"Cockroach Jade Feet, you'll be responsible for guarding the rear. Walk at the very back so that we'll have a priest at the front, middle, and rear of our formation."
"Elder Priest has to be my eyes. Otherwise, I can't see the road ahead clearly. We can't count on a little girl to guard the rear. If something unusual happens behind us, a woman won't have time to react."
"So Grandpa Niu will walk in the very middle of the formation. You can guard the rear, right?"
Just then, Eagle of Justice spoke again.
Upon hearing this, Qin Shang nodded slightly;
"Sure..."
In fact, he had been thinking the same thing.
He wasn't a priest to begin with. If Eagle of Justice had him walk at the very front or in the center of the formation, and the others asked him what was ahead in the darkness, he had no night-vision skill and wouldn't be able to answer at all. He would be exposed in an instant.
So guarding the rear suited him perfectly. At least he could see about a meter ahead.
He could simply follow behind Little Loli.
You have entered Carriage Two Exploration Progress: 5%
As the group gradually moved forward and stepped into the carriage filled with Hello Kitty decorations,
the same voice rang in everyone's ears.
Qin Shang's heart stirred. It seemed this instance wasn't that difficult to clear after all...
Although he didn't know how many carriages there were in total, there was only one main quest.
Presumably, once the exploration progress reached 100%, the quest would be considered complete.
However, the pungent, unpleasant smell that had filled the train when they first entered grew stronger as everyone stepped into the second carriage. It smelled as if something had rotted, the musty odor mixed with an overpowering stench.
Just then, the electronic notification sounded beside their ears again.
Introduction to the Background Story of Carriage Two
Passengers making their first journey had no idea what dangers they would encounter. At first, everyone thought this was merely an ordinary trip. It was only when they passed through a tunnel that seemed to stretch endlessly without an end in sight that all the carriage lights suddenly went out.
Darkness engulfed the carriage, and fear spread for the first time. Some people were killed in their sleep, while others were killed amid laughter and conversation. The smell of blood began to spread throughout the entire carriage.
When they left the tunnel once again and saw the light of day, the passengers were confronted by a horrifying scene. The entire carriage was filled with severed limbs. Amid terrified screams, everyone fled in all directions.
It was as if an invisible hand had reached in through the windows, wielding the Reaper's scythe and harvesting lives. By then, only sixteen passengers remained alive in the entire carriage.
Clever Miss Mary proposed that perhaps the murderer was hiding among them. She suggested that everyone hold hands as they moved forward, counting off as they went: one, two, three, four, five...
Bzzzt—
The background story introduction ended there.
Qin Shang's expression changed. He hadn't expected the background story introduction for this instance to contain more than what had appeared at the beginning.
So the passengers had been killed!?
A murderer had infiltrated the passengers and brutally slaughtered everyone aboard the Death Train?
Was this the mystery behind the disappearance of the Death Train's passengers?
No, it definitely couldn't be that simple!
Could this be a hint—a hint about the instance?
Was it implying that when they passed through a tunnel ahead, God Slayer would attack the players with a blade?
So they needed to hold hands and count off as they passed through?
"Did any of you hear something just now?"
Don't Touch Me, I'll Turn Green, who was walking not far ahead of Qin Shang—in other words, that jumpy young woman—suddenly spoke.
Qin Shang's mind was shrouded in confusion, and he didn't want to speak rashly at this point. Besides, given the special nature of his Deceiver class,
he wasn't sure whether the new background story introduction was something only he could hear or something all the players had heard.
Thus, Qin Shang rationally chose to wait and see, waiting for someone else in the group to speak first.
"I heard a background story introduction, and then I received a side quest."
"It said that Miss Mary might be carrying the key to solving the mystery of the Death Train passengers' disappearance. We can prioritize finding Miss Mary. There might even be living NPCs farther ahead in the carriage..."
Just then, Little Loli, who was walking ahead of Qin Shang, only about two steps in front of him, suddenly raised her hand timidly.
Her expression was frightened and tense. Yet as soon as she finished speaking,
Carriage Two fell completely silent.
Boom—
Qin Shang was equally shocked.
She...
What did she say?
A side quest!?
The sheriff had said that only Deceivers received hidden hints.
Why did she have a side quest and hidden hint too!?
Could it be that everyone had a side quest in addition to the main quest?
After she said this, the entire carriage suddenly fell silent. Strangely, no one responded.
Everyone's expression was somewhat odd. Some looked embarrassed, some bewildered, and some nervous.
At that moment, seeing the expressions on their faces, Qin Shang suddenly swallowed hard. He felt that he had still been far too naive.
Even the sheriff at the very front, who had always acted as the team leader, now had a deep look in his eyes.
Qin Shang's heart sank.
Eagle of Justice had kept something from them. Every one of these people was harboring their own schemes...
Perhaps, aside from the main quest,
every player's side quest was different.
"D-do none of you have a side quest? Or was I the only one who heard that hint?"
Little Loli sensed the strange atmosphere and swallowed nervously before speaking.
Upon hearing this, the sheriff at the very front took a deep breath and turned around to give Little Loli a long, profound look. Then he said nothing more.
Instead, he continued walking forward with his head lowered alongside Elder Priest.
That look made Little Loli's skin crawl. She stiffly turned toward Qin Shang;
"Big Brother, did I... did I say something wrong?"
"No."
Qin Shang pursed his lips. In this environment, where everyone was harboring their own schemes and everyone feared for their lives,
he had already sensed that the sheriff might not be worthy of absolute trust.
Sure enough, the man had still held something back.
He might have led them into the instance simply because he had no other choice.
After all, this was a team quest. If he had entered other Divine Path instances before, then based on Qin Shang's speculation about the Divine Path, this place might have more than just multiplayer instances. There could also be single-player instances!
Most games were generally divided into several types...
Single-player instances, multiplayer instances, single-player PvP instances, multiplayer PvP instances, and team-versus-team instances.
This instance had been clearly labeled as an exploration-type instance from the start, which meant that the players didn't need to fight one another openly.
But to complete the exploration quest and uncover the mystery behind the passengers' disappearance, the sheriff alone obviously couldn't do it.
Moreover, so many players had appeared at the very beginning, and the first thing the electronic notification had said was: All players, take note. The number of players for this round has been filled. The instance will begin in ten minutes.
In other words, the Death Train was undoubtedly a multiplayer instance that required the players to work together.
Sheriff Eagle of Justice understood this clearly.
That was why he had been willing to explain so much to everyone and play the role of a half-guide.
He did all that not only for everyone else, but also so that he himself could survive and clear the instance successfully.
Qin Shang's heart trembled.
The herd effect.
When leading a flock of sheep, if a stick is placed in front of the first sheep and it jumps over, all the sheep following behind will instinctively imitate it. When animals are uncertain about dangers in their surroundings, they instinctively treat identical information as truth and seek group approval and a sense of security. This is known as the herd effect.
It was also called conformity.
The lead sheep was the sheriff, which was why everyone had trusted him so completely at first.
But now, after the pink-skirted Little Loli finished speaking,
the sheriff hadn't responded at all, yet his silence seemed to confirm some suspicion in everyone's hearts.
None of them were fools, especially in this terrifying environment, where a God Slayer lurked within the group and might suddenly leap out and kill someone.
The girl had merely innocently wanted to share information and complete the main quest together.
Yet unintentionally, she had pushed the already fragile trust holding the entire team together to the brink of collapse.
Before you continue