Chapter 1663 - 1664: The City
Ice cream with seaweed, that flavor is indeed odd. You look at Zong Wangyue, and Zong Wangyue scratches his head and says to you, "Why don’t I get an ice cream too?"
"Eating cold stuff in the dead of winter, only you two idiots would do that!" You roll your eyes directly, then look at Yan Zisu. Yan Zisu looks at you and softly says, "I’m not hungry."
"Alright then, I’ll get you a cup of hot milk tea and popcorn."
As soon as you finish speaking, Liu Yaoyao and Zong Wangyue, those two idiots, start acting.
"Who am I to you?"
"You are my Youle Mei."
"Ah~~, turns out I’m just milk tea to you."
"Silly, this way I can hold you in the palm of my hand."
You cover your forehead and turn away, walking quickly; you can’t bear to watch anymore.
You can buy milk tea and popcorn by the big theater, but the ice cream is a bit annoying. You asked the staff, and they said it’s further away.
Helpless, you can only speed up your pace. Just as you’re passing a Halloween haunted house special, your sharp eyes suddenly spot three people walking ahead. Just these three people instantly give even you, who can remain calm while venturing into a rain of bullets, an urgent urge to pee.
The three people from left to right are Wei Yingyue, Liang Xinyue, and Du Yanan!
Damn it, although you don’t know from what angle Wei Yingyue can recognize your identity, you clearly understand now that as long as you stand in front of Wei Yingyue, you’ll feel like she can see through you.
But right now, to your left is a large empty field, and a bit further is a bumper car area with no cover within tens of meters around it.
Looking to the right, there’s a building sprayed and flashing with illusionary lights, with two crooked characters hanging on it, Ghost City.
Without a word, you turn and quickly walk over, joining the queue.
Today happens to be Halloween, so naturally, the Ghost City is particularly grand. A shabby sign outside the Ghost City clearly reads—"Halloween Celebration, Ghost City Fully Upgraded, All Scenes Open from 14:00 to 21:00 Today, with Additional Staff Involved to Enhance Fun."
Most people, upon seeing that there are staff inside pretending to be ghosts, immediately turn and leave. Yuhang Amusement Park’s Ghost City is famous and has scared countless girls to tears. It’s said that two guys who went in together got so scared they fainted, and it was only after the staff called 120 that they were carried out.
However, people are like this; the more afraid they are, the more they want to see for themselves. So, there are still a few people in your line. It looks like three couples, and the first two pairs have already gone in, with one couple behind you.
You initially just wanted to hide in the line to avoid being seen by Wei Yingyue and her group as they passed by.
However, to your surprise, Wei Yingyue and the other two women are walking straight toward the Ghost City.
At this moment, a man behind you speaks up, "Hey, buddy, if you’re scared, you shouldn’t go in."
Actually, the guy is a little nervous himself when he says this, hoping you’ll back out, which would give him a legitimate excuse to convince his girlfriend not to go in.
Seeing Wei Yingyue and the two women already at the turn, you have no choice but to go in and lift the curtain.
Just outside, you could vaguely hear some sound effects coming from inside the Ghost City, which would genuinely creep out most people. But such things are child’s play to you; there aren’t really many things in this world that can scare you.
Inside the curtain is a relatively dark space, presenting a small pavilion before you. It resembles the ancient Ten-mile Pavilion somewhat, except the pavilion appears to be made of straw.
Under the pavilion stands a person, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw coat. Most importantly, in front of him is an old-looking wooden table, with a stack of bound ancient booklets on top, a ink stone, and a pen. That person’s head is always lowered, making it impossible to see his appearance clearly.
The only light source on the table is a candlestick with an oil lamp, the faint light making it even more unsettling.
It’s unclear what lies inside the pavilion because it’s simply too dark.
Unlike other haunted houses, this Ghost City seems to have a large space, and the effects are very realistic, because you really can’t see any lights here.
Once you enter, the hesitant couple behind you also slowly walks in.
The three of you slowly approach the pavilion, while you keep glancing towards the exit. At this moment, you notice the curtain being lifted again. By the light from outside, you see the faces of Wei Yingyue and her group.
You find that as soon as Liang Xinyue enters, she clings tightly to Wei Yingyue’s waist, evidently very frightened.
"Xiao Xiao, don’t be afraid. All haunted houses are the same inside; they’re just some puppets and all. If you’re really scared, just close your eyes, cover your ears, and let Big Sister hold you through."
As she speaks, the stronger Du Yanan pulls Liang Xinyue over and shields her in her embrace.
Wei Yingyue says to Du Yanan, "Nan Nan, maybe we shouldn’t go in. The notice outside is already very clear; there are staff involved today. We adults are fine, but what if Xiao Xiao gets really scared?"
"Oh dear, I say you spoil her too much. Living in this world inherently means facing some things you worry about or fear. Xiao Xiao is about to enter high school soon, and graduating high school means officially becoming an adult. As her elder sister, you have to think more about her future, right?"
"But..." Wei Yingyue is actually a bit affected by the atmosphere because the vibe at the entrance is already like this. Wouldn’t it be even scarier once inside?
"Are you the one who’s actually afraid, am I right?" Du Yanan uses provocative tactics.
"Who says I’m scared of this?"
Du Yanan grins at Wei Yingyue, "Really? In that case, let’s go in. It’s not just the three of us, you see. There are three more inside. Once there are more people, there’s even less to fear. With some laughter, it’ll all be over."
Hearing this from Du Yanan, you can’t help but sigh lightly. This violent woman, she is like this all the time; you wonder who would dare marry her in the future.
Du Yanan leads the two women to stand behind that couple, and six people stand under the flickering candlelight in the pavilion. At this moment, the person who was always bowing his head slowly raises it. It’s a middle-aged man with a slightly weathered face. The man speaks to the six of you in a deep voice, "This is the crossing. Ladies and gentlemen, do you wish to go to another world? I must warn you, once you cross, I cannot guarantee you will be able to return to your original world. Perhaps, you will stay there forever."
"Mister, please don’t make it sound so creepy, okay?" The man’s voice beside you is already somewhat trembling.
Just at this time, from the seemingly endless darkness ahead, a woman’s sharp scream suddenly echoes, followed by a man’s wail. The screams continue, drifting further and further away.
"How big is this place exactly?" Du Yanan asks.
"Boundless," the middle-aged man chuckles deeply, and just hearing his laughter alone is enough to make one’s scalp tingle.