Death game: Oh, damn, so that kind of puzzle exists. No stopping that, then

After Lin Yu revealed his code name, "Chancellor," who was also "Secretary," grabbed Lin Yu's hand and showed an angry expression.

"You colluded with the 'Freedom Alliance' and the 'Psychology Society' to deal with me, using their methods to control me. Don't you feel ashamed?"

Lin Yu remained unmoved.

First of all, both "Zhu Ming" and "Schreiber" are himself.

Secondly...

He didn't actually use the methods of "Zhu Ming" and "Schreiber"—Lin Yu's ability to immobilize the secretary was entirely due to his own cultivation.

As he expected, the secretary was adept at using methods from the "Prison Mountain Realm" and was attempting to mobilize spiritual energy.

As Yun Fengyang's disciple, and now possessing the "Great Circulation Secret Technique," coupled with the [Empty Bottle] and [Sage's Emblem], it would be far too easy for him to render the secretary's methods ineffective once he had made close contact.

If the secretary's first reaction is to call up a functional [Item] instead of taking out a weapon [Item], it will actually be a bit troublesome for Lin Yu.

Unfortunately, the other party made the wrong choice.

Now, under Lin Yu's suppression, it's too late for "Secretary" to use any more functional [Item].

The moment he pulls out any [Item] or any energy fluctuation appears, Lin Yu can cripple him instantly.

As for "Karma poison" and "Mental Seed"... Lin Yu was just talking nonsense.

He did indeed need an explanation for how he could defeat a "Tier 3" player Rankings 20th on the leaderboard in a single, head-on move.

Now that the secretary has just awakened, the cost of losing a body to "Resurrection" makes him unsure whether his body harbors any hidden methods that he hasn't had time to "self-examine." Therefore, Lin Yu confidently and boldly shared some of the credit with his other two identities, which had just been upgraded to "Tier 3."

So, ignoring the "Secretary's" words, Lin Yu continued speaking.

"Regarding why VII/120 points to you... first of all, it's a counterintuitive word puzzle."

Most people, upon seeing the character VII, would assume it represents the Roman numeral seven... but it actually isn't.

Lin Yu looked at the secretary and asked in a cold voice, "If it's not a Roman numeral, what do you think it would be?"

The secretary was once again somewhat surprised as Lin Yu continued to explain the riddle.

But looking at Lin Yu's expressionless face, which even gave off a bit of an uncanny valley effect after staring at it for a while, the secretary still subconsciously answered, "Is it the vector symbol V? The double vertical lines after it, is it absolute value? Or is it the V and II in the logical notation... logical OR..."

Lin Yu shook his head. "Wrong, you're overcomplicating things—although the answer to this mystery involves my and Fu Luo's shared experiences, and is something only I can guess, others might also be able to solve the first part... if you know about some of my experiences with him."

The secretary spoke again, "Uh, is it the letter V and two capital I's? Latin letters, or rather, English letters... to put it simply? So this is... an English name or some kind of abbreviation?"

"That's right, but only half right— Fu Luo designed a counterintuitive puzzle, but it still retains the role of your first visual intuition," Lin Yu nodded and said, "The first letter is V instead of the Roman numeral five, but the following II is indeed the Roman numeral two... Then we can get a pun from their spoken Chinese pronunciation—'Wei' (威)."

"He was the first NPC that Fu Luo and I encountered in the [Instance], a B-3 Level researcher from the Barren Realm Truth Company, whose full name is Will Valetti."

As Lin Yu spoke, the secretary looked puzzled.

"Will Valetti... I've heard of that name before; it was mentioned in your report, but why is he being directed at me?"

Lin Yu said in a low voice, "Because this riddle has a second part. Don't forget... that slash isn't a division sign; it's actually a separator—this riddle has a second question."

The answer to the first question, 'Vell,' is both a clue and a necessary condition for the second question.

"Vill Valetti, it's a name with a two-to-three structure, like a puzzle itself."

The secretary's expression twisted. "So, how did the second half end point to me?"

Lin Yu looked at the secretary and said in a low voice, "The second question doesn't involve my shared experiences with Fu Luo, but only my professional knowledge. However, this is the kind of puzzle that no one else could possibly guess, and only I could."

"Fu Luo knows that only I in this world can understand what he's talking about... To be honest, I really admire him. He actually knows such niche and obscure knowledge. Should I praise him and say that he truly deserves to be Detective?"

"But maybe it's just that he's more passionate about the culture of his hometown... Well, although he grew up in Yu Province, you can tell from his appearance that he's white—more accurately, a white person from the Apennine Peninsula, that is, Italy."

Lin Yu spoke slowly and deliberately, while the secretary slightly opened his mouth to ensure he could breathe easily.

"So, what does this mean?"

"Oh, this represents a film, an Italy film adapted from Sade's original novel, a well-known banned film... Well, although its artistic achievement is high, it's only natural Italy it was banned," Lin Yu looked at the secretary, "If you have any film knowledge, you should be able to figure it out—120, Italy, film... these three elements combined must only have one answer."

The Party Secretary shook his head blankly. "I never watch movies."

"That's a shame, your life will be very dull... Anyway, the name of that movie is *Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom *."

(*This movie is mentioned for plot purposes, but I strongly advise against watching it or searching for related information. It's a film that completely challenges the limits of normal people's values and ethics; I haven't watched it in its entirety yet.)

Lin Yu commented on the secretary's life and then posed the answer to the question.

"Who the hell would have thought of that?"

The secretary murmured.

"I think I know, because the riddle that Fu Luo left me couldn't possibly not involve obscure 'film knowledge,' and with the additional clue of 'Vill Valetti,' it was even more impossible for me not to know... The fact that 120 and 'Valetti' are in the same structural position was enough for me to pinpoint this movie."

The secretary was even more confused. "What does Valetti have to do with the movie? Is this movie a metaphor for the Truth Company?"

"No, it's just that the surname of an important supporting Actor in it... also happens to be Valetti," Lin Yu sighed. "To be honest, most people in the film industry only know that Paolo Pasolini Director 'The 120 Days of Sodom,' and some might know Elena Silger as Actor... but for me, if I see a film that's worth referencing, I can probably remember most of the cast members' names."

"The actor who played the 'President' in 'The 120 Days of Sodom' was Aldo Valetti —a relatively unknown Italy Actor, but fortunately, there isn't another Actor in the entertainment industry with the surname Valetti, and this film is almost the most famous film of his career."

As the secretary listened to Lin Yu talking about these things, he suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

"You really do like movies... You're talking much more than before."

Lin Yu was interrupted by the secretary and looked at him.

"Movies... yes, I like movies."

He whispered.

The secretary nodded. "Having a hobby is indeed a good thing... Anyway, I now understand the message left behind by 'Sherlock'... The pun points to Will of the Truth Company, Will Valetti to the Actor Aldo Valetti, and then to a movie called 'The 120 Days of Sodom,' but I still don't know why all of this ultimately points to me."

"It still comes down to the character played by Aldo Valetti, the president," Lin Yu began. "In the film, the president, the bishop, the Duke, and the judge—these four people play the most powerful 'authority roles,' forming a 'most authoritative class'... At this point, isn't the metaphor and clues obvious enough?"

The secretary finally understood. "So that's how it is... Removing the 'Hacker,' who is absolutely reliable to you, and considering that she is actually an 'outsider,' not a true member of the Decision-making Level, is equivalent to 'Sherlock' hinting to you that within the highest Decision-making Level of 'Order,' one of the four of us forming the top-level structure is the traitor he found."

"Impressive... At this point, it's quite easy to continue investigating. You'll likely be able to quickly eliminate 'Grandmaster' and 'General.' It seems like a four-way choice, but it's actually a two-way choice."

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes, if it were a 'professor,' he could just use a Moriarty- related meme... Besides, the 120 days of Sodom happened during Mussolini's rule, and the president's role also points to the identity of a 'political leader'... You should be the only public official among the four high-ranking officials, right, Secretary?"

The secretary sighed, "Yes, my 'Profession' is also 'official'... Impressive, 'Director,' 'Sherlock'... Impressive, you two."

"I do regret it... I shouldn't have made my move in the Great Wilderness, nor should I have prioritized killing 'Gao Shan,' that 'combatant.' Instead, I should have killed 'Sherlock' first. Although he ultimately died from blood loss immediately upon returning to reality, he wouldn't have had time to think about and edit this message in the Barren Realm," the secretary sighed. "But in any case... from the moment he started investigating me, my risk of exposure was destined to increase significantly."

The secretary looked at Lin Yu, then paused for a moment. "However, your analysis really cannot be used as 'evidence.' If they are used to 'bring me down,' it's too far-fetched."

"And you... even if you kill me now, you won't find any evidence that I'm an 'undercover agent.' Although my presence in Shenzhen is against procedure, you haven't had any truly 'substantial' evidence yet. I can explain these properties and such to the organization," the secretary said calmly, "Unless... you release me and wait for me to reveal some real flaw."

Lin Yu shook his head.

"Unnecessary."

"Yes, no need."

Another steady male voice followed behind Lin Yu.

A man dressed in black satin clothing embroidered with pine and crane patterns walked into the low-rent apartment, leaning on a solid wood cane with a golden tiger head. Behind his tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses, his black eyes were as calm as a lake.

"Secretary, I was outside the door and I heard you admit to your crimes in the Barren Realm."

"I, Li Hua, the 'Gambler,' the Administrator of Sea City and the head of the East China Region, can serve as a 'witness' for the 'Director' in accusing you."

"Do you have anything else to say?"