Then, Li Yan and Liu Bo each took out their tickets and found two substitute ghosts to take their places on the Drop Tower ride. As the line gradually shortened, the three malevolent spirits soon reached the ride's ticket checkpoint. Though everyone was tense with anxiety, fortunately, the ticket-holding ghosts faced no questions from the staff, who simply punched the tickets, leaving clear marks!
Just as the final ride on the three tickets was punched, a *ding* sounded, and a prompt from the radio instantly echoed in Chen Mo's mind.
"Terror Story Task One has been completed!" "Participants may leave the amusement park through the exit after finishing the rides, or choose to continue with Task Two."
So that's how it is!
Just as he had guessed, the criteria for completing this task wasn't whether the players actually rode the park's attractions, but rather the punch marks on the tickets.
"So that's it—I never thought this task would be so easy."
Hearing the story prompt in his mind, the fat man's face immediately lit up with barely concealed excitement. Task Two was an optional part of this terror story, so skipping it wouldn't matter.
For the fat man, leaving this story's supernatural world a moment sooner meant a moment's relief. He didn't want to stay in this terrifying place for even a second longer.
However, neither Chen Mo nor Li Yan showed any sign of rushing to leave.
"Hey... what's wrong with you guys?" The fat man was puzzled and couldn't help waving a hand in front of Li Yan's face. "You heard the prompt just now, right? Why are you still standing there?"
"If you're not afraid to die, go ahead and walk out and see."
Li Yan's cold reply hit the fat man like a bucket of ice water, instantly draining the excitement from his face. "What do you mean... Didn't the prompt say we've completed the task and can leave?!"
"You can leave, that's true, but don't forget—the prompt said we have to leave through the exit. Without the ticket's protection, do you think the malevolent spirits outside won't kill you?"
Though the fat man was a bit slow, he wasn't stupid. Li Yan's reminder made him realize immediately, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
In his excitement at hearing the task completion prompt, he had almost forgotten this crucial detail.
This Strange Tales radio's terror stories were indeed full of traps. One lapse in attention, and he'd nearly been tricked.
"This damn story, it still tries to screw us over even as we're leaving!"
Coming to his senses, the fat man gritted his teeth in fury, but no matter how viciously he cursed the mysterious radio in his mind, it had no effect on it whatsoever.
Soon, though, the fat man thought of another issue, his face turning gloomy.
"If just having the ticket punched by the staff means we've completed the ride, then why did we risk our lives to actually go on them before?!"
"The story can't be that simple." Li Yan shook his head, this time patiently explaining. "Remember the staff at each ride? I think those ghosts are both the ticket punchers and the monitors of whether participants complete the rides. If someone gets their ticket punched but doesn't follow the rules and forces their way out, the ticket's protection would probably vanish immediately, triggering a killing move."
"So that's it..." The fat man patted his chest in lingering fear. "So punching the ticket and actually riding are both required parts of the rules."
"I think that's right," Chen Mo answered this time, his gaze fixed on the Drop Tower as it rose to its highest point.
Then it plummeted wildly, crushing the ghost on it into pulp.
Afterward, the three substitute ghosts holding tickets gradually vanished like the other spirits, and three pieces of paper emitting a faint white glow returned to the participants' pockets.
On each ticket stub, four identical punch marks appeared, signifying that all four rides had been completed.
"Let's go. We can leave this theme park now."
Only then did Li Yan's expression finally relax a bit. He quickly put the ticket back in his pocket and scanned the exit.
This time, they were truly leaving this terrifying world. And at this moment, there were less than fifteen minutes until midnight.
This terror story had been riddled with deadly traps. Even he had struggled to handle it. If not for that newcomer, Chen Mo, he might have died during the task.
And this was only the fourth terror story the radio had released.
Though Li Yan had always appeared calm, the deep-seated human fear of death was not so easily suppressed.
Fortunately, this fourth terror story had passed with a scare but no real harm. After three terror stories, though their difficulty kept increasing, the intervals between releases also grew longer. At least it gave him a chance to catch his breath and live a normal life for a while.
Wait, Li Yan, what are you thinking?
They hadn't fully left the story's supernatural world yet—how could he let his guard down!
Just a moment of distraction, and Li Yan snapped back to attention. He was about to call Chen Mo to leave through the exit when he suddenly noticed that Chen Mo's face showed no joy at completing the task. Instead, it was pale as he stared in a certain direction.
His experience with multiple tasks made a sense of foreboding rise in Li Yan's heart. Following Chen Mo's gaze, he saw that beside the words "highdie" on the Drop Tower, a red balloon was floating.
And that balloon was held in a small, pale hand. A little girl with a cold, sinister face hovered in midair, her venomous gaze fixed on everyone.
An icy aura quickly spread through the surroundings!
"I knew it... this story wouldn't let us off so easily..."
Li Yan gritted his teeth, forcing down the pain in his heart. This was the story's cruelty—giving you hope, then plunging you into the abyss of despair in an instant.
This little girl was clearly the source of all the park's curses and, obviously, the most powerful ghost in the story!
The little ghost girl appearing now was completely different from the one in the Mirror Maze. She wasn't there as a hint—she was an ultimate malevolent spirit, already triggered to kill!