Captain

"Yinyang Town?" Zhang Yuanqing froze, his mind reeling in disbelief. Could the world really be full of such coincidences? He had just listened to that recording from the Demon Lord, learned about Yinyang Town, and the next second he was being pulled into that very dungeon. It was just like the last time—the moment he found clues about Brother Bing, he had immediately entered Jinshui Amusement Park. *Maybe it isn't a coincidence. Brother Bing's predictions told me that the dungeons I enter aren't random; they can be anticipated. And the Cat King Speaker is an item with self-awareness. It might not be a living creature, but it's certainly not a mindless object...* *Is it possible that this thinking Cat King Speaker predicted I would enter Yinyang Town one day, just like Brother Bing would have, and played that audio for me on purpose?* *What would be the basis for such a prediction, though? The Demon Lord character card?* All kinds of speculations flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but his hands didn't hesitate. He swiftly pulled on his shoes, buckled his waist pack, and stowed the Cat King Speaker. Then he lunged to the other side of the bed, opened the drawer, and dumped five or six small blue pills into his mouth, keeping them under his tongue. With that done, he snatched his phone and dialed Guan Ya, only to find her line busy. He immediately dialed Li Dongze, but his line was busy as well. *What is going on with these two...?* With time running out, there was no room to ponder. Zhang Yuanqing opened the messaging app and sent a voice message: "Decurion, my dungeon is here. Yinyang Town!" He blurted out the words at lightning speed and tapped send. Right at that moment, the room's scenery began rippling like water. The sixty seconds were up. *** "Yinyang Town... Guan Ya, you must be careful. Make sure you come back alive," Li Dongze said, his expression grave. Yinyang Town was an A-rank death-type dungeon. Even though Zhang Yuanqing had raised Decurion True Eye's threshold of shock considerably, Li Dongze could never forget the horrors of an A-rank dungeon. S-rank dungeons were nightmares for every Spirit Realm walker, a blade hanging over everyone's head, encountered purely by awful luck. A-rank dungeons, on the other hand, were the true life-and-death hurdles that geniuses from both the orthodox and evil factions had to dread and prepare for. There were countless examples of recognized, exceptionally talented seed candidates perishing in A-rank dungeons. This was precisely why Yuanshi clearing two S-rank dungeons had drawn so much attention from both official factions and evil organizations. Otherwise, given Elder Gou's status, no matter how gifted a walker in the Transcendent stage was, he would have offered a word of mild praise at most. He would never have traveled all the way to the capital for a nobody's item, nor would he have chuckled as if nothing had happened after having his dog head petted. "Understood, Decurion. If I don't make it out alive, please apologize to Fu Qingyang on my behalf, and apologize to everyone else as well. And tell Yuanshi not to be too sad," Guan Ya said with a laugh. Just as Li Dongze was about to reply, a muffled thud sounded from the speaker, sounding like a phone dropping to the floor. He knew Guan Ya had entered the dungeon. *Sigh...* Filled with worry, Li Dongze hung up the call. Only then did he notice a missed call: Yuanshi Tianzun. Li Dongze raised an eyebrow and dialed back, but it wouldn't connect. Checking the messaging app, he saw the voice message Yuanshi had sent: "Decurion, my dungeon is here. Yinyang Town!" Li Dongze forgot all sense of elegance, and a curse slipped out: "Oh, goddammit... God, are you kidding me?" Guan Ya and Yuanshi had entered Yinyang Town together? If the mission failed, Team Two would lose two of its finest members in one go. After the shock and anger, an inexplicable sense of relief washed over him. For one, that unlucky kid Yuanshi finally hadn't been drawn into an S-rank dungeon. For another, having him by Guan Ya's side vastly increased their chances of survival. After a moment of contemplation, Li Dongze dialed Fu Qingyang's number. *Ring... ring...* The phone rang for a long time before Fu Qingyang's aloof, restrained voice answered: "Calling so late... I assume there is an important matter?" *His tone is off. He seems displeased by the late disturbance...* As a Scout, Li Dongze caught his superior's annoyance and spoke in a deep voice, "Centurion, Guan Ya just entered a dungeon. A-rank, Yinyang Town, death-type." An A-rank death-type was far more lethal than non-death dungeons. Silence fell over the other end of the line. Li Dongze understood Centurion Fu's concern, but the man was too proud and stoic; even if he worried about Guan Ya deep down, he would never show it. "I see..." Fu Qingyang's voice carried a low tone. Li Dongze added, "Yuanshi has entered Yinyang Town as well. He should be in the same instance as Guan Ya." As soon as the words left his mouth, Fu Qingyang's voice hitched slightly. "Yuanshi entered Yinyang Town too?" "Yes," Li Dongze replied affirmatively. "Understood. We will wait for their news tomorrow," Fu Qingyang said. His voice remained cool, but the heavy tension had evaporated in an instant, replaced by unmistakable ease. *** The scene shifted from blurry to clear. What first entered Zhang Yuanqing's vision was an antique small town styled after Jiangnan water towns—white walls, black-tiled roofs, and stone-paved streets extending deep into the settlement. Patches of lush green grew along the roadsides and corner walls. The sky was azure; it was daytime in the Spirit Realm. On the grassy meadows outside town, several black water buffalo grazed with their heads down, while a cowherd boy dozed against a tree. Zhang Yuanqing looked up. He was standing beneath an archway just outside the town. Carved upon it were three sweeping characters: *Yinyang Town.* *This is a dungeon where the tasks constantly change. Every team that enters faces different obstacles, depending on which route the Spirit Realm assigns them toward the central square...* *Although it's not S-rank this time, it's still a death-type. I really can't say whether my luck is good or bad.* *What was that hidden quest the Demon Lord mentioned? What kind of item did Yinyang Sanren hide here?* While recalling the background information about Yinyang Town, he inconspicuously summoned his black-rimmed glasses, slipped them on, and assessed the companions beside him. *Hmm?* In the crowd, Zhang Yuanqing spotted a familiar face. Her tall figure and refined mixed-race features stood out like a firefly in the dark. *Guan Ya?!* At that moment, Guan Ya happened to look over. Catching sight of someone familiar, her beautiful eyes lit up with an indescribable sparkle. *Yuanshi... I actually matched with him! We really got matched together!* Guan Ya quickly concealed her delight, shifting her gaze away to examine the other companions without walking over to acknowledge him. *She looks quite happy to see me. Heh, of course she is. Anyone would be thrilled to have a pro gamer like me around... She isn't acknowledging me right away—she wants to gauge the teammates first?* Having analyzed Guan Ya's mindset, Zhang Yuanqing turned his attention to the others. There were six companions in total. Aside from Guan Ya, there were one woman and four men, all young. *Clap, clap!* The other woman clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention and spoke up: "Everyone, I'm a member of the Five Elements Alliance. ID: Please Call Me Queen, Level 3 Water Ghost." *Please Call Me Queen? That name sounds familiar. Ah, isn't that the female colleague who spends all day shitposting on the forum?* Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized "Queen." She was a woman in her mid-twenties, wearing black cropped pants, a black T-shirt, and white running shoes. Her features were bold and striking, framed by smoky makeup, and large silver hoops dangled from her translucent earlobes. *Queen? What kind of queen—a nightclub queen?* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. Queen's eyes swept over the group as she continued, "I've read through the guides for Yinyang Town. This is a team-versus-team dungeon; our opponents are evil professions on the other side of town. The two teams enter the old town from different gates, and the first team to reach the central square will receive a reward. "It could be some form of authority, or perhaps an item. In short, whichever team reaches the square first has a higher chance of winning. This dungeon requires united effort. Any suspicion or infighting will result in total defeat. "Therefore, my suggestion is to elect a captain." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing immediately saw through her intention. Team-versus-team Spirit Realms were the only dungeons that dropped faction tokens. Queen had announced her official status and level right off the bat to secure the role of team leader. If she could lead everyone through this dungeon, the odds of being awarded a faction token were exceptionally high. As if confirming Please Call Me Queen's words, a Spirit Realm prompt chimed in everyone's minds: [Please enter Yinyang Town within three minutes. The team that reaches the square first will receive a reward.] The expressions of those present shifted slightly. A burly man in a tank top eyed her and asked, "You want to be captain?" Queen didn't deny it, nodding calmly. The tank-top man pondered for a few seconds before replying, "I'm a Level 3 Fire Master, ID Huode Xingjun—using the 'jun' for army, since the real god's name was taken. If you truly know the guide for this Spirit Realm, I agree to make you captain." At that moment, a slightly chubby young man with a round face chimed in, "I'm a Level 2 Earth Monster, ID Chi'ou. Please look out for me, big brothers and sisters." The remaining two promptly stated their levels and professions. A frail-looking young man wearing spectacles was a Level 3 Scholar named Li Chunfeng. In the Transcendent stage, this profession was notoriously weak in combat. The Scholar readily waived his right to compete for captaincy. The last person was a quiet, melancholy youth who introduced himself as a Level 2 Wood Demon with the ID Lili Yuanshangcao. He seemed taciturn and entirely indifferent to those around him; even faced with top-tier beauties like Guan Ya and Queen, he merely spared them a brief glance before looking away. Behind his black-rimmed glasses, Zhang Yuanqing noted everyone's micro-expressions, analyzing their genuine thoughts. *Huode Xingjun clearly wanted to be captain too, but once he heard Queen was an official walker with knowledge of the guide, he conceded right away. In reality, guides for Yinyang Town are only for reference; she already blurted out the most useful part... From Chi'ou's expression and eyes, he never even considered competing for the lead...* *Li Chunfeng has been frowning the whole time; he's pessimistic and holds little hope for this run. Lili Yuanshangcao is young, but carries the aura of a reclusive hermit, lacking any warrior-like aggression...* *All things considered, these teammates are focused on the big picture. There are no brainless troublemakers. That's the difference between team-versus-team and standard co-op mode...* *In a mode like this, even hotheads have to hold back for the greater good.* Li Chunfeng let out a sigh and said, "We have three Level 3 walkers now. Based on the Spirit Realm's matchmaking mechanics, the evil faction will have at least two Level 3s. A Level 3 like me is just padding out the numbers; I can't fight. Looking at you all just now, aside from Huode and Queen, the rest seem rather lacking." *Is that why you're so pessimistic?* Zhang Yuanqing thought dryly. Huode Xingjun frowned. "Don't ruin morale!" He then turned to Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing. "What about you two? What professions, and what levels?" Please Call Me Queen glanced toward Guan Ya. Guan Ya offered a faint smile. "Level 2 Scout, ID Guan Ya." *Level 2 Scout...* A flicker of disappointment crossed the others' faces. A Scout's combat strength was fairly mediocre—inferior to a Fire Master or a Wood Demon, though at least better than a Scholar. "Also, I'm an official member," Guan Ya added. "A colleague! Ah, now I remember. You're from the Songhai Branch. I've seen you on the forums. Once we're in Yinyang Town, stay close to me," Please Call Me Queen said with a smile. Official walkers naturally shared more affinity with each other than with wild walkers. Queen's underlying message was clear: *Vote for me as captain, and I'll protect you.* Even though Guan Ya was an official member and surely familiar with the guides, the gap between a Level 2 Scout and a Level 3 Water Ghost was substantial. Queen wasn't worried about Guan Ya contesting the captaincy. Besides, even if Guan Ya wanted to, the others wouldn't choose her. Guan Ya smiled and nodded. Please Call Me Queen gave a satisfied nod, then turned her gaze to Zhang Yuanqing. "Young man, what about you?" Zhang Yuanqing looked around at the group and said, "Level 2 Night Wanderer, ID Yuanshi Tianzun. Personally, I think I'm more suited to be captain than you."