A thick, inky darkness surged outside—darker than the night itself.
Though Zhang Yuanqing had eyes that pierced through the darkness, he couldn't see through this terrifying aura. He could only vaguely make out the figure in the wedding gown stepping over the threshold with slow, unhurried strides.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing experienced the greatest terror of his life.
It wasn't the horror of having his yang energy drained by a "shoulder-clinging ghost," nor the panic of being hunted by a zombie—it was the kind of fear that explodes in your heart while your body remains completely unresponsive.
No resistance. No defense. Just endless despair.
The Night Wanderer's powers were utterly useless now. He was completely suppressed.
Little Doubi was so terrified it didn't even dare to cry, and Fatty trembled uncontrollably. A few seconds later, his cowardly master began trembling with him.
The darkness crept into the room. The figure in the bridal gown took one step after another, her overwhelming aura of death engulfing every corner of the room.
Just then, from Zhang Yuanqing's pocket, the Cat King Speaker once again chose the worst possible time to play its message:
"She's here, bringing with her unparalleled terror… The groom sits on the bedside, contemplating his plan. Though he seems calm, in truth he is ter—"
A sharp burst of static cut through the message. After a few seconds, the sound resumed, but what it said next made Zhang Yuanqing's eyes widen in shock:
"The groom appears calm, but in fact he is overjoyed—because the bride is beautiful, elegant, gentle, and dignified—a rare match indeed. Yes, exactly like that… zzzzz…"
Then silence.
Overjoyed? Are you sure that's what you were going to say from the start? That sentence had so many red flags Zhang Yuanqing didn't even know where to begin. He lowered his head, not daring to look at the ghost bride.
Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his body slightly trembling.
And then, with his head still lowered, he saw a pair of red embroidered shoes stop right in front of him.
…
Time ticked away slowly. Xie Lingxi sat stiffly on the edge of the bed. Her delicate, elegant features, framed by the bridal chamber's decor, made her look almost like the real bride.
In the old version of the strategy guide, anyone chosen by the ghost bride was guaranteed to die. That hadn't changed in the new version. Whoever she picked—was dead.
Xie Lingxi swallowed quietly.
She had always known the haunted house strategy but had chosen not to reveal it. Initially, she planned to use it as a bargaining chip after entering the house. But upon discovering that Wang Tai was a Night Wanderer and that the mission had changed—adding dowries and invitations—she realized the old guide was obsolete.
So she never brought it up again.
Xie Lingxi was terrified. Although she'd experienced two solo dungeons and two team dungeons—dangerous ones, especially the solo types where every class had lethal scenarios—her class's solo dungeons were thrilling, but not "scary."
The Golden Water Amusement Park was her first dungeon with supernatural horror. It was far too frightening—not just because of the risk of death, but because ghosts, by nature, evoke deep human fear.
I'll never watch another horror movie in my life… she vowed silently.
Time felt meaningless in the bridal chamber. In the endless torment, Xie Lingxi suddenly heard the system prompt:
[You have completed the Haunted House (Ghost Marriage) task. You are currently undergoing the "Heart-Pounding" mission series. The next location is: Detective Reasoning Hall. Please arrive within 30 minutes.]
"It's over?"
Xie Lingxi froze, then a wave of joy washed over her—like escaping a long, endless night. She almost cheered aloud.
It's finally over. That horrifying supernatural mission is finally over.
Then came her second thought: Who died?
She hurriedly pushed open the lattice door and stepped outside. Looking around, the eerie night was still, the lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed faintly—there was no sign of anything.
But soon, footsteps echoed behind her. Xie Lingxi turned sharply to see the red-haired Fire Demon walking out of another bridal chamber.
His face was lit with surprise and hope. "Looks like Wang Tai or Monkey King is the unlucky one."
Upon seeing him alive, Xie Lingxi's expression changed ever so slightly.
Fire Demon was in high spirits. "The most dangerous part is over. The Detective Hall shouldn't be too hard. If we can make it through, we'll be the first to clear an S-tier dungeon. Tsk, I'm already looking forward to the rewards. Oh, and the strategy guide—it'll be worth a fortune on its own."
Xie Lingxi glanced at him and said flatly, "We're not even sure about the haunted house strategy. Wang Tai knows it best. Whatever guide you write won't be worth much."
Fire Demon shrugged. "Even so, it's still valuable."
They didn't wait long before hearing more footsteps. Turning around—
"You?" Fire Demon was briefly stunned, then quickly recovered with a smirk.
"Looks like Monkey King will be staying here as the groom. That coward—if he had survived this, that would be unfair."
"Brother Wang Tai!" Xie Lingxi beamed with a sweet smile.
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and glanced at Fire Demon. His voice was calm and low. "No matter what happened, we were teammates. No need for those snide remarks."
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Let's just get out of here. I can't stay another minute. The sooner we leave, the sooner this nightmare ends."
He emphasized the final words—each going their separate ways.
With Zhang Yuanqing leading, the three of them passed through the inner courtyard, the main hall, and the outer courtyard. Nothing hindered them. They exited the haunted house without incident.
Their steps quickened as they left the alley behind them, not daring to stop, moving with silent mutual understanding—clearly traumatized by what they had just experienced.
Ten minutes later, guided by the street signs, they arrived at the Detective Reasoning Hall.
It was a white building with tall, thick columns supporting a triangular roof—classic Western architecture. The wrought iron gates stood open, and a fountain bubbled in the courtyard.
"Need a break?" Zhang Yuanqing paused at the gate, asking the other two.
Both Xie Lingxi and Fire Demon shook their heads.
The haunted house had drained their mental stamina, not their physical strength. The ten-minute walk had been enough to calm their nerves. There was no need to rest.
More importantly, they were desperate to end this nightmare of a mission.
The three entered through the gate, circled the fountain, and stepped into the museum-like structure.
The main hall was paved with square tiles. Eight luxurious crystal chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling, casting brilliant light over the space.
Display cases lined the hall, filled with various items—pipes and canes, red bowties and soccer balls, dancing figures, and bound volumes of ancient forensic records...
Pipes and canes made sense, but even red bowties? Clearly this dungeon was making references...
As a fan of detective stories and someone who aspired to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as an outstanding police officer, Zhang Yuanqing was very familiar with these items.
The trio's gaze swept across the displays before settling on the six statues in the center of the hall—each covered with a red cloth.
Fire Demon's eyes flickered as he stared at them. "So this round is about reasoning, huh? Great, I hate brain-teaser missions."
Xie Lingxi remained silent.
Zhang Yuanqing pointed at the statues and smiled. "Isn't the prompt already given?"
As he spoke, a new system message rang in their minds:
[Ding! Welcome to the Detective Reasoning Hall!]
[All unnecessary items have been removed. This facility tests intelligence. Violence is prohibited. Violators will be terminated. Team leader, please unveil the statues.]
Xie Lingxi and Fire Demon didn't move. Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and lifted the red cloths from the statues.
Six identical statues stood beneath. Each one had a nameplate on its chest: Civilian, Neutral, Neutral, Guardian, Traitor, Evil.
"There's an evil one among us? That explains why the rollercoaster strategy didn't change, but Hebo still died. You were trying to hint at this back then, weren't you?" Fire Demon realized with a frown, then looked at Zhang Yuanqing in surprise. "Wait, you're the leader?"
Zhang Yuanqing glanced back with a faint smile. "Didn't you already know that?"
Fire Demon fell silent.
Another prompt echoed:
[Ding! Team Leader Mission: Warning! A traitor hides among you. Maintain at least 3 living members, or you'll be penalized—your current level's experience will be reset. Do not reveal your identity.]
[Every team member has a role. The leader must deduce each person's identity and attach the correct nameplate. One mistake, and the mission fails. The leader's entire faction will be wiped out.]
[Each person has the right to defend themselves.]
[Complete the reasoning within 30 minutes. Failure to do so will result in mission failure. Leader's faction will be wiped out.]
[There are two things in this world you must never look at directly—one is the sun, the other is the human heart. Countdown begins: 00:30:00]
So that's why we couldn't reveal our identities before—this was the reason... Zhang Yuanqing muttered internally. Almost instinctively, he felt something new in his inventory.
Opening it, he found most items were grayed out (unusable), except for one—an intact stack of name tags.
He pulled them out—six name tags in total, each with a team member's name.
"We're short on time, so I'll start with the safest deduction—our dead teammates. Any objections?" He spread the tags like playing cards and looked at Xie Lingxi and Fire Demon.
"Good call. Saves time," Fire Demon agreed.
Xie Lingxi nodded as well.
Zhang Yuanqing picked one out: Ashamed Father.
"To play it safe, I'll start with him. Ashamed Father told me before he died that he was a neutral role. To be honest, I didn't believe him at first—he was part of an evil profession."
That was when Zhang Yuanqing had confirmed that everyone had received hidden missions.
"He had an evil class?" Fire Demon was surprised. "Couldn't he have been the traitor then? Think about it—after he died, no one else in our team has mysteriously dropped dead."
"The traitor not killing anyone has a reason. I'll explain later. But Ashamed Father wasn't the traitor—I quietly asked the spirit after the parking garage." Zhang Yuanqing stepped up and placed the name tag on one of the Neutral statues.
[Ding! Correct deduction.]
Above the statue labeled Ashamed Father, a message appeared:
[Neutral: There is one team leader and one traitor in your team. You must choose your faction before the first mission ends. Do not reveal your identity.]
Aha… so that's the Neutral role's hidden mission, Zhang Yuanqing thought with a smile as he looked back at the girl. "So, Lingxi, that means you're also a Neutral. And now, you're on my side."
Xie Lingxi beamed sweetly. "That's right, Brother Wang Tai."
"When choosing a faction, you have to be cautious. I didn't know who the leader or the traitor was at the time. Choosing wrong could mean death. That's why I suggested the rollercoaster first—because it was the simplest and least influenced by external factors. If the strategy hadn't changed, it would be the perfect battleground between the leader and the traitor."
"Then, based on that battle, I picked a side. Brother Wang Tai, you were amazing—your idea resolved the problem. So I chose your faction."
Zhang Yuanqing let out a short laugh and placed her name tag on the second Neutral statue.
That little talk during their "private lesson" had been a test—and she had responded positively: Sure, sure!
[Ding! Correct deduction.]
Then, the hidden missions for the Neutral roles resurfaced once again.
Zhang Yuanqing pulled out Xishi's identity card and said:
"This woman coasted through the whole mission. During the roller coaster segment, she went along with the suggestion to open eyes, and when we faced the Autobots, she didn't make a move. Apart from actively protecting herself, she lacked motivation the entire night. So, I judge her to be a civilian."
"Fire Demon, what do you think?"
Fire Demon frowned. "That's too arbitrary. The same logic could apply to an Evil Faction player."
Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "No, it's not arbitrary. I just can't tell you the full reason."
He placed Xishi's card on the "Civilian" statue.
[Ding! Deduction correct.]
[Civilian: Your role is Civilian. Before the first mission ends, find the Captain and gain his protection. Do not reveal your identity.]
In addition to the reason he stated, Zhang Yuanqing had two more solid bases for judging Xishi to be a civilian:
First, during the memory rewind triggered by his old ailment, he observed that Xishi had been subtly probing everyone's identity. She first asked Xie Lingxi if she was part of the official organization. On the roller coaster, she wavered between him and Hebo.
This detail would have been nearly impossible to catch without his rewind ability. Someone from the Evil Faction wouldn't make such overt probing moves when they knew a Captain existed.
Second, during one of their probing conversations, Xishi had said: No need for reverence, I want someone wild and rough.
That was actually a coded message, hinting at her civilian status.
Civilians are not meant to be respected—they're always treated with wildness and brutality.
Back then, Zhang Yuanqing had thought she was expressing a desire to submit to someone stronger. It wasn't until he saw her true role as Civilian that it all clicked.
"Hebo died first. We'll put him aside for now." Zhang Yuanqing smiled faintly and turned to Fire Demon. "Now, Fire Demon, which are you? The Traitor, or the Evil?"
Fire Demon's face darkened. "I'm the Guardian."
"Bullshit!" Xie Lingxi rolled her eyes. "You, with those thick brows and big eyes, are the last person who looks like a good guy. You've been a shit-stirrer from start to finish. No, wait—just a big piece of shit."
Fire Demon wasn't flustered. He countered calmly:
"Brother Wang Tai, I really am the Guardian. In fact, I figured out you were the Captain during the roller coaster ride. Think about it—if I were Evil, I could've killed you the same way Hebo was killed."
"Hahahaha..."
"What's so funny?" Fire Demon frowned.
"I've survived countless spiritual realms. I'm an experienced walker. Lies don't work on me." Zhang Yuanqing's smile vanished, and he sneered:
"You looked awfully disappointed when I came out of the haunted house alive."
"Why would I be disappointed? I was relieved!" Fire Demon snapped. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it already. Think it through."
Xie Lingxi looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated. She had suspected Fire Demon all along, but lacked solid evidence. She didn't want to risk misleading the Captain—if even one person was wrongly identified, the entire Captain faction would be wiped out. That included her.
At this moment, her heart was in her throat.
"Then explain this: during the roller coaster, why did you try to mislead us by saying the 'close your eyes' strategy no longer worked? Don't tell me you were scared. None of us are newbies—carrying a corpse freaked you out?" Zhang Yuanqing pressed.
Fire Demon took a deep breath to suppress his temper, and said patiently:
"I admit it was a misjudgment. I panicked. But that's an ability issue, not intent. What would I gain from killing everyone? The roller coaster was just the first mission. How would I clear the rest of the game alone?"
"No, no, no," Zhang Yuanqing shook his finger and smiled. "I never said your proposal to open eyes was meant to wipe the team. You're not that evil. You just wanted to find out who the Captain was."
Fire Demon's expression shifted.
Xie Lingxi, however, smiled.
"I advised you all at the time," Zhang Yuanqing continued. "If the old roller coaster strategy still applied, opening your eyes meant total party wipe. Compared to that, losing one player per round was a more rational option. But curiously, everyone agreed to open their eyes."
He gave a derisive laugh:
"You weren't all that stupid. You each had your own schemes. Some just wanted to survive, others wanted to fish out the Captain—because you knew the Captain would definitely object."
Fire Demon was speechless.
Xie Lingxi's eyes curved into crescents. "You're amazing, Brother Wang Tai."
This time, it was a sincere compliment.
She had initiated the vote back then, without choosing a side. Supporting "open eyes" was her way of testing the Captain's judgment—and she was afraid of standing out too much, becoming a target for the Evil. No matter what the result, she would've closed her eyes.
Xishi and Guilty Father probably had the same mindset.
What surprised her was how Wang Tai had already seen through their intentions. Her confidence in the upcoming deductions instantly soared.
Fire Demon was silent for a moment, then repeated: "I really am a good guy, not the Evil. If I were, I would've killed you long ago."
"No, you wouldn't." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
"After the roller coaster, I knew I was exposed. From that moment on, it was open play—I had to protect myself. So in the underground garage, I kept stressing that we were in this together. We had to stick together."
"Luckily, the garage task required teamwork. Honestly, I was relieved. I knew I was safe for now. Then, when Xie Lingxi got the card allowing item use, I immediately volunteered to take on the Autobots and warned you about the price of using the ballet shoes."
"All of that was to intimidate the killer, make them hesitate. Let them think I was still useful, and they could delay killing me."
Fire Demon's face twisted in frustration. He could no longer hide his fury. He snarled:
"Should've killed you earlier—in the damn garage!"
Xie Lingxi encouraged cheerfully, "You can still do it now."
Fire Demon glared at her, then shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Wang Tai, you're strong. I lost. I admit it—I'm the Traitor…"
Zhang Yuanqing let out a cold snort and slapped Fire Demon's name card onto the Traitor statue.
Xie Lingxi gasped, her expression stunned. "You…"
But then she saw Fire Demon's face drain of color, overcome by despair and panic.
All that previous anger and aggression—it had been an act.
This… left her speechless.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Traitor: Your role is Traitor. Before the first mission ends, identify the Evil Faction player and assist them in hiding their identity and eliminating the Captain. If the Captain dies, you win and will be rewarded with one item.]
"I never said you were Evil," Zhang Yuanqing spat. "You're just the damn Traitor."
Fire Demon looked like the soul had been drained from his body. He muttered, "How… how did you know…"
"Because you were too obvious. If I were Evil, I'd be playing low-profile as hell. I wouldn't attract attention. I'd blend in and stay invisible," Zhang Yuanqing said, eyes locked on the Traitor's mission. He rubbed his chin:
"So who's Evil? That part became crystal clear. I was right—it's Qitian Dasheng."
He glanced back at the devastated Fire Demon and sneered:
"I suspected everyone. I tested everyone. I was torn between you and Qitian Dasheng, even when we got to the Detective Reasoning Hall. I wasn't sure who was Evil. But once I saw the Traitor role existed, it all made sense.
"Xie Lingxi was right. You were like a giant red flag—first to suggest opening eyes, sitting behind Hebo, relentlessly accusing Xie Lingxi. And when I warned the team of internal danger, you immediately tried to cozy up to me. All signs of a guilty conscience.
"You were camouflaging too hard. That's why I couldn't be sure if you were the real killer or just bait.
"But now I know. Everything you did was to cover for Qitian Dasheng, to divert my suspicion toward you."
Fire Demon's eyes were now filled with terror. This young man's logic was terrifyingly precise.
Zhang Yuanqing gave Xie Lingxi a look. The girl's eyes sparkled with awe, gazing at him in pure admiration. He nodded with satisfaction and continued:
"When we entered the garage, you and Qitian Dasheng argued. He wanted to team up, but you insisted on splitting up. That's when your opinions diverged."
Fire Demon gritted his teeth:
"After the roller coaster, you warned us about internal danger. I realized I'd been too obvious and that you might suspect me. I knew both the Evil and the Captain had killing power.
"I was scared. So I hinted to Qitian Dasheng to kill you in the garage—but he refused. He thought it was too risky. I wasn't his priority. That bastard treated me like a disposable pawn."
"Later, when you didn't kill me after the garage mission, I was relieved. I tried again in the haunted house, but he still didn't…"
Zhang Yuanqing chuckled.
"Of course he wouldn't. Why do you think I revealed my identity as a Night Wanderer? I was still cautious in the garage. But once we entered the haunted house, I knew I was safe."
"You needed me. You knew the ghost bride would choose me. With me there, you could breeze through that section. Kill me, and you'd be digging your own grave."
Night Wanderers have a fatal attraction to vengeful spirits. Who the ghost bride would pick—it was obvious.
Fire Demon suddenly yelled, "Then why didn't the ghost bride pick you?! Why?!"
That had puzzled him. Seeing Wang Tai come out alive—he had been both shocked and disappointed.
Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi both laughed.
The girl planted her hands on her hips and said smugly, "Because we found a card in the garage—a hatred redirection card."
She wasn't pretending to be meek anymore.
"I used it to redirect the ghost bride's hatred to Qitian Dasheng," Zhang Yuanqing added with a grin. "Because I judged him more suspicious than you."
"You…" Fire Demon felt a chill deep in his bones. From start to finish, he and Qitian Dasheng had been outplayed.
He felt completely hopeless.
That selfish idiot probably didn't even realize how he died.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't look at him again. He picked out Qitian Dasheng's name card and placed it on the Evil Faction statue.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Evil Faction: Your role is Evil. Beware, the team contains a Captain—your mortal enemy. Find and eliminate him. Do not reveal your identity.]
"We won!" Xie Lingxi jumped up with a cheer.
Fire Demon glared at them, venomous and bitter. He sneered:
"Don't get too happy. I admit you're scary. I lost. So what? There's only three of us left. The Captain's mission requires at least three members alive. Dare you execute me?
"You're smart—you must've realized the nature of the hidden mission. If the Evil Faction player is exposed, they die. Same for the Traitor. So there's no additional punishment—the worst that can happen is death.
"Now that you've exposed me, I'm not afraid of punishment. Because you didn't use your authority as Captain. You've still got one last chance—but if you kill me, you lose all your EXP. Want to start over from scratch?"
Once he got out of this instance, he'd leverage his contacts to dig up these two's real identities and sell their info to the Evil factions.
Making enemies in the realm was common. The end of the dungeon didn't mean the grudge ended.
He'd taken out plenty of same-faction enemies after the fact. He knew how to deal with internal grudges.
Xie Lingxi froze. Her face lost its glow of joy.
Zhang Yuanqing said nothing. After clearing the haunted house, he had deliberately chosen not to act as Captain—for exactly this reason.
"Don't worry. We still have one last player left."
He spoke calmly.
Then, he placed the last name card on the Guardian statue.
[Ding! Deduction successful.]
[Guardian: Your role is Guardian. Protect the Captain and ensure his survival. If you are killed by the Evil Faction (excluding task-related deaths), your body will enter stasis. If the Captain wins, you'll be revived. If not—you'll stay dead.]
As expected.
Zhang Yuanqing looked at the information, both surprised and not.
He now understood: Hebo had voluntarily tried to seize leadership. Like the Traitor, the Guardian was motivated to shield their "master."
During the intro, Hebo acted aloof and cold. That kind of personality doesn't usually seek leadership. But later, he changed tactics and vied with Zhang Yuanqing for control.
That sudden shift had to be driven by some deeper motive.
That was likely what caused the Evil Faction to mistake him for the Captain and kill him first.
By contrast, Zhang Yuanqing had always been socially dominant. His behavior hadn't changed after the hidden tasks were issued.
To wrap up: hidden missions were just that—hidden. No one here was a long-lost brother. Blocking a bullet was too risky to do for free—there had to be backup mechanisms.
So Zhang Yuanqing wasn't shocked.
Still, for the Guardian, it was a gamble.
The upside: one "death" and they could lie low, bypassing the rest of the high-difficulty S-tier instance.
The downside: they might die permanently.
Then again, what's worse than being in an S-tier spiritual realm to begin with?
Zhang Yuanqing's only real surprise was that the spiritual realm actually allowed for resurrection. Even if it only worked inside the instance, it was still staggering.
As the word "Guardian" appeared before his eyes, Fire Demon's face turned pale, little by little.
His lips began to tremble, his pupils quaked violently, and an overwhelming fear wrapped around him like a shroud.
The dungeon prompt sounded:
[You have completed the "Detective Reasoning Hall" mission. You are currently participating in the "Heart-Pounding Thrills" mission series. This series of entertainment facilities includes: Roller Coaster → Underground Parking Lot → Haunted House (Ghost Marriage) → Detective Reasoning Hall. You have completed all tasks in this series.]
Zhang Yuanqing received the same prompt—but with an additional line that neither Xie Lingxi nor Fire Demon saw:
[Ding! You have successfully led your teammates to complete a mission. You now have one opportunity to exercise captain's authority. Please designate the evil one hidden among your teammates. The designated individual will be terminated!]
[If no choice is made within thirty seconds, this opportunity will be forfeited.]
Zhang Yuanqing's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly:
"Fire Demon!"
In that instant, terror exploded in Fire Demon's eyes.
"No—" he screamed.
In the midst of his shriek, his head separated cleanly from his neck, tumbling to the ground. From the severed stump, a fountain of blood shot two to three meters into the air—a grisly, brutal scene.
Fire Demon's severed head stared wide-eyed, mouth still opening and closing, as if trying to utter a final, desperate word.
[Ding! Congratulations. You have completed the multiplayer Spirit Realm mission—"Jinshui Amusement Park," Instance No. 6203, Difficulty Level: S. Rewards are now being calculated...]