Chapter 74: Mocked by the Game System?

Chapter 74: Mocked by the Game System?

"Top 10 Contestant of 'The Brain' He Rou Fails to Navigate the Bamboo Maze at Lishan Farm!"

"Breaking News: Multiple 'The Brain' Contestants Team Up to Tackle the Bamboo Maze at Lishan Farm!"

Zhang Lin's face showed a mix of surprise as he read these trending topics.

No wonder He Rou was the only visitor to complete the second phase of the maze, leaving that guy Alu far behind.

She must be a formidable contestant.

Many people were familiar with "The Brain," a popular television show. However, Zhang Lin had no idea who He Rou was, as he didn't follow the show closely and didn't even know the champions, runners-up, or third-place winners.

But if even a contestant like her could only complete the second phase, it was clear how challenging the bamboo maze in the game was.

Now, multiple "The Brain" contestants were teaming up to tackle it.

No wonder Lishan Farm was gaining so much attention again.

It was also why Zhao Han had called him in such a hurry.

But why would these top contestants team up like this?

The bamboo maze had only been open for half a day, and they were already forming a team to take it on. Wasn't that a bit much?

However, Zhang Lin realized that this could actually add a layer of prestige to the bamboo maze. Even if they managed to complete it, the maze would still be known as a challenge that required a team of top contestants to conquer.

When that happened, even if the solution was posted online and everyone could download it, it wouldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the visitors. After all, with the maze covering 1,000 acres and the intelligence-lowering effect, many visitors would still struggle to navigate it, even with a map.

Many would try to memorize the path and attempt to complete it, only to fail due to the intelligence-lowering effect.

This would give ordinary visitors a sense of hope and increase their enthusiasm.

With the farm's popularity surging, Zhang Lin noticed that the number of followers on Lishan Farm's social media account was increasing rapidly.

Naturally, the benefits of this surge in popularity extended beyond Lishan Farm. He Rou's social media account also saw a significant increase in followers, far outpacing the growth she had experienced by leveraging her status as a top 10 contestant on "The Brain."

This was a pleasant surprise for her.

In fact, this was one of the reasons why the other "The Brain" contestants decided to team up. They wanted to compete with He Rou and capitalize on the massive attention and traffic.

It was all about the benefits.

The visitors who had already tried the bamboo maze and failed were the most interested in these trending topics.

Xiao Zhenjie had been feeling very down, distracted during his visit to the rapeseed flower fields with his fiancee, and even during lunch at the farm's restaurant, he couldn't enjoy the delicious food.

However, when he saw the trending topics about He Rou and "The Brain," he perked up, excitedly saying, "Julie, look at this. Even the top 10 contestant of 'The Brain' couldn't complete the bamboo maze. So, it's not surprising that we couldn't do it either."

Suddenly, his appetite returned, and he started eating enthusiastically.

Other visitors who overheard Xiao Zhenjie's words also smiled in agreement, clearly sharing his sentiment.

They, too, had failed to complete the maze, feeling utterly frustrated and lost within it.

Now, knowing that even someone like He Rou couldn't complete it, they felt a great sense of relief.

After all, how many people in the country could participate in "The Brain"?

Alu was the happiest of all.

He had finally turned the tables.

After his initial failure and the backlash he faced, he quickly recorded a video, saying, "I have to admit, the bamboo maze at Lishan Farm is really challenging. It's not that I'm weak; even someone as smart as He Rou from 'The Brain' only completed the second phase. Completing the first phase is already a significant achievement!"

He wore a small, proud smile as he spoke.

Naturally, there were those who were not happy, even feeling very depressed. One such person was Ao Youda, the manager of the bamboo maze. When he saw the news, he looked utterly dejected.

...

In the prefabricated office.

After checking the online situation, Zhang Lin put down his phone and continued to think about enclosing the core area.

One million bricks were just part of the materials needed to enclose the 1,000-acre area, and cement would also be required.

However, he needed to use blue bricks instead of red bricks, as red bricks were banned.

The reason was simple: the use of red bricks significantly damaged arable land, and the country was implementing a policy to convert forests back into farmland.

This policy was in place because China still imported nearly 200 million tons of grain annually, accounting for almost 30% of its needs.

The country was facing a food shortage, which could be used as leverage against it.

After the conflict between the two bears, the larger bear faced various restrictions, which led to the policy of converting forests back into farmland.

Otherwise, they might face a food crisis when trying to discipline their disobedient son.

So, red bricks were banned to protect arable land.

One million blue bricks was a significant amount, even in a small county like Youcheng. He could ask Huang Tao for help.

Although Huang Tao's main business was prefabricated buildings, he had connections in the construction materials industry. He could help Zhang Lin procure the bricks and cement.

Huang Tao would also make a profit from this deal, as it was a substantial order in a small place like Youcheng.

Thinking this, Zhang Lin called Huang Tao.

As soon as the call connected, Huang Tao said, "Zhang Lin, what can I do for you?"

Zhang Lin got straight to the point, "I need to build a wall, approximately one million bricks, and the corresponding amount of cement. I need your help to get this done."

"Leave it to me; I'll take care of it," Huang Tao replied with a smile.

This was indeed a significant order, and he could make a good profit by facilitating it. The brick factory owners would owe him a favor.

However, he couldn't afford to mess it up. The quality had to be top-notch, or he wouldn't be able to face Zhang Lin, and it could strain their relationship.

After hanging up, he immediately dialed another number to continue his contacts.

On the other end, after Zhang Lin ended his call with Huang Tao, his phone suddenly rang with an unknown number.

He hesitantly answered, and a polite voice came through: "Mr. Zhang, hello. Allow me to introduce myself. We produce brain-boosting products. With your Bamboo Maze becoming such a sensation, we’re interested in placing an advertisement at your Liyuan Farm."

"How did you get my number?" Zhang Lin was surprised that an advertisement offer had come so quickly, and the speed at which they acted was impressive.

Moreover, the brain-boosting products seemed to align perfectly with his Bamboo Maze, showing that they really understood the market.

However, he was genuinely curious about how his number had been leaked.

The caller chuckled and explained, "Mr. Zhang, in today’s internet age, it’s quite simple to find information, especially as the legal representative of Liyuan Farm. We are very sincere about this opportunity."

Hearing this, Zhang Lin almost wanted to roll his eyes. Indeed, in the digital age, personal information was rarely safe, especially after a ride-hailing company was caught selling user data, which left no room for privacy.

"Sir, I’m really sorry, but our farm has no plans to accept advertisements!" Zhang Lin politely declined and hung up.

Advertisements were a double-edged sword. You couldn’t guarantee the quality of someone else’s product, and if it turned out to be problematic, it could tarnish the farm’s reputation. Even nationally approved products had been known to fail.

Therefore, he trusted only the products produced by his own farm.

Besides, he didn’t need the small profits from advertisements. The farm had only been open for a short time, and just the ticket sales—5,000 for the flower fields and 5,000 for the Bamboo Maze—generated 500,000 yuan per day.

Add to that the farm’s other income and fruit wholesale earnings, and it was making 300,000 yuan daily, totaling 800,000 yuan a day.

After lunch, the popularity of the farm surged even higher thanks to the "Brainiest Challenge" event.

The most direct sign was the rapid increase in followers, which approached 2 million by evening.

While 2 million followers might not be a lot for major influencers, who often have tens of millions, it was a significant number considering the farm’s short time in operation. It was also a strong showing among similar tourism and scenic accounts.

After dinner, the head of the Agriculture Bureau, Mr. Wei, and his team arrived, including Lin Mengxi and Fu Yao.

Lin Mengxi was holding Fu Yao’s hand, indicating they had become quite close.

That evening, the Agriculture Bureau was set to host its second agricultural assistance live stream.

The 50,000 pounds of peach and 50,000 pounds of blueberries they had prepared earlier sold out quickly, so this time they had 200,000 pounds of peaches and 200,000 pounds of blueberries ready.

However, Zhang Lin noticed that Fu Yao seemed a bit down and asked, "What’s wrong? You look unhappy!"

"Ah, embarrassing!" Fu Yao was reluctant to answer.

Lin Mengxi stepped in to explain, "Fu Yao participated in a design competition that capitalized on the popularity of Liyuan Farm. She even designed a farm-themed style, but the results were clearly predetermined. The chosen design was, well, hard to describe, but I think it was inferior to Fu Yao’s. She has a real talent for design."

Zhang Lin remembered Fu Yao mentioning this before. Curious, he pulled out his phone and searched for the official account of the competition. As expected, the name had been changed to Hongfa Farm Park, clearly a move to capitalize on the farm’s popularity.

He also saw the winning design, which was a light and airy farm style. The designs were clearly pre-prepared, and no one would believe otherwise.

Just as he suspected, Fu Yao and the others were just used to boost the competition’s visibility.

However, when he saw Fu Yao’s design, his eyes lit up. He understood why Lin Mengxi said she had a talent for design.

Her concept was excellent—a camping site design. Although it was somewhat rough, it was clearly better than the winning design. Unfortunately, the overall style of the competition was set, and they wouldn’t choose a design that didn’t fit.

For some reason, he felt that Fu Yao had the potential to become a great designer. After all, she was just self-taught and still in high school. Once she started formal design education in college, she would be unstoppable.

"How about it, Fu Yao’s design is pretty good, right?" Lin Mengxi asked with a smile.

"Yep!" Zhang Lin nodded. "If it were up to me, I’d definitely choose Fu Yao’s design and build it."

Hearing this, Fu Yao’s frown disappeared, and she said, "Uncle, don’t try to comfort me. I know my own limits."

Despite her words, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up in a smile. She was genuinely happy to have his approval.

At that moment, Zhang Lin was surprised by a notification that appeared in his mind from the game:

"Congratulations on completing the online promotion milestone of 3 million followers! Your farm’s reputation has grown even more, but your farm’s facilities are still lacking, especially the basic accommodation. You must make changes in this area. Reward: Special Accommodation Facility Construction Scroll (Quality 1)."

Zhang Lin immediately checked the game, opened the construction market, and saw the newly acquired scroll.

"Special Accommodation Facility Construction Scroll: Quality 1"

"This is a special construction scroll that allows the constructed accommodation to have unique properties: +1 to Aesthetic Environment, +1 to Sleep Quality, and +1 to Guest Comfort!"

"Construction Requirements: Choose a design plan for the accommodation, select the construction area, and evaluate the cost. Current available accommodation types: Hotel, Bed and Breakfast, Inn, RV, and Camping Site!"

"Restriction: The properties are effective only within the farm’s boundaries."

"???" Zhang Lin was taken aback by the note on the scroll and subconsciously glanced at Fu Yao’s camping site design.

Could it be that his casual comment was taken as a flag by the game system?

Otherwise, why would it include a camping site at the end?

"Uncle, why are you spacing out?" Fu Yao asked, puzzled.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end