Chapter 82 Plush Doll "I don't have a mom or dad."
On the third day, the weather turned cloudy.
There was no high temperature caused by direct sunlight, and even the sun was completely blocked by thick clouds.
A gentle breeze was blowing, and the temperature in the mountains dropped sharply.
There are many benefits to being active in this kind of weather.
For example, they will not suffer from heatstroke or dizziness due to high-intensity activities; nor will they feel sticky all over due to excessive sweating.
The small pavilion where they rested was not too far from the giant pendulum and roller coaster, which were at the same altitude.
As dawn broke, the group set off for the next project area, still damp with morning dew.
Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming remained in wolf form.
They initially wanted to stay by Liang Jun's side at all times, but she strictly forbade them from doing so.
"No, you can't come with us."
Liang Xun frowned and slapped away Zhu Bieming's cautiously reaching wolf claws.
The white wolf shrank its head, but its front paws continued to rub the ground rhythmically, as if it were eager to try.
Black Wolf, on the other hand, appeared more composed and tried to persuade him with reason, saying, "But we must protect you."
"That won't work either."
Liang Jun hardened her heart and refused again, "You don't belong to a world governed by rules, much less this instance. What if your presence here is too strong and affects certain mechanisms of the system?"
Zhu Bieming didn't take it to heart at all. "We can also hear the system notifications in your brain! If anything unexpected happens, we'll just act accordingly!"
Zhu Shengqing remained silent, carefully considering the reasons Liang Xun had given.
“I think you’re right.” He moved his four paws back a few steps. “Given our special status, we shouldn’t be entangled here too much. Our mission is to solve your problems, not to create more.”
Hearing his own brother say this, even if Zhu Bieming felt resentful, he could only put it aside for the time being.
But clearly, he is not the type to give up easily.
Zhu Bieming only took a few steps back and then stopped moving, maintaining a dynamic distance of five meters from Liang Yan.
"I won't be too far away from you, is that alright?"
If both sides take a step back, the world will be a better place.
Liang Jun understood that protecting themselves was their mission, so she didn't make things difficult for the workers any further.
A simple promise made Zhu Bieming happy for a long time as he followed behind her.
Perhaps it was because the two giant wolves at the end of the line were so eye-catching that, while the group was experiencing the pendulum ride and roller coaster high in the air, the staff who were supposed to trip them up on the ground all turned their attention to the wolves.
They were so real that they didn't seem like data NPCs created by the system; instead, they seemed like living, breathing people, curiously watching and admiring the black and white wolves.
Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming strictly followed the instructions given by Liang Xuan.
Despite the colorful stares of the staff, the two brothers remained motionless like statues. Their light blue and golden wolf eyes were fixed on a single point in the sky, ready for anything.
In a sense, this also greatly reduces the difficulty and risk of high-altitude projects.
Even without any minor bugs added by staff, the sheer audacity of the project itself was enough to leave them completely bewildered.
When the roller coaster ended, Lao Ren staggered off the carriage. He barely made it to the vicinity of the exit before grabbing onto a broken tree branch and vomiting all over his body.
The bread eaten early in the morning hadn't been fully digested yet, and a cold wind blew it out, carrying with it a fermented, sour smell.
Jiang Chunhua also felt like vomiting.
She felt nauseous when the roller coaster was going upside down. But she was worried that she would vomit on Jiang Zhiling, who was sitting next to her, so she forced herself to swallow it back.
After getting off the roller coaster, the feeling of something stuck in her throat gradually subsided. But the smell of Lao Ren's vomit was like a signal, triggering this devastating situation again.
Jiang Chunhua's stomach contracted, her throat opened, and all the food she had eaten was resurfaced.
Lao Ren was vomiting while lying face down on the left side of the exit, while Jiang Chunhua was vomiting while squatting on the right side of the exit.
Jiang Zhiling frowned slightly and reached out to pat her sister's back.
Apart from those three, all the other players quietly moved to positions facing away from the wind, waiting for them to rejoin the team.
Liang Jun also felt a little nauseous, but her urge to vomit wasn't as severe as theirs.
She glanced in the direction of Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming, only to find that the staff who had been watching earlier were dispersing in an orderly manner.
Although the staff in charge of these projects were sullen, they still had no choice but to reluctantly hand over the souvenirs to the people in accordance with the regulations.
After the giant swing ride, they received a plastic hammer about the size of a palm.
After the roller coaster ride ended, the staff gave them a rubber tire that looked like it had been taken off a toy car.
As previously agreed, the plastic hammer obtained after the giant swing was to be kept by Shao Feng.
Once Jiang Chunhua and Lao Ren's discomfort had subsided and they were fully back in the group, Liang Xun picked up the small rubber tire in her palm and began passing it around among the group.
[Current progress: Complete experience of all rides (the last one must be the Ferris wheel) 4/7...]
[Successfully surviving by following the rules will allow you to clear the level. Keep up the good work!]
Despite rushing around, we managed to complete two projects in quick succession.
Seeing the system pop up a dialog box indicating that the progress was more than halfway done, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The dark clouds never completely dissipated.
This means that although it's not sunset yet, it gets dark very quickly.
Liang Xuan's gaze darkened.
They needed to find another place to stay for the night before nightfall.
Ideally, it should also be close to the next project to save unnecessary travel time tomorrow morning.
"If everyone is ready, let's continue up the mountain."
Watching Qi Zhixia put the prop tire into a sealed bag, Liang Xun shook the map she pulled from her pocket. "The next activity at the next altitude is..."
Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
"It's a drop tower..."
As expected, amusement parks, no matter how they change, always offer high-altitude challenges.
Jiang Zhiling's expression also looked rather unpleasant.
She had just finished caring for the exhausted Jiang Chunhua, and her energy hadn't fully recovered, when she was told that the next attraction would likely be an even more thrilling drop tower than the previous ones—
Jiang Zhiling slumped her shoulders in despair.
"How about... we head up the mountain and take a look around first..."
She clicked her tongue bitterly, trying to convince herself, "What if this map isn't completely accurate? Maybe we can find other, safer routes..."
The wind carried away the deathly silence.
Everyone knew it, but no one dared to expose this "self-deception."
Liang Jun sighed softly and put the map back into her pocket.
"Zhu Shengqing, Zhu Bieming, we need to get going." She reminded those behind her.
The heavy footsteps of the giant wolf did not come for a long time.
Liang Jun, who was walking at the very back, felt something was off, so she stopped and turned around in confusion.
Both the black and white wolves stood frozen in place, as if petrified.
Those light blue wolf eyes were filled with confusion and fear, their complex gaze fixed on the black wolf's belly.
Zhu Shengqing noticed the unusual sensation between his legs early on and dared not move, for fear of accidentally injuring the other person.
Beneath the black wolf, a little girl who looked to be only four or five years old slowly emerged.
She was not wearing the staff's uniform, and there were no elements of the three pure colors of red, yellow, and green on her.
The little girl had two short, perky pigtails. Cheap, colorful hair ties were wrapped around her hair again and again.
She was wearing only a thin dress, pink with small floral prints covering her entire body. Despite the limited view, it was still clear that the loose white threads on her cuffs and hem were fluttering in the wind.
The adorable little radish wore a pair of white lace-trimmed socks that were already covered in yellow dust on its short legs. Its delicate little black leather shoes were also covered in scratches from stones, looking as disheveled as if it had just crawled out of somewhere.
Even Wang Jianping was somewhat surprised to see this scene.
"Where did this child come from?" He didn't loosen his grip on the wheelchair, looking around. "She doesn't look like a character from a dungeon."
Liang Jun didn't want to let her guard down so easily.
She desperately wanted to see the little girl for who she truly was. Only after confirming that the girl had no metal badge and no items related to amusement park staff did Liang Jun begin to consider other possibilities.
Luo Chuange whispered his analysis: "Could it be that one of the players' children got lost here?"
"Not really."
Liang Jun flatly rejected the idea, saying, "Currently, in rule-based worlds, everyone is destined to face the fate of 'running through dungeons.' If it's really as you say, then her parents would have to protect the little girl while ensuring their own survival, and have managed to survive until now—"
Her eyes showed even more suspicion.
"It's not impossible, but the probability is extremely low."
Just as the group was still undecided, the little girl moved again and walked up to Zhu Shengqing.
At her age, she didn't yet understand how terrifying a wolf could be.
Now, in her eyes, Zhu Shengqing and Zhu Bieming were nothing more than two exceptionally large plush toys.
It can still move.
The little girl's palms were soft. She fearlessly ruffled the fur on the black wolf's front paws, then, as if dissatisfied, pouted and went to the white wolf, repeating the same action.
Nevertheless, the little girl was clearly not very interested.
Her hands hung limply in front of her, her fingers twirling back and forth. "Nothing is right..."
What is it?
Liang Jun keenly caught the sound and subconsciously asked, "Little friend, what are you saying?"
She seemed so engrossed in her activity that she didn't even notice the group of adults surrounding her.
The little girl was startled and hurriedly backed away. Her loose black leather shoes got stuck on a protruding rock, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground with a thud.
Gu Keke was startled and instinctively reached out to help him.
Children in this age group usually cry a lot after a bump or bruise. Gu Keke had even prepared her comforting words, ready to improvise on the spot.
To her surprise, the little girl did not burst into tears as she had imagined. Instead, she silently grabbed the slightly flared hem of her skirt and bravely got up.
Her hands, covered in dirt like a kitten's paws, were lightly patted a few times before being rubbed against her floral dress.
Who are you?
She opened her round eyes and looked at everyone with the innocent gaze unique to children. "I can't talk to bad people."
The moment the child spoke, Gu Keke's heart melted.
She couldn't bear to tell the child the truth, so she answered rather tactfully, "We are tourists visiting the amusement park. I'm not a bad person. Tell me, are you lost from your parents?"
Perhaps because there were too many words, the little girl tilted her head, pondered for a long time, and blinked her innocent eyes.
Instead of answering Gu Keke, she continued to ask, "You're not bad people, so will you help me?"
Gu Keke didn't insist; she was always very patient with children.
“Yes, I will.” She crouched down to be at the same level as the little girl. “If you can’t find your mom and dad, I might know where they are and can take you to find them…”
"I don't have a mom or dad."
This time, the little girl replied decisively, "I don't have a mom or dad. I grew up here. I don't have a mom or dad."
I grew up here.
Does this refer to Wuxie Amusement Park?
I initially thought it was just a lost child from an ordinary player, but I never imagined that the little girl in front of me was also part of the dungeon level.
Gu Keke's computer crashed instantly.
If she were just an ordinary child, Gu Keke could help her find her parents. After all, all players ultimately end up the same way; as long as she can be safely taken to the Ferris wheel at the top of the mountain, she won't have to worry about finding her parents.
But now she was being told that this was a minor NPC—Gu Keke immediately withdrew a help request.
At this moment, Liang Jun seemed to be caught in an inner struggle again.
Some highly similar scenes flashed back and forth in front of my eyes.
Liang Xuan tried to calm her breathing and composed herself. Then she patted the helpless Gu Keke, indicating that she would take over.
"You don't have a father or mother, and neither does your sister."
Liang Xun's eyes were as calm as a stagnant pool.
"You and your sister look a lot alike, so now you can tell your sister what you want us to help you with?"
The little girl blinked her eyes and pointed to the wolf king behind her.
"Sister, my plush doll is missing. Can you help me find it?"
-----------------------
Author's note: In July, I'm aiming for perfect attendance!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
