Chapter 51: Underground Parking Lot

 Chapter 51: Underground Parking Lot 

Designate the killer, eliminate... Zhang Yuanqing listened to the prompt sound in his ear, maintaining a calm exterior while realizing something. He had found it strange before that he was assigned the role of a team leader in the instance but was supposed to keep it a secret and not reveal the existence of the "Erwu Zai." What was the point of having a team leader identity under such circumstances?

Now he understood—the team leader's power lay here. "My character has the authority to eliminate others, and it is inevitable that the evildoers have similar means, which is why He Bo's death was so mysterious. However, my power can only be exercised after completing a mission, so the killer must also have conditions for using their ability. They wouldn't just hand out an opportunity to eliminate someone for no reason." Zhang Yuanqing's mind quickly raced. "I've already retraced the footage after entering the instance and found no anomalies. The trigger for the killer's power must be inconspicuous, something only he knows."

Whom to target then? Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were highly active as he quickly narrowed down three individuals: Xie Lingxi, Fire Demon, and Xi Shi. Among these three, he most wanted to target the girl with the long black hair. Although she was a delicate and beautiful girl that he pitied, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't resist the urge to choose her for the subsequent experience, which included the haunted house.

However, this was only a momentary impulse. "There was no mention of a series in the previous version of the guide, at least nothing was written about it. This should be a change triggered by the difficulty update of the Jinshui Amusement Park. Xie Lingxi probably doesn't know about it... With the difficulty of an S-grade Spiritual Realm, no matter which entertainment facility we choose to experience, we will end up in the haunted house, unable to avoid it. The only difference may be the sequence of the haunted house..."

"There's too little information available; it's almost impossible to identify the evildoer. Half of it relies on deduction, and the other half on guessing. The chances of success are slim. If I make a wrong call, I'll lose a team member for nothing and put myself at a disadvantage."

"But if I do nothing, the next one to die will undoubtedly be me. Maybe I'll get lucky and identify the killer by chance." Zhang Yuanqing found himself in a dilemma, not knowing whether to rely on intuition for a risky move or to play it safe and observe.

Both choices came with their own risks. Since I, as the team leader, can't make a decision, then what about Erwu Zai, the evildoer? Zhang Yuanqing decided to think from a different angle. "His hidden mission should be to kill, but I can't be sure if he knows about the team leader's existence. Let's put that aside for now... When I said there were no abnormalities in the observation just now, it was a clear hint."

"The killer is not foolish; he should know that I 'suspect' someone in the team is Erwu Zai. So, next, he will be cautious and look for a suitable opportunity to kill me. Identifying the right moment is crucial."

"His role identity is a hidden mission, not a mainline task, so the killer must also consider the risk of killing too quickly, which would increase the danger for the subsequent missions."

Jinshui Amusement Park is an S-grade difficulty level, and Zhang Yuanqing didn't believe that the evildoer's task was merely to reduce the number of team members.

It's not that simple; otherwise, it wouldn't be S-grade difficulty. Continuing along this line of thinking: "After discovering that there's no way to avoid the terrifying supernatural tasks, the killer is unlikely to kill frequently. He needs companions, cannon fodder, and someone like me who has shown some ability would be a good candidate."

"So, the timing for him to kill me should be after completing the haunted house or during the process..."

"Well, these are all my speculations and need to be verified. I can use the 'Underground Parking Lot' to test him. There's still half an hour until the next task, so I'll take this opportunity to probe further..."

Having figured it out, Zhang Yuanqing decided to give up the team leader's authority for this time.

...

"Darn it, we still can't avoid the haunted house in the end!"

On the square, Fire Demon received the Spiritual Realm prompt and felt a bit frustrated. He glared at the pretty little girl and said with anger, "Damn it, you're going to get me killed."

Xie Lingxi pouted, feeling wronged. "I-I didn't mean to. I-I don't know what happened to the S-grade Spiritual Realm. I've never been here before..."

Fire Demon impatiently tugged at his fiery red hair and cursed, "I shouldn't have listened to you and acted recklessly. Now what should we do? The haunted house is definitely very dangerous. What was the strategy in the previous version? I think we should discuss it together."

Xie Lingxi shook her head, "I don't know. There are too many amusement facilities in the park, and I only memorized some of them..."

"Don't know? Do you think I'll believe that? Do you take me for a three-year-old?" Fire Demon erupted in anger.

"Why are you so fierce..." Xie Lingxi's eyes welled up with tears. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, probably a high school student. Being yelled at by Fire Demon, she appeared both aggrieved and innocent, as if she was about to cry.

"That's enough!" Facing the sincere and simple middle-aged man, who rarely took the initiative, he intervened to stop the argument. He calmly looked at Fire Demon and said, "No one could have known about the changes in the amusement park after the difficulty update. It's not her fault. Besides, the decision to choose the roller coaster earlier was a result of the team's vote."

The middle-aged man's words made sense, but Fire Demon was already angry and didn't listen to reason. The two of them glared at each other.

"I'm talking here. What's your business? Are you pretending to be a good person here?" Fire Demon retorted.

"I'm not pretending to be a good person; I just want you to shut up! If you don't want to, I can help you with that!" The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with a hint of hostility.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing knew it was time for him to step in. He quickly walked over, standing between the two, and smiled.

"Calm down, calm down. If you keep arguing, half an hour will pass in no time. Uncle, give me face, and after we clear the Jinshui Amusement Park, I'll treat you to a drink. Fire Brother, even after we leave the Spiritual Realm, feel free to find me. I'm from Yangcheng, and the white-cut chicken in Yangcheng is the most delicious – tender and juicy... " Zhang Yuanqing lightened the tense atmosphere with his playful and joking manner.

Fire Demon and the middle-aged man took the opportunity to let the matter go. The six of them followed the signs and left the square, strolling through the brilliantly lit amusement park.

A cool breeze blew gently, and the pitch-black sky seemed like an endless black velvet curtain with no stars or moon in sight. The dazzling lights of the amusement park were the only source of illumination in this world.

The empty roller coaster roared along its tracks; the swinging pendulum and pirate ship kept swaying; the carousel turned slowly to the tune of cheerful music... The unmanned bumper cars rushed around the arena, colliding with each other.

The scene suddenly shifted from a fairy-tale-like dreamland to something more sinister...

During this journey, no one spoke, and the atmosphere among the team members was incredibly silent and stiff. They all kept a certain distance from each other, neither getting too far away nor getting too close.

Obviously, they had understood my implication and started to suspect He Bo's death. Next, I needed to probe each one of them individually. Ah, it's troublesome not to reveal my true identity... But Zhang Yuanqing actually didn't care anymore if his identity as the team leader was guessed.

Because it didn't matter.

Once the evildoer found a suitable opportunity, the first person they would kill would be him, without any hesitation. He walked briskly toward Xie Lingxi and asked, "Little sister Lingxi, are you a high school student? Where are you from?"

"I'm from Jiangnan Province, Wang Tai gege. I'm a senior in high school this year."

"That's a coincidence; I'm a student at Jiangnan University. Let's exchange phone numbers. After we clear the Jinshui Amusement Park, I can help you with your homework and provide one-on-one tutoring."

"Sure, sure." "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Why are you asking?" "If you have a boyfriend, it wouldn't be convenient for me to give you private tutoring." "Ah? Why?"

...

"Xi Shi, what do you do for a living?" "I'm a nurse." "A nurse? Like the ones in uniforms giving injections..." Zhang Yuanqing looked admiringly, "I have the utmost respect for the angels in white." Xi Shi's eyes were playful, and she hinted with a teasing tone, "Actually, you don't have to respect us that much. I prefer men to be wild and a bit rough, to dominate me to their heart's content." Zhang Yuanqing paused for a moment and smiled, "Let's sleep together sometime when we have the chance."

...

Continuing his approach, Zhang Yuanqing turned to "Being Ashamed as a Father" and asked in a casual manner, "Uncle, do you have a daughter?" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and made a sound of affirmation. Curiously, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Your relationship with your daughter must be quite bad, right?" The middle-aged man's honest face turned dark instantly, and he coldly said, "None of your business." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

...

After distancing himself from the middle-aged man, Zhang Yuanqing caught up with the red-haired youth ahead. This person was thin as a stick, with small sharp eyes and slanting eyebrows, giving off an impatient and rough vibe. After a few compliments, Fire Demon smiled and found this guy pleasant to talk to. When Zhang Yuanqing asked for his opinion about the teammates, Fire Demon bluntly said, "These teammates are all abnormal. The little girl acts pitiful the whole time, the busty woman looks very casual, but when I asked her if she wanted to have some fun on the roller coaster platform, she didn't even pay attention to me. That uncle looks the least trustworthy." He then glanced back at Sun Wukong, who was being attentive to Xie Lingxi, with disdain. "He's just a useless egg. Wang Tai, I think you are the most reliable in this team." "Oh, you flatter me, Fire Brother. I also think you are the most reliable."

...

Finally, Zhang Yuanqing approached Sun Wukong, who was wearing polka-dot shoes and tight pants, and said, "Wukong, can I talk to you for a moment?" Reluctantly, Sun Wukong looked at Xie Lingxi and then followed Zhang Yuanqing to the side. "What's up?" He asked, giving the socially adept young man a questioning look. "What do you think of those two girls?" Zhang Yuanqing chuckled. Sun Wukong glanced at Xie Lingxi and said, "Pretty, with a cute butt, but small breasts." Then he looked at Xi Shi, "Big breasts, round butt, but she doesn't like to talk to people." As for Fire Demon and the middle-aged man, Sun Wukong thought the former had a bad temper and was difficult to get along with, so he kept his distance. The latter was silent and reserved but occasionally gave good advice. In a hushed voice, Zhang Yuanqing said:

"If I die, do everything you can to take out that middle-aged man. He's the evildoer profession." Sun Wukong was shocked, his eyes widened slightly, and he instinctively opened his mouth but immediately closed it, looking alert and cautious.

...

Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the underground parking lot on the west side of the amusement park and stopped at the entrance of the ramp. Through the downward slope, they could see the brightly lit parking lot, with rows of dusty cars neatly arranged. The garage was in complete silence.

Zhang Yuanqing looked at Xie Lingxi and asked on behalf of everyone, "What's the strategy for this level?"

...