In the last round, two teammates had already lost their lives here. They witnessed with their own eyes how a cabin fell from the great height of the Ferris wheel, shattering into pieces. Just thinking about it made Owen Dong tremble with fear.
Standing in the open space in front of the Ferris wheel once again, he looked up. The massive, circular Ferris wheel had no empty spots anymore. The cabin that had previously fallen had quietly been restored without a sound.
They had already gone through the carousel earlier, so maybe they wouldn’t need to ride this one? Owen Dong thought to himself, hoping. He had no desire to experience any high-altitude rides at the moment.
As the group approached the entrance, a staff member dressed in blue overalls and wearing a sparkling heart-shaped headband smiled and waved at them.
“Welcome to the Love Confession Special – the Happiness Ferris Wheel. They say you can witness the eternity of love at the highest point of the Ferris wheel! Each round only allows two people, so please scan your tickets here if you’d like to ride.”
This was indeed a “holy land” for confessions and kisses; even the staff was different from those elsewhere.
No wonder the top couples from the previous round had chosen to experience this ride. A successful Ferris wheel challenge paired with a popular couple was sure to boost their fame even further.
As soon as Chi Yi heard this, she couldn’t resist, “Zhi Zhi and I are going up! This round, Zhi Zhi and I are going!”
If Du Jia and Chen Tianran could succeed, then she and Zhi Zhi definitely could too! No way the Butterfly was losing this one!
Owen Dong, on the other hand, was eager to sit this one out. He put on a conflicted expression and said, “Only two people? How about I go in the next round?”
He was just pretending so that the audience wouldn’t think he was too scared. To his surprise, Li Zhi, after thinking for a moment, actually nodded in agreement.
“There are three clues given randomly. The Ferris wheel only requires two people per round, so we can split into two groups and ride separately. That way, each group only has to experience the first round, and if we’re lucky, we can get two different clues.”
Owen Dong: “…”
What was the point of pretending? Why did he even bother?
Yu Jingmeng, ever considerate, quickly added, “Let’s pair up in black-and-white teams. Whoever matches up will ride next round.”
Qi Yongyi flashed a bright smile, showing his white teeth, “Sounds good!”
Owen Dong: “Fine…”
The three of them stretched out their hands for rock-paper-scissors. Owen Dong showed his palm, while Yu Jingmeng and Qi Yongyi both showed the back of their hands.
Instantly relieved, Owen Dong masked his relief with an exaggerated, “Oh no! What a shame! I don’t get to ride!”
The viewers watching the live stream saw through his act and called him out:
【Stop pretending! You’re loving this, aren’t you?】
【He’s probably laughing with joy inside while playing it cool!】
【Why am I finding him cute despite his cowardice? Am I crazy, or is he?】
…
The comments were full of friendly mockery, and Owen Dong’s popularity, instead of dropping, actually rose. Other players’ fans were speechless watching this. Audience appeal is such an unpredictable thing—some people, timid as mice, still manage to get votes, while others, bold and fearless, just can’t seem to win hearts. It’s all fate.
The four split into two groups, with Li Zhi and Chi Yi going first. As long as they could uncover the death conditions in this round, it would be much safer for the next group.
After handing their tickets to the staff member, she stamped a tiny Ferris wheel symbol on the back of each ticket with a sweet smile. Even her voice was syrupy as she guided them, “Welcome to the Happiness Ferris Wheel. Please enter from this side.”
She opened the gate, leading Li Zhi and Chi Yi inside. The passageway was about ten meters long, and to the right was the staff’s control room. The wall next to the passage had been decorated into a heart-shaped photo collage.
Many photos were arranged to form a large heart, and as Li Zhi glanced at them, she noticed that the people in the photos all appeared to be couples. Their heads leaned together, arms raised above their heads forming heart shapes, smiling joyfully at the camera.
The only difference was that some of the photos were in black and white, while others were in color, and…
The ten-meter passage was quite short, and it only took Li Zhi and Chi Yi three or four seconds to pass by the photo wall. Li Zhi only had time to glance at it briefly. Just as she was about to stop and take a closer look, a cabin with its door open was already nearing the ground in the distance.
The staff member beside them gently reminded, “Your exclusive cabin is about to arrive. If you miss the boarding, it will be considered a challenge failure.”
Li Zhi had no choice but to quicken her pace toward the Ferris wheel.
Normally, a Ferris wheel has 48 cabins, and this one in the game was no different. The other 47 cabins were tightly shut, with the only open one being — surprisingly — pink.
The Ferris wheel rotated very slowly. As it descended to their level, Li Zhi and Chi Yi entered the cabin one after the other. The staff member stood below, smiling as they closed the door behind them.
This time, there was no broadcast announcement.
Once the door shut, the pink cabin began its slow ascent. Chi Yi glanced at the doors on either side and asked in a low voice, “Zhi Zhi, don’t you think the angles of those photos on the wall looked strange?”
Li Zhi looked around thoughtfully. “Yes, they did. It seemed like they were taken from mid-air.”
But how could those people have had their photos taken while they were in mid-air?
She stood up and inspected the cabin’s interior. It was smooth and empty, with no visible equipment. “There’s no automatic camera.”
And no selfie sticks, either, ruling out the possibility of automatic photos.
Li Zhi sat back down, facing Chi Yi. “There was no broadcast this time. The Ferris wheel’s death rule is probably hidden in that photo wall. Do you remember what the staff member said?”
Chi Yi thought for a moment. “She said that at the Ferris wheel’s highest point, you can witness the eternity of love, right?”
Li Zhi nodded. “Those heart-shaped photos on the wall must have been taken at the highest point. Taking a photo at the highest point is probably considered ‘witnessing eternity.’ So, the death condition for this challenge is likely to be taking a photo in a specific pose at the top. If no photo is taken, the cabin might fall.”
Chi Yi’s teeth chattered. “We’re already up in the air… The only one who could take our picture is a ghost. The clue this time was way too easy to miss! That photo wall was just on the side of the passage, and we only had time for a quick glance. If we hadn’t noticed it, imagine getting to the top and suddenly having a ghost pop up to take our picture! I’d die of fright!”
In the previous challenges, the clues had all come from broadcast announcements. Once players got used to that rule, they might easily overlook the subtle photo wall near the entrance, assuming they could wait for another broadcast clue.
This amusement park’s traps were truly insidious.
As the Ferris wheel continued to ascend, the cabin climbed higher and higher. The earlier roller coaster ride had been too intense with all its twists and turns for them to properly observe the scenery below. But now, sitting in the smoothly rising cabin, they could enjoy the view.
The Ferris wheel stood above a lake, and the multicolored lights reflected beautifully on the water’s surface. From this height, Li Zhi noticed once again the crisscrossing red and green lights forming a cross below them, something she had spotted earlier after the roller coaster.
It was the second time Li Zhi had noticed this cross-like pattern formed by the lights.
In such a large amusement park, eerie atmosphere lighting was everywhere, but somehow, all of them together created the image of a cross. Was it simply for added horror effect, or did it serve some deeper purpose?
Li Zhi stared at the red-and-green cross below, lost in thought, until Chi Yi’s voice brought her back. “Zhi Zhi! We’re almost at the top!”
Li Zhi looked up. In the distance ahead stood the drop tower ride, which they hadn’t yet experienced, silently blinking in the night.
Chi Yi, a bit nervous, adjusted her position, ready to raise her arms for the heart-shaped pose at any moment.
The cabin finally reached the highest point, and the Ferris wheel suddenly came to a stop. The two exchanged a glance. A second later, there was a knock on the right-side door.
“Excuse me,” a polite voice asked from outside. “Would you like a photo?”
Just beyond the cabin door was a hundred-meter drop into the open sky.
If they hadn’t noticed the photo wall and discovered the death rule, who would dare open that door?
Li Zhi spoke calmly, “We do.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the tightly closed cabin door swung open on its own. Standing outside was a middle-aged man with a face as pale as gold paper. He held a Polaroid camera in his hands and wore a creepy smile, floating in midair outside the cabin. “I’ll count down from three… get ready for your picture.”
Li Zhi and Chi Yi adjusted their positions, facing the camera, and mimicked the heart gesture they had seen the couples on the photo wall do.
“Three… one… one!”
*Click*—
The camera slowly spit out a photo. The man caught it, fanned it a couple of times, and then brought it up to his eyes for a closer look. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction, then turned his eerie smile toward the two inside the cabin. “The photo is ready. I wish you both eternal happiness.”
Chi Yi muttered, “…Thank you, we’ll try.”
The cabin door slowly closed again.
The Ferris wheel, which had been paused at the top, began rotating once more.
Chi Yi let out a shaky breath and slumped into her seat. “That was seriously creepy.”
In most game scenarios, players generally knew not to respond to or interact with ghosts, much less make deals with them. The two players who had fallen from the Ferris wheel earlier likely hadn’t noticed the hint on the photo wall. When the ghost suddenly knocked at their door mid-air, relying on their usual survival instincts, they probably remained silent, which sealed their fate.
As for this challenge, well, it was both simple and not. During those brief few seconds passing through the corridor, players had to not only notice the photo wall but also pick up on its hidden significance. It wasn’t an easy task.
Now that the photo was taken, this round was safe. Chi Yi leaned back in her seat and sighed. “Such a pity.”
There was no adrenaline rush like with the roller coaster, nor the thrill of the carousel. Just a photo and they were done. And yet, the others lost their lives because of it.
After her sigh, Chi Yi turned to Li Zhi. “Zhi Zhi, what are you thinking about?”
Li Zhi replied, “I’m thinking about the death condition for the first round.”
Based on the increasing difficulty rule, the death condition for the first round must also have something to do with taking a photo. But what exactly could it be?
She said to Chi Yi, “Let’s ride it again. We’ll gather two clues before we send Xiao Meng and the others to experience the first round.”
Chi Yi clenched her fist, “I hope our clues are different from theirs, so we can avoid the third round altogether.”
The pink cabin slowly descended to the ground. Once it reached the appropriate height, the door silently opened, and the two of them jumped out. The smiling staff member was waiting nearby. “Congratulations on completing the first round of the Happiness Ferris Wheel challenge. Here’s your reward.”
This time, even the clue box was pink.
Li Zhi opened the box and glanced inside. There was a card with an image of a pair of scissors.
“Scissors?” Chi Yi winced. “What kind of ghost has anything to do with scissors?”
Li Zhi had a theory but was also uncertain. She tucked the card away and turned to the staff member. “We’d like to take on the first round challenge.”