Players, Please Board the Train

The gate of the Museum City consisted of two colossal doors, each towering twenty meters high. After years of disuse, pushing them open produced a grating, teeth-aching screech.

Those at the front only managed to pry open a narrow gap, and the rest followed in single file, slipping through.

Directly ahead lay a spacious main street, not entirely straight, lined with all sorts of shops on both sides. Most sold small toys, dolls, and snacks. It seemed the former operators had left in a great rush, as the majority of stores still appeared to be open for business.

Because the shops on both sides were arranged in parallel but uneven rows like slanted lines, even standing in the middle of the street left plenty of blind spots.

“So both sides are actually alleyways too,” the players remarked as they walked forward, observing the areas in front of and behind the shops.

Compared to the central street, the front and back of the shops were quite narrow, only wide enough for three or four people to walk side by side.

“With this kind of layout, aren’t you afraid of bumping into someone?” A female player with long, curly hair patted a protruding corner that jutted out from the side of the street. “Normally, the side facing the street is flat, but here they deliberately stuck out a corner.”

“The game already said the Museum City was modified into a horror-themed amusement park. It’s not surprising they made it this way,” the man beside her adjusted his glasses. “From a psychological standpoint, it’s designed to increase the visitors’ stress levels.”

The group continued forward.

Although they couldn’t fully take in the sights on both sides of the street, they could see the distant buildings of the Museum City from afar. Xu Huo casually grabbed a tourist map from the wall.The overall layout of the Museum City was roughly cross-shaped. Most of the themed pavilions were concentrated in the center, while each of the four ends of the “cross” also housed two themed pavilions. The Wax Figure Hall, the Mannequin Building, the Horror Room, and the Doll Clothing Store mentioned in the game introduction were located at the four ends respectively.

“The River Styx Ferry, Needle Mountain Therapy, Strange Tales at Night, the Corpse Hotel, the Insane Prison, the Beheaded Cemetery…” the curly-haired female player rattled off a list of themes. “Is this Museum City really that big?”

A slimmer-looking female player next to her rubbed her arms. “Just hearing those names gives me goosebumps. Do we have to visit every single themed pavilion?”

“What else can we do?” the man with glasses said. “The clear condition is to solve the disappearance mystery. At the very least, we need to find the bodies. Without corpses, how the hell do we figure out how they died?”

The group turned to look at the undulating buildings and realized it would be impossible to act together. In seven days, they wouldn’t only need to check the themed pavilions but also the shops, first-aid stations, and storage facilities. Since the game clearly stated that before the Museum City shut down, the police hadn’t found any of the missing persons’ remains, they’d have to search everything themselves.

“Let’s split up,” the middle-aged man said. “It’s not one o’clock yet. We’ll meet at the crossroads before five and discuss the next steps.”

“I plan to head to the Corpse Hotel first,” he announced.

The other players exchanged knowing glances. Compared to other themed pavilions, the Corpse Hotel sounded like a place where things were hidden. The police might not have demolished the building, but players certainly could.

Immediately, four players said they’d go with him.

The curly-haired female player suggested the Beheaded Cemetery, and three others joined her.

The rest chose the Wax Figure Hall.

The central avenue connected to the entrance slanted through the cross’s center. The Wax Figure Hall and the adjacent Strange Tales at Night were on the left side of the entrance, while the Mannequin Building and the Insane Prison were on the right.

Further past the left side were the Horror Room and the Beheaded Cemetery, while the remaining end housed the Doll Clothing Store and Needle Mountain Therapy.

By orientation, the Horror Room was due north, facing the Mannequin Building; the Wax Figure Hall was due west, facing the Doll Clothing Store.

It was now one in the afternoon, with the sun high and shadows only slightly tilted.

The curly-haired female player and her group traveled alongside the middle-aged man and others heading toward the crossroads, while Xu Huo and four others headed toward a narrow alley between the shops.

Walking with him were the frail-looking female player, the man with glasses, a woman in red wearing a mask, and a male player with a dyed blonde buzz cut.

“Let’s introduce ourselves,” the frail female player said to lighten the mood. “Otherwise, shouting ‘hey, hey, hey’ when we need to call someone would be really awkward.”

“My name is Xie Ling. Please take care of me, everyone.”

The man with glasses adjusted his frames. “Bai Wenxian. Before entering the game, I was a psychologist.”

The woman in red and the buzz-cut man gave him a longer look. The former spoke in a hoarse voice, “Xu Ruosi.”

The latter burst into laughter. “You can just call me Long Aotian!”

The others stared at him, but he didn’t seem to care. “A name has to be domineering. I use a different name for each dungeon—whatever I feel like calling myself.”

After a pause, he reached out to pat Xu Huo on the shoulder. “Brother, what’s your name?”

Xu Huo sidestepped him first. “Yu Huo. I don’t really like physical contact with people.”

Long Aotian chuckled without a hint of embarrassment, instead winking suggestively. “It’s not like you’re a young lady.”

In a game, not touching others randomly and not letting others touch you randomly—that was common sense.

Xu Huo looked at him. “I once met a player who also liked making up fake names in games. But one time, when someone called her by a fake name, she didn’t react in time and almost got herself killed.”

Long Aotian’s expression darkened, and he ran a hand through his hair. “No need to curse me like that.”

Xie Ling quickly intervened. “Let’s just hurry up and get to the Wax Figure Hall.”

The group fell silent after that, all the way to the entrance of the Wax Figure Hall.

The hall was quite large, with a frontage of at least fifty meters. At the center of the main entrance stood a giant wax figure, bent over and looking downward. As soon as someone walked past, the figure’s grotesquely wide-open mouth would suddenly spit out several small wax figures, startling Xie Ling, who was walking behind Bai Wenxian, into a scream.

“You’ve got too weak a nerve,” Long Aotian said, just as he reached out to take down the small wax figures. The entire hall’s lights flicked on, and two life-sized wax figures slid out stiffly, standing to the left and right of the entrance, emitting electronic voices. “Welcome… welcome…”

The rhythm and tone of their speech were deeply unsettling.

The entrance was through a corridor on the left side of the gate. Xu Huo took the lead, pushing the door aside, and looked up to find himself face-to-face with a wax figure standing right in front of him.

This wax figure was thin, sallow, with hollow cheeks and bulging eyes. It seemed to have been modeled after someone who was terminally ill and on the verge of death.

“Is this a wax museum or a haunted house? You pull this stunt right at the entrance!” Xie Ling’s voice trembled as she unconsciously grabbed hold of Xu Ruosi beside her.

Xu Ruosi pulled her hand away without a word.

Xie Ling apologized awkwardly. “Sorry, I’ve been scared of this stuff since I was a kid. Never encountered it in previous dungeons.”

“Nothing to be afraid of.” Wearing gloves, Xu Huo pushed the wax figure aside as he walked deeper inside. “They’re just mannequins. If you really can’t handle it, just turn on a few more lights.”