The two stopped in their tracks and looked into the pitch-black indoor space.
This place was located in the mall's unlit area. Although the sun hadn't set yet, there was only a dim sliver of light—just enough to keep them from going completely blind.
Furry rabbit plushies stood at the entrance. They were over a meter tall and designed in an anthropomorphic style. There were three in total—white, purple, and pink—with smiles stitched onto their cloth faces.
In a well-lit area accompanied by cheerful music, these plushies would have been perfect for photos. But here, lurking in a gloomy corner surrounded by Zombies and dried blood, they looked as if they might spring to life at any moment and strangle someone.
It was safe to say the atmosphere was incredibly unsettling. When you looked at them, their molded black plastic eyes seemed to stare right back. A timid person making eye contact for even a few seconds would probably scream and tap out in sheer terror.
Looking further inside, they saw the front desk of the children's park. During normal business hours, attendants would stand there to greet parents and coax them into buying membership cards.
To the right of the front desk was a door leading deeper into the actual play area. Outside that door sat a few soft sofas, likely intended as a resting area for parents.
This children's park probably also functioned as a daycare. Parents who wanted a break could hand their kids over to the receptionist, let the little ones play inside on their own, and then pick them up when they were done.
Since there was only one entrance and exit with someone keeping watch at all times, there was no fear of children wandering off. However, this architectural layout was quite unfriendly to Bai Mu and Misty Rain Traveler. The innermost play area was completely pitch-black, making it impossible to see what lurked inside.
Bai Mu scanned the surroundings but could not find anything resembling gasoline. Misty Rain Traveler gestured for them to go inside and take a look. Thus, with one watching the right and the other watching the left, the two of them stepped through the door, passing between the cluster of rabbit plushies.
Bai Mu gripped his Fire Axe tightly, guarding against any Zombies that might be hiding in their blind spots. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Misty Rain Traveler throwing a knife, cleanly and efficiently taking out a Zombie dressed as a receptionist.
There was absolutely nothing on Bai Mu's side. That single Zombie was the only one in the reception area, leaving him as a mere bystander once again.
The two conducted a thorough search of the reception area but found no gasoline. However, the deeper they walked into the room, the more pronounced the smell of gas became, no longer masked by the stench of rotting corpses.
Misty Rain Traveler also clearly caught a whiff of that pungent odor. She knew they were getting very close to the gasoline.
Bai Mu sniffed out the source of the smell—it was wafting from the corridor. The gasoline was somewhere inside that pitch-black indoor park. He made a hand signal, indicating to Misty Rain Traveler that the gas was in there.
After what had just happened, Misty Rain Traveler realized that Bai Mu had a very sharp nose. The item they desperately needed right now was definitely inside, but she hesitated over whether they should go in and search for it immediately.
Ahead lay an enclosed space. The fading light of the setting sun could only illuminate a tiny patch of the tiled floor, leaving the contents beyond the door obscured. It was so gloomy and eerie that it sent chills down her spine.
During her dozen or so seconds of hesitation, another bout of crying echoed out. This time, it was much clearer. It wasn't an illusion; it sounded like a woman weeping. She cried with such sorrow and resentment, as if she had just been kicked out of a taxi by her ex-boyfriend and abandoned on the side of the road in the pouring rain.
"Isn't this a Zombie Script? Why does it feel like a horror movie?" Misty Rain Traveler whispered, goosebumps rising all over her skin.
Although she was a D-grade Player, she hadn't quite transcended the realm of humanity just yet. She still possessed all the normal human emotions, and fear was naturally one of them.
She had managed to build up some courage while surviving in the Scripts, but when faced with the unknown darkness, the primal fear hardwired into her DNA once again gained the upper hand.
She licked her lips and glanced at Bai Mu. He still wore a completely stoic look, his face clearly saying, 'I await the captain's orders.'
After some thought, Misty Rain Traveler decided to go in and take a look. Gasoline was a mandatory story item they had to find. If they didn't go in now, they would still have to do it later after regrouping with Great Northern Wilderness and his brother.
The main issue was that they had no idea what the brothers' situation was. If they went down to the first floor, they might not even be able to wait for them, and if they did wait, they would still have to come all the way back here.
In a team-based Script, even though teammates could divide the labor and cooperate, pinning all your hopes on others was ultimately unrealistic.
Misty Rain Traveler wasn't that kind of person. The very reason she had volunteered to be the leader was that she wanted to keep the pacing of the mission firmly in her own hands, rather than being ordered around by someone else.
She didn't believe any of her three teammates were stronger than she was. Her Bloody Nurse Set was an E-grade equipment set she had obtained by pure chance after completing a highly difficult Side Quest, and Bloody Throwing Knife was an extra active skill inherent to the set.
In terms of attack power, she firmly believed she was the strongest. If her throwing knives couldn't handle the female ghost inside, then adding those two brothers to the mix probably wouldn't make a damn bit of difference either. Unless there were an exceptionally large number of Zombies hiding within—more than five—making it impossible for her to effectively use her knives, only then should she consider finding more people to help.
As for exactly how many Zombies were actually in there, she wouldn't know until she poked her head in to check.
Besides, she still needed to figure out a way to establish her authority as the captain.
People would inevitably get tired and need rest. In a team Script like this, they could only make it far if the teammates were united. As the leader, Misty Rain Traveler needed to command respect in order to direct others effectively.
The squad had just been formed, and the greatest danger right now was mutual suspicion. If trust collapsed—if she didn't trust them and they didn't trust her—everyone would fight for themselves, causing their chances of clearing the level to plummet.
The objective of the Script was to escape to the Evacuation Point. It was a long-haul mission, and they could only go the distance by dividing the work and cooperating. If she were completely alone, just keeping watch at night would be a massive problem.
Determined to find the gasoline first and establish her dominance, she waved her hand forward.
Bai Mu nodded. The two of them moved forward in formation, one behind the other.
Misty Rain Traveler tightly gripped her throwing knife while Bai Mu silently readied his axe. To avoid getting separated in the dark or losing sight of his teammate, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Maintaining physical contact, they passed through the corridor and entered a sudden, wide-open space.
It was so dark they could barely see their own fingers. Only a single faint ray of sunlight pierced through the closed windshields and iron grates from outside. Most of the area was shrouded in pitch-black darkness, making it impossible to spot any Zombies.
The only things they could make out were the silhouettes of equipment illuminated by the sliver of light: a rock climbing wall, a playhouse filled with small rubber balls, a Swimming Pool for kids... This place was surprisingly massive.
The crying became much more distinct after they stepped inside. It wasn't a continuous weeping, but rather a soft sob that echoed every few dozen seconds.
Misty Rain Traveler's nerves were stretched taut. She took a step forward, and her body suddenly froze. She felt her foot step on something that felt like a pile of thick mud.
The squishy texture triggered her reflexes, causing her to instantly hurl a throwing knife at her own feet while yanking her leg back.