Chapter 82: The Staff Meeting
The next day.
Python One officially began its new job.
A seat capable of accommodating six people was fastened to its neck. It held its head high, standing guard at the entrance to the park.
This novel “means of transportation” sparked tremendous curiosity among the park’s visitors.
People kept their distance, snapping photos from afar.
But taking pictures was as far as they went. At first, everyone was just watching and waiting.
After all, even Liang Xiaoyu, the “star experience tester” of Fantasy Park, hadn’t tried riding it yet. Who knew if this creature might get hungry halfway through and turn the passengers on its back into a snack?
It certainly looked like it could eat a lot.
After a long while, a group of journalists decided to take the risk and try a ride.
The entire journey went off without a hitch.
To their delight, Python One’s route was not quite the same as those taken by the Rampaging Dragon or the Transformers.
For those who’d already followed all the strategy guides and thought there was nothing left to discover, this provided some unexpected surprises.
That very day, Python One made headlines across both domestic and international media.
It gradually integrated into Fantasy Park, earning its place as a proud member of the working crew.
Especially after meeting Ugly Eagle, the two—naturally at odds from the start—faced off in the arena ten or so times and, through the heat of battle, forged a bond.
Now, alongside the popular “Kong + Rampaging Dragon” duo, the park had the new “Python One + Ugly Eagle” pair, who quickly gained a devoted online following.
...
Time slipped quietly by.
Seven days passed.
At eight o’clock in the evening, Qiao Mian lay atop the office building, gazing up at the twinkling stars overhead.
The visitors had all gone, leaving only the volunteers to take advantage of the empty park—lining up to enter the haunted house, running off to the Sutra Pavilion, or sitting cross-legged on the fitness plaza, practicing their skills.
Bumblebee and Jazz sang and danced as usual, with Liang Xiaoyu live-streaming their antics.
Drift’s swordsmanship had clearly improved; in the arena, he had Optimus Prime—who was, for now, refraining from using his energy weapons—on the defensive and retreating again and again.
The Mischievous Elder had found himself a new pastime: teaching Kong-style boxing in front of a waterfall deep in the forest. The enthusiastic students put on a lively display, drawing howls of excitement from the Rampaging Dragon.
Su Yueling brought some homemade braised dinosaur meat for Little Dragon Maiden, who ate with relish, a look of contentment on her face.
Qiao Lin sat on the sofa, gulping down water.
Granny Sun’s eyes sparkled, her old cheeks flushed with happiness.
...
Qiao Mian sighed, waving his hand to dismiss these scenes from before his eyes.
He let his thoughts wander for a moment, then composed himself and opened his personal interface.
[Player Name: Qiao Mian]
[Game Level: 2 (25.09 million / 100 million)]
[Game Currency: 12.69 million]
[Number of Employees: 16]
[Popularity: 0] (All converted to game currency)
[Available Items: Iron Man Armor Mark 6 (10,000), Blood Orchid Extract (1,000), AllSpark (100,000), Kong Blood Serum (100), Bossk Python Gall (10), Treasure Snake Blood Serum (50), Dimensional Item Seeker (100), “Muscle-Tendon Classic” (600), “Nine Yin Manual” (600), “Nine Yang Divine Skill” (600), Dimensional Incubator (player use only, 1 million), Basic Hypnosis (5,000), Basic Healing (8,000), Basic Future Foresight (10,000)...]
[Unlocked Modules: Ticket Hall, Office Center, Dinosaur Park, Python Pavilion, Roadways, Fitness Plaza, Arena, Sutra Pavilion, Haunted House]
[Connected Realms: Jurassic World, Kong, Anaconda, Iron Man, Transformers, Return of the Condor Heroes, The Ring]
...
Qiao Mian studied the information in silence.
Lately, an average of one or two people braved the haunted house each day, bringing his daily income from game currency close to 1.5 million.
After accumulating for so long, he was now ready to activate the Dimensional Incubator and open a new realm.
However, Qiao Mian hesitated.
The park had recently seen a whirlwind of activity, from grand opening to connecting two new realms and adding four new modules...
Eighty-plus chapters in, and the park had only been open for less than a month!
Yet, in that short span, quite a few issues had emerged.
The employees had only recently joined, each hailing from different worlds, and Earth’s culture was a major shock to them—especially those from the Return of the Condor Heroes realm.
This had led to several mistakes at work.
Without a unified manager for each area, there was a lack of coordinated planning and direction, resulting in frequent confusion.
With visitor numbers on the rise and volunteers now required for evening shifts, even Huang Yaoshi hinted at needing a few assistants.
Volunteers could help maintain order, but they simply couldn’t handle the more intricate tasks.
Qiao Mian could not, and would not, entrust everything to them.
As for vacation arrangements, though no one had said anything, even the Transformers—once accustomed to working nonstop—were growing curious about the outside world and hoping for some time off to explore.
Now that the park was running smoothly, Qiao Mian planned to increase the number of visitors. But with the current management system, it was simply not feasible.
“Perhaps I should call an employee meeting to address these issues,” Qiao Mian mused.
“Now that income is stable, I can expand both visitor and employee quotas.”
“Appoint a leader for each area, and allow them to choose a few assistants from their original worlds.”
“And as for vacations...” Qiao Mian pondered. “We could try giving everyone two days off per week, so they can rotate their breaks...”
“Earth’s visitors are advancing rapidly—many now have more internal energy than Guo Jing himself. No one’s complained, but surely the staff feel uneasy, especially since their salaries are limited...”
“Maybe I should hold a lottery at the employee meeting? Everyone would get something. Since income’s good lately, I shouldn’t let my own people suffer.”
...
Qiao Mian stood up, dusting off his pants out of habit, though there was no real dust.
With a thought, he manipulated the shield to lift him, and flew back through the window into his office.
Fishing an Ice Peak soda from the fridge, Qiao Mian cracked open the can and took a deep, satisfying gulp.
He exhaled with pleasure, kicked off his shoes, curled up on the sofa, and summoned a three-dimensional light screen, jotting down notes and plans.
Zero’s voice piped up from time to time, pointing out flaws and inconsistencies in his arrangements.
He worked late into the night, finally bringing some order to his thoughts.
Having already notified Wang Lang, the park’s liaison on Earth, that Fantasy Park would be closed for two days, he planned to hold the staff meeting the next day.
After the meeting, he’d organize a bonfire party, launch the employee lottery, and give them another day off to explore.
Liang Xiaoyu and Wang Lang would be invited to the bonfire as well—the two were now closely linked to the park, and some matters needed to be shared through them.
Should he let those two join the lottery?
A hundredfold penalty, after all!
Qiao Mian weighed the idea for a moment, then decided to give them a small memento instead.
If they actually won the grand prize, he would be at a huge loss!
And frankly, he couldn’t afford it.
...