S-Rank Difficulty

No one responded to Xishi's question, save for the young girl named Xie Lingxi, who seemed to have something to say but hesitated.

Trust is still lacking, then. Is it a reluctance to reveal an official identity, or is it that among the Walkers present, aside from me, no one has an official background? As Zhang Yuanqing pondered whether to offer a hint, he heard the man in the black hoodie, He Bo, speak in a cold tone:

"We have been in the Spirit Realm for several minutes now, and the Spirit Realm has provided no prompts. This means that to clear the level, we must rely entirely on ourselves. If you know any information, it is best not to conceal it; we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope."

Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly and whispered:

"I know a little about the old version of the dungeon. The content of the Spirit Realm introduction has changed."

Is she from an official organization? Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the young girl.

Upon hearing this, He Bo frowned:

"The Spirit Realm introduction has changed. I think I understand now. The reason for the difficulty increase in Jinshui Amusement Park lies within that introduction. Does everyone remember what it said?"

"I forgot," the red-haired Fire Demon scratched his head.

Xishi glanced at him, quietly distancing herself, and said with a soft, gentle smile:

"An indescribable existence has arrived here. She is the one who changed the difficulty level of Jinshui Amusement Park. She instructed the spirits within the park to help her find a person. That person's name is four characters long. Who could it be?"

'Ashamed to be a Father' couldn't help but interject:

"I don't think who it is matters; that person should just be part of the backstory. What's important is the 'spirits' in the amusement park. Is it possible that the difficulty of Jinshui Amusement Park was raised to S-rank because the 'spirits' received a blessing from that existence, making them exceptionally powerful?"

The Monkey King, dressed in bean-shoes, tight pants, and a small suit, eyes lit up: "I think that makes sense. Uncle, you're really smart."

He Bo nodded slightly, acknowledging the middle-aged man's point, and said:

"Then, as long as we avoid attractions with horror elements and choose some simple facilities to experience, we should be able to reduce the risk."

He turned to ask Xie Lingxi: "Do you know the detailed strategy for the old version?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing intended to snatch the chance to provide the old information before the girl could, so as not to lose the initiative in the conversation. But just then, a "ding" sounded in his mind, followed by a Spirit Realm prompt:

[Due to your outstanding performance just now, a hidden task has been triggered. You have been appointed as the squad leader. Note: There is an Evil Profession hidden among the team members. Please ensure the number of team members remains at 3 or more, otherwise, you will be penalized and your current level experience will be cleared to zero.]

[Note: Please keep your role identity hidden.]

There's actually a hidden task?! A curse word flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but he remained calm on the surface, even as his heart sank.

The facilities in the dungeon were fraught with danger, and with a wolf mixed in among the team members, the difficulty had skyrocketed.

My hidden task is to ensure the number of members is no less than 3. From this, I can infer that the Evil Profession's task is to reduce the number of members to less than 3, or even wipe us all out.

If I want to ensure a high clearance rate, rooting out the villain and clearing them out early is the best choice. But I cannot prove my own identity, and the trust between team members is insufficient. It's very likely I'll end up shooting myself in the foot and being framed as the wolf instead.

For a moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt that no one could be trusted; even the sweet girl named Xie Lingxi seemed to have become a wolf in human skin.

Wait! Jinshui Amusement Park is a multiplayer Spirit Realm, open to all professions. Could there be an Evil Profession among the team members?

Given the opposition between factions, the Evil Profession must be the villain. A ruthless thought flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind: use the Red Dancing Shoes to force the team members to reveal their methods. Whoever was the Evil Profession would be clear at a glance.

No, that's too reckless. It would leave no room for maneuver. Besides, is it really that simple? What if I guess wrong? He exhaled silently and abandoned the idea of summoning the Red Dancing Shoes.

If there was no Evil Profession in the team, such an action would be equivalent to turning against his teammates immediately, and there would be no point in playing further.

In other words, I have to lead the team to complete the attractions while simultaneously finding the Evil Profession? It really lives up to being an S-rank multiplayer Spirit Realm; it's as difficult as the Mountain God Temple, just in a different way.

Before the dungeon had even begun, Zhang Yuanqing's heart felt heavy.

"I know the old strategy, but I don't remember every single one," Xie Lingxi said.

"Oh my, little sister, you're amazing. You're a member of an official organization, right? You wouldn't mind if big sister walked with you, would you?" Xishi said.

One is overly naive, the other is full of ulterior motives. Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the two women without changing his expression.

He Bo, wearing the black hoodie, looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a cold gaze at this moment and said:

"What are your thoughts?"

Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said:

"My preliminary judgment is that the difficulty increase applies to facilities containing supernatural elements. Therefore, other projects might not have changed much. We can select a low-difficulty project based on the old strategy."

A hint of approval appeared on He Bo's gloomy face, and he nodded: "That is exactly what I meant. As expected of a high-level player who has experienced multiple Spirit Realms."

He then looked at the others: "Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone nodded in unison, as if they had no opinions of their own.

He Bo said: "Little girl, which facility do you think we should choose to experience?"

Xie Lingxi pursed her small lips, her dark, glistening eyes darting around before she pointed at the steel tracks that rose and fell like a dragon, saying:

"That one is the simplest."

Seeing the roller coaster, the corners of everyone's eyes twitched violently. Xishi's smile was strained: "Why?"

"The old method of clearing it was very simple. Once you get on the car, keep your eyes closed the entire time. Once the roller coaster completes the track three times, it's over."

"This..." The young man, Monkey King, looked up at the towering steel tracks, feeling a bit intimidated. He pointed to the carousel not far away and asked:

"What about this one? I think this one is quite safe too."

Xie Lingxi shook her head, her expression serious: "The carousel is only for children to ride. If an adult gets on, they will never be able to get off. Although there won't be any substantial danger, it will just keep spinning forever."

Get on and it's a total wipe? Monkey King silently took a step back and stopped talking.

"If no one has any objections, then let's choose the roller coaster," He Bo said indifferently. He suddenly let out a 'heh':

"Since we were all matched into Jinshui Amusement Park, I wouldn't dare guarantee how smart everyone is, but I'm certain there isn't a single fool among us."

This guy, He Bo, is intentionally or unintentionally vying with me for the right to lead the conversation. Xie Lingxi looks very innocent at first glance, but can anyone matched into an S-rank instance truly be innocent? Xishi has been probing everyone's identities from start to finish; her flirtatious demeanor might just be an act.

Kuiweirenfu appears simple and honest on the surface, but the fact that he could pinpoint that "supernatural elements" are the key danger shows his inner self is not as rustic as his appearance suggests.

Qitian Dasheng is a bit cowardly, a bit lecherous, and lacks any standout traits, but he isn't a troublemaker either. Among this group, I feel the safest person is Fire Master, provided we can confirm he is indeed a Fire Master. Conversely, he is also the most dangerous.

Zhang Yuanqing analyzed the characteristics of his companions, raised his hand, and echoed, "I have no objections, let's go with the roller coaster."

Unknowingly, he had slightly relinquished some of his initiative, no longer taking the lead in everything, yet still maintaining a certain level of activity.

He had read the walkthroughs and knew Xie Lingxi wasn't lying; the roller coaster might seem thrilling, but it actually has the simplest mechanics.

Of course, whether the roller coaster's mechanics remained the same was unknown, but could the other attractions be any different?

"I have no objections."

"I don't have any either."

"Fine, we're just here to play anyway."

After the decision was made, the group headed toward the roller coaster. Following the signs, they passed through a corridor and entered the building beneath the tracks.

It was a small hall with lockers on the left and a ticket window on the right. As they walked in, a prompt from the Spirit Realm echoed in their ears:

[Ding, you have obtained a roller coaster experience ticket. Please arrive at the upper level within five minutes.]

[Ding, your excess items have been sealed. Please return to the lockers to retrieve them after the project concludes.]

Excess items. Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously reached for the small blue pill in his pocket and found it was still there. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Fire Master scream:

"The inventory won't open!"

Everyone was horrified and immediately tried to summon their inventories, only to find the function seemed to have ceased to exist.

Qitian Dasheng's voice trembled: "M-my skills won't work either. What about you guys?"

!!! Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank abruptly. He instinctively tried to activate Night Roaming, yet the Lunar Power remained firmly sealed within his body.

The others tried as well, and sure enough, they had lost their skills.

This phenomenon made the Spirit Realm Walker group feel exceptionally heavy. Without their skills, how were they any different from ordinary people?

At this moment, Kuiweirenfu spoke up:

"Active skills cannot be used, but passive abilities remain, and our physical fitness hasn't changed."

"Since we're already here, let's go up." Zhang Yuanqing was the first to step onto the stairs.

With heavy hearts, the group climbed the stairs to the roof of the building. The roof was a platform with two tracks, upon which a two-seater roller coaster sat silently.

The team members looked at the roller coaster and fell into a momentary silence; no one wanted to be the first to commit.

Sigh, this is where I, the Captain of China, need to set an example. It fits the persona I established from the start. Zhang Yuanqing smiled:

"The last time I rode a roller coaster was back in my student days. I always loved sitting in the front row."

Under everyone's gaze, he climbed into the front seat and fastened his seatbelt.

The others breathed a slight sigh of relief and followed suit, boarding the coaster.

"I have a fear of heights," Xishi said, putting on a pitiful act, hesitating between Zhang Yuanqing and He Bo.

In that moment of hesitation, the long-haired Xie Lingxi snatched the seat next to Zhang Yuanqing, leaving Xishi with no choice but to settle for He Bo.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her, and she returned a sweet smile.

Once everyone had fastened their seatbelts, He Bo, sitting in the second row, said indifferently:

"Remember to close your eyes. Don't open them no matter what happens. Of course, if any of you want to use your lives to verify the rules, I'd be quite happy to watch."

"You really have a nasty way of speaking," Fire Master muttered.

Zhang Yuanqing looked back at his teammates. He Bo and Xishi were in the second row, while Kuiweirenfu and Fire Master were in the third.

The somewhat cowardly Qitian Dasheng seemed to have been ostracized, sitting alone in the fourth row.

At this moment, the tracks were energized, and a "thud" sound came from the bottom of the cars. The roller coaster began to move slowly.

Before Zhang Yuanqing looked away, he saw that everyone had closed their eyes.

He closed his eyes, feeling the car crawl along the tracks. It was very slow at first, seemingly climbing a steep slope, and stopped once it reached the peak.

The next moment, a strong sense of weightlessness hit him. The sound of rushing wind filled his ears, along with a small gasp from Xishi.

Zhang Yuanqing tensed his entire body, listening to the sounds around him and counting the time in his head.

About two minutes later, the speeding roller coaster slowed down and then came to a halt.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and saw that the roller coaster had returned to the platform on the building's roof. Nothing had happened.

Whew. He let out a silent breath, then suddenly heard a scream from behind him.

His heart tightened. He turned his head, and his pupils contracted violently.

He Bo, who had been sitting in the second row, had an empty space where his neck should have been; his head was gone.

The Fire Demon in the third row, his face covered in blood, tremblingly cradled the severed head in his arms, his voice shaking:

"It's, it's useless.

"Closing your eyes is useless."

River God kept his eyes tightly shut, his expression serene, as if he hadn't felt any pain at all.

A chill rose from the depths of everyone's hearts.