Chapter 109

The security guard: "..." fell silent.

How could the person inside lie so brazenly with such confidence? She had been yelling at the top of her lungs, and yet still insisted that it was his problem.

Audience: Shi Jian’s ability to lie with her eyes wide open is no worse than the staff in the dollhouse—in fact, she might even be better at it.

【Our streamer also has another identity: she's the director of Renxin Hospital, so she does have a certain level of authority. (sarcastic tone)】

Though she only got that position through dabbling in real estate.

Shi Jian’s half-assed approach was absurd—but effective.

Shi Jian and Tang Tian held their breath and waited for a while. There were no more knocks or questions.

Close to the door, it was silent outside.

Shi Jian and Tang Tian could at least be reassured of one thing: "It looks like he can't force his way in."

If he could’ve barged in, he wouldn’t have been so polite, resorting to sweet talk and tricks.

After waiting a bit longer and still hearing nothing, Shi Jian said, “Did he leave?”

But she stopped Tang Tian, who was itching to look through the peephole.

From Shi Jian’s experience watching horror films, “...if you look through the peephole, chances are you’ll see the other person's eye.”

Which would mean direct contact with an unknown, possibly inhuman being—with only a thin piece of glass in between.

Just imagining that scene made Shi Jian uncomfortable. If the eye had anything weird about it…

“Ugh—”

After Shi Jian’s description, Tang Tian could picture it vividly too, but she still thought they needed to check what was really going on outside.

This was only the first night—they didn’t know what else might happen.

Shi Jian agreed that made sense.

Tang Tian offered to be the one to check. She said she was mentally prepared and should be able to handle it.

Shi Jian told her to wait a moment—she had something to give Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was confused but stopped. “Hm?”

She looked at Shi Jian.

...

Just as Shi Jian had guessed, the only thing separating them from whatever strange thing was out there was the not-so-thick door. The security guard hadn’t left.

He was crouched against Shi Jian’s door like a gecko, limbs splayed in an unnatural pose.

He was peering through the peephole, trying to see what was inside. His eyes were bloodshot and veined with red. Making eye contact with him suddenly would definitely be heart-stopping.

The guard could feel the delicious presence inside moving closer to the door. A shadow flickered past.

She was looking this way!The smile on the security guard’s face widened, his eyes cracking open at the corners.

Come on, make eye contact with him—his dear, delicious prey!

But instead of a woman’s scream, what followed was a howl from the security guard himself.

He had been plastered against the door but now jumped down in a panic, stumbling as he landed.

“F**k, what the hell?!”

He cried out in shock.

Because just now, he had suddenly come face to face with a completely white eye—no black at all. That wasn’t a normal human eye.

Inside the room, the two women burst into laughter. One of them laughed especially smugly, “Hahahaha, he got scared.” That voice came from Shi Jian.

Tang Tian waved her hands excitedly, “That was pretty fun, his eyes were all bloodshot…”

With Tang Tian’s description, Shi Jian felt even more emboldened. Bloodshot eyes? That’s manageable. It’s not the unknown that’s scary—it’s not knowing.

Shi Jian was intrigued too. “Let me try!”

Tang Tian stepped aside to give her space. Time to play together!

Security guard: “……”

Could they please show some respect? Was this really something to play with?

Earlier, Shi Jian had handed Tang Tian a pair of white contact lenses.

Shi Jian had anticipated this kind of scenario—the classic horror moment of looking through the peephole only to see a terrifying eye on the other side.

So she came prepared. Besides the white contacts, she also had a set of lenses that would turn the entire eye black, like the ghost bride’s.

Now, Shi Jian’s eyes were pitch black—no whites at all.

Whether it was pure white or pitch black, both were more terrifying than the security guard’s.

…

【Security guard: Which of us is the ghost again?】

【Judging by the visuals and dialogue, Shi Jian and Tang Tian actually seem more like ghosts.】

【Ghost: Nearly scared back to life.】

【New to the stream—just asking, are ghosts this high-quality now? The male streamer’s a bit weak. That howl just now was embarrassing. But why did he even scream the meat off himself…?】

Through the peephole, Shi Jian got a full look at the guard.

Aside from the bloodshot eyes, his whole body was covered in mangled flesh. His clothes were stuck to his skin. There wasn’t a single intact patch on him. Probably enraged by Shi Jian and Tang Tian, he started pounding on the door violently. Chunks of flesh flew everywhere—one sizable piece even splattered directly onto the peephole.

“Open the door, damn it! Open the f**king door now!”

“…I suggest trying in your dreams!”

Shi Jian’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly backed away and even reached up to touch her face.

Then remembered—there’s a door between them. It couldn’t have hit her. Her heartbeat returned to normal, and she didn’t forget to throw a jab back at the guy outside.Good thing it didn’t hit her face—otherwise Shi Jian would’ve absolutely lost it.

Shi Jian pulled Tang Tian over. Just now, she hadn’t only seen the full appearance of the security guard—she also saw, “There are three or four people outside…”

“And they look really familiar, like the maintenance workers we saw in the park today.”

The group of mangled, bloody figures outside was hard to recognize, but their general appearance and relatively intact faces made Shi Jian feel they resembled those maintenance workers who had just been going through the motions earlier.

Tang Tian also had a strong impression of that group. Hearing this, she took a look through the now-dirty peephole.

Tang Tian confirmed Shi Jian’s observation.

“Seems like it really is them.”

The amusement park maintenance workers—who now claimed to be hotel security—kept slamming into the door, making it creak loudly. But the room door was solid enough, and after making a ruckus without success, they eventually left begrudgingly, cursing under their breath.

Once they left, all the strange occurrences in the room disappeared along with them.

Since they still had to continue checking in at park attractions and looking for clues the next day, Shi Jian and Tang Tian calmed themselves and went back to sleep.

Nothing else happened for the rest of the night.

…

The next day, Shi Jian and Tang Tian returned to the amusement park to keep checking in and searching for clues.

They had tried out most of the accessible attractions—what remained looked outright deadly.

During a mid-day break, Tang Tian decided to follow through on something she had wanted to do yesterday but hadn’t had the chance—

To hang out in the restroom for a while and see if she could gather any important clues.

For most people, this would be a waste of time. But Toilet Information Collection Master Tang Tian might actually pull it off.

Meanwhile, Shi Jian waited for her on a bench outside.

“Children’s Video Exhibition Hall, limited-time opening, tickets selling fast, first come first served.”

While she was waiting, a dozen people were gathered around a poster, catching Shi Jian’s attention.

She overheard a tourist say this.

Shi Jian perked up her ears.

She unfolded the paper the NPC had given them earlier—the Children’s Video Exhibition Hall was also one of the attractions they could check in at.

A tourist complained, “Not going to that, you even have to buy a ticket. It already sounds boring.”

But the streamers nearby didn’t think the same.

Boring = low risk.

Sure, high-altitude attractions were exciting, but who dared play them without some real skill?

After the tourists dispersed, a streamer commented, “This might be similar to the 4D Printing Pavilion?”

“Just wondering if there’ll be paper figures like in the 4D Printing Pavilion…”

After visiting that one, several paper people had blended in among the streamers, causing a lot of trouble—and word of that incident had already spread widely among them.Her companion replied, “Danger that comes later is still better than danger right from the start.”

“Might as well give it a try—best case, nothing happens.”

“And since it’s limited-time and ticketed, probably no need to wait in line.”

“Let’s go!”

As they passed by Shi Jian, they glanced at her and deliberately picked up the pace, even breaking into a run—

Afraid Shi Jian might beat them to it.

The incident where Shi Jian’s spirit pet slashed the paper figure that looked like her had nearly as much buzz as the paper figure itself.

Viewers in Shi Jian’s personal livestream room were also actively discussing it.

【Ooh, this project looks good—isn’t this exactly the kind of high-tech thing the streamer’s been looking for?】

【Even if there’s another paper figure, she can just summon the bride ghost.】

【Tang Tian being in the restroom doesn’t stop them from checking in here. Shi Jian can go buy the ticket first, and then they can go together.】

【Even if there’s another paper figure, it likely won’t take the form of Tang Tian. Tang Tian’s constitution is really useful.】

【Go go go!】

Shi Jian’s eyes lit up too. This attraction really did seem perfect for them—if it was anything like the 4D Printing Pavilion, it might as well have been tailor-made.

Shi Jian stood up. Since Tang Tian wouldn’t be out for a while, she decided to send her a message and head over to the Children’s Video Exhibition Hall first.

Then after a few steps, Shi Jian noticed the “Happy Theater” around a corner.

The back door of the theater was open. Someone inside who looked like a staff member was asking, “The lead actor hasn’t arrived yet?”

Shi Jian didn’t stop walking.

…

It really was tailor-made for Shi Jian.

Near the so-called Children’s Video Exhibition Hall, pointed to by the signs, two staff members were whispering to each other.

Both were familiar to Shi Jian and Tang Tian—one was the worker from the Doll House that Shi Jian had used as a meat shield, the other was the one from the 4D Printing Pavilion who’d asked how her experience was.

The two were deep in conversation, and the “meat shield” staffer spoke through gritted teeth.

“Thanks, bro, for giving me the tip. Once she gets torn to pieces in the haunted house, I’ll make sure to repay you properly.”

She was, of course, referring to Shi Jian.

The “meat shield” was still furious over how Shi Jian had used him like a disposable tool yesterday. He wanted revenge!

He wouldn’t be satisfied until Shi Jian was ripped to pieces!

So after learning that Shi Jian had asked in the 4D Printing Pavilion if there were any similar attractions, the “meat shield” personally orchestrated this whole setup.

There was a Children’s Video Exhibition Hall—but not this one. The seemingly normal building up ahead was actually a haunted house.

As long as someone bought a fake ticket, they would be forced to enter—and once inside, there was no guarantee they’d ever come out.The other staff member replied, “No big deal.”

But they waited for a long time and still didn’t see Shi Jian.

Where was she?

The “meat shield” was left anxiously waiting for someone who would never arrive.

Shi Jian hadn’t gone that way at all—she was full of excitement as she rushed straight into the back door of the theater.

One was a check-in task in the mission, and the other was an irrelevant backstage detour at the theater—an easy choice.

Shi Jian, of course, chose the latter!

That Children’s Video Exhibition Hall really did look like a great opportunity, but acting tugged at Shi Jian’s soul. She hadn’t had contact with anything properly stage-related for a while now.

The amusement park had no shortage of attractions, but this might be her only chance to revisit the backstage of a theater.

She wanted to go check it out, to get closer to her own field.

It wasn’t until the audience saw the streamers who rushed into the haunted house get tormented and constantly face sudden dangers that they realized Shi Jian had unintentionally made the perfect move.

Of course, Shi Jian had no idea.

…

Shi Jian was mentally prepared to get kicked out. She just wanted to take a look and feel something familiar again.

Worst case, she’d just go buy a ticket to the Children’s Video Exhibition Hall.

However, just as Shi Jian approached the back door of the theater and before she could even start feeling nostalgic, someone naturally called out to her.

The makeup artist hurried over to Shi Jian.

“You’re the actress, right? Come on, we’ve been waiting on you!”

“You’re on soon.”

Shi Jian: On?

She glanced at the stage not far away.

Acting?

Before she could say anything, the makeup artist had already pressed her down in front of the mirror and started applying makeup, all the while clicking her tongue in admiration. “Your skin is amazing…”

The makeup artist: Old Wang really found a stunning new actress this time.

She had mistaken Shi Jian for a new actress brought in by the project manager.

Shi Jian figured Tang Tian wouldn’t be out for a while, so she might as well make an appearance on stage. She relaxed and sat down calmly.

She responded with a clear voice.

“I’m an actress.”

Of course she was an actress.

Shi Jian naturally waited to be made up, like she’d done countless times before. She even told the makeup artist, “Go light on the blush—too much looks tacky.”The makeup artist examined her for a moment and nodded in agreement. “True.”

Shi Jian had a good complexion and didn’t need heavy blush.

While getting her makeup done, Shi Jian took the opportunity to look over the script.

And so, viewers in Shi Jian’s personal livestream witnessed her being mistaken for the lead actress, going on stage, performing—and completely nailing it.

The entire process was seamless and natural, with thunderous applause at the end.

Shi Jian had completed another check-in task, but unlike the other streamers, she did it as the leading actress.

【She’s just amazing, period!】

【Aaaaah, wife is dazzling—she was born for the stage!】

【Just tell me, if our streamer doesn’t go viral, who will?!】

Shi Jian was full of passion on stage, her entire being shining bright.

She thought the whole experience was pretty wonderful. Even though it was still quite a step down from what she was used to—her previous stages were much larger than this amusement park theater—the feeling of being watched remained the same.

But just as Shi Jian gracefully took her bow, the audience seats suddenly caught fire, and the crowd instantly turned to charcoal, dragging her back to reality.

“……”

Shi Jian smiled on the outside but cursed internally.

Right. She was still in a horror game instance.

Looking at the seats that achieved cremation in three seconds, Shi Jian felt this theater was seriously a death trap.

Luckily, she was on stage—if she’d been in the audience, she probably wouldn’t have escaped either.

Just then, Shi Jian received a call from Tang Tian. Shi Jian had messaged her earlier to say she was heading to the theater first.

Tang Tian: “I’m out. What are you doing in the theater?”

Shi Jian replied honestly, “Being the lead actress.”

Tang Tian: “…Huh?”

Being what?

What kind of unimaginable experience was this? How did Shi Jian end up as the lead actress in the time it took her to use the bathroom?

Tang Tian wanted to hear the full story.

Shi Jian told her to just wait in place, she’d be out soon and would explain everything.

She also needed to tell Tang Tian to avoid this theater if possible—the seats spontaneously combust, leaving nothing but ashes.

Meanwhile, the project manager known as Lao Wang had watched Shi Jian’s stellar performance from start to finish. After applauding, he asked:

“Who is she?”

The makeup artist and the rest of the theater staff answered in unison:

“Wasn’t she the actress you brought in?”Lao Wang said, “I’m the one who recruited her—wouldn’t I know?” Nonsense.

“The actress I hired got into a car accident and can’t make it.”

Lao Wang’s expression turned fervent as he shouted,

“Quick, stop her! I don’t care who she is—as long as she can cover the show!”

……

The project manager Lao Wang stopped Shi Jian and explained his intent. After showering her with praise, he earnestly invited her to perform a few more shows.

Audience: Wow! No wonder she’s a superstar—she’s about to be hired as a full-time theater actress.

Shi Jian had gotten her fill and had no intention of continuing.

Her appearance fees weren’t cheap. It was one thing for her to act on her own accord, but working for free was out of the question.

She also wasn’t impressed by the rate Lao Wang offered.

Until Lao Wang, desperate, chased after her and added, “Miss Shi, you can name your terms.”

Shi Jian slowed her steps. Terms?

Her wool-gathering instincts were awakening again.

She and Tang Tian indeed had a lot to get done—the most pressing being checking in at the high-risk attractions.

They lacked the relevant skills and didn’t have any props to help clear those tasks. It was a real headache.

Maybe Lao Wang could help with that?

So Shi Jian sighed and said, “I really want to try the drop tower, but it’s too scary… I might fall to my death…”

She showed a longing expression in her eyes, one that was hard to turn down.

Smart people could already tell what Shi Jian was getting at. Lao Wang also knew the situation at the drop tower and nodded in agreement. “True.”

But Lao Wang revealed a troubled expression. “If I could, I’d love to help Miss Shi with that wish, but I’m not familiar with the person in charge of the drop tower.”

If he could, Lao Wang genuinely wanted to help.

Not just because of Shi Jian’s irresistibly hopeful expression, but also because he wanted her to stay and perform a few more shows.

Shi Jian looked disappointed: So it won’t work? No shortcut after all?

Then Lao Wang pivoted. “The bumper cars, though—I can arrange a safety seat for you, completely secure.”

Shi Jian revived instantly. She learned something new: the amusement park rides have safety seats?

She secretly messaged Tang Tian: “Are the bumper cars dangerous too? Are they on our task list?”

Tang Tian replied quickly: “Yes, very dangerous—they can knock you to pieces…”

Shi Jian was clear now. The drop tower’s out, but the bumper cars? Very doable!

Definitely doable!

But Shi Jian didn’t agree right away. She made a bold demand. “Bumper cars, huh… I mean, I’d prefer the drop tower, but bumper cars could work… if you give me ten safety seat spots.”Anyway, Lao Wang was the one asking for her help now.

Shi Jian wasn’t sure Lao Wang would agree, but as always—what if he did?

Unsurprisingly, Lao Wang frowned and rejected her. He held up one finger. “One.”

Shi Jian held up two fingers.

Just as Lao Wang was about to agree—thinking two spots might be acceptable—Shi Jian said, “Twenty.”

Lao Wang: ???

“That’s really not possible. That’s too many.”

Shi Jian kept going. “Thirty.”

……

Seeing Shi Jian’s demands grow more and more outrageous, Lao Wang finally said it really wasn’t feasible. Shi Jian furrowed her brows. “No matter what number I say, you say no. That makes me question your sincerity.”

“Then tell me—what’s the highest number you can offer?”

She handed Lao Wang a ladder to step down with.

Lao Wang gritted his teeth and bargained hopefully. “…Ten spots. No more. That’s the most sincere offer I can give.”

Shi Jian showed a put-upon expression, but eventually nodded. “Fine. Give and take—let’s be friends.”

God-view audience: ! But didn’t Shi Jian start with ten? Did Lao Wang forget?

Isn’t this the legendary “morning three, evening four”?

Give the monkeys three acorns in the morning and four at night—they’re unhappy. But switch the order, and they’re thrilled.

Shi Jian even said, “You seem like a straightforward guy. Ten spots is fine. I’ll also have my friends help out on stage holding props—consider it a free bonus. They’re professionals when it comes to holding prop trees.”

Monkey a.k.a. Lao Wang beamed with joy. “Deal!”

Score! Not only did he secure a lead actress, he also got a few free laborers.

Shi Jian beamed too. She was thinking exactly the same as Lao Wang.

Score!

Not only did she secure 10 bumper car safety seats, she could also bring a few more streamers through the theater task.

Maybe Lao Wang didn’t lose out—but Shi Jian definitely made a killing.