Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 50: The Captain’s Authority

He Bo and he were both very proactive—setting the pace, analyzing the situation, and taking the lead—clearly acting as the team’s leaders. Now that He Bo was dead, he was definitely the next target. Meanwhile, Xi Shi said somewhat anxiously, “We only have one minute left. Make a decision quickly—what should we do next? Should we keep our eyes closed, or open them?” Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly and suggested nervously “Why don’t we take a vote?” Fire Demon shouted “I vote for opening our eyes. I don’t want to see another head roll into my lap, or have one of our own heads get chopped off for no reason. If we open our eyes, we still have a sliver of hope—maybe we can figure out the rules.” Xi Shi glanced at Zhang Yuanqing with a look of anticipation. Seeing that he didn’t speak, she could only say “I also think keeping our eyes open is better. It feels awful to keep them closed.” As a father, he paused for a few seconds before saying, “I agree....” Xie Lingxi: “I agree, too.” Seeing this, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven knew his vote no longer mattered: “It seems I have no choice.” Open our eyes? If the roller coaster’s killing rules had changed, that would be one thing, but if—as I suspect—it’s evil forces doing the killing, have you considered the consequences of keeping your eyes open...? Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill run down his spine. He almost blurted out the truth—that there was a mole in the team—but the Spirit Realm had given him a hint to keep his identity hidden. This served to protect both the evil-doer and the team captain—after all, this wasn’t like some real-life game where everyone knew from the start that there was a “wolf” and had to hunt it down. This was a team put together on the fly—why would anyone just believe whatever you said? Hiding one’s identity was clearly a balancing mechanism for the dungeon; if he revealed it rashly, what if it triggered a penalty mechanism? But he couldn’t let them carry on like this either—they simply couldn’t afford to lose. I’ve thought of a way, though it’s very risky... Zhang Yuanqing hesitated no longer and said in a deep voice “Is there a possibility—if, and I mean if… if the ‘eyes-closed’ rule remains unchanged—have you considered the consequences? In the last round, only one River God died. There are still two rounds left; at worst, two more might die. A total wipeout versus two deaths—which would you choose? I don’t need to spell it out, do I?” The crowd fell silent, and the situation reached an impasse. Seeing that no one was arguing, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief and immediately said “I have another solution.” Xi Shi’s face lit up with delight: “What’s the plan?” “We’ll select one person to stay on the platform and keep watch, while the rest of us keep our eyes closed and ride the roller coaster. That way, we’ll have someone keeping an eye on things, and those on the ride won’t have to take any risks, avoiding the danger of a total wipeout.” The group was taken aback. Fire Demon furrowed his brow and said irritably “The dungeon description doesn’t say we have to experience the ride together, but it doesn’t say we can either. You should know this involves risk.” The Spirit Realm won’t spell out every rule for you and have you follow them step by step—it’s never that easy. For example, the instructions might say to form a party, but they won’t tell you what happens if you don’t. Maybe nothing will happen—or maybe leaving the party means certain death. “I know,” Zhang Yuanqing said slowly. “So I’ll take on that risk. I’m staying behind.” After saying this, he fixed his gaze firmly on the team members. At this moment, whoever objected would be the culprit. “I have no objections.” “I have no objections either.” “Little brother, we’re counting on you.” “Wang Tai, be careful.” No one objected. The killer is smarter than I thought... Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly to himself, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out of the roller coaster. If staying posed a risk, then the killer could effectively kill two people in this round. With most people in agreement, going with the flow was the wise choice—so the killer was indeed clever. But for Zhang Yuanqing, while staying behind carried risks, staying on the ride meant certain death. Just then, the countdown ended, and with a “thud,” the bottom of the roller coaster began to move slowly. Zhang Yuanqing’s entire body was tense; while remaining alert to potential dangers all around, he kept his sharp gaze fixed on the roller coaster as it slowly climbed the slope. He couldn’t get any feedback through sound, but the visuals certainly would—as soon as the killer dared to strike, he would immediately trigger his old injury and expose the culprit. He didn’t believe the killer could kill with just the power of thought, because that wouldn’t align with the balance mechanism. After the roller coaster reached the top, it suddenly plunged downward in free fall, and the girl on board let out another short scream. “Rumble, rumble...” Under Zhang Yuanqing’s watchful gaze, the roller coaster roared along the undulating steel tracks, which twisted like a dragon. Two minutes later, it slowed down and returned to the platform. As soon as the roller coaster came to a stop, the team members on board immediately opened their eyes and looked around, tense-faced, scanning both in front of and behind them. “No one died—no one died this time...” Xi Shi exclaimed in delight. The others wore expressions of joy, and their tense faces relaxed. Xie Lingxi blinked her beautiful eyes and asked with a smile, “Did you observe anything unusual?” The team members immediately turned to Zhang Yuanqing, their eyes brimming with anticipation. Just as I expected—it wasn’t the rules that killed them, but the murderer... Zhang Yuanqing said “I didn’t see anything.” He was subtly hinting at his teammates. Since the “eyes-closed” rule hasn’t changed, how did He Bo die? Use your heads and think about it. Upon hearing this, the team members suddenly fell silent, deep in thought. For the next five minutes, the group remained unusually quiet—no conversation, no discussion—and then, under Zhang Yuanqing’s watchful gaze, they completed the third round. “Phew, it’s over....” Xi Shi couldn’t wait to unbuckle her seatbelt; she took long strides and practically bounded off the roller coaster as if fleeing. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. Once the rest of the team had exited the roller coaster, he smiled cheerfully and said “My turn now. Everyone, please wait here for a moment.” The roller coaster slowed down and came to a stop on the rooftop platform. Zhang Yuanqing unbuckled his seatbelt and joined the teammates waiting nearby. As his feet touched the concrete ground, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of relief at having survived a major ordeal, along with a wave of exhaustion. "I finally finished a recreational mission. Only one teammate died—that’s still within manageable limits. Sigh, we almost got wiped out. It was way too hard. S-rank missions are just too tough..." Zhang Yuanqing thought, feeling mentally drained. When he saw that everyone else looked just as exhausted, he immediately felt better. Just then, a dungeon notification sounded in Zhang Yuanqing’s mind [You have completed the starting mission (Roller Coaster). You have successfully activated the “Heart-Pounding Thrills” mission series. The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster—Underground Parking Garage—Haunted House (Ghost Wedding)—Detective Mystery House. Please proceed to the second location within half an hour. ] Ghosts, a haunted house... Hearing the prompt in his mind, Zhang Yuanqing’s expression froze instantly. Xie Lingxi, Xi Shi, the middle-aged man, the Fire Demon, and the Monkey King all saw the smiles slowly fade from their faces. The roller coaster is part of the “Heart-Pounding” series—and that series includes a haunted house!! Zhang Yuanqing suddenly turned to look at the girl with long, straight black hair. At the same time, another prompt sounded in his mind [Ding. You have successfully led your team to complete a mission. You now have one opportunity to exercise your authority as team leader. Please identify the evil traitor hiding among your team members. The designated individual will be eliminated! [Failure to make a selection within thirty seconds will be considered a forfeiture of this opportunity. ]