Chapter 111: Haunted Amusement Park
Li Zhi stepped into the Verification House once again.
The three clues they had obtained from the go-kart ride were: Be careful behind you, Don’t look back, and an image of footprints. Following the descriptions of ghosts on the Wall of Ghosts, she quickly found a ghost matching all three clues.
The Hanging Boot Ghost—a spirit that likes to trail behind people at night. If someone looks back, it will swiftly dodge their gaze, making it nearly impossible to spot. It even deliberately makes “pa-pa” footsteps to scare people, fitting perfectly with the footprint clue.
As for the three clues from the Drop Tower, Li Zhi directly referenced the Shanxiu (Mountain Demon) that Tang Nanshan had mentioned. After confirming the clues, she cast her vote for the Soul-Binding Ghost.
Before leaving, Li Zhi glanced once more at the blank space beneath the Wall of Ghosts. It remained the same as ever, as though it had always been designed that way—no matter how she stared, nothing new could be gleaned.
Li Zhi left the Verification House.
They were the last group to cast their votes. By the time the others came out, the team Perfect Match and Pei Hongyu’s group had already left the plaza.
When the last person exited, the heavy black double doors closed. The red glow that had filled the garden vanished, and the normal lighting resumed. The NPCs who had disappeared earlier reappeared in their spots around the square.
The koala holding a bunch of balloons was especially conspicuous. Li Zhi spotted him immediately.
Li Zhi extended her hand toward Chi Yi. “Give me the jade pendant.”
Chi Yi glanced at the distant koala, clicking her tongue. “What? Afraid he’ll notice and you won’t be able to explain yourself?”
Li Zhi simply smiled. “Yeah.”
Chi Yi snorted but handed the jade pendant back to her.
Li Zhi carefully tucked the sunflower amulet against her body, and the group started heading toward their next destination. The chubby, slightly awkward koala stood where he was, hesitating for a moment before raising his paw to wave at Li Zhi.
Owen Dong was more excited than anyone else. “He’s calling you!” Without the creepy ghost costume, Li Jianxi didn’t seem scary anymore. The koala even looked kind of cute, and Owen’s curiosity surged again. “Let’s go over there! What if he has something important to say?”
They were holding two answers already; even if they didn’t go try another ride right away, it wouldn’t matter. Spending a bit of time eavesdropping was totally fine!
Seeing Li Zhi walk over to the koala, the others sneakily followed behind.
The balloon tied to Li Zhi’s wrist floated and danced in the air, seemingly greeting the bunch of balloons in the koala’s hand. Standing in front of him, Li Zhi smiled. “What’s up?”
A muffled voice came from beneath the costume—Li Jianxi’s voice, dulled by the thick fabric. “Are you hungry?”
After running around all over the place, it made sense that she might be.
Li Zhi’s eyes curved into a smile. “Are you offering to buy me food?”
The bulky koala nodded and started waddling toward a brightly lit mushroom-shaped booth not far away. “Follow me.”
Li Zhi and the others followed him to the mushroom stand. Sure enough, it was filled with typical amusement park snacks: sizzling sausages, steaming oden, boiled corn, and chilled plum juice.
An NPC in an apron stood behind the counter, smiling warmly. “Welcome to the Snack Stand! What can I get for you?”
The koala pulled a handful of coins from his costume pocket, spreading them on his fuzzy paw before handing them over.
Li Zhi almost wanted to laugh but didn’t disappoint his kind gesture. She stepped forward and stood next to him, glancing at the food thoughtfully. “I’ll have a sausage, a plum drink, and… one piece of radish from the oden.”
“Coming right up!” The NPC happily took the coins and packed up the food for her.
Taking a bite of the sausage, Li Zhi beamed. “Tasty.”
A swallowing sound came from behind. Glancing back, Li Zhi saw her teammates staring at her pitifully. She laughed softly and turned to the koala. “Can you treat my friends to sausages too?”
The koala nodded, pulled out another handful of coins, counted them, and then fetched another handful, as if the stash was endless.
Li Zhi stared at that pocket, feeling like it was some kind of magical treasure trove.
“Come get yours,” she told her teammates. “One sausage each.”
Chi Yi complained, “Stingy!”
Li Zhi defended herself righteously, “He works part-time for this; it’s not easy for him.”
Ghosts, mascots, NPC gigs—he earned all those coins just to buy them sausages. The damn stingy system didn’t even give its NPCs decent wages.
The group stood by the mushroom stand, happily munching on sausages. The rare moment of lightheartedness brought a sense of satisfaction to the audience:
【They’re here! My OTP is seriously giving me sweet moments now!】
【Making money to buy sausages for his wife! Big points for Li Jianxi this round!】
【Who understands me?! He’s just like this koala—clumsy but full of heavy love.】
【When Li Jianxi disappeared with the other NPCs, my heart hurt. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t change the fact that he’s just an NPC.】
【I don’t care! I’m shipping this couple! I don’t care about the future, I just want this moment!】
【As long as that smile they exchanged was real, that’s enough for me.】
【Let’s just think of it as a limited-edition ship!】
【I think Li Zhi will find a way. If she really likes Li Jianxi, she’ll figure something out.】
…
After finishing the sausage, Li Zhi used the wooden skewer to divide the steaming radish into four pieces, poking small holes all over the surface. Back in school, she and Li Shuang used to eat oden like this. It cooled faster, making it easier to finish before their eldest brother caught them sneaking snacks.
The bulky koala stood right in front of her, lowering his oversized head to watch her intently.
“Tired?” Li Zhi popped a piece of radish into her mouth. “That costume looks heavy.”
Li Jianxi softly said, “Not tired.”
Li Zhi looked up at him. “You don’t get tired, and you don’t get hungry, do you?”
After a short silence, Li Jianxi answered, “No.”
Technically, he was just a string of data. Sleeping and eating were merely programmed actions, not true necessities.
Suddenly, Li Zhi reached out toward his paw, pushing through the fluffy exterior to reveal a slender, jointed hand inside. She grabbed his fingers, gently squeezing once, then again.
The koala froze.
Outside the screen, the live audience practically screamed like prairie dogs.
Li Zhi withdrew her hand, smiling sweetly. “Your hand’s warm. Feels just like a human’s.”
Li Jianxi stammered, “R-Really?”
Li Zhi smiled. “Really. Just like mine. Can you feel it?”
It took him a long while to respond, but finally he said, “I can.”
Her hand was soft and warm. When it slipped into his paw, it felt like a free bird flying into his cage.
“Guanping Village, Qingyu Town, and Lienü Village…” Li Zhi’s voice pulled his thoughts back. He heard her ask, “Have you ever gone back to those places?”
Li Jianxi shook his head. “No. I can’t go back.”
Once players completed the quests in a dungeon instance, that world would collapse, never to exist again.
“What about the people there?”
“They disappear along with the dungeon.”
After saying that, he noticed Li Zhi squinting slightly before letting out a quiet chuckle, her tone curious. “Have you ever seen someone like you—able to move freely between different dungeon worlds and not disappear when the instance ends?”
Li Jianxi thought for a long time before slowly replying, “I’ve seen one.” He recalled, “Not in your world. We met in a hospital.”
“You knew her?”
“No.” He paused, then added softly, “But… she was a lot like you.”
Li Zhi was surprised. “Like me? You mean… we looked alike?”
The koala shook his head. “It felt the same. You give me the same sense of familiarity.”
Li Zhi recalled something he’d said before—that she felt familiar to him.
But they’d never met.
So that sense of familiarity wasn’t unique to her, but also appeared with that other NPC in a dungeon world. Was there some connection between her and that NPC? What exactly was that feeling of familiarity?
“Did you see her again later?”
Li Jianxi shook his head. “No.”
Just that once. Two special NPCs crossing paths in a dungeon. One glance, recognizing the other as the same kind, and that was it.
Li Zhi lowered her gaze, quietly finishing her radish without asking more.
“We should get back to the task.”
“Oh…” The koala sounded pitiful. “Bye-bye.”
His tone made Li Zhi laugh. Raising her palm with a grin, she said, “Head pat. See you later.”
The koala slowly lowered his giant head beneath her palm.
Li Zhi happily gave him two pats. Behind them, Owen Dong held up his sausage skewer. “I want to pat too.”
You Jingmeng shot him a glare. “You wish!”
Saying farewell to the koala, the group followed the signs forward. The sound of flowing water gradually rose in the night wind. Soon, a two-meter-wide canal appeared by the roadside, illuminated by eerie blue lights on either bank. White mist drifted across the surface, carrying a chilling air.
Before long, they reached a lake, likely connected to the waters beneath the Ferris wheel. The entire lake was shrouded in fog, the blue glow seeping through the mist, occasionally accompanied by the splash of water—as if something lurked beneath the surface.
On the clearing connected to the lake stood the next unexperienced amusement ride—the Pirate Ship.
But this pirate ship was different from the colorful ones they’d seen in theme parks before. The hull was unpainted, just pure wood, giving it a rustic, old-fashioned look—more like a ferry used to transport people across rivers.
As they neared the water’s edge, the temperature dropped significantly. Chi Yi rubbed her arms. “What if pirates really show up on this pirate ship?”
You Jingmeng agreed, “Or sea monsters! Like one of those slimy octopuses wrapping its tentacles around you, dragging you into the water!”
Owen Dong hugged himself, shivering. “Ladies, could you not? What if the system wasn’t planning that, but now it decides to add it in because of your brilliant suggestions?!”
Honestly, with this system’s twisted sense of humor, that was entirely possible.
Li Zhi said, “Let’s go. Check it out.”
The group walked to the entrance. The attendant, still wearing a blue uniform, stood waiting. The only difference was that she now held a yellow lantern. Seeing them approach, she smiled and said, “Welcome to the River Crossing Pirate Ship. Minimum number of players required: four. Please present your tickets and line up for entry.”