Chapter 24 Halloween Market 2: Charge!
You came out of the claw machine feeling completely exhausted, your heart was still pounding, and your steps were a little unsteady.
Find a relatively quiet corner where a few chairs are placed.
The chairs looked perfectly normal; they were probably just a place for tired tourists to rest, and there were a few equally exhausted outsiders taking a break there as well.
You sit down, hoping to regain some strength for a while.
There are still two projects to complete.
You sighed, slumped onto the bench, and rubbed your sore muscles after your "extreme exercise".
Like you, Xiao Fang didn't want to act immediately. She looked up and observed the other outsiders nearby. Seeing that the drinks didn't look like snacks and were safe to drink, she patted you and got up to buy drinks for the two of you.
Unexpectedly, no sooner had Xiao Fang left than the streetlights above you flickered a few times as if there was a malfunction, and then dimmed.
Sensing something was wrong, you immediately sat up to catch up with Xiao Fang, but two tall, swaying locals walking towards you had already set their sights on you.
From a distance, they at least look somewhat human. But as you get closer, they completely transform into the characters they're dressed up as, even their figures change.
One of them was wearing a black cloak, his face was pale, and his eyes gleamed with hunger.
He raised ten deformed, twisted claws at you, gave a wicked smile revealing sharp teeth, and said, "blablabla!"
Another person, with their head bowed, long hair, and wearing a white dress, gets a little closer to you with each blink.
Well, Dracula and Sadako.
Rule 5: You cannot refuse other tourists' advances.
This means you can't just ignore them, but it's best not to interact with them too much either, since neither of these characters is the type to give the victim a chance to survive after contact.
However, since these two greet each other in this way, you, dressed as Wonder Woman, can certainly use Wonder Woman's methods to deal with them as well.
As soon as the two men approached, the other outsiders who were sitting there moved 800 meters away.
Without an audience, your sense of shame disappears.
You suddenly stood up, straightened your body, crossed your arms over your chest, and your eyes were full of determination. Even though there was no wind, the cloak behind you fluttered.
Whether it's a hallucination or not, uplifting background music is playing in your ears.
With the help of music, you feel your backache and leg pain disappear instantly, and your energy is ignited.
Before Dracula could react, you shouted a rap version of "I will not stop until I bring justice!" and gripped your silver knife, attacking him directly.
Caught off guard by your attack, his frantic claws were easily dodged by you, while you simultaneously kicked his knee hard, forcing him to his knees.
With a graceful somersault, and to Dracula's horrified expression, you plunge the knife straight into his heart.
A terrifying shriek ripped through the night sky, and Dracula gradually dissipated into black ash.
At the same instant, a chilling aura emanated from behind you, and when you turned around, you met Sadako's gaze—those eyes, peering through her disheveled black hair, were filled with endless coldness and resentment.
Sadako is not as easy to deal with as Dracula. Just as you are about to take further action, her figure begins to blur, as if all the dark forces in the air are gathering around her.
Suddenly, your vision blurs, the surrounding environment convulses as if shrouded in hot steam, and a powerful mental force surges forth.
The world before my eyes had changed; the familiar market was shrouded in darkness, and the surrounding scenery seemed to have been torn apart from a nightmare.
You stand in a desolate black and white space, stripped of all color. Apart from a well, the surrounding area is just a lifeless empty space, with only Sadako's figure slowly approaching in the distance.
She is using her power to drag you into her cursed world, attempting to trap your mind and erode your will.
Since it's a mental attack, your powerful combat skills as "Wonder Woman" will be useless. However, you still have the power of the Lasso of Truth.
In essence, isn't the Lasso of Truth also a tool for breaking mental control and expelling evil?
The lasso of truth, made of cheap plastic, gleams now and dances lightly in your hand.
With a casual toss, the soft lasso, like a sharp spear, hurtled towards Sadako with unstoppable force, deftly wrapping around her body.
Sadako tries to resist, but you can sense that her mental world is no longer solely under her control.
Her illusion began to crumble, and the false black and white world vanished under the increasingly intense light of the lasso, while the bustling market reappeared.
“State your true purpose,” you commanded slowly and clearly, the power of the Lasso of Truth leaving her no room to hide anything any longer. “Why does your curse exist?”
It doesn't matter what the local person playing Sadako replied; as she was forced to speak the truth under your countermeasures, her voice gradually weakened, her figure faded from reality to illusion, and soon she disappeared completely into the air.
Many locals were watching this scene. Seeing that you were unharmed while those who provoked you suffered the consequences, they spontaneously moved away from you to avoid being "punished" by you.
"Justice has been served." The stage is set, and you're naturally itching to act. You strike an extremely cool pose and freeze in place until a burst of laughter leaves you unable to straighten your back for a while.
It's Xiao Fang who's back.
She could certainly guess what had happened, but that didn't stop her from using it to humiliate you.
It's true what they say: one minute of extroversion can lead to a lifetime of introversion. You've transformed into a gloomy mushroom, squatting on the other side of the bench.
After having enough fun, Xiao Fang tried hard to suppress her laughter, but she forced you to sit up straight and gave you two of the four cups of mulled wine she had bought.
The aroma of hot liquor wafts over you, carrying subtle notes of cinnamon and citrus. Now you're feeling a bit more cheerful.
Mulled wine is a traditional Christmas drink in Germany. More particular families will add apples, honey, etc. in addition to cinnamon and citrus. The wine is kept at around 70 degrees Celsius and simmered for a few minutes before being served with Christmas gingerbread.
I was sweating profusely just now, and the cold wind made me shiver. So I held the warm wine glass, took another sip, and let the warm, slightly spicy, alcoholic liquid flow down my throat, finally dispelling the chill.
The other glass was non-alcoholic mulled wine—basically just boiled sweet grape juice, which was also delicious.
The two of you leisurely finished your drinks and took out your phones to discuss where to go next.
You must choose two attractions from the haunted house, roller coaster, giant swing, and drop tower to complete the challenge. Do you think the risks of each attraction are equally high?
"To be honest, none of these four challenges look easy. The shooting game and claw machine were scary enough, we can't underestimate the next one," Xiao Fang said. "Why don't you watch how the others get through them before deciding?"
"Okay." You think so too, and it won't take much time to go around, plus it'll be a good chance to get rid of the smell of alcohol.
Unfortunately, after walking around the field and observing for a while, you didn't find anything.
No one wants to share their secrets to completing the projects they risked their lives for; just by watching the amusement park run, you can't see any clues other than the changes in the number of people and the numbers above the heads of outsiders.
"The tour guidelines repeatedly emphasize the experience, so it seems we can't possibly get the information without participating. After all, such 'cheating' behavior would definitely ruin the experience." Xiao Fang sent an angry emoji of a yellow duck stomping its feet.
You nodded, editing your analysis: "The haunted house here is the kind where people are taken on a ride on a miniature train, meaning there's a risk of equipment malfunction in any of the four attractions. And the haunted house is probably the most straightforward horror experience."
"I've seen a lot of news about roller coaster accidents before, but the roller coaster here is only a little over 6 meters high and lasts for a maximum of 30 seconds. Compared to the 2-minute pendulum ride, it's shorter and less thrilling."
"The drop tower... it's short-lived and the mechanical device looks the simplest, but the way it involves falling from a great height feels a bit ominous."
You two are both silent, it's really hard to choose.
"Haunted houses and drop towers." In the end, you made your decision: "Haunted houses are scary, but compared to facing unpredictable threats high in the air, I'd rather face hidden monsters. As for drop towers... maybe it's just an extreme psychological test, not that complicated."
Xiao Fang seems prickly, but she doesn't really have much of a mind of her own. The more you talk, the more she'll think you're making sense: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Should we split up? That way we can exchange experiences?"
“I think it’s best not to. You just mentioned ‘cheating,’ which I think makes a lot of sense. It might be a deeper rule hidden within the rules.” You pondered. “No one is willing to tell us how to pass the level; it’s possible that they can’t tell us.”
"Moreover, just like how we both successfully completed the shooting game in different ways, the round you participated in might be completely different from the one I participated in. In that case, ignorance might be safer than having the wrong methods etched into your mind."
"Got it, then let's stick together." Xiao Fang gave an OK sign.
Having made up your minds, you stood up and headed to the haunted house.
Long queues formed in front of the haunted house, which was decorated with fancy mechanical ornaments, but there were few outsiders; it was clear that most people avoided haunted houses like the plague.
A rusty sign hangs in the center of the haunted house, with the words "House of Returning Souls" engraved on it in a blurry way.
At the entrance, a white-haired staff member guided you into an old car. He mumbled in heavily accented speech that even Xiao Fang couldn't understand, but he was probably telling you not to do this or that for safety reasons.
Seeing you two nod repeatedly, the old man gave you a gloomy look, pressed the start button next to him, and with a "click," the safety system automatically locked, and the vibration of the track brought an uneasy premonition.
As the car slowly started moving, the gate painted with images of death and the devil slowly opened, accompanied by eerie laughter of "hee hee ha ha ha," and you were gradually swallowed by darkness until the car passed through a narrow corridor, and suddenly a dim yellow light shone in front of you.
The lighting was so superfluous that you could easily see the first room without any effort—a long dining table piled high with old, moldy food, rotting fruit emitting a foul stench, and several humanoid puppets with misaligned joints sitting in front of it, their exteriors painted with blue paint and their eyes vacant.
The walls were covered with oil paintings that were deliberately pixelated, and this blurriness added to the eerie atmosphere.
Although you can't see it clearly, it doesn't stop you from recognizing that the painting depicts a grand banquet scene, which stands in stark contrast to the corruption before your eyes.
Xiao Fang gently pointed ahead with his finger, indicating that you should pay attention to the words on the wall: "The feast of the dead never ends."
As the car slowly moved forward, countless pale arms emerged from the oil painting, waving at you like water plants in a deep lake.
Your attention was subconsciously drawn to the oil painting, and you didn't even notice immediately that the puppet was beginning to sway slightly, as if it were about to stand up from the table and walk towards you.
"!" Xiao Fang yanked your sleeve and pulled you toward the side of the carriage closest to her.
The changes in the oil painting were merely for atmosphere; the puppets were the main course. I shook the safety device; it wasn't impossible to detach, but it required some effort.
There isn't much time; you have to do your best to avoid those "resurrected" puppets in the immovable space.
There's no absolute death threshold in any scenario. Thinking this way, you gently stroke Xiao Fang's arm with your thumb, reassuring her not to be afraid. The more restricted your movements are, the more it shows that it won't be easy for these puppets to capture you.
Sure enough, the puppet's arms couldn't bend; they could only wave them blankly beside you.
The two of you transform into street dancers, swaying your upper bodies up, down, left, and right like inflatable dolls, trying to avoid the puppets.
The puppet tried more than six times but couldn't hold onto you. In an instant, the lights in the room flashed, and everything on the dining table became blurry, like an oil painting. Everything turned into a phantom.
The car suddenly accelerated, leaving the room and entering another patch of darkness.
This is a long, dark corridor, with old mirrors hanging on both walls. Each mirror reflects your and Xiao Fang's image, but your faces are pale and your eyes are unfocused, just like those puppets from before.
The air suddenly turned cold, and you subconsciously rubbed your hands together. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that the "you" in the mirror wasn't mimicking the action.
— Do not look directly at your reflection in the mirror.
But if you don't look in the mirror, your head will feel swollen and your heart will be filled with a kind of inexplicable fear of the unknown.
You and Xiao Fang exchange a glance, then press each other's heads down, refusing to look.
You made the correct choice according to rule 1, and without your knowledge, your reflection in the mirror turned into a grotesque face reminiscent of the famous painting "The Scream".
No matter what, even if you feel a chilling wind blowing, time stretching endlessly, and the wait unbearable, you won't even glance at the road ahead.
The mirror placed at the end of the track and affixed to the door leading to the third room became useless, and a series of cracking sounds rang out. Squeak, squeak, you leave this place.
Without any transition, the car sped directly into a room illuminated by red lights.
The surrounding walls were covered with black silk, heavy with dust and cobwebs, and a faint, sweet, bloody smell assaulted your skulls.
In the center of the room, a dilapidated rocking chair was swaying slowly.
There was clearly nothing there, but upon closer inspection, a woman in a long white dress lay on it, her face covered by her long hair, her body trembling slightly, and she was crying softly.
Suddenly, the woman's sobbing turned from mournful to shrill.
The entire room seemed to be filled with surround sound, and a low, mournful wail engulfed you, as if countless souls were crying.
A stinging pain came from your face, and when you touched it, you were surprised to find that hot tears had fallen without you even realizing it.
The fingertips that touched the tears felt hot and painful, and you and Xiao Fang were both startled by the two bright red tear stains on each other's faces, which looked like allergies.
By plugging your ears, thankfully, you stopped crying.
But you are so unsympathetic, so terribly cruel! The woman suddenly stopped her grief, angrily raised her face covered in rotting flesh, let out a piercing scream, and pounced on you.
The woman attacked in the same way as a puppet, but she was much more agile.
The places she grabbed were immediately corroded. And your physical holy swords, your cleavers, and your lassos of truth all pierced through the woman's body in vain; clearly, your special abilities were no longer effective against the "official" ghosts of the marketplace.
The woman grinned maliciously, clinging tightly to your car body, already considering you as her prey.
At the critical moment, you somehow managed to pull a shard of mirror from your glove.
Without Xiao Fang noticing, you casually picked up a mirror with your eyes closed.
As is customary, whether it's a human or a ghost, as long as it exists, it must abide by the rules. And since the woman doesn't even have eyelids, she probably can't even close her eyes to hide.
With a sharp cry, she uttered her final lament, as if torn into the mirror by an unseen force. You felt the mirror grow scorching hot, and only when you were about to leave did you let go, thoughtfully tossing the mirror back into the woman's room.
Finally, the car sped into the last room.
This is a huge underground graveyard, surrounded by broken coffins and rotting corpses. The walls are covered with iron chains, and several swaying "teru teru bozu" (Japanese teru bozu dolls) hang from the ceiling.
As you entered, one of them, unable to bear the weight, broke off from the neck down and fell to the ground.
With a thud, like the first domino, the hanging corpses broke off from their necks one after another and fell to the ground.
At the same time, the coffin lids around the coffin began to open slowly, and the corpses inside seemed to be summoned by some force, slowly crawling out of the coffins.
The corpses had empty eye sockets and their mouths were wide open, emitting a piercing gurgling sound.
The corpses keep coming at you; there's nothing new about it.
As the number of corpses increased and they drew closer, the car slowed down.
You no longer look for a way out among these corpses, but instead look for an exit.
The massive iron gate was right there, but it was clearly blocked by some force.
Xiao Fang's eyesight was as good as ever. She gently tapped on the railing, signaling you to pay attention to the structure above the iron chain.
Several iron chains, unlike those used for hanging people, abruptly hung down from the ceiling, blatantly telling you, "Come and pull me up!"
There's no other way. Even if you use physical attacks to drive the corpses away, the two of you can't fight against four people. It's just a temporary solution, so you might as well give it a try.
You swing the lasso of truth at the coffin on one side, making a noise.
The attention of some of the corpses was successfully drawn to the coffin, while the remaining corpses were temporarily safe as you used Xiao Fang's crowbar to strike them backward.
Xiao Fang quickly understood your intention, tried her best to get up, grabbed one of the hanging chains, and with the help of her upper limbs and the movement of the vehicle, she broke free from the control of the safety device and stood up nimbly.
Climbing up the chains to the ceiling, her goal was clearly to swing those chains to the vicinity of the iron door and find the mechanism to open it.
Using his body weight to swing the iron chain, Xiao Fang swung higher and higher.
Without Xiao Fang, the corpses will focus their fire on you.
As one of the rotting arms reached for you, you simply dodged to the side. Taking advantage of the moment when the corpse missed its target, you kicked hard to the side of the carriage, causing it to shake slightly and further diverting the corpses' attention.
Xiao Fang swung more and more on the chain. As her body gradually approached the iron gate, she quickly pulled her hand away and landed steadily.
Her fingers groped around the iron gate, searching for a switch.
"Click!"
It was a success.
Then, things went even more smoothly than you expected—as the restrictions on the exit gates were lifted, a series of chain reactions were triggered.
The ground inside the house shook violently, and the corpses fell down one after another like real dominoes.
The iron wheels on the track that were pulling the trolley finally started working, and it accelerated outwards.
Xiao Fang seized the opportunity, jumped into the car, and squeezed himself back into his seat.
Clang, clang, clang, you've safely left the haunted house.
After standing in the cold wind for a while, you finally felt that the stench on your bodies had been completely swept away.
You and Xiao Fang recount: "This haunted house looks scary, but it's actually not difficult. The answers are almost all in the riddles themselves."
Xiao Fang agreed: "But if that's the case, I'm really afraid that the chances of me jumping off the building later won't be too drastic."
etc.
You all shuddered and stared at each other blankly for a while.
What are you guys talking about?
The chat window on your phone screen is blank. You look up at the haunted house behind you, feeling a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
Have you ever been to a haunted house? Looking at the five glowing dots already on my wrist, it seems there's no need to dwell on this question.
After checking the numbers above each other's heads again, thankfully they hadn't decreased, and the two of them felt a little more at ease.
But the fact that the depths of one's soul and the source of one's memories can be so easily controlled and altered, leaving only a faint sense of terror and nausea, is truly alarming.
There was no point in saying more, so you hugged each other to give each other strength and headed straight for the drop tower line.
After what just happened, you and Xiao Fang are a bit exhausted, but you are still taking it seriously.
The queue for the drop tower was quite long, but the wait was relatively quick.
The cheers and screams of different passengers were particularly exciting amidst the explosive rhythm of the music, while the staff's lifeless and listless work attitude was the opposite.
You sit down, and the other passengers take their seats one by one. You turn your head and count; the ratio of outsiders to locals is about 50/50.
The safety device slammed down, locking tightly against your chest. You took a breath, gripping the handles on either side with both hands, your knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Even if this isn't in a ghost story world, it's your first time riding a drop tower. You try to adjust your breathing, trying to treat it as a real attraction and enjoy it despite the tension. You'll forget about it soon anyway, so try to retain some happy feelings to avoid feeling paranoid afterward.
The operator did not appear to have thoroughly checked everyone's safety equipment.
You glanced back at her; she stood there, head down, pressing a few buttons on the control panel, her movements perfunctory, as if it were just a routine task.
You feel this is a very important danger point and want to loudly warn the operator, but your words are interrupted by the sudden start of the machine.
The drop tower began to rise slowly, the seats swayed slightly, and the sounds of friction and the clicking of the machine were clearly audible.
You can only settle for second best and at least remind Xiao Fang that the safety device may be faulty, and that you should hold onto the handrails and keep your balance.
First ascent, then descent.
The feeling of weightlessness is like ants gnawing at your brain, a tingling, numb sensation that's kind of fun.
Nothing dangerous happened this time; the machine simply hovered in mid-air, as if preparing for another rapid descent.
You dare not close your eyes, afraid of missing any information, waiting for the familiar heartbeat and the impending feeling of weightlessness.
However, it never arrived, as if the machine was deliberately prolonging the agony of waiting.
Finally, the machine started up again. But this time, it was ascending.
The acceleration seems to have no limit, as if it's trying to break some kind of limit.
The wind howled, and you could barely open your eyes, yet the machine continued to surge upwards at an incredible speed, far exceeding its normal height.
Your heart feels like it's being squeezed to your throat, and your breathing becomes rapid. You feel the safety harness on your chest vibrating, as if it's loosening and might come undone at any moment.
Is it coming? A warning voice in your mind, the surrounding scenery begins to blur, and the sky becomes boundless.
The wind whistles sharply and piercingly in your ears, as if your eardrums are about to be torn apart.
Suddenly, the drop tower plummeted downwards without warning. The feeling of weightlessness almost threw you off your seat, your stomach felt like it was in a knot, and your heart pounded in your chest.
The speed of the fall was faster than the acceleration of the ascent, so fast that it exceeded the body's tolerance limit.
Your vision went completely dark, and the sound of the wind in your ears instantly turned into emptiness. The next moment, as you realized you were about to lose consciousness, your head lolled to the side, and you passed out.
You saw Death wielding a scythe, letting out a delightful, wicked laugh, coldly watching over you all.
You are jolted awake and try to get up, only to find yourself still in your seat, the drop tower still running at high speed.
She stiffly raised her head; the surrounding passengers were eerily quiet, even Xiao Fang was fast asleep.
You blinked, your throat dry, and a rusty taste in your mouth. You instinctively moved your arm and discovered that the safety device was shaking even more violently, as if it might detach at any moment.
Your heart was pounding so hard you couldn't go any faster. You waited a while, wondering what would happen next on the drop tower, but the feeling of falling into an abyss never stopped.
Your body seems trapped in an inescapable eternity, and not only your mind, but your body is also on the verge of collapse.
"If this continues, it won't end well..."
The lack of oxygen makes it almost impossible to think; only one thought swirls in your mind. You look down at the swaying safety device, and a crazy idea suddenly flashes through your mind—what would happen if you released it now and jumped?
Given that it remains steadfast in its post under these circumstances, is it perhaps the only way to survive, despite its apparent danger?
The thought jolted you awake. You took a deep breath and tried to control your arm muscles to extend to the left, punching Xiao Fang.
Xiao Fang barely woke up, but was clearly disoriented, his eyes half-rolled over, not knowing where to look.
I'm sorry, Xiao Fang, but if this is a dead end, you'll give her another chance.
Despite the wind resistance on your arms, you used all your strength to lift Xiao Fang's safety device upwards.
Before Xiao Fang could even scream, she was thrown from her seat and disappeared without a trace.
Now it's your turn.
With both hands gripping the handles of the safety device tightly, you grit your teeth and give it a sharp push. The safety device unlocks immediately, but you still instinctively hold onto the handles tightly.
let go!
The wind howled again, but this time it was no longer harsh; instead, it brought a sense of liberation and relief.
You close your eyes, your body slides off the seat, and falls towards the ground. You expected to shatter like broken glass, but unexpectedly, you land steadily on the ground. The moment your feet touch the ground, you feel an unprecedented sense of security and peace.
Take a deep breath, slowly open your eyes, and stand up straight.
However, when you look up at the passengers still sitting on the drop tower, a chill runs down your spine and onto your scalp.
Their faces... were not normal.
Their expressions were stiff, their facial muscles still taut from the fall, their eyes bulging, their lips bluish-purple, as if the result of prolonged weightlessness. The bluish-purple hue from insufficient blood supply made them appear as if frozen in the moment of death.
Are these people still alive?
Two outsiders dropped one point above their heads right in front of you. You tried to wake them up, but the nonchalant operator arrived just in time and politely asked you to leave.
Only then did you notice that a fog enveloped the drop tower, obscuring the outside and preventing those outside from seeing inside.
The moment I stepped out of the exit, the hustle and bustle returned.
Xiao Fang, who should have come out earlier, actually appeared here at the same time as you. She turned around and immediately hugged you, repeatedly saying "Okay."
Behind you, others also walked out one after another.
Looking at the numbers alone, the number of outsiders lost is not large; it's just that everyone lost 1 or 2 chances.
You felt a little better after that. It seems that this drop tower is quite merciful. After all, according to the dungeon's refresh rules, it will "wake up" every time it refreshes, which is to say, it gives outsiders like you a chance to cheat.
Before long, everyone's listlessness turned into confusion, and they could only confirm that they had participated in another recreational activity by looking at the slip of paper on their wrists.
"Although I don't remember what just happened, I know you helped me," Xiao Fang typed to you. "Thank you."
Faced with a blank memory, you felt a little embarrassed to accept the thanks, but you still replied generously, "It's nothing. Mutual help is the only way to go far."
"What do you think about the pumpkin maze?" Xiao Fang asked, trusting you much more than when she first came to the market.
“According to the usual pattern, either the maze itself will devour the players, or there will be a lot of monsters inside.” You facepalmed and smiled wryly. “I feel that our pumpkin maze is probably both.”
"Such a great Halloween theme, it would be a shame not to include some guardian monsters," you teased. "It's perfect for tourists like you who avoid conflict with other visitors, and for tourists like me who chose overpowered characters, to experience the horror of Halloween."
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A note from the author: Good afternoon!
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