Chapter 127: The Haunted Amusement Park
With Li Zhi having summoned Li Jianxi, her situation was now stable.
But the other three teammates weren’t so lucky. There was only one Li Jianxi, but the maze was teeming with ghosts and prank props.
Chi Yi turned back in horror at the five ghosts chasing her. The one in the lead, a big-headed ghost, cradled its enormous skull in its hands, cackling maniacally as it sprinted after her, sending Chi Yi into a frantic sprint.
Behind it were a fire-spitting torch-mouth ghost, a long-tongued hanged ghost, a foul-smelling toilet ghost, and a lecherous ghost drooling as it ogled Chi Yi.
Chi Yi: "…………"
AHHHHHHH WHY DID I OPEN FIVE TREASURE CHESTS IN A ROW AND ONLY GET GHOSTS?!
At first, she had items to deal with them, but the more she opened, the more ghosts appeared. With five now on her tail, Chi Yi had no choice but to run for her life. Rounding a corner, she spotted another golden treasure chest at the end of the path.
Damn it, can my luck really be this bad?!
After opening five ghosts in a row, surely the next one had to be something good, right? If she could just get a ghost-repelling item, she could deal with this nightmare once and for all.
Gritting her teeth, Chi Yi sprinted to the chest and flung it open before the ghosts could catch up.
A plume of black smoke erupted, revealing a ferocious, green-faced ghost with fangs. As if worried players wouldn’t recognize it, the ghost had even hung a sign around its neck that read: "Poverty Ghost."
Chi Yi: "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH—"
GET LOST, POVERTY GHOST!!!
Now with six ghosts chasing her, Chi Yi was on the verge of despair—but worse was yet to come.
She had run into a dead end.
No path forward, and the six ghosts were closing in behind her.
Viewers who had been laughing at her terrible luck earlier now fell silent. Would Chi Yi really die here? The maze had been so entertaining that they’d almost forgotten—this was a place where people could die.
The six ghosts were almost upon her. With no items left to fight them off, Chi Yi spun in place, panicking.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, her expression turned grimly determined. She threw herself straight into the plant wall beside her.
The moment her body touched the foliage, countless green vines shot out, wrapping around her and yanking her into the vegetation.
Chi Yi vanished from the maze.
The ghosts, now without a target, stood around in confusion.
Meanwhile, inside the plant wall, Chi Yi felt the vines tightening around her. While they hid her from the ghosts, they also began slithering into her ears, nose, and mouth.
Chi Yi had nightmares about things invading her body—ever since the Infant Tower dungeon, where she’d been violated by wet, slimy hair.
Outside, the ghosts, unable to find her, eventually gave up and wandered away.
Once all six were gone, Chi Yi struggled free. The vines that had wormed into her ears snapped easily as she yanked them out, collapsing onto the ground and frantically pulling the broken tendrils from her nose and ears.
Ten seconds.
The plants were nature’s gift to players, offering temporary refuge from ghosts. But players could only stay inside for ten seconds—any longer, and the vines would burrow deeper, turning them into plant fertilizer.
Gasping for air, Chi Yi looked up—and suddenly spotted the balloon floating in the sky.
It’s ZhiZhi!!!
The balloon had disappeared shortly after entering the maze, worrying her. But now it was back—and so close! Afraid shouting would draw the ghosts, Chi Yi suppressed her excitement and began moving toward the balloon.
But the maze was a labyrinth. The balloon seemed near, yet finding the right path was impossible. After several wrong turns, Chi Yi only seemed to get farther away, leaving her frantic.
Just as she was about to lose hope, a voice called down from above:
"Chi Yi! YiYi!"
She looked up to see a floating head hovering even higher than the balloon. Its neck stretched absurdly long, like a giraffe’s, as the head swooped down toward her.
Chi Yi screamed bloody murder.
The head panicked: "Don’t scream! It’s me! Ou Wendong!"
Chi Yi clutched her own head: "I KNOW!!! BUT WHY ARE YOU A MONSTER NOW?!!"
The head paused mid-air: "I got a buff from a treasure chest! It lets me temporarily gain a ghost’s ability—this is the Flying Head Ghost skill! You know, the one where the neck stretches and the head detaches? Remember?"
Chi Yi stared at the floating head, dumbfounded. Then, indignation set in:
"WHY DO YOU GET A BUFF WHILE I ONLY GET GHOSTS?! IS THE SYSTEM TARGETING ME?!"
Ou Wendong gloated: "I’ve always been lucky! Blame my surname—Ou (欧) sounds like luck (欧气)!"
Chi Yi shoved his head away in disgust: "Get your creepy head out of here!"
Ou Wendong pouted: "I searched forever to find you! This buff only lasts ten minutes—it’s almost gone!"
Chi Yi’s eyes lit up: "Then go find ZhiZhi! See that balloon? Tell her to come to me! I’ll wait here—hurry!"
Ou Wendong nodded, but as he lifted his head, the balloon was already zooming toward them. Soon, Li Zhi’s voice rang out:
"YiYi? Is that you?"
Chi Yi jumped in excitement: "It’s me! ZhiZhi! I’m here!"
Hearing her, Li Zhi sighed in relief.
She’d rushed over after hearing Chi Yi’s scream, but the maze’s winding paths made it hard to navigate. Even though they were close in a straight line, reaching her would take time.
Before Li Zhi could speak, Ou Wendong’s head bobbed excitedly in the air:
"Boss! I’m here too!"
Then, spotting Li Jianxi, he recoiled: "Wh—why is the NPC in the maze?!"
Li Zhi: "…………"
She gave him a deadpan look. "Flying Head Ghost skill?"
Ou Wendong nodded eagerly: "Yep yep!"
Li Zhi asked, "Did you find the exit?"
Ou Wendong: "Yeah! It’s east! But the maze is huge—I didn’t dare fly too far in case my head couldn’t retract in time. I only confirmed it’s east!"
Li Zhi nodded: "Fly up and check the paths around us. Is there a way to YiYi?"
Ou Wendong obliged, then groaned: "Nope! Your path leads the other way—wait, let me see—"
Suddenly, he shrieked: "NO! MY TIME’S UP! I GOTTA SHRINK BACK—AAAAAH—"
Like a deflating balloon, his head whooshed away into the distance.
Li Zhi: "..."
Chi Yi whimpered: "What do we do, ZhiZhi?"
Li Zhi reassured her: "Stay put. I’ll figure something out."
Treasure chests could grant ghost skills. She’d passed three on her way here but hadn’t opened them, worried about Chi Yi. If she could get a useful buff or item, they might have a chance.
Just as she was about to tell Chi Yi she’d go back for them, Li Jianxi spoke softly:
"I have a way."
Li Zhi turned, surprised: "What way?"
Li Jianxi reached into his pocket, digging around.
Every time he rummaged like this, Li Zhi was reminded of Doraemon pulling gadgets from his fourth-dimensional pouch.
When he finally found what he was looking for and looked up, he saw Li Zhi smiling at him. Her eyes, always bright, crinkled with quiet amusement.
She often looked at him like that.
Li Jianxi pressed his lips together and handed her the item:
"Spatial Tunnel. Creates a temporary passage through obstacles."
Li Zhi examined the sticky, rubber-ball-like object in awe: "This is amazing." Then, casually curious: "Why do you have so many items on you?"
Li Jianxi paused, then shook his head blankly: "I don’t know. They’ve always been with me."
Li Zhi raised a brow but didn’t press further. Stepping back, she threw the ball at the plant wall as instructed.
A flash of white light later, a glowing tunnel appeared in the thick foliage. Li Zhi ducked inside, Li Jianxi right behind her.
Inside, the plant wall’s interior was a tangled mass of serpentine vines. Sensing intruders, countless tendrils lashed out, trying to drag them in—but the transparent tunnel walls held firm.
Frustrated, the vines coiled around the tunnel, weaving a dense web of roots. The walls groaned under the pressure, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface.
Li Zhi sped up. The moment they stepped out, the tunnel shattered behind them, instantly clogged by the writhing vegetation.
The Spatial Tunnel was supposed to last a minute, but the plants were too aggressive. Under their assault, it had barely held for ten seconds.
Seeing Li Zhi emerge, Chi Yi lunged into a hug, immediately whining:
"ZhiZhi, I opened six ghosts! SIX!" She pointed accusingly at Li Jianxi: "But why is he here?!"
Li Zhi blinked: "I opened him from a chest."
Chi Yi: "???"
Her outrage peaked: "WHY DO YOU ALL GET GOOD STUFF WHILE I ONLY GET GHOSTS?!"
Li Zhi patted her head sympathetically: "Leave luck-based tasks to your teammates from now on."
Chi Yi: "…………"
DAMN IT!!! SHE WAS THE UNLUCKY ONE ALL ALONG!!!