Even with things this bizarre here, your brother Lin was still going to run two accounts at full throttle

After hiding the note, Lin Yu showed no outward change in emotion, but his inner thoughts were running wild.

After all...

The appearance of this note was a complete surprise to him.

Even setting aside the fact that this Manuscript Paper came from the "Jiang City Experiment," the fact that these "puppets" could notice him but ignored Li Nian and Chen Le was enough to make Lin Yu think.

Are these puppets and their manipulators capable of noticing both Li Nian and Chen Le, but deliberately ignoring them, or are they truly only able to make contact with themselves?

Meanwhile... why does this piece of paper convey the messages "Don't make a fuss" and "SOS"?

Is "SOS" a distress signal? -- If so, why not write something like "Help!" instead of using an internationally recognized abbreviation for distress signals?

If it was simply a matter of time constraints, and there wasn't enough time to write "Help" so they could only write "SOS"... then why was there also a "Don't make a fuss" message on the other side?

These complex and suspicious points were enough to raise Lin Yu's vigilance—the ruins within [Azure Sea Sky Dome] were far more complex than he had imagined.

Not to mention...

He couldn't possibly ignore the words "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School" written on the Manuscript Paper.

The style of this Manuscript Paper is enough to prove...

The person who used this note to transmit information, the manipulator of these puppets, knows himself.

The other party not only recognized him, but also knew that he had attended Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School.

Furthermore, he saw through his disguise as "Zhu Ming" and realized that he was actually Lin Yu, the "Director."

This is something even the Deity couldn't do, yet this guy hiding behind the puppet to call for help managed to do it.

Lin Yu couldn't fathom how the other party could see through the [Mask].

And...

Even if the other party knew that I was a student from "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School," where did this Manuscript Paper come from?

Could the other person also be a student there?

That makes sense... After all, although he kept a low profile when he was at Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School, Lin Yu's movie star-level looks alone made him famous in several surrounding classes on the first day of school. Almost every break, groups of girls from other classes would peek out of Lin Yu's classroom to see the rumored handsome boy.

Furthermore, after performing several shows at the New Year's Day Gala and School Anniversary Celebration based on his love for drama, Lin Yu was indeed a "person" known to all three grades of Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School —if you mention the name "Lin Yu" to any student of Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School, they will immediately remember Lin Yu's face.

After all, once you've seen Lin Yu's face, it's not easy to forget him.

So... if the other person really is a student from Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School, it's not surprising that they recognized you.

But...

Even though the person asking for help was a student from Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School...

Using the Manuscript Paper from "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School" was still something that Lin Yu found somewhat strange.

After all...

Why would the other party bring the Manuscript Paper from "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School" into the Nether Void Realm?

There are already many limitations and difficulties for "Player" to bring real-world items into the "Death game," and even if someone could manage to do so... why would they bring a bunch of Manuscript Paper, especially Manuscript Paper that could potentially expose their real-world identity?

Lin Yu couldn't understand it at all and felt completely clueless about it.

Based on the information available, Lin Yu can only speculate...

Or perhaps this guy even anticipated that he would come here, so he deliberately brought the "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School" Manuscript Paper... After all, there are many powerful beings in the Ten Realms, and quite a few of them have the ability to glimpse Destiny and predict the future - especially since, according to Lin Yu, the Sinking of Mu Continent is a very ancient event on the time scale of the Ten Realms, so the other party is very likely from a point in time before the "Destiny" Authority collapsed.

It is indeed possible that a "Player" who can see through the [Mask] disguise, after receiving some kind of revelation, would arrive in the Nether Void Realm with a stack of papers or even just a single piece of Manuscript Paper.

But besides that, another possibility is...

It was all a complete coincidence.

The other person might not have recognized him as "Lin Yu" at all; they were simply asking him for help.

The reason he was approached was not because he was recognized, but because of some characteristic of his or some other reason, which made it impossible for the other party to reach Li Nian and Chen Le, and they could only reach him—after all, Lin Yu does have quite a few special characteristics.

The unique soul structure, the multiple Authority it contains... even its relationship with the God of Banquets and the existence of Hannah could all mean that the entity behind this [Azure Sea Sky Dome] puppet can only contact itself.

The Manuscript Paper with "Jiangcheng Experimental Middle School" on it was simply something that the other party happened to have on hand.

But regardless of the explanation, in Lin Yu's view, without more evidence, it is ultimately just a vague inference and completely untenable.

So...

Although Lin Yu had increased his vigilance, he still did not propose to Chen Le and Li Nian to "change the plan".

Meanwhile, Chen Le and Li Nian, after temporarily setting the puppet that had just apologized to "auto-reply," also began to act according to the original plan.

Soon, under Li Nian's guidance...

Lin Yu and Chen Le arrived at the back gate of the Palace courtyard.

There is indeed a small wooden door here, just big enough for one person to pass through.

It looks like a specially designed "Staff Passage" for the convenience of servants and guards inside the Palace.

And this wooden door...

It was slightly ajar at the moment—a somewhat worn and scratched metal lock remained open, hanging on the doorknob.

This isn't just a matter of whether it's locked or not... the door isn't even closed!

Li Nian was also somewhat surprised.

"Oh dear... the door wasn't closed?"

Upon hearing Li Nian's surprised words, Lin Yu immediately asked, "A Nian, do you mean... this door was closed when you came last time?"

Li Nian nodded. "Of course, and I'll take a look..."

She stepped forward, picked up the padlock, peered into the keyhole, and then said, "It's definitely the same... this lock still has the marks I left when I picked it last time."

"In other words... well, this door is open now than last time because I didn't close it before I left."

Li Nian spoke, Chen Le nodded.

"Since you didn't close or lock the door, although the situation is different from last time, it sounds like... there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"That's right—it seems we might not need to pry open the lock I picked last time again," Li Nian said optimistically. "In that case... we might have even more time for the operation than before."

Seeing Li Nian and Chen Le become more optimistic, Lin Yu felt no optimism whatsoever.

It wasn't just the gloom cast by those puppets transmitting messages to him individually, but also because...

"Besides lacking puppets, does this Palace also lack a 'self-correction' function? Will the effects you've had on it last forever, A Nian?"

"This Palace is even more unique than the rest of the Ruins City..."

Lin Yu murmured.

Because he was quite certain that the Mu Continent Ruins City within the [Azure Sea Sky Dome] must possess a "self-repairing" function.

Regardless of the influence exerted by outsiders, in order for the puppets playing "The Sims" and "playing house" within to continue functioning normally, this Ruins City must possess some kind of Self-Repair Mechanism.

Not only are there no puppets inside this Palace... but it seems that even this mechanism doesn't cover it.

This further convinced Lin Yu that this Palace definitely possessed another, even more unique mechanism and characteristic.

Sensing the worry in Lin Yu's words, Li Nian waved her hand.

"Don't worry, Sister Zhu Ming, I've been here before—look, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

"I know you're worried... but in my opinion, there's really nothing to worry about!"

Chen Le echoed Li Nian: "This Palace is located in the very center of this Ruins City, and it contains facilities that seem to match the 'Nine Treasures.' It would be abnormal if it didn't have any special features, right?"

"It's definitely a bit unusual, but I think everything is still under control—we just need to be careful."

"Although I don't know much about the civilization of the Mu Continent, I've been in the Pure Ruins for so long, and I've come into contact with some of the creations of this Lost Civilization... I don't think there's anything in the ruins of this Lost Civilization that I can't handle."

As Chen Le spoke, his tone became increasingly confident.

Lin Yu didn't express much concern, nodding and saying, "Then let's be careful and keep going..."

Lin Yu paused for a moment at this point.

"But next—I might need you to look after me for a bit, because I might need to feed my [Item] again, and I might go into a brief daze again."

Lin Yu said.

He could feel it...

On the other side of the Middle Sea, it was time for him to spend some effort manipulating the "Paper Kite's " body.

Since he already had the excuse of "Soul Feeding," Lin Yu decided not to hide it anymore and directly used the same reason again, preparing to openly "daydream" in front of Chen Le and Li Nian for the time being.

Li Nian and Chen Le did not have any doubts about Lin Yu.

"Okay, Sister Zhu Ming, don't worry about feeding you— Brother Le and I will take good care of you."

Chen Le also gave a thumbs up.

"Just relax... but I'll still ask if it's going to take you long? If it takes too long and we encounter a really urgent situation, how should I wake you up—can I pinch you?"

Lin Yu shook his head.

"It's not that complicated, just say my name."