Seeing the eager gazes of the group, Xie Lingxi pursed her lips and spoke in her clear, sweet voice:
"In the old version of the walkthrough, Spirit Realm Walkers had to pass through the Underground Parking Garage. During this process, an Autobot would appear every three minutes, chasing down any Walkers who entered the garage. Those caught would be eliminated.
"The Walkers had to find the Controller and shut down the Autobot's power source before everyone was eliminated. The Controller was hidden inside one of the cars in the garage."
The hot-tempered Fire Fiend exclaimed, "So, we just need to find the Controller and shut down the Autobot, right? Wang Tai, what do you think?"
While the others pondered, they immediately turned their attention to Zhang Yuanqing. They wanted to hear the insights of this capable young man who had flawlessly resolved the crisis in their first mission.
You crude Fire Master, your method of extracting the core information is downright barbaric, Zhang Yuanqing thought, choosing his words carefully.
"In the old version of the amusement park, elimination meant losing experience points, not death. But now that the difficulty has been raised to S-Rank, each elimination should be interpreted as someone dying every three minutes."
Xishi's delicate face paled. "We only have eighteen minutes at most."
Ashamed Father slowly shook his head. "No, we shouldn't lose anyone in this stage. The more people who enter the Haunted House, the higher our chances of survival."
Old man, you might as well have said it outright: the Haunted House needs cannon fodder, Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly.
"Lingxi, will the Underground Parking Garage seal our abilities?"
Xie Lingxi thought for a moment, then shook her head. "The strategy guide doesn't mention anything about that."
The Fire Fiend pondered briefly before suggesting, "Once we're inside the Underground Parking Garage, we should split up. That way, we can find the Key faster."
The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal immediately shook his head. "In such a dangerous place, splitting up is suicide."
The Fire Fiend glared at him, sneering, "You're just afraid to die, you useless coward."
Anger flashed in the Great Sage's eyes, but he restrained himself, grunting coldly, "I still advise against splitting up."
Splitting up would be the most efficient approach—if there weren't a traitor among them. Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, cutting off the brewing argument. "Let's go inside first. We need more information before we can formulate a plan."
He led the way down the steep ramp into the Underground Parking Garage, bathed in harsh white light.
As he descended the slope, Zhang Yuanqing glanced around, his lips twitching violently.
The Underground Parking Garage was vast, resembling the parking garage of a large shopping mall. Rows of cars were neatly parked in their designated spaces, their roofs covered in a thick layer of dust.
As Xie Lingxi and the others entered the garage, Fire Fiend's expression darkened. "With so many cars, how long will it take to find what we need?"
Xishi's eyes shimmered with concern, her delicate face etched with worry. "Should we split up? There are so many cars, we'll be here forever if we stick together."
The others remained silent, as they simultaneously received the Instance Notification:
[ Ding! The team has entered the Underground Parking Garage. The experience has begun. Excess items have been removed. ]
[ Hint 1: Controller. Hint 2: Car Key. Good luck! ]
[ Countdown: 00:02:55 ]
"Our active skills are sealed again."
"Can't even open my Inventory. Damn it, another skill seal."
The team members' faces paled slightly, but Zhang Yuanqing's attention was drawn to the two hints.
Hints? The old walkthroughs never mentioned any hints in this stage.
S-rank instances rarely provide explicit clues. Spirit Realm Walkers are expected to observe, deduce, and uncover patterns to find their way out.
The Underground Parking Garage had given such obvious clues as "Controller" and "Key," indicating a high level of danger. Otherwise, the Spirit Realm wouldn't have provided such explicit hints.
Zhang Yuanqing murmured, "Everyone, the situation looks grim."
The others, startled, finally shook off their panic over their sealed abilities. After carefully considering the Instance Notification, their expressions immediately turned grave.
"Car Key" The impatient Fire Fiend strode to the nearest van and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
He swung his elbow sideways, attempting to shatter the glass.
Bang!
The glass reverberated with a deafening clang, but remained unbroken, not even cracking.
"Can't break it. Looks like we need the car key before we can find the Controller," Fire Fiend spat, cursing. "I suggest we split up."
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the group, seeing that everyone shared the same idea. He immediately agreed, "Alright, but don't spread out too far. Stay within sight of your teammates at all times. Time's running out. Let's move."
The countdown timer loomed like a death knell. The six Spirit Realm Walkers wasted no time, each beginning to search the parking garage.
The vast parking garage was eerily silent, broken only by the sound of their footsteps.
Zhang Yuanqing deliberately lagged behind, keeping everyone within sight. While monitoring his teammates' movements, he continued searching for the car key.
This mission feels off, he thought. The Underground Parking Garage is too large. There's no way we can find the Controller in three minutes. Even if we all died here, we still wouldn't find it.
Just as he was pondering this, he saw Xie Lingxi, who was ahead on the left, suddenly drop to the ground and crawl under a vehicle. A few seconds later, she let out a joyful shout: "I found the car key! It's under this SUV!"
She raised her delicate, lotus-root-like arm, holding up the key.
At the same moment, she pressed the unlock button on the key.
The parking garage remained silent, and the vehicle showed no response.
Xie Lingxi's face fell with disappointment. "The car isn't nearby," she said pitifully.
Seeing this, the group continued their search. Soon, Great Sage, Heaven's Equal called out loudly:
"I found the car key!"
He pressed the unlock button, and two beeps sounded nearby, accompanied by flashing taillights.
The group swarmed forward, throwing open all four car doors. Their eyes swept through the interior, searching every corner.
"Nothing here," Ashamed Father said, his voice tinged with disappointment.
"Wait a minute!" Xie Lingxi's sharp eyes spotted something. She leaned into the car, her rear end sticking out as she reached under the seat and retrieved a card.
The metallic card was coated in gold paint, with a clear pool of water depicted at its center.
As they gazed at the card, a message appeared in their minds:
[ Life Concentrate ]
[ Type: Potion ]
[ Function: Healing ]
[ Description: A potion brimming with vital energy, capable of healing all external wounds. ]
[ Note: As a consumable item, it carries no drawbacks. ]
"Life Concentrate?" Xishi's eyes lit up. "I remember the Life Elixir is a Musician-class item. I never expected to find a consumable in the car. Do you think the other cars might have them too?"
If so, their chances of clearing the Spirit Realm would greatly increase.
Is Life Concentrate related to the Musician class? I thought their Transcendent Phase ability was singing, Zhang Yuanqing thought, suppressing the urge to ask. After all, Wang Tai was a seasoned Walker who had experienced numerous Spirit Realms and was a reliable ally.
If his teammates ever found out that their team leader was a newbie on his second Spirit Realm mission, he wondered what they'd think.
"Let's put this away for now," Zhang Yuanqing said, glancing at the countdown timer. "We need to keep looking for the car keys. We don't have much time left."
The group dispersed again, frantically searching for the keys.
As Zhang Yuanqing searched, he pondered:
Giving us both clues and consumables suggests this trial is far more dangerous than we anticipated. The killer likely realizes this too. I hope he doesn't kill anyone else and tries to keep our teammates alive. Otherwise, we'll never get through this Haunted House.
Time ticked by relentlessly. Despite their desperate efforts, they couldn't find a third key. The Spirit Realm Walkers grew increasingly anxious, their search becoming more frantic.
Just then, the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, who had been watching the countdown timer, cried out in alarm:
"Time's up!"
A moment later, the thunderous roar of an engine echoed from the distance. The group's hearts leaped as they turned toward the sound. At the entrance of the Underground Parking Garage, a towering figure materialized.
It stood over two meters tall, its entire body clad in metal, with glowing red eyes and a three-foot-long chainsaw in its hand.
"Everyone must die! Everyone must die!"
The electronic voice echoed from the speaker in its chest.
"A Transformer?!" Xie Lingxi exclaimed.
Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!
The engine roared as the Autobot's feet slid across the ground, propelling it forward with a whoosh across the dozens of meters separating it from the group.
"Scatter!" Zhang Yuanqing bellowed.
The group scattered like bowling pins struck by a ball, exploding in all directions.
Xie Lingxi, seemingly less physically fit than the others, reacted a split second too late. The robot slammed into her as she dodged, sending her crashing against a car with a muffled groan. Her lower back struck the vehicle with brutal force, blacking out her vision and leaving her too injured to move.
Vents in the Autobot's ankles hissed, releasing gas to counteract its momentum and execute an impossible human-like emergency stop. It raised its chainsaw high and swung it down with savage force.
The chainsaw's motor whined like the whisper of death.
The young girl's face drained of color, her expression one of utter despair.