bookcurios Chapter 982 Trapped
Chapter 982 Trapped
Pale hands reaching out from the darkness grabbed his ankles, the eerie, cold, sticky sensation spreading along his skin.
The melted liquid belonging to the tourists also randomly wrapped around his calves, as if trying to pull him toward those empty wooden horses.
Yu Shijiu licked his lips, and his pupils began to tremble violently.
It wasn't a tremor of fear, but rather... a tremor of excitement.
He could feel the muscles under the skin of his left arm bulging slightly, and he had a crazy urge to tear apart the hands and tourists in front of him.
Yu Shijiu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the strange feeling of his left arm extending, and quickly grabbed Xu Han's shoulder with his right hand.
"Brother Han, wake up!"
Xu Han's body jolted violently.
He kept his eyes closed, but a suppressed sob came from his throat.
In the hallucination, he saw countless horrific scenes—his teammates dying one after another while he cried helplessly, the despair of being trapped in the amusement park and never being able to leave, and the deepest fear in his heart: the loneliness of being abandoned by everyone…
The images in these hallucinations were like a tide, trying to completely overwhelm him.
"Brother Han."
Yu Shijiu's voice pierced through the mist of the illusion.
“Look at me, I’m Shi Jiu, and we’re all waiting for you outside.”
Xu Han's eyelids trembled violently.
A few seconds later, he suddenly opened his eyes.
His pupils were dilated and bloodshot, but at least he had regained consciousness.
"Shi... Jiu?"
"go!"
Yu Shijiu forcefully pulled him off the rocking horse.
The instant the two touched the ground—
The wooden horse princess at the entrance of the carousel let out an extremely angry roar.
Her melting body suddenly expanded, transforming into a huge, stitched mass of flesh that lunged at the two people on the carousel platform.
The pale hands and the melting liquid from the tourists tightened simultaneously, attempting to trap the two people completely in place.
At the critical moment—
Yu Shijiu's left arm rose up uncontrollably.
It's not an animal claw.
The arms are still in human form.
The familiar, blood-stained axe appeared in Yu Shijiu's left hand. He grabbed Xu Han with one hand, raised the axe, and chopped down fiercely.
The axe instantly severed those pale hands and the molten liquid.
"Ugh—!!!"
The stitched-up flesh, transformed from the wooden horse princess, emitted a shrill scream from its throat, and some of the stitched areas began to rapidly wither and shrivel.
The pale hands and liquid retreated frantically as if they had encountered a natural enemy.
"Walk."
Yu Shijiu suppressed the urge to chase after Xu Han and slash him, and pulled him off the carousel platform.
The moment the two stepped off the platform—
The music started again.
The colored lights flashed again.
The wooden horse princess at the entrance gate has returned to her sweet appearance, standing by the door, waving and smiling gently at the two of them.
The tourists who had melted away sat back on the carousel, swaying gently to the soft music with joyful expressions.
It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
But the axe Yu Shijiu was holding in his left hand was still dripping with asphalt-colored liquid, and Xu Han's pale face proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.
"Xiao Han! Shi Jiu!"
Chen Yi quickly ran over and grabbed Xu Han's hand, "How are you? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Xu Han was still a little dazed after being pulled down. Hearing this, he subconsciously shook his head, "No...no, it's just...it's just a little sleepy..."
He Lingling stared at Yu Shijiu's left arm, her huge black pupils contracting to their maximum.
"Your arm..."
"fine."
Yu Shijiu said.
The colorful lights of the carousel behind us quickly started flashing again, and cheerful music rang out, as if the darkness had never existed.
Yu Shijiu stood still and glanced up at the carousel, which had returned to normal.
He put the axe back into his system inventory, but the lingering sensation on his fingertips remained—
When those pale hands were severed, the sensation was not the sticky feeling of striking some kind of entity, but a strange, sticky feeling, like tearing a wet cloth.
He looked down at his left hand.
Intact, pale, unchanged.
The muscles beneath the skin seemed to be trembling slightly. The urge to tear or devour something was forcibly suppressed, leaving behind a deeper... restlessness.
But it's still barely under control.
"Shi Jiu".
He Lingling walked to his side, still staring intently at his left arm.
"You just now..."
"Sister Lingling, it's really okay."
Yu Shijiu raised her head and gave her a sweet smile.
"I just used a little too much force."
He shook his left arm and sighed, "My arm is a little sore."
He Lingling stared at him in silence for a few seconds, then didn't press him further.
But she knew in her heart that the aura that Yu Shijiu's left arm had just emitted was too similar to the aura that appeared when the beast claw appeared in the "Return Journey" dungeon.
Even if it's just for a moment.
Even if no real upheaval occurred.
But that almost violent fluctuation originating from deep within the pollution source did indeed last for more than a second.
"Sister Lingling?"
Yu Shijiu tilted her head, her round almond-shaped eyes full of confusion.
"……fine."
He Lingling withdrew her gaze and turned to walk towards Xu Han, who was being supported by Chen Yi.
Xu Han's face was deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but at least he was still conscious.
He leaned against Chen Yi, panting heavily. When he saw He Lingling walking over, he forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"I...I got the badge..."
With trembling hands, Xu Han pulled a carousel-shaped badge inlaid with colorful light bulbs from his pocket.
The badge was still glowing faintly, but the light in the bulb flickered on and off, as if it might go out at any moment.
Congratulations to player Xu Han for obtaining the item: "Spinning Happiness Badge"
[Item Description: A small prize from the carousel, symbolizing a fleeting moment of false happiness.]
[Item Effect: When worn, this item slightly increases the player's resistance to illusion-type attacks. However, the side effect is that it will slowly accumulate "dizziness value." When the "dizziness value" reaches the player's critical point, the player will be unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. — (Note: This item is only effective in the dungeon "Shh, Please Be Quiet.")]
"I got the badge too..."
Xu Han murmured to himself, stuffed the badge back into his pocket, and then collapsed completely against Chen Yi.
"Brother Chen...I'm so tired...I want to sleep..."
"Don't sleep!"
Chen Yi quickly patted his face, his voice filled with urgency.
"Xiaohan, wake up! You can't sleep now!"
Who knows if it will cause any problems if players "lie down" here?
Xu Han's eyelids had begun to droop.
The weariness he had brought from the carousel's illusion was trying to drag him into a deeper slumber.
Anjie had already walked over quickly, holding a bottle of mental recovery potion that she had taken out of her system backpack.
"Open your mouth!"
She forcefully grabbed Xu Han's chin, attempting to force the medicine into his mouth.
An Jie shouted sternly, "Xu Han! Open your mouth!"
"An...uh—glug—glug—"
The icy liquid slid down his throat, and Xu Han shuddered violently, his unfocused eyes slowly refocusing.
"I...I'm still alive?"
He stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"nonsense."
Ange put away the empty bottle, her gaze sweeping over the still sweetly smiling carousel princess at the entrance of the carousel, and then looking at the "Fukagawa" group who were looking this way not far away.
"Let's get out of here first."
she says.
"it is good."
"..."
The remaining four nodded in unison and quickly left the carousel area, heading towards a relatively quiet corner deep inside the amusement park.
Along the way, the tourists continued to explore the attractions in small groups, their laughter, screams, and the sounds of the rides creating a strange and irritating cacophony.
No tourists noticed the five of them.
Or rather, no tourists "care" about their departure.
Just like in a real amusement park, visitors only focus on the rides that interest them and ignore the strangers passing by.
Yu Shijiu followed behind the four people, his gaze constantly falling on the happy tourists around him, and his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the amusement facilities.
Ferris wheel, roller coaster, giant swing, log flume, flying car...
His eyes gleamed as he watched the tourists screaming and laughing on the amusement park rides.
A long time ago... Mom also said she wanted to go to the amusement park with him...
The five of them quickly made their way through the bustling crowd and along a path adorned with colorful lights, until they arrived at a relatively quiet resting area.
There are a few benches for visitors to rest on, a vending machine selling drinks, and... a bumper car area that looks like it has been abandoned for a long time.
The group glanced several times at the bumper car track behind the bench.
The bumper car track was dirty and rusty. Several bumper cars were parked haphazardly in various parts of the area, with peeling paint revealing dark red rust underneath. Compared to the other facilities in the amusement park, it was very shabby.
But at this moment, being poor is actually a good thing for them.
Chen Yi helped Xu Han sit down on the bench and handed him a piece of chocolate.
"Thank you, Brother Chen."
Xu Han weakly thanked him, took the chocolate, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
"Xu Han".
He Lingling sat down next to him, her dark pupils staring at his half-open eyes.
What did you see in the carousel illusion?
The other three also turned their gazes in that direction at the same time.
Xu Han's stiff body trembled violently. He lowered his head and remained silent.
He Lingling didn't urge him, but just watched him quietly and waited patiently.
Xu Han remained silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice:
“I, I saw... I saw you all die.”
He closed his eyes briefly in pain as he said this, and continued:
"I saw Sister An being dragged into the haunted house by the amusement park staff, I saw Brother Chen being thrown off the roller coaster and falling... I also saw Shi Jiu being strangled to death by that clown... the clown in front of the shooting booth, he used a balloon to strangle Shi Jiu, and you, He Lingling—"
Xu Han opened his eyes and looked at He Lingling in front of him, his eyes bloodshot:
"I saw your eyes...your eyes have been gouged out too..."
Anjie and Chen Yi both looked rather grim.
Chen Yi opened his mouth, then reached out and patted Xu Han's shoulder to comfort him.
"Xiao Han, those are all fake."
Only Yu Shijiu, who was "strangled to death," and He Lingling, whose eyes were "gouged out," remained relatively calm.
"and then?"
Yu Shijiu leaned against the iron fence next to the bumper car area and turned around to ask.
"I...I thought it was real at the time..."
Xu Han swallowed the bittersweet chocolate liquid in his throat, his voice growing softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
"But, but in the illusion, in the end I was the only one left alive, trapped on that ever-spinning carousel, forever... forever spinning..."
"That's not true."
Chen Yi couldn't help but grasp his hand, the warmth of his palm conveying its comfort.
“We are all alive, Xiaohan. Look carefully. We are all alive. What you see is all fake.”
"..."
Xu Han slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the four people in front of him—
An Jie's worried eyes, Chen Yi's gentle yet firm words of comfort, He Lingling's rare concern in her eyes, and Yu Shijiu...
Yu Shijiu was leaning against the iron fence, looking down at his left hand, seemingly lost in thought.
Noticing Xu Han's gaze, he looked up and gave a bright smile.
"Brother Han, I'm so glad you're alright."
Xu Han paused for a few seconds, then let out a long breath.
"...I'm really impressed, you guys are all...you're all pretty good..."
As he spoke, his eyes reddened, but he forced back the tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm fine, really. I'm just a little tired. I should rest for a while."
Anjie nodded and turned her gaze to Yu Shijiu.
"Shi Jiu, what you just did..."
"Sister An."
He Lingling suddenly interrupted her.
"Let Shi Jiu rest for a while too."
Anjie looked at He Lingling, and their eyes met for a moment.
A few seconds later, Ange nodded.
"Okay, then let Shi Jiu and Xiao Han rest a bit more."
After she finished speaking, she stood up, walked to the edge of the rest area, and cautiously observed her surroundings.
He Lingling also stood up, walked to her side, and lowered her voice to say:
“Sister An, I now suspect that Shi Jiu’s left arm… may not have fully recovered yet.”
Anjie's body stiffened slightly.
"you sure?"
"uncertain."
He Lingling shook her head decisively, "It's just a suspicion."
"But just now on the carousel, when he rushed in to save Xu Han, I felt a moment of... pollution."
She paused, then continued:
"The polluted aura that was generated at that moment was almost the same as the aura that Shi Jiu had when she transformed into a beast in the 'Return Journey' dungeon. Although it was very faint, it did exist."
"..."
Ange remained silent for a long time, then pursed her lips and said:
"Can you confirm it's residual contamination? Or is it...?"
Anjie paused for several seconds after saying this.
"Or has Shi Jiu herself developed some kind of 'resonance' with that pollution?"
He Lingling picked up where she left off, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Sister An, if that's what you're asking, then I can only say, I don't know."