Chapter 90: The Ticketed Tourist Park

The three of them battled the red spiders. There were many of the creatures, but because their bodies were far too large, they moved slowly and with little agility.

So the trio took advantage of that weakness. It was not easy, but they still managed to deal with the swarm.

Half an hour later, all the red spiders in the area had been cleared out, and every one of them was breathing hard with exhaustion.

“These spiders really are a nuisance...” Lin Shuang said coldly, staring at the corpses strewn across the ground.

“We should be fine now. Let’s get out of here. Miss Lin, you know the way out, don’t you?” Xi Yan no longer wanted to remain in this place.

Lin Shuang nodded and wasted no words. She turned to glance at the cliff, then pointed in one direction and said to the two of them without turning around, “From here, I remember that man led Qu Ya away through this spot.”

Xi Yan followed the direction she indicated. There was no path there at all, only a wall.

Though puzzled, Xi Yan did not question Lin Shuang. Instead, he followed her over.

In front of the wall, Lin Shuang looked left and right for a while. Even by the end of it, Xi Yan still had no idea what she had done.

But after fiddling around for a bit, Lin Shuang stopped, turned back to look at Xi Yan and the others, and said, “All right, we can leave now. Follow me.”

Lin Shuang led them along the stream beneath the cliff. This was the same route Xi Yan and Qing Yan had previously tried to use to find an exit, only to encounter a ghostly dead end.

“There’s no way out here...” Qing Yan said.

Lin Shuang smiled mysteriously and told her, “There is. That cliff is under a restriction, so you can’t leave directly. But I remember that man did exactly what I just did and temporarily covered the restriction, which allowed him to get out.”

As she spoke, her steps never stopped. She continued walking along the stream.

When they reached the place where they had encountered the ghostly dead end, Xi Yan and Qing Yan both slowed their pace, wanting to see whether Lin Shuang could truly make it out.

Sensing their hesitation, Lin Shuang smiled without offering any further explanation, and stepped straight past the spot.

No recurrence... no return to the starting point.

Xi Yan and Qing Yan exchanged a look, then hurried after her, and they too successfully got through.

Beyond that threshold, the road ahead was not much different from the one beneath the cliff.

Then, after walking on for a while, they left the cliff behind and arrived at a broad open clearing.

There were no buildings there at all. The place looked like an untouched primeval forest... and, most importantly, all the animals here were enormous.

Xi Yan felt as though he were standing in the open like a bug on some beast’s body...

“How can this be...” Qing Yan twitched at the corner of her mouth.

The gigantic animals before them were all insects, so seeing so many of them made Qing Yan feel thoroughly nauseated.

Lin Shuang did not look much better. “Th-this... I don’t know either, but that man really did leave this way.”

Their trail ended there. From this point on, they would have to find their own clues.

Unlike the situation beneath the cliff, the insects here seemed to bear little hostility toward them. Many merely glanced at the three before turning away and crawling aimlessly across the clearing.

Though the insects would not attack them, they also would not deliberately avoid them. As a result, Xi Yan and the others were in considerable danger of being trampled to death.

“Let’s keep going. We have to look for clues no matter what. Since we’ve already left the cliff, we can’t just stop here.”

Xi Yan’s words were agreed to by Qing Yan and Lin Shuang. The three of them moved cautiously across the vast clearing, constantly avoiding the “steps” of the giant insects, afraid of being crushed beneath them.

At that moment, Xi Yan suddenly thought of those intact black squares within the cliff. There must have been many people inside them as well.

Though he found them pitiable, he had no desire to save them.

He knew all too well what betrayal looked like. If the people rescued did not show gratitude, and instead stabbed them in the back while they fought, then there would be no undoing the regret.

Besides, anyone bound by that spider silk was highly likely to have been poisoned, and Xi Yan did not think Qing Yan was so magnanimous that she would hand out an antidote pill to everyone.

And this was the end of the world. In the apocalypse, who could truly trust anyone?

...

The three of them crossed the clearing without incident, and soon came to a forest. At the very front stood a large sign reading Nature Scenic Tour Park.

There was not only a sign, but also a ticket booth beneath it. Inside sat a woman, listlessly propping up her chin with one hand as she gazed at the distance.

Seeing someone approach, the woman seemed instantly interested. She broke into a bright smile and stepped out of the booth.

She wore a white-and-blue uniform, and her hair was neatly pinned up. She looked clever and capable.

Coming before the three, she glanced them over, then chose Qing Yan and addressed her, saying, “Beauty, here to visit the park? The tickets are very cheap. What do you say?”

Qing Yan ignored her. “Tell me how to get out of here.”

“Get out of here? You just go through this park, of course. How about it? Buy a ticket.”

The woman’s words carried a hint of enticement. Xi Yan looked past her toward the park behind her.

The park looked enormous, and it was enclosed on all sides by wire fencing. If they wanted to pass through, this was the only entrance.

And those fences did not look simple at all. In a place of survival, nothing remained ordinary or safe, so Xi Yan felt that if they wanted to go through, they would have no choice but to buy tickets.

Seeing Xi Yan scrutinize the park behind her, the woman immediately tried to lure him on, saying, “Young man, looks like you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

Xi Yan was stunned for a moment. He had not expected the woman to guess his thoughts so quickly. With a faint smile, he answered, “You’re impressive. May I ask whether the only way to leave here is through this park, and through your ticket booth?”

The woman smiled smugly, hands on her hips. “That’s right! You’re very smart. I won’t lie to you; it’s pointless. Follow me.”

Xi Yan followed her without hesitation. Qing Yan and Lin Shuang frowned and did not leave with them. They remained where they were, watching.

Xi Yan followed the woman to the side of the park, outside the wire fence. Halfway there, Xi Yan suddenly asked, “Senior, aren’t you afraid my two companions will seize the chance to slip into the park?”

The woman covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents as she laughed. “You’re overthinking it. If they really tried to sneak in, their ending would be just like those people’s.”

The woman pointed to the ground in front of Xi Yan.