What followed was straightforward.
As long as everyone followed the same approach, anyone could earn the red stamp for the carousel.
But there were difficulties.
Since only one seat on the carousel could be used to clear the level, and each round required a ten-minute wait, even if two or three crowded onto one horse, getting everyone through would still take an hour.
And if they just waited their turn, no one would earn the bonus five-game tokens.
Shen Huanhuan suggested, โLetโs split up. Some of us wait here while the rest go check out the other attractions. As soon as youโre done on the carousel, send the next person in.โ
Everyone agreed.
Though Jiang Yan didnโt leave immediately. She had Yu Renwan take little Jiang Yan and little Yu Renwan for their turns first. With An An also needing to be held, the carousel didn’t have enough space, so it was decided that little Yu Renwan would climb onto Yu Renwanโs shoulder, proudly grabbing her hair as she sat.
When Yu Renwan was done, she looked thoroughly rumpled.
โWas I really this wild when I was littleโฆโ Her face was bewildered.
Little Yu Renwan leapt in anger and stamped on Yu Renwanโs foot.
Yu Renwan reflexively activated her constitution, and little Yu Renwan promptly fell head over heels. She clambered back up, tried again, but tripped face-first before she could get close.
โโฆโฆโฆโ
Little Jiang Yan watched Yu Renwan with curiosity, then edged over. At her young age, she couldnโt resist Yu Renwanโs misfortune aura: after two steps, she fell right on top of little Yu Renwan.
Now two children lay stacked on the ground.
Not far away, little Huanhuanโs eyes lit up. She snuck a look at Shen Huanhuan; when she saw no one was paying attention, she tiptoed over and jogged the last steps.
Soon, three children were in a heap on the ground.
Little Xiaoxiao rolled herself over in her wheelchair, called out from afar, โHow boring,โ then rolled away again.
Shen Xiaoxiao muttered, โDonโt mind her. Sheโs so jealous she could die.โ
โI probably faked it when I was youngโsickly, always in a wheelchair, spent all day acting like the cold, frail second daughter of a grand chancellorโs household, dearly loved, clutching my heart and coughing, always pretending to die.โ
ใPffft hahahahahaใ
ใโCold and frail chancellorโs daughter,โ Iโm dying of laughterใ
ใThis kidโs had acting potential since childhood (not serious)ใ
Time was short; clearing three attractions in an hour was tight.
Jiang Yan spoke briefly, picking up the three still-flopped kids.
Little Jiang Yan dusted herself off, her baby fat quivering slightly with the motion. Jiang Yan pinched her cheek. โLetโs go.โ
The girlโs eyes went wide; she clutched her cheek, tipping her head up to look at Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan pretended obliviousness: โWhat is it?โ
After a moment, the girl sniffed and strode out in front. She marched farther and farther until Jiang Yan called from behind, โYouโre going the wrong way.โ
The girl changed direction without any change in expression, forging ahead.
Jiang Yan smiled.
Yu Renwan whispered, โI want to pinch her tooโฆ why wasnโt I like that when I was little? What a shame.โ
*
There were set attractions to complete: the 5D Cinema and the Giant Blade. The order didnโt matterโboth were mandatory.
Five minutes later, four arrived at the 5D Cinema.
The attraction was on the east side, at the center of a man-made lake, encircled by lush artificial forest. Stepping in felt like entering a rainforest. A sign that read [5D Cinema] hung over a small log cabin.
โSo cool in here,โ little Yu Renwan exclaimed.
It really was: the plants made it much cooler than elsewhere.
Jiang Yan took in the surroundings. Unlike other crowded areas, this place was nearly deserted. People came and went quickly, never lingering. Whereas the carousel had crowds packed around the fences, here it was empty.
โThis must be incredibly simple,โ little Jiang Yan said.
โIโll do this one, you take the Giant Blade.โ She pulled her stamp card from a finely woven bag, then reached into Jiang Yanโs pocket for her card too.
Jiang Yan had deduced the same.
There were too few peopleโit was either too difficult or too easy. More likely, the 5D Cinema was a group-clearance event, so lots of people would complete it at once, keeping crowds from gathering.
The other clear sign was the missing middle-aged couple: according to the cotton candy grandpa, theyโd cleared the 5D Cinema before failing at the other attractions.
So Jiang Yan didnโt object.
โWhen youโre done, come find us. By then we should have the Giant Bladeโs secret.โ
Little Jiang Yan snorted and strode inside. Since kids could substitute for adults in all game zone attractions, and Jiang Yan didnโt think her own kid self would be kidnapped, she felt reassured.
Yu Renwan wasnโt as calm.
Nor was little Yu Renwan.
She started digging for her stamp card. โWhere is it??โ
Yu Renwan hurriedly handed it over: โGo ahead, go ahead.โ
Little Yu Renwan dashed off after little Jiang Yan.
The adults didnโt even watch them go, simply turning to the Giant Blade.
The viewers spammed [???] in the chat.
ใDonโt know if I should call this overconfident or whatโฆใ
ใWake up, please. They’re only seven or eight! Seven or eight!!ใ
ใIf anything happens, Iโll wail in the livestream (gnashing teeth)ใ
After a dozen meters, Jiang Yan suddenly said, โThis isnโt right.โ
Yu Renwan froze, then realized, โItโs dangerous letting them go alone. Should we go after them?โ
ใ?!!ใ
ใWhat did I just see??ใ
ใJiang-jie has a conscience after all!!ใ
Jiang Yan, oblivious to the chat, frowned and continued, โShe should do the Giant Blade.โ
โThere arenโt many simple games left. It should be me doing it.โ
Yu Renwan was baffled. โAh?โ
ใโฆโฆ..ใ
ใWhy was I even hoping?ใ
Jiang Yanโs frown deepened.
Yu Renwan tried to offer comfort: advice like, โYou canโt just slack off like this,โ โNo one can slack off this much,โ โThe kid is actually really filial,โ โHow can you bear to, when little Jiang Yan is so cuteโฆโ At last, Jiang Yan nodded.
It was still stiflingly hot inside the park; whatever the month, it was at least thirty-eight degrees.
They passed a few cold drink stands. Yu Renwan couldnโt resist activating her luck-draining aura, sending people nearby tripping and tumbling. Taking advantage of the chaos, she snagged three fingers, then grabbed two cold drinks.
When they were finished, the towering Giant Blade came into view.
Here, the crowd was many times denser than at the carousel. Everyone stood silent and intent, eyes fixed on the machine as if afraid of missing a moment.
Soon, the ride started: a row of more than a dozen peopleโadults and kidsโsat side by side on dark red seats with no safety restraints. Slowly, they were hoisted several stories into the air, then all at once the chairs plummeted. The ridersโ screams were piercing.
A little girl, terrified, covered her eyes, sobbing for her mother as if her voice might tear apart.
But her mother, outside the barrier, only cheered her on:
โRuru, you can do it! Be strong!!โ
โYouโll be fine, youโre lucky, trust Mom! Donโt you trust Mom the most?!โ
Up and down, over and over, finally the ride stopped in midair. A massive blade atop the device slid left, its edge reflecting cold sunlight.
A heavy silence fell.
Then the blade whirred to life, slicing straight down toward the first seat. The man sitting there managed to open his mouth in a plea for helpโthen was cleaved in two, eyes wide in terror.
Jiang Yan had never seen such symmetrical corpses.
The manโs body fell, thudding to the ground. The force was enough that his eyes popped out of their sockets, bouncing off the floor.
Next, the bodies dropped one after another, each one perfectly symmetrical in death.
Yu Renwan whispered, โHeaven for obsessive-compulsives.โ
Then, the crying girl dropped too, landing atop the other corpses, her pale hand dangling limply. Jiang Yan stared for a moment, then looked away.
Five minutes later, the game ended.
The girlโs fingers twitched, the manโs eyes began to roll back into place, and all the halved bodies began fitting themselves together. Some reattached the wrong heads, causing brawls on the spot, but finally, except for a few who truly died, the rest appeared whole again.
Those survivors, heads bowed, shuffled out.
Every game had three โlivesโ; these were people who hadnโt yet exhausted their three attempts.
The staff member here, a panda mascot, stood by the gate scratching his head with exaggerated innocence.
โWhy does no one ever clear this one?โ
A sharp-eyed middle-aged woman nearby, eyes bloodshot, fixed a look of terror and hatred on him. The panda noticed and grinned broadly: โWhatโs wrong, madam?โ
โYou have one more try! Will you send your child up again?โ
The woman panted wildly. The pandaโs smile grew wider: โWhatโs this now, you watched your husband try three times and still didnโt figure it out?โ
That seemed to trigger the womanโs defenses. She surged forward, but stopped short when she saw the pandaโs face.
Jiang Yan glanced at the woman, confirming her identity.
This couple had been trapped here a full day, stymied by the Giant Blade. It seemed there was a compulsion in this gameโotherwise the husband wouldnโt have tried a third time when they already couldnโt clear.
Even as Jiang Yan thought this, the panda mascot raised its megaphone:
โAnyone watching must play! Next round begins in ten minutes; please queue upโmaximum three rounds!โ
So it was compulsory.
But there were two rounds left before it was their turn, hopefully enough time for the children to return.
Jiang Yan looked around, but the mother and daughter from earlier were gone. As she was about to turn away, her brows suddenly knitted together.
Sheโd spotted a fortune-telling stall inside the amusement park.
Jiang Yan headed for the corner.
The makeshift stall was haphazard: some Bagua mirrors and peachwood swords were piled on the ground. Behind them, a man in his forties wore a yellow Daoist robe, seated by an old mat about a meter square, with a Taiji diagram drawn in red ink.
Seeing her, he hawked loudly:
โWhat is meant to be will come to be; what is not cannot be forcedโ!โ
Jiang Yan glanced at the sign behind him, which read in big, bold characters:
[Defy Heaven, Change Fate. Humanity Triumphs Over Destiny.]