The River Lord and he were both proactive, setting the pace, analyzing, and controlling the dominance—it was as if they were the natural leaders of the team.
Now that the River Lord is dead, he’s definitely the next target.
On the other side, Xi Shi said anxiously, “There’s only one minute left, make a decision quickly. What’s next? Keep our eyes closed, or open them?”
Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly, suggesting hesitantly:
“How about we vote?”
The Fire Enchanter spoke loudly:
“I choose to open our eyes. I don’t want to see any more heads rolling into my lap or our own people beheaded without reason. If we open our eyes, we might have a chance of survival, maybe we can figure out the Rule.”
Xi Shi looked at Zhang Yuanqing with hopeful eyes, but seeing that he remained silent, she reluctantly said:
“I also think it’s better to open our eyes. The feeling of having them closed is too awful.”
The Regretful Father was silent for a few seconds before agreeing, “I concur.”
Xie Lingxi added, “I agree too.”
Seeing the consensus, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven knew his vote was meaningless: “It seems I have no choice.”
Open our eyes? If the roller coaster’s killing Rule changes, that might be fine. But if it’s as I suspect, and the Evil disciple is the killer, have you considered the consequences of opening your eyes? Zhang Yuanqing thought with a chilling heart.
He was on the verge of revealing the truth about the mole in the team, but the spirit realm had given a hint to keep identities hidden.
This was both to protect the Evil disciple and the Captain, as this was not some real-life game where everyone starts off knowing there’s a wolf to be found.
We’re just a temporary team, should we just believe anything that’s said?
Hiding identities is clearly an Instance’s balancing mechanism, and revealing it rashly could trigger a punitive mechanism.
But he couldn’t let them continue like this, because they couldn’t afford to lose.
I have thought of a method, but it’s very risky. Zhang Yuanqing no longer hesitated and said solemnly:
“Is there a possibility, I mean, if the Rule for keeping our eyes closed hasn’t changed, have you thought about the consequences? Last round, only the River Lord died. There are two more rounds to go; at worst, two more will die. Choosing between complete annihilation and two deaths, I don’t need to spell out which is better.”
Everyone was silent, and the scene fell into a deadlock.
Seeing no one argue, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a small sigh of relief and immediately said:
“I have another way.”
Xi Shi’s face lit up with hope: “What is it?”
“Choose one person to stay on the platform to watch while the rest continue to ride the roller coaster with their eyes closed. This way, we have eyes observing, and those on the ride don’t take risks, avoiding the danger of a total wipeout.”
The team was stunned, and the Fire Enchanter frowned deeply, saying irritably:
“The Instance information indeed didn’t specify that we must experience the attractions together, but it also didn’t say we could split up. You should know that implies a risk.”
The spirit realm won’t tell you all the Rules outright, letting you go through the motions—things are not that easy.
For example, it says to form a team, but it doesn’t tell you what happens if you don’t. Maybe nothing, or maybe leaving the team means death.
“I know.” Zhang Yuanqing said slowly:
“So I’ll take this risk. I’ll be the one to stay behind.”
Having finished speaking, Zhang Yuanqing stared intently at his teammates. At this point, anyone who objected would be outing themselves as the murderer.
“I have no objections.”
“Neither do I.”
“It’s all on you now.”
“Wang Tai, be careful.”
No one opposed.
The murderer is smarter than I thought. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly in his mind and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt to step out of the roller coaster.
If staying behind is risky, then the murderer could potentially kill two people this round. With most people in agreement, it would be wise for the murderer to go with the flow, so the murderer is indeed clever.
But for Zhang Yuanqing, staying behind is risky, yet staying on the ride means certain death.
As the countdown ended, the roller coaster began to move with a “thud” at its base, slowly starting its ascent.
Zhang Yuanqing’s body tensed, vigilantly watching for any potential dangers around him while keeping a sharp eye on the slowly climbing roller coaster.
Sound couldn’t provide feedback, but the visuals certainly could. If the murderer dared to kill someone, he would immediately trigger his Old Illness and expose the culprit.
He didn’t believe the murderer could kill with just their thoughts, as that would not be in line with the Instance’s balancing mechanism.
After the roller coaster reached the peak, it plunged down, engaging in a free-fall descent, and Xi Shi on the ride let out a short scream.
“Rumble”
Under Zhang Yuanqing’s watch, the roller coaster roared along the undulating steel tracks like a dragon, and after two minutes, it slowed down and returned to the platform.
As soon as the roller coaster stopped, the riders immediately opened their eyes, tensely scanning their surroundings.
“No one’s dead, no one died this time”
Xi Shi exclaimed in surprise.
The others showed faces of relief, their tense expressions easing.
Xie Lingxi blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with a smile, “Did you observe anything unusual?”
The teammates immediately looked at Zhang Yuanqing, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Just as I suspected, the murderer isn’t the Rule, Zhang Yuanqing stated:
“I didn’t see anything.”
He was subtly hinting to his teammates.
If the Rule about keeping our eyes closed hasn’t changed, then how did the River Lord die? Think about it with your brains.
Hearing this, the teammates fell silent, contemplative.
In the following five minutes, everyone was exceptionally quiet. There was no communication, no discussion, and then they completed the third round under Zhang Yuanqing’s supervision.
“Phew, it’s over.”
Xi Shi couldn’t wait to unbuckle her seatbelt and, with long strides, jumped off the roller coaster as if escaping.
Zhang Yuanqing watched her and, after the rest of the teammates left the ride, he smiled contentedly:
“It’s my turn now. Please wait here for a moment, everyone.”
The roller coaster slowed down and came to a stop at the rooftop platform.
Zhang Yuanqing unfastened his seatbelt and joined his waiting teammates.
Stepping on the concrete ground, he suddenly felt a sense of relief and fatigue, as if he had narrowly escaped a major disaster.
We’ve finally completed one amusement attraction, only losing one teammate, which is within an acceptable range. Ah, we almost had a total wipeout, this S-level mission is too hard, Zhang Yuanqing thought wearily.
When he saw that his teammates also looked weary, he felt a sense of equilibrium.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing received an Instance notification in his mind:
“You have completed the starting task (roller coaster), and you have successfully activated the ‘Heart-pounding’ mission series. The series of Entertainment Facilities includes: roller coaster—Underground parking lot—Haunted house (ghost marriage)—Detective reasoning hall. Please proceed to the second location within half an hour.”
Ghosts, a haunted house! As the prompt echoed in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing’s face instantly stiffened.
Xie Lingxi, Xi Shi, the Middle-aged man, Fire Enchanter, and Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the smiles on their faces also slowly faded.
The roller coaster is part of the Heart-pounding series, and there’s a haunted house in this series!! Zhang Yuanqing sharply turned to look at the girl with long black straight hair.
At the same time, he received another notification in his mind:
“Ding, you have successfully led your teammates to complete a task, and you have one opportunity to exercise your Captain’s authority. Please identify the Evil disciple hidden among the teammates. The designated person will be eliminated!
If no choice is made within thirty seconds, you will forfeit this opportunity.”
The River Lord and he were both proactive, setting the pace, analyzing, and controlling the dominance—it was as if they were the natural leaders of the team.
Now that the River Lord is dead, he’s definitely the next target.
On the other side, Xi Shi said anxiously, “There’s only one minute left, make a decision quickly. What’s next? Keep our eyes closed, or open them?”
Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly, suggesting hesitantly:
“How about we vote?”
The Fire Enchanter spoke loudly:
“I choose to open our eyes. I don’t want to see any more heads rolling into my lap or our own people beheaded without reason. If we open our eyes, we might have a chance of survival, maybe we can figure out the Rule.”
Xi Shi looked at Zhang Yuanqing with hopeful eyes, but seeing that he remained silent, she reluctantly said:
“I also think it’s better to open our eyes. The feeling of having them closed is too awful.”
The Regretful Father was silent for a few seconds before agreeing, “I concur.”
Xie Lingxi added, “I agree too.”
Seeing the consensus, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven knew his vote was meaningless: “It seems I have no choice.”
Open our eyes? If the roller coaster’s killing Rule changes, that might be fine. But if it’s as I suspect, and the Evil disciple is the killer, have you considered the consequences of opening your eyes? Zhang Yuanqing thought with a chilling heart.
He was on the verge of revealing the truth about the mole in the team, but the spirit realm had given a hint to keep identities hidden.
This was both to protect the Evil disciple and the Captain, as this was not some real-life game where everyone starts off knowing there’s a wolf to be found.
We’re just a temporary team, should we just believe anything that’s said?
Hiding identities is clearly an Instance’s balancing mechanism, and revealing it rashly could trigger a punitive mechanism.
But he couldn’t let them continue like this, because they couldn’t afford to lose.
I have thought of a method, but it’s very risky. Zhang Yuanqing no longer hesitated and said solemnly:
“Is there a possibility, I mean, if the Rule for keeping our eyes closed hasn’t changed, have you thought about the consequences? Last round, only the River Lord died. There are two more rounds to go; at worst, two more will die. Choosing between complete annihilation and two deaths, I don’t need to spell out which is better.”
Everyone was silent, and the scene fell into a deadlock.
Seeing no one argue, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a small sigh of relief and immediately said:
“I have another way.”
Xi Shi’s face lit up with hope: “What is it?”
“Choose one person to stay on the platform to watch while the rest continue to ride the roller coaster with their eyes closed. This way, we have eyes observing, and those on the ride don’t take risks, avoiding the danger of a total wipeout.”
The team was stunned, and the Fire Enchanter frowned deeply, saying irritably:
“The Instance information indeed didn’t specify that we must experience the attractions together, but it also didn’t say we could split up. You should know that implies a risk.”
The spirit realm won’t tell you all the Rules outright, letting you go through the motions—things are not that easy.
For example, it says to form a team, but it doesn’t tell you what happens if you don’t. Maybe nothing, or maybe leaving the team means death.
“I know.” Zhang Yuanqing said slowly:
“So I’ll take this risk. I’ll be the one to stay behind.”
Having finished speaking, Zhang Yuanqing stared intently at his teammates. At this point, anyone who objected would be outing themselves as the murderer.
“I have no objections.”
“Neither do I.”
“It’s all on you now.”
“Wang Tai, be careful.”
No one opposed.
The murderer is smarter than I thought. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly in his mind and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt to step out of the roller coaster.
If staying behind is risky, then the murderer could potentially kill two people this round. With most people in agreement, it would be wise for the murderer to go with the flow, so the murderer is indeed clever.
But for Zhang Yuanqing, staying behind is risky, yet staying on the ride means certain death.
As the countdown ended, the roller coaster began to move with a “thud” at its base, slowly starting its ascent.
Zhang Yuanqing’s body tensed, vigilantly watching for any potential dangers around him while keeping a sharp eye on the slowly climbing roller coaster.
Sound couldn’t provide feedback, but the visuals certainly could. If the murderer dared to kill someone, he would immediately trigger his Old Illness and expose the culprit.
He didn’t believe the murderer could kill with just their thoughts, as that would not be in line with the Instance’s balancing mechanism.
After the roller coaster reached the peak, it plunged down, engaging in a free-fall descent, and Xi Shi on the ride let out a short scream.
“Rumble”
Under Zhang Yuanqing’s watch, the roller coaster roared along the undulating steel tracks like a dragon, and after two minutes, it slowed down and returned to the platform.
As soon as the roller coaster stopped, the riders immediately opened their eyes, tensely scanning their surroundings.
“No one’s dead, no one died this time”
Xi Shi exclaimed in surprise.
The others showed faces of relief, their tense expressions easing.
Xie Lingxi blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with a smile, “Did you observe anything unusual?”
The teammates immediately looked at Zhang Yuanqing, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Just as I suspected, the murderer isn’t the Rule, Zhang Yuanqing stated:
“I didn’t see anything.”
He was subtly hinting to his teammates.
If the Rule about keeping our eyes closed hasn’t changed, then how did the River Lord die? Think about it with your brains.
Hearing this, the teammates fell silent, contemplative.
In the following five minutes, everyone was exceptionally quiet. There was no communication, no discussion, and then they completed the third round under Zhang Yuanqing’s supervision.
“Phew, it’s over.”
Xi Shi couldn’t wait to unbuckle her seatbelt and, with long strides, jumped off the roller coaster as if escaping.
Zhang Yuanqing watched her and, after the rest of the teammates left the ride, he smiled contentedly:
“It’s my turn now. Please wait here for a moment, everyone.”
The roller coaster slowed down and came to a stop at the rooftop platform.
Zhang Yuanqing unfastened his seatbelt and joined his waiting teammates.
Stepping on the concrete ground, he suddenly felt a sense of relief and fatigue, as if he had narrowly escaped a major disaster.
We’ve finally completed one amusement attraction, only losing one teammate, which is within an acceptable range. Ah, we almost had a total wipeout, this S-level mission is too hard, Zhang Yuanqing thought wearily.
When he saw that his teammates also looked weary, he felt a sense of equilibrium.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing received an Instance notification in his mind:
“You have completed the starting task (roller coaster), and you have successfully activated the ‘Heart-pounding’ mission series. The series of Entertainment Facilities includes: roller coaster—Underground parking lot—Haunted house (ghost marriage)—Detective reasoning hall. Please proceed to the second location within half an hour.”
Ghosts, a haunted house! As the prompt echoed in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing’s face instantly stiffened.
Xie Lingxi, Xi Shi, the Middle-aged man, Fire Enchanter, and Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the smiles on their faces also slowly faded.
The roller coaster is part of the Heart-pounding series, and there’s a haunted house in this series!! Zhang Yuanqing sharply turned to look at the girl with long black straight hair.
At the same time, he received another notification in his mind:
“Ding, you have successfully led your teammates to complete a task, and you have one opportunity to exercise your Captain’s authority. Please identify the Evil disciple hidden among the teammates. The designated person will be eliminated!
If no choice is made within thirty seconds, you will forfeit this opportunity.”
