With a feigned expression of concern, Yu Xiao spoke in a casual and gentle tone, “So, how do we get out of this amusent park?”
Lolita blinked her beautiful big eyes innocently, “It’s simple.” She smiled sweetly, “Just find the park’s entrance.”
Yu Xiao queried, “But where is the entrance?”
Lolita rolled her eyes playfully at her, “Oh, co on. I can’t just tell you, can I? That would spoil the fun.”
“Really?” Yu Xiao’s expression turned sad, “You complinted my hair, and I thought you liked .” She pouted.
The people behind them shivered, feeling a coldness on their cheeks. What kind of creepy conversation was this? Why did it sound so wrong?
Lolita extended her right hand, gently running it from Yu Xiao’s cheek to her chin, “You’re quite amusing.” She whispered, “And your skin is really nice and tender.” She licked her lips, a hungry gleam in her eyes, “Seeing how good you are, I’ll give you a hint. Only those who have experienced all the attractions will know the right way.”
She giggled, as if she had let slip a secret. “Oops, I said too much.” She looked at Yu Xiao’s face eagerly, her eyes hungry. “As a paynt, after you die, your hair and skin will be mine, okay?”
She sounded like she was asking for Yu Xiao’s consent, but her greedy expression showed she had already decided to take them.
With a soft sigh, Yu Xiao spoke in a low voice, “It’s not impossible, if you really want it. But there’s a custom in my hotown: after soone dies, they have to be soaked in the toilet for three days before being fished out for burial. If you don’t mind, you can wait for
to die and then co fish
out. And, oh, bury
while you’re at it.”
Lolita’s hand slid off Yu Xiao’s chin as she fell silent. A surge of anger flashed in her eyes. She hmphed, stamped her foot, and stord away.
A collective sigh of relief escaped from the others after Lolita left. A man with a black mole on his face ca closer, admiring. “Gal, you’ve got so nerve, talking to the attending doctor like that.”
Yu Xiao nudged her sunglasses, exposing a delicate and indifferent half of her face.
The man faltered, feeling a pang of awkwardness. He offered his na. “I’m Liu Fei (刘飞: a type of battle-axe / to kill to fly) from the Fifth Hospital.”
He gestured to a short guy and a dark-skinned man beside him, introducing them. “They’re my roommates. He’s Wu Chao (吴超: Wu to exceed / to overtake / to surpass), and he’s Zhang Yi (张毅: to open up / to spread firm and resolute / staunch).”
Yu Xiao’s mouth twitched slightly, her expression inscrutable to the others, but they sensed a hint of ruthlessness in her.
Zhao Lan erged, announcing, “We’re from the Fourth Hospital. I’m Zhao Lan, and she’s Yu Xiao.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen leaped out, wrapping one arm around Yu Xiao’s shoulder and the other around Zhao Lan’s, declaring, “I’m Zhou Xiao Zhen.”
“You gals are from the Fourth Hospital?” Two short-haired girls on the edge of the crowd stepped forward, exclaiming, “Great, we’re from the Fourth Hospital too.”
With a crew cut that accentuated her lively features, the first girl introduced herself: “I’m Xie ng ng (谢萌萌: to thank / to apologise to sprout/cute/moe).”
The other girl, whose short hair barely reached her ears, seed timid and reserved. She gave a slight nod and murmured, “I’m Qian Xin (钱欣: Coin Happy).”
Liu Fei surveyed the other groups, noticing that they were the only n among the ladies. A smug feeling crept into his chest, as if he had already assud the role of the squad leader. However, his pride was short-lived, as he soon learned that everyone else in the ward belonged to the Fourth Hospital, and they were all his seniors. His ego deflated as quickly as it had inflated.
Xie ng ng was a friendly and amiable girl, as her na suggested. She radiated a charming aura that made her easy to like.
She spoke with a mature and confident voice, belying her cute appearance. “Now that we’re all acquainted, we’re teammates from now on,” she said. “You all heard what the attending doctor said earlier. Only those who’ve played all the gas know the right path. The attending doctor may hide clues, but won’t provide false ones. So, I believe the correct route is hidden within the various ga projects in the amusent park.”
Wu Chao, a short guy with a sour expression, crossed his arms and glared at Xie ng ng. “So, what’s your plan?” he asked.
Xie ng ng t his gaze calmly, without any trace of annoyance. She replied in a cordial tone, “I plan to try out one ga first. We have eight people, so we can split into pairs and try different gas. Of course, it’s not mandatory; I respect everyone’s opinions. But let
make sothing clear. Those who refuse to cooperate won’t get any information from us unless they bring useful information to exchange.”
She finished her speech with a smile and scanned everyone’s faces. “Any additional suggestions?”
A hand shot up in the air. “I!”
Xie ng ng turned her head and saw Yu Xiao waving her hand eagerly. “I want to know who’s teaming up with ?”
Xie ng ng flashed a grin and said, “Your ward has three people, and Liu Fei’s ward also has three people. How about you team up with one of the three from their group?”
Yu Xiao scowled and shook her head. “No way,” she said, sounding petulant. “I don’t want to team up with slly guys.”
Liu Fei and his crew bristled at her words; their noses twitched with indignation. “We don’t want to team up with you either!”
Xie ng ng’s smile faded slightly and she looked at Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen. “How about one of you two team up with them?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen clutched Zhao Lan’s hand and shook her head vehently. “No!” she exclaid. “We two can’t be separated!”
“…”
After so more bickering and bargaining, they finally ford teams: Zhao Lan and Zhou Xiao Zhen as one team, Wu Chao and Zhang Yi as another, Liu Fei and Qian Xin as the third, and Yu Xiao and Xie ng ng as the last.
…
Under the roller coaster, Yu Xiao and Xie ng ng stood side by side, gazing up at the towering structure.
The sun blazed rcilessly in the sky, indifferent to the impending horror. Yu Xiao, shielded by her sunglasses, looked up at the roller coaster without flinching. Xie ng ng, however, had to squint her eyes to endure the glare. Yu Xiao fixed her gaze on the rollercoaster at the starting point and asked, “Do you like watching movies?”
Xie ng ng blinked, startled by the question. “Are you asking ?”
“Who else?” Yu Xiao said, glancing around. “There’s no one else here.”
“I suppose so,” Xie ng ng said, shrugging. “I used to enjoy them, but it’s been ages since I last watched a movie.”
She ant to imply that she had been at the Fourth Hospital for a long ti. But Yu Xiao didn’t catch the hint and went on, “Well, then you should know, in movies, roller coasters are a high-risk activity. Nine out of ten tis, soone ends up dead.”
Xie ng ng: “…”
All of a sudden, a chorus of screams pierced the air as the rollercoaster sprang into motion.
The rollercoaster crept up to the highest point, then plunged down, accelerating rapidly. The riders above shrieked in terror as the coaster swayed back and forth. Then, it flipped completely upside down, and when the people on top were dangling with their heads down, it stopped abruptly.
As Yu Xiao surveyed her surroundings, the air was thick with an oblivious enthusiasm, as people laughed and chatted, ignorant of the tragedy that was about to unfold.
Xie ng ng furrowed her brow in concern. Under the watchful eyes of the two girls, the roller coaster resud its chanical dance.
However, as it kicked back into motion, necks suddenly snapped and heads were launched into the air in a grotesque ballet, blood raining down in a macabre display.
Reacting swiftly, Yu Xiao retreated, dragging the other girl with her, narrowly avoiding a downpour of blood that rained just in front of them.
Coming out of her daze, Xie ng ng moved closer to Yu Xiao.
“Splat, splat, splat…”
As they hit the ground like ripe waterlons, the impact resonated with a dull thud, revealing a horrifying combination of brain tissue and blood.
Multiple severed heads now lay scattered across the ground in pools of blood.
…
Soon after, the roller coaster returned, its seats occupied by a dozen headless torsos.
Observing this horrifying scene, Xie ng ng’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She turned to Yu Xiao and asked, “You’ve watched countless films; have any of them ever addressed what one should do in a situation like this?”
Yu Xiao stared at the roller coaster for a mont before responding, “Stay out of it.”
Xie ng ng stared at Yu Xiao, her eyes wide with shock. “What?”
Yu Xiao gave her a sly grin and leaned closer to her, whispering, “You heard . If you don’t play, nothing bad will happen. That’s the rule in the movies, right?”
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Xie ng ng’s mouth. That was hardly reassuring. She looked around, hoping to find a less risky alternative. She spotted the pirate ship in the distance, swinging back and forth. “How about we try sothing else? Like the pirate ship over there?” she suggested, pointing at the ride.
They left the roller coaster, but not before Yu Xiao cast a final glance behind her. She saw a staff mber sweeping up the remains of the previous riders, tossing brain matter and bones into a bin. The other visitors seed oblivious to the carnage, walking around as if nothing had happened.
They reached the pirate ship, where a few people were still boarding. A woman in a uniform approached them, waving her hand. “Only two spots left. Wanna hop on?” she asked, smiling.
Xie ng ng shook her head, declining the offer. “No, thanks. We’ll just watch from here,” she said.
The woman shrugged and moved on. The pirate ship started to sway, slowly at first, then faster and higher. At the highest point of the swing, sothing snapped. The seat belts and safety bars ca undone, releasing the passengers into the air. They scread as they flew around, like ingredients in a blender, spinning and crashing.
Airborne, the lucky ones gripped the safety bar with desperate strength, while the rest plunged back to the ship’s deck. The unluckiest ones soared through the air like discarded dolls, smashing into the ground with sickening thuds and splashes of blood.
When the pandemonium subsided, only one person remained on the pirate ship. A burly man, his knuckles white from clutching the safety bar, had sohow managed to avoid being hurled out.
Xie ng ng felt a cold sweat on her forehead and a wave of nausea washed over her. She didn’t need to check the other attractions to know that they were all deadly traps, waiting to claim their next victims.
What could they do? How could they survive this nightmare?
Xie ng ng had encountered many perils before, even being chased by ghosts and monsters. But these amusent park rides were not supernatural, and she had no clue how to deal with them.
She glanced at the girl next to her, who seed calm and composed, as if unaffected by the horror.
“What are you thinking?” Xie ng ng asked.
Yu Xiao answered truthfully, “I’m thinking about which attractions in the amusent park allow free movent.”
“Did you find any?” Xie ng ng pressed.
“I did.” Yu Xiao spun around, pointing at a nearby building with a ghost-shaped entrance. “Haunted House.”
“…”
She shuddered at the thought of the haunted house. The earthly attractions were terrifying enough, but what if the ghosts in there were real? Imagine being trapped in a place where only the dead could see you. Xie ng ng felt her scalp prickle. “Are you mad? Do you have any idea what it’s like in there?”
Yu Xiao shrugged, unfazed. “They’re only ghosts,” she said. “Don’t you have talismans and props to deal with them?”
“I do, but how many ghosts are there?” Xie ng ng panicked. “There could be hundreds of them, and I don’t have enough talismans!”
Yu Xiao had been waiting for this opportunity. She leaned in closer to Xie ng ng, whispering in a mysterious tone, “Do you want to buy so talismans?”
“…What?” Xie ng ng blinked.
“Miss, do you want to buy so talismans? They’re very cheap, only three points each,” Yu Xiao gazed at Xie ng ng with intense eyes. Even through her sunglasses, Xie ng ng felt the pressure.
“You…” Xie ng ng felt ridiculous, so ridiculous that she wondered if she was going mad. “You sell talismans?”
“Yes.” Yu Xiao nodded eagerly, like a chicken pecking at seeds. “Are you interested in buying?”
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