Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Not only did the boss with depleted health instantly recover, it seemed to have become even stronger.

The students hiding in the church lamented endlessly. If they had known this would happen, they would have rushed out earlier and taken down the besieged sedan chair.

Now that the sedan chair had evolved, it was too late for regrets.

The student camp led by the black-haired student had prepared for a desperate fight, but to everyone's surprise, these red-robed creatures and the unseen JiuZhou bride inside the sedan chair completely ignored the church and those within it. After tidying up the battlefield, they left.

Peering out, they only managed to see the peculiar little figures bouncing away, carrying their loads, as the entire procession disappeared from view.

Once the threat had completely vanished, the students emerged from the church, staring at the piles of ash scattered around, speechless.

From a distance, the battle looked fierce; up close, it felt even more terrifying. If the victorious sedan chair hadn't left, no one knew how they would have handled the aftermath.

"Let's clean up. There might be other anomalies," said the black-haired student.

Soon, both inside and outside the church were tidied up, and broken windows were hastily boarded over. The injured students were bandaged, and they gathered in the main hall, waiting for dawn.

"Will there be more anomalies?"

"I don't know, but we should be prepared."

They waited and waited until the sky began to lighten, and other students gradually returned to the starting point of the game. Still, no new anomalies appeared.

Not only had they not encountered any, but the returning students also reported that their journey back had been eerily quiet. They had been cautious, hiding and sneaking, yet they hadn't encountered a single anomaly.

"Could it be that the gathering of monsters was all the anomalies here? That can't be right."

Through local statistics, the black-haired student concluded that there should be about one or two hundred anomalies, but only forty had died near the church.

"However, we did encounter piles of ash after anomalies died, suggesting someone powerful is clearing them out," another student added.

"Ji Xinghai?" The name popped into their minds unconsciously.

It was said that he had entered, but no one had seen him.

As they discussed, a strange melody drifted in from afar.

Unidentifiable instruments played a tune that was both cheerful and eerie, with an undercurrent of madness. With only twenty minutes until six, the students stood up, stepping outside the church, their gaze piercing through the ruined square towards the source of the sound.

Despite the dawn, the sky remained shrouded in dark clouds, with a sinister red glow appearing at the end of the road.

"!" The students instinctively reached for their weapons.

The sound of suona and drums accompanied the paper figures, playing a seemingly joyous tune that carried an eerie undertone, almost like music from the underworld.

Sign-bearers, musicians, and even a flamboyant matchmaker were present. Ji Xinghai sat in a grand and ornate sedan chair, his head resting on one hand, dozing off. The lustrous pearls hanging from above gently swayed, their light reflecting off the golden phoenix on his wedding gown, which seemed ready to take flight.

When they say "ten miles of red makeup," they truly mean it, without exaggeration.

From the departure of the wedding procession to the landing of the sedan chair, it was exactly ten miles, measured precisely. The dowry contained everything, from life to death, even including a coffin.

If this were a real ancient wedding, the bride wouldn't spend a penny of her husband's wealth, leaving everything for her children and grandchildren.

No wonder people say that "ten miles of red makeup" represents the greatest support a daughter receives from her parents, akin to modern dowries of houses, cars, and shops.

Ji Xinghai didn't think much about it; he had no bride, not even a partner. He simply found it convenient to have a sedan chair wherever he went, and he was somewhat reluctant to leave it behind.

If there were any drawbacks, one was the elaborate wedding attire, and the other was the imposing procession accompanying him.

Indeed, the procession was imposing. After playing for over ten minutes, the lavish dowry chests filled the square in front of the church, and the procession still hadn't ended.

The students hiding on the stage were stunned: What was this spectacle? Was it the ghost king's procession?

Only one team from the town hall exchanged glances: Could it be?

But they stood in the corner, unnoticed by the others.

"What does it want? Is it planning to have a final showdown with us before the event ends?"

The black-haired student checked the time and shook his head. "I don't think so."

He looked at the peculiar little figures, reportedly famous JiuZhou anomalies known as paper figures. They appeared even more complete than before, exuding a more dangerous aura.

As time passed, more and more students arrived at the church. These students had all encountered the procession—there was no avoiding it, as it was a necessary route.

Initially fearful, then puzzled, they eventually became a mix of fear and confusion.

What were these anomalies doing here? Why weren't they attacking humans?

Both the student and anomaly camps continued to grow.

The students gathered at the church, while the red-robed procession assembled in the square, clearly separated.

Strangely, despite the church being higher, the students felt suppressed, not feeling like they were looking down upon the procession.

As time passed, more students believed the battle wouldn't happen, allowing them to observe the procession below.

Such a grand entrance by a boss was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Upon learning that this was a depiction of an ancient JiuZhou wedding, where each packet of soil represented an acre of land and each tile a house, the students were amazed, their hearts pounding.

With so much dowry, if it weren't for the ghostly nature, it would be... well, not entirely unacceptable, right? Eating whose soft rice wasn't eating?

As the red-robed procession gathered, the sky was covered by rolling black mist. Under the dark clouds, the celebratory red seemed to carry a bloody tinge, along with a damp, cold feeling.

Paired with the round-faced puppets and their hollow eyes, it was particularly unsettling.

The trainees in the church grew increasingly solemn, though they didn't think a fight would break out, they had already armed themselves.

Finally, a golden-red sedan chair resembling a small house appeared. It was adorned with seven layers of exquisite sculptures, painted gold, inlaid with shells and various gemstones, exuding opulence.

Eight paper figures, laughing and joking, carried it, while a few more dressed as maids scattered flowers, candies, and copper coins. The copper coins turned into paper upon hitting the ground, the candies rolled on the floor, and the petals were as red as blood.

The trainees waiting near the church for the event to end grew tense: It's here.

The sedan chair landed steadily in the square.

Countless gazes focused on the sedan chair, yet its door remained closed for a long time.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed, and no one moved. A drop of sweat hung from the forehead of the leading black-haired trainee: What is the purpose of this anomaly being here?

It was six o'clock.

"Six o'clock, did everyone have a great time at the Halloween celebration? Did you gain a lot... hmm? Hold on, I need to take a call." The announcer suddenly left mid-sentence.

The trainees looked up at the sky speechlessly; this announcer sounded unreliable.

"Ah! Look!"

At this moment, when the event was officially over, the sedan chair finally showed some movement.

They saw a corner of the curtain lifted, revealing a hand holding a folding fan, followed by a beautiful crown adorned with tinkling gems, and then the complete figure of the big boss emerged.

The paper figures, which weren't particularly frightening before, suddenly became active upon its appearance.

This activity wasn't in their behavior but in their aura.

They seemed to have found their general, transforming from relatively harmless dormant anomalies into highly threatening ones, ready to strike at any moment.

Despite the event ending, the suddenly stronger paper figures still made the trainees uneasy.

At that moment, it, wearing a bridal gown, slowly raised its hand. All the paper figures froze, and the drumming band stopped playing. They suddenly turned toward the ghost bride, bowed, and then vanished like a gust of wind, along with the large red chests, sedan chair, and lanterns. The thick clouds in the sky also dispersed instantly.

The square fell silent, only the sound of human breathing could be heard.

It then gently waved the folding fan, smiling at the trainees standing at the church entrance.

Putting aside its extraordinary appearance, the smile felt familiar, as if seen somewhere before.

"!" The black-haired trainee thought of someone, quickly scanning all the trainees around him: No, not them, none of them... Could it be?

"Cough, first, let's celebrate the successful conclusion of our amusement park's first and last Halloween celebration. All participating monsters have now left."

The trainees' minds were still processing this information, still listening to the announcer.

"All stamps for the event have been placed in your booklets. Players who completed the journey should remember to leave with the treasures they found.

"Additionally, due to complaints about poor safety and lack of experience, we are permanently closing the Halloween celebration event."

Huh?

What?

The trainees rubbed their ears.

"Permanently closing the Halloween celebration event?"

"Hahahaha—"

The trainees' bewildered expressions triggered laughter worldwide.

"I can't believe those anomalies complained. They can't even handle a little fun."

"Yeah, our trainees didn't do anything wrong. Just a bit of conflict with over a hundred anomalies, and they complain. How petty."

"What lack of experience? I had a great experience."

"Exactly. Those anomalies are just exaggerating. The safety was high, look, so many visitors survived."

"Do they really not see anything wrong?"

"Wait!" A straightforward trainee suddenly pointed at the ghost bride below the steps, "All anomalies have left, so who is it?"

"Oh, right." They finally realized.

This event venue must have affected the trainees' intelligence.

The ghost bride smiled again, stepping closer one step at a time, while the trainees stepped back one step at a time.

Its embroidered shoes climbed the steps, and the trainees' fingers touched their weapons.

The splendid attire, which should have been carefully preserved in a museum, faded away like red mist, transforming the stunning anomaly into a tall and slender young man with slightly long bangs that couldn't hide his handsome features.

"Ji... Ji Xinghai?"