I'm Not Afraid

The two of them walked over to the ticket checkpoint at the entrance of the roller coaster and joined the queue.

A few minutes later, it was Su Yang's turn. He pulled out two tickets and handed them to the attendant. After briefly asking a few standard questions—like whether they had high blood pressure or cardiovascular diseases—the attendant pressed a small black dot on the back of the tickets with a metal punch, marking them for the "Cloud Soaring Dragon" ride.

"All set, go ahead."

"Got it." Su Yang nodded and pulled Pan Ning along as they entered.

At Happy Valley, most thrill rides operated in cycles—once a full round of passengers boarded, the ride would start, and the rest would wait in line for the next round. Ahead of Su Yang and Pan Ning, about a dozen people were already queued up. After a short wait, the roller coaster slowly rolled into view along the tracks from the distance.

The passengers disembarking wore a mix of expressions—some flushed red, others pale as a sheet, a few trembling slightly all over, and some boys grinning ear to ear while clutching the hands of the girls beside them.

About ten seconds later, the roller coaster came to a smooth stop on the platform. Once everyone had stepped off, Su Yang and Pan Ning followed the line ahead and boarded, picking their own seats.

"Front or back?"

"Is there a difference?"

"No idea—I’ve never ridden one before. How about the first row?" Su Yang suggested, pointing to the empty front seats.

Pan Ning didn’t hesitate. To her, it didn’t matter where they sat.

"Sure."

They walked over and settled into the first row.

The roller coaster at Haicheng Happy Valley was a vertical drop coaster, consisting of three train cars with ten seats each, accommodating thirty riders per cycle.

Its highest point reached about 65 meters, with a near-90-degree drop and a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour.

Just imagine—slowly climbing to over sixty meters in the air, then plunging downward at 110 km/h.

The mere thought was thrilling.

Su Yang and Pan Ning sat in the middle of the first car. Once everyone was on, an attendant came by to double-check each passenger’s seatbelts and shoulder harnesses, ensuring everyone was properly secured.

This wasn’t something to joke about—if anyone’s restraints weren’t fastened right, flying off mid-ride would mean instant game over.

Soon, the attendant finished inspections and stepped away.

Pan Ning took a deep breath, gripping her shoulder straps tightly.

Su Yang glanced at her. "Don’t stress. It’ll be over fast—just that initial drop, then it’s smooth sailing."

"I know," Pan Ning replied with a nod.

Su Yang turned forward again. Back in Lucheng, he’d jumped from four thousand meters in the air without batting an eye—this roller coaster was child’s play to him.

After a two-minute wait, a sharp mechanical whirr signaled the ride’s start.

The roller coaster lurched forward.

Su Yang and Pan Ning sat dead center in the first car. To his right was Pan Ning, and beside her, a woman in her thirties or forties.

To Su Yang’s left was another girl—a high schooler around sixteen or seventeen, who had a friend of similar age seated next to her.

The two girls had clearly come together. From the moment they sat down, they’d been visibly tense, eyes squeezed shut, not daring to look ahead.

Su Yang didn’t stare. He kept his gaze forward, ready to take in the experience.

The roller coaster rolled steadily along the tracks until it reached the ascent point.

As the near-vertical steel framework loomed overhead, many passengers already started screaming.

"Whoooa!!"

"Ahhh, this is torture!! Just get it over with!"

"You’ll get your wish once we hit the peak~"

"Modern coasters love this slow climb—gets you all worked up before the plunge. Terrifying just thinking about it!"

Listening to the chatter behind him, Su Yang smirked.

He glanced at Pan Ning again—she was still taking deep breaths.

She was genuinely scared. The fact that she’d agreed to ride despite her fear touched him a little.

He reached over and took her left hand. "Don’t worry. I’m here."

Pan Ning met his eyes. "I’m not scared!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

As they bantered, the coaster climbed to about thirty or forty meters.

Now, everyone was tilted back, facing the sky with their backs to the ground.

The two girls beside Su Yang clutched each other’s hands, eyes still shut tight.

If they don’t even open their eyes, what’s the point?

Not that he’d say it out loud—he wasn’t that socially bold.

After another half-minute, the train finally reached the peak. The cars paused briefly, adjusting their angle until the front rows were tilted downward, staring straight at the ground.

Most coasters stopped briefly at the top before launching unexpectedly.

The two girls beside Su Yang knew this too. They peeked once, then shrieked.

"AHHH—!"

The sudden noise startled Su Yang. He turned. "Uh, we haven’t even dropped yet—why are you—"

"WAAAH!!"

Before he could finish, the coaster plummeted.

A rush of weightlessness surged through him—nothing he couldn’t handle.

Pan Ning’s grip on his hand tightened like a vise. He looked over.

Her eyes were shut, teeth clenched, her short wavy hair whipping wildly in the wind.

"Don’t be scared!" Su Yang shouted.

"AAAAAAHHH—!"

His voice was instantly drowned out by the chorus of screams from the other passengers.

Nearly half the riders across all three cars were howling at the top of their lungs.

The drop ended quickly. The weightlessness faded, the screams died down, and the coaster raced along the tracks at ground level.

Ahead loomed a 360-degree vertical loop.

WHOOSH!

The train shot through it, flipping everyone upside down and reigniting the screams.

And so, amid waves of shrieks and yells, Su Yang experienced his first-ever roller coaster ride.

[Ding. Detected host’s enjoyment of the roller coaster. Reward: 1 million.]

The entire ride lasted just over 200 seconds.

At such high speeds, time flew.

Soon, the coaster slowed, gliding smoothly back to the starting platform.

Pan Ning hadn’t made a single sound the whole time. Her left hand had crushed Su Yang’s, her right clinging to the shoulder straps.

Aside from the initial drop—which she’d endured eyes closed—she’d kept them open for the rest.

Su Yang grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Not bad—not a single scream."

"I told you I wasn’t scared."

"Color me impressed."

As they talked, the ride came to a full stop. Several attendants hurried over to unbuckle everyone.

Moments later, Su Yang and Pan Ning stepped off and walked over to a nearby bench.

Pan Ning pointed to the chair and said, "I’ll sit for a moment."

"Sure, take a short break, and then we’ll continue. By the way, is this your first time riding a roller coaster too?"

Pan Ning sat down and nodded. "Yes, another first for you."

......