Meng Chengcheng's mind went blank.
Xiao Hu was dead?
And he had died two days ago!
Then who was the "Liu Xiaohu" who had been with them all this time?
Meng Chengcheng hurriedly examined the dead man's memories. Just before Liu Xiaohu died, he had been talking to a young man in Daoist robes with his hair in a topknot.
It was Lin He.
Lin He said, "Xiao Hu, be honest. Do you like Chengcheng?"
Liu Xiaohu scratched his head. "Huh? How did you know?"
Lin He smiled. Instead of answering, he said, "Never mind that. I have a way to make Chengcheng happy. Want to hear it?"
"Yes! Tell me! Lin, if it works, dinner's on me!"
"Sure, sure. You remember what our mission is, right?"
"Collect Game Coins and trade them for that souvenir doll, right?"
"Exactly! Think about it. Knowing Chengcheng, she'll want to be the first to get the souvenir. If you secretly put your Game Coins in her bag, won't she be thrilled?"
Meng Chengcheng's heart jolted.
He was trying to get Xiao Hu killed!
Liu Xiaohu hesitated. "Lin, wouldn't losing my Game Coins be dangerous? The rules say they're as precious as life."
Lin He spun his lie. "Think about it, Xiao Hu. You can trade Game Coins for a doll that gives someone a second life. Isn't the doll what's as precious as life? The rule means the souvenir, not the Game Coins. You've got it backward."
"Oh, I see! Lin, you've really opened my latrine—I mean, my eyes."
"Opened your eyes! When you two get married, don't forget to invite me to the wedding feast."
"Yeah! Thanks, Lin!"
After they parted, Liu Xiaohu took out his Game Coins and slipped them into Meng Chengcheng's bag. A little while later, he suddenly felt ill. The Visitor Guide fell from his hand, and he collapsed unconscious.
Just then, the incense snapped. Everything was clear.
"Lin He, you selfish, vicious bastard!"
Meng Chengcheng seethed as she finished watching the memory.
He had shown his true colors that early. If only she had used Spirit Communion sooner and exposed him. Maybe then the Pastor and the captain would still be alive.
But that left one question. Lin He had killed Liu Xiaohu.
Lin He was dead now, yet Meng Chengcheng still had no idea who the current Liu Xiaohu was.
The world held all sorts of strange things.
Meng Chengcheng had heard that Western necromancers and local corpse herders could control the dead. But one controlled skeletons and the other corpses. Neither could make a dead man breathe, talk, and eat like Liu Xiaohu.
This was a place ruled by a supernatural entity.
Such entities killed through rules, and Liu Xiaohu had died after triggering one. It made perfect sense that a monster here had taken over his body.
That explained why he handled every attraction so easily. He was a local—no, a local monster!
"And I actually developed feelings for a monster like that."
It was absurd. Her first love was a monster.
But one thing still puzzled Meng Chengcheng:
"Why would a monster save me?"
"What does it want? Is it using me to infiltrate the organization and attack the base?"
"Yes, that has to be it!"
The more Meng Chengcheng thought about it, the more certain she became. Soon, she had a plan.
She would play along.
She would pretend she knew nothing and cling to the monster to survive. Once she returned to the base, she would report it to her superiors, gather every agent, and wipe the monster out.
Yes. That was the plan!
Meng Chengcheng's lips curled in a mocking smile. "Don't underestimate me, monster."
The following afternoon.
Outside the Bumper Cars attraction.
Chen Feng thought Meng Chengcheng was acting strangely. Her expression seemed unnatural.
Of course, he had no idea his cover was blown. He assumed she was grieving for her dead teammates.
So, to play the devoted admirer, Chen Feng picked up two strawberry soft-serve cones from a roadside stand. "Something sweet might cheer you up."
To Meng Chengcheng, this attempt to win her over was ridiculous.
First, everything in Horror Amusement Park was free. Giving a girl something free showed no effort. Fail!
Second, sweets made it easy to gain weight. Did he think maintaining her figure was easy? And now he was tempting her with dessert? Total fail!
Finally, he hadn't even asked what flavor she liked. He had decided for her! Clueless man! Male chauvinist! The biggest fail of all!
Normally, Meng Chengcheng would have refused him coldly, then complained about it to her best friend.
But then again...
Chen Feng needed to play the devoted admirer and win Meng Chengcheng over.
And Meng Chengcheng needed to stay on Chen Feng's good side. Whether she escaped now depended entirely on him.
What if he gets angry and decides not to take me out?
I can't give him the cold shoulder!
Meng Chengcheng took the cone and spoke in a sweet, tinkling voice. "Thank you! How did you know strawberry is my favorite?"
Chen Feng answered honestly. "Because I like strawberry. I grabbed an extra one for you."
Is this guy a fucking idiot?
Meng Chengcheng was speechless, but she forced a smile. "Looks like we have the same taste. Hahaha."
After laughing awkwardly for ages, Meng Chengcheng saw that Chen Feng was ignoring her and focusing on his ice cream. She nearly fainted with rage.
Stop eating and say something.
Don't you know how to flirt?
Meng Chengcheng was furious, but she kept smiling and found another topic. "You know we can exchange information about the attractions at the Dining Hall, right? We wouldn't get any Game Coins if we did, but since we've already failed our mission, shouldn't we trade for some information about the Bumper Cars?"
At that, Chen Feng's heart tightened.
The system required him to obtain Game Coins for a successful Check-In.
So he couldn't trade information.
But Meng Chengcheng's suggestion made perfect sense. He had no reason to refuse.
This was trouble.
"Well... uh..."
Chen Feng stammered, unable to come up with an excuse.
Seeing his expression change, Meng Chengcheng wanted to slap herself.
I almost forgot. He's a local monster. He knows every secret of these attractions. Of course he doesn't need to trade for information.
Why did I have to bring it up?
Meng Chengcheng was even more anxious than Chen Feng that he might give himself away. She immediately supplied an excuse for him. "I get it! You want to clear it fair and square with your own abilities, don't you? Xiao Hu, you've really impressed me!"
Chen Feng scratched his head. Huh? Is that what I want?
Whatever. He would take the out. "Yeah, that's exactly what I want."
"You're so manly!"
Meng Chengcheng felt sick saying it, but she took Chen Feng's arm anyway. "You'll protect me in there, right?"
"Of course."
Strange.
Chen Feng was puzzled too.
Why did Meng Chengcheng's affection shoot up so much?
Was it because I saved her yesterday?
Same face, but that loser Liu Xiaohu chased this girl forever and got nowhere. It took me less than three days.
Heh. All those romance anime I watched in my last life—Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Your Name—really paid off.
Meng Chengcheng noticed Chen Feng's smug grin, of course. If she could, she would have wiped it right off his face.
But for now, to stay alive, she could only pretend not to notice his performance.
Hmph. Enjoy it while you can.
Before you continue