Chapter 25 Halloween Market 3 (Bug Catching) Maze + Dungeon End...
You stand at the entrance to the pumpkin maze, with hollowed-out pumpkin lanterns flickering around you, casting a faint orange glow. Compared to the neon lights from the various stalls behind you, it's insignificant, but enough to highlight the maze's outline.
A woman wearing a rabbit headgear, dressed in the same uniform as the ticket inspectors, is explaining the origin of the pumpkin maze to you.
Her accent was a little weaker than the old man's in the haunted house, but it was still incomprehensible to you. This is what Xiao Fang told you later:
"Welcome to the Pumpkin Maze! In Deko, pumpkins are not only part of the autumn food, but also an important element of many traditional festivals and activities."
Every autumn, many towns in Germany hold pumpkin festivals and pumpkin beauty pageants, especially in places like Luburg and Helsinki, where giant pumpkins of all shapes and sizes are displayed, some even weighing over a ton. Historically, Germany has won the title of Pumpkin King more times than any other country!
Wow, you're amazed! These giant pumpkins are actually real!
"You will have the opportunity to find 6 different types of pumpkins in this maze, including 'blue pumpkin,' 'gourmet pumpkin,' 'Texas pumpkin,' 'sweet gourmet pumpkin,' 'bell pumpkin,' and 'shell pumpkin.' No matter the type, find all 6 pumpkins to leave through the maze gate."
"Please choose whether to travel in a team or explore solo!"
Xiao Fang pulled you aside and had her stamp both of your hands with the same color, a wickedly smiling pumpkin head stamp.
"Please enjoy our pumpkin maze, and have a pleasant visit." The staff member's rabbit headgear seemed to grin, revealing blood-red gums.
If you want to see more clearly, she has already turned around to introduce the maze to the next group.
Several very short rabbit-headed people enthusiastically tugged at your and Xiao Fang's trouser legs and clothes, guiding you into the maze.
Before me was a seemingly tranquil little flowerbed, filled with pumpkins of various colors and shapes.
However, the moment your foot steps into the flowerbed, a strong sense of dizziness strikes you.
The air instantly shifted, and the scene before you began to blur. Everything around you seemed to be spinning, and you felt your consciousness drifting away, as if you were being swept into another world.
When you open your eyes again, the scenery around you has completely changed.
Xiao Fang is gone, and the once tranquil flowerbed has vanished without a trace, replaced by an endless wall of pumpkin vines.
These vines soar into the clouds, intertwining and forming a bizarre labyrinth.
Wait a minute, even though young people these days don't know the difference between grains, do you remember that pumpkin vines grow on the ground?
You reach into the pumpkin vine curtain, searching inside and out, then pinch and crush the leaves in your hand to feel them closely. It turns out they're fake vines.
You crouched down and searched the ground, digging for a long time, but you still couldn't find the real plant.
It seems that the prerequisite for finding pumpkins is to first find real pumpkin vines.
You stood up, clapped your hands, and looked at the rather oppressive curtain wall. You still felt it was better to meet up with Xiao Fang first.
The situation here is too complicated; the later you meet, the harder it will be to find each other. Besides—you look at the fake vine walls on both sides, somewhat speechless. With Xiao Fang, at least the two of you can each take one side and navigate the maze while searching for the vines, saving time.
Take out your phone and send a message: "Where are you? Send me your location."
The little circle kept spinning for ages, but the message still wouldn't go through.
That's when you realize there's no signal here.
How can I contact her? You look up at the dark night, lost in thought.
That's the only way.
If she's trapped in this maze just like you, then she's probably looking for you too.
You take a deep breath, struggling to overcome your inner turmoil about behaving inappropriately, and shout, "Fang! Bister du Heir?" (Are you here?)
Now that you've already shouted it out, your sense of shame will have vanished.
Silently waiting for a response from those around you, yet only your own echo reverberates through the labyrinth, amidst the real and illusory pumpkin vines.
The silence made you uneasy, and the atmosphere around you seemed to become even more stagnant.
You can't help but wonder, what if this is a maze where you're all alone? What if the dangers lurking in this maze will target you directly because of your voice?
However, the rules don't say you can do it, and you've seen locals who, after having a little to drink, start yelling and shouting in the street. This shows that even if it's impolite, shouting loudly is perfectly acceptable.
So many thoughts are clashing in my mind; one moment you feel relieved, the next you're anxious. Even a bird flying by could make you feel a little better.
You got what you wanted.
A series of slow, deliberate footsteps approached from afar.
The sound was deep and powerful, making it easy to imagine the stride of a colossal creature.
Your heart skips a beat; this is clearly not a sound a normal human being could make—have you really done something wrong?
You quickly turned around and ran away. However, after you had run several dozen steps, the sound suddenly stopped.
You slowly turn your head and see a huge scarecrow slowly walking towards you from who-knows-where.
Its body is bulky, its limbs are made of straw, and its head is a hollow giant pumpkin lantern with a flickering candle inside.
The candlelight flickered through the hole in the eye as if glancing at you, showing no intention of attacking you, simply passing by silently, as if you were just an insignificant part of this place.
A flash of surprise crossed my mind, followed by confusion. Why didn't it attack you? Was it because your shouts didn't attract its attention?
After hesitating for a moment, you stealthily followed the scarecrow to see where it went.
The eerie figure, hidden completely in the shadow of the pumpkin vine wall, eventually led to a fork in the road where a local man stood before the wall of pumpkin vines, attempting to climb it.
His purpose was obvious. In fact, if you hadn't kept up with Xiao Fang's point about "cheating," you might have tried to climb up the curtain wall to find out what was going on.
At the moment, the man's entire focus was on climbing and he was unaware of the scarecrow's approach.
The scarecrow stopped and slowly stretched out its huge straw arm, grabbing the man.
He screamed and struggled in terror to break free of the scarecrow's grasp, but the scarecrow was incredibly strong and easily tore him off the pumpkin vine as if he were catching a small insect.
Dragging the man away from the fork in the road, the scarecrow walked without looking back towards the other end of the maze. The man's cries for help gradually faded into the distance until they were completely silent.
You emerge from the shadows around the corner, still shaken.
Presumably, the scarecrow's role is to punish those who try to "cheat" and take shortcuts to escape the maze.
But for you, at least you've confirmed that making a sound won't cause any harm; only attempting to break the rules will trigger its anger. And, at least you know there are other people in this maze.
You breathed a slight sigh of relief, and now you can continue trying to find Xiao Fang.
“Fang! Fang! Fang!” you shouted loudly.
You raised your voice a few decibels and shouted a few more times with more confidence.
Soon after, you vaguely hear the voices of several people in the distance. They are other tourists in the maze, but they are obviously unaware of the situation and are just blindly repeating the same words as you.
Just as you were about to give up, finally, a familiar voice came from afar. Although it was faint, it was enough to make your heart flutter with excitement.
“Fang, Bisterdu? (Is that you?)” you called out again, your voice tinged with anxiety.
"Yes! It really is her." Her voice was still muffled, but full of energy.
You immediately felt a surge of joy. Thank goodness, she seems safe and in good condition.
You started calling out to each other, using your voices to locate each other. You even tried to get closer to Xiao Fang step by step, based on the structure of the maze.
The basic technique for navigating mazes is to choose a fixed direction and stick to the same path whenever you encounter a fork in the road. Only turn back and change direction when you reach a dead end. This way, you can't go wrong.
Xiao Fang's voice grew clearer, and you could sense that you were getting closer. With each turn, you listened intently to her calls, trying to pinpoint her location.
"Ahhhhh!" Xiao Fang started yelling happily, as if she was just a short distance away.
"Awoooooo!" you reply. It might seem a bit crazy, but it definitely saves energy, so I highly recommend it.
You quicken your pace, getting closer and closer to her. Rounding a sharp bend, your heart fills with hope; you'll be seeing her in the next second.
You heard the same fast footsteps, but when you turned the last corner, it wasn't Xiao Fang who appeared before you.
Standing before you is a tall man…? He wears dirty work clothes, and a mask covers his face, revealing only his cold eyes—a pair of lifeless, murderous eyes.
If you're slacking off at work and just scrolling through whatever comes to mind, you obviously know who this is: Jason Warhurst, the immortal killer from the horror movie "Friday the 13th".
He stood right in front of you, holding a huge axe. Jason stared intently at you, as if you were already his prey.
Unlike the tourists' own costumes, the person appearing here is probably the real Jason.
Did you pay the copyright fee before letting them play? You muttered to yourself as you ran back the way you came, feeling miserable.
"Danger! Danger!" You were already overwhelmed with your own danger, but you still shouted to warn Xiao Fang.
The wind whistled past your ears, and you dared not look back. After turning a corner, you almost dashed into another side road, quickening your pace, hoping to shake off Jason as much as possible.
However, after each turn, you could hear the sound of boots stomping on the brick floor getting closer and closer.
"Hey!" you shout again, ready to give Xiao Fang a heads-up so she at least knows not to come this way.
"Hey, hey! (Here)" Xiao Fang seemed to be moving as well, shouting for you to pass.
Without hesitation, you quickly ran in her direction.
After rushing through several intersections and still not seeing Xiao Fang, you can't help but wonder if something is impersonating Xiao Fang to mislead you and try to ambush you from both sides.
Just then, as you round another bend, the bricks under your feet wobbled, and to avoid twisting your ankle, you had no choice but to let yourself fall.
But Jason—
A dark shadow, larger than a scarecrow, suddenly sprang out from the vines on the side.
You watched helplessly as the monster lunged at Jason.
It was a furry monster, its enormous body covered in thick bone armor, its eyes burning with scarlet flames. The monster opened its huge mouth, letting out a low, angry roar, and without looking where it was going, it stomped directly at Jason, who was relentlessly pursuing you.
Before Jason could react, he was crushed into a pool of blood by the behemoth, and the ground trembled at the sight.
It seemed that once it had crushed a life, whether it was a tourist or another ghost as a "colleague," the monster's mission was complete. In an instant, it vanished contentedly.
Only then did you belatedly realize that along with Xiao Fang's shouts, there had been an indescribable rustling sound, clearly the monster's footsteps.
Lost in thought, you caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance. It was Xiao Fang!
She leaned against the curtain wall, panting heavily, but still wore a smug smile.
You two finally met up and collapsed onto your phones, typing away in the notes app to communicate.
"Did you bring that monster here?" you asked. "Thank you."
"Oh, it's just using someone else's strength against them," Xiao Fang said modestly, but his face was full of pride.
"Great job, Fang is amazing!" you said with a smile.
"snort."
"By the way, did you encounter anything?" Xiao Fang asked seriously, his expression strange.
"Just that monster, nothing else. I came in and suddenly found myself in some random place." You said, "So, did you encounter something interesting?"
Xiao Fang sighed softly, took out an irregularly shaped ring-shaped stone, and began to tell you his story.
"I and a few others appeared directly in the center of the maze. In the center was an ancient stone altar, and sitting on the altar was an old woman—she was wearing a tattered black robe, had a full head of white hair, and was tightly holding a tarot deck in her hand."
"Welcome to the Tarot game," the witch's deep voice echoed from the stone altar, carrying an irresistible power. "You can see your destiny, and you can change it. If you wish to leave this place, you must accept the judgment of the Tarot cards. Each card has its reward and punishment—some will help you, while others will bring pain. After the game, fate will decide your destiny."
To be honest, none of us wanted to participate in this game, but obviously we had no other choice.
The witch then slowly unfurled the tarot cards, revealing them one by one: the Hanged Man, the Burning Tower, the Wheel of Fortune, and Death wearing a skull mask.
I saw the images on the cards seem to be gently wriggling in the dim light, as if they were not just simple pictures, but some kind of living entity.
"Draw one card each," the witch said, her voice devoid of any emotion.
The first outsider tourist drew the Fool – a traveler standing on the edge of a cliff, gazing into the distance, seemingly oblivious to the impending danger.
The witch gave a sinister smile: 'The Fool symbolizes new beginnings and ignorance. You will be given an opportunity, but you will also face an unknown price.'
Instantly, her body began to tremble slightly, and then her arms and legs gradually stiffened, as if she had turned to stone.
She looked at us in terror, but seemed unable to utter a sound. Her body had become a lifelike statue, standing beside the stone altar, forever frozen in that moment.
I saw the number above her head drop relentlessly until it reached 0.
'She has been given an eternal chance,' the witch said softly, 'she will forever teeter on the edge of fate.'
This was absolutely terrifying. I thought to myself, "How unlucky must I be to encounter something like this in this instance?"
Next, the second outsider tourist drew the Wheel of Fortune.
The witch nodded and whispered, "The Wheel of Fortune turns, deciding your future."
The moment she finished speaking, the man's eyes suddenly became empty and lifeless. He muttered to himself, saying neither flowery language nor babbling words, and I didn't know what it was. In any case, his body began to sway, and then he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
His numbers didn't change, but when we gathered around him, we found that his eyes were unfocused and we couldn't wake him up no matter what we did.
The witch simply watched silently, then whispered, "Fate is not something you can control."
Next up is me.
I felt like every pore of my body was sweating profusely. I regretted it so much; I really shouldn't have come to this market.
But I had no choice but to do as they said.
Guess what? I drew The World, which the witch said symbolizes fulfillment and completion.
'You will see everything clearly. You will receive a precious item—a ring-shaped stone through which you will see the light of the future. But you must also understand that this light may guide you, or it may lead you astray.'
She slowly reached out and took a ring-shaped stone from her cloak, then handed it to me.
"Look, it's this stone."
Xiao Fang places the stone in your palm, urging you to pick it up and take a look with anticipation.
Point your eyes to the center of the stone ring; it's still the same maze, yet dozens of beams of light shoot straight up into the sky from many different locations.
Remove the stone, and there is no beam of light; place the stone back on, and the beam of light remains unchanged.
Xiao Fang laughed even more happily. She took two pumpkins out of her small bag and waved them in front of you like a treasure.
“That’s right, these beams of light are where the pumpkins are located.” Xiao Fang curled his nose.
"Wow, we still have to rely on Xiao Fang. With this, our next steps will be much easier." You spared no effort in providing emotional value, and in an instant, all the fatigue from just now was forgotten.
"Shall we go?"
"Walk."
Xiao Fang came from the center of the maze, so you should head in the opposite direction to the outer perimeter, following the pillars of light to find the pumpkins while also searching for the exit.
Before long, you entered a long, straight road. The air here was strangely murky, as if sand was flying around.
A strange rumbling sound came from behind you and Xiao Fang. You stopped in your tracks and listened intently to what was happening.
Just then, several panicked shouts came rolling in.
Two people, covered in mud and with terrified expressions, also came running from the end of the straight road.
Their clothes were torn by pumpkin vines, and their faces were covered in sweat, indicating that they had been running for a long time.
They were so focused on running that when they passed by you, they even tried to push you, but of course, you easily dodged them.
Upon closer inspection, a huge rock was seen chasing relentlessly along the straight road in the distance.
The stone was as wide and tall as the entire passageway, and it came crashing down on you with a tremendous roar.
The situation is urgent, the fork in the road is still far away, and the stone is moving very fast, so you have no choice but to join the escape.
The bricks underfoot were lifted up by the vibrations caused by the rolling boulder, kicking up clouds of dust.
Even though you easily overtook those two people, they followed you closely like tiger skin plaster, and would even try to pull you back from time to time.
"No way!" Xiao Fang shouted angrily.
But these two people wouldn't listen to any advice—or perhaps they couldn't understand it at all; their eyes were filled with despair and malice.
It's like they can't run away themselves but insist on dragging you down with them; no matter how fast you speed up or change direction, they always stay right behind you.
The boulder is the same; it doesn't just roll in a straight line, it also nimbly curves behind you.
Without a doubt, as long as these two stay with you for a while, the boulder will stay with you forever.
If it weren't for the numbers above their heads, you would definitely suspect they were monsters in this maze.
Xiao Fang, panting heavily, looked at him asking what he was going to do. "You've tried. The curtain wall is full of dense iron frames; hiding inside to avoid them is not an option."
The stones were moving faster and faster, and the shaking ground made escape even more difficult.
And those two are still rummaging through you.
Don't even mention Xiao Fang, you can't stand it anymore either.
You exchanged a glance, nodded, slowed down first, then suddenly accelerated, and tackled one of the two men at random.
Xiao Fang had been wanting to cause trouble for a while. He picked up a crowbar and broke the man's leg in a few quick blows. After confirming that he couldn't get up anymore, you two quickly picked up speed and continued running.
You were planning to take down the last one in the same way, but just as you grabbed him, the boulder rolled mercilessly over the first one.
With a loud crash, the man was swept into the boulder and vanished instantly into its shadow, without even a scream.
The boulder's rolling stopped abruptly, turning into a small stone that burrowed into the brickwork.
Witnessing all this, you were immediately filled with complex emotions.
But compared to the two of you, the surviving man actually seemed genuinely happy to have escaped death.
You thought that even if his companions died because of you, and even if they were the ones who harmed others first, this person would still clash with you.
Instead, he stood there, panting heavily, with an air of entitlement, showing no resentment towards you, offering no explanation for his actions that had caused you to flee, and showing no fear of what you might do to him.
He's a complete scumbag.
He shrugged, turned around, and left.
Xiao Fang was so angry she was about to explode. Her finger trembled as she pointed at him and unleashed a string of curses.
You gently pulled Xiao Fang back and said, "Forget it, it's your bad luck to have met someone like this, but he's destined not to go far."
I just didn't expect karma to come so quickly.
The man suddenly came running back, pale-faced, stretching out his hand and muttering, "Hey fe! (Help!)"
What trouble is he planning to bring you this time? You grab Xiao Fang and run away quickly, and as a low, tense background music echoes in the maze, a tall man wearing a hood slowly walks out.
Michael Myers?
The cold white mask gleamed faintly in the dim light, and the kitchen knife in his hand clattered gently. Michael Miles's steps were slow, yet carried an irresistible sense of oppression.
The man did try to lure Miles towards you, a sly glint in his eyes as he tried to shift the blame, but Miles remained fixated on the man.
Whenever the man tried to turn and run, Miles would teleport in the direction he was about to escape, knife in hand, silently waiting for him.
Click.
The man stepped onto the brick where the boulder had just disappeared.
The boulder reappeared, and this time, it crushed the man into a bloody pulp.
Blood splattered on the vines, while Miles had already hidden behind the rocks. He stood silently before his prey, now a scene of devastation after the boulder had vanished, without uttering a word.
You and Xiao Fang held your breath, almost afraid to move. After a moment, Miles raised his head, his cold gaze from behind his mask sweeping over you. Fortunately, he had already completed his task, carrying his portable speaker, and turned to disappear into the darkness of the maze.
The oppressive atmosphere dissipated with him, and you and Xiao Fang finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief.
In total, the two of you have successfully escaped five calamities, but Xiao Fang's mood is clearly very heavy.
You also feel exhausted—the struggles with monsters, the escapes, and the frights in the maze have already drained too much of your energy.
"This can't go on." Xiao Fang frowned, looking down as he typed. "We keep encountering monsters and then running around in a panic. When will we ever find a way out?"
You nodded, sharing the same doubt.
You remember the spot where the boulder disappeared for the second time. You walk up to it, but you don't dare to make any rash moves. Instead, you squat down and think carefully.
Before, you just felt that there were monsters "waiting for you" in the maze, and that you would either avoid them if you were lucky or encounter them if you were unlucky. Now, however, you feel that the occurrence of monsters or strange events may be related to the floor tiles.
Ignoring Xiao Fang's objections, you made up your mind and stepped directly over the bricks.
Nothing happened.
So, that's really how it is. Stepping on the wrong bricks triggers these strange events. If you're just passing by, there's no problem.
Pick up the ring-shaped stone and shine it in your eyes; it can only show the direction of the pumpkin, but it can't help you avoid these bricks and stones.
We can't expect you to gamble with your lives every step of the way.
“Maybe…” you suddenly thought of something, your gaze sweeping over the small gift bag that the ticket inspector had given you when you entered the market, which you had been carrying with you the whole time. “We misunderstood.”
Xiao Fang looked up at you, tilted her head, and asked, clearly puzzled, "What do you mean?"
“‘Pumpkins like pumpkins,’ we haven’t actually used it yet.” You continue typing, “I always thought it meant we could leave once we found all the pumpkins. But thinking about it, this rule might have more to it.”
You took out the jack-o'-lantern. This cheap little toy is made of plastic; you thought it might be useful, but you didn't connect it to this context, since it's fake.
Wait a minute! You slap your forehead, feeling quite annoyed. The entire maze is made up of plastic pumpkin vines!
Pushing the switch on, the cheap circuit connection becomes unstable, and the inside of the pumpkin lantern emits an orange light that flickers between strong and weak.
The soft light shone on the ground beneath your feet. Xiao Fang, being impatient, had already squatted down to take a look.
"Ah!" she exclaimed excitedly.
By the light of the jack-o'-lantern, you can clearly see that the floor tiles under your feet are actually different colors!
The vast majority of the bricks are green, except for the one that, if stepped on, will trigger a deadly boulder; it is red.
The light from the pumpkin lanterns seemed to pave a safe path for you, and you simply moved swiftly and steadily across the green bricks.
The once eerie and terrifying maze is no longer fraught with danger, and the monsters have vanished from your sight. You avoid the red bricks and successfully navigate several forks in the road, even helping several people along the way, before finally arriving at a spacious open area.
With the addition of the ring-shaped stone, you quickly found all six pumpkins.
When the last pumpkin was placed in the bag, you felt a strange sense of satisfaction, as if the entire maze had fallen silent at that moment, awaiting your next move.
Just as you were about to continue searching for the exit, the six pumpkins in the bag suddenly began to emit a low, guttural laugh. The laugh echoed eerily through the empty maze, carrying a strange mockery.
Xiao Fang suddenly stopped and looked at you in surprise. You looked at her and nodded.
The pumpkin is really laughing.
Before you could even react, all six pumpkins simultaneously flashed with blinding light, began to rotate and rise on their own, and slowly merged together.
Six pumpkins were combined to form a giant pumpkin head.
That enormous pumpkin head blocked your way, its mouth gaping open like a gate, emitting a ghostly green light and radiating an unsettling aura.
On the pumpkin head's forehead is carved the word "Hoelle," which in some dialects means "hell."
The light from the jack-o'-lantern shines on the pumpkin head, as if it's waiting for you to take the next step.
It can't get any worse; either this is the exit, or it's the last checkpoint.
You walked in hand in hand.
A sweet breeze blew by, and you didn't find yourself at the exit of the maze, but rather—at the exit of the market.
A staff member who looks exactly like the ticket inspector, whose job title is unclear, smiles and gives "rewards" to each tourist who has completed their tour.
When it was your turn, she accepted your handbands, but her smile froze on her face.
She held up a device that looked like a POS machine in disbelief, swiping your names several times, her expression shifting from gloomy to cheerful.
"Boese Auslaender!" she yelled at you, then waved you away.
You and Xiao Fang find it incomprehensible, but oh well, there's no point in arguing with them.
"Xiaoming, we're done and heading home now. Message me when you get home." After sending the message to Xiaoming, you put your phone in your pocket.
When you got home, you took a quick shower. Come to think of it, you've gotten used to taking beer showers these past few days.
Humans are incredibly adaptable, aren't they?
You and Xiao Fang slept for a whole day before finally getting up to cook potatoes.
While eating, you all reviewed your experience at the market.
It's tiring and scary, but it's really simple. All the puzzles can be solved by following the rules, and there are many "insiders" among the staff.
It's actually quite fun, haha.
For you, you have already accomplished everything, and there is no need to struggle any further in this instance.
After happily spending the remaining ten days or so lying around, first you saw off Xiaoming who was taking a plane, then you saw off Xiaofang who was taking a ship, and finally one day, you found an app on your phone.
An app with a white background and red letters.
DB.
Deguo Railway Company.
Your high-speed rail ticket—the ICE—is scheduled to depart at 12:05 PM, lunchtime, three days from now.
High-speed rail tickets are different from the regular train tickets you've taken before. They're more like the domestic train system, requiring you to buy seats with your real name and not being able to change trains at will.
Are you leaving? You feel a little lost.
After Xiao Fang left, the landlord found you two local roommates. They weren't noisy, but they were incredibly dirty. Not washing the dishes was bad enough, but they also left crumbs all over the table after breakfast and wouldn't clean up after that.
You want to roll your eyes at them all the time, but now you're thinking about how they invited you into their room to watch a movie and eat "three people's" potato chips.
And, will you meet Xiaoming and Xiaofang again in the future? Oh, and Xiaohong, that girl made another mistake later, but now she has grown into a calm and collected veteran.
On November 27th, in the game "Deguo Dungeon," you arrived at the station 10 minutes early, waiting for your train.
Ten minutes have passed.
Twenty minutes have passed.
30 minutes have passed.
You are the only one left at the station.
*Smack*
The lights of the whole world go out, and you can't see your own shadow, but you know that your three full chances above your head have been completely wiped out.
"nie deutsche Bahn vertrauen!"
"Never trust the German railways!"
When you opened your eyes again, you found yourself in a colorful, but very dark world.
Many confused and aimless figures linger here; that may be your fate.
"? It's you? Hahaha, so you've finally met your match?"
A somewhat manic voice exploded in your ear, and as you watched her poking at her red nail polish in front of you, a flood of memories rushed back.
Sister Y!
How come you and she are in the same time and space?
You find more memories, and you have no time to pay attention to her, so you angrily run to the train station.
Find the dB passenger service center:
I want to file a complaint!
You directly stated the meaning of the flowers, just like Sister Y. Here, everyone can communicate without barriers.
"I want to see your train schedule for November 27th!"
If you loudly state your request, the clerk won't be able to ignore you. After dawdling for a while, they'll have no choice but to print it out and hand it to you.
"Ha, your train left 20 minutes early?? You're fully responsible!" When people are speechless to the extreme, they actually laugh. You slam this train schedule on the table, wishing you could blow up the DB.
The clerk hesitated for a moment, then made phone calls to some leaders and, expressionless, issued you a new free ticket.
"Please pay attention to the time, don't miss it again this time," she said sarcastically.
"Please be mindful of the time, thank you." You said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile.
After receiving the transfer slip stamped with dB's official seal, you turned around, stumbled, and fell back to the station.
You're back!
The number above your head is 1. You've thoroughly checked all the train schedules, train codes, and other information, and you're practically glued to your eyes, staring intently as the train pulls into the station.
Ten minutes have passed.
Twenty minutes have passed.
30 minutes have passed.
Finally, it arrived an hour late.
Once on the train, you were still a little nervous and asked several people, including the train conductor, if this was the train you were supposed to take. Only after receiving affirmative answers from all of them did you finally feel relieved and sit down.
As the train started moving, after the conductor checked my ticket, I looked at the scenery rushing past the window and an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over me.
You are asleep.
Where will the next stop be?
————
Halloween Market Staff Code of Conduct
1. Always remain silent
As a market staff member, you should not speak directly to or explain anything to visitors. Your presence is solely for guiding and serving; avoid excessive interaction with visitors. Communication should only be through nonverbal means, such as eye contact or gestures. Any verbal communication that violates this rule will result in punishment.
2. Ensure visitor participation in every experience.
You must ensure that visitors follow the rules, especially when it comes to tasks or games. Do not offer excessive assistance to visitors who fail to complete a task as required. Your role is to provide guidance when necessary, but you cannot proactively intervene or disrupt the balance of the game.
3. Comply with the controller's punishment mechanism
If visitors violate the rules, staff are responsible for guiding them to face the controllers' punishment, such as leading them into more dangerous areas or letting the maze's monsters discover their presence. You cannot intervene actively, but must obey the maze's overall mechanics.
Xiaoming worked at the fried noodle stall at the Halloween market for a whole night.
Her task was simple and clear: prepare ingredients, stir-fry noodles, and serve customers. However, to enter the park, she had to submit one opportunity point first. Only when the owner was satisfied would she get that one opportunity point back when she left.
Standing in the kitchen, she lifted a large box of vegetables, and her brow immediately furrowed. Almost all the vegetables were moldy and rotten; the greens were covered with black spots, the tofu was soggy and unrecognizable, and the meat smelled sour and foul. This made Xiaoming feel nauseous.
I reluctantly began preparing the rotten ingredients. Smoke rose from the pot, the food sizzled under the high temperature, and a strange, burnt smell filled the air.
Xiaoming tried her best to avoid the disgusting smells and mechanically stirred the food. She knew perfectly well that this food could no longer be called "food".
However, when she served the plate of fried noodles, the customers in line were excited and eagerly took it and began to eat.
Xiaoming stood behind the stall, silently observing the customers. She quickly realized that the food looked completely different to her than to the customers. What she saw as rotten and unappetizing ingredients appeared as incredibly delicious dishes to the customers.
Since these local customers can eat rotten food with complete satisfaction, then what she considers rotten food must actually be bad. When outsiders come to the stall, using the only fresh ingredients available to make fried noodles is certainly the right thing to do.
The busy night continued, with customers constantly coming in to order food, while Xiaoming mechanically stir-fried the nauseatingly rotten dishes. She tried her best to maintain a calm demeanor, but the anxiety and exhaustion inside grew heavier and heavier. She suppressed her nausea and repeated the same actions: chopping vegetables, stir-frying noodles, serving dishes. She realized that even without smiling, it was this tiring.
Finally, night fell, and no more customers came to the stall. Xiaoming breathed a sigh of relief and began to clean the stall.
Just as Xiaoming was about to leave, the boss came over. He still had his usual smile on his face, but his tone carried an unyielding command: "Take a serving of fried noodles home with you."
Xiaoming knew that if she wanted to please her boss, she couldn't refuse, so she could only silently accept it, packing a large portion of fried noodles into a box and carrying it in her hand.
When they finished their shift, there were no tourists left in the market. The ticket inspectors were just standing at the exit chatting.
These guys, who look exactly alike, are talking loudly about today's tourists.
"Those idiots, they go to such lengths not to miss out on opportunities, but they don't realize that if they can experience all six rides, we'll give them all back! Hahaha!"
"It's infuriating that they try so hard not to die, so we can't get any nourishment from their soul transformation."
…
Xiaoming walked home alone. Carrying the fried noodles, she walked along the empty street, feeling the chill of the night gradually seep into her bones.
Her pace quickened, and a strange sense of unease welled up inside her. She had a feeling that someone was following her.
"Could it be my imagination?" she wondered to herself, and couldn't help but look back.
However, what she saw made her heart clench. Several ragged, distorted-faced homeless men were quietly following behind her.
Their eyes were empty and hungry, as if they had discovered some delicious prey, staring intently at the fried noodles in Xiaoming's hand.
Xiao Ming's heart raced as she realized their target was clearly the food in her hand. These homeless men, as if they had just taken some kind of drug, were deeply attracted by the rotting fried noodles, their eyes filled with greed and fanaticism.
"Always remember that you are Liuzi, not a homeless person!"
This is a common rule in the Deguo dungeon, because Deguo runners must be poor. Everyone eats expired food to survive, and they are no different from homeless people.
It's even worse. After all, homeless people can receive government subsidies.
However, no matter how desperate Ruko was, she could not possibly regard this rotten food as a treasure.
Just then, Xiaoming suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.
She looked at the fried noodles in her hand. Although she knew the ingredients were rotten and spoiled, a strange impulse arose in her heart—the fried noodles didn't look as disgusting as she had imagined; in fact, they had a faint sense of temptation.
"Could it be... that this fried noodles is really delicious?" A thought flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but shudder, immediately realizing how absurd the idea was.
She gritted her teeth and muttered to herself, "I am Liuzi, I am Liuzi," as she threw the rotten fried noodles at the homeless man following behind her.
The homeless men swarmed around her like hungry wolves, scrambling for the food she had discarded.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiaoming quickly turned around and hurried away from that eerie scene.
Behind her, the sounds of the homeless people's revelry and chewing were gradually drowned out by the wind. Perhaps they would die randomly this winter, who knows?
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Author's Note: I'll be posting tomorrow, so I'll update after the giveaway ends tonight, hehe~
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