The amusement park glimmered with dazzling lights under the night sky. Normally, a place like this at such a time would be the perfect setting for a proposal or a heartfelt confession.
But in this moment, the silent, light-strewn amusement park only radiated an eerie atmosphere, like an innocent child showing a wicked, unsettling smile. The contrast sent shivers down anyone’s spine.
A hundred meters ahead was the entrance to the park. There were seven gates in total, but six of them were marked with red Xs. Only the middle gate showed a green light, signaling the entrance. Beside the turnstile stood an NPC dressed in blue work clothes, presumably the ticket inspector.
Li Zhi stood in the plaza in front of the entrance. In the middle of the spacious plaza was a decorative fountain, surrounded by a few large, whimsical doll figures. Beyond that, thick, impenetrable black fog lingered in the distance.
Players began appearing one after another in the plaza. Chi Yi emerged from behind a large black cat doll, scanning the crowd before spotting Li Zhi and running over happily.
Each player was transported to a different location outside the entrance. Some even appeared right by the ticket gates, looking around in confusion. The only common factor was that no one was transported inside the park itself.
By this point, most players were veterans of the game. Even the new players had likely seen countless live streams of the game, so there was no panic. After glancing around and realizing the theme of this instance was an amusement park, they all gathered at the entrance.
Chi Yi walked beside Li Zhi, her initially excited expression growing serious. She whispered, “Zhi Zhi, there are so many people this time.”
Li Zhi nodded, “Yes, this is the instance with the most people I’ve ever seen.”
The more players there were, the higher the difficulty of the instance—this was common knowledge. As everyone reached the ticket gates, a tense expression could be seen on their faces.
Li Zhi counted; there were eighteen players in total.
Everyone exchanged glances, and one person couldn’t hold back their shock. “Holy crap! Both Pei Hongyu and Li Zhi are here! What kind of instance is this, having two top-fifty players from the popularity rankings?”
With so many players, both familiar and unfamiliar faces blended together. Li Zhi hadn’t initially noticed who was there, but when she heard Pei Hongyu’s name, she followed the crowd’s gaze and spotted a man with a cold, aloof demeanor standing out with his unique aura.
To be in the top 100 of the popularity rankings was already an impressive feat. The higher one ranked, the more dazzling and sought-after they became. After Li Zhi cleared her last instance, she had been ranked 26th. But due to her continued success, her popularity points had steadily risen, and she was now 29th before entering this instance.
Pei Hongyu, however, ranked even higher than she did, standing at 19th. Breaking into the top 20 players was no small achievement.
Since there were so few players from the country who made it onto the global rankings, names like Pei Hongyu’s were well-known. He was a frequent player, constantly entering instances to accumulate points. His playstyle was bold and daring, which helped his popularity skyrocket.
Clearly, Pei Hongyu was the most popular player in this instance. According to the usual rules, the group would follow his lead.
However, Pei Hongyu didn’t seem interested in being the leader. His expression remained indifferent as he surveyed the surroundings, ignoring the murmurs about him. High-ranking players like him often carried an air of arrogance and disdain for ordinary players, not even bothering to team up with them.
Next to him stood a man, shorter than Pei Hongyu, with an arrogant tone. “Everyone, calm down. We’ll wait five more minutes. If no one else shows up, we’ll head into the park.”
The crowd quieted, but it wasn’t because of him. It was because of Pei Hongyu’s presence.
Chi Yi, who was familiar with the players, leaned closer to Li Zhi and whispered, “That guy is He Yuan, Pei Hongyu’s lackey. The short-haired girl next to them is Tang Nanshan. She often teams up with Pei Hongyu. I bet they entered as a team.”
Li Zhi had already noticed the girl named Tang Nanshan. She had short hair and wore a leather jacket, giving off a sharp and capable vibe. She was talking to Pei Hongyu at that moment.
The next second, Pei Hongyu looked up as well.
Their gazes met in the air. Li Zhi nodded and smiled at him, but Pei Hongyu didn’t respond. He coldly looked away.
It seemed that, in Pei Hongyu’s eyes, even someone like Li Zhi, who had been specifically mentioned by Tang Nanshan, was only worth a fleeting glance.
Chi Yi, witnessing this, immediately bristled. “What’s his problem?! Who does he think he’s looking down on?!”
Li Zhi didn’t mind. After withdrawing her gaze, she turned to the indignant Chi Yi and said, “Perfect Couple is here too.”
“Perfect Couple?” Chi Yi was stunned for a moment before she realized what Li Zhi meant and looked surprised.
“Du Jia and Chen Tianran also joined? This instance must be incredibly difficult if so many high-ranking players have entered.”
Over on the other side, Du Jia and Chen Tianran stood together. Du Jia had initially aimed to confront Chi Yi and Li Zhi, but upon entering the instance and seeing the unusually high number of players, as well as the presence of Pei Hongyu, who had an even higher ranking than Li Zhi, his confidence wavered, and his arrogance dwindled.
Chen Tianran, inwardly scoffing, outwardly kept a calm face and said, “There are too many players. This instance is dangerous. We should work together with the others.”
Du Jia understood her meaning and nodded.
For players, the higher the danger, the more intense the challenge. But for the audience, it meant higher entertainment value. When word got out about the impressive lineup of players in this instance, the viewers were naturally excited:
[Perfect Couple! Butterfly! Feather and Dusk! Two of the hottest CPs! What a god-tier lineup!]
[Li Zhi and Pei Hongyu are in the same instance? This is the first time I’ve seen two top-ranked players in the same instance!]
[If I remember correctly, Li Zhi has always been the MVP since her first instance, right? Looks like her MVP streak is about to end.]
[The instance hasn’t even started, and you’re already saying Li Zhi won’t outperform Pei Hongyu? Isn’t it a bit early to be making such conclusions?]
[Rankings speak for themselves. One is 19th, the other 29th. It’s pretty obvious, right?]
[A 20-rank difference! It’s your unreachable Emperor Yu. Li Zhi’s fans, stop being stubborn.]
[Wow, with all that big talk, I thought he was first. Turns out he’s only 19th. What a joke.]
[How many instances has Pei Hongyu completed compared to Li Zhi? Winning by quantity isn’t something to brag about.]
[Then why hasn’t Li Zhi played more instances? Is it because she doesn’t want to? Or because she’s too scared?]
[Emperor Yu was born for instances! Charge! Crush all ghosts and monsters!]
[Fine, fine, you’re so confident, huh? Let’s see who gets humiliated in the end.]
[Our Brother Yu can crush some people just with his items. If your rank is low, just admit defeat and stop causing drama.]
[Stop arguing! Can’t we just enjoy shipping the CPs? Two of the hottest pairings are here, isn’t that enough to enjoy?]
[Nonsense! Even Sister Shan is stronger than Li Zhi, but since she’s always with Brother Yu, her popularity is overshadowed by him, which is why Li Zhi ranks higher.]
[Feather and Dusk is the ultimate power couple! The best duo!]
[Li Zhi is the best! Li Zhi is the best! Li Zhi is the best! Important things need to be said twice!]
…
After waiting another five minutes, no new players appeared, confirming the instance would proceed with 18 players.
There were so many participants that even Chi Yi didn’t recognize all of them. Quietly, Qi Yongyi made his way through the crowd to Li Zhi’s side but didn’t initiate a conversation, simply observing like any other player.
Soon, the NPC at the ticket booth picked up a loudspeaker and, with a smile, said, “Dear guests, please enter the park through this way.”
The single available passage glowed green, and the players automatically lined up. Pei Hongyu took the lead, walking in first. The narrow path only allowed one person at a time. The ticket inspector handed him a ticket.
“Welcome to the Ghost Amusement Park. We hope you have a pleasant evening.”
Pei Hongyu accepted the ticket, scanned it at the gate, and with a beep, the turnstile opened, allowing him in.
The rest of the players followed suit, one by one receiving their tickets and entering the park.
After scanning her ticket, Li Zhi looked down at the one in her hand.
The ticket in Li Zhi’s hand was not much different from a regular amusement park ticket. On the front, images of a Ferris wheel and carousel were printed, along with the words “Ghost Amusement Park” at the top and “Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts” at the bottom. Below the title was the usage date.
July 15.
It was the day of the Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival.
However, the back of the ticket was a bit different—there were no usage instructions or reminders. Instead, there were nine empty squares, resembling spaces meant for collecting stamps.
Once all the players had entered the park, a mechanical, eerie voice came through the park’s broadcast system: “All guests have entered. The current storyline is about to begin.”
After a brief pause, the broadcast boomed throughout the entire amusement park:
—”Good evening, and welcome to the Ghost Amusement Park. On the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Ghost Gate opens. The park has prepared a fun and exciting Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts activity for you all. The ghosts, portrayed by NPCs, will interact with you in a friendly and engaging way. However, be warned, real monsters have already successfully infiltrated the park. Who among you is human, and who is a ghost? Gather clues and uncover the truth!”
The voice, carrying a sinister smile, continued:
—”The park will close in twelve hours. When all the lights in the park turn red, players must proceed to the voting area to identify the ghosts. In each round, only one ghost can be voted out. After nine rounds of voting, the correct answers will be revealed. Each player’s answer can be the same or different. Skipping the vote counts as a wrong answer. Only those who identify all the ghosts correctly can leave the park.”
—”The park features nine major attractions, each corresponding to one ghost. By experiencing an attraction, players will receive a clue about a ghost. Each attraction can provide up to two clues. However, be warned: the more you repeat an attraction, the more thrilling and dangerous it becomes.“
—”Players who successfully experience all nine attractions will receive an additional hidden clue. There is no required order for the attractions, so feel free to explore them at your own pace. The countdown for the game will begin shortly. Once again, we wish you a pleasant evening.”
The system’s voice faded, and a doomsday-like countdown echoed through the speakers.
Ten…
Nine…
Eight…
One! Ding dong—!
At that moment, the entire amusement park sprang to life. The music of the carousel played, and the sound of the roller coaster’s clanking filled the air, as though the rides had just woken up and were inviting guests to join in.
The eighteen players were now the only “guests” in this eerie park.
Several NPCs in oversized mascot costumes appeared in the plaza ahead, wobbling as they walked. They waved to the players, their exaggerated, cutesy smiles now looking grotesquely unsettling in the night.