Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Due to the instigation of certain individuals, the relationship between the academy and the staff has become somewhat tense recently. To alleviate this ever-growing conflict, a staff welfare event called 'Carnival' has been specially launched. This is a carnival for the staff and a feast for the students; please enjoy the laughter to your heart's content! — This message is from the event organizer, Hungry Academy.

As the students first entered the venue, they were awestruck by the dazzling and colorful world, when a voice full of passion was conveyed to every student's ear through the loudspeaker.

The crowd gathered at the entrance of the vast amusement park scratched their ears: "What's going on? Who are these people that can even stir up the relationship between the {Hungry Academy} and the NPCs?"

"A classic horror film, I already anticipated the presence of a balloon-giving clown, which sends shivers down one's spine."

The last time I saw such a large amusement park was when I was in my teens; it really brings back memories.

"Another group activity, shall we act together?"

This is a colossal amusement park, set against the backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, resembling a dreamlike world.

The roller coaster that twists and turns nine times and eighteen bends, finally plunging into the underwater world, the colorful Ferris wheel that is spinning, and the golden buildings nestled on the hillside...

And they stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing upwards.

In front of them stood a massive LCD display, showing a map of the entire amusement park, with markers for each game pavilion, restaurant, restroom, and hotel.

"Ah, interactive ones." Ji Xinghai had somehow appeared in front, and he had already opened one of the game halls.

A dialog box popped up above: "Scream of Terror Game Hall, please strike the airbag man hard and with full force on his head. His screams will be transformed into your joy. Please be aware, the airbag man will consume those who make him scream."

Beside this dialogue box, there is a cartoon character with a small body and a disproportionately large, flat head. Its two eyes are positioned in a very 'wise' manner, one looking to the left and the other to the right. Below the cartoon figure, the words 'Airbag Man' are written.

These are written in the six official languages.

Then he clicked on the 'restaurant' that he had been curious about before, and a dialogue box popped up:

Jeff's restaurant offers a culinary journey around the world, with dishes meticulously prepared by Jeff and his team. The ample food will keep you in high spirits. Please note, Jeff accepts amusement park coins, but if you lack them, a portion of your unwanted body tissue can serve as payment.

Above was Jeff's cartoon character, a classic depiction of a blonde, chubby man dressed in a chef's uniform and wearing a white hat. "Damn, do all the NPCs here eat people? Is the feast for the students referring to a feast where the students are eaten?"

Other students also tapped open the game pavilions that piqued their interest, whether it was archery, bumper cars, Ferris wheels, or rafting, even the ice cream stalls on the street, the NPCs in the introductions were blatantly demanding to devour the students.

Is it reasonable to amuse the emotionally volatile staff by exploiting the misfortunes of their students? Should it be?

"Good heavens, the mission requires us to stay here for seven days and collect a full play stamp card. A full play stamp card requires visiting 24 game pavilions."

"Accommodation and meals here require amusement park coins. The coins for the amusement park are obtained from the arcade, where different levels of game completion yield varying amounts of coins. Although it's unclear what would happen from hunger or sleeping outdoors, since they've set up restaurants and hotels, they will do everything they can to coerce us into staying."

"And there's a gift shop here. You can exchange game coins for gifts, and they even offer home delivery service, wow." Amidst all the voices, only one guy stands out, his joy almost transcending the limits of language.

Feeling hurt, the trainees turned their heads with indignation, only to see a young man with braids, who was already selecting gifts.

Oh, it's him, alright. Well, he's acceptable.

"Let’s take a look at the mission instructions."

They opened their mission watches.

Exam Theme: Carnival Night Frenzy

Exam Content: After the game officially begins, follow the instructions to enter the amusement park and visit 24 game pavilions. The carnival ends in seven days. Please complete the check-in tasks before the carnival ends.

Exam Start Time: 6 AM on May 1st.

Number of Participants: 286/286

Passing Criteria: Complete the check-in tasks and survive until the end of the instance, scoring 60 points.

Excellence Criteria: Complete at least one-third of the amusement park attractions.

Bonus Points: Not triggered.

Notes:

Each student will receive an amusement park strategy guide. Please keep your guidebook safe.

Do not linger outdoors for extended periods.

Although the staff members are not sacred, do not offend them; importantly, they are not edible.

Ji Xinghai: ... I feel like it’s hinting at something, but I have no evidence.

The students found a small palm-sized booklet in their pockets. The cover featured an aerial view of the massive amusement park. Upon opening it, the first page was a map, followed by the construction philosophy of the amusement park and messages from outstanding pavilion managers. About four or five pages later were circles left for stamps.

There were 24 circles per page, with a total of five blank stamp pages.

This was the strategy guide they needed to keep safe, and it contained no personal information, making it unregistered.

Unregistered...

Several students in the crowd looked thoughtfully at others' guidebooks.

If they stole someone else's guidebook, would that mean they could also claim someone else's achievements?

Some students who believed in the philosophy of “if we can’t beat the monsters, we can still beat the people” were deeply tempted.

Few people cared about the two missing students. Compared to the previous three sessions, this one had far fewer deaths.

At this time last year, the number of participants in the Hunger Games had shrunk to nearly two hundred, mostly due to repeated failures leading to mental breakdowns and permanent stays.

Thinking about it, it’s no wonder the Hungry Academy keeps stirring things up. If it has a performance target for eliminating a certain number of people, then it hasn’t met its quota.

"Let’s go!"

"Wait, the game hasn't officially started yet."

"Let's get familiar with the area first." Ji Xinghai didn't turn his head, merely waved his hand as he disappeared behind a sign. This disappointed many students who wanted to team up with him.

"Then let's disperse for now."

Half an hour later, the game officially began. Viewers flooded into the live stream and saw students walking in twos and threes, studying the maps on the signs or pondering the advertisements along the road.

The amusement park was adorned with colorful murals, some of which revealed certain information, such as the preferences of the game hall directors or hidden rules of certain game halls.

"Classic amusement park attractions."

On their planet, countless accidents had occurred at amusement parks, so when guessing the content of the Hungry Academy scenario, these accident-prone parks often made the list.

"However, this place doesn't seem eerie at all; it's quite beautiful and looks like a lot of fun."

"My goodness, that Ferris wheel is huge."

"What is Brother Hai doing?"

Ji Xinghai stood at a bicycle rental station not far from the entrance. The building was shaped like a mushroom, with a semi-transparent floor that sparkled. The rental bicycles were placed against the wall.

Upon closer inspection, those bicycles were also abnormal creatures.

"It seems you've realized the value of time, young man. You need a bicycle. But my bicycles aren't free."

A giant snail stood at the entrance of the rental station, its large eyes moving left and right, even coming close to Ji Xinghai's nose to examine him closely.

Ji Xinghai let the eyes come close: "What are the conditions?"

"A game coin, or one kilogram of your flesh." It squeezed out transparent slime and circled around Ji Xinghai. "I know you don't have any game coins. One kilogram of flesh will allow you to rent it for a day. Rest assured, the flesh will be taken evenly, causing almost no harm."

"Sounds expensive."

"Cheaper things aren't good. Listen to me, it'll save you a lot of time. Rent it, and future you will thank present you."

The snail looked at him greedily, wishing it could lick him with its tooth-filled tongue. Its tongue was like a cheese grater, scraping off flesh with every lick.

"Can't you leave this room?"

"Huh?" The snail seemed confused.

"As long as you can't leave."

The viewers in the live stream witnessed the crime—Ji Xinghai lifted a bicycle and sprinted a hundred meters, shouting, "I'll borrow it for a day and pay you back with game coins later."

The snail finally reacted, its shell nearly cracking from anger, but as Ji Xinghai said, it couldn't leave the room and could only stand at the entrance in a rage.

"How did Brother Hai know it couldn't leave the room?"

"Because of the slime trail; the snail's slime trail stayed at the entrance." A new female colleague from the Black Tower smiled at the screen, finding today's Ji Xinghai particularly mischievous.

Others then noticed that what they thought was a semi-transparent floor was actually solidified snail slime, while the area where the bicycles were placed was normal cement.

Thus, Ji Xinghai managed to get a bicycle for free within the first five minutes of the game. He happily rode the smooth bicycle past other students.

"A bicycle? Where did it come from?"

"I remember there was a rental station at the entrance, but it required game coins or a kilogram of flesh. How did this student manage to rent it? Did he use a kilogram of flesh?"

Students discussed among themselves, watching him ride towards the Reptile Fun House at the foot of the hill.

It was a square building that felt abnormally damp and cold despite being in the sunlight. At the entrance, a crocodile in a tuxedo rubbed its short hands and called out to passing students: "Guests, want to play a game? Guaranteed success. The other hall directors are cruel, but I'm friendly."

A bicycle slid to a stop at the entrance of the Reptile Fun House, making a sharp turn and kicking up dust.

"How do we play?"

The crocodile hall director's eyes lit up after calling out for a while. It straightened its red bow tie and politely invited, "Please come in for details."

Ji Xinghai agreed, got off the bicycle, removed the seat, and followed the crocodile hall director inside.

The bicycle without its seat: ...

Students lurking behind to take advantage: ...

"Hurry, Ji Xinghai went in. Let's go see what's happening." These were students hoping to gain some experience.

Ji Xinghai followed the crocodile hall director inside, where the damp and cold feeling intensified, accompanied by a faint stench.

"I specially prepared this game for esteemed guests." The crocodile hall director walked ahead, its long thick tail swaying from side to side.

The walls on both sides of the game hall were glass, revealing various reptiles, from sunbathing crocodiles at the entrance to motionless turtles inside. Snakes, lizards, and frogs were also present.

Small descriptions were posted on the glass walls, introducing the animals inside.

After the reptiles, insects took center stage, flying in the air and crawling underground, some quietly, others in swarms.

The crocodile hall director moved quickly, and Ji Xinghai followed closely, scanning the animals and descriptions on both sides.

There were many species of reptiles and insects here.

He deduced that the space had been expanded, as the number of animals couldn't fit in a small building.

"We're here." The crocodile hall director turned around, its menacing face forcing a welcoming smile. "This is where we play the game."

The room wasn't too big, with a black cloth-covered object in the center and a black blindfold on top, with two roughly bowl-sized holes.

"The game is very simple, called 'Guess Who.'"