Chapter 36: The Powerful Chosen One, Methodical and Clear!

[The Rule Ghost Story has begun. Each country will select one Chosen One to enter the game world of the Rule Ghost Story.]

[If a selected Chosen One dies, the ghost story will randomly descend upon a city within that country.]

[If a country fails ten consecutive times, the ghost story will cover the entire nation.]

[The Ghost Story world is opening. Current Instance: 'Horror Tour Group'!]

[Current Difficulty: 2.5 Stars.]

[Within the Ghost Story world, you will play the role of a tour guide. Please maintain a clear mind to find the rules within the instance and utilize them to survive.]

Familiar images appeared before Zhang Yangqing's eyes.

If he remembered correctly, he had seen this eight hours ago!

"I just skipped eight hours of work, and now you're making me skip more?"

It was clear that Zhang Yangqing was still full of resentment.

He couldn't understand it. If it were a country with a small population, the probability of a "double consecutive" occurrence might be high.

But with so many people in Dragon Country, what did you mean by making me go for a double? Am I that lucky?

There was no helping it; since he was already here, he might as well do what needed to be done.

Just as Zhang Yangqing was rummaging through the rules, the audience in Dragon Country erupted in cheers.

This round isn't just a sure win; it's a cakewalk. I hope Master Zhang can grind out some S-rank evaluations!

How about this: can we negotiate with the Ghost Story world to let Master Zhang play alone from now on? We don't want to go out there and embarrass ourselves anymore.

Look at that speechless expression on Master Zhang's face. Don't let him hear you say that, or he might send a bolt of heavenly lightning your way for fun.

Although I also want Master Zhang to take a rest, I truly can't find anyone more suitable than him.

I stayed up for two days without sleep, fearing a ghost story would descend, but now that Master Zhang is in, I can finally sleep well! I'll watch the replay when I wake up.

I have to say, Master Zhang's looks are top-tier. No matter what he wears, he looks so sharp!

If all the Chosen Ones were transcendent beings like Master Zhang, our Dragon Country would surely be worry-free!

While the audience was discussing, the Chosen Ones from various countries were all searching for the rules.

Without finding the rules, it would be no different from waiting for death.

Soon, Zhang Yangqing pulled a "Tour Guide Handbook" out of his pocket.

[Rule 1: When passengers board the bus, please check their tickets. Please ensure passengers are not carrying small animals, as the driver is very afraid of small animals.]

[Rule 2: If a passenger is hungry and wants to stop by the roadside to eat, please do not bother them.]

[Rule 3: As a tour guide, when a passenger gives you a tip, you must satisfy their request.]

[Rule 4: Do not get off the bus before dark. The bus is your sanctuary; you are relatively safe inside the bus.]

[Rule 5: Please confirm your destination and find a way to make the driver stop. If you miss your destination, you bear the consequences yourself.]

[Rule 6: You have a little assistant. She can help you very well; you can trust her completely.]

According to Zhang Yangqing's experience, these should be the initial rules, as there was no mention of when the instance would be cleared.

The subsequent rules would surely be found elsewhere, or perhaps appear after the employee handbook.

A 2.5-star instance was a step up in difficulty from 2 stars; the weirdness within would certainly not be weak.

At this moment, Zhang Yangqing began to survey his surroundings.

He was wearing ordinary formal attire, holding a small tour guide flag, with an ID badge hanging around his neck, a megaphone, a watch on his wrist, and a mobile phone in his pocket.

This was all his equipment.

He looked like a very professional tour guide.

Many Chosen Ones began to complain, saying they weren't even given a baton, making the difficulty seem very high.

But Zhang Yangqing didn't care; he began to look around.

The platform stated that the bus would depart at 12:00 PM, and it was currently 11:50 AM.

Based on his experience from the last instance, no one would think these ten minutes were meant for resting.

The crowd quickly suppressed their tension and fear, because most people were eliminated in the first stage precisely because of tension and fear.

Now, the Chosen Ones began to get busy. The bolder ones were already inspecting the area around the platform.

The surrounding environment was indeed somewhat eerie. This seemed to be a remote platform with very old facilities, giving off a feeling that it could shut down at any moment.

Beside them was a black bus, and the driver was slumped over the steering wheel, sleeping.

Outside the platform, a thick mist loomed, and visibility was very low.

It was midday, but the gloomy weather made one feel listless.

The platform was somewhat damp, and a chill sent shivers down one's spine.

Many Chosen Ones wondered why anyone would want to go traveling in this weather; they must be crazy.

But then again, that made sense. The Ghost Story world was just like this; who would go traveling if there weren't ghosts?

Moreover, this instance was titled 'Horror Tour Group,' which suggested it wouldn't be any easier than the last one.

There were very few people passing by, maybe only three or four, and they didn't seem to be passengers or intend to take the bus.

Some were just passersby, and some sat on benches near the station reading newspapers; the atmosphere was extremely somber.

When the bolder Chosen Ones tried to strike up a conversation, the people seemed unwilling to speak to them.

However, these people would occasionally steal glances at the Chosen Ones with strange eyes, as if they were looking at food, which gave off a hair-raising sensation.

There was another type of person whose eyes revealed a look of pity toward the Chosen Ones, as if they were looking at lambs destined for slaughter.

The famous detective from Sakura Country, Saburo Mitarai, was carefully observing the movements of the passersby.

He seemed to have noticed a detail: these people didn't seem to be afraid of him, but rather afraid of the bus.

"If I'm not mistaken, there seem to be many terrifying things hidden in the surrounding mist. As long as I leave the range of the bus, I will be attacked. The rule says it's relatively safe on the bus; so that's the reason."

He deduced this from the fact that as he approached the mist, the aura within it grew thicker, and the passersby's eyes seemed to show an impatient anticipation.

Many Chosen Ones also discovered this point, but they still had one doubt; they felt the rules were contradictory.

Rule 2 stated: "If a passenger is hungry and wants to stop by the roadside to eat, please do not bother them."

But Rule 3 said: "As a tour guide, when a passenger gives you a tip, you must satisfy their request."

One tells you not to bother them, and the other tells you to satisfy their request. Isn't that a contradiction?

But Mitarai Saburo did not think so. After reading the rules, he continued his analysis.

"These rules are reminding me that passengers will give me tips. Once I accept a tip, I must satisfy their request, otherwise, a dangerous situation might occur. This request could be fatal, or it could be trivial. However, as long as I don't accept the tip, I can refuse their request. But refusal is certainly not the optimal choice, because if passengers give tips, it proves that tips must be useful along the way. Therefore, this stage requires me to judge which passengers' tips can be accepted and which cannot."

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience in Sakura Country boiled over.

As expected of a master detective! With just a simple glance, he can gather so much intelligence. He even guessed the use of the tips. That's simply incredible!

This round is a sure win. Lord Mitarai Saburo is performing a dimensional strike. For a high-level expert like him to participate in a 2.5-star instance is a complete waste of talent.

I feel like Mitarai Saburo should be able to achieve an SSS rating. I haven't even considered the possibility of him losing.

How did he observe so many details? I see many Chosen Ones racking their brains, but they haven't a single clue.

Most Chosen Ones can only take things one step at a time in that kind of environment. To be able to think like this is truly impressive.

It's only the beginning, and Lord Mitarai Saburo is already far ahead of the other Chosen Ones.

It wasn't just the citizens of Sakura Country; even the expert group from Sakura Country breathed a sigh of relief.

If it were anyone else, they might have felt uncertain, but for a detective of Mitarai Saburo's caliber...

However, the members of the expert group did not let down their guard, because this instance provided one opportunity for telephone support.

The expert group could provide intelligence to the Chosen One at critical moments.

And this intelligence might be derived from the heaven-defying performances of other Chosen Ones.

Without exception, the expert groups of all countries turned on the large screens of Dragon Country, because the heaven-defying one was right here.