"Yes! It looks so fun!"
The family lined up, and soon, it was their turn. A staff member helped them into their seats and made sure the safety belts were locked.
The ride started to rise slowly into the sky.
From behind a control booth, the man in the black cloak was watching.
He had snuck into the ride’s magic core chamber earlier and placed a tiny cursed stone inside. Now, he held a spell paper in his hand.
As the ride went higher and higher, he whispered, "Fall. Break. Crash."
He slammed the spell paper against the wall. The cursed stone inside the ride’s magic core began to glow a sickly red.
Sparks flew. The wind magic started to spin wildly.
Inside the ride, Gu Jin frowned. She could feel something was wrong.
The dragon suddenly jerked to the side.
The other passengers screamed. The ride was shaking now, the wind magic going out of control.
"Something’s wrong!" Mr. Gu shouted.
"Don’t worry," Gu Jin said softly, her eyes glowing faintly green.
She reached her hand toward the safety belt and infused it with her plant energy. The vines grew from under the seats, wrapping around her family like an extra safety harness.
Then she stood up on the moving ride.
Everyone else was still screaming, but Gu Jin was calm.
Some of the passengers screamed louder as the ride twisted sharply. One of the seats snapped loose.
A teenage girl slipped out, falling fast through the air.
A boy flew off next, his arms flailing wildly.
A small child tumbled after them, crying.
The dragon-shaped ride was spinning out of control now. Everyone was panicking.
But Gu Jin’s eyes were sharp and focused.
She raised both her hands.
"Grow," she whispered.
Green light flashed from her palms. In an instant, dozens of long, glowing vines shot out from under the ride.
They moved like snakes—fast and smooth.
One vine caught the teenage girl gently, like a net made of soft leaves.
Another wrapped around the boy and pulled him safely back.
Three vines twisted together to create a wide, green cushion for the small child, lowering him safely to the ground.
Cheers and gasps came from below as people watched Gu Jin control the vines like magic strings.
One old man shouted from the ground, "She saved them all! With just her plants!"
But Gu Jin wasn’t done yet.
She looked at the front of the dragon ride, where the main wing was cracking. If it broke, the whole ride could crash.
A green-skinned figure suddenly appeared in mid-air beside her.
It was her skeleton warrior, but today, he looked like a strong undead fighter with dark robes and glowing eyes.
The passengers gasped again.
"Hold the wing," she ordered calmly.
The skeleton nodded and raised his hands.
Sharp earth pillars burst from the dragon’s broken wing and locked it in place.
The cursed stone had burned itself out. The dragon ride started to float down gently toward the ground.
Inside, the passengers were crying, gasping, and thanking the heavens.
Gu Jin stood in the center, vines moving gently around her like flower petals in the wind.
Mr. Gu stared at his daughter, shocked.
Madam Gu held Gu Jichun close and whispered, "Our Jin’er... really is amazing."
When the ride finally landed, the whole crowd below burst into claps and cheers.
"Did you see her catch them all?!"
"She saved everyone!"
"She even summoned an undead guardian!"
"Is that... the famous Gu Jin?! The alchemist genius?!"
Gu Jin landed softly on the ground as her vines faded away into green sparkles.
One by one, everyone started to thank her.
Gu Jin didn’t smile. Her red eyes scanned the crowd.
She knew this wasn’t an accident.
But then—clang clang clang!
Armored boots stomped onto the scene.
A group of guards, amusement park officials, and protectors in gold and silver robes rushed forward. Their leader, a tall man with sharp eyes and a phoenix badge on his chest, stepped out.
"What happened here?!" he barked.
The crowd turned to them angrily.
"Where were you when the ride broke?!"
"We could have died!"
"None of your people helped—that girl saved us!"
The official’s frown deepened. He looked at the ride, the cracks, and then at Gu Jin, who was standing calmly with vines still softly glowing at her feet.
Then one of the amusement park mages stepped forward and whispered something into his ear.
The official nodded and raised his voice.
"Citizens! Please remain calm. We have checked the ride’s magic core... and found something suspicious."
He pointed at Gu Jin. "Her energy signature is inside the core."
Gasps filled the air.
The official kept going.
"We believe the ride was sabotaged. And who was the only person using magic during the incident?"
He turned to the crowd.
"It was her. She used plants and summoned an undead. Very powerful. Too powerful for a young girl on a family trip."
Whispers started to grow.
"Wait... is that true?"
"She did have her vines in the ride..."
"Was this all just a show?"
The official spoke again. "Think about it. Who would benefit the most from this accident?"
"Who became the hero? Who gained fame? Respect?"
"She saved people from a danger she may have created. That’s a very old trick used by those who seek attention and power."
Even some of the saved passengers started to look uncertain.
Gu Jin stayed silent for a moment, her red eyes glowing faintly. Then, she slowly stepped forward.
Her voice was calm but strong.
"You say I caused this."
"You say I put people in danger just to look like a hero."
She paused, then looked directly at the official.
"If I truly wanted to be a hero, why didn’t I wait until more people fell?"
"Why did I stop the ride from crashing completely?"
"Why didn’t I show off with my fire or thunder magic?"
"I didn’t even let my undead use flashy attacks. He only held the wing."
The crowd started to quiet.
"If I wanted to be famous, I could have made the vines glow brighter. I could have shouted cool lines. I didn’t."
"I just saved people and made sure no one died."
"Would a person who caused this mess—really go that far to quietly help?"
The crowd looked at each other. What she said made sense.
One of the passengers she saved stepped forward.
"She caught my daughter in a vine net before she even hit the ground. You think that was planned? That kind of reaction speed isn’t fake."
Another one added, "And my boy was falling from so high! No one else could’ve saved him in time!"
A mother clutched her child and shouted, "She risked her own life standing up on that ride! No fake hero would do that!"
The crowd started to turn again.
"She’s the reason we’re alive!"
"You officials are just trying to push the blame away!"
The guards looked nervous now. The official’s eyes twitched.
Gu Jin looked at him and spoke again, softly this time.
"Instead of thanking me, you accuse me."
"Instead of protecting people, you arrived late and try to twist the truth. You’re not angry because I did something wrong. You’re angry because I made you look bad."
The official’s face turned red.
The crowd exploded in cheers and claps.
"She saw through them!"
"Her words are making more sense than this official’s words!"
"Shame on the officials!"
The guards quickly stepped back, not wanting to cause more trouble.
The official clenched his fists but forced a smile.
"This matter... will be investigated further."
But no one was listening to him anymore.
"You have accused me and think I will let you go? Do I look so naive?"
Gu Jin smiled coldly, her red eyes glowing as she looked at the official.
"You have accused me... and think I’ll just let it go?" she said clearly. "Do I look so naive?"
The crowd went silent again.
The official’s fake smile froze. "What... what do you mean?"
Gu Jin turned to face the people.
"They made a mistake. Their ride almost killed dozens of people. They were late. They blamed me to protect themselves."
She pointed at the cracked ride.
"This ride was poorly guarded. Someone sneaked in and placed a cursed stone in the magic core. That’s your job to protect. Not mine."
"Where were the guards?"
"How can someone even get near the magic core?!"
Gu Jin continued, her voice firm.
"I want compensation. Not just for myself. For everyone who was almost killed today."
The crowd stirred, surprised but interested.
Mr. Gu blinked. "Jin’er..."
Gu Jin raised her hand and counted on her fingers.