Ch 148: The World’s Number One Resort

Zhang Liang and Zhao Siyu slid down the chain. The walls of the black hole were uneven, but thanks to their special equipment, they felt no discomfort.

“How’s it going? Need me to hold onto you?” Zhang Liang, who was ahead, slowed his descent. With a ten-meter gap between them, the two moved up and down against the backdrop of the black rock, creating a striking scene.

“I’m fine. Is this volcanic rock? How did Great Tang manage to build this? It’s unbelievable.” Zhao Siyu observed the surrounding walls as she descended. The rocks around the black hole had a speckled appearance, alternating between black and gray, indicative of volcanic rock.

The volcanic rock blended perfectly with the black hole’s aesthetics.

Zhao Siyu was curious. This deep black hole… it was quite extraordinary.

“Amazing!” The two had slid down more than a hundred meters when Zhao Siyu struck a pose, spreading her arms wide as if flying. The ropes mainly relied on pulleys and a waist harness for safety. With Great Tang’s advanced technology, even if a tourist tried to pull on the rope, it wouldn’t budge.

Zhao Siyu’s safety gear was at maximum protection, but from the outside, the sight was quite breathtaking.

“Hold onto the rope first… I checked online, and all of Great Tang’s technology comes from the FillTech Company. I think their headquarters is somewhere in Northern Europe, but I don’t really understand it,” Zhang Liang said, startled by her actions. He was a bit shaken, ensuring Zhao Siyu had a firm grip on the rope. Sliding down a thousand meters was quite the heart-pounding experience. The tourists around the black hole were numerous, so even though they felt nervous, they managed to keep their calm.

After a few words of encouragement, three minutes later, the couple reached the bottom of the black hole.

“Is this a mysterious swamp? Or a hidden lake?”

Once their safety harnesses released, Zhang Liang and Zhao Siyu took a few steps forward. About thirty meters ahead lay a massive black lake, similar in size to the Blue Lake. Around the lake stood jagged, eerie rocks, adding a dark and mysterious vibe.

“Where’s the city?”

“Not sure, is this some kind of adventure game?”

Zhao Siyu and Zhang Liang opened their backpacks and took out bottles of water. After about thirty seconds, other tourists arrived, and everyone began snapping photos with their phones.

Despite the unique and striking scenery, it felt somewhat eerie compared to the thrill of descending through the black hole.

“Hey, are there passages around here?” As Zhao Siyu and Zhang Liang walked around the black lake, two British tourists seemed to discover something, knocking on the walls.

All around the walls were candle-like switches. When the candlestick was twisted, a large black door, measuring 5×3 meters, opened up. Its exterior looked exactly like the wall, camouflaged perfectly.

Zhang Liang pulled up the underground city map. The spot they were at was marked by a red dot. Looking around, there were fifty such red dots on the map, indicating that there were fifty wall doors below the black hole.

Behind each door were winding corridors, which, judging by the map, resembled a labyrinthine underground maze.

“A tomb-raiding adventure on an island?” Zhao Siyu joked as she looked at the small map. Black holes, traps, corridors—this was the typical setting for an adventure movie.

“Let’s go in and see.” Zhang Liang rubbed her head playfully. The British tourists who had discovered the candlestick had already gone in, and there were quite a few other Chinese tourists behind them. All in all, their group had around twenty people.

Since they were already here, it made sense to continue exploring. After a short break, the couple followed the others inside.

The Sora corridor was quite spacious. Along its sides were neatly arranged black stone bricks, and on top of each brick was a candlestick. Every five meters, a candlestick emitted a glow. These candlesticks operated using modern electronic devices and would remain lit as long as there was a stable current. They resembled modern night lights more than traditional candlesticks.

The group moved forward through the corridor.

The passage was dim and shadowy, like the magical underground chambers seen in fantasy films.

Soon, they came upon a three-way intersection. At each fork stood a life-sized statue. Some statues held Western-style shields, others wore ancient gowns. Overall, it was a hodgepodge of characters from various cultures and times, old and young alike. Perhaps because of the surrounding environment, the statues didn’t seem out of place and instead blended harmoniously with the setting.

“Which way do we go?” one of the British tourists asked hesitantly, glancing down the dark, quiet passages, illuminated only by flickering orange lights. It was somewhat frightening.

“This isn’t a real adventure. Just pick any direction.” A middle-aged Chinese man waved nonchalantly. Then, after taking a few selfies with the statues, he headed toward the easternmost passage.

The middle-aged man walked while examining the translator in his hand. He was thirty-eight years old with a relatively low level of education, but with the Chinese translator, he could communicate smoothly with foreigners. Not only could it handle English, but it could also translate Hindi, French, and other languages with precision through simultaneous translation.

It was truly a technological marvel.

“Let’s go to the right,” the man said confidently. Zhang Liang and Zhao Siyu exchanged glances and chose the rightmost path. They had already played through the “Horror Ancient Town,” so they weren’t afraid of this physical underground city.

The rightmost passage was just like the previous ones. After walking for more than thirty meters, they encountered two forks. One led to a corridor, while the other led to a dark brown stone door, guarded by two small stone lions and a candlestick.

“This really feels like a tomb-raiding adventure,” Zhao Siyu murmured in a daze. From the black hole to the current scene, every step was testing their patience.

“Just think of it as a relaxing walk,” Zhang Liang chuckled. Although they were underground, the unique design of the Great Tang environment made the air feel fresh. In fact, it felt unusually crisp and clear.

Great Tang was truly incredible!

Zhang Liang spoke and reached out to turn the candlestick. The stone door creaked open, just like the ones outside.

“Oh my god.”

There were six people on Zhang Liang’s path. When they saw the scene in front of them, their jaws nearly dropped. Five meters from the door was a cliff. The cliff stretched for twenty meters, and beneath it roared blazing flames. A wooden bridge connected the middle of the cliff, held up by two iron chains, but the entire structure looked precariously shaky.

“A sea of fire in an ice mountain,” Zhang Liang muttered. Although they had yet to take a closer look, the entire fiery abyss, when combined with the black hole setting, appeared to be at least a hundred meters deep.

First the black hole, and now this sea of fire. Was Great Tang really here to challenge the limits of the human psyche?

Beyond the cliff lay a vast desert. The group stared at it, hesitating to move forward.

This was not like an ice bridge. They had crossed the crystal bridge in the Snow Village, but now… one misstep into this abyss, and it felt like they’d be incinerated in an instant.

“This is the 23rd underground area developed by the FillTech Company. The entire sea of fire is created using advanced projection technology. Once the projection is turned off, the cliff is only twelve meters deep,” the service attendant explained.

The six hesitated. The service attendant approached while pressing a button on a remote control in his hand.

The red button activated, and the sea of fire seemed to obey, quickly vanishing. Area 23 suddenly looked calm and clear. The group took a few steps forward. Just as the attendant had said, the cliff was only about ten meters deep, with the bottom covered in trampoline-like devices. If visitors jumped from the bridge, they could enjoy a brief moment of flight…

“The sea of fire is just a projection,” the attendant explained before pressing the remote again. In the blink of an eye, the clear cliff once again turned into a fiery abyss.

“Amazing…” Zhang Liang moved closer to feel it. The cliff looked thrilling and dangerous, but there was no heat—just an illusory projection.

But it was a projection more realistic than reality…

The attendant put away the remote and confidently walked onto the fire bridge. From Zhang Liang and the others’ perspective, amidst the blazing flames, the attendant’s silhouette exuded a sense of determination and grace. It was a kind of “dark elegance.”

“This is super cool… Take my phone and get a good shot of me. Actually, forget it, record a video,” Zhao Siyu said excitedly, handing her phone to Zhang Liang before gleefully running toward the wooden bridge.

The surrounding flames looked so realistic that the photos would definitely turn out amazing! With a mindset ready for photos, Zhao Siyu walked forward without any hesitation.

Zhang Liang couldn’t stop her and could only hold up the phone to start recording.

Zhao Siyu loved looking good, and since they were on their honeymoon, she was wearing a red Bohemian-style long dress with her hair flowing down to her waist. Her overall look had a touch of beauty that not only captivated Zhang Liang but also caught the attention of other tourists who began taking photos of her.

With firm and determined steps, Zhao Siyu walked onto the bridge. Just as she reached the middle, she suddenly turned around.

Her red dress flared up, and a faint, enigmatic smile played on her lips. The whole scene was picture-perfect…

“How was it? Did it come out well?” Three minutes later, after everyone had crossed the sea of fire, Zhao Siyu excitedly asked Zhang Liang, who was at the back of the group.

She took the phone from Zhang Liang. The video recorded her journey across the bridge from start to finish, lasting 52 seconds. With the backdrop of roaring flames, it exuded the grandeur of an MV teaser.

The more Zhao Siyu watched, the more she loved it.

“This is so cool.” The video’s effect exceeded her expectations, and she couldn’t help but stare at it in awe. However, something seemed off as she continued watching.

She looked up to see that Zhang Liang’s eyes were slightly red.

“Why are you crying?” Zhao Siyu was startled. They had been dating for seven years and married for a month, but she had never seen this expression on Zhang Liang’s face before.

“Wife, I just feel a little overwhelmed. I need to treat you well!” Zhang Liang hugged Zhao Siyu tightly.

“You fool.” Zhao Siyu was confused and managed to squeeze out those two words. Everything was fine; why was he suddenly crying? What a fool!

Zhang Liang hugged her even tighter. It wasn’t that he was overly sentimental; it was just that the video of Zhao Siyu crossing the bridge looked so tragic, as if she might disappear if they weren’t careful.

He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her—it was a weighty emotion.

Damn, it’s all because the fire effects at Great Tang were too realistic!

The couple shared a heartfelt moment and then started observing their surroundings. Right opposite the bridge was a 20-meter-high pyramid, which, like the sea of fire, was also a projection.

The stone lions, the cacti, and even the sand beneath their feet—all of these were projections. These projections differed from the typical movie screen; they changed to simulate different environments as the tourists moved around.

If you didn’t examine it closely, the entire space felt like a natural Egyptian desert.

They walked around and found that the only real thing was a souvenir booth selling commemorative badges. Each badge was priced at $50, featuring “Sora Desert” on one side and the “Great Tang Resort” logo on the other.

The badges were of high quality and reasonably priced. After looking around, everyone eagerly bought one!

Half an hour later, the group exited the Sora Desert and continued exploring other areas.

As they moved forward, they noticed a pattern: every 300 meters, there was a black stone door. The rooms behind these stone doors varied in size but each had a unique landscape. Based on incomplete statistics, the entire underground city had around fifty such stone doors.

A bamboo forest filled with birdsong, towering cliffs, and clear streams…

Every time they pushed open a door, they did so with eager anticipation. Like the Sora Desert, the other scenes were also created using virtual projections.

This was an advanced technology that surpassed any current projection methods. The visitors were utterly fascinated and felt the full impact of Great Tang’s high-tech capabilities.

At the same time, they became even more curious about the company behind Great Tang.

…

“A global environmental conference?” While the tourists were exploring in awe, Tang Huai at Great Tang Resort looked at the itinerary that Xie Yunshu handed him, looking somewhat surprised.

Today was the opening of the Sora Underground City, and Tang Huai had planned to visit. However, some matters came up, keeping him at the office. He had just finished his previous work when a new task appeared.

Tang Huai sighed, feeling a bit disappointed as he really wanted to go out and play.

“This is an international environmental conference held every two years. The last one was in Iceland. We can apply for the next one, and I think Great Tang should participate,” Xie Yunshu explained, ignoring Tang Huai’s reluctance.

Great Tang should participate?

Tang Huai took a deep breath and started reading through the documents in his hand.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️