Li Shi noticed that although this roller coaster supposedly had a height difference of less than 30 meters, during the experience it was completely imperceptible—it even felt far higher than 30 meters!
This was because the giant projection screens could display rapidly ascending images that, combined with the roller coaster’s own movement and shaking, plus the oncoming airflow, made people feel as if they had truly ascended or plunged hundreds of meters, flying up and down through the insect hive’s massive underground world.
Coupled with the entire row of roller coaster seats rotating, it gave people the feeling of being a Skylark warrior sometimes charging forward toward the insect swarm, frantically shooting, and sometimes flying backward, blocking the pursuing insects. The entire battle process could be described as thrilling and exciting.
This deceptively real effect even made people wonder: are we really just inside this venue?
From the outside, this indoor roller coaster didn’t look that big, did it?
Not only Li Shi but also the other three investors were clearly shocked. Throughout the ride, they occasionally let out exclamations. Even though they were all big bosses, they completely lost their usual composure in this situation.
Finally, under Captain Qin Yi’s leadership, everyone successfully fought their way out of the overwhelming insect swarm and escaped the insect hive.
Captain Qin Yi expressed his praise for everyone’s brave fighting while also showing slight regret. Although they had successfully escaped this time, they hadn’t completed the mission of killing the insect queen. They would have to find a way in the next mission.
Li Shi was still clutching the magnetic rail rifle tightly, not yet fully calmed down from that exciting feeling.
The feeling was very peculiar. It felt as if the time spent inside was extremely long, as if they had experienced countless fierce battles. Both body and mind felt fatigued, truly experiencing that life-or-death feeling of a Skylark warrior who had survived after penetrating deep into the insect hive.
Yet after coming out and knowing the entire project was over, there was still a lingering sense of loss, a strong desire to go through it again.
The roller coaster slowly moved toward the end point. The investors still couldn’t calm their excited emotions and began to share their thoughts.
“This was way too interesting! Who would have thought a roller coaster could be made into a game? Mr. Pei is truly a genius!”
“I’ve ridden indoor roller coasters in foreign amusement parks, but compared to this—how should I put it—in terms of theme, each has its merits, but this interactive shooting experience is something I’ve never experienced before!”
“Indeed, there are many indoor roller coasters that achieve a similar level of immersion, but I’ve never seen one with such strong interactivity!”
“And it feels longer than indoor roller coasters at other amusement parks, with more complex routes. It seems a lot of effort was put into content design. It’s made so exquisitely.”
“In games, aren’t there people specifically dedicated to level design? What matters is how to pack enough content into a limited space while making players feel like they’re walking through a maze, completely disoriented. Mr. Pei himself is a master of game design, and Chen Kangtuo must also understand level design.”
“No wonder everyone from Tenda’s gaming department can stand on their own. They truly have real skills!”
“Mr. Li, when you told me to blindly invest, I was a bit hesitant. Now I realize how terribly wrong I was. As long as it’s a Tenda project, just follow blindly and that’s it—no need for any assessment!”
This kind of talk was incredibly gratifying for Li Shi to hear.
Although these investors were praising Mr. Pei and Tenda, indirectly, they were also praising Li Shi.
When Chen Kangtuo had approached Li Shi earlier, Li Shi had immediately contacted these investors, and some had indeed hesitated a bit.
Although the shops previously opened at Thriller Lodge had all been profitable, the situation this time was different.
A new roller coaster project, far from the original attractions—what if it wasn’t that fun and visitor flow was sparse? Wouldn’t investing so much money in renovating these shops be a loss?
And why had Mr. Pei deliberately left these shops available? Was he letting them drink the soup, or did he not have full confidence in this roller coaster project and wanted them to share the risk?
Although the investors ultimately decided to follow Li Shi and invest money, some were still somewhat uncertain deep down, not having faith as firm as Li Shi’s.
But now, after experiencing this roller coaster project, the investors were all completely convinced.
This was indeed a money tree!
Mr. Pei leaving these shops for them was truly generous! Giving Tenda more profit sharing was only right.
Currently, indoor roller coasters of this caliber were basically only found in mega amusement parks in a few major global cities. Even in those amusement parks, people often had to queue for more than two hours, showing how much demand exceeded supply.
Take a certain wizard-themed roller coaster, for example. Many people traveled thousands of miles to visit that amusement park. All other attractions were just extras, and it didn’t matter whether they experienced them or not, but this wizard-themed roller coaster was a must-experience.
In other words, just this one indoor roller coaster was enough to attract a constant stream of visitors!
Moreover, Thriller Lodge’s original attractions were also excellent, meeting the needs of different visitors. Besides Thriller Lodge, there were many other noteworthy places in Jingzhou, such as the GPL venue, Tenda Experience Store, Nameless Restaurant, training bases for various clubs, and even the GOG hero phone booths personally painted by Ruan Guangjian.
This “Skylark Project” roller coaster effectively elevated the tourism resources that Tenda had created for the entire Jingzhou to a new level.
Previously, when coming to Jingzhou, although there were many places to visit, many people lacked a compelling reason to come.
Although Thriller Lodge was unique, it was, after all, a haunted house. Even though it had relatively less scary, interactive and fun attractions inside, it still couldn’t satisfy everyone.
But now, this roller coaster project could meet almost everyone’s needs—suitable for both men and women, old and young!
Thinking back now, when they first entered, Mr. Pei personally fastened everyone’s safety belts, and some people thought Mr. Pei’s smile seemed a bit mischievous.
Now it seemed that was absolutely a pure misunderstanding!
It was all because the lighting inside was too dim, casting many shadows on Mr. Pei’s face, which gave people this misconception.
Mr. Pei was clearly very confident in his roller coaster project and was telling them that their investment was correct, encouraging them to fully enjoy the experience!
Misunderstanding Mr. Pei was truly unforgivable.
In the future, they would definitely be like Mr. Li, firmly following behind Mr. Pei without wavering!
…
Pei Qian waited at the end point, suddenly feeling a bit regretful.
He should have gone with these investors to experience it.
Because from this position, he couldn’t hear their screams or see their disheveled appearance!
That was the disadvantage of indoor roller coasters. Not to mention being outside, even if you went into the attraction, you couldn’t see its details.
Perhaps this was why Bao Xu, despite strongly disliking travel, always personally led the Suffering Travel teams.
However, Pei Qian wasn’t too hung up on this point. After all, if he had personally participated, he would have been scared too.
After everyone came out, seeing their pale faces from fright would balance things in his mind.
After waiting for about ten minutes, rows of seats came out one after another, slowly returning to the starting point.
Generally, indoor roller coasters at other amusement parks would end within five minutes, and outdoor roller coasters might be even quicker—truly a “queue for two hours, experience for three minutes” situation.
But the “Skylark Project” had arranged a whole set of intricate routes. Some large scenes might be experienced twice, but with differences in content between the first and second times. For example, the first time might be infiltration, the second time combat, or the first time might feature a batch of ordinary enemies, and the second time elite enemies, and sometimes even the scene itself would change.
So although there was some repetition in the routes, visitors didn’t really notice it. This slight familiarity with the scenes actually made people feel more excited.
The first batch of four people obviously hadn’t fully recovered from their previous excitement and were still enthusiastically discussing.
After a while, the other investors also arrived one after another.
When Pei Qian saw that the first batch of four people had rosy complexions and very excited expressions, he felt something was wrong.
In this situation, it oddly reminded him of Ruan Guangjian.
Clearly, these people weren’t afraid or terrified at all, but rather thoroughly enjoyed it!
This obviously went against Pei Qian’s original intention of having them ride the roller coaster.
It was like deliberately giving someone a mediocre gift, only for them to look at it and happily say “thank you” with a face full of joy as they accepted it.
Painful!
However, Pei Qian still harbored some hope. Maybe it was just because the first batch of four investors happened to be braver and better adapted to this relatively thrilling attraction?
As a result, the other investors also returned, all with rosy complexions and excited expressions, no different from the first batch.
Surely not everyone happened to like this kind of thrilling attraction?
Pei Qian had to accept this fact: Perhaps there was nothing wrong with these investors—it was the roller coaster project that had a big problem…
The investors began to exchange their experiences.
“This roller coaster was really fun! Super interesting!”
“That final scene of directly soaring into the sky was truly stunning and spectacular. There were starships circling in the sky, endless red soil below, and dense swarms of insects. It was like truly being on a battlefield.”
“The insect queen was really hard to defeat. I felt like my shoulder was almost numbed from the recoil of the gun. Pity we couldn’t kill her in the end—we were so close to success. I really need to practice my shooting skills!”
“Wait, what high-sky scene? What insect queen? Why didn’t we see those?”
As the investors chatted, they realized something seemed off.
Why did everyone seem to have experienced different content?
Chen Kangtuo explained with a smile: “This roller coaster’s route has some randomness and is also influenced by visitors’ choices. Only by working together and making the right choices can you complete the beheading operation against the insect queen.”
The investors were stunned for a moment, then said in unison: “Can we ride again?”