https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-70-The-More-Confident-the-Quicker-They-Fall-Flat-on-Their-Face-/12810627/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-72-You-re-Messing-with-Us-Right-/12810629/
Chapter 71: Arlo: First One? Not a Chance!
Chapter 71: Arlo: First One? Not a Chance!
Zhao Han naturally recognized the young man. It was Arlo, the maze blogger, who had rushed to Liyuan Farm early in the morning. He hadn't expected Arlo to arrive so quickly.
But then again, the high-speed train from Ming City to You City only took about fifteen minutes.
Arlo's appearance also caught the attention of the tourists. Many of them had watched his videos, and today he was here to conquer Liyuan Farm's bamboo maze.
One tourist couldn't help but ask, "Arlo, you're a maze expert. Do you have any tips for us?"
Arlo, eager to show off, especially since his team was filming, smiled and said, "There are actually many ways to navigate a bamboo maze. I'll teach you the simplest one!"
"Last night, I watched Liyuan Farm's promotional video. The exit of their bamboo maze is on the opposite side of the entrance. So, you can use a reference point to guide you."
"For example, the sun. We're entering the maze with our backs to the sun. As long as you choose paths that keep the sun behind you, you'll eventually find your way out."
This made the tourists nod in agreement.
"That's right, it seems like it could work!"
"Exactly, this way, you'll always find a way out!"
"Arlo is impressive. Even a simple method can be so useful."
Zhao Han, hearing this, instinctively asked Zhang Lin, "Boss Zhang, will this method work?"
Zhang Lin shook his head. "It won't, because there's no guarantee that you can always keep the sun behind you."
Meanwhile, another group of tourists finished checking in and entered the bamboo maze. Arlo and the new arrivals also began to queue up.
At that moment, everyone noticed that the LCD screens hanging around the maze lit up.
This piqued the tourists' curiosity, wondering what the screens were for.
Lin Hong, the manager of the bamboo maze, stepped forward with a microphone and explained, "We have a temporary announcement. Our competitive mode for the bamboo maze has been activated, with a daily limit of 100 participants. If anyone wants to join, please register with your ID at our counter. The LCD screens will display everyone's completion times."
"If your time is among the best, it will remain on our bamboo maze's honor wall. Naturally, Liyuan Farm will also sync the data to our social media accounts."
This announcement caused a stir among the tourists.
No one had expected Liyuan Farm to have such an interesting feature.
Arlo's eyes lit up at the news.
He knew how much traffic Liyuan Farm was getting. If he could complete the maze and leave his record on the honor wall, every visitor would see it.
Many tourists would even take videos of the time records and upload them online, effectively promoting Arlo.
Considering Liyuan Farm's current online popularity, how many people would see it? It would be a massive boost in traffic.
"I'll participate!" Arlo immediately raised his hand.
He not only wanted to participate but also leave a record that everyone would admire.
Following Lin Hong's announcement, more and more tourists raised their hands, eager to join. Even though they didn't fully understand the details, it sounded like a lot of fun.
"Tourists who want to participate, please register at the left ticket booth," Lin Hong repeated into the microphone.
The ticket booth had two ticket counters, each manned by a ticket inspector. The inspector at the left counter had already picked up a special ticketing device.
As Arlo joined the queue, he noticed a beautiful woman standing in front of him. He smiled and said, "Miss, if you follow my method, your score won't be too bad."
This was a deliberate attempt to strike up a conversation, as the video was still being filmed. If the woman followed his method and did well, it would make for a good highlight.
But the woman gave him a cold look. "Don't embarrass yourself with such a foolish method. If I were you, I'd have at least five ways to prevent your approach from working."
"???" Arlo was speechless at her blunt response.
Was everyone so confident these days?
Did she not know who he was?
At that moment, the ticket inspector addressed the woman, "Miss, our competitive mode requires you to register your ID, and then we'll start the timer."
The woman didn't hesitate, handing over her ID. The inspector scanned it with a device.
The next moment, everyone saw a list appear on the lit LCD screen, with a name at the top:
He Rou!
The timer began to tick, second by second.
"Miss, your timer has started. You can go in now," the inspector said to He Rou, then turned to Arlo, "Sir, please wait a moment. To prevent other participants from following and benefiting from someone else's time, we let one person in every five minutes."
Arlo frowned. "Doesn't that mean the first person to enter will have an advantage?"
"How about the 200,000 yuan prize?"
The staff member hurriedly explained, "The first person to complete the maze gets the 200,000 yuan prize. If the maze is completed in the competitive mode, the prize will be divided among the participants based on the time they took. If no one completes the maze, then there's no need to worry about the prize distribution."
Alo didn't have any issues with this explanation. He realized he had overthought the matter. He had been wondering how anyone could possibly complete the maze, given its complexity.
"Mr. Zhang must be the first one to complete it," Zhao Han remarked, looking at the names and times displayed on the LCD screen. He was even more surprised, "Mr. Zhang, this competitive mode is really something!"
Alo had never imagined that Mr. Zhang would actually pull this off, and it was even more impressive to see it in action.
Five minutes later, Alo quickly registered with his ID, then hurriedly entered the Bamboo Forest Maze. His information appeared on the first LCD screen.
Once inside the maze, Alo's first strategy was to use the sun as a reference point. However, he didn't realize that someone had already watched his previous video and learned his trick, only to find himself misled.
After passing through several forks, Alo realized that using the sun as a reference didn't work here.
However, having played the maze game for a while, he was no ordinary person. He quickly changed his strategy and continued forward.
As time passed, the Bamboo Forest Maze welcomed more and more visitors. The number of ticketed visitors continued to increase, and naturally, those participating in the competitive mode also grew.
More names appeared on the LCD screens, with their times constantly updating. However, so far, no one had completed the maze, and there was no announcement of anyone winning the prize.
Half an hour later, several hundred visitors had gathered in front of the Bamboo Forest Maze.
Zhao Han, looking at the screen with no results, let out a sigh of relief, "After so long, Alo hasn't even reached the first rest area. It seems he's not as good as I thought, and he's probably lost in there."
Zhang Lin smiled, "Director Zhao, did you forget what I said? Don't just focus on Alo. He's just a small part of the bigger picture. The more people who participate, the more likely it is that someone will surpass him."
Just as Zhang Lin finished speaking, a change appeared on the screen. A visitor named He Rou had completed the first stage, with a time of 38 minutes.
This development shocked the visitors:
"Is there a stage system?"
"I was just curious about where everyone was, but I didn't expect anyone to reach the first stage so quickly!"
"No idea how many stages there are in this Bamboo Forest Maze."
They seemed to find the Bamboo Forest Maze more and more intriguing.
Zhang Lin was also surprised, not expecting anyone to reach the first rest area so quickly. He noticed it was a girl.
At this moment, He Rou, after checking in at the rest area, was also surprised. She hadn't encountered any other visitors on her way, remembering that many had entered before her.
It seemed that those people had taken the wrong path and were stuck.
She then saw an LCD screen in the rest area, displaying names and data. Only one person, herself, had completed the first stage, with a time of 38 minutes.
This made her smile, and she immediately headed for the second stage.
Time passed, and another 15 minutes flew by.
Alo, once again, passed through a path. He was drenched in sweat, and even a bit flustered and anxious.
He had originally thought the Bamboo Forest Maze would be simple, but after entering, he realized it was much more complex than he imagined. Although he had experience with maze games, he had no idea where he was.
Finally, he saw a different entrance, with a bamboo archway adorned with vines and green plants, and flowers lining both sides of the path.
This unique fork in the path brought a smile to his face. Could this be the exit?
But it shouldn't be. The 1,000-acre Bamboo Forest Maze shouldn't be this short.
However, this place was definitely different.
He immediately entered the fork and was surprised to find a beautifully landscaped area with a bamboo-built rest hall and a well-maintained garden.
The Bamboo Forest Maze had such a place, truly a pleasant surprise.
He subconsciously looked around and noticed, besides two staff members, there were no other visitors.
So, he was the first?
This made his face light up with a smile.
Being the first was good.
He deserved it!
(End of Chapter)
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