A heavy darkness surged in from outside, a darkness deeper than darkness itself.

Zhang Yuanqing possessed eyes that could pierce through the night, yet even they could not penetrate this terrifying wave of yin energy. He could only vaguely make out the silhouette dressed in a bridal gown stepping across the threshold at an unhurried pace.

At that moment, he experienced the greatest terror he had ever known since the day he was born.

It was not the shock of having his yang energy drained by the vengeful spirit that had attached itself to his shoulder, nor the panic of being chased by a jiangshi. It was the terror of emotions exploding inside his mind while his body refused to respond at all.

No resistance, no defense—only endless despair.

His Nocturnal Specter abilities were utterly useless. He was completely suppressed.

Little Goofball was so frightened he did not even dare to cry. His pudgy little body trembled nonstop, and a few seconds later, his useless master began to tremble right along with him.

Darkness flooded into the room. The bride figure approached, step by step, as a dense aura of death blanketed every corner of the chamber.

The Cat King Speaker in Zhang Yuanqing's pocket chose yet another wildly inappropriate moment to come to life.

"She has arrived, bringing with her incomparable terror... The groom sits on the edge of the bed, thinking about his plan. He appears calm, but in truth he is terri—"

The speaker cut off mid-sentence, as if something had interfered with it. Static crackled for several seconds before the voice returned, but what it said next left him stunned.

"The groom appears calm, but in truth he is overjoyed, for the bride is beautiful and graceful, gentle and dignified, a rare and perfect match. Yes, that is exactly right—"

With one final electronic crackle, it went completely silent.

Zhang Yuanqing was incredulous. Overjoyed?! Are you sure that's what you originally meant to say?

There were so many things wrong with that statement that he did not even know where to begin. He kept his head down, not daring to look at the Ghost Bride.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his body trembled faintly.

Then, with his eyes still glued to the floor, he saw a pair of red embroidered shoes stop right in front of him.

***

Time crawled by. Xie Lingxi sat on the edge of the bed, not daring to move a muscle. Her features were delicate and lovely, and when framed against the bridal chamber's decor, she almost looked like the bride herself at first glance.

According to the old version of the walkthrough, whoever the Ghost Bride chose was guaranteed to die. That much should not have changed. Whoever she picked was finished. Lingxi swallowed quietly.

She had known about the Haunted House walkthrough all along but never mentioned it. She had originally planned to use that knowledge as a bargaining chip once they entered, but after discovering that Wang Tai was a Nocturnal Specter and that the mission had changed—with additional stages like betrothal gifts and the wedding invitation—she realized the old walkthrough was useless, so she never brought it up.

Lingxi was terrified. She had been through two solo Spirit Realm dungeons and two multiplayer ones, and each one had been dangerous. The solo dungeons for every class were uniformly death-type dungeons, but for her particular class, solo dungeons could be described as thrilling rather than horrifying.

Jinshui Amusement Park was the first Spirit Realm dungeon she had experienced that contained supernatural elements, and it was absolutely terrifying. The fear went beyond mere mortal danger. The human mind was simply hardwired to feel dread when faced with ghosts and spirits.

I am never watching a horror movie again for the rest of my life, she swore silently to herself.

There was no concept of time inside the bridal chamber. In the midst of what felt like endless torment, Lingxi suddenly heard the Spirit Realm notification chime.

【You have completed the Haunted House (Ghost marriage) mission. You are currently undertaking the "Heart Pounding" mission series. The attractions in this series are: Roller Coaster, Underground Parking Garage, Haunted House (Ghost Marriage), and Detective Mystery Hall. Please proceed to the fourth location within thirty minutes.】

It's over?

She blinked in surprise, then a surge of overwhelming joy washed over her, as if she had finally walked through an endless night. She was so happy she could have cheered.

It was finally over. This terrifying stage of the supernatural dungeon had finally ended.

Only then did a second thought arrive. Who died?

She pushed open the lattice door and rushed outside, looking left and right. The night was hazy and melancholy. Lanterns hung high from the eaves, and everything was still.

Soon, though, she heard footsteps behind her. Lingxi spun around and saw the red-haired Fire Demon stepping out of the bridal chamber as well.

His expression was one of joy and expectation. "Looks like the one who died was either Wang Tai or Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Seeing that he had survived, Lingxi gave an almost imperceptible frown.

Fire Demon was in excellent spirits. "The most dangerous part is over. The Detective Mystery Hall shouldn't be too difficult. If we can make it through, we'll have achieved the first clear of an S-rank dungeon. I'm already looking forward to the completion rewards. Oh right, and the walkthrough. The walkthrough alone would be worth a fortune."

Lingxi glanced at him and replied coolly, "Neither of us really know the walkthrough for the Haunted House stage. Wang Tai knows it best. Any walkthrough you write would be worth considerably less."

He shrugged. "Even so, it'll still be valuable."

They did not wait long before the sound of footsteps came from behind them again. Both turned to look.

Fire Demon's expression flickered with surprise before he recovered, and he let out a snort. "You? Looks like Great Sage Equal to Heaven is staying behind to be the groom. That kid was a coward through and through. If someone like him could walk out of the Spirit Realm alive, now that would be unfair."

"Bro Wang Tai!" Xie Lingxi called out as she beamed a sweet smile.

Zhang Yuanqing gave her a slight nod, then turned to Fire Demon and said in a quiet voice, "No matter what, we were companions. There's no need for such cold remarks."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Let's just get out of here. I don't want to stay here another second. The sooner we leave, the sooner we finish the mission, and then we all go our separate ways."

He emphasised those last four words—go our separate ways.

With Zhang Yuanqing in the lead, the three of them passed through the inner courtyard, the main hall, and the outer courtyard without encountering any danger, and smoothly left the haunted estate behind.

They hurried out of the dark alley without stopping for even a moment, moving with a shared sense of unspoken urgency. The haunted house clearly cast a considerable psychological shadow on the psyches of the three remaining survivors.

Ten minutes later, following the roadside signs, they found the Detective Mystery Hall.

It was a standard Western-style manor, painted white and with tall, thick columns supporting a triangular roof. The wrought-iron gates stood wide open, and a fountain sat in the front courtyard.

Zhang Yuanqing stopped outside the iron gates and consulted his two teammates. "Do either of you need to rest?"

Both Xie Lingxi and Fire Demon shook their heads.

The horrors of the Haunted House had been more of a mental drain than a physical one. The ten-minute walk had been enough for them to settle their emotions, and they did not need additional rest. Besides, at this point, all three of them were desperate to bring an end to the nightmarish mission.

They entered the gates, circled around the fountain, and stepped into the museum-like building.

The main hall of the Detective Mystery Hall was paved with square tiles. Eight magnificent crystal chandeliers hung from the domed ceiling, filling the space with brilliant, dazzling light.

Display cases lined the hall, showcasing all manner of exhibits: a pipe and a walking cane, a red bow tie and a football, dancing men ciphers, a thread bound copy of The Washing Away of Wrongs...

The pipe and cane are one thing, but a red bow tie too?

It felt like the dungeon was making references. As a mystery enthusiast who aspired to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and become an outstanding police captain, Zhang Yuanqing was no stranger to any of these items. (TL Note: coughDetectiveConancough)

The three of them swept their gazes across the display cases, then quickly turned their attention to the center of the hall, where six statues stood with a red cloth draped over them.

Fire Demon studied the covered statues, a flicker passing across his eyes. "What's the task for this stage? Deduction? I hate these brain teaser missions."

Xie Lingxi, who was lost in thought, said nothing.

Zhang Yuanqing pointed at the six statues and smiled. "The puzzle has already been laid out for us, hasn't it?"

The moment those words fell, all three of them simultaneously received a mission prompt in their minds.

【Ding! Welcome to the Detective Mystery Hall!】

【Excess items have been cleared. The Detective Mystery Hall is a test of wisdom. Violent conflict is prohibited. Violators will be eliminated. Squad captain, please step forward and remove the red cloth.】

Lingxi and Fire Demon stayed put while Zhang Yuanqing strode forward and pulled the red cloth away from the statues.

Six identical statues stood in a row. Each bore a nameplate on its chest, reading: Civilian, Neutral, Neutral, Guardian, Mole, Evildoer.

Fire Demon's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "There's an evildoer in our squad? That explains why the roller coaster walkthrough didn't change, but River Lord still died. Wang Tai, you were trying to warn us back then, weren't you?"

Then, he looked Zhang Yuanqing up and down in surprise. "You're the squad captain?"

Zhang Yuanqing turned back with a smile. "Didn't you all figure that out a long time ago?"

Fire Demon immediately fell silent.

The dungeon notification chimed again.

【Ding! The squad captain's mission is now announced: Warning: There is one evildoer hidden among your team. Ensure that your team always has at least 3 or more members, or you will be punished with a full reset of your current level's experience. Warning: keep your role identity hidden.】

【Ding! Every member of the squad has a role. The squad captain must deduce their identities and affix the correct nameplates to the corresponding statues. If even a single one is wrong, the team will fail the Detective Mystery Hall challenge, and all members of the captain's faction will be eliminated.】

【Every team member has the right to defend themselves.】

【Complete the deduction within thirty minutes. Failure to do so will be treated as mission failure, and all members of the captain's faction will be eliminated.】

【Two things in this world cannot be stared at directly: one is the sun, the other is the human heart.】

【Timer starts: 00:30:00】

So that's why the hidden mission required us not to reveal our identities, Zhang Yuanqing mused to himself. At the same time, as if by some instinct, he noticed a new item had appeared in his Inventory.

He opened his Inventory. Every item was grayed out and unusable except for one slot that was being displayed normally: a stack of nameplates.

He pulled them out. There were six in total, each bearing a team member's name.

He held up the nameplates and looked at Lingxi and Fire Demon. "Time is limited, so I'll start with the deceased teammates. Any objections?"

"Fine by me," Fire Demon agreed. "That saves time."

Lingxi nodded.

Zhang Yuanqing fanned out the nameplates, glanced over them, and drew out the one marked "Ashamed Father."

"To be safe, I'll start with the most certain one. Ashamed Father was a Neutral. He told me so himself before he died. To be honest, I didn't believe him at the time, because he was an Evil-class Walker."

That had also been the moment Zhang Yuanqing knew for certain that every member had received a hidden mission.

Fire Demon was startled. "He was an Evil-class? Could he have been the evildoer then? Come to think of it, ever since he died, nobody in our squad has died mysteriously."

"The evildoer had a reason for not killing anyone. I'll explain later. But I know Ashamed Father was not the evildoer, because after the Underground Parking Garage stage ended, I secretly consulted the spirits."

Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and affixed Ashamed Father's nameplate to one of the two Neutral statues.

【Ding. Deduction correct.】

A message materialized above that statue for all three of them to see.

【Neutral: There is one squad captain and one evildoer in the squad. You must choose your faction before the end of the first mission. Do not reveal your identity.】

That was the Neutral's hidden mission.

"Choose your faction before the first mission ends..."

Zhang Yuanqing turned back and flashed a smile at the young woman behind him. "So it seems you're also a Neutral, Sis Lingxi. And now, you're on my side."

Xie Lingxi broke into a radiant smile.

"That's right, Bro Wang Tai. Choosing a faction obviously required caution. At the time, I didn't know who was the captain and who was the evildoer. Picking the wrong side could have meant death.

"That's why I suggested we do the roller coaster first, since it was the simplest attraction, without any external interference. If the conditions for making it through hadn't changed, then it would serve as the best arena for the captain and evildoer to reveal themselves through their moves.

"I would choose my faction based on the outcome. You were amazing, Bro Wang Tai, and came up with a way to resolve it. So I chose to join the captain's side."

Zhang Yuanqing chuckled and affixed her nameplate to the other Neutral statue.

After the roller coaster, the girl had been remarkably cooperative, showing him plenty of goodwill. That "private tutoring" conversation had been his way of testing her, and she had responded positively and eagerly.

【Ding! Deduction correct.】

The Neutral's hidden mission description appeared once more.

Zhang Yuanqing drew Xi Shi's nameplate and said, "This woman coasted through the entire thing. During missions, she voted to keep eyes open on the roller coaster, she never lifted a finger against the car robot, and aside from being proactive about self-preservation, she showed a complete lack of initiative all night. So I'm judging her as the Civilian."

He looked over at the other man beside him and asked, "Fire Demon, what do you think?"

Fire Demon frowned and replied, "That's too hasty. The same reasoning could apply to the evildoer."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "No, it's not hasty at all. But I can't tell you the reason for it."

He affixed Xi Shi's nameplate to the Civilian statue.

【Ding! Deduction correct.】

【Civilian: Your identity is Civilian. Before the end of the first mission, find the squad captain and secure his protection. Do not reveal your identity.】

Beyond the reasoning he had just stated, Zhang Yuanqing had two additional reasons for determining Xi Shi was the Civilian. First, during the flashback episode triggered by his old ailment, he had noticed her constantly probing the others' identities: first asking Xie Lingxi whether she was a government agent, then wavering between choosing either him or River Lord during their first ride on the roller coaster.

That detail would have been nearly impossible to catch without his memory ability. An evildoer, knowing that a captain existed, would never make such obvious probing moves.

Second, when he had his probing conversation with her, Xi Shi's answer had been, "No need for respect. Be rough, be wild."

She had actually been hinting at her Civilian identity. And of course, he had confirmed it using spirit interrogation.

Civilians did not need respect. Civilians were always treated roughly and wildly.

At the time, he had assumed it was her way of expressing subservience, but only after seeing the description of the Civilian role did he truly understand.

"River Lord died first, so we'll set him aside for now," Zhang Yuanqing said, then turned to Fire Demon with a grin.

"So, my friend. Mole or evildoer—which one are you?"