Chapter 46: Unforeseen Changes!

So this twin-tailed girl was a survivor from that batch of players a few years ago.

She was also the member of Evil Ghosts who had gone to question the survivors.

The eccentric in the Surface World who might make a move against him.

She was even a participant in Evil Ghosts' current operation.

Interesting.

"Do you have detailed information on this woman?"

Yan Jing sent the twin-tailed woman's photo to Shen Youran.

"I knew it—you noticed her too."

Shen Youran said, "Her name is Li Ya. She belongs to Evil Ghosts. Three years ago, she was one of the players who entered the Mad Amusement Park, and she's one of the few survivors I couldn't get in touch with."

"However, I think it's probably just a coincidence. After all, you have nothing to do with the Mad Amusement Park dungeon."

In fact, from Shen Youran's perspective, everything related to the Mad Amusement Park was rather unimportant.

The only reason she had compiled information on this dungeon was because Yan Jing had asked about it.

"Alright, send me her file. I'll leave the rest to you, and I'll make sure to memorize the information."

The call ended.

Soon, Yan Jing received the twin-tailed woman's file.

[Li Ya]

[Strength: First Tier]

[This target rarely exposes her Day Selection Ritual to the outside world. She has only revealed it a handful of times when facing attacks from members of the Inner World organization Wild Dogs. It is suspected to be a Gachapon Machine; quality unknown.]

[Day Selection Ritual Ability: Suspected to be capable of obtaining terror toys by drawing from the Gachapon Machine.]

[Known Terror Toys:

A Water Gun capable of spraying highly corrosive liquid.

A Puppy Plushie that can summon a fierce dog for a limited duration.

A Little Girl's Crystal Necklace that increases bodily flexibility when worn.]

[The target gradually began to distinguish herself within Evil Ghosts three years ago. Her personality is eccentric and perverse. She is currently a non-priority cultivation target in the Nightmare project of Evil Ghosts' Ling'an City branch.]

[Threat Assessment: No threat.]

"Evil Ghosts, three years ago, The Vessel..."

Yan Jing closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before re-entering the Inner World.

There were many things he could only figure out through further exploration.

After meeting up with Mantou, the two of them walked toward the exit of the old park area.

The staff member in the rabbit mascot suit from earlier was there to receive them:

"Hello, sir and miss. Have you finished your visit to the old park area?"

"Yes, it was a wonderful experience," Yan Jing said.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir."

Rabbit bowed and said:

"But I must apologize. Would you be able to wait here for just a little while?"

"Did something happen?"

Yan Jing looked toward the new park area but didn't notice anything unusual.

"It's like this: we just discovered a minor issue within our Amusement Park, so we are currently undergoing an internal reorganization."

The crimson eyes on Rabbit's suit blinked hard, a touch of eeriness in its smile:

"This reorganization is quite extensive. It might be dangerous for you to go out right now."

"But please rest assured, our Amusement Park always puts tourists first. We guarantee that you will be absolutely safe."

"It shouldn't take too long."

"No problem."

Yan Jing nodded.

Although he didn't think Rabbit's guarantee held any weight, the situation was still unclear. Waiting a little seemed like a reasonable choice for now.

Fifteen minutes. That was the time limit Yan Jing set for himself. If Rabbit still blocked them after fifteen minutes without giving a clear reason, he planned to use some forceful methods to get answers.

But to his surprise...

Rabbit vanished.

After he took Mantou's hand and waited near the exit, Rabbit turned and walked away. Yan Jing initially assumed she had gone to handle something, but over ten minutes passed, and Rabbit never returned.

When he and Mantou approached the exit again, they discovered the reason for Rabbit's absence.

Rabbit was dead.

They found Rabbit's body on the other side of the exit gate.

The head, still encased in the rabbit hood, had rolled onto the ground. The severed edge was perfectly clean, and its ruby-like eyes had long since turned dull and cloudy.

The rest of the body leaned against the wall, the prison uniform completely soaked through with the blood that had poured from the neck.

Yan Jing's eyes flickered. He tightened his grip on Mantou's hand and walked toward the exit of the new park area.

Just a dozen minutes ago, Rabbit's tone made it sound like she was part of the faction purging the internal staff. He hadn't expected her to end up dead instead.

Who did it?

That Lion?

An internal conflict within the Amusement Park?

Inside the new park area, aside from the continuous booms of heavy hammers slamming into the ground, the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. Not a single person was in sight.

Yan Jing and Mantou walked over to the Whack-a-Mole Adventure attraction. It was perfectly silent here too, and the waiting area was completely empty.

Just as Yan Jing led Mantou onward toward the Amusement Park's exit...

Suddenly, a familiar figure cautiously poked its head out from the bushes in the corner.

"Mr. Yi Ji! Mr. Yi Ji!"

Tiger whispered to Yan Jing, his eyes darting left and right as if trying to hide from something.

"Mr. Tiger, did something happen?"

Yan Jing pulled Mantou forward, the phantom image of a Seed materializing in the palm of his hand.

"It's a power grab! An armed rebellion!"

Tiger wore a terrified expression and kept his voice as low as possible:

"That Lion has gone mad! He actually joined forces with the humans to launch a great purge."

"He wants complete control over the Amusement Park."

A great purge...

Through Tiger's explanation, Yan Jing understood the general sequence of events.

The Mad Amusement Park was Mr. San's property. However, starting a few years ago, Mr. San spent most of his time outside the park. Because of this, the park's affairs were practically managed by three leading staff members.

Zebra was in charge of daily dispatch orders, Hippo oversaw infrastructure, and Lion, who was the strongest, served as the final gatekeeper for everything.

This was obviously not a fair distribution of power. It looked as if Lion held absolute authority over life and death.

Therefore, before Mr. San left, he placed restrictions on Lion.

He locked Lion inside the ticket booth.

After this arrangement, things seemed a bit fairer.

But this fragile balance was soon broken by a single factor.

Mr. San had not returned for a long time.

Without Mr. San overseeing things, the park outwardly maintained a three-way standoff, but in reality, Zebra and Hippo had already faintly gained the upper hand over Lion.

Because Lion couldn't leave the ticket booth.

Once a beast's fangs were bound by iron chains, it lost all deterrence, even if it was a 'Lion.'

Of course, nobody knew when Mr. San might return, so the superficial peace held.

Although Zebra and Hippo frequently feigned compliance while secretly ignoring Lion's orders, they hadn't completely dropped all pretense of civility.

It was just that no one ever expected Lion to ally with the newly arrived humans to attack Zebra and Hippo.

Judging from the current situation, Lion had achieved total suppression.

"So whose side was Rabbit on?"

The situation was rather convoluted. Yan Jing asked a key question to help organize his thoughts.

Tiger froze for a moment:

"Lion's."

Lion's...

Yan Jing's mind raced. He looked up at Tiger and smiled:

"Then whose side are you on, Mr. Tiger?"

His gaze was sharp, and the Seed phantom in his palm gradually solidified. He hadn't expected Tiger to instantly become incredibly agitated, as if his tail had been stepped on:

"Fuck, that's exactly the problem! I've only been here for a few months! I haven't even had time to pick a side yet!!!"

"I'm caught in the middle with no friends on either side!!"

"Damn it, I feel like anyone in the park would stab me the moment they see me!"

"Mr. Yi Ji, you have to help me! We've been through life-and-death together!!"

Tears shimmered in Tiger's eyes. His words lessened Yan Jing's suspicions slightly, but only slightly.

The reason he suspected Tiger was because the man claimed Rabbit was on Lion's side.

But Rabbit was already dead.

If she was on Lion's side, why had she died so silently right when Lion held the absolute advantage?

Seeing that Yan Jing still didn't seem to believe him, Tiger grew anxious.

He truly hadn't picked a side, and he truly wanted to cling to Yan Jing for protection. In his eyes, Yan Jing possessed Second Tier strength. As long as he held onto this lifeline, Lion wouldn't be able to touch him.

So, he unfastened the Zipper Button on the back of his mascot suit and handed it to Yan Jing, pleading:

"Mr. Yi Ji, I'm entrusting my life to you. Please be the bigger person and overlook the bastard things I did to you before. I just want to live."

Having lost the Zipper Button, Tiger's face instantly turned ghastly pale. The Weird Energy in his body drained away at a palpable rate, his strength quickly plummeting below the First Tier.

He looked at Yan Jing and panted out:

"Mr. Yi Ji, the core of the Amusement Park's employees lies in the Zipper Buttons on the backs of our suits. As long as you wish, you can take my life at any time."

Yan Jing gripped the Zipper Button, feeling the Weird Energy contained within it throbbing like a beating heart. He blinked and asked:

"Aren't you afraid that I might be on Lion's side, Mr. Tiger?"

"Eh?"

Tiger froze, clearly never having considered this possibility.

"..."

Yan Jing put away the Zipper Button, realizing it was his own mistake to suspect this fool who couldn't even figure out how to play Bumper Go-Karts.

"What's the exact situation on the battlefield right now?"

"Things look terrible for Zebra and Hippo. The main problem is that human woman with the twin-tails—she's absolutely ruthless!!"

Seeing Yan Jing accept the Zipper Button, Tiger's spirits lifted, and he immediately reported:

"First, she killed the leading human male, and then she quickly rallied the remaining humans to intercept and corner Zebra and Hippo's forces."

"I even just saw her fighting both Zebra and Hippo simultaneously all by herself! She wasn't at a disadvantage at all, and she even managed to injure both of them!!!"

"Right now, she has had Lion lock down the exit of the new park area. She's planning to trap everyone in the Amusement Park and grind them to death one by one."

As he spoke, Tiger seemed to recall exactly how terrifying the twin-tailed woman was and shuddered involuntarily.

She was that strong?

Yan Jing grew thoughtful. It seemed this woman had been hiding her true strength in the outside world all along.

He looked at Tiger with calm eyes:

"Where is she now?"

She was that strong—if he missed today, he wouldn't get such a good opportunity again.