You'd Better Not Be Here to Ask Me for a Favor

When Lin Yu considered "Lin Zhao" as a possible factor related to this matter, many parts that originally seemed unreasonable suddenly made sense.

The apocalypse of the Nether Void Realm, the fall of Deity, the Authority of another world... even the "Player" who seem to have been trapped here in the Previous Version —all of this seems too much like the work of Lin Zhao.

After all, Lin Zhao had done these things in other worlds as well.

Whether it was seizing Authority, assassinating Deity, or creating the end of the world, Lin Zhao had done it all.

Lin Yu had even seen other "Player" given ways to save their lives before.

"What's wrong, Xia Bao? Are you still angry?"

While Lin Yu was lost in thought, the girl cautiously asked.

"No, not at all," Lin Yu shook his head and said, "I was just thinking about what kind of person she really is... From your description, she must be very strong."

"After all, she's involved in events like the 'fall of Deity,' and she can give you survival skills to survive in the apocalypse... Speaking of which, what exactly are these survival skills she gave you?"

Lin Yu asked curiously.

A look of confusion crossed the girl's face. "This... I don't know, I can't remember."

"Is it possible that once this method works, I'll forget how it worked...?"

Lin Yu looked at the girl and said in a low voice, "Or... this method has actually become ineffective."

The girl was stunned. "Hey, Xia Bao, why would you say that?"

Lin Yu did not reply.

Because this judgment... was made after he realized that Lin Zhao was involved in this matter.

The previous example of Lin Zhao providing someone with a means to save their life, and also the only example Lin Yu knew of, was naturally Shen Bingmiao.

But Shen Bingmiao's life-saving methods were not just about "Shen Bingmiao"—Lin Yu certainly knew that Shen Bingmiao had even become a "Deity" because of the methods left behind by Lin Zhao.

After all, becoming Deity seems to be a necessary condition for surviving the "Final Trial" and becoming a "Player" capable of transcending versions.

And the girl in front of us... has also crossed over into a version of the "Death game".

Coupled with the matter of the "Desire" Authority that had inexplicably appeared here before, Lin Yu couldn't help but start thinking.

The methods Lin Zhao used on this girl were perhaps the same as those he used on Shen Bingmiao.

Based on what happened to Shen Bingmiao, Lin Yu also had a guess about the girl's current state.

Although the girl before him had indeed retained her soul and self-awareness, she seemed different from Tuk, whom Lin Yu had met before, and from the other puppets here...

But what if the soul of the girl before him, which he perceived, is not real either?

Just like how Chen Le could clearly feel the weight of the big fish in his hand.

The Authority of "Desire" can blind people's perception.

Although the girl before him was the person "Xia Yue" wanted to see, Lin Yu had already witnessed it in the God of Nightmare's dream. The [Mask]'s disguise and performance, and his inner self-identity, were enough for Lin Yu to deceive "Authority".

So...

Lin Yu looked at the girl in front of him and spoke earnestly.

"Perhaps you did survive back then because of the 'Authority' left behind by that woman, but so much time has passed. Your soul and your true self may have long been obliterated or assimilated," Lin Yu paused, then continued, "The reason I can see you now... is because of that Authority that assimilated you, called 'Desire'."

"Because I want to see you, I have a Desire to see you, and perhaps you also have a Desire to see me... So, you, who may have long since vanished, have reappeared under the Authority of 'Desire'."

"You haven't just died twice—you may have died three times."

Lin Yu spoke softly, and the girl wavered slightly.

"Xia Bao... I... but I don't know, I don't think it's like that."

"I really want to see you, but... I feel like I'm still alive."

"I don't know anything about the Authority 'Desire'... I really don't know."

Lin Yu's face showed a look of pity. "It is precisely because you don't know that my deduction might be true... because if you were still alive in a 'normal' state, having lost your 'Player' identity but retaining most of your soul and self-awareness, then you should be able to realize that you are being united with an Authority."

"After all, I can feel the aura of 'Desire' permeating this place—think about it, you said you've painstakingly replicated the place you once lived over the long years, and this room has been replicated bit by bit—but have you ever wondered how you did it?"

"In the Nether Void Realm, and even in this Nether Void Realm and barren Ruins City, how did you manage to replicate these pieces of furniture that don't even exist in this world, from scratch?"

Lin Yu looked at the other person and said, word by word, "It's Desire... My dear friend, you've used the Authority of 'Desire' to create this 'haven' for yourself, using your longing for a warm home."

"If you can still say these things, it proves that you still retain self-awareness... but if you have forgotten these things and are unaware of the existence of 'Desire,' then the answer is obvious..."

As Lin Yu spoke, the girl murmured to herself.

"Because I have indeed been assimilated by the Authority 'Desire' and become a part of it, haven't I?"

As she spoke, she smiled and looked at Lin Yu.

The smile carried a hint of sadness.

"My dear Xia Bao, why did you say such cruel words to me, making me realize this cruel truth... So you still dislike me, don't you?"

Lin Yu stepped forward and gently rested his head on her forehead—the warm touch of the girl's forehead and the few fragrant strands of hair felt so real, so real that Lin Yu couldn't tell from his senses whether she was Projection created by Desire.

"No, quite the opposite. It's precisely because I like you so much that I'm saying these things... I don't want you to become a puppet of Desire, a false Projection, living in a daze—living is always painful, and you must experience that painful awareness, just like before."

"I love you. Although I don't want to be your lover, you are still the most important person to me in this world... you were, you are, and you will be."

"So, for my sake, stay clear-headed and face the painful reality, okay?"

"Because... your presence here now might be an attempt by the Authority 'Desire' to do something to me through you, or even to harm me."

As Lin Yu spoke, the girl raised her hands, which then stopped in mid-air.

She hesitated for a moment, but after this hesitation, she gently cupped Lin Yu's face in her hands.

"Good."

Lin Yu looked at her, his eyes gentle, as if they held a thousand unspoken words.

The girl looked at Lin Yu and said softly.

"I would never hurt you, and if Desire tries to harm you through me, it will never succeed."

As she spoke, her gaze gradually hardened.

"I will remember everything from that time..."

After she finished speaking, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on the girl's face.

"I understand, I remember everything now, Xia Bao, you're right, I..."

Her words suddenly stopped, and she froze in place as if a pause button had been pressed.

It's like...

Those outside looked like puppets suddenly frozen in place.

The girl remained standing there quietly, her expression still excited—and the mental and spiritual fluctuations that had previously existed within her had vanished as well.

Lin Yu sighed as he watched this bizarre scene unfold.

"As expected... this is how it is."

Sure enough, the reunion with Xia Yue's old friend here was not entirely a coincidence, but rather... a carefully planned scheme.

Lin Yu doesn't yet know how much of this design is Lin Zhao's doing and how much is the will of the "Desire Authority" self.

But...

He knew he would find out soon.

Above Lin Yu's head, the consciousness of a completely new, high-level being suddenly appeared in his perception.

Without a doubt...

"The main character has finally arrived."

As Lin Yu spoke, he poked his head out from the railing of the bedroom on the second floor of the Apartment.

It was a head that looked like a plush heart-shaped pillow, with cartoonish facial features sewn onto it with yarn.

"Oh, dear Miss Zhu Ming, I really didn't expect... you'd 'wake up' so quickly."

"Although I know you're very capable, this is, after all, a 'soul Projection's created using your genuine 'old friend' that's so realistic it's hard to tell what went wrong."

Lin Yu looked at the newcomer but did not answer his question.

The reason he didn't get infected is simple.

First of all, it's hard for him not to think about it after hearing the name "Lin Zhao".

Secondly...

He wasn't originally "Zhu Ming" or Xia Yue.

Trying to use Xia Yue's old friends to interfere with his judgment was unrealistic from the start.

Of course, these reasons cannot be stated aloud.

"To think you can use 'Desire' to cloud my judgment is incredibly naive... One of the things I'm best at is resisting the temptation of 'Desire'."

Lin Yu spoke coldly, then looked at the other person.

"Well... although I know your general background, could you please introduce yourself and explain why you're here?"

"After all, although I won't let the Projection of my old friend that you created influence my judgment, this matter... still makes me quite uncomfortable."

You'd better be here to kill me, not to ask me for something.