Chapter 125: The Haunted Amusement Park
So this was what the "Treasure Hunt Maze" meant.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of plants, a fragrance Li Zhi quite liked. Walking through this maze, she felt an unusual sense of relaxation. However, the towering plant walls on either side made her feel incredibly small in comparison.
Li Zhi let go of the balloon in her hand, watching as it floated upward, tethered by its string, hovering above the maze. Then, she turned and walked toward the golden treasure chest.
At the end of this less-than-ten-meter-long path sat the treasure chest. Right in the middle of the path, two branching routes—one left, one right—formed a crossroads. Both paths led in different directions, and at a glance, there was no obvious difference between them. Li Zhi paused at the intersection, glanced around, then continued straight ahead toward the chest.
The chest resembled the kind of gilded treasure boxes often seen in games, adorned with a circle of red gemstones. It exuded an extravagant, almost taunting aura, practically screaming, "I’m treasure! Open me!"
Li Zhi crouched in front of it and gave it a light knock.
A dull thud echoed—the walls were thick, and no sound leaked from inside. The latch bore an intact "Seal" character.
As Li Zhi examined it, the audience was also dazzled by the chest’s brilliance:
[Holy shit! An actual treasure chest!]
[It looks exactly like the loot chests from those mobile games!]
[Was the system a game developer in its past life? These attractions are so fun! I wanna open a mystery chest too!]
[Where can I find a maze like this? I could spend all day in there!!! This is the first time I’ve ever envied the players—I wanna go in!]
[This maze is so engaging! Finally, it feels like a real amusement park!]
[Let’s see what Li Zhi pulls! Will she get lucky or screwed? The moment of truth!]
Since staring at it wouldn’t reveal anything, Li Zhi decided to test her luck.
She briefly considered using the mysterious headphones she’d obtained from clearing the last dungeon. According to the description, they allowed the wearer to hear "mysterious sounds" at night. If this chest contained a ghost, she should be able to hear it with the headphones on.
But the item’s description also mentioned that using them came with a "corresponding price." She didn’t know what that price was, and with no teammates around and her balloon needed to guide them, the risk was too high. If the cost left her incapacitated, she’d be in serious trouble.
After weighing the pros and cons, Li Zhi opted not to use them. She’d rely on her luck instead.
Even if the chest held a ghost, worst-case scenario, she’d just fight it. The staff hadn’t said players couldn’t beat up NPCs.
With that in mind, Li Zhi took two cautious steps back, putting a safe distance between herself and the chest before flipping it open.
The "Seal" character split in half. The moment the lid lifted, a black骷髅头 (skull) sprang out, its eyes glowing red, emitting a creepy sound effect while spewing puffs of white smoke—like a classic jump-scare prank.
Li Zhi, muscles tensed and fully braced for danger: ……
Damn. She’d been played.
No ghost, no clue—just a prank prop! Li Zhi was speechless, and so were the viewers who’d been nervously anticipating something thrilling.
She waited until the弹簧 (spring)-mounted skull stopped shaking and spewing smoke before cautiously approaching. Peering inside, she found nothing but the prank skull.
With a sigh, she turned to leave—when suddenly, the red lights in the skull’s eye sockets began scanning her like lasers. A sinister voice chanted:
"Shrink! Shrink! Shrink!"
There was no time to dodge. In an instant, everything around her grew massive. The once-normal-sized treasure chest now loomed like a mountain before her.
In the blink of an eye, Li Zhi had shrunk to the size of a thumb and plopped onto the leaf-covered ground.
Li Zhi: ???!!!
Audience: ???!!!
The camera angle shifted to match Li Zhi’s new perspective. The already-tall plant walls now stretched like cliffs into the sky. She was an ant at the bottom of a chasm, unable to see the top even when looking up.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, the audience witnessed a truly priceless expression on Li Zhi’s face:
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Watching the pro get owned is so satisfying!]
[I’m dying!!! Never thought I’d see the day Li Zhi gets trolled like this!]
[Li Zhi: I was ready to throw hands with a ghost, and you hit me with a shrink debuff? Can’t handle a fair fight?]
[Thumbelina… hehe… drools…]
[You’re disgusting! Put your tongue away!]
[Starting to think the system’s got it out for Li Zhi!]
[Ahhhh! My megalophobia is acting up! This is terrifying!!!]
Li Zhi stood atop a leaf that had once fit in her palm but now felt like a double bed. Looking back, the path she’d walked earlier seemed to stretch into infinity.
Thankfully, her balloon had shrunk with her—otherwise, it might’ve yanked her into the sky.
Sigh. Should’ve been more careful.
But now she understood the maze’s gimmick. Beyond clues and ghosts, it was packed with whimsical items, buffs, and debuffs. The variety made the treasure hunt more dynamic and entertaining.
Given that, this shrunken state probably wasn’t permanent. Such effects likely had time limits—otherwise, the fun would wear off. At this size, she couldn’t even open chests. What kind of treasure hunt would that be?
…Unless the system just wanted to screw her over. If so, she’d have to find the exit like this. Surely the effect would wear off once she escaped the maze.
No use regretting it now. Li Zhi pressed forward.
What had been a few steps earlier now took minutes. At the crossroads, she turned left—when a sudden gust of wind nearly swept her away. She lunged for a vine to steady herself, but at this size, she weighed no more than a leaf. The wind effortlessly plucked her into the air.
All she could do was cling to a leaf she’d torn loose as she was whisked skyward.
The audience watched as Li Zhi wrapped her arms around the leaf’s stem, lying flat on its surface, serenely riding the wind like a surfboard.
Comments erupted:
[???]
[…Leaf-surfing???]
[Case closed!!! Li Zhi is Thumbelina!!!]
[AHHHHH! SO CUTE!!!]
[~Riding on the leaf, flying so free~]**
[From this angle, the maze is freaking HUGE! Can’t even see the end!]
After who-knows-how-long, the wind finally died down, depositing Li Zhi and her leaf onto the ground. She’d been carried far from her original spot. Around the next corner sat another treasure chest.
The golden chest stood like a miniature Mount Everest.
Li Zhi hurried over. Up close, its scale was even more staggering—like a tiny explorer stumbling upon a giant’s hoard. After securing the balloon around her wrist, she began climbing the chest’s ornate grooves.
Though tiny, her strength remained. Scaling the chest was no harder than climbing a simple rock face. Soon, she reached the latched "Seal."
The latch she’d once flipped with a finger now served as a handhold. Perched on the lock’s protrusion, Li Zhi pondered whether to open it.
If a ghost popped out at this size, would it just… eat her in one bite? Then again, she might be too small for the ghost to notice.
After weighing the risks, she decided to go for it.
Missing a potential clue would be worse. Besides, the chest could also contain items or buffs—making the ghost odds just one in four. To be safe, she pulled out a Teleport Talisman from her inventory, ready to bolt if needed.
Preparations complete, she climbed higher, tore off the "Seal," then hugged the latch from above and yanked.
Click—
The chest opened, its lid springing upward. Li Zhi ducked into a groove, hiding from whatever lurked inside. From this angle, she couldn’t see into the chest—but whatever was inside wouldn’t spot her either.
The chest shifted slightly, as though something inside was stirring.
Li Zhi held her breath. A soft, rhythmic sound reached her—human breathing.
Then the chest trembled. She gripped the edges to avoid falling. A shadow loomed overhead as a giant leg emerged from the chest, its foot hitting the ground with a gust that made her squint.
A second leg followed. The figure paused, seemingly scanning its surroundings. Li Zhi stayed hidden in the groove, studying the legs before her.
Black pants, visible fabric weave, white shoes—no slimy, ghostly residue. These looked like… human legs.
As she debated moving for a better look, the legs suddenly shifted.
The figure turned toward the chest, then bent at the knees, crouching down.
A handsome,放大 (magnified) face appeared before her.
From this angle and distance, his eyes were like deep, unfathomable pools, her tiny reflection crystal-clear in them.
Li Zhi froze.
After a long pause, his lips curved into a smile, those cold pools warming into crescent moons. A large, warm hand extended toward her, its palm lines like the veins of the earth. His voice was soft:
"Come up."
Li Zhi let go, stepping onto his fingertips before walking into his palm.
Li Jianxi gently closed his fingers, lips pressed together to suppress a smile as he slowly drew his hand back.
Still crouched, he gazed at the thumb-sized figure in his palm, his clear eyes brimming with barely contained amusement.
The angle was so absurd that Li Zhi couldn’t help saying, "You look like a giant."
Li Jianxi nearly laughed but held back, worried his exhale might blow her over. He moved his hand slightly farther away before asking, "How’d you get so small?"
Li Zhi sat cross-legged in his palm, propping her chin on her hand with a sigh. "Fell for a trap. Why were you in the chest?"
Li Jianxi blinked, his lashes stirring a tiny breeze against her face like a forest wind.
"I changed jobs," he said, smiling.