Chapter 189: The Password Is: This Is a Float, Not a Bumper Car!

Apparently, back when the puppet theater first opened, some reckless tourists had rushed in and even taken a bite out of a puppet hanging on the wall.

You see, the puppets here were crafted to look remarkably realistic and elaborate, so it was natural for these tourists to assume something else entirely.

They’d assumed the "people" here were actual human beings, imprisoned there, and since there were so many of them, what was the harm in sneaking a single bite?

What if it turned out to actually be edible?

As it happened, the unlucky tourist ended up with a mouthful of sawdust and a bit of lubricant that had just been applied.

The tourist was instantly horrified at the discovery. This wasn’t human at all — it was pure, plain wood!

Wood chips and lubricating oil, together, formed the visitors’ entire understanding of what these puppets actually were.

So after that single bite, none of them ever set foot inside the puppet theater again.

After hearing the baby-faced attendant’s explanation, all three of them were thoroughly shocked by the story.

"...May I ask something, if that’s all right? I don’t think you were originally assigned to work here, were you?"

Song Xizheng asked her cautiously, still not entirely sure.

The baby-faced attendant answered casually, "Sister Linglan had originally arranged for me here, but something came up that day, and I couldn’t make it."

"I see. That actually explains quite a lot."

The puppet-making room was divided into cubicles, and the three of them slipped into separate ones to change into the puppets’ clothing.

After finding the lubricant, the baby-faced attendant brushed it onto their knees and arms, then directly onto their clothes as well.

She was careful not to apply too much, though, since the scent could grow far too strong otherwise.

The tricolor vests could spot it easily enough anyway; just the smallest amount would be sufficient.

"All right, understood!"

"Whoever’s got spare clothes, hand me a set to wear too, would you." The baby-faced attendant put away the lubricant and turned around to ask them for something to change into herself.

Lin Yun pulled out an extra coat and handed it over. "Wenxi, even though I don’t know what Linglan’s trying to accomplish here, aren’t you worried about what happens if this plan fails?"

The baby-faced attendant took the coat and slipped it on. "I’m not afraid, honestly."

"This place has become such a horrible mess by now that I gave up on it a long time ago."

"Besides, the outside world changed a long time before this place ever did."

"The real reason none of us can leave is that the outside world has changed so drastically. This place is actually safer, because of all these visitors."

"Leaving means certain death, and staying has become worse than death anyway, so honestly, none of it really matters. I might as well take a gamble while I still can."

The baby-faced attendant let her hair down, scratching at it absently, letting it fall to partly cover her face.

She took a pair of pants from Song Zhenzhen and pulled them on.

"I’m all set now — let’s get moving!"

The three of them exchanged uncertain glances, unsure what exactly to say in response.

Perhaps... this place had become the way it was, at least partly, because of the system itself?

But there was nothing any of them could actually do to stop it or change it now.

The baby-faced attendant stepped out into the lobby and began whispering quietly among the assembled puppets.

Lin Yun and the other two couldn’t make sense of any of it — some kind of special language shared only between her and her puppets.

"I’ve already given them their instructions. Just blend in among them for now. I’ll run out shortly, and you can follow the puppets when they chase after me."

"Don’t worry, I work here — I have my own ways of keeping things safe."

The baby-faced attendant smiled at them, then turned and dashed away.

The puppets sprang instantly to life as well, rushing outside in pursuit.

She gave them no time to second-guess it, so the three of them had little choice but to quickly squeeze into the crowd of puppets.

The puppets obeyed her commands faithfully. Once the three humans had squeezed in among them, the puppets simply chased after her, running ahead of them all.

A small man in a tricolor vest spotted someone running out and started to give chase, but the moment he saw a whole crowd of puppets pouring out after her, he froze instead.

With so many puppets already involved, there was no need to bother chasing anything himself — he could leave that job to them.

Tourist: ? What was going on here?

He considered giving chase anyway, but the sight of the puppet crowd, combined with the memory of that lubricant’s taste, changed his mind, and he went back to his ongoing scuffle instead.

She ran remarkably fast, dodging various objects flying toward her along the way, heading straight toward the "safe zone" Linglan had once mentioned.

She didn’t actually know where this "safe zone" for outsiders was located, so all she could do was run in what she believed was roughly the right direction.

She meant to make a full circuit around the entire amusement park before stopping.

There were three outsiders hidden among her puppets right now, and each of them needed to make it out safely.

Song Zhenzhen was the first to slip out of the puppet crowd.

Before she left, though, there was one more thing.

Song Zhenzhen pressed something into Lin Yun’s hand, saying quietly, "If you ever get the chance, please pass this along to Wenxi."

Lin Yun tightened her grip on the object and quickened her pace slightly.

The second to leave was Song Xizheng, who likewise pressed something into her hand on his way out.

He didn’t say anything at all, but after working alongside him for a while now, she understood exactly what he meant.

She kept running and running, until at last she found herself in the parent-child interaction area.

Very few tourists or tricolor-vested staff remained here, and those still around all seemed to be heading elsewhere already.

Once inside the area, taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, Lin Yun called out to the baby-faced attendant once more.

The baby-faced attendant stopped in her tracks. "What is it?"

"Here, take this." Lin Yun handed over the item she’d been holding in her hand.

"We’ve arrived. Hurry back to the puppet theater now, and make absolutely sure no one finds out about this."

The baby-faced attendant smiled warmly at Lin Yun once more. "Okay, I will."

With that said, she immediately turned and left; she couldn’t afford to linger there for too long.

After leaving, she managed to slip back into the crowd of puppets, shed the costume she’d been wearing, and revealed a small green vest underneath.

Next, she intended to go help Linglan with whatever came next.

She glanced down at what she held. Song Xizheng had given her a few pieces of candy, Song Zhenzhen a one-time defense card, and Lin Yun two explosive grapes.

Wenxi gathered up her belongings and ran off toward the castle alongside the puppet.

...

Back at the shelter, Lin Yun let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed straight onto the ground.

Sang Biao unzipped the backpack and climbed out slowly, with Tuan Tuan following close behind him a moment later.

"Youyou, is that Wenxi girl really going to end up dying like the zookeeper did before her?" Tuan Tuan crouched down in front of Lin Yun, staring intently up at her face.

Lin Yun pressed her lips together. "Maybe. I honestly don’t know."

Beep beep beep!

Lin Yun frowned and opened her personal panel once again.

Song Xizheng: "Holy crap! Sister Lin, these people have completely lost their minds!"

Song Xizheng: "Maybe they started fighting each other, sure, but why on earth did they suddenly start smashing my float?! I’m absolutely speechless right now!"

Song Xizheng: "Help! If my float gets completely smashed, won’t I end up getting kicked out entirely?!"

Song Xizheng: "Sister Lin, please, help me out here!"

Lin Yun replied, "??? After they got hit, apparently, they tried heading toward the parent-child interaction area instead. Most of the tourists and tricolor vests around here have already run off entirely."

Song Xizheng: "Wait, seriously? That’s great news! Hang tight, I’ll head over there the moment the system tells me I can relocate my shelter!"

Song Xizheng found himself utterly speechless. He’d only just made it back when he spotted those tourists losing their minds entirely. Fighting was one thing, but why were they resorting to actual weapons?

Unfortunately, floats were only ever meant to be decorative, and there was no way anything could withstand being battered like that for long.

Wait... the password! Hands off the steering wheel! This is a float, not a bumper car!