Infinite: Dawn Game

Chapter 981 Carousel

Mutangtang happily put away the badge and pulled Grandma Mu back to Jiangchuan's side.

"Brother Jiang, I got it!"

She waved the badge in her hand with a showy air.

Jiang Chuan looked at her, then at the expressionless Grandma Mu, and his unease grew stronger.

Can Xylitol... and her "grandmother" really win this game together?

Meanwhile, Yu Shijiu and his group of five had arrived at another relatively "safe" area of ​​the amusement park—the carousel.

The huge carousel platform slowly turned, with colorful lights flashing rapidly around it and cheerful music playing.

Many tourists, children and adults, sat on the carousel, swaying gently to the tinkling music, their faces beaming with joyful and excited smiles.

At the low wooden door leading to the carousel area, a staff member dressed in a princess dress and wearing a small crown is guiding new tourists to line up to board the horse.

She also saw Yu Shijiu and the other four, and immediately showed her signature sweet smile.

"New guests~ Would you like to ride the carousel? My carousel is really fun~"

The staff member's voice was clear and pleasant, but there was no trace of human life in his eyes.

Yu Shijiu's gaze fell on the name tag hanging on the other person's chest.

—The Wooden Horse Princess.

Can I get a badge by riding the carousel?

Anjie asked directly.

Princess Wooden Horse paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled even more brightly.

"Of course! As long as you complete all three rotations and keep smiling, you'll receive our 'Spinning Happiness Badge'!"

As she spoke, she took a badge out of the pocket below her name tag.

The badge is shaped like a carousel, with colorful little light bulbs embedded in it, glowing softly.

"But there's one thing we need to be very careful about~"

Princess Wooden Horse raised a finger and lowered her voice.

"When you ride the carousel, you absolutely, positively must not close your eyes! If you do... you might see... see some 'not-so-good' things!"

Her tone was playful yet threatening, but the content sent chills down your spine.

"I'll do it."

Chen Yi quickly stepped forward and said softly, "Sister An, my mental strength is relatively stable, I should be able to withstand it."

Anjie glanced at Yu Shijiu and the other two, and nodded.

"Can I do it too?"

Xu Han tugged at Chen Yi, who was about to walk forward, and whispered:

"Brother Chen, my mental state is quite stable."

"..." Chen Yi chuckled and shook his head, patting Xu Han's arm. "It's alright, I should be the most stable. Don't worry, how about you take the next badge?"

Xu Han felt a little embarrassed and whispered:

"Brother Chen...actually, I think the carousel suits me better..."

His face grew increasingly red as he said this, to the point that his ears even seemed to be burning.

The other four: "..."

Chen Yi understood something, his gaze falling on the roller coaster, pendulum ride, and log flume not far away, and he fell silent.

"……it is good."

Chen Yi smiled and said, "Then Xiao Han, you go ahead."

Xu Han's face turned bright red, and he said somewhat embarrassedly:

“Brother Chen, I know you guys definitely won’t let me risk my life on other rides, but I can’t just do nothing all the time… that’s too unfair.”

Chen Yi's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Xu Han with a helpless expression and sighed.

— He and Anjie really didn't intend for Xu Han to take any risks, but Xu Han himself realized their intentions and took the initiative to ask to do something as well.

However... they didn't actually plan to let Shi Jiu and Lingling go.

But now these things don't need explanation.

Chen Yi and An Jie exchanged a glance, then patted Xu Han on the shoulder. "Go ahead, don't overthink it."

"Guests, have you made up your minds?"

Princess Wooden Horse's sweet voice continued, and she asked with a grin:

"My Trojan horse is really safe~ Just keep smiling and don't close your eyes~"

Yu Shijiu's gaze remained fixed on the tourists on the carousel. Those tourists holding the cars were very happy, and some even stood by the carousel to take pictures of them.

It looks quite safe.

But Yu Shijiu felt something was off—he subconsciously looked at He Lingling beside him.

He Lingling hadn't said a word since the beginning, and was looking down at something. She seemed to realize that Yu Shijiu was looking at her, and looked up.

"Sister Lingling."

Yu Shijiu's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she asked softly, "Do you think these tourists in front of you look normal?"

"..." He Lingling licked her lips, "Not a single one."

Yu Shijiu: "I think so too."

He changed the subject again, watching Xu Han and Chen Yi's retreating figures, and squinted as he said:

Do you think Han Ge will be safe?

He Lingling: "...Although I really don't want to jinx it."

She sighed, "But I doubt it will be very safe."

Anjie, standing next to him: "..."

She frowned and said, "Then I'll go—"

“Sister An,” He Lingling interrupted her, whispering, “Xu Han isn’t stupid. He knows what you and Brother Chen are thinking. Of course, Shi Jiu and I know what you’re thinking too.”

Yu Shijiu: "..."

He blinked, his eyes filled with genuine confusion.

What are your thoughts?

Why didn't he know?

He Lingling: "Xu Han doesn't want to do nothing and reap the benefits without doing anything. I thought you and Chen Yi would feel gratified."

Anjie's expression stiffened: "..."

"why?"

He Lingling's huge black pupils looked at An Jie, and she said softly:

"Sister An, you and Chen Yi have always wanted to put us all in a safe zone, why?"

He Lingling had noticed this before, but Yu Shijiu probably hadn't—Yu Shijiu was really not very "obedient," in the literal sense.

But Xu Han is really obedient. He seems to be free-spirited and says whatever comes to mind, but he is not stupid or stubborn. He is really obedient.

In the real world, Xu Han's personality would be incredibly attractive to wealthy families who don't need their offspring to start a business.

But this isn't the real world... this is Dawn Game.

Dawn of the Dead is a world of the undead where no one can live peacefully.

That's why He Lingling doesn't agree with An Jie and Chen Yi's seemingly excessive "protection".

However, He Lingling also admitted that Chen Yi and An Jie's actions were not annoying or irritating because they were too subtle and they hid it very well.

Anjie pursed her lips, avoiding the gazes of He Lingling and Yu Shijiu.

"……Feel sorry."

Anjie lowered her eyes. "I am changing."

He Lingling: "..."

She looked away, her lips moved, but she didn't say anything more.

Yu Shijiu, still in a daze: "?"

He blinked in confusion, completely not understanding what He Lingling and An Jie were talking about.

How did the conversation veer off-topic?

The brief conversation that took place behind them did not affect Chen Yi and Xu Han in front.

With Chen Yi's encouraging gaze, Xu Han walked alone to the carousel platform and was warmly led onto a white wooden horse by the Carousel Princess.

"Please sit tight~ Everyone must keep smiling once the music starts~"

The princess retreated to the wooden railing at the entrance and clapped her hands lightly.

The originally slow and gentle music suddenly increased in volume, and the carousel, which had been moving at a snail's pace, began to spin faster.

Colorful lights flashed wildly, and countless wooden horses carrying tourists rose and fell, blurring the surrounding scenery.

Xu Han sat on the wooden horse, trying her best to keep a smile on her face.

The first lap went smoothly.

As the second lap began, Xu Han started to feel the surrounding temperature dropping.

He swallowed hard and cautiously looked at the tourists around him.

The smiles on the faces of the tourists sitting on the other rocking horses became distorted.

Xu Han: "..."

No, really, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, please don't scare him, he's really timid!

No one could hear Xu Han's inner pleas for mercy. The eyes of the tourists on the wooden horse slowly turned to his location, and the smile on their lips grew wider and wider, almost reaching their ears.

On the third lap, Xu Han, on the verge of tears, heard some sounds.

It wasn't music, but countless tiny, whispering murmurs.

"Stay...and play together..."

"Always smile...always be happy..."

"Give us your memories..."

"Hehe...so happy...so happy...happy..."

"..."

Those voices drilled into my brain, trying to evoke deep-seated fears and negative emotions.

Xu Han clung to the rocking horse's stiff neck, gritting his teeth and persevering. His smile had become somewhat stiff, but he kept his eyes wide open and refused to close them.

Just as the third lap was about to end—

The wooden horse princess at the entrance of the carousel suddenly raised her head.

Her sweet and gentle face slowly began to melt under the countless flashing lights of the amusement park rides behind her.

The fair and tender skin began to drip like wax, revealing a grotesque face beneath, rotting and covered with dense black sutures.

Princess Wooden Horse's eyes also turned into two black holes, staring intently at Xu Han, who was clinging to Wooden Horse's neck.

Xu Han: "..."

Xu Han couldn't hold back anymore; her eyes stung, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks.

Stop changing your face, sister! You're not Xiao Wei!! Why are you talking about peeling skin and changing faces?!

Then, Xu Han saw the Wooden Horse Princess suddenly open her mouth and let out a piercing, inhuman scream:

"Laugh! Keep laughing! Why aren't you all laughing?! Laugh! Keep laughing! Everyone! Everyone must open their mouths wide and laugh out loud!!"

The screaming female voice was like a steel needle, piercing Xu Han's brain. He groaned in pain, unable to control his facial muscles.

Xu Han's smile instantly vanished, and he subconsciously... closed his eyes.

The instant he closed his eyes—

All the tourists on the carousel platform stopped swaying at the same time.

They all turned their heads in unison, staring blankly at Xu Han, who had his eyes closed.

The cheerful music abruptly stopped.

The colored lights hanging above the carousel suddenly went out.

The entire carousel area was plunged into a deathly silence and darkness.

Outside the platform, Anjie and the other three felt their hearts sink simultaneously.

"Minor Cold!"

Chen Yi tried to rush forward, but He Lingling held him back tightly.

"Brother Chen, calm down. If you go up now, you'll most likely just get trapped together!"

He Lingling's dark pupils were fixed on the entire carousel in the darkness.

In her vision, the entire carousel was enveloped in a thick, asphalt-like black substance the moment Xu Han closed her eyes.

The bodies of the tourists sitting on the wooden horses also began to slowly melt, turning into pools of viscous, asphalt-colored liquid that flowed toward the wooden horse where Xu Han was.

Xu Han himself remained seated on the wooden horse with his eyes closed, his body trembling violently, his facial expression constantly shifting between pain and struggle.

"He's trapped in an illusion..."

He Lingling gritted her teeth, "Someone has to go in and pull him out!"

"I go."

Yu Shijiu stepped forward.

"Shi Jiu!"

Anjie grabbed him, somewhat annoyed, "This is too dangerous! I—"

"Brother Han went up there to prove he was useful."

"We should respect his choice."

Yu Shijiu's voice was calm, "And Sister An, my body... may have some resistance to the pollution here."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand and looked at it.

My arm is still intact, but the burning sensation I felt at the shooting game booth is starting to reappear now that the carousel has changed.

That feeling of emptiness inside seemed to be replaced by a more primal sense of excitement when facing danger.

Anjie looked into Yu Shijiu's eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally let go of his hand.

"Be careful."

"Ah."

Yu Shijiu smiled and walked towards the carousel.

At the wooden gate, the Wooden Horse Princess's face, no longer beautiful, now melted and rotting, turned to him, her dark, decaying eyes staring at him, a strange smile spreading across her lips.

"Another guest! Would you like to ride my carousel? The carousel I run is the most fun and popular ride with all the kids!"

Princess Wooden Horse's once sweet voice was now hoarse and broken, like a broken bellows reaching everyone's ears.

“I’ll take him away.”

Yu Shijiu politely pointed to Xu Han, who was trembling on the carousel.

The smile on Princess Wooden Horse's face vanished.

"No, the game isn't over yet! He closed his eyes, which broke the rules, so he has to be punished!"

As the Wooden Horse Princess spoke, the corpses of tourists on the carousel, which had melted into a strange asphalt-colored liquid, flowed even faster, almost touching Chen Yi's wooden horse.

Yu Shijiu didn't waste any words.

He stepped directly onto the carousel platform.

The moment he stepped onto the platform—

The surrounding darkness surged up as if it were alive.

Countless pale hands reached out from the darkness, grabbing at his ankles.

The melting liquid tourists also changed direction and slowly flowed towards him.

At the wooden entrance, the Wooden Horse Princess's expression turned malevolent, and a piercing, seductive laugh escaped her throat:

"Stay here—!!! Let's play together—!!! Stay forever—!!!"

Yu Shijiu ignored him.

He quickly walked past the screaming wooden horse princess and headed towards the wooden horse where Xu Han was.