by N. Heller
"Well, let's split up here and try our best to let her get caught by Puppeteer. Otherwise, this thing will never end and we'll always be on tenterhooks," the man in the black bear's vest said to the young man in their group. He acted as if Lin Sanjiu wasn't even there with them.
Lin Sanjiu gave them a cold glare before she turned and walked away. She chose a path with a green frog symbol. There was a field of green grass on one side of the route. As the sun baked the green field, a smell of green grass and soil rose to the air. There was even an ice-cream van right in the middle of the field and Lin Sanjiu could hear the tinkling sounds from the vehicle. The atmosphere around her was light-hearted and carefree. This really made it very hard for her to imagine that she was in a pocket dimension.
However, Lin Sanjiu was bothered by the ice-cream van right now. After just taking a few steps, she slowed down. There was a brown noticeboard, half the height of a human, right in the middle of the frog path. It was difficult to ignore this particular obstruction.
"Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park's Rules and Notice."
These large and bold words were the title of the noticeboard. It immediately drew Lin Sanjiu's attention and she quickly walked closer.
"We extend a warm welcome to our dear No.56 and No.58 player. We are honored to have you visit our amus.e.m.e.nt park today. To ensure that all players can safely enjoy all sorts of entertainment and rides our amus.e.m.e.nt park provides with fun and laughter, we had created these rules. Please remember and abide by our rules so that we can create a wonderful experience at Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park together."
The noticeboard was not digital. It was just a printed notice behind a sheet of glass. On top of that, Lin Sanjiu had just entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park ten minutes ago. However, the notice seemed to be tailored specifically for two people. They had even listed their names at the bottom of the notice. There was a photo of Lin Sanjiu under the words Player No. 56 and a photo of Soulsqn under the words Player No. 58. Considering the angle of the photos, they were probably taken when they just entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park.
"How did I become a player?" Soulsqn felt a little displeased as she made some sort of hissing sound from her throat. "Our collaboration only involves us taking care of Puppeteer for you and then you bringing us to your friend. Going through this strange pocket dimension with you isn't within our agreement."
"Since I have no choice but to be here, you will just have to follow. There is nothing more to discuss." Lin Sanjiu replied casually as she turned her gaze back at the noticeboard. No matter how aggrieved or unhappy Soulsqn felt about the situation, she really couldn't bring herself to let go out the opportunity that Lin Sanjiu offered. In terms of combat, the Souls' specialty was also useless against Lin Sanjiu. Since Lin Sanjiu held an advantage over the Souls in all aspects, she naturally wasn't afraid that Soulsqn would try to create any trouble for her.
As expected, Soulsqn stared at the noticeboard moodily and stepped closer to the notice as if she finally relented. Lin Sanjiu was currently still reading the notice. When she sensed Soulsqn moving closer to the noticeboard, her lips curled slightly. She swept her gaze across the words on the notice.
"Our amus.e.m.e.nt park has already been operating for 5 months. We had adopted a new 'Stamina Point' system to make your experience more enriching and interesting. Many of our players gave us rave reviews. For the rules regarding how you can use your Stamina Points, please read below."
Even though Lin Sanjiu didn't know what those "Stamina Points" were, but from the amus.e.m.e.nt park's emphasis on safety, this pocket dimension might not be too—
Lin Sanjiu suddenly killed that thought halfway.
"The most important function of these Stamina Points is they can help you stay alive. Every player in our amus.e.m.e.nt park would automatically get 15 points when they first enter. Each day you spend in the amus.e.m.e.nt park (the area starts from beyond the castle door) would cost you 10 points. If the player does not have at least 10 points, the amus.e.m.e.nt park staff would take away a body part from the player to make up for the difference. If a player reaches 0 points, the player's entire body—which equates to the player's life, would be taken as the 10 points."
Even though there were many differences, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help remembering about the pocket dimension in the previous world which involved the number of lives the player had. Uncontrollably, her expression grew grim.
"However, the main aim of our amus.e.m.e.nt park is to bring fun and joy to our customers. Dead customers are certainly not going to be very happy… Therefore, if a player leaves the amus.e.m.e.nt park before their Stamina Points get depleted, there will be no consequences. If the player chooses to enter the amus.e.m.e.nt park again, the player's Stamina Points would return to the original 15 Stamina Points, regardless the number of points the player retained in his or her previous play.
"For example, Player A might only have 8 points left at the end of the day (12 am is the beginning of a new day). If he/she chooses to stay for a second day to challenge any of the rides, he/she would definitely lose an arm. The exact loss would be determined by the staff depending on the situation. If player A chooses not to lose his/her arm and exits the amus.e.m.e.nt park, he/she can enter the next day with 15 Stamina Points."
"The door of the amus.e.m.e.nt park is only opened from 10 am to 3 pm every day. Players who aim to exit the amus.e.m.e.nt park before the end of the day should take note of this time."
"If this is the case, wouldn't those Stamina Points be quite useless? A person can quickly exit the park once their Stamina Point falls below 10 points—" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself.
"However, players who re-enter the amus.e.m.e.nt have to start from the first attraction on their route irrespective of the door or route they choose. A player can only proceed to the next attraction on his/her route have he/she has successfully completed a particular attraction. If a player attempts to bypass any of the attractions, a staff member would mete out an appropriate punishment."
"From the looks of things, the 'fun factor' of each attraction must be the main point of the attractions…" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself and continued reading.
"Aside from that, Stamina Points are extremely useful. If a player wishes to play any of the attractions, the player would have to pay an entrance fee (this typically costs 5 Stamina Point). Additionally, players can use their Stamina Points to buy cotton candies, popcorn, hot dogs, sodas, souvenirs… This includes all sort of small useful supplies."
"If you enter an attraction but don't feel like continuing, what should you do? A player can forcefully exit from the attraction and pay the penalty of 80 Stamina Points. To take care of the entire family, from the elderly to the young ones, players can also transfer their Stamina Points. You can make your inquiries about Stamina Points and the trading system at the touchscreen in front of each attraction."
"How can you earn Stamina Points? Please try out all our attractions proactively! Each time you win a round, you can earn 5 Stamina Points. If you complete a particular attraction, you will get an additional 20 Stamina Points! However, if you lose, you will not get prizes. After all, it would be best if you visit a doctor after that."
"After reading this little introduction, I guess Players No. 56 and 58 should be more familiar with how Stamina Points work, right? If that is the case, please embark on your happy and delightful Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park journey! After you complete all the attractions along a single route, you would enter the final pitstop. Players who can survive the final attraction would get a mysterious gift from Starry God! Deducting the Stamina Points for today, each of you has exactly 5 points! On the behalf of all the staff, we are all very eager to see how many more points you can earn from that!"
That was the end of the general explanation about the amus.e.m.e.nt park and the Stamina Points system.
There was a simplified map of the amus.e.m.e.nt park at the bottom of the explanations. When Lin Sanjiu looked at it, she k
new she didn't have to bother remembering the map.
"The term 'remote' isn't even good enough to describe how secluded this location is. Unless someone specifically looked for this place, that person would never accidentally stumble across this place. If so many people spent so much effort to get here, it must probably be because of the final prize at the last pitstop?" Lin Sanjiu straightened her back and thought about the 5 Stamina Points she had right now. She walked away from the noticeboard and looked at the 'Frog Route' she was on.
Lin Sanjiu saw the entrance of an arena with a large gray awning a few hundred meters ahead. Lin Sanjiu wished that the arena was the last pitstop even though she knew it definitely wasn't.
The words "Bumper Karts" graced the top of the entrance.
Chapter 332 - Bumper Karts And A Second Round
Lin Sanjiu would have never guessed that "Bumper Karts" was just a normal game station with bumper karts. Even after having some difficulties fitting her wings behind her as she sat in a small, electrical bumper kart, she found it hard to believe that this was as innocent as it looked. Lin Sanjiu gripped the steering wheel of the bumper kart tightly while she braced herself for any announcements regarding the strange rules to this ride.
Undeniably, this was still a pocket dimension.
The rows of lights which hung from the ceiling lit the large bumper kart arena evenly. The size of the bumper kart rink was at least ten times larger than a normal one. The smooth gray floor was covered with multiple white scratches left behind by the bumper karts. A few dozen bumper karts were parked at the edges of the rinks as if they were also waiting for the ride to start. However, other than the bumper karts that Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn were riding on respectively, the remaining bumper karts were empty.
"Do they want just both our bumper karts to collide?" As this thought surfaced in Lin Sanjiu's mind, she shot a quick glance at the "staff" standing at the entrance of the attraction. The staff was an old woman who was wearing a badly-manufactured F1 driver's uniform. Leaning lazily against the entrance's metal door, the old woman was just looking outside. It took quite a while before the woman turned her head and yelled toward the bumper kart rink with indifference, "There are no other players joining, we can start now."
Following which, the old woman pressed something near the door. Lin Sanjiu immediately heard the bumper kart whirring to life.
"The rules are simple. If you can survive the first round, you will win," the old woman seemed unconcerned about the shock factor of her own words. Without even announcing how long one round would last, the old woman planted her face into her arms and actually decided to take a nap on the spot.
"Survive—?" Before Lin Sanjiu could contemplate about what those words actually meant, the dozens of empty bumper karts around them started moving.
"Don't let them hit you!" Lin Sanjiu yelled out urgently just as a yellow bumper kart raced directly toward her. She spun the steering wheel and her small blue kart instantly swerved to one side against the smooth floor surface. The brakes screeched as Lin Sanjiu stepped on the brakes, but the bumper kart continued skidding with a swoosh at an alarming speed.
"You're just stating the obvious!" Soulsqn yelped and quickly drove in the opposite direction. The empty bumper karts spread themselves throughout the rink and surrounded Lin Sanjiu and Soulsqn from all directions. At that moment, both Soul and human wished that they had eyes behind their back so that could watch out for all the bumper karts.
Lin Sanjiu had actually activated her [Higher Consciousness Scan] the moment her bumper kart could move. With that slight advantage, she dodged three bumper karts which headed toward her at the same time. With a creaking sound, Lin Sanjiu barely dodged the fourth bumper kart which scrapped past her vehicle.
When her eyes swept past the pink bumper kart, Lin Sanjiu almost couldn't process what she saw.
"The words just now... they are…" she even called out to Mrs. Manas to get her confirmation, "Princess Bubbles?"
"Yes," Mrs. Manas replied impatiently, "Don't talk to me. Just maintain your [Higher Consciousness Scan] and [Defence Forcefield]!"
Lin Sanjiu immediately kept quiet. Mrs. Manas' advice wasn't the only reason. The two bumper karts which she had just escaped from were now turning back and chasing after her again. They were so fast that they were almost reaching the rear of her kart. Like sharks attracted to blood, karts of different color rushed out from all directions, surrounding Lin Sanjiu's kart. They accelerated toward her. Lin Sanjiu twisted her head and her blue bumper kart swerved in the same direction. Just when she was about to get caught between the karts in front and behind her, she slipped out from their formation just in time.
Crash.
The impact of the collision was much greater than she had expected. Just as her arm became numb, she heard a pleasant female voice coming from the opposite kart. It seemed pre-recorded, "Collision with a purple bumper kart. Delirium effect, 5 seconds."
At the same time, Lin Sanjiu finally read the words on that kart: "Detrimental to mental health".
"What happened?!" Soulsqn shouted from the other end of the rink.
Of course, Lin Sanjiu did not have the time to reply. The bumper karts behind her stopped for a brief moment when the announcement was made. However, the moment the announcement ended, Lin Sanjiu heard the engine sounds of seven to eight bumper karts heading her way.
Before Lin Sanjiu could consider about that "delirium effect", she stared at the steering wheel in her hand and decided to dodge from the yellow bumper kart on her left first—
However, the yellow bumper kart did not move.
"Huh? Is it spoilt? " Lin Sanjiu was stunned. Even though she had turned the steering wheel all the way, the bumper kart did not move in the direction she wanted this time. Instead, it moved slowly backward. A few bumper karts quickly approached.
After the blue bumper kart spun around violent for a few times in the same spot and against the laws of physics bounced for a while, no matter how dense she was, Lin Sanjiu figured out what had happened.
"F*ck! Delirium means losing control of this kart?" Lin Sanjiu swore as her body shook violently with the bumper kart. "Damn it. Another kart!"
When the previous pink bumper kart charged directly toward her with a sharp screech, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart was still "dancing" its jig. Seeing that she had no other options, she didn't care if was flouting the rules, she gritted her teeth and extended her wings downward. As her wings hit the floor, she lifted the blue bumper kart and barely pulled it away from the vicious claws of the pink bumper kart. Losing balance, Lin Sanjiu's bumper kart rolled sideways while she was in it.
Luckily, it had already been five seconds. Lin Sanjiu quickly propped herself, then pushed her blue bumper kart back to a normal position with a single hand and steadied herself again.
It was only then that she realized that her surroundings were a little too quiet.
At that moment, she was right in the middle of a circle of bumper karts. The bumper karts which surrounded her were all bright yellow. Meanwhile, the pink bumper kart was slowly reversing backward and out from the encirclement.
The five yellow bumper karts remained in the same position without any movements. A female voice suddenly rang out, it was impossible to tell which of the yellow bumper kart broadcasted that announcement.
"The yellow bumper karts have successfully surrounded the target. Onion Ring effect, 3 seconds."
An intense pain spread from the tips of Lin Sanjiu's toes to her entire body. It felt as though she had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil.
When Lin Sanjiu's beast-like cries of pain echoed through the arena, Soulsqn finally slipped up. Before she could react, Soulsqn's bumper kart had been assaulted by a gray and a red bumper kart. Her bumper kart was stuck in the middle. The bumper karts made their announcements at the same time, two messages spoken with a pleasant female voice rang out simultaneously, making them difficult to discern.
"Collision with a gray bumper kart. Sof
t pillow effect. 10 seconds."
"Collision with a red bumper kart, Vampire's First Embrace effect. 3 seconds."
"The two bumper karts of different colors had created a combo, Intense Rivalry effect. 5 seconds."
Soulsqn had been gripping her steering wheel very tightly. At that moment, both her hands suddenly shriveled as if they had been drained in an almost indescribable way. It was as if the substance or whatever that had been supporting that layer of skin had been drained away quickly. They quickly became wrinkled, dried piece of skin. The skin laid on the steering wheel in layers, they fluttered like pieces of leather. However, Souslqn's screams were stuck in her throat. A sort of safety airbag burst out from the steering wheel and wrapped her entire head. The white bumper kart she was on was rapidly being flattened. As the shape of her bumper kart changed, Soulsqn's body was also placed under the same extreme force. Parts of her skin started splitting.
"Ah, one minute is up." The old woman suddenly lifted her face from her arms. She looked at the arena listlessly. Then, she pressed a bell.
The bumper karts instantly stopped moving. Lin Sanjiu struggled to get out of her bumper kart. She felt as if her panting was so loud that anyone in the pocket dimension could hear. Drops of blood oozed out from the pores all over her body. Lin Sanjiu wiped her face and staggered as she walked over and pulled Soulsqn out from the wreckage.
If the substances which made up Soulsqn's body had not been drained by that "Vampire's First Embrace", Soulsqn's face would also have been ruined. Despite that, when Lin Sanjiu pulled Soulsqn out from her deformed bumper kart, the gruesome state of her body was simply hair-raising. Half of her face was flaccid, as her lower face under her nose was just a floppy piece of skin. Instead of her normal-looking limbs, her body was just a loose empty skin which clung on the Soul's original smaller body like an oversized suit.
"Alright. You have gotten your 5 Stamina Points," the old woman said apathetically. "Do you want to join the next round?"