Chapter 617: Chapter 512: Crazy Circus_2
Yang Xiao had no intention of persuading him, after all, anyone who made it to this point wasn’t foolish. When it came to a matter of life and death, using it might lead to death, but not using it definitely would; even a child would make that choice.
The amusement park covered a huge area. Following the bustling main road, they finally arrived at Zone F. Guided by the map, they located the Crazy Circus, but to their disappointment, it had long been abandoned. The entrance to the structure, akin to an ancient Roman coliseum, was firmly shut, surrounded by overgrown wild grass.
As Yang Xiao and his companion approached the gate, they looked inside through the outermost iron grille. Inside, chaos reigned; discarded costumes and mineral water bottles, flasks, shoes, and other debris littered the ground. A little further in, the doors of several rooms along the hallway were half open, pitch-black inside due to the lack of lighting.
"Look over here," Lu Chenzhou called out to draw attention.
On the wall to the left of the iron grille hung a notice, tattered and yellowed with age, clearly having been posted for some time. It claimed that in order to ensure visitors’ experience, the equipment of the area would be renovated, resulting in the temporary closure of the Crazy Circus. As for when the renovations would be completed, the notice did not say.
Reaching out, Lu Chenzhou barely touched the notice, and a corner tore. He couldn’t help but say, "This notice must have been up for at least a year or two."
Having seen the place in person, Yang Xiao was more certain than ever that the abandoned building was connected to the clown. To uncover the truth, they had to go inside.
Yang Xiao had already assessed the strength of the Ghost; he was confident he could escape in the face of its attack.
Just as the two were lingering around, looking for a gap to sneak in through, suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle sounded from behind, followed by a harsh shout: "Who are you, and what are you doing here?!"
This unexpected shout genuinely startled them. Turning around, they saw the light from three dim yellow flashlights shining straight at them, so blinding they couldn’t keep their eyes open. Only when the figures drew close did Yang Xiao make out that they were three individuals dressed as security guards, in grey uniforms, each holding an old-fashioned metal flashlight.
"We’re asking you, what are you doing here?" The leader, a short middle-aged man with a fierce face, demanded.
"We’re tourists, and tourists come here to have fun, of course," Yang Xiao replied with unflinching voice and defiant attitude, "What’s with you shining flashlights in our eyes?"
"Move along, get out of here. We don’t allow entry here," the security guard gesticulated for them to leave, still maintaining some decorum given they were tourists.
"Why can’t we go in? I see there’s this attraction listed here, what’s it called..." Yang Xiao deliberately unfolded the park’s guide map, showing it to the security guard.
Lu Chenzhou who stood by his side immediately caught on and began to raise his voice, "Crazy Circus, we came here just for it!"
"Didn’t you see the place is closed, no lights on?" The guard explained helplessly, "Alright, now move along, go have fun somewhere else. This place has been out of operation for a long time. It’s pitch-black; we don’t want any incidents."
Taking advantage of the guard’s words, Yang Xiao purposely retorted: "What could possibly happen, could we run into a ghost? But honestly, with how dark and eerie this place is, turning it into a Haunted House attraction could make a killing."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the three security guards darkened immediately, and one young guard’s eyes betrayed his panic. Yang Xiao and his partner caught all this, and as the lead guard ushered Yang Xiao out, he scolded, "Don’t talk nonsense. Just leave when we tell you. Cut the crap and get going, or we’ll confiscate your tickets!"
"Just to let you know, it’s raining outside the amusement park right now, and it’s pouring. Haven’t seen rain like this in a long time..." whether intentional or not, a guard suddenly chimed in with this piece of information.
The mention of tickets made Yang Xiao and Lu Chenzhou lose their bluster; after all, they had sneaked in without tickets. If discovered by park staff, they could very likely be thrown out, and who knew whether that would count as breaking the rules.
Especially since the guard mentioned it was raining outside, rain meant the clown was near, and they might well be stepping straight into an endless pursuit by the Ghost.
Reluctantly, the two had to leave.
Only after Yang Xiao and the others had been chased off and were a good distance away did the three guards leave. Unintentionally, Yang Xiao overheard a smoking guard complaining about how unusual the visitors were that evening, always crowding around here. The leading guard slapped the smoking guard’s wide-brimmed hat and whispered a scolding, telling him to shut up and mind his own business.
These few words alerted Yang Xiao; the Crazy Circus was situated in a secluded area with no lighting, making it unlikely that tourists had mistakenly wandered there. The people the guard referred to, who had been gathering here, were probably the other contestants.
As to who exactly they were, that remained unclear. Even if they went back to question the guards now, they wouldn’t disclose anything, only causing unwarranted suspicion.
Once they had walked far enough to ensure no one was following, Lu Chenzhou spoke in a hushed tone, "These people act so quickly."
"Indeed, they’ve already been to the Crazy Circus. Whether or not they found any clues, we need to speed things up too," Yang Xiao said.
"What do we do now?" Lu Chenzhou asked, aware they had arrived late and that the previous group might have drawn the guards to them.
Recalling the guard’s behavior, Yang Xiao was certain something had happened here at the Crazy Circus. It was because of that incident the operation stopped and had not resumed to this day. The words on the notice were just to fool the Ghost.
