The rule about closing your eyes is invalid?
After the amusement park upgraded to S-level, the rules of the attractions changed?
Everyone stared grimly at Hebo's corpse and the severed head in Fire Demon's arms.
As the roller coaster came to a halt, six Ling Realm Walkers simultaneously received the notification:
[Next round start time: 04:58:20]
"Next round starts in five minutes..." Sitting in the last row, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven looked at Hebo's headless body ahead, his face tense.
"If the 'close your eyes' rule is no longer valid, then when the next round starts, more of us could die. We need to figure out the rules quickly. Have any of you found anything?"
Fire Demon's expression still carried traces of terror. He threw the severed head out of the car, then irritably turned to shout:
"Who could have discovered the rule with their eyes closed the whole time?"
"Damn right," Father of Guilt frowned tightly.
"If the 'eyes closed' rule has changed, then we have to find the new rule. Otherwise, people will keep dying in the next two rounds."
Xi Chi bit her fiery red lips. "Since we decided to take the roller coaster, I've been paying attention all along, but I haven't found any valuable clues or information."
No clues meant no targeted strategy—only the dumbest way: trial and error.
But the price of trial and error...
Great Sage's face darkened.
"S-level Ling Realm? There's no way they'd give clear, straightforward completion info. If it were that simple, it wouldn't be called S-level."
Xie Lingxi pondered and added her view:
"Sorry, it's my fault. We were misled by the old攻略 guide and missed a chance to find the rules."
Her eyes glistened with tears, looking pitiful and deeply remorseful.
Great Sage quickly reassured her:
"It's okay, it's okay. No use crying over spilled milk. No info doesn't mean no solution. While we still have time, let's discuss..."
He paused, then continued:
"If the 'eyes closed' rule has changed, there are basically two possibilities: One, the roller coaster's rule changed to killing one person per round—Hebo's death proves that. Two, by closing our eyes, we missed an observation opportunity."
Xi Chi's eyes brightened, as if seeing him in a new light: "So next time, we can't close our eyes."
Zhang Yuanqing listened to the discussion, his thoughts drifting...
"First, let's rule out supernatural elements. Though active skills are sealed, as the Night Tour God, I can still sense spirits. If spirits in the amusement park were causing this, I would have sensed it."
"So far, the roller coaster still has three rounds. Since that hasn't changed, why would the 'close eyes' rule change? Maybe the killer isn't the rule itself..."
Zhang Yuanqing's heart jolted as a possibility struck him.
Could the evil culprit be hiding among us, actually stabbing people? But how?
At that moment, Father of Guilt looked at Fire Demon and suddenly asked:
"When Hebo died, why didn't you warn us? Why wait until the car stopped?"
Fire Demon raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
The middle-aged man remained plain and honest, calmly saying: "I'm just curious."
Fire Demon glared and shouted, "Of course I felt it! That head landed right in my arms! But could I say anything? Dare to open my eyes? If I spoke up, I'd be next!"
Father of Guilt said no more.
Zhang Yuanqing asked, "When exactly did he die? Or rather, when did the head fall into your arms?"
Without hesitation, Fire Demon answered, "When we hit the second slope."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately looked at Xi Chi. "You were right beside him. Did you feel anything strange?"
Xi Chi shook her head. "I... I have acrophobia. I was really scared and didn't pay attention to what was happening around me..."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned deeply.
Judging by seat arrangement, the most likely suspects were Xi Chi, Fire Demon, and Father of Guilt.
Great Sage sitting one row behind could basically be ruled out. With his extraordinary physique, it would be almost impossible to unbuckle his seatbelt, pass Fire Demon and Father of Guilt in front of him, and kill Hebo in the second row.
Not to mention it would be easy for those two to notice, and the roller coaster's momentum alone would likely throw him out.
Thinking that, he turned to look at the petite girl. Given her height and arm length, turning around to kill would require unbuckling her seatbelt first.
So her possibility was also low.
Next was to verify whether Fire Demon was lying, to confirm if Hebo really died at that time.
Before the second round started, Zhang Yuanqing closed his eyes and pictured his father's outline in his mind.
If Hebo didn't die during the roller coaster's high-speed ride, then the killer's time frame must have been during the initial slow climb, when the coaster had little momentum.
And since Zhang Yuanqing could pick up sounds, he could directly identify the killer.
As his father's facial outline became clearer, Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat and his mind raced, replaying the scenes from the start of the Ling Realm one frame at a time.
He mulled over the images patiently, waiting.
Finally, they boarded the coaster, and as the two-person roller coaster slowly started, Zhang Yuanqing saw no images because he had closed his eyes.
But the sounds remained—he detected the heartbeat and breathing of seven people.
Then, a sharp scream from Xi Chi, the coaster hurtled down a steep drop with a thunderous roar, heading for the second big hill.
At that moment, a heartbeat in the back row suddenly vanished...
"Ah, what's wrong with you..."
Xie Lingxi cried out in shock, staring at the blood trickling from her companion's nostrils.
The others stopped arguing and turned to look.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Zhang Yuanqing waved them off, wiping his nosebleed, trying to hide the stabbing pain in his brain, and smiled: "I've had a habit of nosebleeds since I was young, especially when I see pretty girls."
Xie Lingxi blushed slightly.
Xi Chi and Fire Demon exchanged suspicious looks; Father of Guilt just glanced at him; Great Sage took the opportunity to sneak a few glances at Xie Lingxi's face and Xi Chi's chest.
Zhang Yuanqing kept a calm expression but cursed inwardly.
Hebo's death proved the evil culprit had some special killing method!
"To take a head silently without making a sound—that's terrifying... We have to find a way to stop him. One kill per round, after three rounds, only four people remain. And we still have at least one more attraction. How can we play this?!"
If it really came down to this, it was basically a death trap.
If the killer wasn't the evil culprit but the roller coaster's rules, the outcome was the same.
The more Zhang Yuanqing thought, the more anxious he became. Cold sweat started forming on his forehead.
Everyone was suspicious, including Xie Lingxi beside him and Great Sage in the last row.
His gaze swept over them all.
Xie Lingxi frowned in thought, Xi Chi looked uneasy, Father of Guilt silent, Great Sage's eyes showed hidden panic, and Fire Demon muttered curses.
For a moment, he felt they were all acting, all harboring secrets.
The crisis of this dungeon was not just the attractions, but within the Ling Realm Walkers themselves... Yuan Shi Tian Zun cursed inwardly.
At the same time, a new doubt flashed in his mind: why was it Hebo who died?
Was the evil culprit killing randomly, or was there another reason?
If I were a werewolf with one random kill chance, who would I kill?
Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing found his answer.
Kill the smartest person in the group!
"In that case, I'm the next one to die..." Zhang Yuanqing felt his scalp go numb.