Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 268

For safety and track considerations, during the day, only ten bouncy cars were allowed to enter the track at the same time.

But now, at the starting point of the track, there were a total of twenty bouncy cars. This meant that the twenty visitors entering the venue would race at the same time.

With a race, there would be winners and losers. Although the visitors still couldn’t fully grasp the situation, some of the more perceptive ones had a strange, ominous feeling about losing the game.

“Was that childish voice we heard earlier about the consequences of losing the game a joke?” one visitor asked, though they quickly glanced around at the others. Upon seeing a tall, muscular man, they subconsciously furrowed their brows. When their gaze landed on the slender Yu Xi, they relaxed their brows slightly.

Yu Xi: …

The lights on the track hadn’t turned on yet, and the starting area was empty. Other visitors, who were participating in the Nighttime Amusement Park for the first time, didn’t realize that there should be an NPC waiting inside the venue at this moment, so they didn’t find anything strange.

Yu Xi merely scanned the surroundings, glancing over the facility’s control room. After confirming it was empty, she didn’t think much of it.

Perhaps some Nighttime Amusement Park games didn’t require NPC participation. After all, this was only her second game, and the information she had wasn’t entirely reliable.

Like last night, visitors who inexplicably ended up in the Nighttime Amusement Park had various reactions and were discussing amongst themselves.

The difference this time was that the “Little Red Riding Hood” zone had more family visitors, and the age range of the visitors was older. As a result, there were more cautious thinkers, and no one was acting impulsively. For the time being, no one rushed to choose a bouncy car. At the same time, no one immediately followed the command from the earlier voice to hurriedly board the bouncy cars. The group stood together, discussing and analyzing the strange event.

As the ten-minute countdown was about to end, the lazy male voice echoed once again.

“Now, I will announce the game rules. Please listen carefully.

Track Game: The Country Road.

Rules: Little Red Riding Hood is walking alone on the country road, bringing pastries and wine to her grandmother. Drive the bouncy car quickly to the finish line, within a time limit of ten minutes. The first to reach the finish line in ten minutes wins.

Note: The late Little Red Riding Hood will be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf unless you can find the only Hunter.”

Visitors: ???

What kind of nonsense is this?

Clearly, without an NPC making a grand entrance like last night, this game rule sounded like a joke.

Gradually, some visitors became impatient, and a few of them, unable to tolerate it any longer, turned around and began walking toward the entrance they had come through.

As they were about to step onto the passageway, with a thud, someone suddenly jumped down from a high place, blocking their way.

The person landed on one knee in a defensive position, with their head lowered. While it was hard to make out their face, Yu Xi could see their long, powerful limbs and… fluffy gray ears on top of their head?!

Yu Xi frowned. This person was likely the NPC for this game. It seemed they had been hiding in the shadows high above the venue, observing them from an elevated position. Only when someone tried to leave did they appear.

Her frown wasn’t from surprise at the NPC’s sudden appearance, but because she hadn’t noticed the person’s presence until now.

This NPC No. 18 was a bit tricky…

Several visitors were startled by the sudden appearance, and their concerns and fear, which had been building up from being woken up in the middle of the night and sensing something was off, suddenly erupted.

They began angrily yelling at the person who had just landed. Their words were similar to the complaints from the previous day—talking about filing a complaint and demanding their SVIP rights be respected.

A “Air Blower” quietly appeared in Yu Xi’s hand, and she stared at the NPC, not relaxing her guard.

“Enough noise!” Sure enough, when the NPC spoke again, his clear male voice had turned into a rough, hoarse growl, accompanied by a beast-like roar.

He slowly stood up, and his face, now fully visible, was that of a snarling wolf—fur-covered, with beastly eyes, a protruding long snout, and sharp teeth.

A few visitors, shocked by the close-up, screamed and backed away.

Yu Xi narrowed her eyes, staring at the NPC’s face. The NPC from yesterday had been humanoid, and she immediately recognized that he was wearing a humanoid mask. But this time, she couldn’t tell if the wolf face was a mask or not.

The wolf face was too realistic. From every angle, it looked perfect, and when it opened its mouth to roar, along with the sharp teeth, she could see a blood-red tongue inside.

However, there was a noticeable boundary line at its neck, above which was the grisly wolf head, while below it was smooth, fair human skin.

This… it was as if a human body had been sewn with the head of an evil wolf.

Perhaps because her gaze was too intense, the wolf-headed NPC suddenly turned its head to look at her, its bluish-green eyes locking onto hers.

One visitor, possibly overwhelmed by the shock, stepped forward and, without thinking, reached out to tug at the fur on the wolf’s face.

In an instant, the wolf head turned toward him, and with a furious growl, it bared its teeth: “Grrr… Are you asking for trouble? Watch me eat you if you keep staring!”

“Is—is it real?!”

The few visitors immediately turned and rushed to the bouncy cars.

Yu Xi: …

It was clearly creepy, but why did she suddenly feel a bit speechless?

**

The bouncy cars weren’t fully enclosed transportation vehicles, more like interstellar battle armor with rollers. The cockpit was positioned above, like a kangaroo’s pouch, in a semi-arched shape, with room for one person, though it could barely fit two if squeezed.

On the control panel in front, aside from the power button and the steering wheel, there was only a simple jump button.

During the day, visitors using the bouncy cars needed to wear full protective gear. After turning on the power, they had to press the high and low foot pedals to provide energy for the car to move forward.

Therefore, this wasn’t an attraction for children. Visitors had to be at least sixteen years old to participate.

The visitors, frightened by the wolf-headed NPC, quickly climbed into the bouncy cars and fastened their seatbelts, only to realize that there were no protective gear provided. But the game had officially started, and a small ten-minute countdown appeared above their wristbands.

The previously dimly lit track suddenly brightened. Some people reached out to shield their eyes, while others, startled by the sudden light, instinctively began pressing the pedals, and the car immediately started moving along the track.

In moments of panic, humans tend to follow the crowd blindly. With the first bouncy car moving, the second quickly followed, and then others rushed onto the track, joining in the race.

Yu Xi, however, wasn’t in a rush like last time. She remembered that the “Hungry Wolf Track” wasn’t long. Even if the car got stuck for one or two minutes, it could still finish within five minutes, and according to the daytime game rules, everyone would reach the finish line within ten minutes.

So, something was clearly wrong.

She stopped her bouncy car at the starting line, and the wolf-headed NPC was watching her from not far away.

Earlier, he had aggressively urged the other visitors to start the race, but now, he had quieted down, leaning against the control room wall with his arms crossed. The large gray wolf head yawned, giving off an air of indifference, clearly disinterested in the game.

At that moment, the visitors who were in the lead had already raced about two to three hundred meters ahead. The man had deliberately slowed down since being in the lead meant having to observe the situation first.

Seeing things going smoothly, he increased his speed and pressed harder on the pedals, but suddenly, a projection of a wolf appeared in front of him on the track.

This wolf projection was three to four times larger than those during the day. Its fur was silver-blue, and it had six legs, sharp teeth, and a menacing look as it turned its head to lock eyes with him.

Its massive body almost took up the entire lane. The man had just sped up, but with no time to stop, he decided to gamble, trying to jump over the wolf’s projection. If he failed, the most he would lose was one minute being frozen in place.

Yu Xi narrowed her eyes, staring at the projection of the giant silver-blue wolf. Suddenly, she realized something and quickly activated the car’s loudspeaker. “Wait—stop!”

But it was too late. Just as the bouncy car leapt to avoid the wolf projection, the giant wolf’s projection raised its paw and swiped at the car as it flew over its head.

With a loud thud, the car was hit mid-air, its bulky body losing balance and crashing heavily onto the ground.

The visitors inside the car were knocked senseless. Before they could react, they saw the giant wolf, which should have been a fixed projection, lunging at them.

“Ah—no, no—!”

A scream rang out as blood poured from the broken car.

The other visitors in the bouncy cars stopped moving, halting their pedal action. They stared in shock at the track ahead.

That wasn’t a 3D projection of a wolf—that was a real giant wolf!

The screams and blood seemed to serve as a signal, and soon, more silver-blue giant wolves appeared on the track.

None of these were projections—they were all real wolves.

The wolves all turned their heads in unison, staring at the “lambs” on the track.

**

The scene instantly descended into chaos.

Some visitors, too terrified to react, heard nothing but noise in their ears, their minds buzzing, leaving them paralyzed. The car stood still, unable to move.

Others, in a panic, tried to turn around and escape, but as soon as they turned their cars, they crashed into rocks at the side of the track.

For the visitors, it felt as though they had instantly fallen into an unfathomable nightmare. Screams and blood filled their vision, yet they didn’t even know how to escape.

Amidst the chaos, the same cold, clear female voice that had spoken earlier came through the loudspeaker of the cars, this time sounding more urgent.

“Forget about the daytime rules! Forget about the track! Just drive the car to the finish line! The nighttime game rule is to drive the bouncy car to the finish line within ten minutes. If you do this, you win! Hurry—don’t let the hungry wolves catch you!”

Her calm, clear voice acted like a shot of adrenaline amidst the life-or-death confusion, providing precise instructions and direction. All the visitors who wanted to survive immediately took action.

They gritted their teeth, pressing the pedals hard to speed up, then veered off the track, driving onto the grass, heading toward the finish line based on memory.

The distance from the start to the finish was roughly 4 kilometers if they followed the track, but this was an indoor venue, so the track was not only winding but also an outer loop. By driving directly across the grass, they were cutting through a shortcut.

But this shortcut wasn’t easy to navigate. To fit the fairy tale theme, the terrain had been made to resemble the countryside.

First, there was grass, then large rocks, and eventually, the area transitioned into a forest. The trees in the forest made it easy for the bouncy cars to bump into obstacles.

Adding to the difficulty, the giant wolves were running around in large numbers. Trying to reach the finish line within ten minutes, even with the shortcut, was a tough challenge.

But at this difficulty level, Yu Xi’s suspicion from earlier was beginning to dissipate. Clearly, this kind of difficulty was in line with the rules of the Nighttime Amusement Park game.

However, given the level of difficulty, at least half of the visitors wouldn’t make it to the finish line within the time limit, so there must be other ways to break through and clear the game!

During the first nighttime game last night, she had been too cautious to act out of turn. Now, with a better understanding of the game’s rules, she wanted to help as many people as she could pass the game within her ability.

She recalled the game rules and instructions that the wolf-headed NPC had announced earlier.

—The late Little Red Riding Hood will be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf unless you can find the only Hunter.

This meant that visitors who arrived late would fail the task and lose their lives unless they could find the “Hunter”!

However, in the daytime version, the “Hunter” was a projection hidden along the track. It would appear briefly and randomly at crucial points along the track and couldn’t be moved.

But now, the wolves were alive and chasing after the bouncy cars, so the “Hunter” couldn’t just be a static, immobile projection anymore.

Given that the “Hunter” was essential for turning a lost game into a win, it wouldn’t be easy to find. It was likely hidden and unexpected, but it would certainly give some kind of hint, offering a chance for survival.

Yu Xi’s gaze turned sharply toward the wolf-headed NPC, who was still leaning against the wall.

Earlier, she had only guessed that the NPC might not participate in the Nighttime game, but what if the NPC was still a participant in the game?

Yu Xi recalled the wolf-headed NPC’s previous actions. Though his appearance was terrifying, if you looked past the surface, he had appeared to stop the visitors from leaving. In contrast, yesterday’s NPC only cared about whether the visitors violated his “attackable” rules, instantly attacking anyone who stepped out of line, and silently watched as they were turned into black ash when they left the venue.

But today, even though a visitor had approached the wolf-headed NPC, shouting at him, he didn’t immediately attack. The NPC today was different from yesterday.

There were twenty visitors (including her) and twenty bouncy cars, an even number, which meant that their participation was not about racing to the finish line in a bouncy car.

Setting aside all other possibilities, the remaining answer, no matter how ridiculous, should be the correct one!

**

Yu Xi moved quickly. From unbuckling her seatbelt to jumping out of the car, rushing in front of the wolf-headed NPC, and pressing the Tang Dao (a type of sword) against his neck, it all took no more than seven or eight seconds. She wanted to save the visitors, so she didn’t hold back in speed.

The cold blade was pressed against his vital point, but the wolf-headed NPC remained unfazed. He even yawned again and then slowly asked why she hadn’t joined the race.

“You’re the Hunter, right?” Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.

A sharp gleam flashed through his blue-green wolf eyes. This time, his expression changed slightly. He spoke, his voice dripping with mocking arrogance: “Want to know if I am? Beat me, and I’ll tell you.”

He made his move. The wolf head dodged the blade and lifted his foot to kick her.

Yu Xi stepped back, quickly using the Tang Dao to block. The NPC’s foot was about to crash into the blade, but he suddenly stopped and leaped aside.

The two of them stood off in the light at the starting point for less than a second. Yu Xi charged again, her sword raised.

This time, the NPC finally recognized her weapon.

It was a weapon beyond the park’s carry standard—this was a Tang sword!

Tang sword!?

His eyes widened, shaking slightly, before he refocused on the woman charging toward him.

Time was tight. As they clashed again, Yu Xi pushed her speed and strength to the limit. Though her purpose was merely to hold him hostage, facing a formidable opponent meant a life-or-death struggle—after all, she only needed him alive.

Not sure if he sensed her determination, the NPC’s offensive weakened after about ten moves. Yu Xi, still cautious, seized the opportunity to use a mountain rope to tightly bind him from head to toe before pulling him back into the bouncy car.

The driver area was cramped, and the two of them barely fit. Yu Xi secured him with the seatbelt and then took out the high-temperature perfume, spraying it into the air. She frowned and warned, “Don’t cause trouble. If you do, I’ll turn you into black ash!”

The wolf-headed NPC looked at the pink crystal bottle in her hand and suddenly laughed, his blood-red mouth hanging with a long tongue.

This was the first time Yu Xi saw a wolf head smiling at her from such a close distance. The visual effect was extremely unsettling—after all, wolves and dogs are related, right? This looked like a husky with an extreme makeover.

On the track, the giant wolves were still chasing the bouncy cars. Some visitors, using their excellent sense of direction and sudden bursts of energy, managed to dodge all the giant wolves and successfully crossed the finish line within the time limit.

The giant wolves that had been chasing the bouncy cars immediately stopped when the car crossed the finish line, turning to find other visitors.

Ten minutes was a short time. With two minutes left on the countdown, about eight or nine visitors had finally reached the finish line, aided by jumps and detours. Yu Xi crossed the finish line at the same time.

After she crossed, the countdown on her wristband stopped automatically, and a small line of text appeared: Congratulations on finding the only Hunter. You will receive a special reward after the game ends!

The wolf-headed NPC was the Hunter!

This game was so cunning. If she hadn’t stayed at the starting point, observing the situation, she would have never guessed this outcome. Even though she suspected the NPC was the Hunter, she wouldn’t have taken the risk of going back to take him with her to the finish line. If she had guessed wrong and missed the time limit, she would have died.

Yu Xi didn’t get out of the car or relax her vigilance against the NPC. She used the car’s loudspeaker to shout at the ten or so visitors still on the track, “The Hunter has been found! For those who haven’t reached the finish line in time, don’t give up! You must dodge the wolves and reach the finish line. I will stay here and watch the Hunter, and he will help you all cross the finish line!”

—The late Little Red Riding Hood will be eaten by the Big Bad Wolf unless you can find the only Hunter.

The only one was the Hunter himself, but there was no rule limiting the number of times the Hunter could be used.

This was the biggest hidden opportunity in the game’s rules!

**

Ten minutes later, with Yu Xi’s help, the last visitor crossed the finish line in their bouncy car, with the wolf-headed NPC in tow.

The game ended. The giant wolves, who had been running amok, all stopped and began disappearing one by one. The survivors, looking at their wristbands, were laughing and crying at the same time. “We made it! We survived! Thank you… this is amazing…”

Yu Xi didn’t say much. It was all part of the plan.

She put away the Tang Dao and glanced at the wolf-headed NPC as she left. She hadn’t had time to untie him yet, but the mountain rope that had tightly bound him had somehow broken into pieces and was lying at his feet.

The fierce wolf head looked at her, its eyes unmoving, locked onto her form.

Yu Xi frowned slightly and turned toward the exit.

At 1:00 AM, the darkest moment in the park, she walked through the sounds of screams and cries, heading toward the hotel.

As she neared the “Tree-Imitation” hotel, she suddenly stopped, looking behind her.

There was no one and no sound.

Could her keen senses have been wrong?

She didn’t linger, turned, and entered the hotel’s elevator.

At 3:00 AM, Yu Xi opened her eyes in the dark room. She hadn’t fallen asleep. She wouldn’t sleep until the Nightmare Park event ended.

She had just been lying on the bed with her eyes closed. After all, how could she catch the person who had been following her if she didn’t pretend to sleep?

She immediately got up, grabbed the person sneaking behind her, and swiftly pinned them to the ground.

Under the moonlight, the cold blade cut through the skin on the person’s neck, and she smelled blood. “Why are you following me?”