20 minutes—exactly the time it takes for the Ferris wheel to complete one full rotation. In that time, trapped in a sealed cabin with a vengeful ghost, one could be killed countless times over. Yet, since this was the story's setting, the five participants had no choice but to steel themselves and hand their tickets to the staff member at the entrance.
Then, with nerves frayed, they made their way to the boarding point for the Ferris wheel.
As Chen Mo reached his designated spot, a red cabin swung around to stop right in front of him. The iron door creaked open, and he was met with a horrifying sight: on the seat across from him sat a twisted, blood-soaked ghost, its body broken and contorted!
An ordinary person, faced with such a terrifying scene, would likely flee in panic. But bound by the story's constraints, Chen Mo's heart pounded wildly and cold sweat drenched his palms, yet he forced his stiff legs to move, step by step, into the cabin.
Then, he sat down opposite the ghost!
In that cramped space, the distance between him and the ghost was less than a meter. The blood-drenched, ghastly face loomed before him at all times, and the metallic stench of blood hit his nostrils, making it clear that this was no illusion conjured by the story—it was a real, murderous vengeful spirit.
And its venomous eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Chen Mo!
Not just Chen Mo—Li Yan, Bai Yin, Gao Jie, and Liu Bo each entered different cabins in turn. Every single one of those cabins was occupied by a vengeful ghost. Some had broken necks, others were covered in countless slashes, and one had no eyeballs, with blood dripping steadily from hollow sockets.
Regardless of their gruesome deaths, one thing was certain: these "things" were all unadulterated, murderous ghosts. Among the four, only Li Yan managed to maintain a semblance of composure; the other three trembled uncontrollably.
The instinct to flee from the ghost clashed violently with the rational need to complete the task to survive.
In the end, all five participants, following the ride's rules, entered cabins each containing a ghost. At the same time, with a click, the iron doors locked automatically, and the Ferris wheel began to turn slowly.
The second amusement ride had finally begun...
For Gao Jie and Liu Bo, this story mission had originally been all about clinging to Li Yan's coattails. But they hadn't expected this damned Ferris wheel to separate them completely. That meant, for this second challenge, every participant had to rely solely on their own abilities.
Trembling violently all over, Gao Jie stole a glance at the ghost across from him. He was facing the one covered in bloody gashes, its mouth slit wide open by a blade. The sound of blood dripping—drip, drop, drip—echoed incessantly in the sealed cabin, drilling into his ears.
One minute passed, then two. In the grip of extreme terror, Gao Jie gradually grew numb, as if forgetting where he was.
But then, a voice suddenly rang out beside him.
"Hehehe... let's chat."
The voice was unmistakably close, and in this sealed cabin, who else could it be besides himself?
Only that terrifying ghost!
Gao Jie's heart, already numbed and despairing from sheer fear, seemed to be stabbed again. He jerked his head up, and in that instant, the will to survive surged back into his body.
Yes, that horrifically dead ghost had actually taken the initiative to "chat" with him.
Not just in Gao Jie's cabin—at the same time, in every cabin, including Chen Mo's and Li Yan's, the ghosts sitting opposite them all turned their heads coldly and uttered the same words in a stiff voice.
"Hehehe... let's chat."
At that moment, Chen Mo's heart tightened.
Here it comes...
The story's test for them, the participants, had finally begun.
But he hadn't expected the ghost across from him to casually start a "chat."
Without a doubt, every response from now on would be crucial. If he accidentally triggered a killing intent during the conversation, he'd likely be killed by the ghost on the spot.
After a brief moment of thought, Chen Mo replied, "Chat about what?"
"Chat about what?" At the same time, facing the terrifying spirit, Li Yan also uttered the same words. Clearly, his approach mirrored Chen Mo's—testing the ghost's stance first.
"Yes, what to chat about?" In front of him, the "kindly" old grandmother, who had no eyeballs and blood streaming from her empty sockets, muttered a few words before flashing a sinister smile.
"How about we talk about how each of us died?"
What? That's what they were supposed to discuss?
Meanwhile, in two other cabins, Bai Yin and Gao Jie's faces changed instantly. This—this—how were they supposed to answer that?
"Hehe, you already know, don't you? We're already dead, right?"
In front of Chen Mo, the blood-soaked, twisted ghost grinned darkly at him, as if it had seen through his true identity.
Don't panic, absolutely don't panic. With the ticket's protection, these ghosts were bound by the story's rules and couldn't identify the participants as living humans! Otherwise, they'd have been killed by the sheer number of vengeful spirits long ago.
And now, this ghost, transformed from a middle-aged man, clearly thought of him as a fellow spirit and was confiding in him, reminding him, "We're all dead already."
The key to this task might lie right here...
Because the ticket shielded them, preventing the ghosts from discerning their true identities as living people, the Ferris wheel ride forced them into a confined space with the ghosts, constantly answering their questions. If they slipped up and revealed their living status, the killing intent would be triggered instantly.
"Sure," Chen Mo replied, feigning calmness with a nod. "Since you suggested it, why don't you go first?"
This response had two advantages. First, it bought time—by letting the ghost talk, he could subtly probe and extend its narration. The more the ghost spoke, the less time he'd have to recount his own "cause of death," reducing the chance of slipping up.
Second, it allowed him to learn and mimic—imitating the ghost's storytelling to lower the risk of making mistakes.
"Alright then, I'll start with how I died." The middle-aged ghost before him didn't suspect a thing and began recounting its death.