Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The ground suddenly gave way beneath him. Before Yao Dong could even react, the background music in his ears shifted into something eerie and unsettling.

“I didn’t expect hidden mechanisms. This is a great design!”

Yao Dong didn’t feel a shred of fear. Instead, he was buzzing with excitement.

“So, is this an adventure game?”

Staring at the tunnel ahead, Yao Dong muttered to himself as he slammed his foot on the accelerator.

In an instant, a blood-red shadow flickered past him. A cold sweat broke out across Yao Dong’s skin.

“Holy crap, what was that?”

Before he could even turn his head, that flash of crimson began to sharpen into a clear image.

It was a person!

It was a man who had been completely flayed alive!

In that moment, Yao Dong finally understood why Qingqing’s expression had been so twisted with dread, and why the people waiting in line were so hesitant.

He floored the pedal. The Tiger Head Bumper Car erupted with the power of a supercar in that split second.

The underground tunnel wasn’t particularly long; at full speed, it took less than three minutes to reach the end of the path.

A beam of light leading back to the surface illuminated Yao Dong’s heart.

The bumper car surged toward the exit.

But at that exact moment, the passage suddenly tilted. The exit that originally led to the surface shifted, becoming another dim, gloomy tunnel.

A cartoonish brown bear bumper car appeared in Yao Dong’s field of vision.

Bumper Cars were meant for crashing, after all. Yao Dong locked eyes with the person in the other car. Then, they both charged into each other’s respective paths.

The ten-minute experience flew by, and the bumper cars carried the group of tourists back to the surface.

As a regular at the Amusement Park, Qingqing was still terrified, but at least she hadn’t fainted. As for Yao Dong, a man who had never experienced such intense stimulation, he now sat with a vacant, glassy-eyed stare.

The doctor took a quick look at the heart rate monitors. After confirming everything was fine, he left immediately.

At most, the Bumper Car attraction would leave the faint-hearted a bit dazed and confused. As long as they rested for a bit, they would snap out of it; it wasn’t a major issue.

Trembling, Qingqing held onto the railing and stood in front of Yao Dong. Seeing his completely blank face, she suddenly burst out laughing.

A staff member helped Yao Dong over to a bench to rest. Qingqing seized the opportunity to snap several photos in a row.

After about ten minutes, Yao Dong had fully regained his senses. Seeing Qingqing snickering beside him, his face darkened.

“You just wanted to see me make a fool of myself?”

Qingqing gave a light cough. “Of course not! A ride this fun has to be shared with friends!”

Yao Dong gritted his teeth. “In that case, let’s keep going!”

Qingqing’s finger paused as she was saving the photos. “Keep going with what?”

“Keep trying the attractions!”

“There’s no need for that. I just pranked you once, didn’t I?”

“I did my research before coming here. There are plenty of rides in this Amusement Park. Next, we’re going on the Giant Swing!”

Qingqing sucked in a sharp breath. “Bro, my dear big brother, please have mercy on me!”

“No!”

After five minutes of intense back-and-forth haggling, Qingqing was forced into the queue. When the ten-minute Giant Swing ride ended, Qingqing fainted outright.

This was the first time she had ever experienced two attractions back-to-back at the Amusement Park.

Though Yao Dong didn’t faint, he wasn’t doing much better. He was completely exhausted, lying motionless in the Morgue.

When the lunch break arrived, Yao Dong only managed to eat a simple boxed meal. Qingqing, having lost her appetite, only ate a bit of fruit.

Once the break ended, a fully recovered Yao Dong dragged Qingqing straight onto the Drop Tower.
Qingqing actually felt a sense of relief regarding this project.

As the first sci-fi-themed attraction in the Amusement Park, she was very familiar with it. She had long since mastered the trick of not letting herself get scared.

After signing the Safety Commitment Form, the two of them sat down next to each other. Qingqing squinted her eyes as she waited for the ride to start, while Yao Dong, sitting beside her, tugged at the safety rope on his body.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a safety rope on a Drop Tower.”

Qingqing rolled her eyes at him. If it weren’t for that safety rope, they probably wouldn’t even be able to find an intact corpse afterward.

In an instant, the Drop Tower launched. Qingqing immediately shut her eyes and began counting silently in her head.

In truth, as long as one could keep their eyes closed, the Drop Tower wasn’t that terrifying. This kind of machine essentially just used acceleration and gravity to create a momentary impact. The sight of the ground rapidly expanding in one’s vision simulated the sensation of jumping off a building.

However, what Qingqing was doing wasn’t easy to achieve. When the body senses external danger, the brain naturally forces the eyes open to receive information. By keeping her eyes closed the entire time, Qingqing was actually fighting against her body’s natural instincts.

Yao Dong looked at Qingqing with her eyes shut and frowned. Although the boss’s Giant Swing and Bumper Cars were very thrilling, this was just a Drop Tower. No matter how much they talked it up, they had played so many different versions before; what could possibly be different?

Reality soon gave Yao Dong his answer.

The first transformation of the Drop Tower arrived, and its height suddenly doubled. Though Yao Dong’s expression was a bit stiff, he could still barely handle it.

As time passed, the Drop Tower entered its final stage.

The Human Yo-Yo!

Feeling the seat beneath her vanish, Qingqing squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.

“Good luck is coming, oh, that good luck…” she hummed under her breath, her voice so low only she could hear it.

Yao Dong, however, wasn’t so lucky. His eyes were wide with terror as he watched the ground rush toward him, only to be yanked back into the sky by the tension of the safety rope.

When the ten-minute experience finally ended, Qingqing opened her eyes and stood up with shaky steps. She turned to look at the dazed Yao Dong beside her and immediately burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, look at you! You’re totally out of it!”

Li Yang arrived at Qingqing’s side after sending a group of tourists into the Morgue.

“Sister Qingqing, is this your friend?”

“Yeah, it’s his first time here.”

Looking at the beautiful “girl” in front of him, Li Yang suddenly felt a bit nervous.

“Is the little lady scared? Would you like a drink to help calm your nerves?”

Qingqing’s lips twitched as she watched Li Yang try to play the gallant toward Yao Dong. She suppressed the urge to burst his bubble by revealing the truth. “What kind of drink can calm nerves?”

“It’s one of the boss’s recipes. It has quite a few Chinese herbs in it.”

Qingqing’s interest was piqued. “Where is it?”

Li Yang pointed toward the popcorn stand. “Over there, it’s sold alongside the sour plum soup.”

Hearing this, Qingqing didn’t even bother with Yao Dong. She stumbled past the railing with shaky legs.

Li Yang helped Yao Dong into a nearby chair, continuing to act overly attentive. Meanwhile, Qingqing successfully purchased the special drink.

The beverage was a pale purple color, sealed in a cup typically used for soy milk. Qingqing inserted the straw and took a deep gulp.

The initial taste was slightly bitter, but it was followed by a wave of sweetness. Unlike ordinary sugar, this sweetness felt more like the subtle, natural juice squeezed from fresh vegetables.