After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing washed up in the bathroom, then returned to his room, turned on his computer, and began writing the walkthrough.
From a purely monetary perspective, selling the walkthrough privately would certainly bring in the most cash. The bonus given by the organization wouldn't be excessive, ranging anywhere from a hundred thousand to several hundred thousand yuan.
Yet many things couldn't be measured in money, such as merits.
Merits could mobilize official resources, unlock higher-clearance archives, increase promotion opportunities, request official assistance, and so on—benefits that money simply couldn't buy.
Besides, for both of his S-tier Spirit Realms, the organization had provided him with walkthroughs. Returning the favor now was only right.
Zhang Yuanqing's fingers flew across the keyboard:
[Jinshui Amusement Park Walkthrough, Serial Number: 6203, Difficulty: S-tier, Type: Multiplayer Spirit Realm (Death-match)]
[Main Quest of Jinshui Amusement Park: Complete two or more amusement park attractions.]
[The first attraction I participated in was the roller coaster. The strategy remains unchanged: keeping your eyes closed throughout the ride allows you to pass unscathed. However, the reality is far less simple than imagined; I will set this aside for now and elaborate later.]
[Unlike the old version, the new version of the amusement park introduced a 'series' mechanic. The series containing the roller coaster is called 'Heart-Pounding Horror.' The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster -> Underground Parking Garage -> Haunted House (Ghost Wedding) -> Detective Mystery Hall.]
[The main objective in the underground parking garage is... Remember, when dodging the Autobot, it is best for all team members to ride in the same car to minimize wasted time. When drawing cards, try to find someone with god-tier luck; those cursed by bad RNG should not try to be heroes, or you risk wiping the whole squad...]
[The Haunted House is the most terrifying attraction in the amusement park, featuring newly added wedding invitation and betrothal gift phases. Female Spirit Realm walkers, remember: when filling out the wedding invitation, do not write female as your gender—women will face certain death. The betrothal gifts are medicinal wine, wedding quilt, gold hairpin, and steelyard scale, each corresponding to a vengeful spirit. The method to neutralize them is...]
[Caution: The betrothal gifts phase is designed to forcibly reduce numbers; beware of teammates killing each other.]
[Caution: During the Ghost Bride's groom selection, Night Wanderers face certain death!! The only reason I escaped from beneath the Ghost Bride's skirt was because I was born breathtakingly handsome and remarkably charismatic, utterly captivating the vengeful spirit. This heaven-sent visage is beyond human reach; none of you could pull it off, so do not attempt to imitate me. But do not panic—I have a method to bypass this deadly trap. The solution lies in the second stage, the underground parking garage...]
[The walkthrough for the Detective Mystery Hall is...]
[Hidden Quest for Jinshui Amusement Park: After reading the walkthrough for the Detective Mystery Hall, I believe you will have an understanding of the hidden quest...]
[It is currently impossible to determine the dungeon's role-assignment mechanism, but among this run's team, there was an evildoer assigned the role of Neutral. I suspect the allocation of Traitor and evildoer is determined not by faction or class, but by the human heart.]
Having finished writing the walkthrough and carefully reviewing it, Zhang Yuanqing sent it to Li Dongze's email.
Looking at the screen confirming the email had sent successfully, a thought suddenly struck him:
"That big loli Xie Lingxi was able to get her hands on the old walkthrough. She's either official personnel or deeply connected to the organization. With just a quick search, she'll be able to identify who I am—or rather, my ID."
The very purpose of Spirit Realm walkers using IDs was to have a public pseudonym, making it easier to establish a foothold in the Spirit Realm world, so this layer of identity was generally not kept secret.
Just like Yuanshi Tianzun clearing Sheling Tunnel—the feat circulated throughout the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Sect, and everyone thought Yuanshi Tianzun had great potential, but what did that have to do with Zhang Yuanqing?
With him clearing an S-tier quest this time, the Five Elements Alliance would most likely not conceal his achievement; in fact, they would actively promote his fame to show off the abundance of talent within their ranks.
Of course, this publicity would be limited to his ID, while any information tied to his real-life identity would be placed under a higher security clearance.
With just a bit of digging, Xie Lingxi would discover that her "Brother Wang Tai" was actually a fraud named "Yuanshi Tianzun."
"If she has an official background, then finding out won't matter much anyway. I interact with official walkers all the time, but only as Yuanshi Tianzun."
Zhang Yuanqing closed the email client and opened the official forum on his phone.
Out of nowhere, an eye-catching thread caught his attention:
#Shocking! Jinshui Amusement Park Has Been Conquered! The One Who Cleared It Is Actually This Person!#
Zhang Yuanqing was startled, thinking to himself, *I've only been back for a few hours, and someone has already dug me up?*
Clicking open the post, he saw that it was actually about Hebo. Before entering the Spirit Realm, Hebo had notified his superiors according to regulations. After an agonizing night of waiting, his superiors and colleagues were overjoyed to discover that Hebo had returned.
The local official branch immediately erupted. The news spread like wildfire among the Spirit Realm walkers of the city, causing as much commotion as a rural village producing a student who got accepted into Beijing University.
[Bittersweet Past: Where's the walkthrough? Have you finished writing it? I already used my points to submit an application, but the Deacon told me there's no new walkthrough in the database.]
[Bright Future: There really isn't a new walkthrough. I just refreshed the database. @Hebo]
The official Spirit Realm walkers were initially overjoyed, heaping high praise and lavish compliments on Hebo from Yan Province.
As the praise flowed, they noticed that the walkthrough hadn't been updated and Hebo hadn't spoken up either. Baffled, some began to question the authenticity of the post.
[I Have An Affliction: Are you spreading rumors because you're begging for a beating? Believe me, I'll take my boys on the bullet train to Yancheng and beat your branch into the ground! @Hebo]
After rounds of bickering, denunciations, and relentless tagging, Hebo finally stepped forward to speak.
[Hebo: I did indeed clear Jinshui Amusement Park. Rewarded 18% experience, fairly generous.]
[Bittersweet Past: Where's the walkthrough? Where is it?!]
Seemingly embarrassed to speak, Hebo remained silent for several minutes before his delayed reply arrived:
[None.]
What?
Just as the official walkers on the forum began feeling played for fools, Hebo posted another reply:
[I only took a blade for someone, then died, and then cleared the dungeon. So I don't have a walkthrough to give you. Maybe you find it unbelievable—how could an S-tier Spirit Realm be so simple? All I can say is that this is one way to play Jinshui Amusement Park. I can't discuss specific details on the forum. The expert who carried me through should have a complete walkthrough, but he doesn't seem to be an official member. I can tell you his name.]
Hebo was carried while lying down? Who—who was so saintly and extraordinarily capable? What kind of figure could that be?
[Bittersweet Past: Who is it?! Spill it, fast!!]
Bittersweet Past and some official walkers due to enter a Spirit Realm soon were the most anxious.
[Hebo: I only know his name is Wang Tai. We didn't interact much, so I'm not very sure.]
[Li Dongze: ???]
[Guan Ya: ???]
[Qingteng: ???]
[Bailong: ???]
The others began buzzing about who on earth this Wang Tai was, amazed that they had never heard of such a person. Someone tried tagging @Wang Tai, only to discover that the ID actually existed.
[Call Me Queen: Huh, looks like he is from our official organization! That's awesome.]
Under the relentless summons of the crowd, Wang Tai appeared.
[Wang Tai: I didn't. It wasn't me. Don't talk nonsense. But I know who it was: his name is Yuanshi Tianzun.]
[Bittersweet Past: Yuanshi Tianzun? What an overbearing name! No wonder he's so exceptional. Who is he, then?]
[I Have An Affliction: Why does that sound familiar to me?]
[Bailong: I know! He's the Night Wanderer who cleared Sheling Tunnel, the one that cur 'Li Dongze' above forcefully abducted as his subordinate. I just decided I'm going to rescue him from that sea of misery.]
Once she mentioned this, everyone on the forum realized and remembered the rookie who had conquered Sheling Tunnel, someone who had made quite a splash half a month ago.
[Bittersweet Past: It was actually him? That's great! As long as he's one of ours, that's fine. What we fear most is rogue Spirit Realm walkers completing the walkthrough, followed by those Taiyi Sect guys.]
Only when their own people produced a walkthrough could they acquire it at minimal cost. There was a difference between their own walkthroughs and those from outsiders.
[Call Me Queen: Oh, it's him! Speaking of which, he's also a Night Wanderer. Fortunately, our Five Elements Alliance recruited him first. Hmm, this suddenly reminds me of a phrase very popular on the Taiyi Sect forum lately: Elder Sun has truly gone muddled!]
[Hebo: So his name is Yuanshi Tianzun.]
[I Have An Affliction: So that means this kid—no, this big brother—has cleared two S-tier Spirit Realms?]
Such a figure would likely become a rising star in the Five Elements Alliance before long.
*Spare Elder Sun, will you? No, spare Captain Yuan, or Elder Sun will beat him to death...* Zhang Yuanqing exited the forum with deep satisfaction, put away his phone, pushed back from his desk, stood up, and went over to lock the bedroom door.
Next, he opened his drawer and took out the Cat King Speaker.
This troll of an item couldn't be stored in his inventory and could only be carried on his person. After returning, he had tossed it into the drawer.
"Brother Bing said he left everything inside the Cat King Speaker, and this item does have a recording function—that was already verified back in the Haunted House. So, if I want to know what Brother Bing left behind, I need to make it talk..."
Holding the black metallic speaker in his palm, Zhang Yuanqing fell into thought.
The Cat King Speaker had only two buttons: one for drums and one for the suona. Both sounds carried mystical effects and couldn't be tested inside a residential building, or innocent people would be caught in the crossfire.
Besides, even if he pressed the buttons, it was unlikely he would extract any information that way.
"When it blurted out information in the Haunted House, it did so automatically without me pressing any buttons. Does that mean getting information from the Cat King Speaker is purely random?"
Zhang Yuanqing frowned in thought. Suddenly, he remembered that when facing the Ghost Bride, this troll of an item had displayed a survival instinct that no ordinary item should possess.
"Right! The soul of the Cat King is sealed inside the item. Like the red dancing shoes, it's an item with its own consciousness. As long as it has thoughts, we can communicate..."
Having figured that out, Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat:
"Cat King, you're rolling with me from now on. You'll eat well and drink well; the good life is ahead of you. Right now, I'd like to ask you for a favor. Um, do you have any recordings regarding the Demon Lord?"
He had initially wanted to say Brother Bing, but the Cat King certainly wouldn't know who Brother Bing was, and he didn't know Brother Bing's Spirit Realm ID.
The speaker in its black metallic casing didn't react at all.
"Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit?"
The speaker gave no response.
After several fruitless attempts at persuasion, Zhang Yuanqing flared up in anger, threw it into the trash can, and unbuckled his belt:
"Fine. If you won't play nice, neither will I. Taste my virgin broth!"
Just as he was about to unsheathe his magic cudgel to drain the ocean's core, the imprisoned Cat King Speaker emitted a crackle of static.
It worked!
Zhang Yuanqing rejoiced. A moment later, a bizarre audio clip echoed through the room:
"Ah~ ah ah... mm~ mm~ ah... Be gentle..."
A woman's wanton whispers and a man's heavy panting resonated throughout the room in full surround sound.
What just happened...? Zhang Yuanqing's face went completely blank, a string of question marks flashing across his mind.
Immediately afterward, the bedroom door was banged on violently, and his grandmother's furious roar rang out:
"Zhang Yuanqing, what are you doing in there?! The sound reached all the way downstairs! Have you no shame?! Open this door right now! I'm going to beat you to death today!!"
*Grandma, listen to me, I can explain!!!* In utter despair, Zhang Yuanqing reached out toward the door, clutching uselessly at thin air as if trying to salvage his shattered familial affection.
*Right, the Night Walk skill can silence all noise...* He swiftly leaned down, picked up the Cat King Speaker from the trash can, and entered the Night Walk state.
An ethereal burst of lunar force erupted and enveloped him, thoroughly erasing his figure from sight.
Instantly, the erotic sounds dissipated from the room, echoing only in Zhang Yuanqing's ears.
Outside the door, his grandmother knocked stubbornly for quite a while. Seeing that the noise had stopped and her grandson was playing dead, she dropped a parting threat and left:
"I'll deal with you when you come out!"
*Phew...* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. Right at that moment, accompanied by a man's low groan, all the commotion ceased.
A few seconds later, a youthful yet raspy voice spoke:
"Out of all the women I've bedded, women from your Goddess of Beauty Association are still the most delightful. Truly worthy of a profession that governs love and lust."
Then, a soft, sweet voice carrying a slight hint of huskiness replied:
"Lord Demon Lord, serving you is Betty's honor. When will you leave this country and accompany Betty to meet our president? Our president has always wanted to meet you."
The woman's pronunciation was somewhat awkward, suggesting she was a foreigner.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing froze. The erotic sounds from earlier weren't the Cat King Speaker trolling him—they were part of a conversation that had taken place in the past.
The participants were the Demon Lord and a foreign woman.
Zhang Yuanqing perked up and pricked up his ears, eagerly waiting for the rest of the conversation.
Chapter 62