Ch 167: The World’s Number One Resort

Great Tang VR Mobile Cinema – Officially Launching at 8 PM Tonight!

“A Great Tang product, guaranteed to be top-notch. Great Tang Cinema for as low as 300 USD per set!”

“Following ‘Horror Town,’ Great Tang releases a brand-new VR series…”

The Great Tang official website updates at 12:00 AM on February 25th. In less than half a day, it has swept across major domestic and international platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Twitter. The launch of Great Tang Cinema may have been quiet, but its global impact rivals that of the Pear Phone release seven years ago.

The launch of Great Tang Cinema shines even brighter than that of the Pear Phone.

Currently, Weibo is flooded with posts about the Great Tang Resort. Although it’s not in the top three, terms like ‘Great Tang Movie’ and ‘Global Conference’ pop up on the trending list from time to time. Out of the fifty trending topics, seven are related to it. Great Tang is undeniably the star of the platform.

“10D holographic movie? Sounds pretty cool, but 300 USD is kind of steep…”

At this moment, in dormitory 306 of Binghe University in China, a tall male student is browsing Weibo while complaining. His name is Gao Jian, a freshman. After failing his college entrance exam, he ended up at Binghe University.

Although Binghe University is a first-tier university, its national reputation and overall strength are not very strong. The campus is located in the suburbs of Binghe City, requiring an hour-long bus ride to get into the city. It’s truly in the middle of nowhere.

“1800 yuan, that’s enough for a month’s living expenses. And I heard this is just the VR equipment cost; you have to pay extra to watch movies inside, and most of them are old films from Magic Workshop…” Gao Jian finished, and the boy in the lower bunk chimed in.

‘Great Tang Resort’ is synonymous with high-tech. The boys in the dormitory often talk about it when they have nothing else to do. [Thrilling Racing] is the dream of every boy in the dorm, but since Great Tang is overseas, they can only experience it vicariously online.

“Ugh, can’t afford it. Maybe I’ll buy it when I start making money…”

“Four years later, with Great Tang’s technological pace, the seventh generation of the cinema might be out by then.”

“Just wait for now. Flat-screen movies are still enjoyable.”

It’s now 7 PM, and all four members of dorm 306 are present. They start chatting away but slowly end up feeling a bit down.

1800 yuan isn’t exactly expensive, but for students who rely on their parents for money, it’s a hefty sum.

The topic gradually comes to an end.

“Anyone want me to bring back food from the cafeteria?”

“I’ll have fried noodles and a grilled sausage.”

“Dry mixed noodles with extra chili for me…”

The dorm leader puts on his jacket and casually asks before heading out. The remaining three boys shamelessly place their orders.

“Bunch of pigs.” The dorm leader grumbles as he leaves.

The remaining members either wash their socks or play games, and the whole dormitory becomes very quiet.

“If only Great Tang movies could be rented.” Gao Jian was about to watch some videos when he heard the boy on the lower bunk turn over and mumble.

Although they stopped discussing Great Tang, the guys’ minds were still preoccupied with it.

“Renting?” Gao Jian was taken aback. Then, he opened his WeChat Wallet, which had 2200 yuan—the living expenses deposited two days ago. If he bought the Great Tang Cinema and rented it out, it could be a lucrative business.

It’s now 8:30 PM, and the Great Tang VR Cinema will be available for purchase at midnight.

Gao Jian thought about it casually at first, but the more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. As a freshman, he’s already an adult and can try investing to make money…

Gao Jian got up.

The Great Tang official website has detailed pricing information. The cinema is in partnership with Magic Workshop and includes 9500 films in its database. Watching a movie requires a recharge fee of 10 USD per view, which is a significant investment.

Time ticked away. At 11:50 PM, Gao Jian once again opened the homepage of the Great Tang official website.

“Five more minutes, with three million units available. Shouldn’t need to rush, right?”

“300 USD? Such a steal, can’t wait!”

“The movies might be a bit old, but with the Great Tang brand, it’s absolutely worth the purchase.”

There are ten minutes left before the cinema sale begins, and in the cinema’s comment section, netizens are eagerly anticipating the launch. With the backing of Great Tang’s other tech products like Great Tang Fruits and VR glasses, there’s no need to hesitate. Just buy the cinema straight away!

In a short moment, the latest comments were pushed down as more poured in. The Great Tang official website’s server is top-notch, hosting interested buyers from all over the world.

“I’m buying it!” Seeing the discussions among the visitors, Gao Jian made up his mind. If he couldn’t make his money back, four hundred yuan would still be enough for a month of simple meals like buns and porridge.

“Ding! Purchase successful. [Great Tang VR Cinema] will be delivered within half a month. Please keep an eye out for it.”

While he was still deep in thought, the clock struck midnight, and Gao Jian instinctively made the purchase.

Seeing the “order successful” message, Gao Jian breathed a sigh of relief.

Half a month from Great Tang to China isn’t too long. Gao Jian continued to read the visitors’ discussions for a while before going to sleep with mixed feelings.

Today was February 25th, and Gao Jian expected to receive the package by mid-March. Unexpectedly, on the third day, the Great Tang package arrived directly at his school.

“Are you sure this was shipped from overseas?” At 9 AM, Gao Jian was signing for the package, still in a daze. The delivery was faster than same-province domestic shipping!

Gao Jian checked the delivery information. It was from Dafeng Express, a domestic courier brand known for its speed.

“Great Tang signed an air freight agreement with Dafeng. The package was shipped to Binghe Airport yesterday morning, as it’s an inspection-free product. Otherwise, it would have taken two more days,” the courier explained with a smile while collecting the receipt.

Gao Jian nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of the swift delivery speed of Great Tang’s packages.

As the winter break was approaching, his three roommates were in the library preparing for exams, leaving Gao Jian alone in dorm 306. He washed his hands and, filled with anticipation, opened the package.

[Great Tang VR Cinema] uses a “handheld computer + VR glasses” setup. The handheld computer is about the size of a six-inch phone and contains over 9,000 movies from Magic Workshop. In addition, there is a personal login interface at the bottom right corner, where users can recharge and then watch movies using the VR glasses.

The VR glasses operate wirelessly. Gao Jian examined them carefully; they were sealed and lightweight, more convenient than the VR glasses used for [Horror Town].

The main selling point of the Great Tang Cinema is its portability.

The back of both the handheld computer and the VR glasses bears the Great Tang logo and a unique serial number. The gold and silver tones give it an aluminum-alloy-like texture, exactly as advertised on the Great Tang official website.

“Not bad…” Gao Jian studied the manual. If nothing else, the material and craftsmanship far exceed those of a 1,800-yuan domestic phone.

The only function of the Great Tang Cinema is movie-watching.

After researching, Gao Jian registered a Great Tang ID, linked his bank card, and recharged his account…

He topped up 200 yuan, which, at 60 yuan per movie, would only let him watch three movies. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of heartache.

Amidst his complaints, Gao Jian selected the film “Skeleton Lover.” It was a low-budget romance movie filmed by Magic Workshop five years ago.

The story revolves around Amy, whose lover Dave died in a car accident. Amy had been engulfed in grief for five years, even rejecting the advances of a handsome doctor. She believed she would live alone forever. But on a stormy night, her long-deceased lover appeared before her as a skeleton…

It’s a healing film. Though it didn’t do well at the box office, Gao Jian appreciated how the female lead regained a new lease on life. He had already watched it five or six times over the years.

Gao Jian selected the film and put on the glasses.

At the moment he put on the glasses, he felt a bit nervous. The glasses really did look like a high-end version of regular sunglasses.

While he was feeling anxious, the movie began.

“Tomorrow’s the exam. I’m planning to go home on the 2nd. What about you guys?”

“Same here. Not feeling confident about the English exam. How about you, Gao Jian? You didn’t come to the library.”

“No idea… Oh my god, he’s still in the dorm!”

…

An hour later, the dormmates returned from outside, carrying their lunch. They were chatting about the final exam as they opened the door, only to be shocked by the scene inside.

At this moment, Gao Jian was sitting on the lower bunk, wearing a pair of black glasses. The glasses were slightly thicker than regular sunglasses, resembling the light-blocking 3D glasses used in cinemas. He had a safety belt strapped around his waist, the other end secured to the iron frame of the bed.

Gao Jian’s mouth was wide open, his hands flailing around. The whole scene looked like he was having a seizure or had completely lost his mind…

“Old Gao, are you okay?” The three roommates were stunned, with one of them stepping forward to check on him.

Gao Jian didn’t hear them and gave no response.

“Boohoo, Dave is so pitiful…” The trio put their lunch boxes down, ready to report to the dorm supervisor, when they saw Gao Jian take off his glasses, tears streaming down his face.

“Damn, you scared us to death.” The three of them were utterly speechless.

…

“Eighty yuan per viewing? Are you out of your mind? That’s as much as two movie tickets!” Five minutes later, the three roommates understood the whole story and learned about Gao Jian’s plan to make money.

They were all poor students, and spending forty yuan on a movie ticket already made their hearts ache, let alone paying double for a viewing.

Even if they had the money, it wasn’t meant to be spent like this.

“I’m not crazy; I’m going to get rich,” Gao Jian declared, still immersed in the plot of “Skeleton Lover.” He had watched this movie five or six times and assumed that 10D was just a gimmick, probably similar to 3D cinema effects.

But the moment the story began, Gao Jian realized he had been entirely wrong. With 10D technology, it felt like he was watching a live drama in a grand theater. The entire scene was so vivid, it felt as though it were really happening.

Gao Jian felt like he had traveled to another world. After finishing the movie, he finally understood why Great Tang was so popular.

Great Tang’s technology was a godsend for high-tech enthusiasts around the globe.

At that moment, Gao Jian yearned to visit Great Tang. He was eager and couldn’t wait any longer.

“He’s lost it, completely lost it,” the roommates exchanged glances as they watched Gao Jian laugh and cry.

After that, they became even more curious about the Great Tang Cinema.

The Great Tang Cinema was Gao Jian’s means to make money. The roommates, feeling embarrassed to freeload, discussed it and decided to pay seventy yuan each for one viewing. The cost of a single movie was sixty yuan, and considering the cost of the equipment, seventy was just the break-even price.

This was the internal price for dorm 306.

“Whoa! A gorilla? The fur looks so real.”

“Amanda is such a goddess. Ahhh! I wish I could take a screenshot!”

“Is this really current technology? I’m in tears; I can’t believe I get to experience this…”

The three roommates initially tried it out just for fun. However, the Great Tang Cinema transported them into various magical worlds. These were all old films from Magic Workshop, but the 10D experience was something they had never felt before, even with old movies.

At that moment, they pondered. Could Gao Jian actually make money with the Great Tang Cinema?

Gao Jian was busy preparing for his movie business. Meanwhile, global visitors were left dumbfounded when they checked the Great Tang official website.

[Great Tang VR Cinema]… Sold Out?

This was three million units, not three hundred thousand. How could it sell out in just three days? It made no sense!

People were venting their frustration on the forums.

“Too naive,” the countless buyers who had managed to secure a Great Tang Cinema commented smugly.

From Great Tang Fruits to [Horror Town] to Great Tang tickets… they had learned through countless experiences of blood and tears to make decisive purchases. Now, watching netizens jump up and down in frustration brought them great satisfaction…

Netizens continued to argue online.

The Great Tang Cinema was a hot topic of discussion everywhere. Meanwhile, after five months of preparation, the Great Tang Global Conference was officially announced.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️