River God and he had both been proactive, setting the pace, analyzing things, and taking charge. They'd practically been the leaders of the team.
Now that River God was dead, he was definitely the next target.
On the other side, Xi Shi said urgently, "We only have one minute left. Hurry up and decide what to do next! Do we keep our eyes closed or open them?"
Xie Lingxi tentatively raised her hand and suggested:
"How about we vote?"
Fire Demon said loudly:
"I vote to open our eyes. I don't want another person's head rolling into my arms, or one of our own mysteriously getting their head ripped off. If we open our eyes, we'll still have a chance to survive. We might even be able to figure out the rules."
Xi Shi looked at Zhang Yuanqing with hopeful eyes. When he didn't say anything, she had no choice but to say:
"I also think it's better to open our eyes. Keeping them closed feels awful."
Ashamed to be a Father was silent for a few seconds. "I agree."
Xie Lingxi said, "I agree too."
Seeing this, Great Sage Equal to Heaven knew his vote no longer mattered. "Looks like I don't have a choice."
Open our eyes? That might be fine if the rules for the roller coaster's killings had changed. But if things were as I suspected, and a malicious player was doing the killing, had they thought about what would happen if they opened their eyes? Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank.
He had nearly confessed that there was a traitor on the team, but the Spirit Realm had given him a hint: keep his identity hidden.
That protected both the malicious player and the captain. This wasn't some real-world game where everyone knew from the start that there was a wolf they had to find.
They were a hastily assembled team. Would they believe whatever he said?
Keeping their identities hidden was clearly a balancing mechanism for the instance. What if revealing the truth triggered a punishment?
But he couldn't let them keep going like this. They couldn't afford to lose.
I've thought of a way, but it's risky. Zhang Yuanqing no longer hesitated. He said gravely:
"What if—just what if—the rules for keeping our eyes closed haven't changed? Have you thought about what could happen? Only River God died last round, and there are still two rounds left. At worst, two more people die. Which do you prefer: everyone dying, or two people dying? I don't need to spell it out, do I?"
Everyone fell silent, and the group reached an impasse.
When no one argued back, Zhang Yuanqing relaxed slightly and said at once:
"I have another idea."
Xi Shi's face lit up. "What is it?"
"One person stays on the platform to watch while the rest keep their eyes closed and ride the roller coaster. That way, someone can observe, and those on the ride won't have to take any risks. We avoid the danger of being wiped out."
Everyone froze. Fire Demon frowned deeply and said irritably:
"The instance info doesn't say we have to experience the attraction together, but it doesn't say we can split up, either. You know that means we're taking a risk."
The Spirit Realm would never spell out every rule and let you follow instructions step by step. If only things were that easy.
For example, it said to form a team, but didn't tell you what would happen if you didn't. Maybe nothing. Maybe leaving the group meant death.
"I know." Zhang Yuanqing said slowly:
"So I'll take that risk. I'll stay behind."
As he spoke, he stared hard at his teammates. At a time like this, anyone who objected was the culprit.
"I have no problem with that."
"Neither do I."
"Little brother, we're counting on you."
"Wang Tai, be careful."
No one objected.
The culprit's smarter than I thought. Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. Then he unfastened his seat belt and stepped off the roller coaster.
If staying behind was risky, the culprit could effectively kill two people this round. With most of the team in favor, going along with the plan was the sensible choice. The culprit was clever.
But for Zhang Yuanqing, staying behind was risky, while sitting on the roller coaster meant certain death.
Just then, the countdown ended. The roller coaster clunked and slowly began to move.
Zhang Yuanqing's whole body tensed. He kept a wary eye out for danger and watched the roller coaster slowly climb the track with a sharp gaze.
Sound wouldn't give him any clues, but he could see what happened. As long as the culprit dared to kill someone, he'd trigger his old ailment and drag them out into the open.
He didn't believe the culprit could kill with their thoughts alone. That wouldn't fit the balancing mechanism.
Once the roller coaster reached the top, it suddenly plunged downward, falling freely. Xi Shi let out another short scream.
"Rumble..."
Under Zhang Yuanqing's watch, the roller coaster roared along the steel tracks that rose and dipped like a dragon. Two minutes later, it slowed and returned to the platform.
As soon as the ride stopped, the passengers opened their eyes and anxiously looked around.
"No one died! No one died this time!"
Xi Shi cried out in delight.
The others were overjoyed, their tense expressions relaxing.
Xie Lingxi blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with a smile, "Did you notice anything?"
The team members immediately looked at Zhang Yuanqing, their gazes full of expectation.
Just as I thought. The rules aren't killing people. The culprit is. Zhang Yuanqing said:
"I didn't see anything."
He was hinting at the truth without saying it outright.
If the rule about keeping their eyes closed hadn't changed, then how had River God died? Use your heads and think about it.
At his words, the team fell abruptly silent, each member deep in thought.
For the next five minutes, they were unusually quiet. They didn't talk or discuss anything. Then, under Zhang Yuanqing's watch, they completed the third round.
"Phew, it's over."
Xi Shi eagerly unfastened her seat belt, her long legs carrying her off the roller coaster in a frantic hop.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. Once the other teammates had gotten off, he smiled, feeling cheerful.
"My turn. Wait here for a moment, everyone."
The roller coaster slowed and stopped on the rooftop platform.
Zhang Yuanqing unfastened his seat belt and joined the teammates waiting nearby.
With his feet on the concrete, he was suddenly overcome by the exhaustion and relief of having survived a great ordeal.
At last, we've finished one attraction. We only lost one teammate, which is still manageable. Sigh, we nearly got wiped out. This is so hard. An S-rank mission is brutal. Zhang Yuanqing felt exhausted.
When he saw that everyone else looked just as worn out, he immediately felt better.
Just then, a prompt sounded in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:
[You have completed the initial mission (Roller Coaster). You have successfully activated the "Heart-Stopping" mission series. The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster—Underground Parking Garage—Haunted House (Ghost Marriage)—Detective Reasoning Hall. Please proceed to the second location within half an hour.]
A haunted house? Hearing the prompt in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing's face instantly stiffened.
The smiles on Xie Lingxi's, Xi Shi's, the middle-aged man's, Fire Demon's, and Great Sage Equal to Heaven's faces slowly disappeared too.
The roller coaster was part of the Heart-Stopping series, and there was a haunted house in the series! Zhang Yuanqing abruptly looked at the petite girl with long, straight black hair.
At the same time, another prompt sounded in his mind:
[Beep. You have successfully led your team in completing a mission. You have one opportunity to exercise your captain's authority. Please identify the malicious player hiding among your teammates. The designated player will be annihilated! [If you do not make a choice within thirty seconds, you will be deemed to have forfeited this opportunity.]
Before you continue