Ch 147: The World’s Number One Resort

“Sora Underground City? Is this a new area?”

“It seems like it. Great Tang sure kept this under wraps; there wasn’t even a hint of it before…”

“There were quite a few construction teams here recently, so it must have been in development.”

On September 20th, with clear skies overhead, the underground city was officially completed. Tang Huai dispatched AI units to inspect and ensure everything was functioning correctly. Once verified, advertisements promoting the new area were posted on buses and taxis. In less than a day, most tourists had heard about the new addition to Great Tang.

Bianjing Ancient City, Fruit Kingdom, Sky Forest… Tourists familiar with Sora Island’s attractions knew that Great Tang’s landscapes were all simulated environments created using FillTech Technology. It was akin to artificial forests and lakes commonly seen elsewhere, except Great Tang’s ‘artificial’ environments were a hundred times more sophisticated.

After the construction of Sky Forest, some visitors had even started a guessing game online, speculating what Great Tang’s next scenic area would be. People were incredibly intrigued by the resort’s future developments.

Just as everyone was making their predictions, the announcement of a new area came merely three months after Sky Forest’s opening. And the name… the “Underground World”?

The anticipation was palpable.

Everyone felt fortunate to be among the first to witness the opening of Sora Underground City.

“Half an hour left, and there are already so many people here.”

“Tulips, wild roses… Wait, aren’t we supposed to be entering an underground city? Why is it a sea of flowers?”

“An influencer hotspot for sure. Look at these flowers; there must be hundreds of different varieties!”

At 8:30, tourists gathered on the outskirts of the underground city. In front of them lay a vibrant flower field stretching 20 square kilometers, its myriad colors dazzling in the morning sunlight.

A gentle breeze carried the fresh fragrance of the flowers. Despite the variety, the scents were refreshing and not overwhelming. In fact, the aroma lifted everyone’s spirits.

“Are we just here to look at flowers?” The visitors started snapping selfies but soon realized something was off. The promotional leaflet mentioned Sora Underground City, yet there wasn’t a sign of the city anywhere in sight—not even a single brick.

“Rumble, rumble…”

As the crowd grew increasingly confused, a deep rumbling noise echoed around them. Suddenly, numerous long flower-covered tracks rose from the ground, reminiscent of the tracks in the Thrilling Racing elimination zone. On these tracks sat flower carriages adorned with all kinds of blossoms, seemingly camouflaged within the sea of flowers.

“Dear guests, welcome to Sora Underground City. The entrance is right at the center of the flower field,” explained one of the Sora staff members, seeing the curiosity on everyone’s faces.

Visitors took out their Sora pass cards to check the updated map of the underground city. At the center, marked on the map in yellow, was an area about one square kilometer in size.

“An entrance that spans one square kilometer? That’s huge.”

While discussing among themselves, the tourists glanced at the flower carriages nearby. Each carriage could accommodate about 20 people, and there were nearly a hundred carriages in total, according to the map data.

The ride from the entrance to the center of the flower field would take about ten minutes, and the fleet of carriages was more than enough to transport all the visitors.

“Do we just get on?” Some excited tourists patted the carriages. They looked so whimsical!

“Yes,” replied the service staff politely.

With instructions clarified, the tourists began boarding the carriages. Within half a minute, the carriages set off.

“Look at those deep purple tulips…”

In the third row of the flower carriage, a young woman in her twenties snapped pictures while exclaiming in excitement.

Her name was Zhao Siyu, an ordinary designer at China Feichuang Decoration. Since it was the off-season at her company, she had wrapped up her work and taken a three-day leave to go on a honeymoon with her husband.

They had gotten married last month, and a honeymoon trip to Great Tang had been part of their plan for a while.

At twenty-five years old, Zhao Siyu was neither too young nor old, but she had a heart brimming with girlish excitement. After expressing her amazement, she snapped three more selfies.

The appearance of the Sora flower carriage resembled the pumpkin carriage from fairy tales, but it was expanded to fit twenty people instead of just two and was surrounded by clusters of flowers instead of a pumpkin design.

The carriage was decorated with flowers on all sides. Zhao Siyu touched them gently; because it was a mode of transportation, these “flowers” were made of soft rubber, closely mimicking real flowers.

She tried to pluck one, but they were firmly attached to the carriage. The material was specially crafted, resistant to knife marks and discoloration from the sun.

Zhao Siyu took a close-up shot of the flowers.

“Do you want some flowers?”

Zhao Siyu was lost in the world of flowers. Her boyfriend, Zhang Liang, noticed her actions and asked thoughtfully. He was sitting on the edge of the carriage, about half a meter away from the nearest flower field. As the carriage traveled halfway through its route, he saw a large peony field to his right.

Estimating the distance, Zhang Liang stood up and reached out to pick a flower.

“That’s not—”

“Ah!”

His actions were swift, but as Zhao Siyu was about to speak, Zhang Liang winced in pain and quickly sat back down.

“What happened?” Zhao Siyu asked, concerned as Zhang Liang clutched his right hand.

The commotion attracted the attention of many other tourists nearby.

“It’s nothing. There’s a protective barrier; you can’t pick them,” Zhang Liang said, a bit embarrassed. He glanced to his right and noticed a transparent, plastic-like barrier between the track and the flower field. It felt soft to the touch, but when touched too closely, a small electric current would zap through.

The current wasn’t harmful to humans, but it certainly got the message across: don’t pick the wildflowers on the roadside.

“So there really is a barrier. It must only be on the sides, so it doesn’t block the airflow above,” Zhang Liang said.

“Mom, I want the red flower…”

“What did your teacher teach you? You shouldn’t pick flowers carelessly!”

Zhang Liang’s voice wasn’t exactly quiet, so other tourists examined the protective netting around the flower field. However, while they were curious, none dared to attempt picking a flower.

Zhang Liang overheard the mother and child’s conversation nearby, feeling utterly embarrassed.

That was certainly a failed example.

“We’re here!” One of the tourists in the front tipped his hat as the flower carriage gradually slowed down.

Ten seconds later, the carriage came to a stop, and the passengers disembarked one by one.

“My God.”

Seeing the scene before them, many were rendered speechless. Right in front of them lay an enormous black hole, with a radius of over a hundred meters. The hole was about twenty meters away from the edge of the flower field, and these mere twenty meters seemed to separate the flower field into two entirely different worlds.

Although all the flower carriages departed from the same spot, they traveled different tracks and gradually gathered at this location after ten minutes.

Zhang Liang looked up. The black hole was circular, with the carriage stops distributed evenly around its edge.

“We’re not really going in there, are we?” A fifty-year-old Chinese tourist glanced around uncertainly. The hole was pitch-black and bottomless. Even with the bright, colorful flower field surrounding them, the atmosphere felt eerily cold.

The vibrant flowers appeared beautiful, yet they carried a contrasting sense of darkness with names like “Death Roses” and “Cliff Dancers.” The place might as well be renamed the “Horror Underground City.”

Swallowing nervously, the crowd hesitated to get closer.

“Welcome to Sora Underground City. The main section of the underground city lies one kilometer below ground. You can use the chains around the hole to descend,” explained a Sora guide.

The visitors noticed several dark chains circling the perimeter of the hole. The chains were equipped with harnesses for safety, suggesting that they would need to strap in and slide down like in an adventure show.

Thinking it through, many of them felt their legs go weak.

It was now 9:30 AM. In just a short while, more than three hundred people had gathered around the black hole. It was a bold experience, and while many hesitated, there were already some brave souls starting to make their move.

“What’s down there?” Zhao Siyu heard a few British youths around her discussing before they turned to the guide for more information. They seemed a bit hesitant but also excited.

“The underground city,” the guide replied with the same serious demeanor.

The tourists collectively sighed… Of course, they knew it was the underground city.

“Let’s go.” As more adventurous visitors made their attempts, the group of young men discussed further, their curiosity eventually outweighing their fear. They stepped forward.

There were about fifty entry points surrounding the black hole, with two guides stationed at each. The youths walked forward about ten meters to find a circle of dark railings five meters away from the edge of the hole. Attached to the railings were ten ropes, each equipped with simple pulleys. From their setup, it seemed each rope could accommodate ten people descending one after another.

After checking the safety of the ropes and ensuring there were no issues, the young men began their descent. Within moments, they disappeared from Zhao Siyu and the others’ line of sight.

“Um, can kids play this?”

As soon as they vanished, a mother who had come in the same flower carriage hesitated. She had brought her ten-year-old son along. He wasn’t too young but not quite old enough either. Watching him play such an intense game was nerve-wracking…

“It’s recommended to come back the day after tomorrow. The underground city will have a hot air balloon lift system, currently in preparation,” the guide suggested.

“Then I’ll go explore the flower fields some more.”

The mother hesitated for a moment before deciding to leave with her son. The uncertainty of the black hole was too much; she preferred to wait for more information and enjoy it later.

“Should we go?”

“Yeah, let’s do it…”

Some visitors were eager to try, while others stayed in the flower field, awaiting feedback. Zhao Siyu and Zhang Liang exchanged glances and made up their minds. This was their honeymoon, and not fully exploring would feel like a missed opportunity.

“Beep. Protective gear has been worn. Status: Safe.”

Following the instructions, the couple fastened their protective gear. As soon as they had their gear on, the ropes’ electronic sensors activated. Simultaneously, the railing opened intelligently.

“Is that all?” Zhang Liang asked curiously. He had experienced bungee jumping in China, and this setup felt similar, but the smart voice feedback made it seem quite high-tech.

“This is the ninth-generation protection system from the FillTech Company. Rest assured of its safety,” the guide assured them.

Zhang Liang nodded. “Safety protection” had always been one of Great Tang Resort’s biggest selling points.

With the ropes secured, the couple peered into the black hole. It was bottomless, and the view was even more astonishing up close.

Zhang Liang and Zhao Siyu used the same rope.

“I’ll go first,” Zhang Liang said, taking a deep breath before stepping out.

The Sora ropes relied on a pulley system for descent. They just needed to hold onto the rope and let the pulley automatically guide them downward. Once they overcame their fear, the descent was relatively simple.

Zhang Liang slid down about ten meters, and Zhao Siyu quickly followed. From a distance, they looked like two small spiders. Meanwhile, the entire black hole was filled with countless other “spiders.”

Everyone’s destination was the world below.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️