TSA Chapter 36

Merry Christmas~

 

The group headed to the roller coaster line. The entrance was designed to look like a sleek car, and everyone queued up toward the ‘car door.’

Despite the long line outside, it moved quickly. Each ride seemed to open a separate instance for players, making the area outside the roller coaster relatively quiet. The lack of screams was almost unsettling.

By this time, Gu Le and the others had recovered from their earlier fright. With their spirits restored, they began enthusiastically speculating about what the roller coaster experience might entail.

“Since it’s called ‘Roller Coaster,’ it must be a flying car. Probably something like our star rail, right?” Sword at Fleeting Time analyzed thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

“I think so too,” Plume Ink agreed. “The description said it’s a project about speed and thrills. It might be like the star rail, letting us sightsee the whole city at high speed.”

“That makes sense!” Gu Le nodded fervently. “The haunted house was so scary; this instance must be meant to calm our nerves. What do you think, Ranran?”

Ran Qi offered a polite but awkward smile. “Hard to say. We’ll know once we’re inside.”

“You’re right!”

Since they had arrived late, there were at least a few thousand people ahead of them. Even with the fast-moving line, it still took 20–30 minutes before it was their turn.

The six of them stepped inside the entrance, where a translucent selection panel appeared before them.

[System] You may choose one of the following three scenarios. Successfully clearing any will reward you with three treasure chest keys. Each scenario can only be experienced once.

The options were [Earthquake and Landslide], [Star Beast Invasion], and [Night Chase].

This all felt a little too familiar…

Gu Le’s face immediately turned pale, his voice trembling. “Why does riding a roller coaster involve choosing scenarios? And why do the names sound so ominous?”

“No idea,” Night Owl said calmly. “Should we just pick at random again?”

“No, no, no!” This time, it was Soul Chaser who objected.

Night Owl raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then which one do you suggest?”

Gu Le hastily replied, “Not ‘Night Chase’—I’ve got a psychological fear of the dark now. Who knows what we’d be chasing or getting chased by?”

“Exactly! And ‘Earthquake and Landslide’ is out too—it screams danger!” Sword at Fleeting Time chimed in.

They eventually settled on [Star Beast Invasion], thinking it sounded the least dangerous. Knowing what star beasts were gave them a sense of familiarity and confidence. A battle? That was their territory!

Ran Qi, however, had already guessed this was likely an immersive experience-type ride. In his previous life, he had tried something similar at Universal Studios: a 4D projection combined with special effects to create an incredibly realistic experience.

In full holographic mode, it would probably be even more thrilling. He felt a twinge of excitement.

Yet Soul Chaser and the others’ expectation of a ‘fight-and-win’ scenario was almost laughable. A Children’s Day event instance wasn’t going to let them clear it with brute force. Watching their visible relief, Ran Qi couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.

Beside him, Night Owl glanced at him, his eyes carrying a hint of insight. He didn’t expose Ran Qi’s thoughts and merely said in a low voice, “Let’s head in.”

[System] Loading scenario. Please wait…

Moments later, the six of them appeared in a closed-off platform. In front of them was a six-seater, bullet-shaped mini-train. It had three rows, two seats per row, with significant space between each row. The seats looked quite comfortable. However, since the platform was enclosed, they couldn’t see where the track led.

Soul Chaser panicked. “Ah! Our clothes changed again!”

Plume Ink exclaimed, “And our skills are still disabled!”

Night Owl pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why would you need equipment or skills for a sightseeing coaster?”

“Good point…” They finally calmed down. “At least we’re all in the same car this time. They can’t split us up again!”

Ran Qi: “…”

Brother, has no one told you not to tempt fate by making bold claims?

[System] Please take your seats.

“I’m not sitting in the front!”

“Yeah, same here!”

The group of grown men all scrambled to avoid the front row. In the end, Ran Qi and Night Owl ended up in the first row, the timid Gu Le and hot-headed Soul Chaser took the middle, while the seemingly calm yet slightly nervous Plume Ink and Sword at Fleeting Time took the back. The seat restraints automatically lowered, securing everyone tightly in place.

[System] You are tourists visiting a new city. However, a star beast has suddenly appeared, causing massive destruction. You must flee in your vehicle. Don’t worry—The Warrior God will save you! Please enjoy the sensory thrill of speed and excitement. Do not attempt to escape your seat restraints. You may leave the instance at any time. (Note: Three violations will result in removal from the instance.)

As the system finished its announcement, the car began to move slowly. The platform vanished in an instant, and they found themselves in the middle of a bustling city street. Around them were towering skyscrapers and a variety of flying vehicles.

“Is this the capital star?” They had recognized their surroundings.

“Looks like it. I can even see the government building!”

“Wow, this really is just like the star rail!” Their car had transformed into a sightseeing version of the star rail. The interior resembled a mini high-speed train, only suspended in the air. The passengers could gaze out at the capital planet’s scenery through the panoramic windows.

Just as they began to relax, an alarm suddenly blared. A massive star beast had breached the capital’s defense barrier and appeared before them.

In the vast universe, there were many enormous interstellar monsters known as star beasts. Influenced by cosmic radiation, they were extremely aggressive. However, their meat was a vital food source for interstellar civilizations.

Ran Qi had never seen a living star beast before, so he eagerly widened his eyes for a better look. The beast resembled a monster from a Godzilla movie he had seen in the past, with a body covered in tough scales, sharp spikes along its back, and a mouth filled with razor-like teeth. It looked incredibly dangerous.

The star beast conveniently appeared directly in the path of their car. With a casual swipe of its claws, it grabbed the vehicle effortlessly. Pressing its fierce eyes against the windows, it peered inside before opening its massive maw and chomping down.

What had started as a tranquil sightseeing tour instantly turned into an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride. They could see the monster’s gaping maw in vivid detail, smell its foul breath, and hear the screech of its teeth grinding against the car’s metal exterior. Yet, with all their equipment and skills disabled, they were utterly powerless to resist.

To ensure the safety of the sightseeing passengers, the sightseeing car was incredibly sturdy. No matter how hard the star beast tried, it couldn’t bite through the vehicle. It only managed to shatter one of the windows. The beast attempted to stick its sharp claws through the broken window. Unfortunately for it, the window was too small, though it did manage to wedge a few of its claws inside, sweeping its razor-sharp nails dangerously close to everyone’s faces.

[System] Players [Coke] and [Soul Chaser] violated the rules once.

The star beast’s claws had narrowly grazed them, scaring Gu Le into frantically struggling in his seat, while Soul Chaser instinctively kicked at the claws. Both actions triggered a violation.

When the beast couldn’t get them out of the car, it resorted to violent shaking, seemingly trying to throw the passengers out.

The small car was tossed around like a toy in the beast’s claws, flipping up and down. Had they not been securely fastened to their seats, they would have been tumbling all over the place.

“Ahhhhh!” In such a situation, screaming seemed to be a natural human instinct. It didn’t matter if they were military cadets or elite mecha students. Piloting mechas in combat was a far cry from being defenseless, trapped inside a metal box, unable to resist.

When the beast ultimately failed to extract them, it hurled the car into the air.

The vehicle began a freefall from hundreds of meters high, plummeting toward the ground.

“Ahhhhh!” Even though they knew this was just a game, the hyper-realistic sensory experience created an overwhelming terror of weightlessness, prompting uncontrollable screams.

It was no different from riding a roller coaster. Even when you know it’s just a ride and you’re securely strapped in, the intense thrill makes you scream every single time.

Just before they could collide with the ground, a massive mechanical hand caught them. More precisely, it was the hand of a towering black mecha, about tens of meters tall.

The mech was adorned with intricate sea-blue patterns that radiated an aura of mysterious power. Under the sunlight, its surface gleamed with a sharp, metallic sheen.

“It’s Thor!” Gu Le exclaimed in excitement. He instantly recognized it as the Imperial Marshal’s personal mech. As the Empire’s strongest asset, only this mech could rightfully be called Thor.

Ran Qi also gasped in awe, but for a completely different reason. He admired the game designers’ brilliance in using a beloved national hero for a heroic rescue scenario. This kind of experience was akin to Spider-Man swooping in to save you during a bank robbery—purely exhilarating.

What followed was an epic battle between the star beast and Thor. Meanwhile, Ran Qi and his group, trapped in their car, were tossed around like helpless toys. The car soared through the skies, plunged downward, and was flung in all directions at breakneck speed. Finally, the vehicle couldn’t withstand the intense movement and broke apart mid-air, with its seats being flung off in different directions.

Seriously, didn’t anyone tell you not to tempt fate by declaring things won’t go wrong?

“Ahhh!” Even Ran Qi couldn’t suppress his scream anymore.

Since the seats were connected in pairs, Ran Qi and Night Owl were flung away together.

“Don’t worry,” Night Owl said, reaching out to grab Ran Qi’s hand. Just as he was about to offer some comforting words, he noticed that Ran Qi, despite screaming, had his eyes wide open with excitement. His face was slightly flushed, and he looked more thrilled than scared…

Night Owl was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to release Ran Qi’s hand or keep holding it. His grip froze awkwardly.

Sensing the hesitation, Ran Qi immediately gripped his hand tighter and continued screaming.

The feeling of being individually flung out was entirely different from merely sitting in the car. Even Ran Qi, who enjoyed thrilling experiences, felt slightly overwhelmed. Holding onto something—or someone—was the only way to feel somewhat secure.

Thor intervened in time, catching them and reuniting them with what remained of the car.

Finally, he returned them to the starting platform after defeating the star beast with an electric light cannon.

[System] Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the ‘Star Beast Invasion’ scenario. You have earned 3 treasure chest keys. Would you like to proceed to the next scenario?

Even after the system’s notification, the group remained in a daze, struggling to collect themselves.

The safety restraints holding them in their seats finally lifted. Ran Qi suddenly noticed that he was still tightly holding Night Owl’s hand…

“Sorry!” Ran Qi blushed furiously as he quickly released his grip. Embarrassed, he stammered, “Did I hurt you?”

He had been so caught up in the excitement that he’d completely forgotten he was holding someone’s hand…

“No, it didn’t hurt.” Night Owl chuckled softly before asking, “Ready for the next scenario?”

“Sure…”

“No way!” Gu Le and the others shouted in unison.

Ran Qi’s voice was instantly drowned out. It was clear they had no intention of continuing.

Ran Qi pouted slightly, his energy visibly deflated. To Night Owl, it almost seemed as if he could see drooping ears above Ran Qi’s head.

“How about we split up?” Night Owl suggested. “The roller coaster and haunted house each give three keys. It’d be a waste not to get them all. I’ll team up with Ran Qi, and you guys can tackle the other games.”

“Sounds great!” The others eagerly agreed. Their hearts couldn’t take any more thrills for the day, and they couldn’t understand how Night Owl and Ran Qi could still be ready for more.

“Really?” Ran Qi’s eyes lit up as he looked at Night Owl. After the adrenaline rush had settled, he found himself longing to relive the excitement.

Ran Qi was naturally good-looking, with big, round eyes. In the game, his irises were a stunning shade of blue, crystal-clear like jewels. When he looked up with such bright, eager eyes, paired with his soft silver hair, he seemed impossibly endearing. It made anyone want to reach out and pat him on the head.

“Of course,” Night Owl said, clenching his slightly itchy fists before turning to the others with a straight face. “Make sure you collect the rest of the keys.”

“Got it! Leave it to us!” Soul Chaser thumped his chest confidently. He had carefully studied the game descriptions earlier and knew the roller coaster and haunted house were the most intense attractions. The remaining ones should be much more manageable.

Gu Le urged them, “Hurry up and go!”