Chapter 114: The Haunted Amusement Park

​​​When they got off the boat, everyone noticed the yellow lantern had reappeared in the staff member’s hand.

Ou Wendong suddenly understood. “So when she was holding this lantern during the first round’s entry, she was hinting to us that the real exit is where the lantern lights up!”

The lantern had only appeared once—during the first round’s entry. If they hadn’t paid close attention, after surviving two perilous rounds of crossing the river, it would have been difficult to connect the lantern they saw again in the third round to the real exit that broke the illusion.

Once more, Ou Wendong was struck by the top players’ meticulous observation and sharp instincts.

The staff member held the lantern and handed them the final round’s clue with a smile.

Li Zhi opened the box. This round’s clue was another image.

“Is this… a bug?” Chi Yi studied the card for a long time. “A bug flying in the air?”

“It’s a Luotoushi!” Qi Yongyi’s eyes lit up. “Legend says the Luotoushi can stretch its neck or even detach its head from its body. At night, its head flies out and likes to eat insects in the air.”

“It eats flying bugs?” You Jingmeng said. “Then it’s a good ghost! A beneficial ghost that eliminates pests and mosquitoes!”

With three clues in hand, they could confirm the answer was indeed Luotoushi. The three cards turned to ash again, and as this round’s time was nearly up, the five of them headed to the verification area.

This was the fourth round of voting, but Li Zhi’s team already had three answers. If they succeeded in every remaining challenge, they could complete all the attractions two rounds early.

Obtaining the hidden clue the system mentioned ahead of time would undoubtedly give them an advantage.

The park remained eerie, with NPCs dressed as ghosts hiding everywhere, jumping out occasionally to startle them. Watching the players shriek in terror, the NPCs would then retreat, satisfied.

The return route was different from the way they had come. When they reached an area draped entirely in red cloth, they initially thought they had circled back to the Red and White Ghost Wedding spot. But they quickly realized it wasn’t—because another attraction’s entrance appeared ahead.

Two large red wooden doors stood closed, adorned with the character for “double happiness” (囍). Red lanterns hung on either side of the doorframe, casting a hazy crimson glow over the staff member in red standing at the entrance, his presence chilling.

“Welcome to the Haunted House of the amusement park,” he said with a professional smile. “This attraction follows a single-round experience system. The minimum number of participants required is six. Please scan your tickets to enter if you wish to proceed.”

“A haunted house!” Chi Yi felt suffocated just looking at the setup. “Is the theme of this haunted house a ghost wedding?”

Ou Wendong shuddered. “And it requires six people to start the challenge. This one’s definitely going to be tough.”

No matter how terrifying or difficult, this challenge couldn’t be avoided—they’d have to face it eventually. Li Zhi said, “After this round’s vote, we’ll ask if anyone’s willing to join us. Once we have six people, we’ll tackle the haunted house.”

The group trembled, already nervous.

The park’s red warning lights flickered on, casting the entire area in a crimson hue that made the haunted house look even more sinister.

They hurried away, returning to the verification area.

When they reached the amusement plaza, the NPC was already gone. Li Zhi’s team was the first to return. After waiting a few minutes, Pei Hongyu’s group arrived.

Chi Yi whispered, “They’re missing someone!”

The random teammate who had been following them before was gone—only Pei Hongyu, Tang Nanshan, and He Yuan remained. Pei Hongyu wore his usual indifferent expression, while Tang Nanshan nodded at Li Zhi from afar, her expression heavy with resignation.

Even teaming up with top players didn’t guarantee safety. Death lurked in every round.

Soon after, the Perfect Match team returned—but this time, the “perfect” half of the pair was missing.

Chen Tianran’s face was ashen, supported by her two remaining teammates. The mood was grim. As they approached, Chi Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Du Jia, he…”

Chen Tianran closed her eyes, a pained sob escaping her throat.

Wei Xiao said quietly, “During the third round of the kart race… Du Jia veered off the track…”

The crash was fatal—no body remained.

Du Jia had been a star player. Though Perfect Match was just a partnership for popularity, not a real romance, surviving life-and-death situations together had forged genuine bonds.

Chen Tianran covered her face, overwhelmed with regret. She shouldn’t have let him stubbornly compete with Chi Yi’s team. They shouldn’t have entered this instance.

If they hadn’t been specifically chosen for this round, maybe they wouldn’t have been pulled in—maybe Du Jia would still be alive.

But it was too late. She had hoped this instance would teach Du Jia a lesson, make him more cautious in the future. She never imagined the lesson would cost him his life.

Losing two more teammates this round left everyone with a somber sense of shared mortality. But in the world of instances, players couldn’t afford to linger in grief or fear.

The verification room opened again. Li Zhi stepped inside and cast her vote for the answer they’d obtained from the drop tower—Shanxiao. She also found the description of Luotoushi on the Hundred Ghosts Wall, which matched all three clues.

Now, only three attractions and three answers remained.

After voting, Li Zhi approached Chen Tianran’s group. “We’re planning to challenge the haunted house next round. We need six people and are one short. Would any of you be willing to join us?”

Before they could answer, Tang Nanshan also walked over. “We’re also preparing to tackle the haunted house next. With twelve players left, we’re three teammates short.”

Twelve players—perfectly divisible into two teams of six, one led by Li Zhi, the other by Pei Hongyu.

Han Wenlin couldn’t help but ask, “Why split into two groups? The haunted house is so dangerous. If you two top players teamed up—”

Before he could finish, Wei Xiao tugged his sleeve, stopping him.

It was obvious to everyone that these two top players were competing in this instance, avoiding cooperation unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, if only six people entered, those six would gain a massive lead in popularity points, leaving the remaining six at risk of elimination.

No one wanted to be a background character. They’d rather take the risk for a shot at popularity than face elimination and being devoured by ghosts.

After several rounds of interaction, Han Wenlin had grown fond of Li Zhi and immediately volunteered, “I’ll join your team.”

Li Zhi smiled. “Great.”

Tang Nanshan turned to the remaining three. “Would you three be willing to team up with us for the haunted house? Don’t worry—with me and Hongyu here, we’ll do everything to protect you.”

Though her tone was friendly, Tang Nanshan was inwardly anxious. Hongyu’s earlier arrogance had blinded him to the possibility that others might refuse to enter the haunted house.

If Li Zhi’s team emerged safely, she’d share the clues and answers with the others, meaning the remaining players wouldn’t need to enter at all.

Round after round, Li Zhi had protected her teammates well. Her team had only lost one member and still had five players. She only needed one more to start the haunted house challenge.

Pei Hongyu’s team, however, was down to three. If Chen Tianran’s group refused to enter and chose to wait for Li Zhi’s team to return, even Pei Hongyu’s prowess wouldn’t be enough to complete the haunted house challenge alone.

In that case, he’d have to obtain the haunted house’s answer from Li Zhi. Not only would he miss out on the hidden clue, but his popularity would inevitably fall behind Li Zhi’s.

Tang Nanshan’s eyes flickered with worry as she considered how to persuade Chen Tianran’s group with tangible benefits if they refused.

Fortunately, Chen Tianran wasn’t an ordinary player content with mere survival. She was a high-ranking, popular player on the Horror Show forums. With Du Jia gone, she needed to rely on herself to maintain her standing.

Chen Tianran stepped forward first. “I’ll join your team.” She then turned to Wei Xiao and Cheng Jiayue. “Are you two coming?”

After a moment’s hesitation, they nodded in agreement.

Tang Nanshan exhaled in relief and said to Li Zhi, “See you inside.”

Li Zhi smiled. “See you inside.”

The verification room closed. The two newly formed teams headed toward the haunted house, one after the other.

Li Zhi’s group arrived first. The staff member in red still stood at the entrance, offering them a practiced smile.

Beyond the passageway, the tall, narrow red doors loomed, flanked by red drapes that made the entrance feel cramped and oppressive.

“The haunted house’s theme is likely a ghost wedding,” Li Zhi said, gathering her teammates close. “We don’t know the mechanics yet, but standard haunted houses involve navigating through scary zones to reach the exit, with ‘ghosts’ jumping out to frighten you along the way.”

“If that’s the case here, real ghosts will be mixed in with the NPCs. The death condition probably involves being caught or killed by them—stay alert.”

“If it’s not that type of challenge, and we’re not separated inside, we can adapt based on the situation.”

“The most dangerous scenario is if we’re split up for individual tasks. Then, you’ll have to rely on yourselves. Observe carefully for clues. Don’t panic—panic leads to traps. Since the system requires six players, it can’t be entirely solo tasks. We’ll regroup eventually. Hold on until then.”

Li Zhi covered every possible scenario they might face inside. Both her teammates and the audience were reminded just how rare and crucial a stable, strong mindset was in these instances.

No wonder she was a top player.

Her teammates oscillated between tension and excitement, but their earlier fear of the unknown challenge had significantly diminished.

Once she’d shared all she could, Li Zhi handed her ticket to the staff member. After stamping it, she flipped it over—the haunted house’s stamp was a red bride’s phoenix crown.

Once all six had entered, the staff member approached the closed red doors and announced, “Welcome to the immersive haunted house experience—The Red Wedding Gown. Please follow the rules: no attacking NPCs, no damaging props. Violations will be severely punished. We wish you a thrilling experience and a safe exit.”