Chapter 68 - 65: Got Lost as Soon as I Entered the Maze

Chapter 68: Chapter 65: Got Lost as Soon as I Entered the Maze

This explained why so many tourist attractions were scrambling to advertise online, hiring celebrities and internet personalities. It was all about generating traffic to attract visitors. Once you had the visitors, you didn’t have to worry about revenue.

Zhang Lin looked at the holographic screen in his mind and opened the employee list. A red exclamation mark had appeared again. It was a notification that the contracts for 11 employees, including Lin Dawei and Lin Dayou, were about to expire. He would have to spend money to extend their employment.

He clicked ’Extend Employment,’ and just like that, 83,500 yuan was gone.

His balance, which had just surpassed three million, instantly dropped to 2,981,208 yuan.

’He couldn’t help but complain about this. Why wasn’t there an auto-renew function for employee contracts? If it could just handle it automatically, he wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of doing it himself.’

Next, he turned his attention to the employee recruitment list.

The Bamboo Maze was nearly finished, and the prefabricated dormitories were ready. It was the perfect time to recruit the staff needed for the new attraction.

Given the unique nature of the Bamboo Maze, security was the top priority. It would require at least twice the farm’s current security personnel, which meant hiring 20 guards.

He would also need at least 20 service staff members.

These employees would provide service, answer questions, and offer guidance at key points inside the Bamboo Maze. In addition, he had promised the Agriculture Bureau some stalls at the entrance to promote local specialty products. The vendors at these stalls wouldn’t be from the Bureau; they would be outsiders.

’Who knew what kind of people they would be? If even one of them tried to pass off shoddy goods as premium, or had poor hygiene, it would be a disaster. Given the farm’s current popularity, news like that would spread online like wildfire and be blown completely out of proportion. It’s the classic case of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch.’

That would be a massive headache. Having his system-recruited employees keep an eye on them would give him some peace of mind. After all, his staff would never slack off.

Zhang Lin decided to recruit the 20 service staff members first. The office space was limited, after all.

[Congratulations! You have recruited 20 service staff members. The staff are now materializing...]

Almost instantly, dense clusters of light appeared before him. More lights materialized on his desk, coalescing into a stack of contracts.

As the service staff materialized, they respectfully greeted him in unison.

"All of you, please wait outside for now," Zhang Lin instructed the new staff. After they had left, he clicked to recruit the 20 security guards.

[Congratulations! You have recruited 20 security guards. The guards are now materializing...]

A moment later, the 20 security guards materialized as well.

Recruiting these 40 employees cost him 210,000 yuan, and his balance dropped to 2,771,208 yuan.

Afterward, he called for Liu De and had him arrange housing for the 40 new employees, as well as distribute daily necessities and work uniforms.

’However, he realized the work uniforms they had in stock might not be enough. He’d have to ask his uncle to have another batch made and sent over.’

With that thought, Zhang Lin sent his uncle a WeChat message: "Uncle, I need another batch of security and service staff uniforms for Li Yuan Farm. Please have them made and sent to the resort."

"You’re already out of the last batch?" Zhang He replied, adding a surprised emoji.

Just as Zhang Lin finished his conversation with his uncle, a notification popped up from the game system:

[Congratulations! The special Bamboo Maze has finished construction!]

Following the prompt, Zhang Lin looked at the game interface in his mind. On the screen, the construction warnings around the Bamboo Maze were gone, and all the construction vehicles and workers had disappeared.

Zhang Lin was just about to go take a look himself when his phone rang. It was Zhao Han, the director of the Tourism Bureau.

He answered the call. "Boss Zhang," the voice on the other end said, "my people are saying the construction crew at the Bamboo Maze has pulled out. Does that mean it’s finished?"

"Director Zhao, you certainly get your news fast," Zhang Lin laughed. "It just wrapped up. Would you like to come for a tour? I believe I promised you’d be the first to try it out!"

"Of course! I’ll be right there, Boss Zhang." With that, Zhao Han eagerly hung up.

Zhang Lin chuckled. He was about to call the Agriculture Bureau next, but before he could even dial, a call came in from Wei Yuan.

He answered, and Wei Yuan’s cheerful voice came through the line. "Boss Zhang, our people at the bureau are saying the construction crew for the Bamboo Maze is pulling out. Congratulations!"

"Director Wei, you’re well-informed, too!" Zhang Lin wasn’t surprised. The Agriculture Bureau had people on-site preparing the stalls for the specialty products, so of course they would report when the system’s construction crew left.

So, he invited Director Wei to come over as well.

After hanging up, he mounted Bailong and rode toward the Bamboo Maze.

The newly completed Bamboo Maze looked completely different from before. A bamboo wall now enclosed the entire perimeter, decorated with transplanted vines and other plants from the groves, completely obscuring the interior from view.

"Boss Zhang, congratulations on completing the Bamboo Maze!" Lin Mengxi approached with a smile, accompanied by a few people from the Agriculture Bureau. They were coming from an area where stalls were being set up.

Zhang Lin smiled back at her. "Miss Lin, and congratulations to you on finishing your live stream preparations. I’m sure the broadcast itself will be a great success!"

"We’ll be counting on Li Yuan Farm’s social media accounts to help out!" Lin Mengxi said with a laugh.

Before long, Zhao Han and Wei Yuan arrived one after the other. They made a beeline for the entrance of the Bamboo Maze.

"It’s completely transformed in just a few days!" Wei Yuan hadn’t been by recently, and he couldn’t hide his amazement as he stared at the maze. It was nothing like what he remembered. He, of all people, knew what it used to look like.

"Boss Zhang, now that the Bamboo Maze is finally complete, we get to be the first to try it, right?" Zhao Han was itching to have a go. He had previously mentioned to Boss Zhang that he had a real knack for these kinds of mazes.

Zhang Lin understood his eagerness and said with a smile, "Director Zhao, it looks like you can’t wait to conquer the Bamboo Maze."

Zhao Han didn’t hide his enthusiasm. "Haha, it’s a project our Tourism Bureau is supporting, so I have to experience it for myself! Boss Zhang, Wei, just follow me. I’ll lead you through this Bamboo Maze."

Wei Yuan smiled. "Alright, Zhao, we’re counting on you then."

Zhao Han gave an OK sign, gestured for Zhang Lin to join, and then strode directly into the Bamboo Maze.

The others quickly followed him inside.

Only Zhang Lin looked on in surprise at the game interface in his mind. The layout in the system was identical to the real one, allowing him to see the entire Bamboo Maze in detail from a bird’s-eye view. ’Looks like I can cheat,’ he thought.

"Let me tell you, with these kinds of mazes, the first thing you need is a good sense of direction," Zhao Han said, walking deeper into the maze with an air of confidence. "Then, you have to remember the forks in the road you’ve already passed, and keep track of which way you’re turning..."

He was, after all, genuinely good at this sort of thing.

Listening to him speak so knowledgeably, Wei Yuan, Lin Mengxi, and the others couldn’t help but be impressed.

But after passing just a few intersections, Zhao Han suddenly paused. He subconsciously asked, "Wait, have we passed two forks or three?"

Wei Yuan: ????

Lin Mengxi: ????

’Weren’t you supposed to be leading us? Why are you asking us?’

...

*(Author’s Note: We’ve made it to the 4th round of the PK competition! Your continued readership is crucial, so please make sure to read to the very last page of the Chapter. Also, please toss me some votes. Thank you, everyone!)*