Chapter 3: I Told You Not to Play Games

Huan Xiao, much like a child with a new toy, controlled the black mist with her mind, effortlessly expanding and contracting it.

Only then did she find the time to pick up her phone.

The phone’s functions remained unchanged, but when she swiped to the final page, she saw an app that had no business being there. It was white, devoid of any icons, and named "Gui" (Ghost).

What kind of app was this, and when was it downloaded?

Huan Xiao suspected her phone had caught a virus, but before she could react, the "Gui" app opened on its own.

"What's going on? Why is the screen black?"

Huan Xiao looked at her own reflection in the dark screen, feeling speechless. So it really was a virus—how unlucky!

But then, the reflection of herself on the screen grinned at her. The smile stretched wider and wider, her eyes turned increasingly bloodshot, her face grew gaunt... until finally, it transformed into a terrifying demonic visage!

"Whoa! What is that?"

She threw the phone onto the table, but as she did, she felt herself dissolving. In less than a second, she was transported elsewhere.

A towering Ferris wheel, a thrilling roller coaster, a spooky haunted house, and a strange ticket seller greeted her.

"Guest, here is your play ticket. Please keep it safe."

The ticket seller, wearing a small demon mask, handed Huan Xiao a ticket marked with game attractions and slots for stamps.

Huan Xiao realized her accessories were gone, though her phone lay quietly in her jacket pocket. Everything that just happened felt like a dream.

...Wait, no. Compared to this, the current situation felt even more like a dream. How had she ended up at an amusement park? Although the place was strangely beautiful, she had no memory of arriving here. Wait—had she just disappeared before appearing here?

So, was this the place that "customer" from earlier had mentioned?

Alarm bells rang in Huan Xiao’s mind. She scanned her surroundings and noticed nine other people. Judging by their bewildered expressions, they were in the same predicament as her.

"Beep-beep!"

Suddenly, everyone’s phone chimed. Huan Xiao picked hers up and saw a message in red text:

*Have a wonderful day at the amusement park! I’ll come to pick you up when it’s over!*

Upon reading this, Huan Xiao couldn't help but scoff. Who was this person, and why would he be picking her up?

"Ahh!"

A girl nearby, who had been checking her phone just like Huan Xiao, shrieked and threw her device to the ground the moment she saw the message.

Curious, Huan Xiao crouched down to look. The text was in the same red font, but the message was different:

*Survive one day in the amusement park. If you die, it’s just your bad luck!*

"Six," she muttered. "What blatant discrimination!"

Seeing this, the others grew terrified and dared not look at their phones. Since no one seemed to know what was going on, Huan Xiao retreated into her own thoughts. Couldn't someone who actually knew the situation explain things?

Help, did she really have to play here for a whole day? She just wanted to sleep...

The demon-masked ticket seller ignored the eerie atmosphere and proceeded to shove tickets into everyone’s hands, saying in a clearly unfriendly tone:

"Keep your tickets safe. If you lose them, prepare to be torn to shreds by the guests!"

Once everyone had their tickets, the ticket seller continued:

"You must complete five attractions in one day, and you cannot repeat them. Guests are no exception."

Huan Xiao looked at the ticket in her hand. She recalled that they hadn't paid any money—was this park free to enter?

"Those who fail to complete five attractions will have a wisp of ghost energy extracted as punishment."

As he spoke, he held up a thin thread of black mist.

Huan Xiao recognized it instantly; wasn't that the same black mist she had? Was that all it took? Did that mean she didn't have to play?

"Of course, completing different attractions yields rewards. You can spin the wheel for a chance at a mystery grand prize."

At the mention of a grand prize, Huan Xiao’s eyes lit up.

A grand prize!

"Where is this place? Who are you?"

Someone finally couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward to question the ticket seller.

The ticket seller ignored him and continued:

"In addition to the attractions, there are performances in the park. Interested guests are welcome to watch."

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Who on earth are you?"

The man, enraged, swung a fist at the ticket seller.

But unexpectedly, the ticket seller struck back, snatching the play ticket from the man's hand.

In the distance, several "normal" visitors witnessed this and, as if receiving a signal, rushed forward. They opened mouths filled with sharp teeth and devoured the man, leaving nothing behind.

Their mouths were truly enormous. Huan Xiao watched, horrified, as the dainty mouths of the visitors transformed into gaping maws large enough to swallow an adult whole.

Once it was over, they returned to looking like normal, ordinary people... provided one ignored the bloodstains around their mouths.

Huan Xiao noticed a thin layer of black mist swirling around them, while the ticket seller was cloaked in a much thicker layer. Were all these mists ghost energy?

"See that? That is the fate of those without a ticket... ahem, guests excepted."

The ticket seller picked up a wisp of ghost energy from the ground and calmly added it to his own.

"What... what will happen if we don't have any ghost energy?"

One person stepped forward, feigning composure as he spoke.

This time, the ticket seller didn't ignore him; instead, it let out a sinister cackle.

"Naturally, we will take your life to settle the debt."

Seeing the eight people too terrified to speak, the ticket seller nodded and turned back to its ticket booth.

Huan Xiao, seeing that the situation had settled, pulled an event schedule from a nearby rack.

Although she was interested in the grand prize, given the amusement park’s profit-driven nature, it was unlikely she would actually get it—it was far more likely she would be dragged into a life-or-death crisis.

For the sake of her own survival, she decided she would be a good girl and stick to watching the performances.

Presumably, after this place, the game would send her elsewhere. She would figure out how to collect more ghost energy then.

Yes, Huan Xiao now understood that "Gui" was the game the customer had mentioned. Since she was already inside and had to pay the price of a wisp of ghost energy anyway, she might as well play along.

Besides, she was grateful for the customer's generosity; she would be sure to burn plenty of hell money for him when she got back!

"Aren't you scared?"

A girl, watching in curiosity as Huan Xiao carefully studied the performance schedule, couldn't help but wonder if she knew something.

"Did you see the ghost energy from earlier?" Huan Xiao asked the girl a strange question.

The girl shook her head in confusion. "No. Wasn't it just trying to mess with us?"

Seeing this, Huan Xiao understood: ordinary people couldn't see the ghost energy.

"Get up, let's go. Let's go play some games together."

A man pulled a boy who had been squatting on the ground up to his feet; they seemed to know each other.

"Ge Lang, I don't want to go. I'm scared. How could an accident happen just by playing a game? I don't want to live anymore."

The boy remained on the ground, burying his face in his hands and sobbing.

The standing man grew angry. "Fine, I don't care about you anymore. Go die wherever you want!"

With that, he took his ticket and left alone.

The others either gathered in groups or wandered off alone. By the time Huan Xiao had memorized a few performances she was interested in, she found that only the girl who had spoken to her earlier remained by her side.