Investigation Procedure

Shenzhen.

Monday morning.

According to news reports, the Typhoon that made landfall has continued northward and has strengthened into a subtropical cyclone.

However, due to lingering effects, light rain is still falling in Shenzhen and most of Guangdong Province today.

The area was humid and, due to the lack of wind, exceptionally muggy.

After a full day of cleanup work by the survivors of "Order" and "Night Watcher," the Shenzhen returned to calm—at least superficially.

Lin Yu sat on a chair by the window in his hotel room, quietly watching the drizzling rain outside.

Last night, most of the outside members of "Order" withdrew from Shenzhen and returned to their respective cities.

After all, the "Marauders" and the "Psychology Society" members had also left.

Therefore, the hotel that was originally booked has now resumed operation.

Only...

"Order" has reserved one standard room on the top floor.

Its purpose is... to allow Lin Yu to continue living here.

To put it bluntly, it was detention and house arrest.

However, the more palatable and respectable way to put it is to have him stay here temporarily while awaiting the results of the investigation.

"Beep--!"

The door access card was swiped open, and "Dionysus" Yin Lan walked in carrying two full, steaming hot plastic bags.

She walked to the table, sat down opposite Lin Yu, and then untied the plastic bag.

"I bought eight ounces of mutton Shaomai. That kid 'Good Night' said you have a big appetite, but I only eat three ounces, so I bought you half a pound. Is that enough for you?"

Lin Yu's gaze fell on Yin Lan, whose face was flushed and who smelled faintly of alcohol.

Next to the two bags of mutton Shaomai on the table were two bottles of drinks—one was tea I bought for myself, and the other was a mineral water bottle, but the clear liquid inside was covered with a layer of foam.

Lin Yu said softly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Comrade Yin Lan, to be able to buy mutton Shaomai so early in the morning in Shenzhen."

Yin Lan waved her hand. "Shenzhen has all kinds of food, from all over the country, because people from all over the country come here to work."

As she spoke, she unpacked the disposable chopsticks, picked out a mutton Shaomai, and brought it to her mouth.

The bottom layer of the Shaomai deforms slightly due to the weight of the meat filling and the broth inside, becoming thin and translucent.

The aroma of mutton and mutton fat, with a hint of wheat flour, filled the air.

Yin Lan stuffed it into her mouth, bit it open, chewed it a couple of times, and then opened her mouth because it was so hot. She quickly unscrewed the mineral water bottle next to her and poured the wine into her mouth to relieve the heat.

"Ah... it's so delicious."

As Yin Lan spoke, a happy expression appeared on her face.

Lin Yu looked at Yin Lan, and also unpacked the disposable chopsticks and small bowl, poured in the vinegar and soy sauce packets given by the shop, picked up a Shaomai and soaked it in the plastic bowl to cool.

Do you drink alcohol so early in the morning?

Yin Lan flicked the bottle. "These Shaomai are too hard. It's a shame not to have them with drinks. Besides, I've almost finished my 'work,' and all that's left is your business... I need to rest."

At this point, Yin Lan paused and said softly, "Director, I need to take a break."

Lin Yu remained silent.

He knew that this time in Shenzhen, it wasn't just that he was missing some familiar companions.

Many people are the same.

Has the list of the dead been compiled yet?

Lin Yu asked.

Yin Lan nodded. "Yes, it's in the group..." The "Player Mutual Aid Society," and even the "Psychology Society" and "Marauders" have been roughly investigated.

"We've lost two 'Knight' and 'Gambler' in our 'Tier 3'... Suddenly, two regional managers are vacant."

"The Night Watcher's is missing 'Bifang' and 'Carrier Pigeon'... Fortunately, 'Tengshe' returned yesterday."

"The 'Player Mutual Aid Society' and those who just came to join the fun... have died too many times. Seven of the 'Tier 3' have died, and half of the candidates are gone."

"But they're quite humorous; even in this situation, Bu Wang to simplify the process and vote for the 'President' first— 'Shang Gen' and 'Monica' are both out of the running, so 'Mikan' is automatically elected."

As Yin Lan spoke, she ate another Shaomai and took a swig of wine.

Her tone grew increasingly somber, and after taking a sip of her drink, she raised her head again.

"The Psychology Society has suffered heavy losses. Two A-Class Operator have died, along with two committee elders, totaling four 'Tier 3' members. A number of 'Tier 2' and 'Tier 1' members have also perished."

"The 'Marauders'... the 'Tier 2' and 'Tier 1' ones are all dead. The 'Diviner' wasn't lying, he really did kill them all—I don't understand why."

"The 'Tier 3' 'Marauders' didn't die, but I guess a lot of people will be unhappy about that now..."

Yin Lan spoke slowly, and Lin Yu spoke up.

"Definitely," most of the "Marauders" value profit, and the "Diviner" don't care about lower-ranking members, but for many "Tier 3" members, lower-ranking members are often important "resources"... This would undoubtedly result in a "significant loss" for them.

"Furthermore, although the 'Diviner' made a big fuss this time, it was also a 'defeat' in a sense— 'Benevolent King's' [Item] didn't fall into his hands, and 'Benevolent King' didn't even die. In the end, the 'Reality Passage' was also blocked, which will significantly reduce his prestige within the organization."

"Furthermore, among the 'Tier 3'... the 'Tier 3' of the 'Marauders,' there are quite a few who are rather sentimental."

Yin Lan nodded. "That's what the 'professor' analyzed too... Anyway, it seems that everyone's 'weakening' level is about the same now, so the 'balance' can still be maintained."

Yin Lan was clearly a little uncomfortable when she said this.

Lin Yu also noticed the awkwardness in Yin Lan's tone. "Did the professor want you to tell me this?"

"Yeah, he said you should know these things," Yin Lan sighed, this time skipping her Shaomai and taking a swig of wine instead. "What 'balance'... I know being a professor is tough, but... damn it... 'balance'!"

So many dead people... so many dead people... what kind of balance is this?!

As she spoke, Yin Lan put down the wine bottle and began to stroke her fingers incessantly on the marble round tabletop.

"I've really... had enough, I've really had enough."

"I thought I was ready to join the 'Death game,' I've been in it for a long time... Why wasn't I ready?" Yin Lan said repeatedly, her head bowed. "I'm still not ready, I don't know... why is this happening..."

Lin Yu listened quietly to Yin Lan's incoherent words and patted her on the shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay. This time... it was all so unexpected. Nobody was prepared."

Even if we are all "Player" in this "Death game," it's impossible for us to be prepared... No one can be prepared to face this level of death... This is, in itself, an "accident" and a "disaster" for us.

Lin Yu paused for a moment as he spoke.

"Moreover, the 'Death game'... we shouldn't have, nor do we need to, adapt to this Game —this damned Game wasn't 'reasonable' to begin with—it exists, it's destined to coexist with us forever, but I've never felt it should exist."

As Lin Yu spoke, Yin Lan raised her head. Her nose and the corners of her eyes were red, whether from the alcohol or some other reason, it was hard to tell.

However, the sadness that had just appeared on Yin Lan's face was now somewhat replaced by surprise.

"What did you say?" the Director.

Lin Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head. "It's nothing..."

He glanced at the Shaomai on the table. "You must be on good terms with 'Knight,' right?"

Yin Lan also looked down at the mutton Shaomai.

"Yes, that's not hard to tell... Although he's from the 'Northwest District,' his aunt and mother both run businesses in Rongcheng."

"Actually, it's quite common in Shu Province. Compared to Shenzhen and Sea City, I think many people from the Northwest would choose Rongcheng as their first choice if they wanted to go out to work or do business."

Lin Yu said softly, "After all, we're quite close."

Yin Lan took out a tissue, blew her nose, and then looked up.

"Did you think of him because you saw I bought mutton Shaomai?"

Lin Yu nodded.

"Yes, this food must have some connection to him."

"You guessed right, when I went to visit him, he treated me to a meal," Yin Lan said slowly, as if recalling something. "Looking back now, it's nothing, but at the time I still found it quite strange... I really didn't expect to make friends in the 'Death game' —in 'Order,' because of our colleagues, I actually made friends with whom I could visit each other in our hometowns."

"He actually treated me to quite a lot of food: whole roasted lamb, stir-fried pork noodles, braised pork belly, lamb skewers, naan bread, baked buns... but for some reason, I still preferred lamb Shaomai —even though he said that this dish actually originated in Inner Mongolia, and they learned it from the Mongolian people Inner Mongolia."

"But... this stuff really suits my taste, so whenever he had the chance to meet me in person later, he would bring me some mutton filling."

Yin Lan laughed as she said this.

"However, it's because I lied to him and said I could cook. Actually, I'm not very good at cooking at all... let alone the technical skills of Shaomai and steaming Shaomai."

"So, I always stir-fry mutton with chili powder to make a sauce, and eat it as a topping for noodles... I really feel bad for him."

At this point, Yin Lan took out another tissue and wiped her nose.

"Actually, if I were to tell him the truth, he probably wouldn't be angry, and he probably wouldn't even mind, but... oh dear, I just forgot to say it."

"Why didn't I tell him, 'Director'?"

Yin Lan asked, glancing at Lin Yu.

But as if Lin Yu was truly responding to her words, she immediately moved on to the next topic.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore... Let's talk about your progress."

"I have submitted the evidence that Li Hua left me and my report."

You should be free by noon today at the earliest.