Haunted House

Two fully armed Peacekeepers were responsible for taking the lead. They wore heavy armor, holding riot shields made of transparent material in one hand and a rubber-coated baton in the other. Several tear gas canisters and stun grenades were also clipped to their belts.

Following behind them, the other Peacekeepers carried flashlights in one hand and pistols in the other. The team's strongest firepower, a CQB-model short assault rifle, was slung across Captain Huang's back.

Sun Hang glanced at the magazines tucked into Captain Huang's belt. Aside from one magazine loaded with rubber bullets, the other four were filled with live rounds, brass casings and all.

Sun Hang subconsciously touched the wound on his left temple. According to the doctor, the reason he had passed out was a stray bullet fired from a Peacekeeper's gun during an anomaly attack incident.

Hopefully, Captain Huang's aim is a little better... The bullet that hit Sun Hang before was a nine-millimeter pistol round. If that had been Captain Huang's assault rifle, Sun Hang would be queuing for soup at the Bridge of Helplessness by now.

All the passages in the amusement park were sealed with tape, each bearing the stamp of the Public Security Bureau. Captain Huang scanned the area; the seals on both the doors and windows were intact, meaning no one had entered the park during this period.

"Stay sharp, keep your eyes peeled, and don't miss any clues!" Captain Huang commanded in a deep voice, then made a gesture to advance.

The two Peacekeepers at the front unlocked the chains on the large iron gate, tore off the seals, and were the first to step into the park.

"Team A will conduct the reconnaissance, Team B will secure the entrance," Captain Huang said. "As for you three, stick with me and don't fall behind."

"Uh... excuse me, Captain Huang?" 0401 stepped closer. "This amusement park is so big, where should we start searching? It's getting late... the sun will probably set in about an hour."

"What, are you afraid of the dark?" Captain Huang glanced at him and asked.

"N-no... I just feel like places like this always give me the creeps at night," 0401 said with a timid expression.

"If you're scared, just stay close," Captain Huang turned back and continued walking inside.

"..." 0401's eyes twitched twice, and he eventually swallowed the words he wanted to say.

"Actually, we've searched this place several times already," a relatively kind-looking young Peacekeeper said quietly to Sun Hang and the other two. "We even used an excavator to sift through the pile of construction debris in the back mountain, but we still haven't found any clues."

"Then where are we going now?" Sun Hang asked.

"The Haunted House," the young Peacekeeper said. "During the last reconnaissance mission, Xiao Hu went missing after searching the Haunted House."

"...That's fine, that's fine," 0401 muttered softly. "Let's quickly search the Haunted House before it gets dark."

The team, consisting of six Peacekeepers and three Temporary Investigators, soon arrived at the entrance of the Haunted House. Sun Hang looked up and saw the "Castle of Terror: Escape Room Adventure" sign hanging crookedly above the main entrance, with only a few wires and support beams still connecting it. When the wind blew, the suspended signboards swayed gently, looking like they could fall at any moment.

The main door of the Haunted House was gone, replaced by two half-height iron grates. The leading Peacekeepers set aside their riot shields and stepped forward to push the grates aside.

The metal feet scraped against the concrete floor, emitting a grating sound.

"Damn, I feel a cold draft coming from inside," 0401 whispered. "Tsk, I wish I had a gun. At least I'd feel a little more at ease."

"Have you ever learned to use a gun?" Sun Hang glanced at him and asked.

"No... uh, I learned in games," 0401 said. "My aim is pretty good."

"If we actually gave you a gun, you might feel at ease, but we wouldn't," Sun Hang said. "Friendly fire isn't an option in the real world."

"The kid's right," Captain Huang said, turning back. "If the one causing trouble isn't an anomaly, you won't need to do anything... And if there really is an anomaly, even ten guns wouldn't help."

Following Captain Huang, the three Temporary Investigators also entered the Haunted House. Sun Hang noticed that this Haunted House seemed unfinished, with construction materials and debris piled up everywhere indoors.

At the end of the hall was a corridor. One side of the wall had already been plastered, while the other side still exposed the rough brickwork.

Or perhaps it was always meant to be a "shell" style Haunted House?

Crude wrought-iron chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their lampshades covered in a mixture of cobwebs and dust.

Many of the wooden planks on the floor had rotted, creaking with every step. The ceilings and walls were covered in graffiti of a reddish-brown paint, which from a distance looked like dried bloodstains.

The two leading Peacekeepers turned on the spotlights on their helmets and cautiously moved forward, holding their riot shields.

Just as the team held their breath, carefully observing their surroundings, a sudden burst of music shattered the silence inside!

"What is dad's dad called? Dad's dad is called Grandpa—"

"Holy crap!" 0401 nearly jumped up in fright, but Captain Huang, quick as a flash, pressed him back down.

"What are you panicking for?" Captain Huang said. "Coward."

Despite his words, the veins on Captain Huang's temples were throbbing, clearly startled by the eerie singing as well.

"What is dad's mom called? Dad's mom is called Grandma!"

The singing continued. The group followed the sound and saw a coin-operated rocking horse in the corner swaying back and forth, its music box playing the tune.

"Damn it, how did this thing suddenly start playing? It scared the life out of me!" 0401 stopped mid-curse. "Hey, wait a minute... where's the power coming from?"

"Battery pack," Captain Huang said with a grave expression. "To prevent safety accidents caused by sudden power outages, most of the amusement park's equipment has built-in battery packs."

"Twenty years? There's still power in the battery pack?" 0401 blinked in surprise. "No, it's been twenty years, can these things still work?"

"My suggestion is to take it apart and inspect it," Sun Hang said.

Soon, the rocking horse was dismantled by the Peacekeepers, and a battery pack connected to a control chip was unearthed from the base of the toy.

The battery pack was old, but the soldering on the wires was fresh, indicating it had been replaced recently.

"It looks like an alarm device," Sun Hang said.

"An alarm device?" Hearing this conclusion, 0401 visibly relaxed. "So, our opponent is human, not an anomaly?"