Chapter 94: Ghostland Amusement Park
The amusement park glittered with dazzling lights under the night sky—a setting that was usually perfect for proposals or confessions.
But right now, this silent, light-filled park exuded an eerie atmosphere, like an innocent child flashing a malicious, twisted smile. The dissonance sent chills down the spine.
The entrance was a hundred meters ahead, marked by seven passageways. Six of them bore red X’s overhead, while only the middle one glowed green, indicating an open path. A blue-uniformed NPC stood by the turnstile, presumably the ticket checker.
Li Zhi stood in the plaza before the entrance, where a fountain stood at the center, surrounded by large mascot statues. Beyond that, only thick, unbroken black mist loomed.
Players began emerging one by one across the plaza. Chi Yi popped out from behind a giant black cat mascot, scanned the crowd, and ran over happily when she spotted Li Zhi.
Each player had been teleported to a different location—some even appeared right next to the turnstile, looking around in confusion. The only common factor was that no one had been dropped inside the park.
By this stage, most were seasoned players. Even the newcomers had watched countless livestreams, so there was no panic. After a quick survey of their surroundings and confirming the instance’s theme, they all headed toward the entrance.
Chi Yi walked beside Li Zhi, her initial excitement fading into a grave expression as she whispered, "Zhi-zhi, there are so many people this time."
Li Zhi nodded. "Yeah, the most I’ve ever seen in a single instance."
More players meant higher difficulty—a universally acknowledged truth. The others seemed to realize this too, their faces growing serious as they approached the turnstile.
Li Zhi counted—eighteen players in total.
As they sized each other up, someone exclaimed in shock, "Damn!! There’s Pei Hongyu and Li Zhi?! What kind of instance is this that it pulled in two top-50 players by total popularity?!"
With so many people, familiar and unfamiliar faces filled the plaza. Li Zhi hadn’t immediately recognized anyone at first.
Hearing Pei Hongyu’s name, she followed everyone’s gaze and spotted the aloof, uniquely charismatic man standing among the crowd.
Breaking into the top 100 of the total popularity rankings was already impressive, but the higher the rank, the more dazzling the player. Li Zhi herself had been ranked 36th after her last clearance, but continuous runs by others had pushed her down to 39th before this instance.
Pei Hongyu, however, was ranked 19th—solidly in the top 20.
After all, only a handful of domestic players made it onto the global leaderboard, and everyone knew his name. Pei Hongyu was the type of high-tier player who frequently ran instances for points, favoring risky, adrenaline-pumping strategies that rapidly boosted his popularity.
Clearly, he was the most famous player in this group, and by unspoken rules, the others would likely follow his lead.
But Pei Hongyu showed no interest in taking charge. He coldly surveyed his surroundings, ignoring the murmurs around him. Players like him were often arrogant, looking down on amateurs and refusing to babysit them.
Standing beside him, a shorter man spoke with bravado, "Everyone, quiet down. Let’s wait five more minutes—if no more players show up, we’ll head in."
The crowd fell silent, though not out of respect for him, but because of Pei Hongyu’s presence.
Chi Yi, well-versed in player dynamics, leaned toward Li Zhi’s ear while they talked. "That guy’s He Yuan, Pei Hongyu’s lackey. And the short-haired girl next to them is Tang Nanshan—they often team up with Pei Hongyu. The three of them probably came in together."
Li Zhi had already noticed Tang Nanshan—the short-haired, leather-jacketed woman with a sharp, capable aura, currently whispering something to Pei Hongyu.
The next moment, Pei Hongyu looked up, their eyes meeting across the crowd. Li Zhi gave a polite nod and smile, but Pei Hongyu didn’t react, coldly turning away.
A mere glance was all someone like Tang Nanshan warranted.
Chi Yi bristled at the slight. "What’s his problem?! Who does he think he is?!"
Li Zhi shrugged, withdrawing her gaze. "Jia Ou Cheng is here too."
"Jia Ou Cheng?" Chi Yi blinked before realization struck. "Du Jia and Chen Tianran are here too? This instance is way too dangerous for this many top players!"
Over there, Du Jia and Chen Tianran stood together. He had come in hoping to team up with Chi Yi and Li Zhi, but the sheer number of players—and the presence of Pei Hongyu, whose popularity surpassed even Li Zhi’s—left him uneasy. His bravado wilted.
Chen Tianran sneered inwardly but kept her tone light. "Too many players, this instance is risky. We should cooperate with everyone."
Du Jia nodded in understanding.
What was dangerous for players was thrilling for viewers. The arriving audience, seeing this star-studded lineup, erupted in excitement:
【Jia Ou Cheng!! A Butterfly!! Yu Xiao Lanshan!! Three top-tier CPs!! This is an insane lineup!!】
【Li Zhi and Pei Hongyu in the same instance?! First time seeing two top-50 players together!!】
【Wait, Li Zhi’s been MVP since her rookie runs, right? Looks like her streak’s ending here.】
【You’re already judging Li Zhi’s performance before the instance even starts? Too early!!】
【Rankings don’t lie—one’s 19th, the other’s 39th. Pretty clear who’s better.】
【A full 20-rank gap—Li Zhi’s fans, stop denying it.】
【Big talk for someone who’s only 19th. Pei Hongyu’s the real deal!!】
【Why hasn’t Li Zhi run more instances? Afraid?】
【Pei Hongyu was born for this game!! Let’s go, crush everything!!】
【Oh please. Let’s see who ends up eating crow.】
【Pei Hongyu’s gear alone could carry some players. Low rank? Just admit defeat.】
【Enough!! Can’t we just enjoy the CPs?! Three top-tier pairs aren’t enough for you?!】
【Blasphemy!! Shan Jie’s stronger than Li Zhi—she just always runs with Pei Hongyu, so her popularity gets overshadowed. That’s why Li Zhi’s ranked higher.】
【Yu Xiao Lanshan is the GOAT!!! Best duo ever!!】
【Li Zhi’s the GOAT!! Say it three times!!】
...
After another five minutes with no new arrivals, the group was finalized at eighteen players.
Even Chi Yi didn’t recognize everyone. Qi Yongyi slipped through the crowd to Li Zhi’s side but didn’t speak, blending in like any other player.
Soon, the NPC at the turnstile announced over a loudspeaker, "Dear guests, please proceed inside."
The single green-lit passageway shimmered as players formed a line. Pei Hongyu led the way, the narrow corridor allowing only one person through at a time. The ticket checker handed him a pass. "Welcome to Ghostland Amusement Park. Enjoy your night."
Pei Hongyu swiped the ticket at the turnstile—beep—the gate opened, and he stepped inside.
One by one, the others followed, receiving their tickets and passing through.
When Li Zhi’s turn came, she examined the ticket in her hand.
It looked like any ordinary theme park pass—front printed with roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and other attractions, topped with "Ghostland Amusement Park," and "Hundred Ghosts Parade" below, along with a date:
July 15th.
The fifteenth day of the seventh month—Zhongyuan Festival, Ghost Month.
The back was different—no instructions or warnings, just nine empty boxes, like stamp-collection spaces.
Once all players were inside, the park’s speakers crackled to life with the system’s mechanical, eerie voice:
"All guests have entered. Initiating this instance’s plot."
A brief pause, then the announcement boomed across the park:
—Good evening, welcome to Ghostland Amusement Park. On Zhongyuan Festival, the gates of hell open, and we’ve prepared a fun-filled "Hundred Ghosts Parade" for you. NPCs dressed as ghosts will interact with you in delightful ways. But beware—real ghosts have infiltrated the park. Can you tell who’s human and who’s not? Gather clues and expose them!
The voice chuckled darkly:
—The park closes in twelve hours. When all the lights turn red, head to the verification booth to "vote" for a ghost. Each round, you can only accuse one. After nine rounds, the correct answers will be revealed. You may vote the same or different each time—abstaining counts as a wrong answer. Only players who identify all nine correctly will escape.
—The park has nine major attractions, each linked to one ghost. Each ride grants one clue about its ghost. Most attractions offer up to three clues, but beware—repeating a ride increases its danger.
—Players who complete all nine attractions will receive an extra hidden clue. Order doesn’t matter—choose your favorites. The countdown begins. Enjoy your night.
The system’s voice faded, replaced by a countdown like the end of the world:
Ten...
Nine...
Eight...
One!! Ding-dong——!!
In an instant, the park came alive. Carousel music, roller coaster rattles—all the rides stirred as if waking from slumber, inviting guests to join.
And these eighteen players were the only visitors.
Several mascot-costumed NPCs appeared on the plaza, shuffling toward the players with exaggerated waves. Their cheerful, oversized grins now looked only grotesquely sinister.