From outside surged a rich darkness, a darkness deeper than night itself. Though Zhang Yuanqing possessed eyes that could see through the dark, he could not pierce this terrifying Yin energy. He could only vaguely make out the figure in the bridal gown stepping unhurriedly over the threshold.
In this moment, Zhang Yuanqing experienced the greatest horror of his life.
It was not the shock of having his Yang energy drained by a shoulder-clinging resentful spirit, nor the panic of being hunted by zombies. It was the terror of emotions detonating inside his heart while his body remained entirely incapable of reacting.
Powerless to resist, unable to defend himself, drowning in endless despair.
The abilities of a Night Wanderer were useless here; he was completely suppressed.
Little Doubi did not even dare to cry. His chubby little body trembled incessantly, and a few seconds later, his useless master joined him in shivering.
Darkness poured into the room. Step by step, the figure in the bridal gown drew nearer, saturating every corner of the room in a thick deathly aura.
Right then, the Cat King Speaker tucked in Zhang Yuanqing's pocket spoke up at an inopportune moment once again:
"She is here, bringing unparalleled terror... The groom sits by the bedside, turning his plan over in his mind. But though he appears calm on the surface, inside he is terrif—"
At that point, affected by some unknown interference, the Cat King Speaker crackled with electric static. A few seconds later, the voice resumed, but what it said left Zhang Yuanqing stunned:
"The groom appears calm on the surface, but inside he is overjoyed, all because the bride is so fair and charming, gentle and dignified—truly a rare and wonderful match. Yes, exactly like that... bzzzt..."
Then it fell completely silent.
*Overjoyed inside?! Are you sure that was what you intended to say in the first place?* There was so much to roast here that Zhang Yuanqing didn't even know where to begin. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look at the Ghost Bride.
Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his body trembling slightly.
And then, looking down, he saw a pair of red embroidered shoes come to a stop right before him.
Time ticked by second by second. Xie Lingxi sat on the edge of the bed, frozen in place. Her delicate, refined features set against the backdrop of the bridal chamber made it seem, at first glance, as though she were the bride.
*In the old walkthrough, anyone chosen by the Ghost Bride died without question. That shouldn't change in the new version. Whoever she picked is doomed...* Xie Lingxi quietly swallowed.
She had known the walkthrough for the Haunted House all along, but had kept quiet. Originally, she had planned to use it as bargaining chips after entering the Haunted House. But after discovering that Wang Tai was a Night Wanderer, and seeing the mission change to include steps like betrothal gifts and wedding invitations, she realized the old walkthrough was useless.
So she hadn't brought it up.
Xie Lingxi was terrified. Although she had cleared two solo Spirit Realms and two team Spirit Realms, facing danger along the way—and solo Spirit Realms for every profession were uniformly of the death category—the solo realms for her profession could be described as thrilling, but they had nothing to do with horror.
Jinshui Amusement Park was the first realm with supernatural elements that Xie Lingxi had ever experienced. It was too horrifying. That horror wasn't just the peril of death; ghosts and specters inherently triggered human fear.
*I am never watching a horror movie for the rest of my life...* she silently swore to herself.
There was no sense of time inside the bridal chamber. Amidst what felt like an endless torment, Xie Lingxi suddenly heard the chime of the Spirit Realm prompt:
[You have completed the Haunted House (Ghost Wedding) mission. You are currently undertaking the "Heart-Stopping Thrills" series. The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster—Underground Parking Garage—Haunted House (Ghost Wedding)—Detective Mystery Hall. Please proceed to the fourth attraction within half an hour.]
"It's over?"
Xie Lingxi froze, and then an overwhelming surge of joy welled up within her. It was as though she had emerged from a long, unending night, so thrilled she wanted to cheer aloud.
It had finally passed. This terrifying supernatural mission was finally over.
Only then did her second thought surface: *Who died?*
Eager to find out, she pushed open the latticed door and stepped outside. Looking around, she saw the desolate night and lanterns hanging high from the eaves, but not a single sound.
But footsteps soon sounded behind her. Xie Lingxi spun around immediately and saw red-haired Huo Mo stepping out of a bridal chamber behind her.
Huo Mo's face was flushed with joy, and a spark of anticipation lingered in his eyes. "Looks like whoever died was either Wang Tai or Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
Seeing that he had survived, Xie Lingxi knitted her delicate brows almost imperceptibly.
Huo Mo was in exceptionally high spirits. "The most dangerous part is over. The upcoming Detective Mystery Hall shouldn't be too hard. If we get out alive, we'll have secured the first clear of an S-tier realm. Tsk, tsk, I'm already looking forward to the completion rewards. Oh right, and the walkthrough! The walkthrough alone will keep me living lavishly for a long time."
Xie Lingxi glanced at him and said coolly, "We hardly know anything about how the Haunted House works. Wang Tai knew it best. Any walkthrough you write up will take a massive hit in value."
Huo Mo shrugged. "Even so, it'll still be worth a fortune."
The two didn't wait long before hearing footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, they looked.
"You?" Huo Mo looked momentarily stunned before quickly regaining his composure, chuckling. "Looks like Great Sage Equal to Heaven is the one staying behind to be the groom. That kid was a cowardly wimp. If he could walk out of this Spirit Realm alive, now that would be unfair."
"Brother Wang Tai!" Xie Lingxi broke into a sweet smile.
Zhang Yuanqing gave a slight nod, then looked at Huo Mo, his voice low. "No matter what, we were companions. There's no need for sarcastic remarks."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Let's just get out of here. I don't want to stay in this place another second. The sooner we leave, the sooner we finish the mission and go our separate ways."
He enunciated "go our separate ways" with heavy emphasis.
And so, led by Zhang Yuanqing, the three passed through the inner courtyard, main hall, and outer courtyard without incident, successfully leaving the haunted residence.
They quickened their pace as they exited the dark alley without pausing for an instant. In tacit agreement, it seemed all three had developed a severe psychological trauma toward the place.
Ten minutes later, following the roadside signs, they found the Detective Mystery Hall.
It was a white building with tall, thick pillars supporting a triangular pediment in standard Western style.
The wrought-iron gate stood open, and a fountain graced the front courtyard.
"Do we need a break?" Zhang Yuanqing paused outside the iron gate to ask for his two teammates' opinions.
Xie Lingxi and Huo Mo shook their heads.
The terror of the Haunted House had been mostly a mental strain rather than a physical toll. The ten-minute walk had given them enough time to settle their emotions, so there was no need for further rest.
Besides, having reached this point, they were impatient to bring tonight's nightmarish ordeal to an end.
The three passed through the gates, walked around the fountain, and entered the museum-like building.
The main hall of the mystery hall was paved with square floor tiles. Eight magnificent crystal chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling, casting brilliant, dazzling light.
Display cases lined the hall, holding a variety of exhibits: a pipe and a walking stick, a red bowtie and a soccer ball, symbols of dancing men, a thread-bound copy of the *Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified*...
*A pipe and cane were one thing, but there's even a red bowtie? It feels like this instance is memeing...* As a mystery enthusiast who aspired to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become an outstanding police inspector, Zhang Yuanqing was well acquainted with these items.
Their gazes swept across the display cases before quickly shifting to the center of the hall, settling on six statues draped in red cloth.
Huo Mo looked at the red-cloth-covered statues, his eyes flickering. "What's the mission for this stage? Deduction? I hate brain-racking missions the most."
Xie Lingxi remained deep in thought, silent.
Zhang Yuanqing pointed at the six statues and smiled. "Haven't they already given us the problem?"
As his words fell, Zhang Yuanqing, Xie Lingxi, and Huo Mo simultaneously received the mission prompt in their minds:
[Ding! Welcome to the Detective Mystery Hall!]
[Superfluous items have been cleared for you. The Detective Mystery Hall is a place that tests wisdom. Violent conflict is prohibited; violators will be obliterated. Captain, please step forward and unveil the red cloth.]
Xie Lingxi and Huo Mo did not move, while Zhang Yuanqing strode forward and pulled off the red cloths covering the statues.
The six statues were identical. On the chest of each statue was a nameplate reading: Commoner, Neutral, Neutral, Guardian, Traitor, Evildoer.
"There's an evildoer in our team? That explains why the Roller Coaster walkthrough hadn't changed, yet Hebo died! Wang Tai, you were trying to warn us back then, weren't you?" Huo Mo came to a sudden realization, then looked at Zhang Yuanqing in astonishment. "You're the captain?"
Zhang Yuanqing turned back with a smile. "Didn't you guys know that all along?"
Huo Mo instantly fell silent.
At that moment, the instance prompt echoed in the ears of the three once again:
[Ding! Announcing the Captain's Mission: Attention: an evildoer is hidden within the team. Please ensure the team has at least three members; otherwise, a penalty will be incurred: all experience points of the current level will be cleared. Attention: keep your role identity hidden.]
[Ding! Everyone in the team has their own role. The captain must deduce their identities and attach their name cards. If any single role is wrongly labeled, the "Detective Mystery Hall" mission fails, and all members of the Captain faction will be obliterated.]
[Every team member possesses the right to defend themselves.]
[Please complete the deduction within half an hour. Exceeding the time limit will be considered a mission failure, and all members of the Captain faction will be obliterated.]
[There are two things in this world that cannot be looked at directly: one is the sun, and the other is the human heart. Countdown begins: 00:30:00.]
*I was wondering why the hidden mission required us not to reveal our identities—so this was the reason...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. At the same time, as if guided by an intuition, he noticed a new item in his inventory.
Opening it, he found that the items in his inventory were greyed out and unusable, but one slot retained its normal color: a stack of name cards.
He took out the cards. There were six in total, each bearing a team member's name.
"Time is limited, so I'll start deducing from the teammates who died. Neither of you mind, right?" He held up the cards, glancing at Xie Lingxi and Huo Mo.
"Fine by me. It saves time," Huo Mo agreed.
Xie Lingxi nodded.
Zhang Yuanqing fanned out the cards and swept his eyes over them. Drawing out the card for Ashamed to Be a Father, he said, "To be safe, let's start with the most certain one. Ashamed to Be a Father is a Neutral. He told me so himself before he died. Honestly, I didn't believe him at the time because he belonged to an evil profession."
It was also from that moment that Zhang Yuanqing had truly confirmed everyone had received a hidden mission.
"He was an evil profession?" Huo Mo was shocked. "Then could he have been the evildoer? Come to think of it, ever since he died, no one in our team has died without explanation."
"There's a reason why the evildoer didn't kill anyone. I'll explain later. But Ashamed to Be a Father wasn't the evildoer, because after the underground parking garage mission ended, I secretly conducted spirit questioning." Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and pasted Ashamed to Be a Father's card onto one of the two Neutral statues.
[Ding! Deduction correct.]
Next, above the statue bearing Ashamed to Be a Father's card, a line of text floated into view:
[Neutral: There is a captain and an evildoer within the team. You must choose your faction before the end of the first mission. Do not reveal your identity.]
This was the Neutral's hidden mission.
"Choose your faction before the end of the first mission..." Zhang Yuanqing turned around with a smile and looked at the girl. "Looks like, Little Sister Lingxi, you're a Neutral too. Well, you're on my side now."
Xie Lingxi beamed.
"That's right, Brother Wang Tai.
"Choosing a faction had to be done carefully. Back then, I didn't know who the captain was or who the evildoer was, and choosing the wrong side could mean death. That's why I suggested doing the Roller Coaster as our first attraction—because it was the simplest and lacked outside interference. If its walkthrough hadn't changed, it was the best stage for the captain and the evildoer to play their mind games.
"Then I could choose a faction based on the outcome of that clash. Brother Wang Tai, you were amazing and came up with a way to neutralize the crisis. So, I chose to join the Captain faction!"
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled and affixed Xie Lingxi's card onto the other Neutral statue.
Ever since the Roller Coaster, this girl had been exceptionally obedient and showed him ample goodwill.
That conversation about "private tutoring" had been a test on Zhang Yuanqing's part, and she had responded enthusiastically: *Sure, sure!*
[Ding! Deduction correct.]
Following that, the Neutral's hidden mission text floated up once more.
Zhang Yuanqing drew out Xi Shi's card and said, "This woman slacked off the entire time. During the missions, she seconded the vote to open her eyes on the Roller Coaster and never lifted a finger against the Autobot. Aside from being fairly active about self-preservation, she lacked motivation in everything she did all night. Therefore, I deduce she was the Commoner.
"Huo Mo, what do you think?"
Huo Mo frowned. "That's too arbitrary. That kind of reasoning could just as easily apply to the evildoer."
Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "No, it's not arbitrary at all, but I can't tell you the reason."
He pasted Xi Shi's card onto the Commoner statue.
[Ding! Deduction correct.]
[Commoner: Your role is Commoner. Please find the captain and gain his protection before the end of the first mission. Do not reveal your identity.]
Beyond the reason he had just given, Zhang Yuanqing had two other grounds for concluding Xi Shi was the Commoner:
First, during the flashback that triggered his old illness, he noticed Xi Shi had constantly been probing everyone's identities—first asking whether Xie Lingxi belonged to the authorities, and later wavering between him and Hebo during the Roller Coaster.
Without his ability to view flashbacks, that detail would have been almost impossible to spot. An evildoer aware of the captain's existence wouldn't have made such obvious probing moves.
Second, during that same probing conversation, Xi Shi's response had been: *I don't need respect; be rough, be wild.*
In truth, she had been hinting at her Commoner identity. And of course, there was spirit questioning.
Commoners didn't need respect; commoners were always treated roughly and wildly.
At the time, Zhang Yuanqing had taken it merely as her way of expressing subservience, only truly catching the double meaning when he saw the "Commoner" role just now.
"Hebo was the first to die, so let's set him aside for now." Zhang Yuanqing looked at Huo Mo with a grin. "Brother Huo Mo, Traitor or evildoer—which one are you?"
Huo Mo's face instantly darkened. He said in a deep voice, "I'm the Guardian."
"Bullshit!" Xie Lingxi rolled her pretty eyes. "A guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes like you looks the least like a good guy! You've been stirring up shit from start to finish! Ah, no—anyway, you're just a piece of shit."
Huo Mo didn't panic. He defended himself logically:
"Brother Wang Tai, I'm really the Guardian. Actually, I knew you were the captain long ago; I figured it out on the Roller Coaster. Think about it: if I were the evildoer, I would've killed you long ago just like Hebo was killed."
"Hahaha..."
"What are you laughing at?" Huo Mo frowned.
"I'm an expert who has survived countless Spirit Realms, an experienced walker. No lie works on me." Finishing his laugh, Zhang Yuanqing let out a cold snort. "Seeing me walk out of the Haunted House just now, you seemed pretty disappointed, didn't you?"
"Why would I be disappointed? I was thrilled!" Huo Mo said angrily. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have made a move long ago. Doesn't that make sense?"
Xie Lingxi opened her mouth, then hesitated. Although she knew Huo Mo was no good, she didn't have much hard evidence. She was afraid that speaking out of turn might mislead the captain.
If even one person was placed incorrectly, everyone in the Captain faction would be obliterated, including her.
So at this moment, Xie Lingxi's heart was in her throat.
"Then explain why you misled us on the Roller Coaster, claiming the walkthrough about keeping our eyes closed was obsolete. Don't give me any crap about being scared out of your wits. None of us are rookies. Holding a severed head scared you out of your wits?" Zhang Yuanqing challenged.
Huo Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his fiery temper, and explained patiently:
"I admit that back then it was my misjudgment, my impatience. But that's a question of competence, not proof that I wanted to get everyone killed. What good would getting everyone killed do me? The Roller Coaster was only the first mission. How was I supposed to clear the subsequent attractions all by myself?"
"No, no, no!" Zhang Yuanqing wagged his finger and smiled. "I never said your proposal to open our eyes was meant to wipe out the team. What bad intentions could you have? You just wanted to find the captain, that's all."
Huo Mo's face changed.
Xie Lingxi, on the other hand, smiled.
"Back then, I advised everyone that if the Roller Coaster walkthrough hadn't changed, opening our eyes would wipe out the entire team. In comparison, losing one teammate per lap was the more rational choice. But strangely, everyone voted to open their eyes." Zhang Yuanqing chuckled softly.
"Of course none of you were that stupid. Each of you harbored your own hidden motives: one side wanted to protect themselves, while the other wanted to use the opportunity to draw out the captain—because you knew the captain would definitely object."
Huo Mo was struck speechless.
Xie Lingxi's beautiful eyes curved into crescents. "Brother Wang Tai, you're amazing."
She genuinely meant it.
The vote had been proposed by her. At that time, she hadn't chosen a faction yet. Agreeing to open their eyes was partly to test the captain's competence and partly out of fear that fiercely objecting would draw the evildoer's suspicion and lead to her being obliterated. Regardless of the vote's outcome, she would have kept her eyes closed anyway.
Xi Shi and Ashamed to Be a Father had probably thought the same.
What Xie Lingxi hadn't anticipated was that Brother Wang Tai had seen through their motives all along. The little girl's confidence in the upcoming deductions soared instantly.
Huo Mo remained silent for a long while before repeating his old refrain: "I'm really a good person, not the evildoer. Otherwise, I would have killed you long ago."
"You wouldn't!" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
"After the Roller Coaster, I knew I had exposed myself. From then on, my hand was played face-up. I had to protect myself. That's why, upon entering the underground parking garage, I repeatedly stressed that we were grasshoppers tied to the same string and that we needed to work together.
"Fortunately, the garage mission required manpower. I was actually very happy back then, because I knew I would be safe, at least in the beginning. Later, when Xie Lingxi obtained the card allowing the use of items, I immediately volunteered to take on the Autobot myself, while also letting you all know the deadly cost of those dancing shoes.
"All of that was meant to make the killer wary—to make the killer think they could wait, that there was no rush to kill me, because I still had value to exploit and they could reap the benefits of my labor."
Huo Mo's expression shifted erratically. As if he could no longer suppress his fury, he snarled viciously:
"I should've killed you sooner! I should've killed you back in the underground parking garage!!"
Xie Lingxi egged him on, "You can do it right now if you want."
Huo Mo shot her a venomous glare, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "Wang Tai, you're formidable. I lost. I admit it—I'm the evildoer..."
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled. He picked out the "Huo Mo" card and stuck it onto the Traitor statue.
Xie Lingxi blanched, letting out a sharp gasp: "You—"
But immediately afterward, she saw Huo Mo's face drain of color, eyes flooding with despair and panic.
His earlier ferocity and anger had all been an act.
*This...* Xie Lingxi was stunned.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Traitor: Your role is Traitor. You must find the evildoer before the end of the first mission, assist him in concealing his identity, and obliterate the captain. If the captain dies, the mission is complete, and you will be rewarded with one item.]
"I never said you were the evildoer. You're the fucking Traitor. Trying to mislead me and make my deduction fail?" Zhang Yuanqing spat.
Huo Mo looked as though all his spirit had been drained out of him. His eyes were glazed as he mumbled, "How... how did you know..."
"Because you made it far too obvious. If I were the evildoer, I would definitely find a way to disguise myself, draw zero attention, and remain as obscure as possible." Zhang Yuanqing stared at the Traitor's mission prompt, rubbing his chin.
"In that case, who the evildoer is becomes crystal clear. Just as I guessed, it's Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
He scrutinized the despondent Huo Mo and sneered:
"I suspected everyone in the team. I tested and eliminated them one by one. In the end, I was wavering between you and Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Before arriving at the Detective Mystery Hall, I still wasn't sure which of you was the evildoer. It wasn't until I saw the existence of the Traitor role that everything clicked.
"Xie Lingxi was right: you really were like a shit-stirrer. You acted way too much like a wolf—being the first to suggest opening our eyes, sitting right behind Hebo, relentlessly badgering Xie Lingxi. And after I hinted that there was danger in the team, when I talked to you, you immediately showed goodwill toward me. That fits the profile of a guilty killer... I have to admit, your disguise was very convincing.
"It was precisely because of this that I couldn't be certain whether you or Great Sage Equal to Heaven was the killer. Now I get it: the logic behind your entire string of actions was to serve as a shield for Great Sage Equal to Heaven, diverting my attention as captain so that I would actively suspect you."
A trace of terror surfaced in Huo Mo's eyes. This young man's mind was terrifyingly meticulous.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Xie Lingxi. Seeing the girl's bright, sparkling eyes looking at him with utter adoration, he nodded in satisfaction and continued:
"When entering the underground parking garage, you and Great Sage Equal to Heaven had an argument. He wanted to stick together, while you wanted to split up. That was where your opinions diverged, wasn't it?"
Gritting his teeth, Huo Mo said:
"After the Roller Coaster, you hinted that there was danger in our team. I knew I had made myself too obvious and that you probably suspected me. The evildoer had the power to kill, so the captain had to have it too.
"I was afraid you'd kill me, so I hinted to Great Sage Equal to Heaven to murder you in the parking garage, but he refused. He thought the garage was too dangerous and that killing you then wasn't smart—after all, it wasn't his neck on the line! That bastard completely treated me as an expendable pawn he could discard at any time.
"Later on, when you didn't kill me after clearing the underground parking garage, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then came the Haunted House. I hinted to him again to kill you, but he still didn't..."
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled.
"Of course he wouldn't kill me. Why do you think I exposed my identity as a Night Wanderer? In the parking garage, I was still on edge, but once we entered the Haunted House, I knew I definitely wouldn't die.
"You needed a Night Wanderer to shepherd you through, and you knew the Ghost Bride would definitely choose me. As long as I was there, you could practically coast through the Haunted House. Killing me would have been digging your own graves."
A Night Wanderer held a fatal attraction for resentful spirits. Anyone could figure out with their toes who the Ghost Bride would choose as her husband.
Huo Mo remembered something, and his voice suddenly shot up: "Why didn't the Ghost Bride choose you?! Why?!"
That was precisely what puzzled him. That was why seeing Wang Tai emerge alive had left him both astonished and disappointed.
Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi burst out laughing at the same time.
Hands on her hips, the young girl beamed smugly. "Because we found a card in the underground parking garage—an aggro-transfer card!"
She wasn't bothering to put on her innocent, delicate act anymore.
"I chose to redirect the Ghost Bride's attention onto Great Sage Equal to Heaven because I felt he was more suspicious than you," Zhang Yuanqing added with a chuckle.
"You two..." A deep chill seized Huo Mo's heart. From start to finish, he and Great Sage Equal to Heaven had been thoroughly played.
It plunged him into despair.
That selfish fool probably died without even knowing how it happened.
Zhang Yuanqing paid him no more heed and pasted Great Sage Equal to Heaven's card onto the evildoer statue.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Evildoer: Your role is evildoer. Attention: there is a captain in the team. He is your enemy. Find him and obliterate him. Do not reveal your identity.]
"We won!" Xie Lingxi hopped up with a small cheer.
Huo Mo glared at the two of them with venom, sneering:
"Don't celebrate too early! I admit you're terrifying, and I admit I lost. But so what? There are only three of us left in the entire team! The captain's mission is to keep the team at three or more members. Do you dare obliterate me?
"As clever as you are, you should understand the nature of the hidden missions. Once the evildoer is uncovered, the outcome is obliteration, and the Traitor bears the risk of being 'wrongfully killed' as well. So there won't be any other penalties—what penalty could be worse than death?
"Right now, even though you exposed me as the Traitor, I won't receive any punishment because you forfeited your captain's authority. Of course, you still have one last chance, but you can't kill me—unless you want your current level's experience points wiped out!"
Once he returned to reality, he would use his channels to investigate these two and sell their information to evil professions.
Making enemies in the Spirit Realm was commonplace, and finishing an instance didn't mean things were over.
Huo Mo had gotten rid of quite a few people he had feuded with in Spirit Realms; he was very experienced in dealing with enemies from the same faction.
Xie Lingxi froze, the joy overflowing on her small face instantly freezing over.
Zhang Yuanqing said nothing. That had been precisely why he chose not to exercise his captain's authority after completing the Haunted House mission.
"Don't rush. There's still one last person," Zhang Yuanqing said calmly.
He pasted the final card onto the Guardian statue.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Guardian: Your role is Guardian. Please protect the captain of the team and ensure he is not killed by the evildoer. If you are killed by the evildoer (deaths caused by missions do not count), everything about you will be paused. Once the captain achieves victory, you will be resurrected. If the captain fails, you cannot be resurrected.]
*As expected!*
Looking at the text, Zhang Yuanqing was surprised, yet not surprised.
With matters having reached this stage, Zhang Yuanqing could be certain that Hebo had actively fought for leadership back then. The Guardian's role motivation was the same as the Traitor's: both were taking hits for their respective "masters."
During the initial introductions, Hebo's demeanor had leaned cold and somber.
Such a person's style was solitary, making it unlikely he would proactively compete for the leadership role. Yet later on, he abruptly changed his style and vied with Zhang Yuanqing for the right to speak.
Behind such a shift, there had to be a driving force.
It was precisely that reason that led the evildoer to suspect Hebo was the captain and target him first.
In contrast, Zhang Yuanqing had displayed that socially fearless personality before anyone received the hidden missions, with no major shift occurring along the way.
Getting back to the point, a hidden mission was only a hidden mission after all; they weren't long-lost brothers, so who would take a lethal hit without some form of guarantee?
That was why Zhang Yuanqing wasn't surprised.
Still, for the Guardian, this had been a massive gamble.
The upside was that "dying" once allowed him to ride along to an easy victory, bypassing all subsequent perils of an S-tier Spirit Realm.
The downside was that trying it out might just turn into a permanent death.
Then again, given the sky-high mortality rate of an S-tier Spirit Realm, what could be worse than simply entering one?
His surprise stemmed from the fact that he hadn't expected the Spirit Realm to possess the power of resurrection. Perhaps this "resurrection" was confined solely to the instance, but it was still astounding.
Watching the floating "Guardian" prompt, Huo Mo's face paled bit by bit.
His lips began to tremble, his pupils dilated in wild tremors, and suffocating terror swallowed him whole.
The instance prompt sounded:
[You have completed the "Detective Mystery Hall" mission. You are currently undertaking the "Heart-Stopping Thrills" series. The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster—Underground Parking Garage—Haunted House (Ghost Wedding)—Detective Mystery Hall. You have completed this series.]
Zhang Yuanqing received a prompt with one extra line beyond what Xie Lingxi and Huo Mo heard:
[Ding! You have successfully led your teammates in completing a mission. You have one opportunity to execute your captain's authority. Please designate the evildoer hidden among the team members. The designated individual will be obliterated!]
[Failure to make a choice within thirty seconds will be regarded as forfeiting this opportunity.]
Zhang Yuanqing's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly:
"Huo Mo!"
In that instant, the terror in Huo Mo's eyes erupted. "No—"
Amid his shriek, his head separated from his neck and tumbled to the ground. From the severed stump, a bloody fountain geysered two to three meters into the air, gruesome and gory.
Huo Mo's severed head had its eyes wide open, lips still opening and closing.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the team Spirit Realm mission—Jinshui Amusement Park, Number 6203, Difficulty Level: S. Calculating rewards...]
Chapter 59