Li Zhi handed the balloon in her hand to Chi Yi, then walked to the entrance and gave the ticket to the staff member wearing a racing helmet. The staff stamped a go-kart pattern on the blank space at the back of the ticket. So far, she had collected four stamps.
This game rule seemed to be very friendly for those who love collecting things.
After scanning the ticket, they entered the park, and a circular racetrack appeared before them. The edges of the track were lined with standing tires as barriers, but the view only allowed them to see two to three hundred meters of the road ahead. Beyond that, everything was shrouded in thick white fog.
No one knew how large the racetrack was, how long the course stretched, or what obstacles might lie ahead.
At the starting point, three go-karts were parked, with the outermost one positioned slightly ahead of the others. The inner ones were set back by about ten meters.
A staff member, also wearing a helmet, stood to the side holding a small flag and smiled, reminding them, “Please choose your favorite vehicle and get ready to race. The competition will begin shortly.”
You Jingmeng asked the staff member, “Don’t we get helmets?”
The staff member continued to smile, “All equipment for this project requires additional fees. Would you like to pay for the equipment?”
You Jingmeng quickly shook her head, “No thanks!”
Who knew what kind of price they’d be charging? Sometimes, it was better not to ask too many questions!
There were no other signs or reminders nearby. Li Zhi withdrew her gaze after a quick scan and was the first to choose the red go-kart in the innermost lane. You Jingmeng sat in the green kart in the middle, and Qi Yongyi took the yellow kart in the outer lane.
The three of them buckled their seatbelts.
The narrow go-karts had no additional instructions. The staff member took two steps forward, raised the flag, and the next moment, a mechanical voice came through the speakers: “The first round of the go-kart race is about to begin. Please drive safely, and we wish you a safe arrival at the finish line.”
Drive safely. Arrive safely.
Having already experienced a few rounds of the amusement park’s attractions, they immediately understood the rules as soon as they heard the announcement.
Even without the warning, once the flag dropped, the three of them shot out in their go-karts. At the same time, the thick fog reverberated with the sound of engines buzzing.
With a visible range of only two or three hundred meters, the go-karts raced forward at a high speed, and within a few seconds, they had already plunged into the thick fog.
Though the fog looked dense from outside, once inside, it cleared up a bit. The circular track was enormous, with no end in sight. Li Zhi sped along the inner lane, mentally calculating the distance and the turns she had passed.
The wind roared by, and out of the corner of her eye, Li Zhi saw a black go-kart suddenly appear on the track. A man dressed in white sat in the vehicle, and it was headed straight for her. The black go-kart appeared so abruptly that it seemed to have sprung from the ground.
Qi Yongyi, driving behind her, immediately shouted in warning, but their speed was too fast, and his voice was soon drowned out by the wind. Moreover, another go-kart suddenly appeared in front of him as well, leaving Qi Yongyi no choice but to focus on steering.
As Li Zhi approached the first bend, she made a sharp drift, switching from the inner lane to the outer lane just in time. The black go-kart that had been barreling toward her crashed into the tire barrier in the inner lane.
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, two more go-karts quickly closed in from both sides, with their engines roaring, clearly aiming to ram her from behind.
Li Zhi slammed the accelerator, speeding up. The wind tore past her ears, making it hard to keep her eyes open. She quickly approached the next bend, just in time to see You Jingmeng’s green go-kart get hit on the rear wing by a black go-kart.
The sharp screech of tires filled the air, and Li Zhi heard You Jingmeng let out a faint scream. Her kart had been knocked into the inner lane, and during the skid, its speed slowed down. In just that one second of delay, the number of pursuing go-karts visibly increased.
White smoke started to billow from the spot where You Jingmeng’s green kart had been hit. Li Zhi quickly assessed the situation around them and, taking advantage of the turn, braked hard and swerved into the inner lane beside You Jingmeng. She used her own vehicle to block another go-kart coming from behind.
The spot where her car door had been hit caved in, and white smoke began to emerge.
It was obvious that the number of collisions was limited. Another hit or two, and the car would be wrecked.
“Jingmeng!” Li Zhi shouted, “Speed up!”
The wind was so loud that it was unclear if You Jingmeng heard her, but after a brief slowdown, the smoking green go-kart shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving Li Zhi far behind. In the distance, she could faintly hear You Jingmeng’s continuous screams.
Li Zhi: “…”
Well, that’s great.
She accelerated again, and a red go-kart emerged from the fog to race alongside her. Li Zhi glanced over and saw a female ghost in a red dress gripping the steering wheel, her nails painted bright red.
Sensing Li Zhi’s gaze, the ghost slowly turned her head, her mouth splitting open all the way to her ears, revealing a gaping maw of sharp teeth as she flashed a mocking smile at Li Zhi.
While speeding along, Li Zhi still found the energy to shout cheekily, “Changed jobs, huh?”
The ghost: “…”
Li Zhi smiled and casually glanced at her neck.
That simple glance was enough to remind the ghost of the time Li Zhi had twisted her neck on the roller coaster. The ghost’s expression turned vicious, and she suddenly yanked the steering wheel to the left, clearly intent on crashing into Li Zhi and taking them both down.
But Li Zhi was prepared. Both go-karts were already at top speed, so speeding up to dodge was impossible. The moment she saw the ghost’s movement, Li Zhi quickly tapped the brakes, and the ghost’s go-kart veered in front of her, crashing into the tire barrier.
Li Zhi held the steering wheel with one hand and lazily waved the other hand in a carefree goodbye.
The ghost in red: “Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!”
The spectators were ecstatic:
[Finally!! We’ve been waiting for this moment!!]
[Let’s shout Li Zhi’s iconic catchphrase together!!]
[Powerless rage!!]
…
Up ahead, You Jingmeng’s car was hit again. Li Zhi, driving behind her, saw flames ignite at the rear of the green go-kart. Despite the thick smoke and the fire, You Jingmeng’s speed didn’t falter at all. She raced forward, sparks flying, and was the first to reach the finish line.
And right alongside her was her unbroken chain of screams.
Li Zhi arrived second, hearing that You Jingmeng’s voice had gone hoarse from all the shouting.
You Jingmeng practically collapsed after jumping out of the burning go-kart, her legs weak as she clung to Li Zhi, on the verge of tears. “That was terrifying!”
Qi Yongyi, speechless, said, “Terrifying? You still drove so fast that I couldn’t catch up even with the pedal to the floor.”
You Jingmeng replied, “If I didn’t drive fast, I’d have been crashed into! I got hit twice already. If Big Boss Li hadn’t blocked one for me, I’d be a goner by now!”
The ghostly go-karts were relentless, appearing out of nowhere. The slower you drove, the more likely you were to be hit. Since You Jingmeng had been hit twice, causing her car to catch fire, it was reasonable to assume that a third hit would have resulted in an explosion.
The three of them stepped onto the platform, and the staff handed them a clue box. “Congratulations on completing the first round of the go-kart race. Here is your reward.”
This time, the box was ordinary black, confirming that the pink box at the Ferris wheel was indeed a rare find. The group walked over to the entrance railing, where Chi Yi and Owen Dong were waiting. Though they had confidence in Li Zhi’s abilities, they still breathed a sigh of relief seeing everyone return safely.
“We got the first clue,” Li Zhi said as she opened the box. Inside was a card with just four words. Standing next to her, You Jingmeng read it aloud: “Beware behind you.”
As soon as she finished reading, she couldn’t help but shiver and glanced nervously over her shoulder.
“Beware behind you…” Chi Yi repeated the phrase twice, clapping her hands.
“Zhi Zhi, do you remember when we first entered the rookie instance, and that night we called out to Mr. Zhu, and there was a ghost clinging to his back?”
Li Zhi nodded.
Chi Yi continued, “I saw its introduction on the Wall of Ghosts in the last round. It’s called the ‘Back-clinging Ghost’! This clue lines up perfectly.”
If a ghost is clinging to your back, you’d better be careful of what’s behind you.
Li Zhi put the clue card away and said to her companions, “The first round’s death rule was to avoid being hit by the ghost cars. In the second round, I suspect there will be more ghost cars on the track. Not only that, but I think there will also be a time limit.”
In the first round, the only requirement was to safely reach the finish line. Following the game’s increasing difficulty, the second round would likely involve restrictions on both time and speed.
Qi Yongyi had previous experience with go-karting, so Li Zhi said, “Qi and I will handle this round.”
You Jingmeng, who had only wanted to try the first round, had no objections.
They returned to the platform, and Li Zhi said to the staff, “We’re ready for the second round challenge.”
“Understood.” The staff member made a guiding gesture, and at the starting point, two brand-new go-karts were already waiting quietly.
Li Zhi and Qi Yongyi approached, and before getting in, they noticed a small square display screen on the steering wheel. The black screen currently showed “02:00.”
A two-minute countdown.
Li Zhi paused mid-step, standing in place to think for a moment.
The staff on the platform reminded them, “The race will begin soon. Please get in the cars.”
In a low voice, Li Zhi said to Qi Yongyi, “I estimated the track’s length in the previous round. It’s about four kilometers. This time, we need to reach the finish line within two minutes. The track has four bends, and speed will drop when turning. Our straight-line speed cannot be below 130 km/h, and during turns, it shouldn’t fall below 100. Also, we can’t afford to get hit even once, or we won’t be able to make it within the time limit.”
Qi Yongyi was stunned at how quickly Li Zhi’s brain had calculated all this in just a few seconds.
After finishing her explanation, Li Zhi got into her go-kart first.
Qi Yongyi followed suit.
The staff member on the platform raised their arm, and the flag fluttered in the wind. The system’s voice came through the speakers: “The second round of the go-kart race is about to begin. Please reach the finish line within the allotted time. Good luck.”
As the flag dropped, the two go-karts roared to life and shot forward.
The display screen on the steering wheel began the two-minute countdown.
Just as Li Zhi predicted, the number of ghost cars on the track had significantly increased. If they got hit even once, their speed would drop, and once that happened, the ghost cars would quickly surround them, blocking the track. Regaining their speed would be nearly impossible.
Two minutes was their countdown to survival.