I glanced at the time. A third of the night had already passed.
"We have to move," I said quietly.
Lucy hesitated. "Go out now? Isn't it too dangerous?"
"But if we don't act, by sunrise we'll have no coins. We'll fall behind." I stood up and brushed the dust off my clothes. "And if we just stay here, that's real suicide."
Minghao paused for a moment, then stood up too. "Split up or stay together?"
Kevin got up, peeking through a crack in the window. "Don't split too far. Groups of two."
"I'll go with Kevin," I said.
Minghao nodded. "Then I'll go with Lucy."
We quickly confirmed our routes. Kevin and I would head toward the roller coaster ticket booth—someone had mentioned coins being found there during the previous round. Lucy and Minghao would move to the storage area behind the haunted house, where there was supposedly a row of unused prop warehouses.
"Meet back here in thirty minutes." I pulled open the door, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. "If someone doesn't return…"
I didn't finish, but everyone understood.
Lucy nodded. "We assume they're in trouble."
Minghao clenched his fist. "Keep the noise down. Don't trust anyone easily."
Kevin added in a low voice, "And be careful around coins… There might be wolves lying in wait."
We exchanged glances—fragile but fleeting mutual understanding.
Then, we stepped into the deeper darkness of the amusement park.
Most of the park lights had gone out. Only a faint moonlight lit our path ahead. Each step on gravel and dry leaves felt like a hammer strike echoing through the night.
"This way," Kevin whispered, pointing toward the ticket booth.
Just as we rounded the base of the Ferris wheel, we spotted two figures about five meters ahead, side by side, rummaging through a collapsed candy stand.
I halted instantly, and Kevin yanked me back.
The two heard us and turned.
Player 13 and Player 15.
13—tall and skinny, with shifty eyes. He looked tense when he saw us, like he feared we'd misunderstand. But he said nothing, just stepped back slightly, seeming to let 15 handle the situation.
And 15—he's always been hard to read. Quiet, never one to speak over others. On the first day, during introductions, he only gave his number. But now, looking at me, he gave a faint smile—barely one at all.
He nodded.
Not a greeting. Not a provocation. It was something stranger. Like a judge silently giving a score: "acceptable."
That look made my spine go cold.
It felt like scrutiny. Like recognition.
Like… he knew who I was.
"Carry on," 15 said calmly. His voice was oddly gentle, but with an undeniable pressure. He turned and resumed digging through the stand.
13 nodded at us stiffly, then bent down to help, not looking at us again.
Kevin leaned close to me and whispered, "Do you… know them?"
"No," I whispered back, clenching my fists. "But he might know me."
We silently moved past them, continuing forward.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze still clung to my back—like moonlight stuck to my shoulders—until we were well out of sight.
We avoided the main paths, following an old sightseeing tram track that traced the edge of the amusement park.
This place had been abandoned for a long time—broken wooden beams and rusted rails were everywhere, and each step we took echoed with a dull thud. The fog was thickening, the sky darkening, as if deliberately hiding something.
Kevin whispered, "According to the map, there's an abandoned roller coaster station over there... it used to be a ticket booth. Might be some coins inside."
I nodded. We carefully made our way around to the back of the roller coaster platform. Pushing open the rusty side door, a wave of dust hit us.
"You stand guard. I'll go in," I said.
He nodded, gripping the metal pipe tightly in his hand.
I stepped into the dilapidated booth area, quickly scanning the surroundings—wooden drawers, gaps beneath the counter, and dangling wires from the ceiling. The light was dim, but my eyes were suddenly drawn to a faint glow in the corner.
A dust-covered glass jar, with several coins inside.
I quickly stepped forward and poured the coins into my pocket.
I rushed out of the room, and Kevin immediately came up to me. "Someone's coming this way. We need to move!"
We darted away from the ruins toward the next target location. But just a short distance out, two tall figures suddenly blocked our path.
Shura and Ron.
"Hand over the coins," Shura said in a low, raspy voice, calm enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
Ron crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his face. "Relax, we're not villains. Just hand over the coins. Shura said he'll protect you."
"Protect us?" Kevin sneered. "Using our own coins to buy our lives? You think we're that dumb?"
"The more coins you have, the higher the reward," Shura said calmly. "You won't last till the end. Hand them over—it's your smartest choice."
The air grew tense.
We didn't respond.
Shura seemed to lose patience. He stepped forward, his gaze like a blade slicing through us. "Not giving them up? Then I'll take them myself."
Before his words even faded, he lunged at me with a suffocating pressure.
Shura threw a heavy punch—I barely dodged it. The force of the blow sliced the air beside my ear like a blade.
"Kevin! Left side!" I shouted, kicking a nearby brick as a distraction, then darted behind Shura.
Kevin had already engaged Ron. Fists flew and rubble scattered. Shura seized an opening and swept a leg at me—I raised my arm to block, but the impact rattled my bones and sent me stumbling several steps back.
He was too strong—fighting like a wild beast, without any rules, just raw aggression.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the amusement park, Lucy and Minghao had found a stash of coins beneath a broken basketball machine. The coins were dusty but still gleamed enticingly in the dim light.
"Let's go!" Lucy grabbed the coins and pulled Minghao to leave.
But after only a few steps, a strange, guttural growl echoed behind them.
"Guuuuh—"
They turned back sharply. A shadow slowly rose from the ruins—a werewolf, its eyes glowing eerie green, locking onto them.
"Run!!!"
They bolted instantly. The werewolf roared and charged on all fours, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
"You two better sync up—think you can beat me?" Shura roared, pressing on like a feral predator.
I rolled to dodge, landing a punch on his side. But he didn't flinch—he grabbed my wrist and slammed his elbow down on my shoulder. I grunted, nearly collapsing.
Kevin struck Ron square in the nose—blood gushed, but Ron just smiled and licked his lips. "Now that's what I'm talking about…"
Kevin spun and kicked Ron away, but his backpack ripped in the process—a whole bag of coins spilled out with a crash!
Clink clink clink—
Coins scattered across the stone floor, the sound of metal ringing loud and bright.
Shura and Ron froze, eyes locked on the spilled coins.
"What are you doing?!" I shouted, but even I couldn't help glancing at the scattered gold.
Shura sneered, "These coins... you think you deserve them?"
Then he lunged toward the ground, frantically scooping up coins like a rabid dog.
I rushed forward to stop him, but he slammed me aside with his elbow—I crashed into a pile of scrap metal.
Back with Lucy, their bag was snagged by a branch—more coins spilled onto the grassy rubble.
"We dropped some!" Minghao turned back, but Lucy yanked his arm.
"Your life or the coins!?"
Behind them, the werewolf lunged, narrowly missing their dropped bag. It paused at the coins, claws scraping them with a screech of metal.
Shura struck me in the gut—I staggered, blood rising in my throat. He didn't give me a chance to recover. His elbow came crashing down on the back of my neck.
Thud!
Everything went black. I collapsed in the midst of the scattered coins, the world fading away.
Kevin roared and charged, but Ron blocked him. The fight descended into chaos.
Just as Shura reached for my pack, a shadow dropped from above!
Smash! A kick sent Shura flying.
Number 15 stood over me, eyes cold like blades.
"Beating on someone who's already unconscious? Not ashamed?"
Ron tried to retaliate, but another figure appeared—Number 13 stepped in, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 15.
Together, they forced Shura and Ron back. After a quick scuffle, Shura growled and withdrew with Ron, casting one last greedy glance at the coins.
"He's still alive," 15 said, kneeling to check my condition, then nodded.
13 didn't say a word—he simply lifted me onto his back while 15 led the way, helping Kevin retreat from the battleground.
Meanwhile, Lucy dragged Minghao into an abandoned drainage pipe and held her breath.
The werewolf circled the coins briefly, claws tapping the metal like it was thinking.
Thankfully, it eventually turned away, the sounds of its movements fading.
"It's... gone," Lucy exhaled.
After confirming safety, the two emerged from hiding and quickly made their way toward the abandoned observation deck.