A Big Shot

Amidst the escalating discussions on forums and various apps, a stark contrast exists...

Instead, there was an eerie silence within the entire "Player community" of Jiang City.

After accepting the mediation of "Fluoxetine," neither "Order" nor "Marauders" took any further action.

Of course, there might be another important reason...

It seems that the "mastermind" behind it all has finally calmed down.

In a class on Western drama history, Lin Yu, sitting in the last row, kept yawning.

He's already taken two days off; he really should come back to school and show his face.

What's more, today is a day to highlight key points in drama history—the professor for this course is a seemingly kind old man, but he's ruthless when it comes to punishing people.

The Death game was important, but Lin Yu didn't want to fail and have to repeat the course.

So he asked Hannah to lie on the textbook and help him write down the key points the old professor was saying, while he dozed off while listening to the chatter of the students in front of him.

"This rain just won't stop, could it be Typhoon making landfall?"

"Are you kidding me? Jiang City can't possibly have Typhoon?!"

"You know what, it actually happened ten years ago..."

"That's a once-in-a-decade event, and besides, the weather forecast didn't even mention it."

Last night, the rain in Jiang City continued until dawn. After a brief pause in the morning, it started raining again at noon.

The rain outside is quite heavy, and the sky remains overcast.

Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

Lin Yu put away his notes and prepared to leave the classroom to get something good to eat and boost his stats, but then he noticed a small girl peeking out from the classroom door.

"Yo, ace!"

Shen Bingmiao waved casually and walked against the flow of students leaving class towards Lin Yu.

Lin Yu watched as Shen Bingmiao walked forward, discreetly putting away her backpack and slipping Hannah inside. Then he asked, "Senior Sister, what's the matter?"

"Is it from a club or...?"

He asked tentatively, and Shen Bingmiao pouted, "What could possibly happen in the club? Next week is finals week."

Lin Yu instantly understood Shen Bingmiao's meaning.

"Are you in a hurry? It's lunchtime now..."

Shen Bingmiao placed the two steamed buns on the table.

"It's a bit rushed, but I won't let you go hungry."

She said with a grin, and Lin Yu helplessly grabbed the steamed bun and followed behind Shen Bingmiao.

The two arrived at the club activity building, and Lin Yu finished the steamed buns along the way while holding an umbrella.

Lin Yu didn't ask Shen Bingmiao what had happened along the way.

Using his original identity, "Lin Yu," as the Player's character design, he is a completely new and utterly inexperienced individual.

He had no Tier Advancement, no background, and his interactions with Player were limited to making a splash at a trade fair and briefly meeting Tycoon.

Although being marked by members of the "Psychology Society" attracted the attention of many organizations, Lin Yu's subsequent "silence" and "low profile," coupled with the recent rise of several other prominent Player in Jiang City...

Therefore, Lin Yu himself has faded from everyone's sight.

That's how it should be—no matter how talented someone is, they're ultimately just a rough diamond.

In the normal understanding of Player, Lin Yu should need to go through six or seven Instance to accumulate experience, Tier Advancement and collect Item, and join an organization before he can gradually grow stronger.

"Contact" is bidirectional.

Despite the considerable commotion in Jiang City last night, given Lin Yu's identity and understanding as Player, it was absolutely impossible for him to know anything about the situation.

Moreover, even after learning that Shen Bingmiao was a "Player," Lin Yu could no longer consider her a trustworthy person...

But Lin Yu didn't think Shen Bingmiao would suddenly betray him.

Being wary of others doesn't mean being paranoid and seeing threats everywhere.

Shen Bingmiao led Lin Yu to the Drama club's activity room and suddenly revealed a mysterious expression.

"Hey, Yu, my dear junior... I'm going to introduce you to a very important person!"

"Since you've already been on the forum, you should have seen the Rankings, right?"

"Next, you're going to meet... someone who's on the list!"

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised to hear Shen Bingmiao's words.

Are there any big names on the list?

Lin Yu immediately thought of "Tycoon".

That guy is ranked 27th on the official list, a local bigwig in Jiang City, and has close ties to "Order".

Considering that Shen Bingmiao had previously claimed to be an unofficial member of "Order," it's reasonable that he was able to bring in a "Tycoon."

Of course... Li Hua is also a possibility.

Although "Gambler" Li Hua's name was not on the list, Lin Yu was quite certain that he was simply remaining anonymous.

After returning from the last Instance, Lin Yu browsed through many posts on the forum, and many people generally guessed that Li Hua's position should be around seventyth on the leaderboard.

However, regardless of which one of them it is, if Shen Bingmiao could invite them over...

This is enough to prove that his company president is indeed, as he expected, a person of high status and great importance.

Lin Yu's mind raced, but his expression remained impassive, revealing only surprise.

"A big shot on the list? You're amazing, Senior Sister!"

"Of course! In short, that person is representing the largest Player organization, 'Order,' to ask you some questions!"

Shen Bingmiao stood at the door and explained to Lin Yu.

"The 'Order' representative is asking me something? What is it?"

Lin Yu displayed just the right amount of tension and curiosity, and asked a question.

Shen Bingmiao waved her hand. "Don't worry, don't worry... If I'm not mistaken, you didn't die of natural causes, right, Ace?"

Lin Yu was briefly surprised by Shen Bingmiao's question.

However, he was not surprised, since according to the investigation, the "Psychology Society" generally does not hide things and may even proactively inform "Order" and other organizations.

So, Lin Yu simply sighed.

"Yes, Senior Sister... to be honest, I was murdered."

He touched his chest, still shaken.

"According to the investigation, it appears to be the work of an organization called the 'Psychology Society'... The guy who did it was actually in the Drama club that day."

Shen Bingmiao became unusually serious upon hearing Lin Yu's words.

She pursed her lips and sighed, "Although I already had a general idea, hearing you say it yourself... I'm so sorry, A-Yu."

"I was clearly at school that night too. If I had noticed..."

Lin Yu interrupted her, "This isn't your fault, Senior Sister —ultimately, it's all the guy who killed me's fault."

His voice was slightly cold, then regained its composure. "So, what do the people of 'Order' intend to ask me?"

"It's probably related to the person who killed you, but well, it's probably just a routine inquiry."

"The 'Order' has run into some trouble these past few days, and they're resorting to desperate measures."

As Shen Bingmiao spoke, she opened the door to the activity room.

Then, Lin Yu saw that the person sitting behind the door was neither the "Tycoon" nor the "Gambler" he had expected.

Instead, she was a young woman with a spirited appearance, short hair, and wearing a white tai chi uniform.

She was sitting in the club room, slowly sipping her tea.

After hearing the door open...

The young woman put down her teacup, stood up, and nodded slightly at Shen Bingmiao.

"Thank you for bringing the person over, A-Miao."

Shen Bingmiao waved her hand. "It's okay, given our relationship."

Then, she looked at Lin Yu.

Their eyes met, and Lin Yu saw that her eyes were clear and bright, and the longer he looked at them, the brighter they seemed to be, like the midday sun.

Just by standing there, Lin Yu could feel that the dampness from the continuous rain in the room had receded considerably.

She smiled and nodded to Lin Yu.

"What should I call you?"

"Just call me Xiao Lin."

Lin Yu also answered, and then subconsciously asked a question in return.

"May I ask your name?"

The other party's response was completely unexpected by Lin Yu.

"You can call me 'A'mo,' or you can call me by my forum ID..."

"Grandmaster"