Ch 166: The World’s Number One Resort

After an hour of settling things, all personnel on the island were accounted for.

Vance and his associates totaled 182 people, including 32 researchers, with the rest being Vance’s upper echelon and enforcers. Under the absolute force of the AI bodyguards, everyone was gathered in the first-floor lobby.

Some of the defiant enforcers attempted to resist, but before they could act, they were harshly subdued by the Great Tang bodyguards. After a few rounds of this, no one dared to make any further moves. Compared to the Great Tang bodyguards, these enforcers seemed more like docile sheep.

The enforcers were left feeling frustrated. Under the relentless pressure of the Great Tang bodyguards, they began to question who the real overlord of the Pacific was.

“Boss Tang.”

After dealing with the situation for a while, Tang Huai returned to the building. Upon seeing him, the bodyguards saluted in unison. The Great Tang bodyguards were known for their strict discipline and execution. With no outsiders on the island, their salute followed the system’s protocol.

This time, 50 AI bodyguards had been deployed, all saluting simultaneously.

“This is too much…”

The bodyguards’ display was overwhelming, leaving Vance and his enforcers speechless. Having dominated the Pacific for so many years, Vance had never witnessed such a coordinated scene. His keen eye quickly discerned that these Great Tang bodyguards weren’t just for show; their level of discipline was ingrained in their bones, comparable to the most loyal soldiers in any army.

Vance now had a deeper understanding of Tang Huai’s power.

“Boss Tang, I admit my mistake this time. I have three hundred million dollars in a Swiss bank. If you let me go, the money is yours,” Vance adjusted his mindset as Tang Huai approached. His right hand was still bleeding, but he couldn’t afford to care about that now.

“Give me the money? What about Yu You?” Tang Huai crouched down.

“I won’t pursue him anymore.” Vance’s face twisted with discomfort. He spoke as if begging for mercy, but deep down, he was determined that if he managed to escape this time, the secrets of the merman would eventually become the secrets of the world.

“Do you think Great Tang needs you little dollars?” Tang Huai, amused by Vance’s attitude, asked.

“It’s not just about the dollars; there’s also the Mexican drug trade market… Boss Tang, there are 180 of us here. It’s peacetime; you can’t just kill innocent people.”

“Click—”

Vance was babbling when Tang Huai stood up and cocked his handgun. His shadow loomed over Vance, causing him to squint.

When capturing Yu You, Vance had studied Tang Huai. In his mind, Tang Huai was a fortunate man who had inherited wealth. However, the calm demeanor and steady aura of the man standing before him now were entirely different from what he had imagined.

Vance realized he had completely misjudged him.

“Boss Tang…” Vance gulped, looking up to plead.

Tang Huai paid him no heed and slowly pulled the trigger.

“Bang—”

“Ah!”

The gunshot echoed through the hall, followed by a wave of panic. Vance shut his eyes in terror. After three seconds, he realized he wasn’t dead; a small hole the size of a bullet had formed near his foot.

Vance looked down.

He wasn’t injured, but there was a wet patch under his pants. He had wet himself… Vance collapsed to the ground, utterly defeated. His psychological defenses had completely crumbled.

“Boss Tang.” The head bodyguard beside him holstered his handgun.

“As planned, give Vance special treatment,” Tang Huai ordered with a wave of his hand. More than twenty bodyguards stepped forward, each holding several syringe-like objects. Under the terrified gazes of the thugs, the bodyguards moved in and administered the injections without hesitation.

“What is this? I don’t want it!” Vance struggled desperately, but the bodyguards were relentless, injecting him multiple times.

Vance received extra doses as part of his “special treatment.”

Three minutes later, all 182 captives had been injected. Each one displayed a dazed, confused expression.

“Where is this place? The data from the lab…”

“The research was halfway through; we were at a critical point.”

“Damn it, there’s no escape.”

After another ten minutes, everyone returned to normal. However, unlike before, both the thugs and researchers seemed to have memory gaps, as though a part of their memories had been erased.

Tang Huai had used the [Memory Alteration] item, a system-provided tool that caused everyone to forget the merman-related incidents, while leaving their other memories unchanged.

As for the researchers, Tang Huai had already altered the laboratory’s data. Their new “research” was now focused on extracting high-purity drug components from marine life.

This large-scale memory modification cost one hundred million island points, but the results were highly effective.

To ensure secrecy, Vance had only informed a select group of researchers and close guards about Yu You’s existence. Ironically, Vance’s cautiousness made it easier for Tang Huai to handle the situation.

“Mr. Vance!” The group glanced around, and when they saw Vance at Tang Huai’s feet, they were left speechless.

Vance’s face was blank, and a foul odor emanated from the mess under him. His right hand was still bleeding, all signs pointing to his mental collapse.

The thugs were horrified. Vance, the ruthless overlord of the Pacific, reduced to this state?

“Boom, boom—”

Amid their confusion, a rumbling noise echoed from outside. Tang Huai and several bodyguards walked out. Above the island hovered dozens of small helicopters.

“Boss Tang!” One of the helicopters descended, and a man stepped out.

“Mr. Frank.” Tang Huai greeted the man with a hug. The man, in his forties, was wearing a navy-blue military uniform. It was Frank, whom Tang Huai had met a year ago.

“Vance, the scourge of the Pacific. The international forces tried to capture him three times without success. Is that really him?” After a brief exchange, Frank followed Tang Huai inside the building. Upon seeing Vance on the ground, his expression turned to shock.

Of course, he recognized Vance. How had this infamous Pacific drug lord become a mindless wreck? Frank glanced at Tang Huai without a hint of expression; this was something he needed time to process.

“You finally arrived.”

“We admit our mistakes…”

“I want to go back home, to leave this place.”

Upon seeing Frank and his team, Vance’s associates broke down in tears. Compared to the fearsome Great Tang bodyguards, the UN peacekeepers seemed like a blessing.

Even if it meant a life sentence, they were ready to accept their fate.

Thus, Vance’s associates and the researchers left under the supervision of the peacekeeping force. They would soon face the International Military Tribunal.

With everything in place, standing before the helicopter, Frank turned to Tang Huai. This was the second time Tang Huai had become involved in international affairs.

Tang Huai’s official story was that they were searching for a missing employee. Frank knew this was just a cover, but like last time, he chose to turn a blind eye.

“The island will be guarded by assigned soldiers. Also… Great Tang is quite impressive.”

As the helicopter’s engine roared to life, Frank’s expression grew complex. Great Tang’s defense force was incredibly strong. In today’s interconnected world, he knew that word of these events would quickly reach the ears of various global leaders.

“Great Tang is just a resort,” Tang Huai said, waving at Frank. He didn’t mind the exposure of Great Tang’s power. Sometimes, showing off one’s strength was a strategy in itself.

Frank was left speechless but eventually relaxed. After all, he was just a peacekeeping captain. The deeper political implications would be for the higher-ups to consider.

The helicopters took off, leaving twenty soldiers behind to guard the island.

“Let’s go.” After Frank’s departure, Tang Huai glanced at his empty wrist. Now that Yu You was gone, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

Thus, the twenty helicopters left in the same grand manner as they had arrived.

The helicopters flew away without any attempt at concealment, and by 8 p.m., their movements had been captured by nearby monitoring stations and turned into news.

“There were really twenty helicopters; this wasn’t a drill! I heard they were looking for a missing employee…”

“What kind of employee warrants twenty helicopters? Rumor has it that the boss’s girlfriend was kidnapped by a drug lord.”

“Sounds a bit exaggerated. Are other countries not intervening?”

“In peacetime, Great Tang hasn’t broken any laws. Besides, they’ve got FillTech backing them.”

“Can’t understand it, but Great Tang is really amazing…”

…

The news of Great Tang deploying twenty helicopters quickly made its way to major online portals. People around the world were astonished. From the photos and videos, it was clear that Great Tang had deployed the helicopters, but as to why… everyone was curious.

The internet buzzed with discussions, and “Great Tang’s Helicopters” became the trending topic of the day.

In contrast to the global commotion, Great Tang itself remained very quiet.

Managing Great Tang, overseeing ongoing projects, and designing the VR mobile theater—Tang Huai’s next three days were simple yet methodical.

It was now late January, and after some initial planning, the basic program for the VR cinema had been coded. All that remained was the technical design and the movie integration.

The entire project was expected to take about a month to complete.

Three days had passed since the “Great Tang Helicopters” incident. Tang Huai had expected countries like the United States and Mexico to discreetly inquire about it. However, aside from some rumors on the internet, there were no actions taken by any major countries.

After some thought, Tang Huai understood.

Twenty helicopters may seem like a lot, but since they landed on international waters and considering FillTech’s standing in the global arena, the issue had likely been downplayed.

Tang Huai shifted his focus to the island’s construction projects.

The [Underwater Ancient City] was now 35% complete. Every day, numerous visitors gathered around the site, though the security was so tight that they could only take a few distant photos.

The project’s progress was updated in real-time on Great Tang’s official website. People were eagerly anticipating the global event. According to Great Tang’s website, during the global event, aside from the [Underwater Ancient City], Great Tang would also introduce [Baby Kingdom] and [Wildlife Park].

With all these projects being built simultaneously, once they opened, visitors could experience all three attractions at once. Just thinking about it… was enough to make one dizzy with excitement!

Amidst the growing anticipation for “Great Tang’s New Projects,” the hashtag “Global Great Tang” consistently trended at the top of Twitter. Many left comments expressing their hopes for “Global Great Tang.”

“XX News, February 10th: On January 18th, an international peacekeeping force captured the drug cartel led by Vance. After sixteen days of interrogation, the high-ranking members confessed to their crimes in recent years. Vance himself suffered mental trauma during the capture…”

Amid this anticipation, a news piece appeared on various international political websites half a month later.

Most netizens read it and moved on, but some keen observers noticed the date and location.

January 18th, an unnamed island near Malaysia… Wasn’t that the day of the “Great Tang Helicopter” operation? And the location was also near Malaysia!

“Could Great Tang… have been involved in the capture?” The netizens exchanged glances, speculating wildly.

If Great Tang had cooperated with the international police, it would explain the helicopters’ unusual behavior. After all, “Great Tang Helicopters” had become an internet mystery over the past few weeks…

A puzzle that had everyone on edge.

Following the international news, the two most popular theories among tourists were the “girlfriend theory” and the “peacekeeping theory.”

But regardless of the outside speculation, neither Great Tang nor the peacekeeping force made any statements.

For the general public, the “Great Tang Helicopters” incident had officially become an unsolved mystery.

As days passed…

“[Great Tang’s VR Mobile Cinema], the world’s first 10D handheld cinema, coming on February 25th!” In the midst of all the discussions, Great Tang’s official website updated its front page.

In this moment of silence, after a month of research and content integration, Great Tang’s VR Mobile Cinema was officially launched.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️