles. As Wang Lu spoke, the twelve race cars sped off at 200 mph, with the Grest Tang helicopter quickly following suit.

“Ahhh!”

As the helicopter abruptly sped up, Zhang Min almost lost his balance. The sudden rush of wind past his ears caught him off guard. Was Tony really a pilot with seven years of experience?

He felt like crying.

…

“Ah, eliminated.”

“So intense! It’s only been three minutes.”

“There’s a sharp turn up ahead… That was close!”

…

As the live viewers eagerly watched, the twelve race cars on the Thrilling Racing track fiercely pursued each other.

“Damn,” He Kun muttered as he passed the railway area and approached the city bridge. There was a five-meter-long broken section in the middle of the bridge, a part he had encountered several times before. Even so, crossing it just now left him a bit rattled.

He was so close to falling off.

“Bang! Bang, bang!”

Right after He Kun made it across, two loud bangs sounded behind him. Two more racers had just been eliminated.

He Kun didn’t dare get distracted and continued moving forward. He didn’t care about the million-dollar prize anymore; he just hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much…

“This is so intense; it could be in Racing Passion 8.”

“I heard the minimum speed for Thrilling Racing is 200 mph. I didn’t get it before, but now… it must be at least 280 mph.”

“I’m getting the itch. Anyone up for a group trip to Sora Island?”

“Scraping by and saving up.”

The situation on the track changed rapidly, leaving both live stream viewers and on-site spectators glued to the action. Compared to the wide screen view available to on-site visitors, live stream viewers had a more comprehensive understanding of the race’s dynamics. As the chat had already pointed out, the real-life Thrilling Racing scene was far more thrilling than any action movie!

In just three minutes, the number of live viewers on Luo Hai TV’s broadcast shot up from 30,000 to 100,000, and this figure kept climbing.

Luo Hai TV’s broadcast was official, with no beauty filters or special effects. Great Tang Resort easily outshone domestic social media hotspots.

As they watched the mountain streams in the video, many viewers began to seriously consider the feasibility of visiting Great Tang Resort…

Everyone was engrossed, focusing intently.

“If you want flawless skin, choose Great Mischief Mask. EAX Great Mischief gives you a perfect, youthful face…”

Another car got eliminated, fueling the viewers’ excitement. Just then, a melodious female voice rang out.

Everyone: What the heck!

In the top right corner of the Luo Hai live stream, a small window popped up. It was an ad from one of Luo Hai TV’s sponsors. This advertisement would appear randomly three times an hour, not blocking the main live stream screen but still infuriating the audience.

Viewers closed the ad in frustration.

Great Mischief? Fine, you’re on the blacklist!

Despite their complaints, the audience returned to watching the race. After an intense back-and-forth, only six cars remained.

…

“Editor Sun, the viewer loss rate is at 0.6%…”

While the viewers were intently focused on the race, several employees at the Luo Hai TV central building chatted as they monitored the live stream’s backend data. These employees were the backstage crew for Luo Hai Live, and compared to other prime-time shows, their job was relatively relaxed.

Luo Hai Live was established just last year, and its revenue mainly comes from advertising during live broadcasts. According to their past data, each ad insertion typically results in a loss of 5% to 20% of viewers. If the program is subpar, they might even lose up to 30%.

This broadcast of the Thrilling Racing entertainment match was meant to be a minor event. Although the Luo Hai Live team had announced the stream beforehand, they held modest expectations for viewer retention during ads, estimating a drop-off rate of at least 8%. Yet, right now, they had only lost 0.6%?

The editor-in-chief, a slightly chubby man in his thirties, was referred to as Chief Sun. After hearing the report, he quickly opened the live stream’s backend data.

Indeed, it was 0.6%, to be precise, 0.567%, approximately 0.6%…

“What’s the current number of live viewers?” Chief Sun asked abruptly after reviewing the data.

“Five hundred and twenty thousand, and it’s still climbing,” the junior staff member replied immediately. It had been twelve minutes since the stream started, and the viewership had surged from 30,000 to 520,000 at an astonishing rate…

“Raise the price for the second round to one hundred thousand… no, make it one hundred and twenty thousand.” Chief Sun decisively commanded as he approached the junior staff member.

A price jump from sixty to a hundred thousand may not sound like much, but their ad slots were sold as one-offs. This price was not exactly cheap by comparison. The junior staff member responded promptly; he had a dedicated group chat with various advertising managers.

Chief Sun paced back and forth in his office. Luo Hai Live wasn’t a lucrative department. Securing a partnership with Great Mischief for 60,000 was considered high income. To put it into perspective, there were times when they sold an ad for just 2,000 yuan during slow periods… The monthly revenue for Luo Hai Live typically hovered around 700,000 yuan, much less than variety shows and akin to being exiled in ancient times.

Chief Sun felt frustrated, but his hands were tied. Nowadays, there were too many types of live broadcasts in China, and Luo Hai Live’s popularity was mainly due to its affiliation with Luo Hai TV.

He had already resigned himself to working for Luo Hai Live for five years, but now, he saw a glimmer of hope. If Luo Hai Live’s revenue increased, he could improve his performance record and transfer positions more easily in the future.

“Call Wang Lu and tell her to extend the live broadcast. It needs to last at least an hour,” he instructed again after pacing the room. With such high viewer numbers, he needed to make the most of it.

“Understood… Chief, the Thrilling Racing match just finished,” the junior staff member replied while communicating with advertisers. He glanced at the live feed and froze.

A round of Thrilling Racing lasts a maximum of twenty minutes, and with fifteen minutes already gone, the race had just concluded.

“Give me the phone,” Chief Sun ordered decisively. He didn’t care about the race results; he immediately called Wang Lu.

“It’s me, Old Sun. No matter what it takes, you must extend the live broadcast to over an hour. Maintain the quality! The future of Luo Hai Live depends on you,” he said bluntly as soon as the call connected.

Wang Lu: ???

Thirty seconds later, the call ended. Wang Lu stared at her phone, feeling a bit dizzy.

Extend the broadcast time?

After confirming that Chief Sun wasn’t joking, she felt like crying. Adding another five minutes was one thing, but now that the race was over, how could she stretch it to a full hour without compromising the quality?

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️