Chapter 106: Haunted Amusement Park
Li Zhi handed the balloon in her hand to Chi Yi, then walked to the entrance and gave the ticket to the staff member wearing a racing helmet. The staff stamped a go-kart icon into the blank square on the back of the ticket. So far, she had collected four stamps.
This time, the game’s rules were quite friendly to those who loved collecting things.
With a swipe of the ticket, they entered, and a circular racetrack came into view. The edges of the track were lined with upright tires as barriers, but the visible range only extended two or three hundred meters around the course. Beyond that, everything was shrouded in thick white fog.
No one knew exactly how large the track was, how long it stretched, or what obstacles lay ahead.
Three go-karts were parked at the starting point, the one on the outermost ring slightly ahead, the innermost slightly behind—about ten meters’ difference at most. The helmeted staff member held a small flag, standing by with a smile as they reminded, “Players, please choose your preferred kart. The race is about to begin.”
You Jingmeng asked the staff, “Don’t we get helmets?”
The staff kept smiling. “All equipment for this event requires an additional fee. Would you like to pay to obtain equipment?”
You Jingmeng quickly shook her head. “Forget it!”
Who knew what kind of payment they might demand. The fewer complications, the better!
With no signs or hints around them, Li Zhi withdrew her gaze and took the lead by choosing the red go-kart in the innermost lane. You Jingmeng chose the green one in the middle, and Qi Yongyi took the yellow kart on the outer lane.
The three of them sat down and fastened their seatbelts.
There were no instructions inside the narrow go-kart, either. The staff took two steps forward on the platform and raised the flag. The next moment, a mechanical voice broadcasted from the speakers: “First round of the go-kart race is about to begin. Please drive safely. We wish you a safe arrival.”
Drive safely. Arrive safely.
Having experienced several amusement park games already, they understood the underlying meaning of that broadcast the moment they heard it.
Honestly, they didn’t even need the hint. As soon as the flag dropped and the three of them sped forward, the hum of engines echoed from within the thick fog.
With only two or three hundred meters of visibility, at karting speed, it only took a few seconds before their karts plunged into the dense mist.
From the outside, the fog looked heavy, but inside, it thinned out somewhat. The track was enormous—too large to see the other end. Li Zhi accelerated along the innermost lane, silently calculating the distance and memorizing the curves.
The wind roared in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, Li Zhi caught sight of a black go-kart hurtling onto the track. Seated inside was a man in white, his kart headed straight for her. The black kart had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had risen from beneath the ground.
Qi Yongyi, driving behind her, shouted a warning, but the wind quickly swallowed his voice. Worse still, a black kart suddenly crashed toward him as well, forcing him to focus solely on maneuvering.
Just as she reached the first bend, Li Zhi executed a drift, switching from the inner lane to the outer. The black kart, which had charged at her head-on, missed and smashed into the tire barrier on the inside lane.
But before she could relax, two more karts flanked her from behind, their engines roaring—clearly aiming to ram her off the track.
Li Zhi floored the gas, increasing her speed. The wind screamed past, nearly forcing her to squint, and soon she reached the next bend. As she turned, she saw You Jingmeng’s kart getting clipped on the rear wing by another black kart.
The screech of tires sliding on asphalt filled the air. Li Zhi faintly heard You Jingmeng’s panicked scream as her kart was shoved toward the inner lane, skidding and slowing down. That momentary hesitation allowed even more ghostly karts to close in.
White smoke began billowing from the damaged rear wing of You Jingmeng’s green kart. Li Zhi quickly assessed their surroundings, braked at the turn, and drifted back into the inner lane, positioning her own kart beside You Jingmeng’s to block another oncoming kart.
The collision dented her door panel, and it also started emitting smoke.
It was clear that the collisions had a limit—one or two more hits, and they would be dead for sure.
“Mengmeng!” Li Zhi shouted, “Speed up!”
The wind was too loud—whether You Jingmeng heard her or not, no one could say. But the battered green kart suddenly shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving Li Zhi far behind. She could faintly hear You Jingmeng screaming nonstop.
Li Zhi: “…”
Great.
She accelerated again. From the white mist beside her, a red go-kart suddenly appeared alongside her, matching her speed. Glancing sideways, she saw a female ghost in a red dress gripping the wheel, her fingernails painted crimson.
Noticing Li Zhi’s gaze, the female ghost slowly turned her head. Her mouth stretched to her ears, revealing a gaping, bloody maw as she flashed a provocative grin.
Li Zhi, calmly speeding along, still had the leisure to shout at her, “Changed jobs, have you?”
The female ghost: “……”
Li Zhi gave her neck a casual glance.
Just that faint glance instantly triggered the ghost’s memory of having her neck snapped by Li Zhi on the roller coaster before. Her expression twisted in rage, and she suddenly yanked the steering wheel left, clearly intent on taking Li Zhi down with her.
But Li Zhi had been prepared. Both karts were already at their top speeds—accelerating further wasn’t an option. The instant the ghost jerked her wheel, Li Zhi tapped the brakes. The red-clad female ghost’s kart drifted sideways across Li Zhi’s hood and slammed into the tire wall.
Li Zhi steered with one hand and lazily waved with the other in farewell.
The female ghost: “Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”
The live comment feed exploded:
【Finally!!! We finally got to see this moment again!!!】
【Everyone together now—shout Li Zhi’s signature catchphrase!!!】
【FURIOUS BUT POWERLESS!!!】
…
Up ahead, You Jingmeng’s kart got hit again, flames now licking at the rear. Li Zhi followed behind, seeing sparks and smoke trailing behind the green kart. But despite the flames, the kart didn’t slow down at all. Instead, it blazed forward like a comet, crossing the finish line first in a storm of sparks and fire.
Along with her was the continuous, ear-piercing scream of You Jingmeng.
Li Zhi arrived next, hearing how hoarse You Jingmeng’s voice had become.
Leaping off her burning kart, You Jingmeng’s legs nearly gave out. She clung to Li Zhi, her face filled with terror. “That was horrifying!”
Qi Yongyi rolled his eyes. “Terrifying, yet you still drove that fast. I floored it and still couldn’t catch you.”
You Jingmeng shot back, “If I didn’t drive faster, I would’ve been hit! I got hit twice already! If Zhi hadn’t blocked one for me, I’d be toast by now!”
Those ghostly go-karts were impossible to predict, appearing from nowhere. The slower you went, the higher the chance of getting hit. After two hits, with her kart starting to burn, it was a safe guess that the third would’ve been an explosion.
The three of them walked back to the platform. The staff handed them a clue box. “Congratulations on completing the first round of the go-kart challenge. This is your reward.”
This time, the box was ordinary black, proving that the pink box they’d received at the Ferris wheel was indeed a hidden version. They walked to the entrance railing, where Chi Yi and Owen Dong were waiting outside. Although they trusted Li Zhi’s abilities, seeing them return safely brought visible relief.
“We got the first clue,” Li Zhi said, opening the box. Inside was a card with just four words written on it. You Jingmeng read aloud: “Watch your back.”
After reading it, she shivered and instinctively glanced behind her.
“Watch your back…” Chi Yi repeated it twice, then clapped her hands. “Zhi, do you remember that ghost clinging to Teacher Zhu’s back when we did that newcomer scenario?”
Li Zhi nodded.
Chi Yi said, “I saw its description on the Wall of Ghosts last round. It’s called the Back-Clinging Ghost. This clue fits perfectly.”
A ghost stuck to your back—of course you’d need to watch behind you.
Li Zhi pocketed the clue and said to the others, “The death rule for the first round was to avoid collisions with ghost karts. The number of ghost karts in the second round should increase. I’m also guessing there’ll be a time limit.”
The first round only required them to reach the finish safely. Given the increasing difficulty, the second round would likely have stricter requirements on time and speed.
Qi Yongyi, having experience with go-karts, nodded. Li Zhi said, “I’ll go with Qi for this round.”
You Jingmeng had only wanted to try it once and had no objections.
They returned to the platform. Li Zhi told the staff, “We’re starting the second round.”
“Understood.” The staff gestured politely toward the starting point, where two brand-new go-karts sat quietly.
As they approached, they noticed a small square screen on the steering wheel. On the black display were glowing numbers: 02:00.
A two-minute countdown.
Li Zhi paused, thinking for a moment before stepping in.
The staff reminded them, “The race will begin shortly. Please board your karts.”
Li Zhi whispered to Qi Yongyi, “I estimated the track’s length last round—it’s around 4,000 meters. This round requires us to finish in two minutes. There are four turns on the track, and we’ll lose speed on each one. We can’t drop below 130 km/h on straightaways, or below 100 km/h on turns. And we can’t afford to get hit even once, or we’ll never make the time.”
Qi Yongyi was stunned by how fast she’d calculated all that.
Without another word, Li Zhi got into her kart first.
Qi Yongyi followed close behind.
The staff raised the flag. The system’s voice echoed again: “Second round of the go-kart race is about to begin. Please reach the finish line within the time limit. Good luck.”
As the flag dropped, the two go-karts roared forward.
The countdown on the display began ticking down from two minutes.
Just as Li Zhi predicted, there were clearly more ghost karts on the track this time. A single collision would reduce their speed. Once that happened, the surrounding ghost karts would block the way, making it nearly impossible to accelerate again.
Two minutes.
A deadly countdown.