​​Chapter 132: The Haunted Amusement Park

​Pei Hongyu had heard the name "Li Zhi" many times before.

An unknown background actor who, during her first rookie dungeon, stood out among a group of A-list celebrities and top stars, capturing public attention with her calm demeanor and unshakable mentality. She even formed a CP with an NPC from the dungeon, skyrocketing to first place on the forum's popularity charts.

At the time, Pei Hongyu had scoffed. He found it laughable that Li Zhi would resort to pairing up with an NPC to boost her popularity.

After the dungeons began, all sorts of odd characters emerged. True high-level players were rare—most were opportunists who scraped by with accumulated items, barely squeezing into the top 100 of the popularity rankings.

In Pei Hongyu’s eyes back then, Li Zhi was one of those people.

No matter how much Tang Nanshan tried to convince him otherwise, he never took Li Zhi seriously. It wasn’t until the Drop Tower stage, where they were forced to cooperate, that Pei Hongyu finally witnessed Li Zhi’s abilities firsthand.

He prided himself on his strong mental fortitude, believing nothing in the dungeons could shake him. Yet, the illusion that trapped him had failed to ensnare Li Zhi.

Maybe it was because he’d been distracted worrying about Tang Nanshan. But Pei Hongyu wasn’t one to make excuses. He admitted his mental resilience was inferior to Li Zhi’s—though that was all he conceded. In dungeons, overall capability mattered most, and he still believed his comprehensive skills surpassed hers.

But then came the Haunted House stage.

He lost a teammate—one who had been with him since the very first livestream. He failed to save He Yuan.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi brought all her teammates out alive.

It was then that Pei Hongyu suddenly remembered another reputation Li Zhi had: She always treated life with reverence.

Not just her own, but her teammates’ as well. She sacrificed flashy, high-difficulty clears for stability, doing everything in her power to ensure everyone survived.

And she succeeded.

For the first time, a thought crossed his mind: If He Yuan had been with her, maybe he wouldn’t have died.

After stepping off the Ferris wheel, he overheard his teammates discussing their real-world identities. That was when he realized—Li Zhi must have sensed the presence of a traitor. She had been probing for information.

It was at that moment that Pei Hongyu finally placed Li Zhi on equal footing with himself.

But now, as he stared at the composed woman before him, he realized something else.

Dangling from her arm weren’t just eight plastic rings—they were eight lives. Among them were her friends, teammates who trusted her.

Could I do the same in her place?

Pei Hongyu didn’t know.

But he did know one thing: Li Zhi was stronger than him.

Their positions weren’t equal.

Li Zhi stood above him.

Nanshan had been right. Rankings didn’t equate to ability.

Li Zhi was more formidable than any high-level player he had ever encountered.

A strange sense of anticipation flickered in Pei Hongyu’s chest. Once this dungeon was cleared, her popularity would surely skyrocket into the top 20.

What kind of expressions would those arrogant bastards above me wear then?

The staff member in charge of escorting the eight teammates returned with a smile.

"Are you ready to begin?"

His tone brimmed with excitement, as if he couldn’t wait to witness the bloodshed.

"Land a ring on a red doll, and you’ll receive a clue for the corresponding row of balloons. A white doll grants no clues but extends the shooting time by one minute. Fail to land a ring, and you’ll have one minute to blindly shoot and pop a balloon."

Li Zhi glanced at Pei Hongyu, who gave a slight nod before asking the staff, "What happens if I don’t shoot within the minute or miss?"

The staff’s smile widened. "When the timer runs out, any unpopped balloons will explode automatically. BOOM—!" He dragged out the sound, eyes gleaming with malice. "Just like that."

Every round required a popped balloon—otherwise, a teammate’s head would burst instead.

"Are you ready?" he repeated cheerfully.

Under the relit lights, the balloon rack was a riot of colors, making it impossible to distinguish between ordinary balloons and those containing teammates’ heads.

Li Zhi examined the plastic rings in her hand, then suddenly asked, "No trial round?"

The staff blinked. "Huh?"

"Trials," Li Zhi said matter-of-factly. "Usually, ring-toss and balloon-shooting games offer trial rounds. Yours doesn’t? That’s pretty unprofessional. Is this a knockoff?"

The staff stiffened indignantly. "This is a perfectly legitimate ring-toss-and-balloon-shooting game!"

Li Zhi crossed her arms. "Then let us have a trial. No trial means it’s not legitimate."

Pei Hongyu: "…………"

Under Li Zhi’s unwavering stare, even the staff’s confidence seemed to waver. After a brief internal struggle—and to prove his game’s legitimacy—he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. One trial round."

Li Zhi smiled. "It won’t hit our teammates, right?"

The staff scowled and pressed a button on his remote. The balloon rack rattled as the display shifted. "No."

Li Zhi shot Pei Hongyu a "Your turn" look. He nodded, stepping forward to examine the toy gun on the table, adjusting its aim.

Unlike shooting-range firearms, carnival toy guns were notoriously inaccurate. Even expert marksmen could miss without proper calibration.

While Pei Hongyu adjusted the gun, Li Zhi studied the ring-toss setup.

Eight rows of plaster dolls, each with one red doll placed at varying positions. Each row corresponded to a line of balloons, with the farther rows being harder to hit.

Li Zhi first tossed a few rings at her feet, testing their weight, stiffness, and bounce. Once familiar, she stepped behind the white line and—using the trial round—made several practice throws before finally launching a ring toward the red doll in the farthest row.

Viewers held their breaths as the ring sailed through the air. The moment it landed, the chat exploded:

​​[SHE HIT IT!!!]​​
​​[EVEN THE FARTHEST ONE! This round’s in the bag!]​​
​​[T_T I knew Li Zhi would never let us down! With her, there are no surprises!]​​
​​[Ugh! Too bad it’s just a trial! Doesn’t count!]​​
​​[Judging by her technique, she’s definitely played this before.]​​

Li Zhi was experienced—thanks to a little sister who dragged her to amusement parks every week.

Over the years, she had thrown at least a thousand rings. As a child, if she missed, Li Shuang would cry, leaving Li Zhi helpless until she honed her skills just to keep her sister happy.

Many of the plush toys piled in Li Shuang’s room had been won by Li Zhi’s ring-toss prowess. Once, during a countryside visit, they even won a goose at a fair. That night, the family feasted on iron-pot stewed goose.

Plastic rings were the hardest to land. Their stiffness made them prone to bouncing on impact, requiring not just precision but perfect force.

Seeing the ring settle snugly around the distant red doll, Li Zhi called out, "I got it."

The staff gave her a look. "Trial round doesn’t count."

Li Zhi sighed. No cheating, then.

Meanwhile, Pei Hongyu finished calibrating the gun and popped a balloon. With the trial over, the real game began. The staff pressed his remote again, and with a clunk, the rack reset—now displaying the balloons hiding their teammates’ heads.

Li Zhi checked the wall clock. Thankfully, the ring-toss phase wasn’t timed. Gripping a ring, she steadied her breathing behind the white line.

Pei Hongyu watched nervously as Li Zhi closed her eyes, statue-still. He unconsciously held his breath, afraid even the slightest sound might disrupt her focus.

Five seconds later, Li Zhi’s eyes snapped open, sharp and steady. Her arm whipped forward, sending the ring flying toward the red doll in the third row.

Earlier throws had been for practice. The farthest row was too risky, the closest too easy. The third row was just right.

Pei Hongyu tracked the ring’s arc, heart pounding as it clinked perfectly around the red doll’s neck. He couldn’t help but fist-pump.

Li Zhi exhaled in relief.

The staff retrieved the doll, tapped it with a tiny hammer, and pulled a slip of paper from the fragments, handing it to Li Zhi with a smile.

The moment she took it, the wall clock lit up—a red digital timer counting down from 60.

Pei Hongyu noticed Li Zhi’s expression shift oddly.

Was the clue that complicated?

Unable to resist, he set down the gun and approached. When he saw the paper’s contents, his face paled.

"Only one of the eight balloons is telling the truth.

1: ‘The difference between the truthful balloon’s number and the teammate balloon’s number is odd.’
2: ‘The teammate is in Balloon 1.’
3: ‘The teammate is among the truthful balloons.’
4: ‘The teammate is in Balloon 5 or 7.’
5: ‘The teammate balloon’s number is odd.’
6: ‘The teammate is not in Balloons 1-4.’
7: ‘The teammate is in Balloon 4 or 8.’
8: ‘The teammate is in Balloon 3, 4, or 5.’"

Pei Hongyu: "…………"

Pei Hongyu: "!!!???"

He was stunned. Viewers shared his despair.

Pei Hongyu wore the most horrified expression of his dungeon career. He opened his mouth to call for Li Zhi, but seeing her already deep in thought, he swallowed his words.

The timer ticked mercilessly. Beside him, Li Zhi seemed entranced, motionless.

30—

20—

Finally, the countdown hit single digits.

Expression grim, Pei Hongyu strode back to the balloon rack and lifted the gun, aiming at the third row. If Li Zhi didn’t answer in the next few seconds, he’d have to shoot blindly—and risk killing a teammate.

His hands trembled slightly.

7—

6—

"The teammate is in Balloon 2! Avoid 2!"

Li Zhi’s voice rang out. Pei Hongyu jolted, swiftly adjusting his aim—but at the last second, hesitation struck.

Could she really have solved such a complex puzzle in so little time? Was the teammate truly in Balloon 2? What if she was wrong?

4—

3—

"SHOOT!" Li Zhi barked. "Pei Hongyu! SHOOT! Trust me!"

1—

BANG!

Pei Hongyu pulled the trigger, hitting Balloon 8 at the far edge.

Ding-ding-ding! The timer ended. The staff smiled toward the rack’s exit. "Let’s see… did you hit your teammate?"

Pei Hongyu’s entire body was rigid.

A moment later, You Jingmeng stumbled out, trembling. "I-I’m okay… I was Balloon 2…"

Pei Hongyu exhaled heavily.

He turned to Li Zhi, this time with undisguised awe. After a pause, he couldn’t help but ask, "How did you solve it?"

Li Zhi first comforted the shaken You Jingmeng before explaining:

"The premise is that only one balloon is truthful. So we work backward.

Assume Balloon 2 is truthful: then the teammate is in Balloon 1, making Balloon 1 also truthful. But two truths violate the one-truth rule, so Balloon 2 is lying.

Same logic:

If Balloon 3 is truthful, then the teammate is in Balloon 3, making Balloons 5 and 8 also truthful. Three truths violate the rule, so Balloon 3 lies.

If Balloon 4 is truthful, the teammate is in Balloon 5 or 7, making Balloon 1 also truthful. Contradiction, so Balloon 4 lies.

If Balloon 5 is truthful, the teammate is in an odd-numbered balloon (1, 3, 5, 7).

• If in 1: Balloon 2 becomes truthful.
• If in 3 or 5: Balloon 8 becomes truthful.
• If in 7: Balloon 4 becomes truthful.

All violate the one-truth rule, so Balloon 5 lies."

She paused, meeting Pei Hongyu’s dazed gaze. "Should I continue?"

Pei Hongyu: "………… No need." He deadpanned. "I didn’t understand anyway."