"It was... fake... scared the life out of me..."
Su Xiaoxiao, having landed on the ground, gasped for air as if she had just survived a disaster. Ye Yunzhi, meanwhile, lay sprawled on the floor like a dead fish, her eyes devoid of spirit.
The other tourists nearby were in a similar state, their faces all wearing an expression that said: I'm actually still alive.
Numerous staff members began approaching to comfort the visitors, announcing that all entertainment projects for the day would be free, along with a 20% discount on food as compensation.
After stating these terms, a staff member smiled and asked if anyone wanted to experience the hundred-meter drop again—no queue required, and this time it would be the standard version, not the prank edition.
Unsurprisingly, the traumatized tourists had no heart for a second round and flatly refused the offer. Though Firefly felt a bit tempted to try again, she gave up the idea after seeing the terrified expressions of Su Xiaoxiao and Ye Yunzhi.
"I am never playing this attraction again! How can they scare people like that?!"
Su Xiaoxiao continued to grumble while they headed toward the next destination.
"It was quite stimulating," Firefly said with a light chuckle. "I actually thought it was fun."
"Where was it fun... uh, fun! Right! It was very fun! Absolutely thrilling!"
Still fuming, Su Xiaoxiao had been ready to argue, but she quickly remembered that Firefly was essentially the boss of this outing. She tactfully pivoted to agree with her.
"What are we playing next? I want to keep doing something exciting~"
"Next..."
Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head in thought. Soon, her eyes lit up as another idea struck her.
"Let's go to the haunted house! The one here uses holographic projections! It's bound to be exciting enough!"
Without another word, she turned and dragged Ye Yunzhi toward the attraction. Firefly quickened her pace to keep up.
A short while later, they stopped before the entrance of an old castle.
"Here it is! Firefly, do you want to give it a shot?"
Su Xiaoxiao pointed at the four words carved into the castle: Scream Haunted House.
Before Firefly could speak, Ye Yunzhi interjected first.
"Um... you guys go ahead, I won't be going in."
Before Su Xiaoxiao could react, Ye Yunzhi vanished in a flash. Even though Su Xiaoxiao tried to stop her, she was a step too late.
"Fine, let her run. Considering she was quite shaken earlier, I'll let her rest for a bit."
Su Xiaoxiao sighed, looking disappointed, before turning back to Firefly. "What do you think, Firefly?"
"Let's go. The organizers gave me a privilege card anyway; we can take the VIP lane."
"Yay!"
...Experience in the haunted house...
"Miss Firefly! Congratulations, you have successfully passed the challenge of 'heart rate not exceeding 100 bpm during a five-star haunted house experience'!"
As they stepped out of the haunted house, a staff member greeted them with a beaming smile and handed over a check for 8,888 Credits.
"Since you are a VIP client, the original reward of a free experience plus 6,666 Credits has been upgraded to a flat 8,888 Credits. Enjoy your stay!"
"Thank you."
Firefly thanked him politely and accepted the check with a smile. As for Su Xiaoxiao...
Firefly glanced at the figure currently lying on a stretcher receiving emergency aid and sighed softly.
She had only lasted an hour inside before fainting from fright. She really was the type who was terrible at these games but loved playing them anyway.
...
"Let's try the Illusion Labyrinth! It's not as scary as the haunted house, but the eerie atmosphere combined with puzzle-solving and the pressure of monsters chasing you is something you definitely haven't experienced, Firefly!"
Not long after being revived, Su Xiaoxiao began shouting again.
"Alright, let's go then~"
Firefly didn't mind. To be fair, the haunted house Su Xiaoxiao recommended was indeed terrifying. In her past life, few people would have been able to walk out of there on their own feet, let alone complete it. Unfortunately for the haunted house, it had encountered a "cheater" like her.
"I'm not going!"
Ye Yunzhi fled as usual.
...Experience in the labyrinth...
"Miss Firefly! Congratulations, you have successfully broken the record for the fastest completion of the five-star Illusion Labyrinth! Here is your check for 8,888 Credits! Have a pleasant experience."
Unfamiliar project, unfamiliar staff, familiar check.
Firefly offered her thanks and took the check. She originally intended to wait and see when Su Xiaoxiao would finish, but after a staff member informed her that Su Xiaoxiao would likely be trapped for at least two more hours, she turned and left the attraction first.
She planned to find something to eat while waiting for Su Xiaoxiao to get out.
★ ★ ★
On a bench in the park, Firefly and Ye Yunzhi sat together, each holding a yellow ice cream.
They had been wandering the park for another two hours. During that time, Firefly challenged various attractions like holographic combat and shooting operations. Without exception, she broke every record.
She had already accumulated over 20,000 Credits in prize money just from breaking records.
After buying some desserts, Firefly decided to take a break.
"Xiaoxiao actually has decent courage, I just didn't expect you to challenge the five-star ones... so she probably seems... quite bad at this in your eyes..."
After hearing Firefly explain why Su Xiaoxiao hadn't come out yet, Ye Yunzhi was stunned. She then offered a quiet explanation.
No wonder it was taking so long; being able to get out of a five-star Illusion Labyrinth at all was impressive. If it were her... she probably would have fainted from fear in less than an hour.
The thought made Ye Yunzhi shudder involuntarily.
"Mm, that's true." Firefly nodded in agreement. She had relied on her superhuman observation, unparalleled courage, and inexhaustible stamina to escape that maze. If it were her past-life self, she might have been in a worse state than Ye Yunzhi.
However, if she had the chance, she should let Cifera try. With the bug-tier ability Chrono Surge, that record could probably be shattered even further.
Just then, the terminals of both Firefly and Ye Yunzhi chimed. They checked and saw messages from Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao: Waaaaah... I'm finally out... I am never challenging five-star difficulty again!!!
Seeing the message, Ye Yunzhi's lips twitched as she typed out their location to Su Xiaoxiao.
Firefly, seeing that Ye Yunzhi had replied, stopped checking her terminal and went back to her ice cream...
Wait...
Suddenly, she knit her brows and snapped her head toward a specific direction.
"Firefly, what is it?"
Seeing Firefly's reaction, Ye Yunzhi asked in confusion.
"Someone is trying to monitor us. I've been spotted. Stay here, I'm going to take a look."
With that, Firefly stuffed the rest of her ice cream into her mouth, stood up, and dashed toward that direction.