episode_0026

Was she being overly paranoid?

Xu Nian couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be something to those rules.

Or perhaps, despite her fear of ghosts, she was a big fan of rule-based horror stories, and this situation had her on high alert.

“Nian Nian, what’s wrong?”

“I think we should follow the rules, just to be safe.”

“No need, right? That’s just meant to scare people. The staff member already explained it.”

“But his uniform was red.”

“Red? You’re being way too cautious.”

“You know what? Right now, you’re acting exactly like the cannon fodder in those rule-based horror stories—the kind who exists just to show the protagonist what happens when you break the rules.”

“Huh?”

Su Qingya was stunned, completely caught off guard by Xu Nian’s words.

“That’s not it at all! I just think you’re being way too careful. This obviously isn’t anything special.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, here we go again! Trash-tier Qingya, saying ‘that’s not it’ and then immediately spouting another death-flag line?”

“Ugh!” Su Qingya puffed up in frustration, but in the end, she didn’t force the coin into the machine.

“Fine, I’ll listen to you. Let’s go get some tokens.”

Su Qingya ultimately gave in—she wasn’t the stubborn type.

But just as they stepped off the rocking horse, they spotted a little boy nearby inserting a coin into another ride—this one shaped like an airplane, looking utterly adorable.

Su Qingya grabbed Xu Nian’s arm before she could walk away.

“What’s up?”

“I saw him use a real coin just now.”

Though not usually stubborn, Su Qingya had her pride.

“I bet those so-called rules are fake. Let’s see if anything happens to him.”

Her tone dripped with unshakable confidence.

Honestly, how could there possibly be some weird, supernatural rule-based horror scenario in real life? She figured Xu Nian had just watched too many creepy videos and let it mess with her head.

“Oh? Oh? Trash-tier Qingya, have you really sunk so low as to use a child as a test subject?”

Admittedly, it wasn’t the most ethical move.

But if the kid turned out fine, it’d prove the rules were fake.

Not a bad deal.

Thinking about it more carefully—

Even if Emotion Beasts existed in this world, why would they show up in a place this crowded?

…Wait.

Wasn’t a large crowd the perfect condition for Emotion Beasts to appear?

After all, they fed on emotional energy—the more people, the better.

They couldn’t care less about causing a panic.

In fact, chaos was their best fuel.

Xu Nian’s mind reeled. She slowly inched closer to the boy, though not too near.

Su Qingya followed, still composed, already looking forward to teasing Xu Nian when nothing happened.

Watching the usually smug Xu Nian get put in her place? Priceless.

But as they watched, sure enough, the airplane’s smile grew increasingly eerie. Its rigid shell began softening, as if preparing to swallow the boy whole.

Yet the boy remained oblivious, giggling happily as the ride rocked back and forth.

Stranger still, no one else seemed to notice the abnormality—even as the horror became unmistakable to Xu Nian’s eyes.

“Nian Nian, this… this is—”

Clearly, Su Qingya saw it too.

Without hesitation, Xu Nian rushed forward and yanked the boy off the ride.

The child’s laughter cut off as he stared at her, bewildered.

“Scram, kid. This spot’s mine now.”

“You’re a grown-up! How shameless, stealing from a kid—and I already put in a coin!”

“Coin? You’re supposed to use tokens, idiot. Consider that dollar a life lesson. Now beat it.”

Xu Nian deliberately put on her meanest face.

“You stupid fox!”

“Tch. Keep talking and I’ll teach you a real lesson.”

She raised a hand threateningly, and the boy bolted.

Xu Nian didn’t chase him.

She didn’t explain, either—how could she?

After all, if you became aware of Emotion Beasts, they became aware of you.

Was she supposed to just say, “There’s danger here”?

No one would believe her.

And Xu Nian wasn’t exactly a saint.

As long as the kid got away safely, that was enough.

She knew her limits.

She couldn’t protect everyone.

And with this many people around, how could she possibly keep track?

But if only she and Su Qingya could see the anomaly… did that mean only Emotion Handlers could perceive it?

Or was it those already tainted by the beasts?

Lost in thought, Xu Nian’s gaze returned to the rocking horse.

In an instant, it had reverted to normal—as if nothing had happened at all. Like it was all just her imagination, and she’d genuinely been a bully stealing a ride from a child.

“Nian Nian, this… are we caught up in some kind of supernatural incident?”

“Most likely an Emotion Beast outbreak. Can you calm down? Trash-tier Qingya, you’re an Emotion Handler now—why are you still shocked by this stuff? Trust me, we’ll be running into these messes way more often from now on.”

“I-I know that, logically, but how am I supposed to stay calm? I’m on the [Fear] Pathway, remember?” Su Qingya stammered, her voice tiny.

Xu Nian paused.

Right. Su Qingya was [Fear]-aligned.

Of course she’d be more prone to terror than most.

Just like how Xu Nian herself couldn’t help but laugh sometimes.

“Pfft—what a loser.”

“Nian Nian!”

Xu Nian gave Su Qingya’s bouncy rear a light smack.

“Hey! Why’d you hit me?”

“We can’t handle this. Let the authorities deal with it. If we follow the rules, the Emotion Beasts shouldn’t be able to harm us—the rules are the way to avoid danger.”

“But what if some of the rules are fake?”

“Impossible. This isn’t some game designed for entertainment—why would there be fake rules? That makes no sense. If the point was to harm people, why not make all the rules fake? Or just not post any at all?”

Xu Nian’s flawless logic dismantled the inconsistency in one go.

“Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless the monster’s behavior has changed, making the old rules obsolete, and the rule-makers haven’t realized yet.”

Su Qingya’s head spun.

“Then… what do we do?”

“Pfft. Trash-tier Qingya, don’t tell me you’re already scared stiff. How pathetic~”

“You weren’t saying that last night, Nian Nian!” Su Qingya pouted, cheeks puffing up.

Xu Nian flushed.

“Pervert! Why do you always bring that up?!”

“Bleh.” Su Qingya stuck out her tongue playfully, then turned serious again. “But if that’s the case, why don’t we just leave?”

“We can’t. Not unless… we complete the ‘process’ first.”

Xu Nian’s gaze drifted into the distance. The entrance that had once been there was now gone.

Beyond it, everything was shrouded in a hazy mist.

“Didn’t you notice? The exit’s disappeared.”

At Xu Nian’s words, Su Qingya finally saw it too.

After a long silence, her expression suddenly hardened with resolve.

“Don’t worry, Nian Nian. I’ll protect you.”

“Pfft! Trash~ Look how much you’re shaking! Pfft pfft pfft—”

“I-It’s my Pathway’s trait! Stupid Nian Nian! Stop mocking me!”