Chapter Fifty-Two: The Middle Path Broken—A Conspiracy Unveiled

"Wenxin, have you ever been to an amusement park?" Mingchuan asked her, but received no reply.

Hoping to coax a word from her, Mingchuan decided to take her out for some fun. Yet, on the way there, Wenxin remained silent. "Wenxin, could you say something on the way? You neither refused nor agreed, just following me like this—it feels a bit strange!" Still, she said nothing, not until they reached the amusement park.

"Finally, we're here! Let's start playing!" To Mingchuan's surprise, Wenxin suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh?!" Her outburst startled him. "By the way, Wenxin, why did you suddenly start talking?"

"Heh! Father always forbade me from coming to places like this. He said it didn't suit my image."

"Well, that does make some sense! But never mind, we're out to have fun, so let's not worry about that!"

Mingchuan, well aware that the effects of the medicine hadn't worn off yet, knew she was telling the truth. The mention of 'Father' as a title was enough for him to understand who Wenxin really was.

"So, Wenxin, what do you want to go on first?"

"The roller coaster!"

"What?!"

Mingchuan had thought Wenxin was a gentle girl, so her choice shocked him. "Are you really not afraid of this?"

She smiled, "I've piloted airplanes before—why would I be scared of a roller coaster? What, are you scared?"

Seeing her so provocative, Mingchuan gladly accepted the challenge. "Alright, let's go for the tallest and fastest one, and take the front row!"

The so-called tallest and fastest was a roller coaster in this amusement park called "Time Shuttle." It was famous for being an indoor tunnel coaster with illusionary effects along the way. Built into the mountains, with a distant entrance and exit, it earned the name "Time Shuttle." Oddly enough, only Mingchuan and Wenxin boarded this ride; for some reason, no one else intended to take this run.

"Strange. Isn't this always packed with people? Why is it empty now?" Mingchuan wondered aloud, but Wenxin urged him on. "Stop thinking about it, come on!"

However, halfway through the ride, Mingchuan began to feel dizzy. "What's happening? A sharp pain..."

He soon lost consciousness.

"He probably isn't feeling well—can't handle such high speeds. Next time, be more careful and don't let him try it again." Mingchuan vaguely heard voices as he drifted in and out of awareness. He sensed he was lying down, yet his arms and legs felt as if they'd been restrained.

"What happened? Why did I pass out?" he wondered inwardly, though he pretended to remain asleep.

"Honestly, you never let me have a moment's peace," Wenxin sighed, patting his arm.

"Before I blacked out, my arm felt a sharp sting. Was it a sedative? So, Wenxin doesn't just use covert tactics, but direct ones too?" Mingchuan pieced together the clues. Early training had taught him to detect even the slightest prick to avoid being drugged, but he hadn't expected things to happen so quickly.

"Come on, wake up already!" Wenxin gave him a firm pat, prompting Mingchuan to sit up.

"Oh, you're awake?"

"With that, who wouldn't be? By the way, what happened to me? Did I faint?"

"Heh, serves you right! I told you not to show off!"

"You never said that!"

"Alright, the doctor said you're fine! Stop pretending you've barely recovered, pull yourself together, and let's keep playing!"

"Uh, what time is it?"

"It's still early!"

"Let's not go on anything too intense. Wait, what? The giant swing?"

----- Author's Note -----

Hello everyone, I'm Roland the Time Knight! Tomorrow I'm setting off on a trip. Though this chapter was slow to update, it had to be done (I made some last-minute changes to the plot and wasn't happy with it). I'll do my best to keep up while traveling! Also, I've set up a new project called "Memories of the Central Plains." It should go online in a few days once it's approved, and I plan to update it daily, so please support it! (Remember, it's a historical novel! Set in the Three Kingdoms period!)