Chapter 95: Ghost Amusement Park
As players heard the announcement for this round’s mission, several of them looked at their tickets with panic dawning on their faces.
“We have to find all nine ghosts to clear the level?”
“It means our votes won’t be revealed each round—how will we know if we voted right or wrong until the very end?”
“We have to vote correctly nine times in a row just to clear it? How is that even possible?! How did this round become so hard?! We’re doomed…”
“I’m definitely going to die riding those rides! I don’t even dare ride roller coasters in real life! What do I dooooo—”
Even before the副本 officially started, anxiety had already begun spreading through the crowd. He Yuan, the sycophant by Pei Hongyu’s side, snapped impatiently, “Enough! Stop whining! With Brother Yu here, do you really think any of you will die?!”
Right! This time there were two top-tier players!
The system didn’t say anything about not being able to share clues. As long as they followed the top players’ choices every round, they should be fine, right? If even the top players made mistakes, then dying in this副本was just fate.
Realizing this, the others perked up slightly and turned hopeful eyes toward Li Zhi and Pei Hongyu.
Pei Hongyu ignored them. After scanning the area, he strode toward the unlit checkpoint at the center of the square ahead. The certification booth was shaped like a tomb, completely dark inside with no windows, only a sealed black door.
Pei Hongyu pushed it, but the tomb-like entrance wouldn’t budge—it would only open during verification.
Tang Nanshan approached as well. “Twelve hours, nine amusement rides. Each round of voting should be spaced between one to one and a half hours apart. Let’s try one of the rides first—we’ll probably discover more rules along the way.”
Pei Hongyu didn’t respond, only nodded.
Tang Nanshan whispered, “To get MVP in this副本, I think it’ll depend on how many ghosts each player identifies.”
That meant time was tight. They needed to gather more clues than Li Zhi.
She had subtly hinted this to Ah Yu earlier, but Ah Yu clearly didn’t take Li Zhi seriously. Though he always carried himself arrogantly, she dared not underestimate Li Zhi. She had watched all of Li Zhi’s previous副本s—she was an extremely strong competitor.
Pei Hongyu understood her meaning. He smirked slightly. “Let’s go.”
Tang Nanshan called out to He Yuan, who ran over quickly. The three of them headed toward the red-lit path shrouded in mist to their right. A few players hesitated behind them, then four followed cautiously. After walking a bit and realizing the trio didn’t drive them away, they relaxed and quickened their pace.
Li Zhi tucked her ticket away and said to Chi Yi, “Let’s go too.”
Qi Yongyi stepped in front of her, flashing a bright smile that showed off his white teeth. “Big shot, can I team up with you? I’ve been watching your live stream for ages.”
Li Zhi smiled. “Sure.”
A petite girl nearby quickly joined in. “Big shot Li, me me me! I want to team up too! I love you so much!”
Li Zhi welcomed everyone warmly. “Alright.”
The girl beamed with delight. “Big sister Li, my name is You Jingmeng. Just call me Xiaomeng!”
Li Zhi nodded with a smile, then turned to the remaining players still lingering behind. She asked gently, “Anyone else who wants to join us?”
They exchanged glances. Two men stepped forward—one named Zheng Qi, the other Ou Wendong. Neither name rang a bell with Li Zhi and Chi Yi; they must have been players who entered the副本after [Ghost] went global with live streaming.
Now six in total, the group remained five players behind, including the couple Tian Cheng and Chen Tianran. Chen Tianran smiled faintly at his remaining teammates. “How about we explore together for now?”
They all nodded.
Teaming up with a top-tier player had its pros and cons. The upside was survival odds increased; the downside was popularity points mostly went to the top player.
Take Tang Nanshan, Pei Hongyu’s partner. Her skills weren’t weak, yet she hadn’t even cracked the Top 100 in overall popularity rankings. That was because whenever she played with Pei Hongyu, all the spotlight went to him. Her efforts were overshadowed.
But as Pei Hongyu’s regular teammate, wherever Pei got meat, she got broth. Even if her popularity stayed low, Pei’s fans would naturally keep her safe from elimination.
It was different for smaller players—they risked elimination unless they stood out. Once the top players stole the spotlight, even surviving the副本might not save them.
Zheng Qi and Ou Wendong had only joined Li Zhi’s group to learn the rules in the first round, planning to split off afterward.
Pei Hongyu’s group went right. Li Zhi chose left.
The park seemed huge, no different from real-world amusement parks. When the countdown ended, NPCs emerged from the darkness.
Some wore mascot costumes waving cheerfully, some held colorful balloons, while others juggled oranges atop unicycles. If not for being in a副本, this place might actually seem fun.
Once they left the entrance plaza, the cheerful atmosphere vanished. Trees lining the paths were decorated for the Ghost Festival, draped in eerie props. Mist rolled thickly across the ground, green and red lights casting ghostly shadows. The entire park felt unnervingly haunted.
Chi Yi edged closer to Li Zhi, trembling slightly as she hugged her arm. “This vibe is seriously scary!”
Li Zhi glanced sideways at her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to show me your growth?”
Chi Yi retorted proudly, “My abilities improved, but my胆子 is still small! There’s no contradiction!”
Qi Yongyi couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Chi Yi glared at him furiously. “What are you laughing at?!”
You Jingmeng chimed in nervously. “I once went to a real amusement park during Halloween. It was exactly like this, and sometimes costumed ghosts would pop out suddenly from corners to scare people… Oh my god!!!”
Before she could finish speaking, a figure in white clothes and long black hair burst from behind a tree covered in white veils. Its hair hung down past its feet, face hidden, arms dangling limply as it lunged straight at You Jingmeng.
You Jingmeng screamed and ducked behind Li Zhi instantly.
The ghost cackled eerily, then retreated into the tree’s shadow, waiting for the next victim.
You Jingmeng nearly cried. “Is that an NPC or a real ghost?!”
Li Zhi shook her head. “Don’t know.”
During the Ghost Festival, the gates of hell opened wide, letting spirits roam freely. Among the costumed NPCs, real ghosts lurked. Without clues, no one could tell the difference.
Ou Wendong asked, “Which ride should we try first?”
Li Zhi listened to the clattering sound ahead. “How about the roller coaster?”
Ou Wen dong hesitated. “Starting with something that intense—won’t it be dangerous?”
Zheng Qi agreed. “We came to an amusement park—how can we skip the roller coaster? The more thrilling the ride, the clearer the clue probably is. We’ll play it eventually anyway.”
Better to go with the big shot now than wander around alone later.
After he spoke, Ou Wen dong didn’t object further. Others had no objections either. The group walked toward the roller coaster, encountering more sudden "ghosts" jumping out along the way—no one knew if they were real or NPCs.
Li Zhi carefully noted every ghost they encountered.
Soon, the six reached the roller coaster entry checkpoint.
Standing there was a blue-uniformed staff member. His expression looked identical to the entrance gatekeeper—fixed smile, same eye angle.
“Welcome to Dragon Sky Thrill Coaster,” he greeted. “Minimum riders required: four. Please show your tickets and line up.”
There was even a minimum rider requirement. Fewer than four, and the ride wouldn’t start.
With six people, Li Zhi turned back. “Four can ride. Everyone go on, or leave two behind?”
Chi Yi thought for a moment and asked the worker, “If only four ride, do we get one clue total, or does everyone get one?”
The blue-uniformed worker smiled. “All attractions in this park are one-play-only.”
So regardless of how many rode, one playthrough yielded only one clue.
Li Zhi recalled the system’s earlier announcement—each attraction could provide up to three clues, but replaying the same ride increased danger levels. Meaning, they could ride the roller coaster thrice maximum, but each time the danger would escalate.
This副本’ death conditions were likely hidden within these rides. Death conditions varied per round, and the second round would be more dangerous than the first.
But if Round One had her, Chi Yi, Qi Yongyi, and You Jingmeng, and Round Two had her, Chi Yi, Zheng Qi, and Ou Wen dong, with different players each time, how would danger levels be calculated?
Hearing her question, the blue-uniformed worker’s smile stiffened slightly. He answered unhappily, “If any returning player joins Round Two, it counts as a second playthrough.”
Well, looks like that loophole wasn’t happening.
Understanding the rule, Li Zhi explained to the group. “Minimum four riders, one clue per ride. If any returning player joins Round Two, danger increases. Since we only have six, unless two more join us, experiencing all three rounds means facing escalating danger.”
Ou Wen dong hesitated again. “Maybe we should wait for others? If Rounds One and Two have different players, we only face Round One danger and get two clues.”
Chi Yi disagreed. “The park’s huge—who knows where others are? What if we only have one clue by the time the first vote comes, and we vote wrong?”
“And even if players differ, it doesn’t mean clues will differ,” Qi Yongyi added. “Clues might be random. If both groups get the same clue first, we still need to play Round Two for new ones.”
Li Zhi said, “Let’s try one round. Ride all six, or leave two behind?”
With so many viewers watching, staying behind meant missing chances to gain popularity.
Everyone decided to ride.
Six lined up. Li Zhi led, handing her ticket. The worker stamped a tiny roller coaster symbol on the back using a small stamp.
After stamping, they swiped in. As the six entered, a roller coaster slowly pulled onto the tracks beyond the wooden platform.
Ten rows of seats, two per row. As the six approached, gates blocked all except Rows 2, 4, and 6.
Chi Yi and Li Zhi took Row 2. Qi Yongyi and You Jingmeng sat in Row 4. Ou Wen dong and Zheng Qi in Row 6.
Safety bars automatically locked down. Everyone tensed slightly. Other seats remained empty. Chi Yi rubbed her arms, whispering to Li Zhi beside her, “Do you feel cold too?”
It had gotten eerily chilly since boarding.
A ding interrupted her. From the station speaker came the smiling voice: “Dragon Sky Thrill Coaster departing soon. Wishing you a pleasant journey. Please enjoy the scenery along the way.”
The roller coaster jolted forward with a clatter.
From the moment they entered, Li Zhi had been searching for hints—but found nothing.
The system wouldn’t give zero hints.
Only now did the broadcast sentence click in her mind: Please enjoy the scenery along the way.
Enjoy the scenery.
The roller coaster exited the station, clattering upward on the track.
“Don’t close your eyes!” Li Zhi turned around, shouting urgently to her four companions behind. “The death condition is closing your eyes!”