Chapter 141: Online Dating

"First, let's be clear: your choice to communicate via half-threat proves that forcibly seizing the visitor card is your only way out."

Li Cheng's expression changed instantly; his tone returned to normal: "And you mentioned you have a trump card. From a personal strength standpoint, you're not strong enough to overpower other players, and turning into a doll probably won't let you suddenly fight multiple opponents at once."

"So the answer is limited to just a few possibilities—you've uncovered a secret about the amusement park's mechanism, or you can directly use the park's mechanism to inflict harm on us."

He paused, staring at Elliot, as if seeing through the pink bunny's exterior to the face inside—now unrecognizable, "It's her, isn't it?"

Her? A female her?

The other players all froze; the kill zone translation system was extraordinarily powerful, accurately translating homophones based on the speaker's intended meaning—translating "he/she/it/they" was basic functionality, and at need, it could even translate homophones like "N. J. Mayor Jiang Bridge."

Only when the speaker themselves wished to obscure intent could the translation system temporarily shut down.

"Visitor Rule Six: Upon seeing a princess figure on a float, you must remain standing in place."

"Security Rule Seven: When a patrol float displays a princess figure, you may hold a princess doll and lead it to the Fantasy Castle."

Li Cheng said: "Notice anything? The Fantasy Castle and the air raid siren are linked. For security personnel to hold the princess doll and lead the princess into the castle, the air raid siren must first sound."

"But for visitors, during the air raid siren, they're simultaneously required to scramble for the scarce phone booth 'spots' and to stand still if they see the princess on the float. This is inherently contradictory."

"Two contradictory rules point to only one logical explanation: the moment a visitor sees the princess on the float, they've already lost any chance of rescue."

All players had witnessed the princess on the float's power—Red-haired Melida's long-range precision archery rivaled missiles, her physical defense surpassed reinforced concrete fortifications, and she took artillery blasts to the face without a scratch.

Even players had to retreat from such power, let alone ordinary people.

Li Cheng said casually: "Going further—why are visitors who see the princess on the float no longer worth rescuing? Couldn't they just run around like the other panicked visitors trying to survive?"

Andre had already thought of this. He replied immediately: "Perhaps the princess on the float continuously tracks and pursues anyone who sees her. This rule is a lie meant to trap visitors who see her—preventing them from running, forcing them to stand still and wait to die, so she won't cause greater destruction."

"That explanation is partly right, but not entirely." Li Cheng smiled slightly. "Since the Fantasy Castle zone overlaps with the Future World zone, subtracting the two phone booth slots in the latter, the remaining phone booths can hold at most six people—most visitors are forced to stay outside."

"Remember what I said earlier about the three main scenarios for visitors after entering? I only mentioned two then. First: normal play, then exit. Second: breaking rules, forced to wear staff uniform and complete four amusement rides as staff."

"Third: during the air raid siren, neither dying immediately nor lucky enough to secure a phone booth slot. Such visitors' fate? Under some effect, they transform into the doll monsters we see—those without eye sockets."

They appear alongside the Fantasy Castle when the air raid siren sounds, and vanish when it shuts off.

These doll monsters without eye sockets lack discernment and won't attack human staff wearing doll suits. Meanwhile, amusement park security can use food—rice balls, sandwiches—from the snack shop to escape, pass through the doll horde, and use souvenir shop dolls to lure the princess into the castle, then shut off the air raid siren and end the crisis.

The security uniform—or the security role itself—has unique properties: it allows you to take food from the snack shop without the food turning to ash, and grants brief resistance against the 'contamination' of becoming a doll, extending your time outside.

"These are all your guesses. There's no proof," Elliot rasped, low and hoarse. "If 'contamination' exists, what's its source? How can players and ordinary people near Su Jie remain active in the outside world for so long? And where did the staff in doll suits go?"

"Three questions. Fundamentally, one question."

Li Cheng grinned. "Visitor Rule Seven: Male visitors occasionally find a ring inside a rice ball at the snack shop. Rule Eight: The souvenir shop does not sell princess dolls."

"Staff Rule Five: Every princess costume must be locked and stored properly. Rule Six: Princess costume staff occasionally see princess dolls suddenly appear and vanish."

"Security Rule Seven: Security may hold a doll and lead the princess to the Fantasy Castle, then shut off its air raid siren."

"These rules all hint at an unknown entity within the park, tied to the concept of 'princess.' Let's call her 'her.'"

"She has always been under the park's supervision—or rather, surveillance and control."

"Her understanding of the real world is extremely fragmented; she regards the amusement park as the entirety of her world, so she never leaves voluntarily."

"She favors the concept of 'princess,' often appearing suddenly on souvenir shop shelves as a princess doll, observing humans—or appearing in the line of sight of princess costume staff."

"In fairy tales, princesses are paired with handsome princes. She also favors good-looking adult men. Hence, all security personnel are male, and male visitors occasionally find rings inside rice balls—also placed by her, mimicking the love story of prince and princess."

"The park dares not let her interact too much with humans. Hence, Security Rule requires checking every visitor's every bag for princess dolls. It also demands princess costume staff remain utterly calm, ignoring princess dolls that suddenly appear in their vision. Every princess costume must be locked and registered."

"Even so, she remains vastly superior to humans. Her power, whether intentional or not, distorts surrounding things—making amusement rides dangerous, twisting ordinary people's perceptions so they fail to notice friends or relatives growing hair on their bodies."

"In her mind, everyone carries labels, and every person's behavior must match their label. Thus, after sunset when the park closes, no visitor should remain inside. Staff are strictly forbidden to remove their doll suits during work hours."

Su Jie's eyes lit up. "So Visitor Rule requires violators to wear doll suits after sunset—to change identity and deceive her."

"Correct. But standing by the river long enough, you'll eventually get wet. The park's deception was eventually discovered by her. After a brutal retaliation, the entire park fell. Most visitors, staff, and security were transformed into doll monsters. That's why this nameless security guard wrote in blood on the security office wall: 'She discovered she was deceived.'"

"As for why our bodies only started growing hair after so long, perhaps she expended much energy, weakening her 'contamination'? Or perhaps she deliberately withdrew her power."

Li Cheng looked at Elliot and smiled: "The last question—your trump card—is this, isn't it?"

He opened his palm, revealing a shard of diamond. "The nameless security guard risked going to the snack shop during the crisis, taking large quantities of food to evade the doll horde. Among the food was a diamond ring—only a handsome man could open it."

Amid the stifling atmosphere, the sun sank lower and lower toward the horizon.

"The diamond ring symbolizes the love between prince and princess. In this amusement park, possessing the ring means possessing the princess."

Elliot slowly raised his hand—on his left ring finger, a diamond ring barely fit.

All players tensed instantly; yet Li Cheng's face showed not a trace of fear.

"Aren't you afraid?" Elliot rasped.

"Afraid? Why should I be?" Li Cheng spread his hands. "Even if this unknown entity is stronger, it only has a half-developed mind. Besides, it sees itself as a youthful, beautiful princess."

"When it comes to courting girls, I still have some experience."

At this, Andre and Baylan both turned to stare. Dude, that's a malevolent entity capable of slaughtering thousands—maybe even an unspeakable god. Are you seriously calling it a 'girl'?

"Relax. Don't be fooled by how I look now—I was wild in my youth. I had at least eight hundred online lovers, scattered across over a hundred countries on five continents and seven oceans."

Li Cheng smirked. "I've memorized all the lines. Your eyes hold stars."

"You're the most beautiful white person/black person/Yellow person/Caucasian/Indigenous/Negro/Melanesian/Micronesian/Polynesian girl I've ever met."

"I can teach you Chinese, apply for your green card—we might explore some beautiful things together."

"The child is my gift to you."

"I need to return to my country. Wait for me."

(End of Chapter)