booktalesy Chapter 337 Kitahara Paradise
Chapter 337 Kitahara Paradise
Chapter 337 Kitahara Paradise
When the first spring breeze of 2001 swept across the Pacific Ocean, the iconic "Möbius strip" holographic projection emblem was simultaneously raised in the streets of Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Paris.
Kitahara Century Park, which cost over five billion US dollars, has officially opened.
Outside the massive reclaimed land development in Tokyo Bay. At six in the morning, the sea breeze still carried a biting chill, but the five-kilometer-long queue was already packed with over 100,000 enthusiastic tourists with bloodshot eyes and excited expressions.
Twenty-two-year-old Kenji Yamada, a die-hard film buff, endured 42 hours of freezing wind wrapped in a sleeping bag to finally secure a spot in the first batch of visitors. The moment he rushed through the gates and headed straight for the "Inception" area, he felt his heart was about to leap out of his throat.
It was a massive metal building, hundreds of meters tall, with an appearance resembling a twisted spiral.
"All infiltrators, please fasten your seatbelts. Ten seconds countdown, kick (wake-up) procedure is about to begin."
With a low, synthesized electronic voice, Kenji and the twenty other tourists in his row were securely strapped into specially designed suspended seats. The next second, a deafening mechanical roar erupted from inside the massive cylindrical building!
This is no ordinary roller coaster.
As the chair accelerated wildly along the spiral track, Kenji watched in disbelief as the walls, ceiling, and floor of the entire corridor underwent a 360-degree insane flip right before his eyes! The retro wall lamps, Persian carpets, and even the virtually projected mercenary NPCs in the corridor were all moving vertically, defying Newton's laws!
The intense feeling of weightlessness, combined with incredibly realistic visual deception, directly disrupts the human brain's normal perception of gravity.
"Aaaaaaah—!!!"
17
Kenji clung tightly to the safety lever, letting out a piercing scream. His mind was completely blank, unable to distinguish which way was up and which way was down. When the five minutes of extreme torture ended and the seat came to a stop, Kenji's legs went weak, and he tumbled out of the exit passage.
He leaned against the railing and gagged twice, but when he looked up, his face, covered in snot and tears, wore an almost manic grin: "That was awesome—that was fucking awesome! Is this the world Cobb experienced? I want to do it all over again!"
Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, another sensory massacre is unfolding at the "Resident Evil" park.
Chloe, a student at the Hollywood Film Academy, and three of her best friends are huddled behind an overturned, abandoned police car, trembling with fear.
There are no cheap plastic pumpkins or crude mechanical monsters here. The entire park is a one-to-one replica of the streets of Raccoon City infected by the T-virus. In the air, special spray devices emit the stench of burning tires and oxidized blood. The sky is shrouded in artificially simulated haze, and intermittent alarms echo all around.
Chloe glanced at the smart bracelet on her wrist, which displayed her health and quest clues in this "continuous world".
"Quick! Go to the RPD police station lobby up ahead, there's a ruby key there!" his best friend shouted in a low voice.
Just as they were about to get up and sprint.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Heavy, oppressive footsteps, seemingly shaking the ground, came from around the corner. A Tyrant NPC, over two meters tall, wearing a black bulletproof coat and with a ferocious expression, smashed through the glass window of a shop on the street corner and stared intently at them!
These are not ordinary amusement park staff; they are professional stunt performers recruited by Kitahara Shin from the Hollywood Stunt Guild at great expense! They have undergone rigorous pursuit training, and the sense of oppression is off the charts.
"Run! Run!"
Chloe's mind went blank with terror as she screamed and ran. The tyrant behind her not only chased after them but even grabbed plastic trash cans from the ground and smashed them down. The sheer pressure of death made Chloe's knees buckle the moment she rushed into the safe house, and she collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. But then she burst into a fit of triumphant laughter.
"Compared to this, Disney's Mickey Mouse is like a diaper changer for a three-year-old!" Chloe's best friend cursed, leaning against the door and panting heavily.
This raw, immersive realism drained nearly 40 percent of the visitor traffic to other theme parks worldwide during the park's first week of operation.
Faced with this overwhelming challenge, Disney's current CEO, Michael Eisner, could no longer remain passive. He personally led a team of executives to Tokyo overnight, setting aside the arrogance of a multinational giant, and secretly visited Kitahara Productions' headquarters. They didn't even dare to propose an acquisition, but instead humbly requested joint development—using Disney's mature global distribution channels in exchange for the licensing of some of Kitahara Group's lightweight projects.
Kitahara Shin accepted all the resources offered to him. Now, he no longer needed to fight for specific profits; what he wanted was ubiquitous industry penetration.
Meanwhile, in a private villa in Daikanyama, far from the hustle and bustle.
Akina Nakamori was sitting in the sunroom, which was covered with a wool carpet, gently shaking a soft rattle. Little Kei Kitahara was lying on a crib mat, his big, dark eyes wide open, trying to grab the toy that made the sound with his hands and feet.
Outside, entertainment news continues to bombard the public with stories of Akina's charity interviews and pre-recorded indoor variety shows. No one knows that this era-defining diva is currently wearing the most ordinary cotton loungewear, enjoying the mundane routine of playing with her son.
No one knew that Izumi Sakai, sitting quietly on the other end of the sofa reading parenting books, already had a slight bulge in her belly.
Given the successful experience of Akina's pre-production material shooting, Izumi's current retirement seems natural and flawless.
"Akina-nee, the recipe here says that you can add a little pumpkin puree to the baby food, which is better for Xiaoqi's digestion." Izumi folded the page of the book, looked up, and her eyes were as gentle as water.
"Okay, I'll have the kitchen try making some later." Akina smiled, picked up her son, and kissed his sweet, milky cheek. "Once he can sit up on his own, we really should take him out to see the world."
As they were talking, the villa's door was pushed open.
Rie Miyazawa, Nanako Matsushima, and Takako Matsu walked in carrying large and small bags.
They now only take on one film or television role a year, spending the rest of their time enjoying life. The balance between career and family makes them feel exceptionally relaxed.
"Akina-nee, Izumi-nee, look what we brought!" Rie excitedly pulled several black magnetic cards with dark gold patterns around the edges from her bag. "The highest-level VIP passes to Kitahara Paradise! I heard the 'Dream Mirror' collaboration project is having its internal testing today, let's go play together! I'm so bored staying at home all day!"
Matsu Takako also came over, took the little guy from Akina's hand, and teased him carefully: "Isn't the president going to inspect the park today? We can use the underground passage, and the tourists outside will definitely not notice us."
Nanako smiled and put some fresh fruit she had brought into the refrigerator: "I'm also quite curious, how impressive is the masterpiece that the teacher spent so much money building?"
3 PM.
Several black bulletproof SUVs without any special markings drove into the "deep air-raid shelter-level" underground of Kitahara Amusement Park.
Dedicated access.
The elevator takes you directly to the "God's-eye view" observation tower at the top of the park. There are also exclusive VIP private ride cabins that connect to the core attractions below.
As soon as Rie entered, she leaned over the huge one-way floor-to-ceiling window and laughed heartily at the tourists below, who were being chased by zombie NPCs on the streets of Raccoon City like ants.
"Oh my god, that fat guy lost a shoe while running, that's so pitiful, hahaha!"
Kitahara Nobumasa was sitting on the leather sofa in the center of the observation tower, watching his family members enter through a special passage.
"If you'd like to try it, there's a separate safety pod next door." Kitahara Shin pointed to a metal door next to him. The VIP experience pods in the "Gravity Corridor" are completely enclosed, ensuring no contact with other visitors outside; the safety level is set to the highest level.
"I'll go, I'll go!" Rie excitedly raised her hand and pulled Matsu Takako, who was equally eager to try, inside.
Nanako smiled and shook her head, then walked to the sofa and sat down: "I think I'd better not. I can't stand that feeling of weightlessness. I'll just enjoy the scenery here."
Akina, pushing a stroller, stood with Izumi in front of a giant holographic projection wall. The wall was displaying a dreamlike, ethereal deep-sea scene reminiscent of the movie "Big Fish & Begonia."
A semi-transparent virtual whale emitting a faint blue light slowly "swam" out from the wall and hovered above the stroller.
Little Kitahara Kei had no idea what fear was. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the virtual behemoth that emitted a soft light. Suddenly, he chuckled and stretched out his chubby hands, grabbing at the air with glee.
Akina and Izumi watched this scene with eyes so tender they almost melted.
A moment later, the metal door next door opened, and Rie and Matsu Takako walked out, supporting each other. Their hair was disheveled, and their faces were flushed from the extreme stimulation.
"Exciting! That was so exciting!" Rie clutched her chest, her legs still a little weak, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light. "Nobu-kun, is it really possible for humans to create something like this? When it was flipping over just now, I felt like my soul was about to fly out of my body!"
Matsu Takako patted her chest, let out a long breath, walked to the stroller, and pinched Xiao Qi's cheek: "We're screaming like crazy here, and you're just watching the little fish so happily."
Kitahara Shin stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Night was falling in the plaza outside. Neon signs flashed, and countless tourists lined up in long queues at the entrances of various attractions.
The roars of the zombie NPCs, the screams on the roller coaster tracks, and the cheers of tourists in front of the parade floats could be faintly heard through the glass.
Little Qi let out another clear laugh from inside the stroller. Rie was teasing him with a tyrant cartoon merchandise, while Nanako gently handed him water from the side.
This is just an ordinary Saturday evening at Kitahara Rakuen.
The festivities surrounding the park's opening have barely ended a week ago.
Los Angeles, top floor of the North American headquarters of the Kitahara Group.
Chief Financial Advisor Zosam strode into the president's office, a thick merger and acquisition assessment report in his hand. His eyes were sharp, and his steps revealed the decisiveness of a Wall Street trader.
"President, Blockbuster's in-depth financial report is out." Sasaki placed the report on Kitahara Nobu's large mahogany desk. "The DVD and video rental business in the US is entering a period of explosive profits. Our Inception physical disc sales have already broken historical records. The conglomerate's cash flow is currently exceptionally abundant. I suggest a hostile takeover of this second-largest video rental chain in North America. Once we acquire these 3,000 offline stores, Kitahara Productions will have a complete foothold in home entertainment distribution."
At this juncture, Zosam's business acumen was undeniably sharp. The CEOs of almost all Hollywood giants were vying fiercely for shelf space in major video chain stores. In their minds, controlling physical stores meant controlling the next decade's worth of household monetization.
Kitahara Shin leaned back in his leather chair, picked up the beautifully bound merger and acquisition report, and casually flipped through a couple of pages.
Then, to Sasaki's slightly astonished gaze, Kitahara Shin casually tossed the multi-billion dollar acquisition plan into the shredder next to him.
Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of the machine, scraps of paper fluttered into the wastepaper basket.
"Zosamu, shift your focus away from those plastic discs that are destined to be phased out." Kitahara Shin placed his hands on the table, his voice steady. "The end result of physical leasing is just internal competition among distributors. There are not only warehousing costs, but also wrangling with local bullies. I'm not acquiring any physical stores. Inform the finance department to liquidate all the peripheral holding companies we have related to physical disc manufacturing and transportation while the market is still high."
Sasaki was stunned. He had followed Kitahara Shin for many years and knew that behind every unconventional move by this young boss lay a huge ambition that was incomprehensible to ordinary people.
"A complete sell-off? How are we going to absorb that massive home entertainment market?" Sasaki immediately adjusted his thinking and quickly caught up with Kitahara Shin's pace.
"The network." Kitahara Shin stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the dense network of power grids in Los Angeles. "Go find the best network engineers in Silicon Valley. Go to the Nevada desert, buy the cheapest and largest plot of land. I want to build a top-of-the-line server matrix cluster there."
Kitahara Shin turned around and threw out a phrase that sounded like a fantasy in this era where even downloading pictures takes a long time.
"We want to build a global video subscription network—streaming."
Sasaki's breath hitched: "Streaming media? But President, the current dial-up internet bandwidth simply can't support smooth video playback. Those tech experts in Hollywood assert that watching movies on the internet is at least fifteen years away—"
"By the time those old fogies realize what's happening, it'll be too late," Kitahara Shin interrupted him. "The underlying technologies for ADSL and fiber-to-the-home have already been mastered, and the explosive growth in bandwidth will only take three to five years at most. What we need to do is buy up all the future infrastructure while everyone else is still scrambling to buy up videotapes."
Kitahara Shin walked to his desk, tapped his fingers heavily on the surface, and issued the final execution order.
"Use all the cash reserves we've cashed out at the high point on Nasdaq. First, spend money at all costs to build up server bandwidth. Second, lock all the exclusive online streaming rights we've acquired for thousands of classic Hollywood movies, Japanese anime, and Japanese dramas into this system under development, and absolutely do not authorize even a single second of footage to any external platform."
Zosam didn't need any further explanation; he immediately understood the terrifying potential of this operation once it was implemented—creating an absolute content barrier with a massive amount of exclusive film and television rights, and building a technological moat with infrastructure a decade ahead of its time.
"As long as you pay a monthly fee, you can watch unlimited times without having to go out to borrow DVDs or pay late fees." Sasaki muttered to himself, repeating this business logic, a fanatical fire suddenly igniting in his eyes.
He didn't raise any further questions and quickly closed the notebook he was carrying.
"I understand, President." Sasaki bowed slightly. "I will immediately assemble the Silicon Valley team for closed-door development, and the land acquisition plan in Nevada will be submitted to your desk tomorrow morning."
After saying that, Sasamu turned around and strode out of the president's office to carry out this top-secret plan that was enough to completely overturn the future of audio-visual media.