Monster - Chapter 99
Chapter 99: Thriller Paradise - Prologue
According to the information from Miu the crow, Thriller Paradise was at least 20,000 hectares in size. Like a traditional amusement park, it was divided into various zones. Just past the main gate was a ghost town, which also contained a mental hospital. Beyond that was an adventure park with a Wild West theme. Behind these areas stood a Dream Castle, which was rumored to be a pleasure den for male and female visitors, as well as Enzo's main base of operations.
Lou sketched a simple diagram on a piece of paper and explained to Lin Sandie, who was standing beside her, "We don't need to go to the mental hospital. We'll pass through the ghost town, go around the adventure park, and head straight for the Dream Castle."
Lin Sandie nodded, her eyes on the simple map.
Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. Lin Sandie turned to see a red-haired girl of about fourteen or fifteen, accompanied by a refined-looking woman with short black hair.
"Lou! Sister Sandie!" The red-haired girl, Yi Li, whose face was dotted with freckles and who had deep blue eyes, greeted them with a smile. She was the same girl who had hired Lou in Silver Stone City to hunt down Enzo.
"I haven't even sent you a message. How did you know I was here?" Lou asked, putting away her pen and paper.
"I knew as soon as you entered Sally Village. Those of us with friends and family in Thriller Paradise have our own little circle and share information. By the way, this is Sister Xu Lan. She's the leader we voted for," Yi Li said, introducing the woman beside her.
"Hello," Xu Lan said, extending her hand to shake hands with Lou and Lin Sandie.
"I figured you might need this." Xu Lan wasted no time on pleasantries. After the handshake, she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Lou. "This is an internal map of Thriller Paradise that we've managed to gather."
Lou took the map from Xu Lan and unfolded it. The zones drawn on it were basically the same as the information Miu had provided, but the margins were filled with handwritten notes.
By age group, killing a zombie over 50 or under 15 years old earned 2 points. Those between 15 and 25 were worth 3 points, and those between 25 and 49 were worth 4 points. This was on the condition that the zombie was intact; those missing limbs would have their point value discounted.
The "zombies," who were once human, were treated like consumable NPCs in a game.
"What's written there are the points visitors get for killing zombies. As the zombies' relatives, we receive half the points every time one of them is killed. My father is fifty-one this year. Every time he's killed in Thriller Paradise, a few points are added to our family's account," Xu Lan stated, revealing a chilling fact.
Back in Silver Stone City, Yi Li had told Lou that people turned into zombies by drinking water that had been soaked with a magical item from Enzo called "Living Thing." It granted the zombies multiple lives. They could only be killed permanently by decapitation or a headshot; any other method would only temporarily disable them, and they would reanimate after thirty minutes.
The atmosphere grew heavy for a moment before Lin Sandie asked, "How do you keep track of how many zombies you've killed?"
She seemed unaffected by the tragedy Xu Lan described, her expression remaining neutral.
"When you enter Thriller Paradise, you're given an identification bracelet. It automatically tallies the number of zombies you kill."
"If you kill a visitor who has points, do their points transfer to the killer?" Lou added.
"Yes. Visitors kill each other all the time. It's better that those people die, anyway," Yi Li said with disdain.
Xu Lan put an arm around Yi Li's shoulder, signaling for her not to speak so rashly, and continued sharing the information they had gathered about Thriller Paradise.
"I don't know what kind of strange item Enzo has, but the zombies are structured a bit like a queen ant and her workers. The old, weak, and sick zombies are numerous, and they're usually driven by a few strong, young zombies. Enzo intentionally collects the bodies of visitors who die in the park and turns them into his zombies as well. These ones are more dangerous. They're intelligent and will use any means necessary to drive the 'worker ants' to victory."
"Will you turn into a zombie if you get bitten?" Lin Sandie asked a question that had been on her mind for a while.
"Yes. It's like a slow-acting poison. If you're bitten five times within three hours, you'll be assimilated. During this process, a person's thinking gradually slows down. However, there's an antidote serum available in the points mall. One dose costs 100 points."
"It's like stacking debuffs," Miu the crow muttered to Lou upon hearing this rule.
"Can you drive inside?" Lou asked, looking at the map.
"Yes, the park is quite large. I'll help you get your car to the entrance tomorrow," Xu Lan answered every question.
"Understood. I will complete the task you've entrusted to me," Lou said with a smile, handing the map to Lin Sandie so she could take a closer look.
The next morning, the weather was clear. A strong wind blew from time to time, so even though the sun was a bit harsh, it didn't feel too uncomfortable on the skin.
Lin Sandie, Lou, and Xing Meilu set out for Thriller Paradise early in the morning. They first stopped by some food stalls not far from the park's main gate, where a small market seemed to have formed. Bankrupt but otherwise normal people had set up various food stalls and sold small trinkets.
However, the place wasn't as lively as Lin Sandie and the others had imagined. The vendors lacked the energy and enthusiasm of a typical market. Their expressions were humble, desperate. The crude signs next to their stalls listed various prices, many of which had been crossed out and changed.
If the guy next door sells breakfast for three yuan, I'll sell it for two-fifty. If he sells it for two-fifty, then I'll do it for two.
Choose me. Choose me. Please, buy my things.
This desperate plea hung in the air. Lin Sandie watched them, noticing that many stalls had a tarp set up behind them for shade, under which entire families were gathered. Carlo had mentioned before that the houses they rented were time-shared—one group of people lived there during the day, another at night. So even when there was nothing to do at the stall, they had nowhere to go during the day.
The vendors' families sat under the tarps, waiting for customers. Even the very young children were well-behaved. They secretly watched the adults' faces, secretly watched the passing visitors, praying in their hearts that someone would come and buy their things soon.
But there weren't many visitors with such needs. Items purchased from the points mall arrived instantly, rendering this traditional form of commerce completely non-competitive in the Disorder Land.
The three of them walked to the stall run by Carlo's father. Under the tarp behind the corn tortillas, Carlo's mother, her belly large with child, sat on a low stool mending clothes. Carlo held a girl of about one year old in his arms, sitting on the ground with several younger siblings. He was writing characters in the dust, teaching them simple words.
"Hello, would you like to buy some corn tortillas, ladies?" Carlo's father spotted them approaching and quickly called out.
"Three corn tortillas and three bottles of clean water," Lou said.
"Okay, okay!" Carlo's father replied, pleasantly surprised. Hearing Lou's voice, Carlo looked up.
"Lou, Sister Sandie, Officer Xing!" Carlo emerged from under the tarp, holding his sister, a wide smile on his face. His mother, who was seven or eight months pregnant, also gave them a warm smile and gestured to her swollen legs, indicating that it was inconvenient for her to stand up.
"You have a big family," Lou said with a smile, gently pinching the cheek of the little girl in Carlo's arms.
"Are you going to Thriller Paradise now?"
"We're going in after we grab breakfast. You don't need to come with us."
"Of course I can't go in, the ticket is 20 points. But… but Lou, if you see my grandma, could you give her a message for me?" Carlo looked at Lou with admiration and gratitude, not noticing his father's expression darken at the mention of his grandmother.
"Carlo, stop bringing up your grandma all the time," his father warned with displeasure, then turned to Lou apologetically. "Sorry, this kid has been attached to his grandma since he was little."
Carlo pressed his lips together but obediently said no more.
"It's nothing. If I see your grandma, what do you want me to tell her?" Lou asked as she took the tortillas and water from his father. With so many zombies and such a large park, it was unlikely they would run into Carlo's grandmother anyway.
"Just tell her we might be leaving for Star City next month, and to come out soon."
"Your grandma is very old. She can't cross this wilderness. Why can't you just give up?" Carlo's father said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"I know, but Grandma told me before that she wanted to be buried in a nicer place. No matter what, Star City is better than here," Carlo argued. "I'm going to find a place surrounded by flowers in Star City and bury Grandma's ashes there."
"…" Carlo's father looked at his optimistic eldest son, his eyes filled with a mixture of tenderness and sorrow.
"If we see her, we'll pass on the message for you," Lou replied.
"I don't have a picture of my grandma, but I have her Citizen ID. Her name is Zhao Anfu." Seeing Lou agree to his request, Carlo quickly pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her.
Lou took the Citizen ID. It was somewhat worn, but she could still make out the face of a woman in her sixties. Her silver hair was tied back, and her eyes crinkled with a smile. She looked like a kind, approachable old woman.
"I'll hold onto this for now. When you get to Star City, you can ask for me at the biggest hotel there. If I'm checked in, I'll return this Citizen ID to you."
"Okay, thank you! Really, thank you so, so much." If he hadn't been holding his little sister, Carlo might have jumped up to shake Lou's hand.
"Let's go."
Carlo's request was just a small interlude. Neither Lou nor Lin Sandie gave it much thought as the three of them continued toward the entrance of Thriller Paradise.
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