Weightlessness wrapped tenderly around her entire body as the wind whistled past her ears, forming a blurred melody.
Firefly closed her eyes, letting her body plunge into the void, peacefully savoring this rare sense of lightness. Free-falling was not unfamiliar to her; she experienced it briefly back when she was Cifera.
However, falling backward from a height of a hundred meters without any protection was a first.
A hundred meters was a negligible distance to her. Thrilling? Hardly. After all, when she wore the Sam Armor, heights of over a thousand meters were mere child's play.
Yet, this insignificant "height" brought a trace of something unusual. Deep within her chest, her heartbeat—which usually remained in a state of absolute calm—was quietly accelerating with a faint rhythm.
Thump-thump... thump-thump...
This subtle tremor was like a pebble tossed into a deep pool, creating ripples within the heart of an existence capable of destroying planets.
The sensation was not fear, but a vivid proof of being alive in this world—a proof of being "human."
After all, if a person's heartbeat remained perpetually calm, and nothing could stimulate their emotions, then... could the essence of that person truly be considered "human" anymore?
Experiencing this feeling, the corners of Firefly's lips curled into a tiny arc amidst the wind.
The hundred-meter drop vanished in an instant. Though her eyes were closed, Firefly sensed she was about to collide with the "trees." She did not panic, knowing these so-called "trees" were merely fakes.
Sure enough, the moment she made contact, Firefly felt no resistance. She passed straight through the "foliage."
Immediately after, she felt a multitude of tiny objects, glowing with a yellow light like fireflies, swarming beneath her in a great cloud.
Her descent slowed significantly. The weightlessness began to fade, but since her velocity did not hit zero instantly, Firefly felt no discomfort.
This swarm of tiny things supported her, gradually braking her fall. When she felt her downward momentum completely vanish, Firefly opened her eyes. She was currently about three or four meters above the actual ground.
Without waiting for the swarm to lower her further, Firefly took the initiative to jump down, landing steadily on the pavement.
At that moment, a man wearing a staff uniform approached. He wore a smile as he spoke to her.
"Miss Firefly, congratulations on being the first visitor to actively jump during our hidden hundred-meter free fall attraction. May I ask if you discovered something?"
"Perhaps my observation skills are just decent." Firefly brushed non-existent dust from her skirt. She returned a smile to the staff member. "The person who fell earlier, and the person who shouted that someone had died... they are both your employees, right? The goal was to manufacture panic."
Hearing this, the staff member scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Well... it seems our employees' acting skills still need some work."
However, he quickly regained his professional composure and began explaining the purpose behind their actions.
"The theme of Scream Park is to bring screams to everyone, so this unprotected hundred-meter free fall has always been one of our signature attractions. But since this project has been open for two years, many people have grown accustomed to it. This means veteran visitors are rarely scared enough to scream."
"So, a month ago, we launched a new hidden attraction. The idea is to find ways to make visitors lose their sense of security. We deliberately find people to act and use the broadcasts for this purpose. It ensures visitors enjoy true excitement during the free fall, and then gives them a sense of surviving a disaster when they are caught."
"Aren't you afraid of losing repeat customers by doing this?" Firefly asked, somewhat puzzled. People came here specifically for the free fall; if panic occupied the majority of the experience, who could actually enjoy the sensation? It might even leave them with psychological trauma.
"This hidden attraction only appears randomly once every dozen or so normal runs. Furthermore, we provide compensation and psychological counseling for visitors who experience it, so you need not worry about that," the staff member explained with a smile. "Moreover, our boss said that if someone could see through the ruse, we would give that person a significant hidden reward. Of course, only for the first person—and now, that is you."
"It only appears once every dozen times... and I hit it on my very first visit. Should I call this good luck or bad luck?"
Firefly felt somewhat helpless. Why couldn't her gacha luck be this good?
"However... there's actually a hidden reward?" A slight light glimmered in Firefly's eyes. "When can I get it?"
"I can give it to you right now."
With that, the staff member produced a gold-stamped card embossed with the Scream Park logo and handed it to Firefly.
Firefly took the card, and before she could ask, the staff member explained its function.
"This is a Scream Park Permanent Free Pass. While holding this card, you no longer need to pay regardless of the attraction. It also grants access to exclusive VIP lanes, so you won't need to queue. Additionally, you get a 20% discount on food, drinks, and items within the park. By the way, this card isn't limited to Greenshade Source; it works in other cities too."
Hearing the description, Firefly's eyes lit up. She didn't particularly care about the free entry or the 20% discount; she was quite wealthy, after all.
The main draw was the exclusive VIP lane. She really didn't want to wait in line for ten or twenty minutes just to play one game.
"I am very satisfied with this reward."
"I am glad to hear that." The smile on the staff member's face deepened. He then looked up at the stone platforms in the sky and pulled out a remote device. "It's about time. We should let the other visitors begin their experience as well."
The staff member pressed a switch on the remote. Immediately, Firefly heard wave after wave of screams descending from above.
"Sss... those are some miserable screams..."
Among the cacophony, Firefly could clearly distinguish the voices of Su Xiaoxiao and Ye Yunzhi.
It sounded truly terrifying.
Soon, Firefly saw the same swarm of tiny, yellow-glowing objects that had supported her descent flying up toward the falling crowd.