No one responded to Xishi's question. Only a young girl named Xie Lingxi hesitated, as if wanting to say something but holding back.
Trust was still lacking. Was it reluctance to reveal official identities, or was I the only one here with an official background among the wanderers? Zhang Yuanqing was just pondering whether to drop a hint when the cold voice of the man in the black hoodie—He Bo—cut through the silence:
"We've been in the spiritual realm for several minutes now. The realm hasn't given any hints, which means to clear this, we have to rely entirely on ourselves. If any of you know something, it's better not to hide it. We're ants on the same rope."
Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly and whispered,
"I know some information about the old version of the dungeon. The introduction in this spiritual realm has changed."
An official? Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the girl carefully.
He Bo frowned at this and said,
"The spiritual realm's intro has changed... I think I understand why the difficulty of Jinshui Amusement Park has been upgraded. Does anyone remember what the intro said?"
"I forgot..." Fire Demon scratched his red hair.
Xishi glanced at him, quietly putting some distance between them, and smiled softly,
"An indescribable being came here. She's the one who changed Jinshui Amusement Park's difficulty level. She ordered the spirits inside the park to help find someone. That person's name is four characters long. Who could it be?"
'Ashamed Father' couldn't help but say,
"I don't think who it is matters. That person is probably just part of the background story. The key question is whether the spirits in the park became especially powerful because they were empowered by that being, making Jinshui Amusement Park's difficulty upgrade to S-rank?"
The Monkey King, wearing tight pants and small suit shoes, lit up his eyes:
"That makes sense! Uncle, you're really smart."
He Bo nodded slightly in approval and said,
"In that case, if we avoid attractions with horror elements and choose simpler facilities, we should reduce risk."
He turned to Xie Lingxi and asked,
"Do you know the detailed strategy of the old version?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing wanted to jump in and reveal old version info before the girl, lest he lose control of the conversation. But at that moment, a "ding" sounded in his mind—the spiritual realm's prompt:
\[Due to your excellent performance, you have triggered a hidden mission. You are appointed squad leader. Warning: There is an evil traitor among your team. Ensure the number of team members is at least 3, or you will be punished by resetting your current level and experience to zero.]
\[Attention: Hide your character identity.]
A hidden mission?! Zhang Yuanqing felt a curse rise in his mind, but on the surface remained calm, though his heart sank.
The dungeon was already dangerous enough, and now with a werewolf among the team, the difficulty shot through the roof.
"My hidden mission is to keep the team size at or above three. So the traitor's mission is to reduce the team below three, maybe even wipe us out."
"To maximize chances of clearing, the best option would be to identify and eliminate the traitor early. But I can't prove my identity, and trust among members is lacking. It might backfire, and I could end up accused as the wolf."
For a moment, Zhang Yuanqing trusted no one. Even the sweet girl Xie Lingxi started to seem like a wolf in disguise.
Wait! Jinshui Amusement Park is a multi-player spiritual realm open to all professions. Could there be an evil profession among the team?
Given the faction antagonism, the evil profession must be the traitor... Zhang Yuanqing's mind flashed with a ruthless idea—to use the Red Dancing Shoes skill to flush out the traitor. Whoever is evil would be obvious.
"No, that's too reckless. It would leave no room to maneuver, and what if I guess wrong?" He silently exhaled and gave up the idea.
If there's no evil profession in the team, this move would alienate everyone and end the game.
"So, I have to lead the team through attractions and simultaneously find the traitor? No wonder this is an S-rank multi-player spiritual realm—just as hard as the Mountain God Temple, but in a different way."
The dungeon hadn't even really started, but Zhang Yuanqing already felt the weight pressing on his chest.
"I know some old strategies but don't remember all of them..." Xie Lingxi said.
"Oh, little sister, you're amazing. You're from the official organization, right? Wouldn't mind if your sister teams up with you." Xishi smiled.
One is overly pure, the other scheming... Zhang Yuanqing calmly sized up both women.
He Bo in the black hoodie gave Zhang Yuanqing a cold look at this moment:
"What are your thoughts?"
Zhang Yuanqing pondered and said,
"Preliminarily judging, the difficulty increase is linked to attractions with supernatural elements. The others might not have changed much. So we could pick a low-difficulty attraction from the old strategies."
He Bo's dark expression showed a hint of approval, nodding,
"That's what I thought. No wonder you're a veteran of many spiritual realms."
He then looked at the others,
"Any objections?"
Everyone nodded as if lacking their own opinions.
He Bo said,
"Little girl, which attraction do you think we should try?"
Xie Lingxi pursed her lips, glancing around, then pointed at the steel track that wound like a dragon.
"That one is the simplest."
At the sight of the roller coaster, everyone's eyes twitched. Xishi forced a smile:
"Why that?"
"The old version's strategy was simple: just close your eyes the whole ride. Ride the roller coaster three times along the track, and it ends."
"This..." The street-smart Monkey King looked up at the towering steel track with some fear, then pointed at the nearby carousel.
"What about this? I think it's safe too."
Xie Lingxi shook her head seriously:
"The carousel is only for kids. Adults who get on never get off. Although it's not physically dangerous... it just keeps spinning."
If you get on it's a wipe? Monkey King silently stepped back, staying quiet.
"If no one objects, let's pick the roller coaster." He Bo said coolly, then suddenly scoffed,
"Anyone who got matched into Jinshui Amusement Park might not be the smartest, but definitely no fools."
He Bo was deliberately or not competing for control with me. Xie Lingxi seems innocent at first glance, but anyone able to get matched into an S-rank must be cunning. Xishi has been probing everyone's identities all along; her seductive appearance may be a facade...
'Ashamed Father' looks simple and honest, but his ability to analyze that the supernatural elements are the key danger suggests he's not as naïve as he seems.
Monkey King is a bit cowardly, a bit lustful, nothing outstanding, but not a troublemaker... Among this group, I think Fire Demon is the safest, assuming he's really a fire mage. Otherwise, he's the most dangerous.
Zhang Yuanqing analyzed his teammates and raised his hand in agreement:
"I have no objections, let's ride the roller coaster."
Unconsciously, he loosened some control, no longer pushing every point, but stayed moderately active.
He had read the strategies and knew Xie Lingxi was truthful; the roller coaster seemed thrilling but had the simplest gameplay.
Of course, whether the gameplay was still the same was unknown. Could other attractions remain unchanged?
"I have no objections."
"Neither do I."
"Fine, playing is playing anyway."
Decision made, the group headed to the roller coaster. Following the signs, they passed through a corridor and entered the building under the track.
It was a small hall; to the left at the entrance were lockers, to the right a ticket window. When they stepped inside, a spiritual realm prompt sounded in their ears:
\[Ding! You've received a roller coaster ticket. Please reach the upper level within five minutes.]
\[Ding! Excess items have been sealed. Please collect them from the lockers after the attraction ends.]
Excess items... Zhang Yuanqing instinctively reached into his pocket for the blue pill — still there. He was about to relax when Fire Demon shouted,
"My inventory won't open!"
Everyone panicked and tried to summon their inventories, but the function seemed gone.
Monkey King's voice trembled,
"My skills are gone too, how about you?"
!!! Zhang Yuanqing's heart dropped sharply. He instinctively tried to use Night Roam, but the Taoyin power was sealed tight inside.
Others tried too; all lost their skills.
This phenomenon weighed heavily on the wanderers' hearts. Without skills, how were they different from normal people?
Then 'Ashamed Father' said,
"Active skills don't work, but passive abilities remain, and our physical bodies haven't changed."
"Well, we're here, let's go." Zhang Yuanqing took the lead up the stairs.
They climbed the stairs heavily and reached the rooftop—a platform with two steel tracks, each with a double-seat roller coaster car quietly waiting.
The team fell silent, staring at the coaster.
Sigh, now I need to set an example as the Chinese leader, fitting the role I've played so far... Zhang Yuanqing smiled,
"The last time I rode a roller coaster was when I was a student. My favorite spot was the front row."
Under everyone's gaze, he climbed into the front seat and buckled the safety belt.
Others breathed easier and boarded one by one.
"I'm afraid of heights..." Xishi feigned helplessness, hesitating between Zhang Yuanqing and He Bo.
Before she decided, the black-haired Xie Lingxi snatched the seat next to Zhang Yuanqing, leaving Xishi no choice but to sit next to He Bo.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her; she returned a sweet smile.
Once everyone buckled in, He Bo in the second row said coolly,
"Remember to keep your eyes closed. Don't open them no matter what happens. Of course, if anyone wants to test the rules with their life, be my guest."
"You speak so harshly." Fire Demon pouted.
Zhang Yuanqing looked back at the team. The second row held He Bo and Xishi; third row 'Ashamed Father' and Fire Demon.
The timid Monkey King seemed ostracized, sitting alone in the fourth row.
At that moment, the track powered up with a "thud" beneath the car. The coaster slowly began to move.
Zhang Yuanqing pulled his gaze back, noticing everyone had closed their eyes.
He shut his eyes and felt the car climbing the track slowly, seemingly approaching a steep hill. At the peak, it stopped.
Next, a strong sensation of weightlessness came, with wind roaring past and a small startled cry from Xishi.
Zhang Yuanqing tensed up, listening closely, counting time.
About two minutes later, the speeding coaster slowed and stopped.
He opened his eyes to see the coaster back on the rooftop platform, nothing unusual happened.
Exhale... he silently let out a breath, then suddenly heard a cry behind him.
His heart tightened as he turned around, pupils constricting sharply.
He saw He Bo in the second row—his neck was empty; his head was gone.
Fire Demon in the third row was covered in blood, trembling as he held the severed head in his arms, voice shaking,
"No... no use..."
"Closing your eyes was useless..."
He Bo's eyes were tightly shut, expression peaceful, seemingly without pain.
A chill spread from the depths of everyone's hearts.