Newspaper Boy
Chapter 48: S-Rank Difficulty
"The trust is still not enough. Is it because they don't want to reveal their official identities, or is it that apart from me, none of the Wayfarers present have official backgrounds?" Zhang Yuanqing wondered whether to give a hint when he heard Hebo, in a black hoodie, say coldly:
"We have been in The Way of the Extraordinary for a few minutes, and it hasn't given us any prompts. This means that to clear the level, we have to rely on ourselves. If you know any information, it's best not to hide it. We're all in the same boat."
Xie Lingxi raised her hand slightly and said softly:
"I know a little bit about the old version of the dungeon. The information The Way of the Extraordinary provided has changed."
"Is she from an official organization?" Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the little girl.
Hebo frowned upon hearing this:
"The Way of the Extraordinary's introduction has changed... I think I understand now. The reason for the difficulty change in Jinshui Amusement Park lies in The Way of the Extraordinary's introduction. Does everyone remember what it said?"
"I forgot..." The red-haired Fire Mage scratched his head.
Xishi glanced at him and quietly distanced herself, smiling softly:
"An indescribable existence has come here. She changed the difficulty level of Jinshui Amusement Park. She instructed the spirits in the amusement park to help her find someone. That person's name has four characters. Who could it be?"
'Guì wéi rén fù' couldn't help but say:
"I don't think who it is matters. This person should just be part of the background story. What's important is the 'spirits' in the amusement park. Is it possible that the difficulty of Jinshui Amusement Park increased to S-level because the 'spirits' received the blessing of that existence and became particularly powerful?"
Qitian Dasheng, in tight-fitting pants and a suit jacket, his eyes lit up: "I think that makes sense, uncle, you're really smart."
Hebo nodded slightly, agreeing with the middle-aged man's statement, and said:
"In that case, as long as we avoid projects with horror elements and choose some simple facilities to experience, we should be able to reduce the risk."
He turned to Xie Lingxi and asked: "Do you know the detailed strategy for the old version?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing planned to throw out the old version information before the girl did, to avoid losing the right to speak. But at that moment, he heard a "ding" in his mind, and The Way of the Extraordinary's prompt sounded:
[Due to your excellent performance just now, you have triggered a hidden mission. You have been appointed as the team leader. Note that there is an evil-doer hidden in the team. Please ensure that the number of team members is greater than or equal to 3, otherwise you will be punished, and your current level experience will be reset.]
[Note, please hide your role identity well.]
"There's a hidden mission?!" The word "cào" flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but his face remained calm, and his heart suddenly sank.
The facilities in the dungeon were fraught with danger, and a werewolf had mixed into the team, making the difficulty skyrocket.
"My hidden mission is to ensure that the number of members is no less than 3. From this, it can be deduced that the evil-doer's mission is to reduce the number of team members to less than 3, or even wipe out the entire team."
"If I want to ensure the clear rate, the best option is to identify and eliminate the villain in advance, but I can't prove my identity, and the trust between team members isn't enough. It's very likely that I'll try to outsmart them and end up being framed as the wolf."
For a moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt that no one could be trusted, and even the sweet girl named Xie Lingxi seemed to have turned into a wolf in human skin.
"Wait! Jinshui Amusement Park is a multi-player The Way of the Extraordinary, open to all professions. Could there be evil professions among the team members?"
"And based on the antagonism between factions, the evil profession must be the villain..." A ruthless idea flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind: use the Red Dancing Shoes to force out the team members' abilities. Whoever is an evil profession will be obvious at a glance.
"No, that's too reckless. It will put things in a completely irreversible situation. And is it really that simple? What if I guessed wrong?" He silently exhaled and gave up the idea of summoning the Red Dancing Shoes.
If there were no evil professions in the team, his actions would be equivalent to directly turning against the team members, and there would be no point in continuing the game.
"In other words, I have to take the team to complete the projects and find the evil-doer at the same time? It really is a S-level multi-player The Way of the Extraordinary. It's as difficult as the Mountain God Temple, but in a different sense."
Before the dungeon had even started, Zhang Yuanqing's heart was already heavy.
"I know the old version of the strategy, but I don't remember every detail..." Xie Lingxi said.
"Oh, little sister, you're great. You must be a member of an official organization. Do you mind if I walk with you?" Xishi said.
"One is overly naive, the other harbors ulterior motives..." Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the two women without revealing his expression.
Hebo, wearing a black hoodie, glanced coldly at Zhang Yuanqing at this moment and said:
"What are your thoughts?"
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said:
"Based on preliminary judgment, the difficulty has increased for facilities with paranormal elements. In that case, other projects may not have changed much. So, we can choose a very low-difficulty project based on the old version of the strategy."
Hebo's gloomy expression revealed a hint of appreciation, and he nodded and said: "That's what I meant. No wonder you are a seasoned player with experience in multiple instances of The Way of the Extraordinary."
He then looked at everyone and said: "Does anyone have any objections?"
Everyone nodded in unison, as if they had no opinions of their own.
Hebo said: "Little girl, which facility do you think we should choose to experience?"
Xie Lingxi pursed her lips, her bright eyes glanced around, and she pointed to the steel track that rose and fell like a dragon, saying:
"That one is the simplest."
Seeing the roller coaster, the corners of everyone's eyes twitched. Xishi smiled weakly: "Why?"
"The old version's way to clear is very simple. Get on the car, close your eyes the whole time, and the ride ends after the roller coaster completes three laps of the tracks."
"This..." The trendy young man, Qitian Dasheng, looked up at the tall steel tracks and hesitated a little. He pointed to the carousel not far away and asked:
"What about that one? I think that one is pretty safe too."
Xie Lingxi shook her head and said seriously: "The carousel is only for children. Adults who get on it will never be able to get off, although there won't be any real danger... But it will keep spinning forever."
"Getting on it will wipe out the whole team?" Qitian Dasheng silently took a step back and stopped talking.
"Then if no one has any objections, let's choose the roller coaster." Hebo said lightly, then suddenly chuckled:
"Being matched into Jinshui Amusement Park, I can't guarantee how smart everyone is, but I'm sure none of us are idiots."
"Hebo, that guy is intentionally or unintentionally competing with me for the right to speak. Xie Lingxi seems very naive at first glance, but can anyone matched into an S-level be truly naive? Xishi has been testing other people's identities from beginning to end, and her flirtatious appearance may just be an act..."
"Guì wéi rén fù, has a simple and honest appearance, but he can pinpoint that 'paranormal elements' are the key danger, which shows that his inner self is not as simple as his appearance."
"Qitian Dasheng is a little timid, a little lecherous, and doesn't have any outstanding qualities, but he's not a troublemaker either... Among these people, I think the safest is Fire Mage, if I can confirm that he is a Fire Master. Otherwise, this person is the most dangerous."
Zhang Yuanqing analyzed the characteristics of his companions, raised his hand, and echoed: "I have no objection. Let's take the roller coaster."
Unknowingly, he slightly loosened some of his initiative, no longer taking the initiative in everything, but still maintaining a certain level of activity.
He had seen the strategy and knew that Xie Lingxi wasn't lying. The roller coaster may seem dangerous, but it's actually the simplest to play.
Of course, whether the roller coaster's gameplay remains the same is unknown, but would other facilities not change?
"I have no objection."
"I have no objection either."
"Alright, it's all the same anyway."
After making the decision, the group went to the roller coaster. Following the guide signs, they passed through a tunnel and entered the building below the tracks.
This was a small hall. To the left of the entrance were lockers, and to the right was a ticket window. As the group entered the hall, they heard The Way of the Extraordinary's prompt:
[Ding, you have received a roller coaster ticket. Please arrive at the upper level within five minutes.]
[Ding, extra items have been sealed. Please return to the lockers to retrieve them after the project is completed.]
"Extra items..." Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously reached for the blue pill in his pocket and found that it was still there. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Fire Mage exclaim:
"I can't open the inventory."
Everyone was shocked and immediately tried to summon their inventories, only to find that this function seemed to be nonexistent.
Qitian Dasheng's voice trembled: "I, I can't use my skills either. What about you?"
!!! Zhang Yuanqing's heart suddenly sank, and he instinctively used Night Tour, but the power of the Taiyin was firmly sealed in his body.
The others made their own attempts and indeed lost their skills.
This phenomenon made the Wayfarers' hearts extraordinarily heavy. Without their skills, what difference was there between them and ordinary people?
At this time, 'Guì wéi rén fù' said:
"Active skills cannot be used, but passive abilities are still there, and our physical fitness hasn't changed either."
"We're already here, let's go up." Zhang Yuanqing took the lead up the steps.
The group climbed the steps with heavy hearts and arrived at the top of the building. The top of the building was a platform with two tracks laid out, and a two-seater roller coaster was quietly parked on the tracks.
The team members looked at the roller coaster and fell silent for a moment. No one said anything.
"Sigh, this is the time for me, the Chinese captain, to set an example. This is in line with the persona I initially showed..." Zhang Yuanqing smiled:
"The last time I rode a roller coaster was in my student days. My favorite thing was to sit in the first row."
Under everyone's gaze, he got into the seat in the first row and fastened his seat belt.
The others breathed a slight sigh of relief and got into the cars one after another.
"I have a fear of heights..." Xishi pretended to look pitiful and hesitated between Zhang Yuanqing and Hebo.
After hesitating, the girl with long black hair, Xie Lingxi, snatched the seat next to Zhang Yuanqing, leaving Xishi with no choice but to choose Hebo.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her, and the latter returned a sweet smile.
After everyone fastened their seat belts, Hebo in the second row said indifferently:
"Remember to close your eyes, and don't open them no matter what happens. Of course, if any of you want to use your life to verify the rules, you're welcome to do so."
"You're really unpleasant to talk to," Fire Mage muttered.
Zhang Yuanqing looked back at the team members behind him. Hebo and Xishi were sitting in the second row, 'Guì wéi rén fù' and Fire Mage were in the third row.
The somewhat timid Qitian Dasheng seemed to have been squeezed out and was sitting alone in the fourth row.
At this time, the tracks were electrified, and a "dong" sound came from the bottom of the car. The roller coaster slowly started moving.
Before Zhang Yuanqing retracted his gaze, he saw that everyone had closed their eyes.
He closed his eyes, feeling the car crawling on the tracks, slowly at first, as if it was climbing a steep slope. When the roller coaster reached the top, it stopped.
The next moment, a strong sense of weightlessness came, and all he could hear was the strong wind and Xishi's small exclamation.
Zhang Yuanqing tensed up, listening to the sounds around him, and silently counting the time.
About two minutes later, the speeding roller coaster slowed down and then stopped.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and saw that the roller coaster had returned to the platform on top of the building. Nothing had happened.
"Hoo..." He silently exhaled and suddenly heard an exclamation behind him.
His heart tightened, and he turned his head to look, and his pupils shrank violently.
Hebo, who was sitting in the second row, had a vacant space at his neck and had lost his head.
Fire Mage in the third row was covered in blood. He trembled as he held up the head in his arms, his voice trembling:
"It, it didn't work..."
"Closing our eyes didn't work..."
Hebo's eyes were tightly closed, and his expression was serene, as if he hadn't felt any pain.
A chill rose from the bottom of everyone's hearts.