Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 92 Crazy Roller Coaster

As the lullaby came to an end, the last note dissipated into the air, and the whole world seemed to be muted.

Time and space were completely frozen by an invisible, terrifying force of rules.

During the discussion, they were already labeled as "bad kids," and "bad kids" are supposed to be "punished."

The immense pressure, which the broadcast referred to as "punishment," descended upon them without warning, like a divine punishment from the heavens!

This pressure does not come from physical impacts, nor from mental pollution, but from a conceptual "annihilation" of creatures that do not follow the rules!
Under the influence of this power, the five people felt as if everything about them was being forcibly erased from the world by an invisible force!
Their body outlines began to become increasingly blurred and illusory, as if they were about to completely dissipate into this air filled with false "happiness," like sand paintings blown away by the wind.

"Ugh... Ahhhhh!"

Mo Fei let out a roar of pain and resentment, and his burly body was engulfed in a crimson energy flame, as red as blood!
He gathered all his will and strength, trying to fully mobilize the power of the nightmare within him to fight against the terrifying force that wanted to erase everything!
Nightmare patterns flickered on his skin, as if they might burst forth at any moment.

However, even his all-out resistance seemed so pale and powerless in the face of this terrifying power of the rules.

His burning flame flickered like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Lancer's situation appeared even worse. The rationality and logic he had always been so proud of were shattered in the face of this utterly unreasonable "conceptual obliteration."

He knelt on the ground, clutching his head in anguish. Cracks appeared on his glasses, and his eyes revealed a profound fear born of incomprehension.

Lu Yueqi's body couldn't withstand the immense pressure and she fell into a semi-conscious state. Her petite body slumped to the ground, with only her small hand, tightly clutching Bai Yu's clothes, stubbornly conveying the last trace of life.

"Iron Wall Royal Authority!"

Just when everyone was about to be completely swallowed up by that devastating pressure, An Mu, the man who was always the last line of defense for the team, once again unleashed his trump card!
With his roar, a semi-transparent golden domain composed of order and control suddenly unfolded from his body!

That golden domain, like a sun descending upon this place, forcefully repelled the terrifying pressure representing the concept of "erasure" with an extremely domineering attitude, creating a "royal land" where the entire team could get a brief respite!
However, the price of unleashing this supreme power was enormous. A trickle of blood uncontrollably spilled from the corner of An Mu's mouth, the crimson blood gradually turning golden under the light of the domain, his resolute face as pale as a sheet of paper.

"...Quickly...I can't hold on much longer..." His voice was extremely hoarse from the immense exhaustion.

"understand!"

Under the protection of the "Iron Wall Royal Authority", Mo Fei and Bai Yu regained their ability to move and dared not hesitate any longer!
Mo Fei's target was the control center of that giant carousel! With a powerful push of his legs, his burly body shot forward like a cannonball, charging headlong into the control room enveloped by countless neon lights!

At the same time, Bai Yu set his sights on the "smiling dolls" who were sitting on the wooden horses, quietly "appreciating" their dying struggles with their empty eyes!

He did not choose to attack the puppets. These things were just puppets controlled by the rules. Destroying them would not solve the problem at its root. What he needed to do was to completely pull them off the rocking horse.

Therefore, his goal is to create the "link" between those puppets and the wooden horse!
A cold, electric light flashed in his eyes!
The pitch-black power was reflected in the dark gold by the "Iron Wall Royal Authority" domain. He condensed the "nothingness" power in his body into an invisible blade and slashed fiercely at the invisible "chains" made of the power of rules that were fixing the puppet to the horse!
"Crack——!"

With a crisp cracking sound, the connection between the "smiling doll" closest to him and the deformed wooden horse beneath it was forcibly severed!
The "doll" was thrown off the rapidly spinning carousel like a rag doll that had lost its support, crashing heavily to the ground with a "bang" and turning into a pile of cold parts.

An empty seat has appeared!

"Lu Yueqi!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Yu picked up the girl who was in a semi-conscious state, and then precisely found the seat that he had just cleared out on the rapidly spinning giant carousel, and placed the girl steadily on it!
Almost at the same time, a deafening explosion came from the other side!

"boom--!!!"

Mo Fei swung the high-frequency battle axe in his hand, which was full of destructive power, and cleaved open the alloy door of the control room!
He rushed in and began a brutal aesthetic of "physical formatting" of the massive control core inside, which was filled with complex circuits and gears!
As the carousel slowed down, Bai Yu quickly stepped forward and severed the connection between all the puppets and the carousel.

With a piercing spark of electricity and a mournful groan of twisting metal, the giant wooden horse that had been spinning rapidly finally came to a slow stop after a violent jolt.

The distorted lullaby came to an abrupt end.

An Mu's "Iron Wall Royal Authority" domain shattered at the same time due to the depletion of its energy. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsed to one knee, and gasped for breath.

Everyone climbed shakily onto the empty wooden horse.

They ultimately succeeded in cracking this deadly game at the last moment.

However, before they could even catch their breath and marvel at how they had survived another ordeal, that cold, emotionless electronic synthesized voice once again resounded throughout the area.

"Congratulations to all visitors, you have successfully completed the 'Fantasy Carousel' challenge."

"As a reward, we will begin your journey to the next stage—"

"—Crazy Roller Coaster"

As the broadcast ended, in the darkness leading to the core area in front of them, a huge track, constructed of countless rusty steel beams and winding like the spine of a dragon, slowly lit up with blood-red lights amidst a series of creaking sounds.

At the highest point of the track, a roller coaster with a dozen or so seats stood quietly, its shape resembling a giant skull, like a apex predator lurking in the darkness, silently staring at them with its two dark, hollow eye sockets.

"It's... waiting for us." Bai Yu looked at the skull-shaped roller coaster stopped at the highest point of the track, her voice icy.

"Do we...have to go up?" Lu Yueqi had just woken up, still feeling groggy, her voice weak and trembling.

“I’m afraid so.” Lan Ce’s face was as pale as a corpse. “That circus tent is the heart of the entire park. And this roller coaster in front of us is the only ‘transportation’ we can find to get there. We have no other choice.” The five of them dragged their exhausted bodies and slowly walked step by step toward the eerie and terrifying steel dragon in the darkness of the night.

When they finally climbed to the towering platform and boarded the cold, hard skull roller coaster, everyone's heart was filled with a sense of tragic grandeur and resolute determination.

The cold safety lever, like the arm of death, slowly descended with a "click," firmly securing them all to their seats.

Immediately afterwards, the cold, synthesized electronic voice rang out once again.

"Dear guests, welcome aboard the 'Crazy Roller Coaster'."

"To ensure your safety, please maintain the following order throughout the train journey:"

"—The most brilliant, the loudest...laughter."

"For any 'unhappy' guest whose laughter decibels are below the safe level, the safety lever on your seat will be automatically released for you."

"Well then, have a pleasant journey!"

The moment the words fell, the entire roller coaster, after a violent jolt, was like a dragon that had broken free of all restraints, rushing headlong into the bottomless darkness below at a terrifying speed that was almost suicidal!
"Aa ...

Terrifying screams filled with a sense of weightlessness mingled with maniacal laughter that seemed forced, echoing throughout the entire crazy amusement park shrouded in night!
The roller coaster is on a desperate run along its twisted tracks!

Every dive, every roll, is like dancing wildly on the edge of death's scythe!
The biting wind, like countless sharp knives, scraped their faces, leaving tiny cuts.

They had to force themselves to laugh loudly while enduring this physiological stimulation that could cause heart arrest!
This is a form of both physical and psychological torment!
"Hahahaha... Damn it... Heh... Hahahaha!" Mo Fei's laughter was like that of a wounded beast, filled with pain and rage!
His burly body was pressed firmly into the seat by the safety bar, but the enormous centrifugal force made him feel as if his internal organs were out of place!

An Mu and Lan Ce weren't in much better shape. They could only rely on their strong willpower to force themselves back to consciousness just before they were about to faint, and then let out bursts of laughter that sounded even worse than crying!
Amidst this chaotic and frenzied high-speed chase, Bai Yu forced himself to maintain the last shred of composure.

Even though the cold wind stung his eyes, his deep eyes remained fixed on both sides of the track, intently watching the amusement park scenes flashing by before him, not missing a single detail.

He saw countless pale arms, like tentacles reaching out from hell, waving wildly at the entrance of the abandoned "haunted house"!

He saw that in that long-dried-up "water park," the water flowing down the huge slides was no longer clear pool water, but a thick, red liquid like blood!

He saw that on that romantic "couples' Ferris wheel," each cabin contained a pair of skeletons dressed in matching outfits, swaying slightly in the cold wind at high altitude.

Every corner of this park has been completely filled with "madness" and "death"!
Just as the roller coaster completed a near 90-degree vertical loop, Bai Yu's pupils suddenly contracted!
In that brief moment when his body was suspended upside down, he saw...

At the top of the enormous circus tent that forms the heart of the park, a distinctive figure, dressed in a style completely different from the clowns around him, stands quietly!

He was dressed in a pure black tailcoat, without any mask or makeup on his face.

It was a face as pale as a dead person's.

He was holding a black snake-head cane in his hand.

He stood quietly atop the world like an elegant conductor, his gaze filled with indifference and compassion, as if he were a high god looking down upon this paradise, this "masterpiece" of madness and suffering that he himself had created.

Who is he? Why is he there?
The strong wind made his head throb and slowed his thinking.

After a moment of stunned silence, Bai Yu's pupils suddenly contracted, and she instantly understood.

He is the real "Joker"!
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment in mid-air.

Bai Yu could clearly see the man's lips slowly curving into a smile that was full of "welcome".

Immediately afterward, the roller coaster returned to normal after a violent tumble.

The figure then disappeared from sight.

But Bai Yu's heart sank into an endless abyss.

He finally understood.

What this clown ever wanted was never some fake "happiness".

What he wants is "pain".

He is an artist who takes pleasure in collecting and appreciating “pain”.

Just as Bai Yu figured everything out, he suddenly felt a very faint "click" from the safety lever on his seat.

It has loosened.

He was momentarily stunned during that brief eye contact, forgetting the rules, and he didn't "laugh out loud."

At this moment, the roller coaster is right in front of the highest and steepest drop ramp on the entire track!
Below lies an endless, bottomless darkness!

(End of this chapter)