Chapter 99: Ghost Amusement Park
The roller coaster’s three-round challenge was finally over, and they had obtained all three clues.
The first clue was "it likes to find substitutes," the second was "great joy and great sorrow," and the third was a character of double happiness, 囍.
As soon as they finished reading the clues, the three cards in Li Zhi’s hand turned to ash. Clearly, the system didn’t want players to exchange clue cards directly. As for exchanging verbal clues, whether others would believe them or not was another matter.
The players weren’t professionals, and with so many types of ghosts in folklore, even having the clues wouldn’t necessarily help them immediately identify which ghost was being hinted at. Since the system gave them such a question, it wouldn’t expect them to guess completely blind.
Li Zhi analyzed, “The Verification Area should have descriptions of all the ghosts. Their descriptions are likely related to these clues. But judging by how the system usually works, these clues won’t lead us directly to the correct answer. There’ll still be misleading options.”
After a moment’s thought, she nodded decisively, “I’ll go in first when the time comes. After I pick the answer, I’ll come out and tell you all.”
Their teammates trusted her competence and character, nodding in agreement.
If it were someone with a bad reputation, even if they came out and told the team the answer, no one would dare to trust them.
Finally saying goodbye to the roller coaster, Owen Dong felt a renewed sense of confidence. He also knew his performance earlier had been terrible, and the audience was probably very dissatisfied. Desperate to prove himself, he quickly said, “Let’s go try the Ferris wheel next!”
The most eye-catching ride in the park was indeed the Ferris wheel, gleaming in the night sky, visible from almost every angle in the park.
No one knew when the red lights would turn on, signaling danger, but everyone agreed and headed toward the Ferris wheel. The amusement park’s layout wasn’t complicated. There was a clear, straightforward path for visitors, illuminated with eerie green and red lights, allowing players to pass through every attraction along the way.
Besides the nine major rides, the entire park was filled with immersive horror scenes. Just in the hundred or so meters they’d walked, they had already passed a small ghost being fried alive in a bubbling oil pot, Black and White Impermanence shackling spirits with chains, and Meng Po holding a bowl, inviting players to taste her brewed soup. Truly, it was one terrifying spectacle after another.
Chi Yi muttered, “I can’t even imagine—if there were a real amusement park like this outside, business would be booming.”
You Jingmeng nodded in agreement.
The scenes were disturbingly realistic. It didn’t just feel haunted—it felt like the underworld itself had been transported here.
Crossing the “Bridge of Helplessness,” they came to a road lined with coffins, guarded by motionless zombies with yellow talismans stuck to their foreheads. Thick white fog drifted by, carrying gusts of cold wind. The talismans on the zombies fluttered slightly, making it feel as though they might peel off at any moment.
No one could tell if those zombies were real or just NPCs. But if one of those talismans fell, breaking the seal, they’d be in serious trouble. They all hurried their pace, quickly passing through.
Fortunately, no zombies gave chase. After turning a corner, the road opened up into a wider area. On the left side, red lanterns with the 囍 character hung, while the right side had white lanterns with the character for mourning, 丧.
Red on the left, white on the right—the stark contrast between wedding joy and funeral sorrow was suffocating, not only for the players walking through it but even for the spectators watching through their screens.
Chi Yi’s legs gave out, “Zhi Zhi! Help! I can’t take this anymore!”
Anyone would get goosebumps walking through a scene like this. The five of them huddled close together, slowly advancing along the red-and-white lantern-lit road. Soon, they began to hear the sounds of a bustling crowd. As their view widened, they found themselves passing by two open courtyards.
On the left, where the red lanterns hung, was clearly a wedding banquet. Over a dozen red tables were set out, red silk draped overhead, and the doors and windows were plastered with the 囍 character. Guests filled the banquet, and a couple dressed in festive wedding attire moved among them, offering toasts in a scene of joyful celebration.
On the right, where the white lanterns hung, a funeral was taking place. A mourning hall was set up on the front lawn, surrounded by wreaths, with a black coffin in the center. Guests sat in silence, eating in somber quiet. People in mourning clothes knelt before the coffin, wailing loudly to the sharp, piercing sounds of funeral horns.
Chi Yi took one glance before tightly shutting her eyes and clinging to Li Zhi like a serene blind person.
They had only taken a few steps when Li Zhi suddenly stopped. On one side was cheerful celebration; on the other, bitter weeping and harsh music. Chi Yi felt like she was going to pass out, urging, “Let’s go, Zhi Zhi!”
But Li Zhi pointed ahead, “Look.”
Look at what?
Chi Yi couldn’t help but open her eyes and followed the direction of Li Zhi’s pointing finger.
Among the joyful wedding crowd on the left sat a figure dressed in white mourning clothes, their expression full of grief. Among the mourning crowd on the right sat another figure dressed in red, their face filled with cheer. To call them people wasn’t quite right—they were clearly ghosts.
The scene was unsettling in the extreme. Chi Yi felt her scalp go numb, just as Qi Yongyi’s excited voice rang out, “That matches the clues about great joy, great sorrow, and the 囍 character! They might be the answer!”
Li Zhi nodded, “We’ll watch for these two ghosts in the Verification Area.”
After passing through the red-and-white corridor of misfortune, the Ferris wheel finally came into view up ahead. Owen Dong quickened his pace, visibly excited. But as they neared, a bone-chilling scream echoed from above.
Everyone froze and looked up just in time to see a passenger cabin breaking free from the slowly turning Ferris wheel. It plummeted straight down from the sky. Someone was inside. The screams fell with them until the cabin struck the nearby lake with a thunderous splash.
Li Zhi dashed toward the lake, but the cabin quickly sank beneath the surface. Except for the rippling waves, nothing else remained.
Owen Dong’s once-excited expression froze. He stood stiff, limbs cold. “Was that... one of ours?”
You Jingmeng, still shaken from their earlier near-death experience on the roller coaster, murmured through trembling teeth, “Probably…”
Owen Dong’s face turned pale.
How could he have been so naive? Why did he think the Ferris wheel would be any safer than the roller coaster? In this death trap of a theme park, none of the rides were safe.
Li Zhi stood at the lake’s edge for a while, but no one surfaced. Clearly, whoever was inside couldn’t be saved. She turned back. As she did, she heard Chi Yi asking Owen Dong, “You still want to ride?”
Owen Dong’s lips moved, but he couldn’t form a reply.
Just then, the entire amusement park lit up with a chilling red glow, casting their faces in a bloody light. Li Zhi walked over, “Let’s go vote for the ghost first.”
Owen Dong let out a subtle breath of relief. Yes, vote first. Deal with the Ferris wheel later.
They made their way to the Verification Area. With the red lights flashing, all the terrifying NPCs hiding throughout the park vanished, leaving behind only the glowing path leading to the entrance. By the time they arrived, other players were returning as well.
Li Zhi counted—fifteen people.
Of the four who had left earlier with Pei Hongyu, two were missing. Those must have been the ones who fell from the Ferris wheel. Including Zheng Qi, that made three teammates lost in the first round alone.
Since everyone had experienced different rides, the clues they’d gathered varied, too. They exchanged silent glances, full of suspicion, but none spoke up first to suggest exchanging information.
Even if someone did speak up—could they trust it?
The Verification Area’s red lights turned green, and the massive black gates, resembling cemetery doors, slowly opened. From within came the mechanical voice of the system: “First round ghost voting begins. Players, please enter one by one.”
Pei Hongyu confidently stepped in first.
Once he disappeared through the doors, they closed behind him. After about a minute, they reopened, and Pei Hongyu emerged, whispering something to Tang Nanshan before she stepped in next.
His group had clearly formed their own alliance, unwilling to share anything with outsiders. They voted in silence and walked away together.
Once they finished, Li Zhi nodded to her teammates and stepped through the open doors.
Inside was a narrow hallway, barely twenty meters long, leading her to the main chamber.
As she expected, an entire wall displayed images of ghosts, complete with names and brief descriptions. Beneath each picture was a small red button for voting.
But the ever-treacherous Ghost System didn’t plan on giving them much time. The moment Li Zhi entered, a countdown began on the right-hand wall.
59—
58—
They only had sixty seconds to match their clues with the right ghost.
If the clues pointed to an unfamiliar ghost, even having three hints might not be enough time to find it.
Scanning rapidly across the wall, Li Zhi quickly locked onto two particular ghosts. One, dressed in mourning clothes and seated at a wedding banquet, was called the “Funeral Ghost.” The other, dressed in red and seated at a funeral, was the “Wedding Ghost.”
Below were their descriptions: the Funeral Ghost had died at a wedding banquet, appearing at such events to find a replacement. Anyone who made eye contact with it would die. The Wedding Ghost, meanwhile, had died at a funeral and appeared at funerals seeking substitutes.
Likes to find substitutes, great joy and sorrow, double happiness—all three clues matched.
The problem was, both of these ghosts fit the clues perfectly. The countdown was already at ten seconds. After a brief moment of thought, Li Zhi pressed one of the buttons.
As the timer hit zero, she took a last glance over the ghost wall. She couldn’t help but think of Tan Manyu’s photographic memory. If Tan were here, she could probably memorize every single ghost in sixty seconds.
The system’s cold voice interrupted her: “Voting complete. Please exit the chamber.”
Li Zhi turned and left. As soon as she stepped outside, Chi Yi rushed up, “How did it go?”
“Funeral Ghost,” Li Zhi answered.
Chi Yi didn’t hesitate. Without a word, she entered next.
The others gathered around. Li Zhi briefly explained, “There’s a wall of ghosts with descriptions. Only one minute to choose.”
Owen Dong hesitated, “The Wedding Ghost has the 囍 character in its name. Isn’t that a better match?”
Li Zhi countered, “The Funeral Ghost died at a wedding banquet—that matches 囍 more closely.” She glanced at him. “That’s my reasoning. If you don’t believe me, vote for the Wedding Ghost.”
Owen Dong laughed awkwardly, “Of course I trust you. I’ll vote for the Funeral Ghost.”
Just then, two players from another group cautiously approached, one of them asking quietly, “Li Zhi, can we exchange clues?”
Li Zhi smiled slightly, “Of course.”
Compared to the aloof Pei Hongyu, Li Zhi’s openness was much more reassuring. The two visibly relaxed, and one said, “We were on the carousel ride. The first clue we got was: travel in pairs.”
Li Zhi nodded, “We did the roller coaster. First clue: likes to find substitutes.”
The exchange continued, strategies clashed, and the lines between trust and suspicion blurred—but that didn’t stop them from voting, or from continuing their perilous journey through the deadly Ghost Amusement Park.