New Year's Eve Event: Landmark Reward

Mohe is a place where you land in a world of ice and snow. The cold is so intense compared to Harbin, it's like being at a completely different latitude.

Zhang Yang got off the plane and didn't feel anything was wrong.

However, the sisters Bei Wei and Bei Jiajia were completely wrapped in down jackets, with only their eyes visible.

As soon as I stepped out, my eyelashes were covered in frost.

This is Mohe Gulian Airport, the first airport in China built on permafrost and also the airport at the highest latitude in the country.

Thanks to the booming development of domestic cultural tourism, Mohe Airport is quite crowded, with many young men and women carrying large bags and wanting to experience the scenery of Mohe, or perhaps be lucky enough to see the aurora borealis and feel this cosmic romance.

The two sisters, Bei Jiajia, were in high spirits, constantly whispering to each other and looking around at everything.

"I've heard that just across the Mohe lies Russia."

"Look at that guy over there, the Russian, his Northeastern accent is pretty authentic."

The tall, burly man in front turned around, pointed at himself, and exclaimed in astonishment, "Me? I'm Russian! I'm Russian!"

The entire Mohe has a permanent population of 50,000, comprising 18 ethnic groups. Just because someone looks like a foreigner doesn't mean they are a foreigner.

Bei Wei and Bei Jiajia were immediately embarrassed.

Zhang Yang chuckled to himself, glanced at his phone, and contacted the friend Wen Yu had mentioned.

Upon contacting them, I discovered that the other party was already waiting outside.

"Let's go, straight to our destination." He waved.

The three of them walked out of Gulian Airport and were once again faced with a biting cold wind.

Not far away, a large Land Rover slowly approached.

The car window rolled down, revealing a face with somewhat exotic features.

"Is that Brother Zhang?"

"It's me... Are you Su Zongping?" Zhang Yang asked.

"Yes, yes, that's me, Brother Zhang." The car stopped, and a tall figure stepped out. "I knew I couldn't mistake you; you stand out so much in the crowd."

While offering compliments, Su Zongping opened the trunk and eagerly helped put the luggage in.

In no time, the group got into the car.

We chatted casually along the way.

During their conversation, Zhang Yang learned that Su Zongping was not actually of Russian ethnicity; strictly speaking, he was of mixed race, as his mother was Russian.

Actually, he is Han Chinese.

On the way from the airport to Arctic Village, the setting sun cast a golden glow outside the car window.

"No way? The sun's already setting?" Bei Jiajia checked the time.

It's only a little past three o'clock.

" In Mohe, the winter solstice brings the shortest days and longest nights. The sun rises at nine and sets at three, so the daytime is only about six hours long," Su Zongping explained with a smile. "Normally, nobody comes to visit this area, but these past two years, I really can't understand why so many people with nothing better to do want to come here at this time of year."

He really didn't mean to belittle his hometown.

Mohe is located on the border of the country and in the far north. Its climate is quite extreme, and as for tourism resources, at least in their eyes, there is really nothing to see.

What's there to see in a snow-covered, deep mountain forest?

In other words, those southerners who are used to the warm winter sun all year round came out of curiosity and wanted to experience the feeling of water freezing instantly when splashed.

The car fell silent for a moment.

"Nothing better to do than eat your fill?" Zhang Yang clicked his tongue but didn't say anything.

"Ah..." Su Zongping scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Brother Zhang, this year is definitely an exception. I know you want to see the aurora, and that's a wise idea. It's much more convenient to see the aurora from within the country than to go abroad!"

He racked his brains and recited every delicious and fun thing he knew about Mohe.

Ice-cooked hotpot, the northernmost outpost, the northernmost bank, post office, birch forest, and the Mohe Ballroom that became popular a couple of years ago...

I feel bad for him.

It's clear that he really tried his best to tell you all the places to visit in Mohe.

"Alright, alright, you've arranged everything for us," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "If we can see the aurora, great. If not, at least we'll make sure we get all the good food and fun activities, so the trip won't be in vain."

Travel is, in essence, an experience.

Before coming, he had naturally made sufficient mental preparations. Even though this place was very different from what he had imagined, being able to personally visit the northernmost point of the country would make the trip worthwhile.

"Absolutely, Brother Zhang," Su Zongping assured him, patting his chest.

Later that evening, it was completely dark, and they finally arrived at Arctic Village in Mohe.

Arctic Village, there are guesthouses everywhere, and everything is related to the North.

Northernmost store, northernmost restaurant, northernmost post office, northernmost boundary marker...

A road sign at the entrance to the village reads: I'm waiting for you in Arctic Village.

Frankly speaking, the probability of seeing the aurora borealis in Mohe in previous years was actually quite low, far less than in places like Iceland, Norway, and Finland, which are located within the true Arctic.

However, this year is special. Due to the geomagnetic storm, the occurrence of the aurora is highly probable. As a result, the usually quiet Arctic Village has been bustling with tourists these past two days.

Su Zongping's hotel in Arctic Village was naturally not a guesthouse.

"Brother Zhang, this is a bit shabby, isn't it?" Su Zongping said somewhat embarrassedly as he stood in front of his hotel.

Zhang Yang looked at the rather large business hotel in front of him.

Yes, if this hotel were located in a city, it would be of average size, a typical business hotel offering both dining and lodging, not a star-rated hotel. However, because it looks relatively new, it might be considered Samsung?

However, in Arctic Village, where guesthouses are everywhere, it is truly considered to be of a large scale.

As expected of Wen Yu's friend, even though he's far away on the frontier, he's no ordinary person.

"There's no need to be so modest," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Your hotel is practically a landmark around here, how can you call it shabby?"

"It's not even worth a hair on your head, Brother Zhang's business," Su Zongping chuckled from the side. "This way, please, I've already arranged the room."

The resort hotel has quite a complete range of facilities.

The resort boasts a full range of amenities, including a hot spring, swimming pool, massage spa, restaurant, and conference rooms.

As the group walked through the snow-covered landscape, experiencing the atmosphere of Arctic Village in this far north was quite a unique experience.

Su Zongping naturally arranged for him to stay in the hotel's best suite.

It's unrealistic to expect a super luxurious presidential suite here, but this apartment is about 70 or 80 square meters, with a viewing platform right outside the window offering a view of the snow-covered landscape—the view is quite nice.

"Brother Zhang..." Su Zongping smiled from the side, observing Zhang Yang's reaction.

"The room is very nice, thank you very much," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

When you're out having fun, it's all about the experience. If you don't want to put in the hassle, this place has all the facilities you need and you can enjoy the beautiful northern scenery. It's great.

Upon hearing this, Su Zongping immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Su Zongping went out first.

Bei Wei lay back on the soft bed and relaxed properly.

"That's really progressing by leaps and bounds."

Mohe and Harbin may seem to be within the same province, but in fact, they are thousands of miles apart. To put that into perspective, Magic City only a little over a thousand kilometers from Beijing.

With this flight, wouldn't it be a journey of a thousand miles in a single day?

As for truly making rapid progress, it's not easy to fully utilize that potential with Bei Jiajia around.

Zhang Yang smiled and pulled Bei Wei into his arms, but before he could do anything, there was a knock on the door.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law."

Faintly Bei Jiajia's knocking could be heard from outside.

"This third wheel really came at the right time," Zhang Yang chuckled and cursed, then rolled off the bed, went out, and opened the door.

The door opened, Bei Jiajia peeked in with a smile.

"Tsk tsk, brother-in-law, what are you and my sister doing? Even in this freezing weather, you can't calm down?"

Zhang Yang gently raised his palm and glanced at it.

Instantly, Bei Jiajia's face flushed red. She lightly spat and then walked in. "Sis, let's go for a walk. I want to try splashing water and it freezes instantly. Can you take a picture for me?"

"You saw the news last time about someone scalding themselves by splashing water... have you forgotten?" Bei Wei walked out with a normal expression and smiled.

"No, that's because their technique isn't good enough. I definitely won't be able to do that," Bei Jiajia said confidently.

A moment later, outside the hotel.

Bei Jiajia held a kettle of freshly boiled water and looked at Bei Wei.

"Sis, are you done?"

"Go ahead and splash it, but be careful," Bei Wei emphasized repeatedly.

Bei Jiajia nodded gently, then adjusted her posture, and with a whoosh, an arc spread out in the air, radiating a refreshing ripple.

In the distance, a sliver of the setting sun still lingered on the horizon.

"We did it!" Amidst laughter, Bei Jiajia beamed with joy.

Bei Wei stood to the side, holding up her phone to capture the scene before her, frame by frame.

Not far away, Zhang Yang leisurely watched the scene before him. Standing on the land in the far north, a sense of peace and tranquility suddenly filled his heart.

Before long, Zhang Yang saw the short video that Su Jiajia had posted on her WeChat Moments.

The edited video, taken at sunset, is actually quite beautiful.

Without a second thought, he casually gave her a like.

··

Later that evening, Su Zongping graciously arranged a table of local specialties: sweet and sour pork, stewed goose, chicken stew with mushrooms, and pork stew with vermicelli.

"I have a farm here, and I raise all the chickens, ducks, and fish myself. Brother Zhang, please have some," Su Zongping warmly urged.

Unable to refuse their hospitality, Zhang Yang naturally tried every dish.

Although these dishes weren't delicacies, their strength lay in the quality of the ingredients, coupled with authentic Northeastern cooking methods, which made him nod in approval repeatedly.

"It's delicious, come on."

Zhang Yang raised his glass and clinked it with Su Zongping's.

Su Zongping, flattered and surprised, quickly raised his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother Zhang, I'll arrange for you to visit Longjiang First Bay tomorrow, and the reindeer park is also nice..." He rattled off a long list of plans.

Bei Wei, standing to the side, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Is there any hope of seeing the aurora?"

"Sister-in-law, well... I really can't say for sure," Su Zongping said, genuinely embarrassed. "To be honest, in all my years living in Mohe, I've hardly ever seen the aurora borealis."

The two sisters, Bei Wei and Bei Jiajia, looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The probability is that low?"

"Isn't that right?" Su Zongping sighed. "If we could see this every two or three days, Mohe would have taken off long ago... But lately, it's really hard to say, isn't there some kind of geomagnetic storm about to erupt..."

"I hope so," Bei Wei nodded gently.

Seeing the aurora borealis isn't actually that difficult; there are plenty of opportunities to see it if you go abroad to Iceland or Norway.

But what's rare is that it happened to be New Year's Eve, and it also happened to be with the person I love.

Imagine, on New Year's Eve, embracing your loved one under a sky full of aurora borealis—it feels like a destiny, a romance that is both eternal and unforgettable.

"It will happen," Zhang Yang comforted her with a smile.

Bite!

The special New Year's Eve event, Aurora Night, has been triggered.

Please guess whether the Mohe will appear in Mohe tonight, New Year's Eve (from midnight to 1 a. m.).

Option A: Aurora appeared.

Option B: The aurora will not appear.

If the guess is correct, you will be rewarded with the privilege of purchasing any landmark item worth less than 6 billion for free.

The guess was wrong; all revenue from the host's industries will be frozen for one year.

Please select, host.

Zhang Yang was eating when he suddenly heard this unexpected system notification, and he was completely stunned.

This can trigger a quest?

He put down his chopsticks, took out a tissue to wipe his mouth, and focused his attention entirely on his mental system.

The task was simple: guess whether the aurora borealis would appear on New Year's Eve. Unlike previous missions, this was the first time a penalty had been introduced.

Choosing the right option certainly means a huge reward.

For example, the "landmark purchase under 6 billion yuan" means you can exchange a landmark building worth less than 6 billion yuan for nothing.

That's incredibly awesome.

Some time ago, he happened to notice that a rather conspicuous small landmark in Lujiazui, Pudong, was for sale, with the asking price seemingly under six billion yuan.

What is a small landmark?

At least it's a prominent building you can see when standing on the Bund and looking out over Lujiazui.

What does it mean to have an office building in such a location, a veritable landmark? What does it symbolize?

For him, it was of extraordinary significance.

However, choosing the wrong punishment also cost him a lot of money.

The loss represents a full year's worth of industry revenue—not just for one industry, but for all industries.

When added up over a year, it's an astronomical figure.

"What should I choose?" Zhang Yang was caught in a dilemma.

However, although his mind was racing with thoughts, he still appeared outwardly composed, showing no sign of distress.

He continued to raise his glass, drinking and chatting with people as usual.

Later that evening, after thanking Su Zongping for his hospitality, Zhang Yang and the others went back to their rooms.

Bei Wei went into the bathroom to take a shower first.

Zhang Yang lay on his bed in the bedroom, listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom while checking the weather on his phone.

According to reports, the geomagnetic storm is expected to reach its peak tonight, and many places around the world are said to have a chance to see the aurora. As the northernmost city in China, Mohe is naturally within this range, and the possibility is quite high.

"Should I take the gamble?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

"Honey, why don't you go take a shower?" Bei Wei walked out of the bathroom, her skin still damp from her shower, her fair complexion glowing with a rosy hue.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and in front of Zhang Yang, untied her bath towel and began applying body lotion.

Normally, Zhang Yang would not only feast his eyes but also be quite ruthless with his hands, but now...

He got up, walked to the bathroom, and stood under the showerhead.

As the comfortably warm water was poured over his body, Zhang Yang's mind suddenly clicked.

"What's there to think about? It's just a year without any business income!"