Chapter 3: A Fright in the Darkness

"Alright, you all handle the lighting. Anyone with a doll, lead the way," the middle-aged man directed, his tone making it clear he had seized control. He turned to the others. "What about you? Not joining us? I suggest all thousand of us stick together. We shouldn't split up."

No one responded.

Ye Luo watched coldly, her expression indifferent. The frog’s words had turned the flashlight into a symbol of safety. In just this short time, she'd noticed more than a few people casting furtive, greedy glances at those holding flashlights. Was it really safer to follow the crowd? Ye Luo remained noncommittal.

The middle-aged man seemed disappointed but continued, "If you change your mind later, come find me anytime."

A large group left in a black, churning mass.

Nearly half the people were taken away by the middle-aged man. The rest either had their own plans or company and didn't want to join the main group. Soon, they too drifted away from the square.

Ye Luo wasn't in a hurry to set out. She first checked the map.

The map displayed:

Bright Zone—Five Attractions:

- Carousel
- Little Airplanes
- Children's Train
- Colorful World
- Flight to the Future

Dark Zone—Five Attractions:

- Mad Roller Coaster
- Haunted House
- Wonderland Ramble
- Snow and Ice World
- Adorable Pet Paradise

Just from the names, it was impossible to discern much. After all, this was a game instance, and these attractions had certainly been twisted in some way.

Light, or darkness?

Ye Luo touched the flashlight in her pocket, and the image of the frog’s cavernous mouth flashed through her mind.

After a moment’s silence, she stepped directly into the darkness.

The dark zone was lit only by a faint, blood-red glow. Even though there were lights not far away, not a single beam penetrated this gloom.

It gave Ye Luo, in a daze, the illusion of having returned to the real world.

As soon as she entered, an intensely clammy sensation crept up from behind. Her neck tingled, as though something was pressing against her skin.

Whatever it was, it kept exhaling cold breaths into her ear, occasionally emitting bizarre, cackling sounds.

Ye Luo stood still for a while.

Aside from the cold breath and the laughter, the thing did nothing else.

She didn’t hurry, letting the creature crawl freely over her neck.

"Aah! What is that thing?!"

A scream pierced the air not far away.

The next moment, the clammy sensation vanished from behind her.

"Help... Help me..." The scream grew sharper and more desperate.

Ye Luo pressed her lips together and strode forward.

Under the blood-red moon, a woman writhed on the ground, screaming, while her body was already swarmed by strange black flying insects. The insects gnawed voraciously at her flesh.

"Help... My flashlight was stolen..." the woman pleaded hoarsely.

Ye Luo remembered her. She’d been the first to be forced to hand over her flashlight, and she’d left with the main group.

And now, in barely any time, her flashlight had been snatched away.

Clearly, whatever fragile order that group had established had already collapsed—faster than Ye Luo had expected.

Ye Luo said nothing. She took out her flashlight and shone it at the bugs crawling over the woman.

The instant the beam appeared, the insects recoiled as if from some unspeakable terror, abandoning their feast and scattering in panic.

But the woman’s limbs were already chewed to the bone, and even her head was missing a chunk.

Ye Luo had come too late.

The woman stared at Ye Luo in despair. "Save me..."

She knew she wouldn’t survive, yet she still begged in vain.

Ye Luo could do nothing. She shook her head, her voice cool and distant. "I’m sorry."

The woman seemed to accept this. She murmured something, then the life faded from her eyes.

Footsteps approached from nearby.

Voices drifted over: "There’s a light over here! Hurry!"

Ye Luo’s expression chilled. She switched off her flashlight and quickly retreated from the area.

A flashlight could repel the creatures lurking in the dark.

But at the same time,

it also revealed your location to everyone else.

In this instance,

humans might be even more terrifying than the monsters in the dark.

Ye Luo moved swiftly until she’d put a good distance between herself and the scene, then slowed her pace.

After witnessing such horror, most people would feel at least some emotional turmoil.

Ye Luo touched her chest.

Her heartbeat hadn’t accelerated one bit.

So it was true.

What they all said was right.

She was, indeed, a person completely without a heart.

No emotions, no fear, no joy, no sorrow.

And yet,

even so, she still wanted to live.

As long as she was alive, she could search for the missing part of her heart and find out where it had gone.

Not long after Ye Luo left the place where the woman had died, the clammy sensation returned to her back.

The thing even extended its tongue, licking her neck ceaselessly.

Now Ye Luo understood why the woman had screamed at first.

A normal person, faced with that, would most likely cry out.

The woman had screamed—and died immediately after...

So...

Ye Luo’s expression sharpened.

That woman was surely not the only one who’d been frightened.

Ye Luo could faintly hear several screams in the distance.

Those with dolls might still survive this deadly attack, but those without would likely meet the same fate as the woman.

No screaming.

That might be one of the rules!

By the blood-red moonlight, Ye Luo found her bearings.

She didn’t switch on her flashlight but moved through the darkness.

Within the shadows,

the number of strange creatures behind her grew.

Ye Luo could feel the weight on her shoulders increasing.

And yet, these things seemed unable to harm her directly.

Perhaps—

The monsters would only attack if you violated a rule.

As long as she didn’t break any rules, they could only try to frighten her.

But if she did...

She’d end up just like that woman.

If "no screaming" was the third rule,

then what were the first two hidden ones?

She had no way of knowing. For now, all she could do was tread carefully.

Soon,

Ye Luo reached her destination: the "Mad Roller Coaster."

Nothing more than proximity had decided her choice; it was the closest dark-zone attraction to the square.

To her surprise, as she arrived, someone was already waiting in front of the attraction.

He was a young man, probably in his early twenties.

"Hello," he greeted her warmly. "Finally, the second person! You don’t know how worried I was that no one else would come. I’ve been waiting here all alone, scared to death. Look at my back—who knows how many monsters are crawling on it? I..."

The moment he opened his mouth, words tumbled out in a nonstop torrent.

Ye Luo glanced at him. His shoulders and back were swarming with strange black creatures—so dense it made one’s skin crawl. Anyone with a fear of clusters would be unable to look.

She couldn’t see her own back, but she doubted it looked any better than his.

"I’m telling you, the worst ones are those with the tongue. Their saliva is so sticky—I just can’t stand it..." the young man chattered on.

Ye Luo raised an eyebrow, ignored the noise, and turned her attention to the attraction’s introduction.