Players, Please Board the Train

”Why is this place called the Wax Figure Hall?” Xie Ling asked again from the bottom of her heart, ”They could have just called it a haunted house and scared people openly.”

”Just wait and see, maybe these wax figures will sit up later,” Long Aotian said on purpose.

Xie Ling moved away from the coffins and urged the others, ”Let’s hurry and leave.”

Xu Huo and the others didn’t rush out. Peeking into the coffins clearly wasn’t very smart, so he, Xu Ruosi, and Bai Wenxian simultaneously took out long props and stabbed through the wax figures inside the coffins.

After poking every coffin in the room, the three finally stopped. Just as they were preparing to leave, several wax figures in other coffins suddenly propped themselves up, twisting their heads and slowly turning toward where the group was standing.

”Get lost!” Long Aotian tossed a pocket-sized basketball. It flew out, knocked the head off one wax figure, then as if it had eyes, flew at the next one, knocking off the heads of several sitting wax figures in a row. The ball then reversed direction and flew back toward Xu Ruosi.

Long Aotian stepped in front of Xu Ruosi, intercepted the prop, and laughed, ”This prop is a little unpredictable, it doesn’t distinguish friend from foe.”

Xu Ruosi snorted and tucked the already-out prop back into her sleeve, ”Then you’d better be more careful next time.”

”The wax figure arrangements in these rooms look like parts of a complete story,” Bai Wenxian said. ”The wax figures in the first room are obviously visitors, the second room shows they were attacked, the third room is the funeral hall, meaning they died.”

”I’m curious what the fourth room will be.””Go see for yourself,” Long Aotian led the way into the next room, exclaiming, ”It’s actually a funeral parlor, and there’s a crematorium!”

This room was larger and felt more open than the previous ones. Besides several wax figures representing staff, the only other thing on the cremation stove platform was a wax figure placed for cremation.

Xu Huo bent over to look into the cremation furnace and pushed the movable platform. He then turned to Bai Wenxian, who was walking over from the other side of the room, ”Is there anything behind it?”

”Just a funeral parlor, a farewell room and such. A bunch of wax figures are saying goodbye to the corpse,” Bai Wenxian glanced at the movable platform and added, ”This should be the last room. I don’t see anything suspicious. Let’s go to Strange Tales at Night; you can get there from beside the funeral parlor.”

Xu Huo had no objections and called the others to follow.

They passed through the corridor beside the farewell room, went by a medium-sized lounge, and right across was the Strange Tales at Night venue.

The entrance to Strange Tales at Night wasn’t connected to the main outer door of the venue. The gate was a stretch of red brick wall with small doors on either side spaced about ten meters apart.

”This place is built like a public restroom,” Long Aotian looked around and joked, ”How about we follow the rule men left, women right?”

Xu Ruosi, as if she hadn’t heard him, chose the left door nearby and went in.

Bai Wenxian, who came in behind them, pushed up his glasses, ”Women hold grudges longer than men. Aren’t you afraid they’ll stab you in the back?”

Long Aotian made a scoffing sound, ”Call me petty if you want, why bring gender into it? If someone insults me, I’ll remember them for eight hundred years!”

Bai Wenxian paused and didn’t say anything more.

Xie Ling, trailing at the back, watched the two with a thoughtful expression.

The Strange Tales at Night venue was only the size of one room from the Wax Figure Hall. A long wooden table sat in the middle with chairs beside it. Two of the chairs were occupied by wax figures; the rest were empty.

Xu Ruosi first inspected the walls. Aside from the two doors they had entered through and a ventilation opening, there were no windows or other exits.

”There is a sealed letter on the table,” Xie Ling reached for the dust-covered envelope on the table, opened it, and read aloud the text: ”Each guest entering the Night Tales Room must tell one qualifying ghost story.”

”Upon completion, there is a fifty percent chance of receiving a clue about the Museum City’s secrets.”

”Each time only one story is allowed to be told, and only one guest is permitted to leave. Violations will result in forfeiture of the reward for completing the story.”

”To begin Strange Tales at Night, please be seated.”

After she finished reading, she looked up at the others, ”Secrets of Museum City?”

”Could it be related to the missing people?” Long Aotian got interested and immediately invited everyone to sit down.

”Not necessarily,” Xu Ruosi said. ”This is an amusement park; Strange Tales at Night is just one part. The clue mentioned in the letter might relate to gameplay in other venues. Don’t forget, Museum City also has secret room unlocks and other features.”

”It could still be a real clue,” Bai Wenxian pondered for a moment. ”Since it’s a hidden clue, it should be a special passage. It might help open our thinking.”

”Maybe there’s a hidden passage!” Long Aotian slapped the table and dust flew everywhere, and Xie Ling scooted aside.

”Then let’s play.” Xu Huo sat down beside a wax figure.

The other three had no objections. They wiped the dust off the stools and sat.

Once everyone was seated, the entire room trembled, then sank like an elevator, descending about ten meters before stopping.

”We’ve gone underground,” Bai Wenxian said.

”The owner of Sun Museum City really went wild,” Long Aotian clicked his tongue.

With a click, the lights suddenly went out, and two clusters of flames ignited at the sides of the table. The flames rose a few inches and then slowly lowered. When the light stabilized, the tops of the wax figures’ heads by the table had already begun to melt.

”So they’re just two big candles,” Xie Ling exhaled lightly, ”Makes sense, this atmosphere fits storytelling better.”

Xu Huo first put on the oxygen supply.

Bai Wenxian took out a testing prop and checked the air, the flame, and the wax figures one by one. ”No problem, no toxins, and no hallucinogens. It’s probably just for atmosphere.”

Xu Huo wasn’t embarrassed at all and said calmly, ”I’m scared of dying. Do whatever you want.”

Xie Ling and the others looked at each other. Apart from Xu Ruosi, who already wore a mask, the other two took out their defensive props. Xie Ling had a toy doll that blew bubbles and began purifying the air when placed on her shoulder, while Long Aotian crudely put a transparent bucket-like shield over his upper body and then made a polite hand gesture to the others as if inviting them to go first.

Bai Wenxian trusted his own judgment and took no protective measures.

”Who goes first to tell a story?” Long Aotian asked in a bass voice.

”I will,” Xu Ruosi spoke first, ”I’ll say this plainly: after I finish the story and go out, please do not jump the line. Break the rules and no one will get the reward.”

”Go ahead and tell,” Long Aotian said, promising to follow the rules.

After the others nodded, Xu Ruosi continued, ”With witnesses here, I’ll begin.”

”Today I will tell a personal experience from my grandfather’s youth.”