The identity of the Marauders member

What you said... actually makes a lot of sense.

The plain-looking girl looked at Lin Yu, a thoughtful expression on her face, and then nodded slightly.

Clearly, she didn't do this out of perfunctory politeness or mockery, but rather after carefully listening to Lin Yu's words, which even he himself didn't quite believe, and drawing that conclusion.

This refers to Lin Yu's earlier "Hostage theory".

Therefore, based on the premise that she believed what Lin Yu said, the simple girl spoke up again.

"If that's the case, why don't you just choose to cooperate with us?"

"If you're worried that Reinforcements from 'Order' will threaten you, to the point that you now need 'Dionysus' as Hostage... then you should cooperate with us."

"After all, the 'Celestial King's' strength is undeniable—there are only a handful of beings stronger than her. So, barring extreme circumstances, by cooperating with us, you will certainly be safe and sound."

She said it earnestly.

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes, provided that... the 'Celestial King' himself does not pose a threat."

"Frankly, I don't think you're a reliable partner—most members of the 'Marauders' are risky partners, prone to betrayal and treachery at any time."

The plain-looking girl nodded. "I don't deny that. The 'Marauders' is such an organization... To be honest, even though I work with many people within the organization myself, I'm not entirely at ease with them."

"Yes, especially since you came for the 'Sea God Divine Artifact'," Lin Yu said calmly, "And we happen to need that too—and I know very well that the most dangerous time for 'Marauders' members is when there is something 'profitable'."

The simple-looking girl laughed, "That makes sense... but since the 'Celestial King' has already come here, you should understand that it's inevitable that this Divine Artifact will fall into our hands."

"At least... it's not meant to be for you."

"In that case, why not consider voluntarily giving up the fight for this 'Divine Artifact' in exchange for the 'Celestial King's' protection?"

"Furthermore, if you contribute to the competition... we certainly won't treat you unfairly; we'll definitely share some other benefits with you."

The unassuming girl continued to patiently guide him.

Lin Yu laughed, "But if they kill us or trick us at the last minute... wouldn't we not even get a share of the 'benefits'?"

The plain-looking girl sighed, "Sigh, we really have to suffer because our organization is so 'notorious.' Our Boss is like a 'Tongtian Jiaozhu,' indiscriminately stuffing all sorts of creatures into the organization, making it difficult for us to even scan a power bank to maintain our reputation... In the end, it's really tough for members like us who sincerely want to cooperate with others and still have some conscience and integrity to get by."

The simple-minded girl said with deep sorrow.

Lin Yu looked at her and said seriously, "Aren't you almost fooling yourself...? If you were prepared to cooperate with us from the beginning, why did you secretly follow me in hiding?"

The other party readily admitted, "I did intend to ambush you—but that was just a preliminary attempt."

"Now that you've discovered it, times have changed..." "The Celestial King" is completely tied down, and "Order" reinforcements may arrive later, so she can't help me anymore.

"And my direct combat strength... is simply negligible."

"Given that the sneak attack failed and my hand is already revealed, rather than fighting you, a mere 'Tier 2,' I'd rather temporarily cooperate with you. That might actually be a safer option for me."

The other party's words sounded rather sincere.

But Lin Yu did not believe it so easily.

The more Lin Yu talked to the other party, the more certain he became... This guy came with the "Celestial King" and was definitely playing the role of a "brain trust" and "strategist".

Moreover, the other party seems to be the type who involves a lot of twists and turns.

Lin Yu always questioned everything that such a person said.

Especially...

Even now, the other party has revealed almost no personal information about themselves.

Therefore, Lin Yu simply seized on this point and directly raised a question.

"Looking at me, you're even more unreliable and untrustworthy than 'Celestial King'," Lin Yu said seriously, looking at the other person. "After all... at least I've heard of 'Celestial King' and know some information about her."

"And you... I have absolutely no idea who you are."

"The fact that you can act alongside 'Celestial King' means you're definitely not an ordinary person. Your strength should be at least at the 'Tier 3,' and you're absolutely an important figure within the 'Marauders.'"

"But I can't think of any powerful character in the 'Marauders' that matches you, or even any that fits your general description."

As Lin Yu spoke, the plain-looking girl smiled and said, "Oh dear, is it possible that you're overestimating me? I'm really just a nobody..."

"But you're obviously not, because 'Celestial King' isn't that kind of fool, and 'The Diviner' is an extremely shrewd person. In any case, as the only one who came here with 'Celestial King,' your strength is definitely not weak," Lin Yu said coldly. "After all... just the ability to follow me all the way without even me noticing is considered quite strong among 'Player.'"

"But you, with such a level of concealment, at least a 'Tier 3' level... claim that you don't really want to fight me, a 'Tier 2' level, because you feel you don't have any advantage—don't you find that strange?"

The other person shook their head upon hearing Lin Yu's question.

"I don't think it's me who underestimated myself, but rather you who underestimated yourself a bit," Zhu Ming. "... I'm not an uninformed idiot."

"Although I haven't seen you fight, I've heard a bit about your strength—don't forget, quite a few members of our 'Marauders' witnessed your battle in the 'Ground of No Return.'"

"The strongest 'Tier 2' member in 'Order,' 'A Yin,' was defeated by you in the Arena with undeniable direct strength, and it was a near-complete victory."

"A Yin already possesses the strength to defeat many ordinary 'Tier 3' opponents. Your ability to defeat A Yin demonstrates that your direct combat strength is no weaker than hers."

"And you've been a member of the 'Freedom Alliance' for so long, and you were also a member of the 'Psychology Society' before, so you're definitely not some ordinary, clueless 'Player,' right?"

"Therefore, you should understand... many special 'Tier 3' characters, especially those in large organizations, have highly supportive [Exclusive item Tier 3 that may not offer any direct combat assistance. They only enhance other abilities or serve the organization as a whole, so their combat strength is likely not significantly improved compared to 'Tier 2' characters."

"Furthermore, after the appearance of [Exclusive item], in order to build Item Exclusive item system around them, they might even sell some of the original [Item] to further enhance their auxiliary and functional abilities, even if they are weaker than when they were at 'Tier 2' —after all, backed by a large organization, they often only need to specialize in their strongest strengths, while the organization will help solve the other survival problems in [Instance]."

"And I am a very weak and frail special 'Tier 3' with no direct combat power, relying entirely on others in the organization to carry me through [the Instance]—like 'Bandura' from the 'Psychology Society' or 'Professor' from 'Order'."

As the other person continued speaking, Lin Yu interjected, "But the 'Bandura' and 'Professor' you mentioned... are both very famous figures; I've heard of them before."

"If you really are this extremely special 'Tier 3', how could I have never heard of you before and be unable to match you with any of the 'Marauders' I've heard of but never seen?"

The unassuming girl pondered for a moment and said, "I think you've most likely heard of my 'codename'... but I don't know why you can't connect me with my codename."

"I can't exactly hide it from you... because I think it's okay to introduce yourself a little later."

"Since you care about my identity, I might as well tell you—I am 'Ling Xian' —one of the three deputy ministers of the 'Marauders' in Yanjing, so... actually, I am the same rank as the 'Celestial King' over there."

"By the way, the other deputy minister is..."

"It's 'A'yu,' I know it. I know all three of you, and I've also heard of the code name 'Ling Xian,'" Lin Yu interrupted the guy who called himself "Ling Xian," and said, "But... you're definitely not 'Ling Xian,' because I've heard some information about 'Ling Xian.'"

The other person tilted their head. "Eh? Then why do you think I'm not 'Ling Xian'?"

Lin Yu looked at the plain-looking girl and sighed, "First of all... 'Ling Xian' is a man."

Even if you just impersonate "A'yu" for a moment, I'll consider it an effort on your part.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, the other party waved his hand.

"You're wrong about that..." A'yu's hair alone is something no normal person can imitate.

"Besides... I really am 'Ling Xian'," the simply dressed guy pointed to himself, "And I am indeed a man."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu carefully re-examined the other person—but judging from both facial features and bone structure...

This is entirely a girl.

Do you have gender identity disorder?

Lin Yu asked.

After all, he knew someone whose gender identity was a plastic bag, so it wasn't particularly strange for this to happen among the "Player".

The other person shook their head.

"No, my biological and psychological gender is male—if I had to say, it's probably just that I look somewhat effeminate."

"Of course, if you don't believe me... that's easy to prove."

Seeing the other party's eager expression, Lin Yu immediately spoke up.

"Then let's skip it."