WTNL Chapter 78

Fantasy Amusement Park
Chapter 78: Yes, these mechanisms are very childish

After a brief discussion, the group finally walked towards the haunted house.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[Good heavens! They actually decided to go to the haunted house in the end!]

[Too brave, I can only say they are too brave!]

[I’ve watched this Fantasy Amusement Park instance so many times, and this is the first time I’ve seen streamers who dare to play the haunted house as their very first attraction. They are really ruthless and unconventional.]

[Ah? Question for those who know: is the haunted house very difficult?]

[The person above obviously hasn’t watched the Fantasy Amusement Park before, right? Actually, this instance really isn’t about whether it’s difficult or not; the death rate isn’t high because it’s super hard or brain-burning.]

[The haunted house is a relatively typical attraction in the entire park. Anyway, you’ll understand as you keep watching.]

“Welcome everyone to the Fantasy Amusement Park to experience our themed haunted house!”

A green-haired clown skipped over: “Tickets cost 10 prize tickets!”

The streamers took out two prize tickets with a face value of 5 from their pockets and handed them over. The clown took the prize tickets and pulled out the admission tickets from his baggy trouser pockets:

“Before entering the haunted house, remember to carefully read the rules on the back of the ticket!”

A streamer in the team who introduced himself as Brother Pang frowned and muttered in a low voice: “…Rules again.”

Ever since entering this Fantasy Amusement Park instance, they had seen too many rules. There were amusement park rules on the back of the map, park rules posted outside each zone, and now there were even rules for playing attractions inside the zones. Moreover, most of these rules were ambiguous and confusing to read. Not only did they not dare to believe them, but they also didn’t dare to completely trust them, which even had an adverse effect on their instance clearance.

Although they said so, the streamers obediently flipped their tickets to the back, pulling themselves together to prepare to read yet another lengthy, meaningless set of rules.

However, after turning the tickets over, everyone froze.

It was blank.

That’s right, the back of the ticket was completely blank, without a single word.

…What was going on here?

Even though they were truly sick of reading those complex rules, they were at least some kind of guidance. When they were about to enter an unfamiliar area but were completely unable to obtain any relevant information, this feeling was even more terrifying than having to read a long list of rules.

It was like a person who couldn’t swim being thrown into an unknown sea.

The group exchanged uncertain and alarmed glances. Yun Bilan looked at the clown in front of her and asked tentatively, “Um… could you please repeat the contents of the rules for us?”

It would be unwise to reveal that they couldn’t see the rules, so she could only ask in this roundabout way.

“Of course, of course!”

The clown didn’t seem to notice anything wrong at all.

It shook its head and said with a grin, “It’s actually very simple. First, you must clear the attraction within 45 minutes. Second, if you encounter any strange incidents, you can contact the staff through the emergency buttons set up everywhere in the haunted house. Third, do not damage the equipment in the haunted house; otherwise, we will require you to pay compensation!”

Everyone was stunned.

The rules of this haunted house were actually this ordinary?

It was almost no different from the real world.

Yun Bilan persisted and asked, “Then may I ask, what is the theme of this themed haunted house?”

“You’ll know once you go in and take a look.”

The clown winked, pretending to be mysterious.

It pointed towards the “Entrance” not far away: “You can go in once you are ready. I hope you will have a thrilling and wonderful experience!”

After saying that, it sat back down in its seat, shaking its head to the music playing in the park.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the back of the haunted house ticket in his hand.

On the snow-white cardstock, blood-red words were printed:

[Haunted House Rules]

1. Please make sure to stay inside the haunted house for a full forty-five minutes before leaving.

2. The emergency buttons installed in the haunted house are no longer functional; please do not touch them randomly.
3. This attraction operates on an unmanned ticketing system; please do not trust any staff member who tries to peddle tickets to you.

Wen Jianyan felt his palms grow sweaty. Gusts of cold wind blew down his neck, making his hair stand on end. His feet felt as though they were standing on the edge of a cliff, giving him the illusion of plummeting downwards.

Unlike the other streamers, he had been able to see this passage from the very beginning.

The glaring scarlet words were completely impossible to ignore. Wen Jianyan used his peripheral vision to glance at the tickets in the other streamers’ hands. The exact same words were printed on the backs of their tickets as well.

While the other streamers were looking around, Wen Jianyan had never concealed the ticket in his own hand. However, they still acted as if they hadn’t seen anything, their gazes sweeping right past the back of the ticket in his hand.

After listening to the conversation between Yun Bilan and the clown just now, Wen Jianyan confirmed one thing.

—For some unknown reason, he was the only one who could see this text.

Exposing this matter would be unwise.

After all, he still wasn’t sure where the problem lay, or who the problem was with.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes to look at the ticket in his hand, secretly ground his back teeth, and then stuffed it back into his pocket.

He could only take it one step at a time.

The group walked in along the narrow passageway at the entrance of the haunted house.

The lighting inside the haunted house was dim, and the air was filled with a subtle, cold, and damp scent. Black velvet cloth hung on both sides of the passage, and underfoot was an unsteady wooden structure that let out creaking sounds with their footsteps.

Soon, after passing through this narrow corridor, the view in front of them suddenly opened up.

A three-story western-style house appeared in front of everyone.

The curtains were tightly drawn behind the dusty, grey windows, making it impossible to see what was inside. The rotting front door was wide open, revealing a pitch-black interior.

A sign stood at the entrance of the house, and the same terrifying font as the signboard outside could faintly be seen on it.

Yun Bilan turned on the flashlight function on her phone, illuminated the words on the sign, and read them aloud in a low voice:

“Welcome everyone to the House of Horrors.

Twenty years ago, this place was the home of a twisted serial killer. He would drag his prey back here and turn them into dolls to accompany him forever. Although he has died, to this day, people still hear crying and footsteps coming from inside the house. It is said that his soul still wanders here.”

“This haunted house has a total of three check-in points: the attic, the second-floor dollhouse, and the basement slaughterhouse. After completing the check-ins, you will obtain the exit key located in the basement.”

“Rather than a haunted house, this place is more like an escape room,” a female streamer in the group named Elise said thoughtfully. “Something like an escape room.”

Yun Bilan nodded: “Indeed, but that’s not the main point. The main point is how to complete the attraction within forty-five minutes.”

She turned her head to look at the other streamers behind her and said, “Why don’t we split up to check in at the attic and the second floor? After we’re done, we can meet up in the hall, and then we will go to the basement together.”

After all, the exit was in the basement, and the slaughterhouse sounded excessively dangerous, so it was better to deal with the other two check-in locations first before finally heading to the third check-in point together.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yun Bilan looked at Wen Jianyan: “What about you? How about you move with me?”

Wen Jianyan nodded: “Sure.”

Wen Jianyan, Yun Bilan, and Brother Pang headed to the second-floor dollhouse together, while the remaining two went to check in at the attic.

After completing the task assignments, the group walked towards the house.

The lighting inside the house was extremely dim, and a bizarre, damp smell filled the air. The wooden floors creaked underfoot, and all the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust and spiderwebs.

The moment everyone stepped into the house, an eerie, strange laugh sounded from above their heads:

“Hee hee hee hee hee!”

The streamers instantly tensed up and subconsciously assumed a defensive posture. The light from their flashlights quickly swept towards the source of the sound.

Under the illumination of the lights, a roughly made doll continuously let out weird “hee hee hee” laughs and was then retracted by an open mechanism on the wall.

The house once again fell into dead silence.

“What the…” Elise breathed a sigh of relief.

Yun Bilan: “This is a haunted house, after all. It’s better for everyone to be on guard against this kind of thing, but don’t be too on guard, lest you waste your items and talents.”

Brother Pang laughed heartily: “Sigh, do you even need to say that? After all, everyone has cleared instances more than once. This kind of mechanism is just too childish.”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

He slowly shifted his gaze. Although his expression still looked very calm, his face was somewhat pale.

Yes, he had indeed experienced three instances, and yes, these mechanisms were very childish.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be scared!

—Thank you, I feel called out.

Soon, the two groups split up at the staircase.

Elise and her partner walked towards the attic, while Wen Jianyan’s trio left the stairs and walked forward along the narrow hallway.

The hallway was covered in spiderwebs. Faded wallpaper was pasted on the walls, smeared with cheap red paint simulating the appearance of blood spatter, with some messy words written on it:

“Kill,” “Death,” “Run,” and so on.

Soon, a room labeled “Dollhouse” appeared not far away.

Yun Bilan turned her head and glanced at the two people behind her: “Ready?”

The two nodded.

Yun Bilan turned her phone around, used the bottom of the phone to touch the door, and slowly pushed it inward.

“Creaaak…”

The ear-piercing sound of the door being pushed open rang out, making one’s heart turn cold in the pitch-black darkness where they couldn’t even see their own fingers.

Wen Jianyan couldn’t help but hold his breath, his eyes fixed intently on the door that was gradually opening inward.

“Hee hee hee hee hee!”

The harsh, strange laugh rang out again, and a ghost face painted deathly pale dropped down from the door, suddenly springing out right in front of everyone.

…A childish jump scare at the door.

Yun Bilan and Brother Pang were long prepared for this, and their expressions didn’t even change.

“…Ah!”

Instead, it was the young man behind them who suddenly gasped, violently dodging to the side, which startled the two people in front.

Yun Bilan shone her flashlight over, only to see the other party’s handsome face looking somewhat pale, his amber eyes slightly wide, appearing as if he were still recovering from the shock.

“No way? You actually got scared by this?” Yun Bilan found it somewhat hilarious.

Brother Pang also laughed: “You’re a grown man; how come you aren’t even as brave as Sister Bilan?”

Wen Jianyan feigned composure:

“Ha, haha, I was actually just setting the mood.”

“Hahahahaha yes, if no one screams in a haunted house, it really lacks atmosphere,” Brother Pang said cooperatively, holding back his laughter.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[Hahahahahaha Lmao; this is the first time I’ve ever seen a streamer actually get scared by a cheap prop in a haunted house. Pull yourself together!]

[What a disappointment! He’s not even as brave as a girl, hahahahaha you scammer, you’re such a noob!]

[Laughing to death. Even though I just tuned in, the streamer should have experienced quite a few instances by now, right? How come his courage hasn’t improved at all?]

[Yes, as a veteran fan, I can testify that the streamer’s courage has never been great, but this is the first time he’s actually screamed out loud like this…]

[Am I the only one who thinks the streamer’s scream was so soft! Like a kitten’s scratch, and he was panting too, it sounded so good!! Give us more, give us more!]

Wen Jianyan steadied his breathing and pursed his lips.

Although the ghost face that dropped down in the haunted house did indeed startle him, he had, after all, experienced three instances. Getting so scared that he screamed out loud was almost impossible.

To be exact—

Wen Jianyan inconspicuously swept a glance at the place where he had just been standing, his face a little pale.

Just in that split second, he could clearly feel it…

Someone had grabbed his waist.