Chapter 102: Lilith
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At the moment when Wen Jianyan’s voice fell, the bulging bumps on the corpse suddenly burst open from the inside, and countless sticky fluids gushed out.
Like a deflated balloon, the skin of the corpse sagged down.
A strange figure was wrapped in the sticky skin, and under the influence of the mucus, the layer of human skin, like soaked paper, peeled off easily.
Plop. Plop.
The skin fragments were peeled off and fell to the ground in bits and pieces.
Soon, a new “person” appeared in the original spot.
Its whole body was pale and sticky, with long limbs and torso, without any gender characteristics. The facial features were present but looked stiff and rigid, and its swollen eyeballs were bulging out.
Its eyeballs rolled and slowly landed on the few human figures not far away.
“Welcome, dear visitors… to the Fantasy Amusement Park…”
Its voice was stuttering and robotic, sounding unskilled, like a baby learning to speak or a robot with specific commands: “However… visitors are not allowed to glimpse the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
In just a few seconds, its speech ability became more and more proficient.
It sounded more and more human-like.
“You have violated the rules.”
It said.
Upon hearing the word “violation,” both Wen Ya and Lilith’s breaths involuntarily stopped.
No one knew better than them the terrifying consequences of violating the rules in this instance, consequences that were completely unbearable.
“……”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slowly.
He had a good memory, and he could recite almost all the rules he had encountered, whether they were related to the tickets or the park itself.
He didn’t recall having this in any of the rules he’d seen.
However, Wen Jianyan quickly realized that this was a rare opportunity.
Clearly, the “frog” was a key element in this instance. To understand what this instance was all about, they needed to figure out what the frogs really were.
But before that, except for the encounter in the haunted house, they hadn’t had a chance to directly interact with a “frog” Who had revealed its identity.
Wen Jianyan quickly opened the interface and activated his ability.
【Flower of Delusion: Level 1】
“Prepare for battle.”
Wen Ya stared vigilantly at the nearby frog-like being and whispered in a low voice:
“My ability is still on cooldown, so I can only use props.”
“Same here…”
Lilith nodded, her expression serious. “I have a hidden attack-type prop in my backpack. Do you need it?”
“Good,” Wen Ya whispered, “Listen to my command later…”
Among the props in the system store, there were plenty of protective, control, and survival-related props. Of course, there were also some functional and guidance ones. However, there was not a single prop in the attack category.
The anchors could only exchange points for small knives, daggers, and other weapons in the daily necessities section, which were useless against ghosts but could be used for human-to-human combat.
Only the hidden items obtained from the instances could possibly have this attack attribute.
Overall, in the entire Nightmare, there were not many offensive type abilities and props—this setting indirectly confirmed the malicious slogan in the live streaming room from a certain perspective:
Entertainment to death, audience is God.
Most of the props could give the anchors a certain ability to resist and struggle, but they would not make them so powerful that they would no longer be afraid of any ghosts, so as to bring the highest level of stimulation and program effect.
“No.”
But before Wen Ya could do anything, she was interrupted by Wen Jianyan.
“We need to go quickly.”
The slightly hoarse voice of the young man carried a hint of unsettling seriousness, echoing in the narrow compartment, causing an instinctive tightening in one’s heart.
“Don’t confront it directly.”
Wen Jianyan’s expression turned solemn, his gaze falling on the few lines of translucent small characters:
【Frog (adult form): Pollutant Conductor
Pollution method: Rule implantation, visual observation】
Compared to the frog eggs, the adult form of the frog posed a much more formidable challenge!
Once the opponent’s method of attack was connected to the mechanism of mental pollution, it became extremely difficult to deal with. Any slight carelessness could lead to infection, and there was a high chance of ending up in the same situation as the previous Brother Fatty. In that case, even purification tools would be unable to save the person.
What was even more disgusting was that these pollution methods were really impossible to guard against.
The first concept was easy to understand. After all, in the haunted house at the Thriller Zone, they almost died because of the opponent’s fabricated rules. That was why the last rule of the amusement park was “Do not trust the frog.”
As for visual observation…
Wen Jianyan’s gaze swept across the ground and landed on the cat plush headgear that had fallen into the mucus.
The makeup and plush outerwear of the amusement park served as a barrier.
In other words, they had already been polluted from the moment the opponent appeared. It’s just that the extent of pollution might not be deep enough for symptoms to manifest.
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“Keep your distance and avoid direct eye contact!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice was firm and resolute:
“Don’t believe the rules it speaks, they’re fake! Don’t forget, don’t trust the frog!”
Wen Ya and Lilith hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance.
Judging from the other party’s appearance, he must have obtained some information that they were unaware of.
“Okay, we’ll follow your lead.”
They nodded decisively and followed him without looking back, running towards the exit of the first compartment.
However, just as they reached the boundary between the compartments, a piercing sound of air splitting reached their ears—
“Be careful!”
Wen Ya quickly turned her head, and her pupils shrink suddenly.
Prompted by her sharp and urgent reminder, everyone quickly dodged to the side.
In the blink of an eye, a crimson, rubbery tongue-like appendage, elongated like a rubber sheet, attacked from behind at an invisible speed! It forcefully adhered to the train door in front of them.
“Clack, clack—”
The train door was forcefully closed, making a “clang” sound.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
An ear-piercing, corrosive-like sound rang out.
A viscous liquid flowed down along the long tongue, slowly dripping onto the door handle and lock, melting the metal together.
The path to exit the compartment was blocked.
Damn it!
Seeing this situation, everyone couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
“Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
The frog-human took steps forward, and the translucent gelatinous liquid made a sticky sound under its feet. “You have violated the rules.”
“I’ll hold it back,” Wen Jianyan increased his pace and approached the train door in front of him. His gaze fell on the metal bearings of the door:
“You open the door.”
“Okay.” Wen Ya and Lilith nodded.
As they activated the barrier item, Wen Jianyan’s gaze quickly scanned the locked train door in front of him, making a rapid judgment in his mind:
It should take at most one or two minutes to handle it.
“Clang, clang…”
The train compartment shook rhythmically, and the sound of the wheels colliding with the tracks echoed in their ears.
Just as Wen Jianyan skillfully and swiftly removed the door axle, he suddenly realized that something seemed off.
It seemed… the lighting inside the train had become much dimmer than before?
Wen Jianyan suddenly realized what was happening.
His pupils contracted, and he quickly turned his head to look out of the train window.
Not far away, the gradually approaching pitch-black tunnel, with its wide-open mouth, was rapidly closing in on them. They were about to be swallowed by it in an instant.
“Oh no! The tunnel!”
“Rumble…”
The train screeched as it entered the tunnel, and the next moment, viscous and heavy darkness engulfed everything.
The scratching sound of the “zombies” resounded from outside the train once again.
Damn it, this is too fast!
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth. “Forget about the door!”
Although it wasn’t impossible to continue working using lighting tools, the main issue now was that at this point in time, whether they opened the train door or not was meaningless.
After leaving the third tunnel, they would reach the crucial point mentioned in the staff rules.
They had to activate switch [1] inside the train conductor’s cabin in order to bring the train back to the starting point. If they escaped from the first compartment, their initial goal would not be achieved.
In that case, they had to take some risks.
The darkness before them was somewhat advantageous, as it effectively cut off one of the opponent’s pollution methods—visual observation.
“Lilith, what is your attack prop?” Wen Jianyan made a decisive decision and raised his voice. “Does it have any activation conditions?”
The only attack prop he had was the toy gun he obtained from Fukang Hospital. In this low visibility and poorly illuminated environment, it was almost useless. So he could only rely on the attack prop in Lilith’s possession.
“There are no activation conditions! It’s a knife!”
Lilith replied loudly.
She activated her barrier and smashed an illumination flare on the ground. Using the light as a guide, she raised her gun and shot the forehead of a zombie charging towards her.
She was slightly startled.
In the brief moment when the light flashed, she saw the pale and sticky frog-human appearing behind the “zombie,” its swollen bulging eyes staring at her intently. Its mouth opened and closed, resembling a dehydrated fish. “Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
“You have violated the rules.”
For some reason, Lilith felt a bit dizzy and disoriented.
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However, the sound of wind behind her resounded once again, and she had to resort to the same tactic again—
The light from the illumination grenade exploded in the train compartment, momentarily dispersing a small area of darkness.
Involuntarily, she took two steps back, her back seemingly touching something soft and slippery.
“Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
The voice sounded as if it was right next to her ear.
Lilith was startled and jumped up suddenly!
“You have violated the rules.”
The rigid and robotic voice of the frog-like creature echoed in the darkness. Its voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to locate the source.
“No, no, I didn’t. Shut up!”
Even though Lilith covered her ears, the voice of the other party still reached her without any barrier:
“You have violated the rules.”
The voice was dull and robotic, like a stuck tape recording, repeatedly echoing in her ears: “Violation, violation, vio-vio-vio-violation…”
A strong sense of dizziness instantly struck her, and the ground, the ceiling, everything seemed to be spinning.
The world had turned upside down, everything was reversed, everything was moving away; everything was fleeing.
This feeling… was just too familiar.
Lilith, somewhat dazed, slowly lowered her hand.
She remembered…
The last time she felt this way was on the roller coaster.
The whole world was crumbling, spinning, and screaming. Her brain felt like it was gradually being corroded and melted, turning into flowing sludge, as if trapped in an endless freefall.
“Lilith? Lilith?”
Wen Jianyan realized something was wrong and raised his voice.
“…so thirsty.”
Lilith’s voice seemed to come from a distant place.
She answered in a tangential manner, her voice sounding particularly distant: “…Is there any water?”
“What?”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback.
Thirsty?
A strong sense of unease rose from the depths of his heart.
But the next moment, more zombies swarmed from all directions. Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth and quickly activated his barrier, forcing himself back into the midst of the battle.
Wen Ya’s anxious voice sounded from the darkness not far away:
“Lilith! Where are you? Are you polluted?! Answer me quickly—”
“Clang!”
A clear sound of metal collision rang out.
In the darkness, it seemed like something hard had fallen to the ground.
Wen Jianyan was startled.
“Rumble!” The train roared and raced forward, sharp whistling sounds filling the air as cold wind rushed in. A faint white light appeared ahead.
Surprisingly, the length of the third tunnel was much shorter than the second, almost comparable to the first.
Soon, the light ahead of the train expanded more and more—
Bright white light enveloped the entire train, just like the previous two times, and once again, all the zombies disappeared.
Wen Ya was taken aback.
She abruptly turned her head and looked in the direction where Lilith had been.
Lilith stood in the center of the train car.
Under her feet was a viscous, slippery mucus. She had no barrier covering her body and stood unobstructed in the contaminated area. From head to toe, she was covered in a layer of slime.
She trembled all over, her delicate body resembling a trembling leaf. Her face was pale, devoid of any color, as if all the blood had been drained from her body.
Her pupils were slightly dilated, her soft hands hung in the air, still in the posture of holding something, while her pale and moist fingertips trembled slightly.
The gazes of Wen Jianyan and Wen Ya slowly lowered.
On the ground, amidst the sticky mucus, lies a soft and plush cat costume.
The cat costume, soaked in slime, was empty. There was nothing inside.
The previously pale and damp frog-like creature had disappeared without a trace. Deep within the plush costume, there lay a dagger dampened by the mucus.
Under the gaze, the dagger slowly dissipated into points of light, disappearing.
After using the prop, it would be like this.
Lilith slowly, bit by bit, lifted her head.
“I….”
Her voice trembled slightly, almost devoid of its original tone, “I know, I have been polluted.”
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Lilith rambled:
“I know, I have been polluted once before, I remember, so I know… I have been polluted.”
She looked at the two people in front of her with those bewildered eyes. “So, I’m going to die.”
“Since I’m going to die…”
Lilith still maintained that stiff posture—the posture of thrusting the attacking prop into the frog’s body. A shallow layer of tears shimmered in her beautiful eyes as she trembled and said, “It’s fine if I can protect you once.”
She was a beauty anchor.
Beautiful, charming, and harmless.
In each previous instance, she had always been protected, with other anchors taking care of clearing the game and solving puzzles, while she only needed to attract popularity and ensure a steady supply of points for the team.
Lilith watched as her protectors went to their deaths one by one.
She was afraid of death.
In real life, she was just a recent college graduate, with only a few years of experience under her belt.
She knew that she didn’t possess a particularly sharp mind, extraordinary physical abilities, or strong psychological resilience. The only value she had was her overly beautiful face.
She watched her companions sacrifice themselves, one after another.
At first, she felt guilt, but later on, she slowly became accustomed… or perhaps numb.
Lilith had never imagined that one day she would willingly take on the responsibility of being a protector.
…It wasn’t like her at all.
She lowered her head and stared blankly at her palm.
This wasn’t like her.
“…”
At that moment, the train compartment fell into a deathly silence.
Wen Ya’s face turned pale. “Lili, don’t say that. Quickly activate the barrier, let’s leave from there. You might not actually be polluted. Hurry, while there’s still time—”
She took a step forward.
“Don’t come closer.”
Lilith’s voice seemed to be squeezed out from her throat, strained and difficult. “Don’t… come… closer.”
Her voice had changed.
—dull, stiff, and lifeless.
Her skin underwent visible changes at a rapid pace, swelling as if soaked in water. It gradually turned pale and sticky. Her gaze also became increasingly dazed, and web-like membranes grew between her slender, pale fingers.
“I am…”
Wen Jianyan quickly grabbed Wen Ya, who was about to rush forward. His voice was dry and suppressed.
“…Stay calm.”
“I am…”
As if being controlled by an invisible force, Lilith slowly bent down and picked up the plush costume from the ground. She inserted her legs into it.
The sticky liquid dripped and trickled down, gradually covering her body with the soaked plush costume.
“I am…”
As she moved, she murmured to herself.
Translucent slime started seeping from Lilith’s skin.
She bent down, slowly feeling her way on the ground, searching for something. Eventually, she picked up the cat headpiece and gently placed it on her own head.
Once fully dressed in the complete outfit, she settled down on the chair, motionless.
Just like a real, oversized plush toy.
“Lili…”
Wen Ya’s voice trembled as she bit her lip, cautiously calling out with a quivering voice:
“Lili!”
Lilith, wearing the cat costume, lifted her head and looked at Wen Ya. With a stuttering voice, she said:
“Welcome, esteemed guests… to the Fantasy Amusement Park… I am…”
Her speech gradually became more normal.
Through the thick headpiece, a cheerful tone identical to that of all the staff could be heard: “I am your train conductor. May I assist you with anything?”
“…”
Wen Ya stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
“Clack, clack…”
The train’s engine made noises of excessive load, and the train roared. The scenery outside the window gradually slowed down, eventually becoming clear.
Wen Jianyan walked out of the conductor’s cabin.
Wen Ya blinked, as if awakening from a dream.
She turned her head to look at Wen Jianyan, then glanced at the gradually slowing scenery outside. After being in a daze for a few seconds, she finally realized—
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When she was lost in thought just now, the other person entered the conductor’s cabin and flipped the switch [1], which caused the train to gradually decelerate.
“Woo-woo-woo—”
The steam whistle sounded, followed by the ringing of the bell, indicating that the train was about to arrive at the station.
The “Crazy Little Train” ride was over.
As the train slowly came to a stop, Lilith, who had been motionless in her seat the entire time, wearing the cat costume, stood up and took steps forward.
“Wait!”
Wen Ya was startled and subconsciously quickened her pace, trying to catch up with her.
“May I assist you with anything?”
The staff member in the cat suit turned her head, speaking in a monotonous tone: “Dear passengers, this project has come to an end. Please disembark as soon as possible. I will begin the headcount.”
“…”
Wen Ya clenched her teeth and shook her head slowly, bit by bit. “No, thank you.”
***
Yun Bilan and Elise got off the train.
After entering the third tunnel, they immediately headed toward the conductor’s room. However, the third tunnel turned out to be even shorter than they had imagined. Before they could struggle through the zombie attack, the train left the tunnel and quickly departed.
They knew that the reason the train stopped must have been because Wen Ya and the others had flipped the switch.
After all, only they knew how to make the train stop.
Due to the successful completion of the ride by previous participants, the “Crazy Little Train” ride no longer accepts new guests.
The remaining anchors on the train began to disembark one by one.
However, for some reason, Yun Bilan and Elise waited and waited, but they didn’t see Wen Ya and Lilith.
Just as they were filled with doubts, they spotted two familiar figures not far away.
It turned out to be Wen Ya and…
Yun Bilan’s gaze fell on Wen Jianyan, and she blinked in surprise. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes. “You’re still alive?”
“I knew it, you wouldn’t die so easily!”
She chuckled and patted his shoulder, then looked around. “Where’s Lilith?”
Wen Ya shook her head expressionlessly.
“…”
Yun Bilan was taken aback.
No one understood better than these experienced players what that gesture meant.
In that moment, the air seemed to freeze, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Finally, Wen Ya broke the silence with a calm tone and asked, “Where do we go next?”
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan was startled:
“Oh, right. Before I disappeared, I gave you the cat plush toy, didn’t I?”
“Well…” Yun Bilan was taken aback and cautiously glanced at Wen Ya’s expression before saying, “It’s with… Lilith.”
They knew that Wen Jianyan initially chose this ride because Lilith wasn’t in a good state, and having the plush toy would significantly increase their chances of survival.
So they let Lilith carry the plush toy.
But unexpectedly…
Wen Jianyan seemed to suddenly remember something.
He abruptly pulled out the invoice from his pocket, quickly scanning the long paper and reading its contents at lightning speed.
Because the instructions for using the gift only appeared after the gift was activated, he didn’t know what purpose the gift served even though he entered the cat plush doll project.
The young man’s gloomy face gradually brightened.
“What’s next?”
A few seconds later, Wen Jianyan lifted his gaze, his amber eyes sparkling. He looked at Wen Ya, who had just asked the question, and smiled mysteriously. “How about saving someone?”
What?
The group was startled, struggling to comprehend what Wen Jianyan meant. They stared at him in a daze.
Wen Ya blinked in disbelief. “What… do you mean?”
Wen Jianyan smiled and replied, “What I mean is that Lilith can still be saved.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the crowd nearby as if searching for something.
Soon, Wen Jianyan’s gaze landed on a familiar head.
Among the crowd, that mop of Blond hair stood out.
The smile on the young man’s lips slowly widened.
“However, we may need the help of an old friend.”
The author has something to say:
Blondie1: ?!
(Suddenly alert)
Chapter 102: Lilith
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At the moment when Wen Jianyan’s voice fell, the bulging bumps on the corpse suddenly burst open from the inside, and countless sticky fluids gushed out.
Like a deflated balloon, the skin of the corpse sagged down.
A strange figure was wrapped in the sticky skin, and under the influence of the mucus, the layer of human skin, like soaked paper, peeled off easily.
Plop. Plop.
The skin fragments were peeled off and fell to the ground in bits and pieces.
Soon, a new “person” appeared in the original spot.
Its whole body was pale and sticky, with long limbs and torso, without any gender characteristics. The facial features were present but looked stiff and rigid, and its swollen eyeballs were bulging out.
Its eyeballs rolled and slowly landed on the few human figures not far away.
“Welcome, dear visitors… to the Fantasy Amusement Park…”
Its voice was stuttering and robotic, sounding unskilled, like a baby learning to speak or a robot with specific commands: “However… visitors are not allowed to glimpse the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
In just a few seconds, its speech ability became more and more proficient.
It sounded more and more human-like.
“You have violated the rules.”
It said.
Upon hearing the word “violation,” both Wen Ya and Lilith’s breaths involuntarily stopped.
No one knew better than them the terrifying consequences of violating the rules in this instance, consequences that were completely unbearable.
“……”
Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes slowly.
He had a good memory, and he could recite almost all the rules he had encountered, whether they were related to the tickets or the park itself.
He didn’t recall having this in any of the rules he’d seen.
However, Wen Jianyan quickly realized that this was a rare opportunity.
Clearly, the “frog” was a key element in this instance. To understand what this instance was all about, they needed to figure out what the frogs really were.
But before that, except for the encounter in the haunted house, they hadn’t had a chance to directly interact with a “frog” Who had revealed its identity.
Wen Jianyan quickly opened the interface and activated his ability.
【Flower of Delusion: Level 1】
“Prepare for battle.”
Wen Ya stared vigilantly at the nearby frog-like being and whispered in a low voice:
“My ability is still on cooldown, so I can only use props.”
“Same here…”
Lilith nodded, her expression serious. “I have a hidden attack-type prop in my backpack. Do you need it?”
“Good,” Wen Ya whispered, “Listen to my command later…”
Among the props in the system store, there were plenty of protective, control, and survival-related props. Of course, there were also some functional and guidance ones. However, there was not a single prop in the attack category.
The anchors could only exchange points for small knives, daggers, and other weapons in the daily necessities section, which were useless against ghosts but could be used for human-to-human combat.
Only the hidden items obtained from the instances could possibly have this attack attribute.
Overall, in the entire Nightmare, there were not many offensive type abilities and props—this setting indirectly confirmed the malicious slogan in the live streaming room from a certain perspective:
Entertainment to death, audience is God.
Most of the props could give the anchors a certain ability to resist and struggle, but they would not make them so powerful that they would no longer be afraid of any ghosts, so as to bring the highest level of stimulation and program effect.
“No.”
But before Wen Ya could do anything, she was interrupted by Wen Jianyan.
“We need to go quickly.”
The slightly hoarse voice of the young man carried a hint of unsettling seriousness, echoing in the narrow compartment, causing an instinctive tightening in one’s heart.
“Don’t confront it directly.”
Wen Jianyan’s expression turned solemn, his gaze falling on the few lines of translucent small characters:
【Frog (adult form): Pollutant Conductor
Pollution method: Rule implantation, visual observation】
Compared to the frog eggs, the adult form of the frog posed a much more formidable challenge!
Once the opponent’s method of attack was connected to the mechanism of mental pollution, it became extremely difficult to deal with. Any slight carelessness could lead to infection, and there was a high chance of ending up in the same situation as the previous Brother Fatty. In that case, even purification tools would be unable to save the person.
What was even more disgusting was that these pollution methods were really impossible to guard against.
The first concept was easy to understand. After all, in the haunted house at the Thriller Zone, they almost died because of the opponent’s fabricated rules. That was why the last rule of the amusement park was “Do not trust the frog.”
As for visual observation…
Wen Jianyan’s gaze swept across the ground and landed on the cat plush headgear that had fallen into the mucus.
The makeup and plush outerwear of the amusement park served as a barrier.
In other words, they had already been polluted from the moment the opponent appeared. It’s just that the extent of pollution might not be deep enough for symptoms to manifest.
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“Keep your distance and avoid direct eye contact!”
Wen Jianyan’s voice was firm and resolute:
“Don’t believe the rules it speaks, they’re fake! Don’t forget, don’t trust the frog!”
Wen Ya and Lilith hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance.
Judging from the other party’s appearance, he must have obtained some information that they were unaware of.
“Okay, we’ll follow your lead.”
They nodded decisively and followed him without looking back, running towards the exit of the first compartment.
However, just as they reached the boundary between the compartments, a piercing sound of air splitting reached their ears—
“Be careful!”
Wen Ya quickly turned her head, and her pupils shrink suddenly.
Prompted by her sharp and urgent reminder, everyone quickly dodged to the side.
In the blink of an eye, a crimson, rubbery tongue-like appendage, elongated like a rubber sheet, attacked from behind at an invisible speed! It forcefully adhered to the train door in front of them.
“Clack, clack—”
The train door was forcefully closed, making a “clang” sound.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
An ear-piercing, corrosive-like sound rang out.
A viscous liquid flowed down along the long tongue, slowly dripping onto the door handle and lock, melting the metal together.
The path to exit the compartment was blocked.
Damn it!
Seeing this situation, everyone couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
“Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
The frog-human took steps forward, and the translucent gelatinous liquid made a sticky sound under its feet. “You have violated the rules.”
“I’ll hold it back,” Wen Jianyan increased his pace and approached the train door in front of him. His gaze fell on the metal bearings of the door:
“You open the door.”
“Okay.” Wen Ya and Lilith nodded.
As they activated the barrier item, Wen Jianyan’s gaze quickly scanned the locked train door in front of him, making a rapid judgment in his mind:
It should take at most one or two minutes to handle it.
“Clang, clang…”
The train compartment shook rhythmically, and the sound of the wheels colliding with the tracks echoed in their ears.
Just as Wen Jianyan skillfully and swiftly removed the door axle, he suddenly realized that something seemed off.
It seemed… the lighting inside the train had become much dimmer than before?
Wen Jianyan suddenly realized what was happening.
His pupils contracted, and he quickly turned his head to look out of the train window.
Not far away, the gradually approaching pitch-black tunnel, with its wide-open mouth, was rapidly closing in on them. They were about to be swallowed by it in an instant.
“Oh no! The tunnel!”
“Rumble…”
The train screeched as it entered the tunnel, and the next moment, viscous and heavy darkness engulfed everything.
The scratching sound of the “zombies” resounded from outside the train once again.
Damn it, this is too fast!
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth. “Forget about the door!”
Although it wasn’t impossible to continue working using lighting tools, the main issue now was that at this point in time, whether they opened the train door or not was meaningless.
After leaving the third tunnel, they would reach the crucial point mentioned in the staff rules.
They had to activate switch [1] inside the train conductor’s cabin in order to bring the train back to the starting point. If they escaped from the first compartment, their initial goal would not be achieved.
In that case, they had to take some risks.
The darkness before them was somewhat advantageous, as it effectively cut off one of the opponent’s pollution methods—visual observation.
“Lilith, what is your attack prop?” Wen Jianyan made a decisive decision and raised his voice. “Does it have any activation conditions?”
The only attack prop he had was the toy gun he obtained from Fukang Hospital. In this low visibility and poorly illuminated environment, it was almost useless. So he could only rely on the attack prop in Lilith’s possession.
“There are no activation conditions! It’s a knife!”
Lilith replied loudly.
She activated her barrier and smashed an illumination flare on the ground. Using the light as a guide, she raised her gun and shot the forehead of a zombie charging towards her.
She was slightly startled.
In the brief moment when the light flashed, she saw the pale and sticky frog-human appearing behind the “zombie,” its swollen bulging eyes staring at her intently. Its mouth opened and closed, resembling a dehydrated fish. “Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
“You have violated the rules.”
For some reason, Lilith felt a bit dizzy and disoriented.
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However, the sound of wind behind her resounded once again, and she had to resort to the same tactic again—
The light from the illumination grenade exploded in the train compartment, momentarily dispersing a small area of darkness.
Involuntarily, she took two steps back, her back seemingly touching something soft and slippery.
“Visitors are not allowed to peek at the staff beneath their costumes and makeup.”
The voice sounded as if it was right next to her ear.
Lilith was startled and jumped up suddenly!
“You have violated the rules.”
The rigid and robotic voice of the frog-like creature echoed in the darkness. Its voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to locate the source.
“No, no, I didn’t. Shut up!”
Even though Lilith covered her ears, the voice of the other party still reached her without any barrier:
“You have violated the rules.”
The voice was dull and robotic, like a stuck tape recording, repeatedly echoing in her ears: “Violation, violation, vio-vio-vio-violation…”
A strong sense of dizziness instantly struck her, and the ground, the ceiling, everything seemed to be spinning.
The world had turned upside down, everything was reversed, everything was moving away; everything was fleeing.
This feeling… was just too familiar.
Lilith, somewhat dazed, slowly lowered her hand.
She remembered…
The last time she felt this way was on the roller coaster.
The whole world was crumbling, spinning, and screaming. Her brain felt like it was gradually being corroded and melted, turning into flowing sludge, as if trapped in an endless freefall.
“Lilith? Lilith?”
Wen Jianyan realized something was wrong and raised his voice.
“…so thirsty.”
Lilith’s voice seemed to come from a distant place.
She answered in a tangential manner, her voice sounding particularly distant: “…Is there any water?”
“What?”
Wen Jianyan was taken aback.
Thirsty?
A strong sense of unease rose from the depths of his heart.
But the next moment, more zombies swarmed from all directions. Wen Jianyan clenched his teeth and quickly activated his barrier, forcing himself back into the midst of the battle.
Wen Ya’s anxious voice sounded from the darkness not far away:
“Lilith! Where are you? Are you polluted?! Answer me quickly—”
“Clang!”
A clear sound of metal collision rang out.
In the darkness, it seemed like something hard had fallen to the ground.
Wen Jianyan was startled.
“Rumble!” The train roared and raced forward, sharp whistling sounds filling the air as cold wind rushed in. A faint white light appeared ahead.
Surprisingly, the length of the third tunnel was much shorter than the second, almost comparable to the first.
Soon, the light ahead of the train expanded more and more—
Bright white light enveloped the entire train, just like the previous two times, and once again, all the zombies disappeared.
Wen Ya was taken aback.
She abruptly turned her head and looked in the direction where Lilith had been.
Lilith stood in the center of the train car.
Under her feet was a viscous, slippery mucus. She had no barrier covering her body and stood unobstructed in the contaminated area. From head to toe, she was covered in a layer of slime.
She trembled all over, her delicate body resembling a trembling leaf. Her face was pale, devoid of any color, as if all the blood had been drained from her body.
Her pupils were slightly dilated, her soft hands hung in the air, still in the posture of holding something, while her pale and moist fingertips trembled slightly.
The gazes of Wen Jianyan and Wen Ya slowly lowered.
On the ground, amidst the sticky mucus, lies a soft and plush cat costume.
The cat costume, soaked in slime, was empty. There was nothing inside.
The previously pale and damp frog-like creature had disappeared without a trace. Deep within the plush costume, there lay a dagger dampened by the mucus.
Under the gaze, the dagger slowly dissipated into points of light, disappearing.
After using the prop, it would be like this.
Lilith slowly, bit by bit, lifted her head.
“I….”
Her voice trembled slightly, almost devoid of its original tone, “I know, I have been polluted.”
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Lilith rambled:
“I know, I have been polluted once before, I remember, so I know… I have been polluted.”
She looked at the two people in front of her with those bewildered eyes. “So, I’m going to die.”
“Since I’m going to die…”
Lilith still maintained that stiff posture—the posture of thrusting the attacking prop into the frog’s body. A shallow layer of tears shimmered in her beautiful eyes as she trembled and said, “It’s fine if I can protect you once.”
She was a beauty anchor.
Beautiful, charming, and harmless.
In each previous instance, she had always been protected, with other anchors taking care of clearing the game and solving puzzles, while she only needed to attract popularity and ensure a steady supply of points for the team.
Lilith watched as her protectors went to their deaths one by one.
She was afraid of death.
In real life, she was just a recent college graduate, with only a few years of experience under her belt.
She knew that she didn’t possess a particularly sharp mind, extraordinary physical abilities, or strong psychological resilience. The only value she had was her overly beautiful face.
She watched her companions sacrifice themselves, one after another.
At first, she felt guilt, but later on, she slowly became accustomed… or perhaps numb.
Lilith had never imagined that one day she would willingly take on the responsibility of being a protector.
…It wasn’t like her at all.
She lowered her head and stared blankly at her palm.
This wasn’t like her.
“…”
At that moment, the train compartment fell into a deathly silence.
Wen Ya’s face turned pale. “Lili, don’t say that. Quickly activate the barrier, let’s leave from there. You might not actually be polluted. Hurry, while there’s still time—”
She took a step forward.
“Don’t come closer.”
Lilith’s voice seemed to be squeezed out from her throat, strained and difficult. “Don’t… come… closer.”
Her voice had changed.
—dull, stiff, and lifeless.
Her skin underwent visible changes at a rapid pace, swelling as if soaked in water. It gradually turned pale and sticky. Her gaze also became increasingly dazed, and web-like membranes grew between her slender, pale fingers.
“I am…”
Wen Jianyan quickly grabbed Wen Ya, who was about to rush forward. His voice was dry and suppressed.
“…Stay calm.”
“I am…”
As if being controlled by an invisible force, Lilith slowly bent down and picked up the plush costume from the ground. She inserted her legs into it.
The sticky liquid dripped and trickled down, gradually covering her body with the soaked plush costume.
“I am…”
As she moved, she murmured to herself.
Translucent slime started seeping from Lilith’s skin.
She bent down, slowly feeling her way on the ground, searching for something. Eventually, she picked up the cat headpiece and gently placed it on her own head.
Once fully dressed in the complete outfit, she settled down on the chair, motionless.
Just like a real, oversized plush toy.
“Lili…”
Wen Ya’s voice trembled as she bit her lip, cautiously calling out with a quivering voice:
“Lili!”
Lilith, wearing the cat costume, lifted her head and looked at Wen Ya. With a stuttering voice, she said:
“Welcome, esteemed guests… to the Fantasy Amusement Park… I am…”
Her speech gradually became more normal.
Through the thick headpiece, a cheerful tone identical to that of all the staff could be heard: “I am your train conductor. May I assist you with anything?”
“…”
Wen Ya stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
“Clack, clack…”
The train’s engine made noises of excessive load, and the train roared. The scenery outside the window gradually slowed down, eventually becoming clear.
Wen Jianyan walked out of the conductor’s cabin.
Wen Ya blinked, as if awakening from a dream.
She turned her head to look at Wen Jianyan, then glanced at the gradually slowing scenery outside. After being in a daze for a few seconds, she finally realized—
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When she was lost in thought just now, the other person entered the conductor’s cabin and flipped the switch [1], which caused the train to gradually decelerate.
“Woo-woo-woo—”
The steam whistle sounded, followed by the ringing of the bell, indicating that the train was about to arrive at the station.
The “Crazy Little Train” ride was over.
As the train slowly came to a stop, Lilith, who had been motionless in her seat the entire time, wearing the cat costume, stood up and took steps forward.
“Wait!”
Wen Ya was startled and subconsciously quickened her pace, trying to catch up with her.
“May I assist you with anything?”
The staff member in the cat suit turned her head, speaking in a monotonous tone: “Dear passengers, this project has come to an end. Please disembark as soon as possible. I will begin the headcount.”
“…”
Wen Ya clenched her teeth and shook her head slowly, bit by bit. “No, thank you.”
***
Yun Bilan and Elise got off the train.
After entering the third tunnel, they immediately headed toward the conductor’s room. However, the third tunnel turned out to be even shorter than they had imagined. Before they could struggle through the zombie attack, the train left the tunnel and quickly departed.
They knew that the reason the train stopped must have been because Wen Ya and the others had flipped the switch.
After all, only they knew how to make the train stop.
Due to the successful completion of the ride by previous participants, the “Crazy Little Train” ride no longer accepts new guests.
The remaining anchors on the train began to disembark one by one.
However, for some reason, Yun Bilan and Elise waited and waited, but they didn’t see Wen Ya and Lilith.
Just as they were filled with doubts, they spotted two familiar figures not far away.
It turned out to be Wen Ya and…
Yun Bilan’s gaze fell on Wen Jianyan, and she blinked in surprise. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes. “You’re still alive?”
“I knew it, you wouldn’t die so easily!”
She chuckled and patted his shoulder, then looked around. “Where’s Lilith?”
Wen Ya shook her head expressionlessly.
“…”
Yun Bilan was taken aback.
No one understood better than these experienced players what that gesture meant.
In that moment, the air seemed to freeze, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Finally, Wen Ya broke the silence with a calm tone and asked, “Where do we go next?”
Suddenly, Wen Jianyan was startled:
“Oh, right. Before I disappeared, I gave you the cat plush toy, didn’t I?”
“Well…” Yun Bilan was taken aback and cautiously glanced at Wen Ya’s expression before saying, “It’s with… Lilith.”
They knew that Wen Jianyan initially chose this ride because Lilith wasn’t in a good state, and having the plush toy would significantly increase their chances of survival.
So they let Lilith carry the plush toy.
But unexpectedly…
Wen Jianyan seemed to suddenly remember something.
He abruptly pulled out the invoice from his pocket, quickly scanning the long paper and reading its contents at lightning speed.
Because the instructions for using the gift only appeared after the gift was activated, he didn’t know what purpose the gift served even though he entered the cat plush doll project.
The young man’s gloomy face gradually brightened.
“What’s next?”
A few seconds later, Wen Jianyan lifted his gaze, his amber eyes sparkling. He looked at Wen Ya, who had just asked the question, and smiled mysteriously. “How about saving someone?”
What?
The group was startled, struggling to comprehend what Wen Jianyan meant. They stared at him in a daze.
Wen Ya blinked in disbelief. “What… do you mean?”
Wen Jianyan smiled and replied, “What I mean is that Lilith can still be saved.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the crowd nearby as if searching for something.
Soon, Wen Jianyan’s gaze landed on a familiar head.
Among the crowd, that mop of Blond hair stood out.
The smile on the young man’s lips slowly widened.
“However, we may need the help of an old friend.”
The author has something to say:
Blondie1: ?!
(Suddenly alert)
