Before receiving the system notification, Luo Shengle was sitting in front of her computer, searching for information related to “The Gods’ Amusement Park.”
Following a chain of clues, she eventually discovered a privately built fan forum dedicated to the game. After answering several questions that only actual players would know, she successfully registered an account.
For the time being, she cautiously refrained from binding any personal information. Using this freshly created, completely blank throwaway account, Luo Shengle took a general tour around the forum.
There was an international section and a Chinese language section, the latter clearly far more crowded and active. Within the Chinese section, the boards were further divided into a “Gossip Zone,” “Casual Chat Zone,” “Team Up Zone,” “Trading Zone,” and a “Bounty Zone”
Luo Shengle quickly grasped the rough structure and rules of the forum, categorizing the information neatly inside her mind.
Afterward, she browsed a few threads discussing the “Future Diary” feature and discovered that the descriptions of the so called “Narrator” were wildly inconsistent, obviously a mixture of truth, exaggeration and outright fabrication.
In the version most players tended to agree upon, the mysterious phone was said to represent a cold, powerful and whimsically sadistic higher being. Many believed that this entity watched people struggle for their lives through the screen and would occasionally bestow a small favor, simply because the spectacle unfolding before them had become genuinely entertaining.
“Like giving tips for a particularly good performance…” Luo Shengle read aloud the players’ speculation, neither agreeing nor denying.
To be honest, she didn’t care what motive the Narrator had for helping her, what mattered was that, despite never having met her, He had unquestionably saved her life.
Luo Shengle would not lower her guard so easily, nor abandon her vigilance but at the same time, she would remember that kindness and tuck it deep into her heart.
If she ever had the chance and if it did not require her to compromise her principles, she would absolutely be willing to repay the mysterious being who had once offered her help so generously… although, considering her current strength, she probably wouldn’t be of much use anyway.
Thinking this, Luo Shengle gave a helpless, self mocking shrug and continued scrolling through the posts.
The further she read, the more the players’ theories descended into elaborate conspiracies, leaving Luo Shengle both surprised and somewhat baffled.
Were these people really so certain that a Narrator who used a mobile phone as His communication device wouldn’t one day decide, on a whim, to check the forum?
Right at that moment, her computer screen abruptly went pitch black.
Just as Luo Shengle was about to stand up and check the power cable, the screen lit up again and a crooked, wobbling line of text appeared, so clumsy it looked as though a child had leaned over the monitor and written it stroke by stroke:
“Instance begins in one hour. Please prepare yourself.”
Even though she had already experienced this more than once, this kind of sudden, horror movie like notification still filled Luo Shengle with overwhelming discomfort.
It forced her to confront, with terrifying clarity, that the boundary between her everyday life and the “Amusement Park” was growing thinner and her once ordinary, peaceful daily routine had already been invaded…
Frowning, Luo Shengle tore her gaze away and quickly closed the page.
She changed into athletic clothing that would allow her to move freely, packed essential supplies, such as a flashlight, power bank and bottles of water, into a lightweight hiking backpack and then composed a scheduled email on her computer.
Time inside an instance flowed differently. No matter how long she spent inside, in reality no more than twelve hours could ever pass. Therefore, if she failed to return within a reasonable period, that email would serve as her final message, her will and be automatically sent to her family and friends.
The clock ticked steadily. One hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Behind Luo Shengle, a door suddenly materialized, its frame appearing as if embedded with countless shimmering stars. Nebula like colors flowed slowly from the four corners of the stargate, brilliant, surreal and hypnotically strange.
Her hands tightened unconsciously around the straps of her backpack. Without a moment’s hesitation, Luo Shengle stepped into the unknown doorway.
The instant her foot crossed the threshold, it felt as though she had stepped onto a soft, weightless cloud. A burst of dazzling color filled her vision, like watercolor pigments blooming and spreading in clear water.
When her vision finally returned to normal, Luo Shengle felt solid ground beneath her feet. She stood before a sleek, modern, silver white building. On either side of the open entrance, words were carved into the frame.
“Whalebone Aquarium, presenting to you the sea as it truly is.”
The system’s cold, emotionless voice echoed in her ears: “Welcome to the B rank instance ‘Whalebone Aquarium.’ Good luck.”
“Instance Introduction: This renowned aquarium has nearly a century of history, named after its first exhibition piece, a massive fragment of a deep sea whale’s bones. Unfortunately, in recent years, the aquarium has been plagued by frequent disappearances, causing visitor numbers to plummet. This has left the director and staff deeply troubled.”
“Some say the aquarium has been cursed by something terrifying.”
“Main Task: Survive inside the aquarium for three days. You may leave the instance afterward.”
“Side Task: Do you hear it, the child who lost his mother, crying in the dark? If you can, soothe this lingering wail and dispel the haze shrouding the aquarium.”
In the upper right corner of her vision, Luo Shengle noticed a bright red three minute countdown. She instantly realized it was the system pressuring her to enter the aquarium.
So the required three days must be continuous and uninterrupted, no loopholes allowed.
Taking advantage of the aquarium’s free admission day celebrating its one hundred year anniversary, Luo Shengle blended into the crowd and walked in without needing identification or tickets.
In the spacious lobby, a tour guide was speaking through a megaphone. From her narration, Luo Shengle learned more about the aquarium’s origins:
“This Whalebone Aquarium you see today was founded a century ago by a retired navigator. This wealthy and courageous gentleman conquered countless waves and on the final voyage of his career, he discovered an unprecedentedly enormous whale bone.”
“That bone is where the aquarium’s name comes from. Even though this precious exhibit is no longer publicly displayed and despite multiple renovations and reconstructions, the place has retained this mysterious name to this day.”
“The aquarium is divided into Hall A and Hall B. Hall B is currently under reconstruction and therefore closed. I will now guide you through Hall A, where we’ll explore the mysteries and splendors of the ocean…”
After listening for a while and finding no further useful information, Luo Shengle quietly slipped out of the group and began surveying the surroundings on her own.
Because of the side quest, she paid extra attention to every child she encountered but none appeared to resemble the task’s target.
As expected, the system wouldn’t assign something as simple as helping a lost child reunite with a guardian. If that were the case, it wouldn’t qualify as a side task at all…
Luo Shengle’s thoughts drifted lazily. She felt no disappointment, no discouragement.
Passing through the bright, spacious lobby, she entered the long corridor of Hall A. The entire passage flowed in smooth, gentle curves, resembling calm ocean waves. The dome and the walls were seamlessly connected, allowing countless colorful fish to swim freely overhead, separated only by a barrier of clear glass.
Light filtered through layers of shifting water, casting soft, rippling shadows on visitors. It was as if a thin veil of cool, shimmering water coated the very air, giving the illusion of walking through a fantastical undersea world.
No wonder the aquarium was packed, it truly was beautifully designed.
Even Luo Shengle felt her tense heartstrings loosen. Her pace slowed as she carefully studied the aquarium’s fish.
She didn’t know much about marine life but she could tell immediately that many of the species here did not exist in the world she grew up in.
For instance, she had never seen a fish with a row of finger like appendages growing beside its gills. When it fluttered its fins to stir the water, those “fingers” undulated right along with the waves.
Another slender fish darted past her vision. Its neat, silver “scales” shifted faintly. When she looked closely, Luo Shengle realized with a start that they were not scales at all but countless jagged ivory teeth, densely packed over its entire body, like blossoms crafted from shimmering metallic petals…
But the most unsettling creature was a scaleless fish whose face bore three eyes arranged in a triangular pattern.
Through the glass, she locked eyes with the three eyed fish for two tense seconds and realized in astonishment that it had thick eyelashes and its eyes blinked at her in a disturbingly human manner. Its round pupils were pitch black, staring at her so intently that goosebumps prickled up her arms.
Those three eyes… looked far too much like a person’s.
Yet at the same time, the gaze was hollow and abyssal, unlike a human’s and unlike anything truly alive. It gave her a chilling sense of something caught between human and not human.
After circling the hall, Luo Shengle committed the aquarium’s general layout to memory. The sun lowered in the sky and dusk settled in. The crowd gradually thinned.
Watching the thinning flow of people, Luo Shengle slowly furrowed her brows, staring blankly at a section of glass.
Something felt wrong…
She had the distinct, uneasy sensation that she had overlooked something important.
A vague anxiety swelled inside her, like a lump of air stuck in her chest, unable to be exhaled, unable to be swallowed.
“What exactly did I overlook…?” she murmured softly. She pressed her palm against the cold glass, hoping the chill would help her clear her head.
At that moment, silver words slowly appeared on the glass beside her hand. They bled gently into the rippling reflection, as though an invisible hand on the other side was calmly writing:
【Pay attention to the time.】
Luo Shengle jolted violently, clearly startled. She scanned her surroundings to ensure no one was looking in her direction before whispering in a hushed, trembling voice, “M… Mr. Narrator?”
【Yes.】
The word lingered for a second, then vanished, replaced by a new message:
【The aquarium has a closing time. You don’t have much time left.】
Closing time?
Luo Shengle froze for a heartbeat, then realization struck her like lightning.
Of course. She had unknowingly ignored the most basic rule, the requirement that she could not leave the aquarium for the entire three days.
But the aquarium, as a public facility, must close eventually and once it did, every visitor, including her, would be escorted out.
“Thank you for the warning!”
Relief washed over her, lightening her voice. “I’ll find a way immediately, something that allows me to stay inside the aquarium long term.”
What identity should she choose…?
Her gaze swept around and halted on an aquarium staff member hurrying past.
More precisely, her focus locked onto the black uniform and the employee name tag.
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
(っ˘ڡ˘ς) ☕ please feed the translator
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Mysterious letterChapter 2 · Divine MessagesChapter 3 · Gamer ForumChapter 4 · Invitation from GodChapter 5 · JudgeChapter 6 · TerminalChapter 7 · Destruction of recordsChapter 8 · Whale Bone Aquarium (1)Chapter 9 · Whale Bone Aquarium (2)Chapter 10 · Whale Bone Aquarium (3)Chapter 11 · Whale Bone Aquarium (4)Chapter 12 · Whale Bone Aquarium (5)Chapter 13 · Whale Bone Aquarium (6)Chapter 14 · Whale Bone Aquarium (7)Chapter 15 · Whale Bone Aquarium (8)Chapter 16 · Whale Bone Aquarium (9)Chapter 17 · Whale Bone Aquarium (10)Chapter 18 · Whale Bone Aquarium (11)Chapter 19 Part 1 · Whale Bone Aquarium (12)Chapter 19 Part 2 · Whale Bone Aquarium (12)Chapter 20 · Interlude: His ApostlesChapter 21 · Echoes in the pupa (1)Chapter 22 · Echoes in the pupa (2)Chapter 23 · Echoes in the Pupa (3)Chapter 24 · Echoes in the Pupa (4)Chapter 25 · Echoes in the Pupa (5)Chapter 26 · Echoes in the Pupa (6)Chapter 27 · Echoes in the Pupa (7)Chapter 28 · Echoes in the Pupa (8)Chapter 29 · Echoes in the Pupa (9)Chapter 30 · Echoes in the Pupa (10)Chapter 31 · Echoes in the Pupa (11)Chapter 32 · Echoes in the Pupa (12)Chapter 33 · Echoes in the Pupa (13)Chapter 34 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (1)Chapter 35 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (2)Chapter 36 · Interlude: Investigation by the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs (3)Chapter 37 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (1)Chapter 38 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (2)Chapter 39 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (3)Chapter 40 · Small World: God’s Chessboard (4)Chapter 41 · Advertisement Coming Soon (1)Chapter 42 · Advertisement Coming Soon (2)Chapter 43 · Advertisement Coming Soon (3)Chapter 44 · Advertisement Coming Soon (4)Chapter 45 · Advertisement Coming Soon (5)Chapter 46 · Advertisement Coming Soon (6)Chapter 47 · Advertisement Coming Soon (7)Chapter 48 · Advertisement Coming Soon (8)Chapter 49 · Advertisement Coming Soon (9)Chapter 50 · Advertisement Coming Soon (10)Chapter 51 · Advertisement Coming Soon (11)Chapter 52 · Advertisement Coming Soon (12)Chapter 53 · Advertisement Coming Soon to EndChapter 54 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (1)Chapter 55 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (2)Chapter 56 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (3)Chapter 57 · Interlude – Tonight No One Sleeps (4)Chapter 58 · Childhood Ghost Stories (1)Chapter 59 · Childhood Ghost Stories (2)Chapter 60 · Childhood Ghost Stories (3)Chapter 61 · Childhood Ghost Stories (4)Chapter 62 · Childhood Ghost Stories (5)Chapter 63 · Childhood Ghost Stories (6)Chapter 64 · Childhood Ghost Stories (7)Chapter 65 · Childhood Ghost Stories (8)Chapter 66 · Childhood Ghost Stories (9)Chapter 67 · Childhood Ghost Stories (10)Chapter 68 · Childhood Ghost Stories (11)Chapter 69 · Childhood Ghost Stories (12)Chapter 70 · Childhood Ghost Stories (13)Chapter 71 · Childhood Ghost Stories (14)Chapter 72 · Childhood Ghost Stories (15)Chapter 73 · Childhood Ghost Stories (16)Chapter 74 · Childhood Ghost Stories (17)Chapter 75 · Childhood Ghost Stories (18)Chapter 76 · Childhood Ghost Stories (19)Chapter 77 · Childhood Ghost Stories (20)Chapter 78 · Childhood Ghost Stories (Complete)Chapter 79 · Interlude: His Kingdom (1)Chapter 80 · Interlude: His Kingdom (2)Chapter 81 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (1)Chapter 82 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (2)Chapter 83 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (3)Chapter 84 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (4)Chapter 85 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (5)Chapter 86 · Interlude: An Epic of Faith (Complete)Chapter 87 · Fate casually rolls the dice (1)Chapter 88 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (2)Chapter 89 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (3)Chapter 90 · Fate Casually rolls the dice (4)Chapter 91 · Fate casually tosses the dice (5)Chapter 92 · Fate casually tosses the dice (6)Chapter 93 · Fate casually tosses the dice (7)Chapter 94 · Fate casually tosses the dice (8)Chapter 95 · Fate casually tosses the dice (9)Chapter 96 · Fate casually tosses the dice (10)Chapter 97 · Fate Casually tosses the dice (11)Chapter 98 · Fate casually tosses the dice (12)Chapter 99 · Fate casually tosses the dice (13)Chapter 100 · Fate casually tosses the dice (14)Chapter 101 · Fate casually tosses the dice (15)Chapter 102 · Fate casually tosses the dice (16)Chapter 103 · Fate casually tosses the dice (17)Chapter 104 · Fate casually tosses the dice (18)Chapter 105 · Fate casually tosses the dice (19)Chapter 106 · Fate casually tosses the dice (20)Chapter 107 · Fate casually tosses the dice (21)Chapter 108 · Fate casually tosses the dice (The End)Chapter 109 · Interlude