### Chapter 188: The Truth of the Amusement Park
The amusement park was huge—so huge that Zhao Mingyue had yet to reach the end of it. Everywhere she looked, there were different attractions, but at the end was nothing but mist. Step into it, and poof! You’re back where you started. What lay beyond that mist remained a mystery.
“Ugh, where did that Lu Liangting guy run off to? He vanished the moment we got in here, and there are still so many people around!” Zhao Mingyue plopped down on a bench, clutching an amusement park ticket like it was a treasure map.
She folded the ticket and raised it in the air—its Ferris wheel logo matched the giant Ferris wheel looming in the park’s center.
“I have no clue what will happen when I get on that Ferris wheel, but if I want to unravel the mystery of this place, I have to venture into the mist.”
“The amusement park manager’s office is over there. I need to find the ‘Daughter’ to wake her up; only then will the park’s true nature be revealed.”
“Right now, this place feels like a dream. If it’s a pleasant dream, once the manager wakes up, will it end the task right away, or will it turn into a ‘nightmare’?”
Wiping her ticket away, Zhao Mingyue squinted at the sun filtering through her fingers.
The sun didn’t seem real, and staring at it head-on wasn’t a problem.
Just like the amusement park, everything was infused with a strange vibe, making it hard to pinpoint exactly what. Children squealed, adults laughed; despite the crowd, they all seemed immersed in joy, their faces devoid of any worry.
An amusement park was supposed to be fun!
But surely there had to be more emotions than just joy, right?
She had no idea how long she’d been inside—definitely long enough to complete three tasks—while the other visitors continued to play, looping back to the same rides over and over.
“If this is a wonderful dream, then it’s a bit too perfect—so perfect it feels unreal.”
The amusement park sparkled under a bright, clear sky, but the light was oddly pale, like having a bright bulb on in a dark room. Even though it lit things up, it just didn’t compare to real sunlight.
It was this unreal sunshine that added to the eerie atmosphere of the otherwise cheerful park.
While she contemplated her strategy, a burly security guard approached her.
The guard wore a navy-blue uniform and a white hat—nothing like the terrifying ghosts; he lacked any supernatural vibes. But to Zhao Mingyue, the guards felt way scarier than any ghost.
His face resembled a coffee mixture gone terribly wrong, with features all jumbled together.
Now, Zhao Mingyue understood their purpose.
They weren’t there to keep order or catch suspects; they were there to expel any tourists who lost their joy. If a visitor lingered too long in one place without riding any attractions, they became prime targets for these guards.
If they didn’t leave in time, they’d end up on the Ferris wheel.
“I’m about to ride the carousel over there, but I have something to report. Just now, I saw a tall guy in a white coat walk that way and snatch a kid from a visitor! I saw him hiding behind that tent!”
Zhao Mingyue pointed toward a large tent.
The guard seemed unfazed. So Zhao Mingyue added, “If a kid is missing, that tourist won’t be laughing anymore.”
“As a security guard, your job is to provide tourists with a safe environment so they can enjoy themselves. Do you get that? If a kid is taken, who in their right mind would want to stay here? You’d be in big trouble; understand?”
“If you don’t want to disappear, go find that kid.”
The guard looked down at Zhao Mingyue and remained silent, the baton in his hand potent enough to scare the spirits out of anyone in the park.
“Hmm.” He contemplated for over ten seconds before responding in a dull voice.
Zhao Mingyue, tension easing, watched as the guard headed toward the back of the tent. She slipped into step behind him, an idea forming.
As a visitor, her options were limited to the rides.
What if she switched roles and became a guard? Would she be able to pierce through the mist?
Even if she couldn’t, she could still use her guard disguise to nab a couple of unfortunate souls and see what happened on the Ferris wheel.
What was behind that mist? She was dying to know.
The higher you stand, the further you see; the Ferris wheel was the best choice.
The guard reached the back of the tent, and contrary to what Zhao Mingyue said, it was completely empty.
“The rule says to not trust security guards—how convenient, because tourists shouldn’t be trusted either.”
Suddenly, a sharp blade pierced the guard’s chest. He stumbled, his baton clattering to the ground as he dissolved into black smoke, his uniform collapsing into a heap.
“Ah, dreams are my specialty.” Zhao Mingyue chuckled, picking up the fallen clothes and quickly donning them. bl**d threads clung to her cheeks, forming a mask identical to the guard’s face.
The guards in this park were phantoms—conventional means couldn’t harm them.
When she first arrived, she tried to ambush one, only to end up nearly sent to the Ferris wheel herself.
Later, she figured out that as long as she infused her bl**d threads with the lethal properties of “k*ll and vanish” using the power of her burning heart, she could deal effective fatal damage to the guards.
Now clad in the security uniform, wearing the mask, and propping herself up with bl**d threads, she looked quite a bit taller.
She bent down to pick up the baton, weighing it in her hand as her expression shifted beneath the mask.
This weapon was some sort of “rule” category.
Inside this dream of an amusement park, this baton could enforce fatality—any tourist hit would be expelled from the park. Whether they survived beyond that, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t say.
“I need to rush to the other side of the mist, or I’ll fail the task.”
Her black phone had given her a mission, which was oddly split into main and side quests.
Unlike other triple-star missions, where she was simply told where to go and what to do, this one included two main sections: one side quest, which was easy—just complete the park’s attractions, like roller coasters and carousels. Completing these would grant her some boosts, but all based on mental faculties and reactions.
So far, she had finished three tasks: the roller coaster, the pirate ship, and the haunted house.
Those tasks were utterly safe—just amplifying senses to the max, for real thrills. During the coaster ride, she genuinely thought she might d*e.
These were just ordinary side tasks, akin to “benefits,” while the main quest was more challenging.
[The Truth of the Dream]
[Reach the old site of the amusement park before 9:30 PM]
[Day and night, dreams and reality, pain, and joy—I can’t distinguish which is real, but it doesn’t matter. I just want my dad to be happy; that’s it.]
[Notice: Failure to reach the old amusement park site within the specified time will result in a 50% chance of being trapped here forever, and a 50% chance of returning to reality.]
“Excuse me, sir security, I have something to ask!”
Just as Zhao Mingyue reached the Ferris wheel, a visitor rushed up to her. He wore a white shirt and looked to be in his thirties.
“I’d like to know what time it is.”
“Sorry, I didn’t bring a watch.” Zhao Mingyue shook her head.
“Oh, and I have one more thing. Can you help me look for my child? I can’t find him anywhere! It’s so big here! Could you check inside the Ferris wheel? Don’t worry; he’ll be easy to spot—he’s wearing a red sweater!”
The man’s face shone with hope. “Once you find him, just let me know. I’ll keep looking around.”
“You want me to go into the Ferris wheel?”
“Yes, yes, please, it’s completely safe there.”
“Safe, huh?” Zhao Mingyue sized him up, gripping her baton. “Is your child really missing?”
“Of course!”
Zhao Mingyue frowned. The ticket had a few rules:
[Do not trust amusement park security or people in white clothing.]
[Do not leave the amusement park after time’s up.]
[If attacked by other tourists, seek security for help.]
[Do not speak to the children here, and absolutely don’t go play attractions with them.]
[People in white clothes are looking for their kids.]
So, she was not supposed to trust the security or the dude in white. Yet here she was, ready to guide him to find his “kid.”
“Okay, I’ll help you look for your child.”
The man was overjoyed. “Thank you, thank you!”
“But I have one condition.”
“Anything!”
“You go up the Ferris wheel yourself; I’ll help you find your kid here in the amusement park.”
His face fell, and without hesitation, he turned to dash away. But Zhao Mingyue seized him, tossing him into the little Ferris wheel compartment and locking the door tight from the outside.
“What’s the big deal? The Ferris wheel isn’t dangerous!”
As it slowly started to turn, she watched the screams of the man rise higher and higher with every turn.
She needed to know why everyone who rode the Ferris wheel was always so terrified.
She thought they might d*e, but the guy returned unharmed—just utterly shaken.
During this, Zhao Mingyue noticed a detail; another guard had approached but turned away upon spotting her.
“Going on the Ferris wheel won’t k*ll you, but those who do see something terrifying. That’s why those who ride end up dead—they’ve lost their joy and get taken out by the guards.”
“Why would the guards k*ll them?”
A lightbulb flickered in Zhao Mingyue’s mind.
“Because once you see the truth of the amusement park from the Ferris wheel, you can’t possibly feel happy afterward. And a lack of joy makes you fair game for the guards.”
·
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There’s still some afternoon left.
Tickets, please! The story’s just getting good!
