Ch 136: The World’s Number One Resort

The popularity of the Great Tang glasses was soaring online. Meanwhile, Tang Huai was making his rounds in various scenic spots at Great Tang Resort and eventually arrived in the southern district of Sora Island.

The Great Tang glasses factory had been fully constructed, spanning an area of over 20 acres. It comprised the factory zone, office zone, and living quarters, with its red brick and green tiles creating a neat and tidy appearance. Besides the AI lead programmer, the factory employed fifty operators and fifty inspectors, along with several packers and quality control staff.

The glasses factory operated like a regular tech plant, running efficiently.

“Manager Tang, the glasses have entered the polishing phase. Once the finishing touches are done and the software is uploaded, they’ll be ready for distribution,” the AI programmer explained as Tang Huai took a tour of the operations room.

The AI programmer, named Sami, was a non-intelligent AI from Andhra Pradesh. Judging by programming standards, he was definitely at a P10+ level.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Tang Huai sincerely expressed his gratitude. Sami’s contributions during this period had been invaluable.

“Is this a test unit?” Tang Huai asked as he approached the center of the operations room, where a rainbow-colored pair of glasses rested on the central control table. The glasses had a sleek, smooth design, and in addition to the logo shown on the official website, the right corner of the frame bore the Great Tang insignia and the marking “Great Tang 01.”

This was the unique serial number assigned to each pair of Great Tang glasses.

“Without iris recognition, it’s currently limited to guest login only,” Sami explained patiently as he noticed Tang Huai’s curiosity.

According to the game setup, Ancient Town VR was similar to other online games in China. When players logged in, a corresponding account would be created. This account could be deleted or used continuously, representing the player’s identity within the game.

“Turn it on,” Tang Huai said, becoming more intrigued.

Ancient Town VR had been around for over three months, and as the pioneer gamer of Great Tang Resort, Tang Huai was ready to give it a try.

The Ancient Town VR headset was turned on, and Tang Huai sat on a nearby lounge chair. Following Sami’s instructions, he put on the VR glasses.

The design of the Ancient Town VR glasses was similar to that of Stroke of the Brush. After a brief inspection, Tang Huai pressed the start button.

…

“Welcome to Great Tang Glasses, Horror Town Edition. Horror Town is a next-generation VR game invested in by the FillTech Company and produced by Great Tang Resort…” As soon as Tang Huai clicked start, the scene before him shifted, placing him in a vast white mist-covered square.

A sweet female voice echoed in the air. Tang Huai scanned his surroundings; the mist stretched out endlessly ahead, giving the feeling of stepping into a different world. This was an upgraded version of the Sora Cinema.

Player Status: Wanderer

Player Nickname (up to five characters): None

Age Detection: 21

Randomized Profession: Student

Game Difficulty: Intermediate

Backpack: 0

After the female voice finished, a large 3D interface appeared before him. His status was marked as “Wanderer,” indicating that the account was not yet registered.

Enter the Game?

At the bottom right of the interface was a prominent “Yes” and “No” choice.

Tang Huai selected “Enter.”

“In Jiangnan City’s Qingze County, China, lies a tranquil and serene town—Yunsong Town. Ninety years ago, 326 residents of Yunsong Town mysteriously disappeared, turning it into a forbidden area in Qingze County. Ninety years later, a student named A from T University arrived in Yunsong Town for an excursion…”

A whistle sounded, and suddenly, Tang Huai found himself at the Yunsong Town train station. An old, weathered green train passed behind him, and before him stood a station built from green bricks. The walls of the station still displayed a “1921” poster in old-fashioned print. The knee-high weeds indicated that the station had been abandoned for many years.

“A, huh. What a random name,” Tang Huai remarked, returning to reality. He was now dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and pants, with a large travel backpack slung over his shoulders, the typical attire of a student.

After complaining about the name, Tang Huai set down his backpack and began to inspect its contents. Given his experiences with Sora Cinema and Stroke of the Brush, the scene before him didn’t evoke much emotion. However, he was curious about how other players would react when they encountered this environment.

“Phone, charger, tape, journal…” Tang Huai muttered as he went through the backpack, only finding some basic items.

He opened the journal.

“1920, sunny. Today, I met Mr. Zhai for the first time. Mr. Zhai is the new teacher hired by Mayor Li. His hair is slightly bristled, he wears black-rimmed glasses, and his cyan long robe is somewhat wrinkled… As the first cultured person in town, half the girls here fancied him the day he arrived. I do too. – Yu”

“Today, I left osmanthus cake at the school. Mr. Zhai returned in the evening. I was nervous, but my heart felt as sweet as honey. I realized I really like Mr. Zhai. However, so many people like him too. – Yu”

“We agreed that Mr. Zhai belongs to everyone; no one can have him all to themselves. – Yu”

“Today, it was cloudy. I discovered a secret. I was terrified; this secret could affect many people. I decided to keep it buried in my heart. – Yu”

“…”

“Disaster, it’s over. – Yu”

Tang Huai flipped through the journal casually. Initially, he thought it was written by “A,” but the style seemed more archaic. The signature was “Yu.”

The first entry was dated 1920, suggesting it was something “A” had copied.

Tang Huai closed the journal and scratched his head.

Clearly, the plot of Horror Town was related to this journal. It reminded Tang Huai of Chinese horror movies—the story was starting with a distinct “Chinese horror” vibe.

After pondering for a moment, Tang Huai packed up his bag and walked forward. Yunsong Town was located in the Jiangnan region. Beyond the train station lay a curved bridge with a stream trickling underneath. Behind the bridge, vast fields of canola flowers spread out, with traditional Republican-era buildings featuring blue tiles and white walls nestled further in.

With green mountains, fields of canola flowers, and streams reflecting the bright sunshine, the scene ahead was full of warmth. There wasn’t the slightest hint of anything “horrifying.”

Clearing his thoughts, Tang Huai pressed forward.

The environment crafted by the system was remarkably realistic. As Tang Huai walked along, he felt as if he had truly stepped into a Jiangnan town, with no sense of dissonance.

“Task 1: Be alone in the Yunsong Schoolhouse during the designated time (Yunsong Time): 10 PM – 8 AM. Reward: 5 experience points. [Optional Skip: 50 gold coins].”

As Tang Huai set foot in Yunsong territory, a 3D interface popped up before him.

This was a smooth narrative task.

Tang Huai checked the game’s notes: gold coins could be bought with real money at a rate of 1 USD = 1 coin.

No game is complete without in-app purchases. Horror Town wasn’t cheap, and since Great Tang was the producer, Tang Huai would split the revenue 50-50 with the system.

After a moment’s thought, Tang Huai decided to try recharging: 100 USD.

“Ding! You are logged in as a guest. Progress will not be saved. Do you wish to continue?”

Tang Huai selected “Cancel.” He finally understood why the game recommended guest login—it wasn’t just tied to progress, but also to cash flow…

It was currently 5 PM in Yunsong time. Tang Huai took a quick tour of the town entrance before proceeding further in. Yunsong Town wasn’t very large. Besides an old bun shop and a pawn shop, the rest of the buildings were mainly courtyard residences, similar in scale to modern-day villages.

The town was overgrown with weeds and had a damp feeling, probably due to its age. Tang Huai followed the main road and quickly found Yunsong Schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse comprised three connected rooms totaling about 60 square meters, not particularly large. The crooked plaque reading “Yunsong Schoolhouse” hung in the center.

Tang Huai surveyed the surroundings. The weeds in front of the schoolhouse were half a person’s height, taller than the weeds elsewhere. Picking up a tree branch, he cleared a path through the weeds and made his way inside.

Inside the schoolhouse, there were over twenty darkened long tables. At the front hung a neatly placed portrait of Confucius. Tang Huai looked up and saw a couplet on either side of the portrait: “Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, Trust” on one side, and “Gentleness, Kindness, Respect, Thrift, Yielding” on the other. The portrait and couplet seemed completely out of place amidst the cobweb-covered environment.

Tang Huai exhaled softly and placed his backpack on the nearest table. According to the game’s requirements, he needed to stay in the room for eight hours.

He decided to clear a space for himself.

Suddenly, there was a loud “Bang!” as the nails holding the couplet fell out, causing the entire scroll to hang askew.

Tang Huai froze for a moment, not because of the sudden drop of the nails, but because of what was beneath the couplet. It was now within his line of sight.

Underneath the couplet was a two-meter-long coffin that he hadn’t noticed before due to a blind spot in his vision. The coffin was propped up on four green bricks, and a thick layer of dust, about two inches, covered the top. Summoning his courage, Tang Huai blew on the coffin lid, sending dust flying. At the end of the coffin was a yellow talisman pasted on it. Just then, a sharp cicada chirped from outside the schoolhouse.

Tang Huai thought: …Okay, now it’s starting to get creepy.

It was 9:20 PM in Yunsong. Tang Huai decided to exit the game. Though he considered himself brave, the earlier atmosphere, combined with the eerie schoolhouse, convinced him that no matter how realistic Horror Town was, it was definitely a game for the daring.

“What time is it now?” Tang Huai asked Sami as he took off the headset. The time in Yunsong didn’t sync with real-world time. He had disembarked from the train at 4:20 PM and left the game at 9:20 PM, totaling five hours.

“It’s 3:10 PM. Yunsong time runs at a 2:1 ratio compared to real-world time. Players can activate the assisted-sleep system, allowing them to play while asleep, which won’t affect their mental state. In fact, it can provide a relaxing massage,” Samit explained in detail.

Horror Town also supports multiplayer mode, with a maximum of seven players. As the number of players increases, the game’s difficulty adjusts accordingly.

After listening to the explanation, Tang Huai nodded.

Similar to Thrilling Racing, Horror Town doesn’t impact a player’s mental state after exiting the game, a form of high-tech mental protection.

Tang Huai wandered around the factory for a bit before returning to his small island residence.

He then opened the Great Tang Resort’s official website. After three days of promotion, Great Tang VR had received 3,002 pre-orders. While that number might sound substantial, on a global scale, it was relatively insignificant.

After some thought, Tang Huai edited the website’s advertisement header.

“The game is extremely realistic. Not for the faint-hearted. Please consider carefully before purchasing.”

Written in English, this honest message was Tang Huai’s way of ensuring transparency as a responsible seller.

After posting the update, Tang Huai scrolled through Weibo for a bit before heading to bed.

He slept soundly through the night.

…

“Extremely realistic? Please consider carefully before purchasing?” While it was 3 AM on Sora Island, the sun was shining brightly in the Asia-Pacific region. In an office building in Tokyo, Japan, Takakura Nakai muttered to himself as he looked at the computer screen.

Due to restrictions in South Korea, Korean consumers were unable to purchase Great Tang products. Takakura Nakai, who had studied in Seoul, had many Korean classmates. As Great Tang products became increasingly sought after, some working professionals in Korea who couldn’t buy them began turning to their old friends for help.

Yesterday, Takakura received a call from a university classmate, asking him to help purchase a batch of Great Tang pineapples. Along with the request, they thoughtfully provided him with a link to the official website.

Takakura Nakai was a bit perplexed; he couldn’t quite understand why his classmate was so insistent on purchasing pineapples. However, valuing their long-standing friendship, he agreed to help with the request. He had been busy all day yesterday and only found time today to open the link.

Takakura was ready to make a quick purchase, but his eyes froze on the homepage advertisement.

A VR headset.

Life in Tokyo was fast-paced and stressful. As an executive in his company, overtime was a common occurrence for Takakura. To relieve stress, he was fond of haunted houses and various VR games. However, due to the current lack of maturity in VR technology, the experience often felt unrealistic, and the thrill of haunted houses wore off after a few visits.

Now, looking at the Great Tang Resort’s homepage advertisement, Takakura’s interest was piqued. From the product description, the Great Tang VR headset seemed promising.

His eyes caught on Tang Huai’s note: “Please consider carefully before purchasing.”

Such a remark… it really made people itch to try it out.

Aside from that intriguing note, he also noticed a small corner on the homepage with the words “Half-Month No-Questions-Asked Return Policy.” The Great Tang official website used a deferred payment model: if a player clicked “Return,” the payment would be held by the site until the return was processed successfully.

Takakura began researching information about the Great Tang Resort.

Fairytale towns, magical fruits, the Journal of Biological Research… Takakura casually dug around, but the more he read about the resort, the more surprised he became.

From what he gathered, this was a mysterious island. The Great Tang Resort was like a rising star, steadily climbing to prominence.

Takakura studied the online information about the Great Tang Resort, then looked back at the details of the Horror Town VR. Feeling reassured, he decided to make the purchase.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint,” he murmured to himself after placing the order. Beneath his calm demeanor, he felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.

Takakura enjoyed thrilling and stress-relieving activities. If the Horror Town VR experience turned out to be as good as it seemed, maybe he would consider visiting the Great Tang Resort in person?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Takakura navigated to the fruit section of the Great Tang website. Having completed the VR purchase, all that was left was to buy the pineapples.

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