"Fifteen minutes left, everyone, hurry up and get in." Failing to enter the park within the mission's time limit would be an unacceptable way to lose.
Even so, upon reaching the theme park's entrance, Li Yan didn't rush in. Instead, he looked it over carefully. Although the amusement park had ceased operations, the rusted security gates at the entrance hadn't been removed. These turnstiles left a narrow passage, allowing only one person through at a time.
Wei Ran stepped forward and pushed, but the turnstile didn't budge.
"The story told us to investigate the amusement park—what's going on?"
Seeing the closed turnstiles, a hint of confusion flickered across their faces.
"Since we're not allowed in, I say we just turn back and head home," the chubby guy behind them said, his expression conflicted. Despite having gone through the novice script, he still seemed unable to fully accept the eerie story world. If not for the group bolstering each other's courage, he'd probably have fled long ago.
"Go back? Back where? Do you think walking backward will get you out of this world? Are you stupid?" Seeing the chubby guy—Liu Bo—hesitating, Wei Ran's temper flared. "Step aside and don't get in our way."
The fat guy let out an "oh" and timidly shuffled back a few steps, glancing around with a mix of fear and uncertainty.
Wei Ran turned back to figure out how to open the turnstiles. Though they were all locked, they were heavily rusted and damaged, seemingly easy to break with minimal effort.
Just as Wei Ran was about to try breaking them, the chubby guy's shout came from behind again. Frowning, Wei Ran turned to snap at him but saw Liu Bo pointing his pudgy right hand straight ahead: "Look, isn't that the ticket booth?"
"Huh?"
Following the chubby guy's voice, everyone noticed a small building like a guardhouse to the right of the amusement park's main gate. Its door was tightly shut, but a semicircular opening in the window area clearly served as a ticket window.
At the same time, a sign in front boldly displayed three big characters: "Open for Business."
Below the sign, a line of text read: "Adult ticket: 10 yuan, children free."
Security checkpoint, turnstiles, ticket booth—obvious hints...
Having been through three story worlds, Li Yan quickly caught on and reached into his pocket, feeling the coins.
"If I had to guess, this is the game hinting that we need to buy tickets to enter this theme park."
"But hasn't this theme park been abandoned for years? Who's selling us tickets?"
The fat guy's ill-timed question immediately drew several murderous glares.
This was the classic case of bringing up the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Chen Mo decided not to dwell on this spine-chilling question for now. After a brief discussion, they agreed Li Yan would go first.
"In my opinion, the story shouldn't introduce danger this early. That doesn't fit Radio Bizarre's usual style."
With that, he walked to the ticket booth, pulled out a coin, and slowly placed it into the window.
At the same time, he saw... from the dark opening, a small, pale hand reached out, took the coin, and retreated into the shadows.
This hair-raising sight, right in front of the ticket window, hit Li Yan hard. Even as a veteran of three story worlds who had mentally prepared himself, he still stumbled back a step.
A few seconds later, with a click, a slot in the nearby machine opened, spitting out a colorful paper slip. The slip's background featured a clown's face, its twisted grin under the dim light devoid of any festive cheer. It was indeed a theme park ticket.
After getting the ticket, Li Yan immediately flipped it over. On the back was a line of blood-red text.
The text roughly reminded "visitors" to keep their tickets, follow the rules, and complete the rides as required.
It seemed like ordinary amusement park instructions, but Li Yan's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't a standard park notice—it was a warning specifically for them, the participants!
"Heh... it looks like this story has no loopholes to exploit..."
Ever since being dragged into Radio Bizarre's stories, Li Yan had made a habit of reading horror novels. Not to build courage, but to gain insights. The moment he got the ticket, an idea had popped into his head.
What if he tore off the attached stub, faked completing all the attractions, and then left the park?
Without that warning text, he might have tried to cut corners. But now, some unseen force clearly forced him to abandon that notion.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Li Yan clutched the ticket and quickly returned to the turnstiles.
Seeing Li Yan pass safely, Wei Ran and Gao Jie breathed sighs of relief. They then took turns at the ticket booth, each "buying" a ticket with coins from their pockets.
Next came the fat guy and the short-haired girl. Though trembling with fear, they managed to get their tickets without incident.
Finally, it was Chen Mo's turn.
Approaching the gloomy ticket window, Chen Mo planned to insert a coin like the others. But on a whim, he glanced at the window more closely.
That extra look paid off. Above the ticket window, there was a line of tiny text.
"This ticket seller likes to take advantage. If you're willing to pay extra, you might get something better."
The text was very small, carved into the weathered wooden frame. Without careful inspection, it was invisible.
So, another hint from the story.
His heart stirred. Chen Mo reached into his pocket, pulled out another coin, and handed both into the ticket window.
Then, he saw that cold, pale little hand emerge from the darkness...
Click. A soft sound. Something dropped into the slot beside the window. Chen Mo picked it up and saw it wasn't a theme park ticket, but a "VIP Amusement Park Invitation Voucher."
Paying different amounts yielded different items. Chen Mo flipped the voucher over, and sure enough, there was a line of small text on the back.
"A limited-edition invitation voucher sold inside the amusement park. Using it grants some extra perks."
Tucking the voucher away, Chen Mo turned and walked back to the gate. Glancing back, he saw the ticket booth had closed, and the "Open for Business" sign had gradually faded away.
At the same time, the security gates at the entrance let out a series of clanking sounds, as if urging the players to enter quickly.
With tickets in hand, they took turns feeding them into the gates and passing through the opened turnstiles. Only when Chen Mo went through last did a different gate open—clearly the VIP passage, thanks to his voucher.
As he passed through the "VIP passage," Chen Mo caught a glimpse of something shocking.
Looking from the "VIP passage" toward the "regular passage," the rusted security gate's side had a large crack. Inside, he could faintly see rusty gears and bits of shredded flesh.
"This is..."
Chen Mo's heart pounded. These weren't security gates at all—they were meat grinders placed at the entrance. If they had tried to break the turnstiles instead of buying tickets, the consequences were unimaginable!
And this was just the entrance. Who knew how many death traps lurked inside this amusement park!