Hebo and he had both been active—guiding the pace, analyzing, and taking charge—practically serving as the leaders of the group. Now that Hebo was dead, the next target would definitely be him.
Nearby, Xi Shi said somewhat anxiously, "There's only one minute left. Make a decision, quick! What should we do next? Keep our eyes closed, or open them?"
Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly and offered an uneasy suggestion:
"How about... we take a vote?"
Huo Mo said loudly:
"I vote to open our eyes. I don't want anyone else's head rolling into my arms, or having my own head mysteriously lopped off. If we open our eyes, we still have a glimmer of hope. Maybe we can figure out the rules."
Xi Shi glanced at Zhang Yuanqing with expectation in her eyes. Seeing that he remained silent, she could only say:
"I also think opening our eyes is better. The feeling of keeping them closed is awful."
Ashamed to Be a Father fell silent for a few seconds. "I agree."
Xie Lingxi: "I agree too."
Seeing this, Great Sage Equal to Heaven knew his vote was meaningless. "Looks like I don't have a choice."
*Open our eyes? If the roller coaster's killing rules have changed, so be it, but if my guess is right and the evildoer is doing the killing, have you thought about the consequences of opening your eyes?* Zhang Yuanqing's heart turned cold.
He had almost confessed the truth about a traitor lurking in their ranks, but the Spirit Realm had given a prompt requiring him to conceal his identity.
This protected both the evildoer and the leader. After all, unlike certain games in reality, people didn't know from the start that there was a wolf they needed to find.
They were just an impromptu group; why would anyone believe whatever he said?
Concealing identities was clearly the instance's balancing mechanism. If he rashly revealed it, what if it triggered a penalty?
Yet he couldn't let them go through with this, because they couldn't afford to lose.
*I've thought of a way, but the risk is high...* Zhang Yuanqing hesitated no longer and said in a heavy voice:
"Is there a possibility—if, I mean *if*—the rule about keeping our eyes closed hasn't changed, have you considered the consequences? Only Hebo died in the last round. There are still two rounds left, so at most two more will die. Between total annihilation and two deaths, I shouldn't need to tell you which to choose."
The group fell silent, and the scene came to a standstill.
Seeing that no one argued, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief and immediately said:
"I have another idea."
Xi Shi's face lit up with delight. "What idea?"
"Pick one person to stay on the platform and observe, while the rest keep their eyes closed and ride the roller coaster. That way, we have eyes watching while those on the ride don't have to take the risk, avoiding the danger of a total party wipe."
Everyone was taken aback. Huo Mo knitted his brows and said irritably:
"The instance information didn't state that we must experience the rides together, but it didn't say we could split up either. You should know that entails risk."
The Spirit Realm wouldn't state every rule clearly and let you follow them step by step. Nothing came so cheap.
For instance, the prompt said to form a team, but it wouldn't tell you what happened if you didn't. Maybe nothing, or maybe leaving the team meant death.
"I know," Zhang Yuanqing said slowly.
"So I'll bear that risk. I'll stay behind."
With that, he stared intently at his teammates. At this moment, whoever objected was the killer.
"No objection from me."
"I don't mind either."
"We're counting on you, handsome."
"Wang Tai, be careful."
No one objected.
*The killer is smarter than I thought...* Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly in his heart. He took the opportunity to unbuckle his safety belt and stepped out of the roller coaster.
If staying behind carried a risk, then the killer could effectively claim two lives this round. With most people agreeing, going with the flow was a wise move, so the killer was indeed clever.
Yet for Zhang Yuanqing, staying behind might be risky, but remaining in the car meant certain death.
At that moment, the countdown ended. With a thud from underneath, the roller coaster slowly began to move.
Zhang Yuanqing tensed all over. While staying alert to any potential dangers around him, he fixed a sharp gaze on the roller coaster as it crawled up the slope.
Sound couldn't provide feedback, but visuals definitely could. If the killer dared to strike, he would immediately trigger a flare-up of his own condition to ferret them out.
He didn't believe the killer could kill by mere thought alone, because that went against the balancing mechanism.
After climbing to the peak, the roller coaster suddenly plunged downward in free fall. Aboard the car, Xi Shi once again let out a sharp cry of terror.
*Rumble...*
Under Zhang Yuanqing's watchful eyes, the roller coaster roared along the winding, dragon-like steel tracks. Two minutes later, it slowed and returned to the platform.
The moment the roller coaster stopped, the members on board immediately opened their eyes, tensely glancing before and behind them.
"No one died! No one died this time!"
Xi Shi shouted in delight.
Joy spread across the others' faces as their tense expressions relaxed.
Xie Lingxi blinked her pretty eyes and asked with a smile, "Did you observe anything?"
The members instantly turned to Zhang Yuanqing, their gazes filled with anticipation.
*Just as I expected, it's not the rules killing people, but the murderer...* Zhang Yuanqing said:
"I didn't see anything."
He was dropping a subtle hint to his teammates.
Since the rule about keeping eyes closed hadn't changed, how did Hebo die? Use your brains and think about it.
Hearing this, the members fell abruptly silent, lost in thought.
During the next five minutes, the group remained exceptionally quiet, sharing no exchanges or discussions. Then, under Zhang Yuanqing's watch, they completed the third round.
"Phew, it's over..."
Xi Shi could not wait to unfasten her safety belt. Stretching her long legs, she leaped off the roller coaster as if fleeing.
Zhang Yuanqing looked at her. Once the rest of his teammates had exited the roller coaster, he smiled pleasantly:
"My turn. Please wait here for a moment, everyone."
The roller coaster slowed down and came to a stop at the rooftop platform.
Zhang Yuanqing unfastened his safety belt and rejoined the teammates waiting off to the side.
Setting foot on the concrete floor, he felt a sudden wave of relief and exhaustion from having survived a great calamity.
*We've finally finished one amusement ride. Only one teammate died, which is still within an acceptable range. Sigh, we almost suffered a total wipe. This is too hard, S-rank quests are just too hard...* Zhang Yuanqing thought, feeling utterly drained.
Seeing that everyone else also looked thoroughly exhausted, he immediately felt better.
Just then, a prompt rang out in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:
[You have completed the initial quest (Roller Coaster). You have successfully activated the "Thrills and Chills" quest series. The amusement rides in this series are: Roller Coaster — Underground Parking Lot — Haunted House (Ghost Marriage) — Detective Mystery Hall. Please head to the second location within half an hour.]
*A—A haunted house?!* Hearing the prompt, Zhang Yuanqing's face stiffened instantly.
The smiles on the faces of Xie Lingxi, Xi Shi, the middle-aged man, Huo Mo, and Great Sage Equal to Heaven also faded away.
*The roller coaster belongs to the Thrills and Chills series, and there's a haunted house in this series!* Zhang Yuanqing snapped his head toward 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 one quest. You have one opportunity to execute the leader's authority. Please designate the evildoer hidden among the team members. The designated target will be obliterated!
[Failure to make a choice within thirty seconds will be treated as forfeiting this opportunity.]
Chapter 50