Upon returning to the company, Eric immediately began researching Huangquan Road Primary School on the computer at her workstation.
To her astonishment, this particular dungeon indeed contained authentic information about Huangquan Road Primary School! It was not far from the office. She even attempted to search for news about the amusement park; among the many images of parks in this city, she recognized the familiar one.
"The amusement park from the 'Primary School Graduation Tour' dungeon is this one..." Gazing at the screen displaying the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly constructed New Sun Amusement Park, waves of turmoil surged within Eric's heart.
Her suspicions were confirmed: this dungeon and the 'Primary School Graduation Tour' dungeon had truly been 'extracted' from the same 'world' but from different points in time.
In this timeline, Julie was two years younger, and the amusement park had just been completed, with locals expressing eager anticipation.
No one could fathom why, two years later, the amusement park would claim so many students' lives, instigating a persistent obsession in Julie and others to relive the graduation tour once more.
With ample time ahead, Eric resolved to visit the amusement park.
Though it was not yet open to the public—it was scheduled to officially launch on January 1st, accompanied by numerous events and promotions—the advertisements were ubiquitous. The park's exterior was festooned with brilliant decorations; the towering Ferris wheel, vibrant and eye-catching, drew the gaze of visitors from afar.
Unable to enter, Eric circled the perimeter but gleaned nothing noteworthy.
Then, slipping into a deserted corner, she scaled the wall and landed upon the lush green lawn.
Within the park, a handful of staff were diligently at work; she spotted some inspecting and maintaining equipment.
Quietly approaching two employees who had walked away, Eric overheard them whispering complaints: "...obviously the inspection failed... boss is heartless... I want to quit, but I dare not..."
Her heart tightened; could it be that the tragedy that befell Julie and the others stemmed from substandard amusement park equipment?
Sneaking over to the drop tower ride, Eric examined the safety belts. She remembered, during Diane's ride, how in her hallucination the safety devices were as fragile as rotting wood, breaking at the slightest touch—she presumed that reflected Diane's experience.
Inspecting several safety belts, she found most of them felt unreliable.
Applying even moderate force might easily snap the clasps.
This was utterly unacceptable!
Hatred for the amusement park's owner surged within Eric.
After inspecting several more attractions, she withdrew.
Behind her, a truck drove through the park's entrance.
The truck stopped in front of the haunted house; workers began unloading a long wooden crate.
A supervisor in a shirt consulted an open folder and identified the cargo: "The package looks intact. We'll have to open and inspect it later. Handle it carefully—no damages or dents, or I won't release the final payment."
"Got it, boss. Don't worry!"
The group entered the haunted house and proceeded to a discreet corner.
The crate was pried open, revealing a dark coffin.
The supervisor grinned with satisfaction: "This is the surprise element. Visitors think they can rest here, but there's a coffin! This is the scariest part of the haunted house—a genuine ancient corpse unearthed from a graveyard!"
On her way back to the office building, Eric disguised herself and found a phone booth to call and report anonymously.
She knew deep down that even if the authorities inspected the park and repaired faulty equipment, the fate of Julie and the others who had perished could not be reversed.
Yet, she felt compelled to do it—to soothe her own conscience.
Back at the office, Catherine unexpectedly approached Eric.
"Have you ever played the 'Primary School Graduation Tour' dungeon?"
Eric blinked in surprise and nodded.
"Did you just visit the amusement park?" Catherine asked again.
"Yes."
Catherine usually regarded players with detached eyes, but now her gaze toward Eric softened.
She sighed faintly: "You must have reported it already. It's pointless. I suspect the dungeons we enter are merely segments extracted from a world's timeline. The dungeons reset endlessly; the NPCs here only follow predetermined destinies. Apart from our own fate, we cannot alter anything else."
"Have you tried?" Eric eagerly inquired, sensing Catherine was inclined to elaborate. With limited experience, her understanding of the game always felt vague and shrouded. Catherine's words suddenly enlightened her, opening her perspective.
"I have," Catherine said, looking out the window. "Some dungeons are connected, but their links only mean they're extracted from the same world. They do not interfere with one another; each exists independently. For example, timeline A occurs first, timeline B follows, and there is cause and effect between them. I tried altering causes in timeline A, but my friends still encountered timeline B's dungeon. I've made such attempts multiple times, only to realize they were futile."
Returning to her workstation, Eric noticed several search pages still open on the computer screen. It seemed Catherine had seen them, prompting her questions.
Night swiftly descended as players gradually returned to the office.
By half past ten, all the others had arrived.
"Today's mission passed without casualties—a fortunate turn. Joseph, be especially cautious tonight; return alive, no matter what."
Justin nodded, exhaling a heavy breath as he glanced at the clock.
Scott, meanwhile, nonchalantly chewed candy, unperturbed—after all, the ordeal had to be endured.
"Let's hurry and resume the debrief," he urged.
Today's assignments remained diverse, and as Eric listened and analyzed, she gleaned much knowledge.
At half past eleven, Scott left the office to undertake his mission. His fortitude was remarkable: he ventured out so late, whereas others assigned outside had departed hours earlier, some as early as eight.
Justin parted ways with three others, heading to the underground parking garage. His task was to retrieve Manager Zhou's lost folder at midnight.
Eric chose to stay behind in the office.
At 12:17 a.m., Justin returned via the elevator.
At 12:31 a.m., Scott reentered the building.
Of the five players, only two survived.
On the sixth day within the dungeon, only sixteen players remained; nearly half had perished.
The survivors, Justin and Scott, recounted their midnight ordeals.
"After midnight, the parking garage lights dimmed, and the temperature plunged. I'd brought a flashlight, searching the floor. Glancing beneath a vehicle, I spotted a pair of crimson high heels."
A startled gasp echoed among the players.
Justin was unfazed by such frights and silently pretended not to notice.
Yet those shoes pursued him relentlessly—the clicking of heels flanking and gradually closing in.
Ordinary people might succumb to imagined terrors, fleeing in panic to escape the phantom footsteps. But seasoned Justin paused, then boldly returned beneath the car, peered down once more.
The scarlet heels remained.
Ignoring the intensifying sounds behind him—footsteps as if the owner of the shoes dashed closer—he rose, circled to the other side of the car, and looked down again, seeing nothing.
"Those shoes seem to exist in another dimension. I crawled beneath the car, chasing after them, and slipped inside."
Such daring and composure would elude most.
Within this alternate space, Justin found himself no longer in the parking lot but in a graveyard.
Ghosts wandered in great numbers. Justin shed his shoes and donned the ill-fitting red stilettos, allowing his feet to bleed rather than removing them.
This ploy proved wise.
The red heels masked his vitality, permitting him to roam freely among the tombs and recover the folder.
Finally, he returned to the point of entry and crawled out.
"On leaving, the once spacious passageway had narrowed. Had I been any heavier, I might have become trapped. Upon emergence, I noticed the graveyard overlapped the parking lot. Though it appeared like a mirage, my experience tells me soon the graveyard will fully consume the parking lot, marking my inevitable demise." Justin spoke with clear-headed analysis, undeterred by the harrowing task.
Eric found herself deeply impressed.
Justin was both bold and meticulous—a risk-taker. If it were her, she doubted she could have completed the mission.
"Joseph, you're incredible. Perhaps I could have guessed the heels were the key, but never fathomed wearing them!"
"Ugh, just hearing your story frightens me—I'd be doomed in that task."
The players showered him with praise, but Justin waved them off modestly. "Don't flatter me. I've simply accumulated more experience. If you endure more paranormal dungeons, time will hone you too."
Next, Scott recounted his mission. Unlike Justin, he remained bewildered by how he had survived, offering only his reconstruction for others to ponder.
At midnight, Scott's task was to sing a nursery rhyme atop the stage in Huangquan Road Primary School's auditorium.
He had spent an entire day memorizing the song.
"The lyrics were innocuous, charming in their childlike simplicity. I researched online; it was an ordinary nursery rhyme without any supernatural tales attached. Upon arrival, everything seemed normal. At midnight, I began my song."
As he reached the song's climax, a childlike voice joined in, causing cold sweat to break out along his spine. Fear silenced him, yet he dared not stop. More voices joined the duet, until he felt the once-empty hall teeming with children, all belting the song at the top of their lungs. After finishing, he ceased singing, only to be bombarded by countless accusing whispers:
"Why did you stop singing?"
"Why did you stop singing?"
"Sing!"
"Sing!"
"Sing!"
Their venomous voices pierced Scott's ears, freezing his soul under relentless interrogation. He had no choice but to continue singing.
"I kept singing until dawn broke, when the children's voices vanished. Checking my mission card, I found it completed. My voice was hoarse; swallowing drew blood. The normal tone you hear now is thanks to an ordinary healing pack I used on my throat."