chapter 1
Chapter 1
Zhang Bei frowned as he gazed at the run-down Amusement Park in front of him.
This place was his childhood, and the last inheritance his father left him.
He had grown from an ignorant child to a graduate of a renowned university in architecture; it was his father who had raised him with every ticket sold at this Amusement Park.
Yet in just half a year, the Amusement Park had fallen completely into disrepair.
Weeds were overgrown all around, and the two ginkgo trees at the entrance were already turning yellow.
Pushing open the heavy iron gate, Zhang Bei was met with scenes of decay everywhere.
His father, who had been proud and strong all his life, asked his son for only one thing-while on his sickbed, he made just one request of Zhang Bei:
Restore the Amusement Park to its former glory!
With a sigh, Zhang Bei walked through the whole Amusement Park.
Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Go-Kart, Giant Swing, Drop Tower…
Everything was there, only a bit worn-out.
He found the circuit breaker in the Control Room and pushed it up.
Nothing happened.
He had spent the last half year in the hospital caring for his father.
It was only natural that equipment left unmaintained for so long wouldn’t function.
Suddenly, a streak of purple electricity flashed, and the breaker gave off black smoke.
The lights in the Control Room instantly went out.
[System startup successful!]
[Warm Amusement Park System is sincerely at your service.]
[For more information, please refer to the System manual.]
Zhang Bei stood there stunned for a full five minutes before finally coming to his senses.
He slowly closed his eyes, and a glowing screen immediately appeared before him.
Half an hour later, Zhang Bei opened his eyes.
He had to admit, the System’s functions were a timely rain for this dilapidated Amusement Park.
As long as he collected enough Emotional Value, he could use the System to design new amusement facilities.
Once designed, these new facilities could be used directly in the Amusement Park.
And as a reward for activating the System, he was granted one opportunity to try it out.
Looking out the window at the Amusement Park, Zhang Bei let his gaze wander.
Eventually, his eyes fixed on the Drop Tower.
If anything could evoke strong emotions, it had to be the Drop Tower.
That moment of weightlessness could unleash a torrent of emotion from most people.
As soon as he thought of it, he acted. Zhang Bei sat in his chair and took out pen and paper from the drawer.
With each passing minute, a Drop Tower with a distinct sci-fi vibe appeared on the page.
“Will this work?”
The System’s mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
[This can be realized!]
Zhang Bei’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s go with this one!”
[Unable to create. The current environment does not meet the basic requirements for an Amusement Park.]
[Condition one: Facility power supply is insufficient.]
[Condition two: The current environment is cluttered and needs cleaning.]
Zhang Bei lowered his head, thinking for a moment.
It seemed that, in order to activate this facility, he would at least need to restore the Amusement Park to its former appearance.
He looked up at the sky-it was already getting dark.
He sighed again and turned to walk outside.
Back at home, Zhang Bei’s gaze drifted to the wall.
There hung his father’s memorial portrait.
“There’s hope for the Amusement Park now. All those years of studying architecture weren’t for nothing!”
As he spoke, Zhang Bei lit several sticks of incense and placed them in the censer.
Two months passed as he took care of his father’s affairs and adjusted to living alone.
The night passed without incident.
As soon as dawn broke, Zhang Bei sat up in bed.
Remembering last night’s dream, he gently shook his head.
In the dream, he was back in his childhood, when the Amusement Park was packed with people.
Back then, the happiest thing was riding the Roller Coaster with a few kids after school every day.
There was no time for nostalgia. Zhang Bei quickly finished his breakfast and headed to the Amusement Park.
After making several phone calls in succession, he began clearing the weeds.
About an hour later, a van pulled up next to Zhang Bei.
“Hello, are you Mr. Zhang?”
Seeing a group of burly men get out of the van, Zhang Bei raised his eyebrow.
No wonder it was a Wuling Hongguang; more than a dozen people had squeezed inside.
The leader said, “We’re two hundred yuan per person. We can get the whole park cleaned out today, right?”
Zhang Bei nodded. “That’s right. If you can clean out the whole Amusement Park today, you’ll get paid.”
The leader patted his chest. “Don’t worry, absolutely no problem!”
As the group spread out to get to work, Zhang Bei stretched.
The cleaning could be divided into two parts: first, clearing the weeds; second, maintenance of the equipment.
Not long after, another vehicle entered the Amusement Park.
“Hello, Mr. Zhang. What needs repairing?”
Looking at the two men in front of him, Zhang Bei pointed to the open area ahead.
“The entire Amusement Park. All the electrical systems need fixing.”
The man’s face froze. “The entire Amusement Park?”
“Yes, the whole Amusement Park.”
“That’ll be at least three thousand-this place is huge.”
Zhang Bei nodded. “Alright. Can you finish it today?”
“Don’t worry, absolutely no problem!”
With both teams busy throughout the Amusement Park, Zhang Bei sat in the Control Room and brewed himself a cup of hot tea.
By the end of the day, the whole Amusement Park had been cleaned up.
The colored lights on the facilities twinkled, and the weeds all around had been cleared away.
After paying the day’s wages, Zhang Bei glanced at his bank balance.
It stung his wallet.
He hadn’t had much savings to begin with-just a few tens of thousands. Reinforcing the facilities, repainting, and arranging all the lighting had cost him five figures in a single day.
“System, can the Drop Tower be rebuilt now?”
[Basic requirements for the Amusement Park detected as met. Drop Tower is being updated.]
A black light enveloped the Drop Tower, and a countdown appeared on the System’s screen.
Looking at the dark glow in front of him, Zhang Bei fell deep into thought.
If he wanted to upgrade in the future, not only would he need to do it at night, but he’d also need something to cover it up.
The existence of the System could never be revealed.
Otherwise, not only would restoring the Amusement Park’s glory be impossible-he might not even be able to keep his own life safe.