Death Island Resort

"Oh, by the way, Yuzu, have you ever heard of 'Death Island Resort'?"

At the dining table, Tang Xin mentioned it as if she had just thought of it.

Xu Xiaoyou's mouth twitched slightly. "Is that really a place for a vacation?"

"Why would a resort have a name like that? It sounds ominous no matter how you hear it."

"It's an artificial island. Many variety shows film horror-themed programs there; it's quite famous."

"The Star of Art is covered in ice and snow all year round. Most people's impressions of beaches, the sea, and summer only come from books or films. I heard that artificial island has beaches, palm trees, reefs, shells, and even beach balls." As she said this, the girl had a look of longing in her eyes and a faint smile on her lips.

"I wonder if it's true."

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Xu Xiaoyou noticed the girl's expression and asked casually.

"No, it's nothing." Tang Xin shook her head.

As if guessing what the girl was thinking, Xu Xiaoyou cleared her throat.

"Actually, I've organized a concert for you. It's on the Dream of the Ocean cruise ship. I managed to get a lot of ad sponsors. It starts tomorrow."

"Really?" Tang Xin tilted her head, acting indifferent. "Why are you only telling me this today?"

"I remember... where was that cruise ship's final destination again?" Xu Xiaoyou mused as she scrolled through the curtain, looking up the cruise's itinerary on the travel company's website.

Finally, she smiled and flipped the curtain toward the other girl. The text rearranged itself to display the cruise's route and details.

"It's at Death Island Resort."

Tang Xin's body visibly stiffened. Holding her chopsticks in her mouth, her facial expression remained flat. "So?"

Xu Xiaoyou noticed that the girl's calves under the table were swinging significantly faster. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Suppressing yourself every day isn't good. Want to go and try to relax?"

Tang Xin set down her chopsticks, coughed once, and looked away slightly. "I guess so."

Xu Xiaoyou cupped her hands around her ear like a megaphone. "I didn't catch that."

At this, Tang Xin took a deep breath and also cupped her hands like a megaphone. "I said, okay!"

"Can you hear me now?"

"Just say what you want to say. There's no need to be polite with me."

After the meal, Tang Xin returned to her room. Xu Xiaoyou watched the girl rummage through boxes and cabinets, stuffing a massive pile of things—both useful and useless—into her suitcase.

From clothes to cosmetics, sunscreen, and lotions, the suitcase bulged outward.

Tang Xin then sat on the edge of the bed and began a shopping spree online as if possessed.

Xu Xiaoyou surveyed the messy room and sighed from the bottom of her heart.

Walking over to the girl, she saw a strappy swimsuit in her shopping cart. Comparing it to the fashion card she had just pulled, she confirmed the appearance was identical.

It really was quite miraculous. One moment she pulls a fashion card and wonders where a 'summer' would be in the Star of Art, and the next moment, the plot is triggered.

The style of the swimsuit fit the girl's personality perfectly. It wasn't flashy; the white strappy dress reached down to her calves with lace trim along the hem, paired with a woven straw hat. It was a very fresh and beautiful aesthetic.

Xu Xiaoyou also sat on the bed, reaching out to smooth the wrinkles in the sheets. She lay back as if sinking into a soft bed of white irises, the faint scent of the girl's body wash lingering at the tip of her nose.

She began searching for information she was interested in online.

After typing the keywords "Death Island Resort," images and text appeared.

[Death Island Resort, established in 482, was originally named Exile Island. It was a place specifically used to house major death-row inmates.]

In the accompanying picture, a prison that looked like a giant stone fortress stood in the center of the island like a giant watching over the coastline. At night, several beams of white light shone from within the stone barrier toward the sea. While holding prisoners, the entire prison also served as a lighthouse to guide lost ships.

The area of the artificial island wasn't large. The tens of square kilometers were covered with various trees and plants. Looking down from above, it looked like a green ocean swaying in the wind.

[Later, for unknown reasons, the prison on Exile Island was abandoned, and the island became uninhabited. For a long time, the island remained desolate and deserted, with all facilities falling into ruin. According to long-haul fishermen, they often heard children crying on the island and saw a woman with disheveled hair wearing a white dress hiding behind the trees on the shoreline.]

[Just kidding, that's just the editor's sense of humor. In reality, for decades after Exile Island was abandoned, no fishing boats ever approached that area.]

[However, many eerie legends about Exile Island did circulate among the people, coating the island in a layer of mystery for a considerable time. During that period, many supernatural literary works related to it were born, such as "Escape from Death Island," which is a personal favorite... but I digress.]

[Ten years ago, in 522, a tycoon named Griffith Withered-Flower bought the island. He spent a fortune building many resort hotels and amusement parks, developing and promoting tourist attractions, and completely transforming it into a resort island. He vigorously developed the island's tourism industry, lifting the veil of mystery and bringing it into the public eye.]

In the tranquil evening breeze, waves gently lapped at the golden sand. A pale golden glow spread from the distant mountain forests, scattering pieces of broken gold across the sea. Looking up past the palm trees along the shore, a magnificent resort hotel stood tall, its glass curtain walls reflecting the light of the blue hour.

The image on the curtain froze on this picture. It had to be admitted that the photo was taken from a great angle, perfectly capturing the free and romantic atmosphere of the island.

Xu Xiaoyou, however, was in no mood for such things. She fell into thought.

Griffith... is he someone from the Withered-Flower family?

In her impression, the members of that family were all incredibly shrewd. Searching for more information about the resort, she found that, as expected, various tourism facilities had been in a state of deficit for years. Since five years ago, no investors had paid any attention to the place.

Even so, the hotels and various entertainment facilities on the island were still maintained year-round. Even the residents on the island received financial subsidies as long as they worked in the family's tourism industry.

Based on Xu Xiaoyou's pathological obsession and sensitivity toward money, a simple calculation told her that the maintenance costs over these years likely far exceeded the initial capital required to build the resort island.

Her money radar told her that there was definitely a catch—some hidden secret.

An ominous background, points of suspicion that became scarier the more one thought about them... if she added passive peacekeepers and xenophobic residents, she'd have the four kings of suspicious elements.

But...

What did that have to do with her? She just wanted to take Tang Xin there to relax. While she was at it, she would lie on a beach chair under the hazy moonlight, raise a cocktail glass filled with Provick sweet wine, and experience the life of the wealthy.

At that moment, the character card in her card slot began to feel slightly warm. Xu Xiaoyou materialized it between her fingertips and saw the unusually flickering bright purple patterns on the card.

Anya?