Not every sin was a capital crime, and punishment did not have to mean execution

Lin Yu had realized more than once that there was no shortage of intelligent people among the "Player" of the "Death game".

Or...

This Game itself filters out smart people, while forcing them to the point where they "have no choice but to be smart."

"Ren Gu" is a good example.

Although as a member of "Order" and having had some dealings with Shen Bingmiao, he knew a lot of "information" that others didn't...

But he was still able to analyze the relationship between Shen Bingmiao, Lin Zhao and himself... and even realized that Shen Bingmiao and Lin Zhao had acted together in the Barren Realm, which made Lin Yu admire him greatly.

In particular, he also figured out that he had been intentionally "hiding" things from his sister...

"Comrade Ren Gu, you really are quite something," Lin Yu turned off the stove and put the stewed tomato, potato, and beef brisket, which was tender, fragrant, and had a thick, rich broth, into a wide, deep plate. "However... was it really necessary to respect my personal opinion so much in this matter? And to come to me privately—isn't that a bit against organizational norms?"

Ren Gu laughed, "It's definitely a violation of discipline... but I've already risen to the position of regional head, and you're a team leader, so you should know... that in reality, although the Discipline are strictly established, it's completely impossible to enforce them under various circumstances."

"So, since you haven't proactively reported this information to the organization for so long... then you're trying to keep it a secret," Ren Gu said softly. "It involves your family, so wanting to keep it a secret is only natural... I can't disregard basic human emotions for the sake of organizational Discipline —putting aside my identity as the head of the 'Order' region, I'm also a civil servant in reality. What's that saying again?"

As Ren Gu spoke, he straightened his collar and said in very standard and clear Mandarin.

"Law enforcement must be both forceful and compassionate."

Listening to Ren Gu's words, Lin Yu sized up the young man who looked no older than himself. "Comrade Ren Gu, what you're saying sounds too official... You're so young, how high-ranking must you be in real life?"

Ren Gu shook his head. "What officialdom? We're all serving the people... Besides, I just look young—I take good care of my skin. Actually, I'm already twenty-seven."

"And its administrative rank isn't very high."

Ren Gu said modestly.

Lin Yu listened to Ren Gu's words and did not ask any further questions.

This airtight answer alone was enough to convince Lin Yu...

The administrative level of Ren Gu must also be quite high.

Twenty-seven years old is by no means considered "old" for a civil servant; in fact, it could be said that one has only been in the profession for a short time.

"In short, you should have plenty of opportunities to act independently during this operation in the Barren Realm," Ren Gu paused, "At least I see Comrade 'Good Night' is actively trying to secure these opportunities for you."

Lin Yu sighed helplessly, "As expected, not everyone could see through his act."

"At least for now, I think I'm the only one who can tell," said one of the comrades, "Paper Kite" and "Dionysus," who are not the type to overthink things. "Loquat Candy"... he also understands a lot of intricacies, but his mind isn't really on these matters.

"As for 'Xiao Nian'... 'Good Night' had worked in the North China region before being transferred to your Central China. She spent a long time with 'Good Night,' so she might actually be greatly misled by 'Good Night' —besides, Xiao Nian herself is quite eccentric."

Ren Gu comforted Lin Yu.

Lin Yu pondered Ren Gu's last words, "So 'Xiao Nian' and 'Good Night' had indeed dealt with each other before... Just now, 'Good Night' also told me that he had always felt that Xiao Nian was a bit strange."

"Moreover, he said that many comrades in North China felt the same way about 'Order.'"

Ren Gu nodded: "I've heard of that too..." "Xiao Nian" is indeed a bit strange—she exhibits significant differences between different [Instance] and different worlds."

"However, she is indeed a trustworthy and good comrade."

Lin Yu sighed, "I didn't question whether 'Xiao Nian' was trustworthy at all because of this..."

Ren Gu said, "Well... anyway, if you want to act independently from now on, I'll help cover for you."

"Whether you follow this lead to investigate... or you want to follow the clues left by 'Sherlock,' go ahead and do it."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Your level of 'trust' in me is a bit too high, Comrade Ren Gu."

Ren Gu smiled and said, "I trust Comrade 'Hacker's' judgment... well, and your relative must be really amazing, so I also believe in genetics."

As he spoke, Ren Gu rolled up his sleeves and walked to the front of the stage.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let me help you take these dishes out."

Then, Ren Gu opened the smart warming cabinet—it contained several other dishes that Lin Yu had just stir-fried while the beef brisket was stewing.

The alchemy technology in the Barren Realm does indeed have many technological advancements that haven't been explored in the Real World.

For example, this "intelligent warming cabinet" can keep cooked dishes warm by putting them in—it can keep the food at the temperature of freshly cooked food for several hours through an alchemical activation reaction.

Furthermore, this heat preservation and heating process does not come at the cost of any loss in texture or flavor; instead, it locks in the best freshness, flavor, texture, and temperature.

This cutting-edge technology ensures that for family banquets where a whole table of dishes is cooked at once, the first dish to be served won't be cold.

"Honestly, I wish my family had this for our New Year's Eve dinner."

Ren Gu held the four plates inside in his two hands and sighed.

Lin Yu looked at Ren Gu: "Aren't you hot?"

"I'm wearing a [Cold Jade Bracelet] and a [Warm Jade Bracelet] on my wrist," Ren Gu slightly raised her wrist, letting her sleeve slide down naturally to reveal the two bracelets, one blue on her left Right Hand. "They're quite practical; they can automatically adjust the temperature of things I come into contact with... though they're a bit feminine."

Lin Yu looked at the two delicate bracelets, which were indeed women's styles, and took out the [Water Prayer Necklace].

"I also have some feminine accessories... As long as they're useful, don't worry too much about it."

Ren Gu looked at the [Water Prayer Necklace] and asked, "Is this the one Li Hua gave you?"

"Yes, it's from Black Marsh, and it works pretty well."

As Lin Yu spoke, the two of them carried the dishes out of the kitchen and placed them one by one on the table.

In the living room, "Good Night" was playing chess with two girls, while "Paper Kite" and "Loquat Candy" stood behind Good Night watching.

Smelling the aroma of food, Good Night as the black player, quickly put down the few pieces he had left on the board and stood up.

"Time to eat! Xi Ba, I'm not playing anymore! This game is too close, it's going to drag on forever!"

Xiao Nian chuckled.

"Yes, yes, this game really won't be finished anytime soon."

Yin Lan scratched his head, grabbed the bottle next to him, and took a sip. "I think we actually have a pretty big advantage... but it's true that we won't be able to kill him anytime soon."

"Paper Kite" behind him spoke up, "He's just going to cheat—you only have five more moves to checkmate him."

Good Night Xi Ba blushed. "You talk too much, you're the best at chess—that's why I don't want to play with you. 'Xi Ba A true gentleman observes chess without speaking'—that's an old saying from your country!"

Paper Kite sighed, "It's become 'our country' again... I didn't say anything while you were playing chess, and isn't your cheating more egregious than me saying a few words?"

Good Night retorted confidently, "I'm just hungry, Xi Ba, can't a person be hungry?"

Loquat Candy spoke softly, "Captain Good Night, don't forget Paper Kite's righteous indignation. You always cheat at chess, and you're even sleeping in the same room with him tonight... My advice is, don't sleep too soundly."

Captain Good Night's expression changed slightly. "Xi Ba, Teacher Tang, don't talk nonsense... Xi Ba, no matter what, Paper Kite wouldn't kill me because of my laziness, would she?"

Yin Lan said, "Ha, so you admit you cheated!"

Paper Kite looked helplessly at Loquat Candy: "What kind of rumors are they spreading about me in the organization... I would never kill someone for a game of chess, would I?"

Good Night breathed a sigh of relief, "Yeah, Paper Kite isn't that depraved. Although he often breaks the Discipline, Xi Ba's very principled..."

"The question is, did you really just cheat at one game, Captain Good Night?" Loquat Candy stepped closer to him and said, "Think about it... your daily actions... are there really nothing that Paper Kite, who can't tolerate any imperfections, would find objectionable?"

Good Night's expression changed slightly, and he glanced at Paper Kite: "Wow, Paper Kite... I think if you have any opinions about me, you can just say so. Xi Ba... I can actually change. Although I have a lot of flaws, I am very capable of admitting my mistakes and correcting them—I haven't made any Xi Ba irreparable mistakes, have I?"

Paper Kite was both amused and exasperated. "Doctor Loquat Candy was just teasing you, Comrade Good Night. How could I possibly be hostile towards you? You may not be perfect, but you're still a good person..."

Good Night breathed a sigh of relief again, "That's true. We're buddies who often go out to eat together, and I often treat you to meals... If you were going to make a move, you would have had the chance Xi Ba."

Loquat Candy spoke again softly, "Yes, he couldn't possibly kill you... but 'punishment' isn't just about 'execution,' and 'sins' that require punishment aren't limited to 'death sentences'..."

Good Night looked at Loquat Candy: "Xi Ba, Teacher Tang, I've discovered you actually have a knack for joking! Xi Ba love a bit of dark humor!"

Paper Kite stood to the side, a thoughtful expression on her face. "'Sin' isn't just 'death'... isn't it?"

Good Night looked at the Paper Kite, her face filled with terror.

"Hey, Xi Ba, don't look so thoughtful—it's Xi Ba scary!"