A dangerous man, a murderer

"Is he trying to trap... 'specific members'?"

Thinking about this, Ren Gu's thoughts became chaotic.

Could this "specific member" be myself?

Why?

Does the "Director" not want me to continue operating in the Barren Realm...? Right, this place is just trapping me; I haven't encountered any real danger so far. Could this be a form of protection?

No...

Wrong.

If that were all, the "Director" wouldn't need to go to such lengths—even if he had some unspeakable secret he couldn't tell himself, and given that he had already asked "Schreiber" for help, he could simply have Nightless Sky Fire Apricot fabricate an excuse that would be less likely to be discovered to transfer him into City That Never Sleeps.

Moreover, if it were truly a "protective" blockade, shouldn't such measures be targeted at "Paper Kite" (referring to kites)?

Could it be that... the "Director" truly harbors some kind of hostility towards him?

Yes, I seem to have been paying too much attention to his information... Ren Gu vaguely sensed that Lin Yu was quite sensitive to others' excessive prying.

This is indeed a comrade shrouded in secrets.

But...

Thinking of the "Director" this way seems a bit excessive!

Although his Principles of conduct sometimes did indeed contradict organizational Discipline, Ren Gu is undeniable that "Director" has always been a good comrade.

He risked his life for the organization countless times.

Instead, try to imagine what makes you special that would warrant him setting a trap for you.

Could it be related to my connection with the "God of Rules"?

After all, the "Director" and the "Hacker," who is also the "God of Rules," have a pretty good relationship, something "Ren Gu" is well aware of.

But... Ren Gu couldn't have imagined how this had any connection to his being trapped underground in the final stage of this [Instance].

Or is that "hidden message" really just "filtering" in the literal sense?

The "Director" isn't targeting any specific member; it's just that whoever can solve this mystery will inevitably be trapped here in this final stage.

That's possible, but... why would that be?

Thinking of this, Ren Gu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a brand new idea surged into his mind.

"Ah..."

His gaze fell on the Loquat Candy.

"Loquat Candy, you said you arrived much earlier than me... is that true?"

"I only realized that his information might be pointing to this place because I recently looked at a lot of information about the 'Director' and even dug out the [Instance] of his first encounter with 'Sherlock'..."

Loquat Candy looked at Ren Gu and said softly.

Why are you asking this?

Ren Gu scratched his head. "Let's look for commonalities between us... After all, we were both 'selected'. If I look at myself, I can't think of any reason why the 'Director' would do this."

"But since you're still here... let's start from what we have in common."

Upon hearing this, Loquat Candy chuckled softly, "Well, we have quite a lot in common. First of all, we're both from the South China Region."

Ren Gu shook his head. "I was referring to the commonality in this matter... So, I'd like to know why you thought of this."

Hearing Ren Gu's slightly urging tone, Loquat Candy thought for a moment and replied, "It's not hard to think of. You weren't the only one who saw that document... Although I only read it once, if you have an impression, you can think of 'Vill Valetti' after he mentions 'Sherlock,' plus the Director even emphasized that it was an 'abandoned place,' so it's easy to think of that."

Ren Gu spoke up, "That's true, 'Will Valetti' just appeared recently, it's not hard to guess..."

At this point, Ren Gu's expression suddenly changed, and he raised his hand, a string of green Rule Code emerging from his palm.

"No... Loquat Candy, this isn't right."

"You're the first one here, and you arrived much earlier than me—because you've even completed many 'cycles'," Ren Gu said in a low voice. "Although you make it sound like this place is easy to find, so far, only the two of us have found this place through 'Order'."

Neither "Xiao Nian," who was more familiar with the Barren Realm, nor "Good Night," who was more familiar with the "Director," could find this place.

"I even showed up here, but I know perfectly well that my being here... is nothing more than a coincidence, that I just happened to have read 'Sherlock's' report, and just now."

"But you... were indeed the first to arrive. I acknowledge your work ability, and you're a very perceptive person who excels at Spider Silk. However, you shouldn't have arrived so quickly, so early, Comrade Loquat Candy."

Loquat Candy looked at Ren Gu, then at the greenish-blue Rule Code in the other person's hand, and sighed softly.

"Could you please follow the doctor's orders...? This [Instance] of yours has already overused its Rule abilities too many times. If this continues, it will be very difficult for you to recover even when you return to reality."

Ren Gu stared at the Loquat Candy, ignoring the other person's advice. "You're the one the 'Director' selected, aren't you?"

"My arrival here was an 'accident,' wasn't it?"

"From the very beginning, it was an invitation sent only to you, a trap and a cage set specifically for you."

Loquat Candy looked at Ren Gu and nodded. "As expected of you, Director Ren... you guessed it so quickly."

"That's right, I knew it from the moment I fell into the 'cycle'... This was a scheme orchestrated for me by Comrade 'Director' and Comrade 'Schreiber'."

At this point, Loquat Candy laughed, "This matter originally had nothing to do with you, but your presence here is a bit of a hindrance, both to me and to him."

Ren Gu raised his hand a little higher. "Why... do you two have some personal grudge?"

"You probably didn't come here for 'Authority Technology'... You don't think this place is actually where 'Authority Technology' is hidden."

Loquat Candy nodded. "Yes... So, why are you asking these questions?"

"Of course, it's to find out what you two are up to," Ren Gu sighed. "The 'Director' and 'Schreiber' have trapped you here, and you knowingly went to the meeting alone despite the possibility of a trap... Doesn't that warrant my questioning?"

Loquat Candy looked at Ren Gu: "You probably already have the answer in your heart—because you didn't interpret it as 'Schreiber' Trial me or 'The Director' being coerced, but instead you're questioning me here... which means you doubt me."

"You suspect that the 'Director' and 'Schreiber' are targeting me, and you have some specific, even legitimate, reason."

"Because compared to 'Director,' you're quite unusual," Ren Gu whispered. "Bojun... since we started working together, I've always felt that you're actually a bit reserved."

"You don't seem to care much about gains and losses, life and death. Although you do have the heart of a doctor and will do your best to save every comrade who needs your care, I've never seen you particularly pursue any particular thing."

"Most of the time your actions are based on 'responsibility' rather than 'interest'..."

"But this time is different; you seem to be... caring too much."

"Director," "Sherlock, " and "Vill Valetti"... Why are you unusually concerned about these things?"

"But 'Authority' is clearly the most important thing in this operation, isn't it?"

But you don't seem to think so.

Hearing Ren Gu's words, Loquat Candy leaned back against the wall, her smile gone.

He lowered his head and slowly sighed.

"You've investigated this 'Director' so thoroughly, whom I've only known for a few weeks. Sure enough, as your long-time partner, you couldn't possibly ignore my information completely."

"Director Ren, sometimes I feel fortunate to have such a smart partner as you in South China... but I've always felt that your 'smartness' will eventually backfire on you."

"I just never imagined... that one day I would be burdened by your intelligence and keen insight."

Ren Gu looked at Loquat Candy, his expression growing increasingly cold. "What exactly are you trying to do, Loquat Candy... What exactly happened between you and the 'Director' regarding this 'fear' project?"

Loquat Candy shook its head.

"I didn't intend to harm the 'Director,' but some of my actions might indeed be difficult for him to accept."

"Of course... if I told you, or most of the members of 'Order,' you probably wouldn't be able to accept it."

"However, I have never felt that joining 'Order' went against my conscience, and my Principles of conduct has always been consistent with the organization 'Order'."

As she spoke, Loquat Candy looked towards Ren Gu.

"I'm sorry, Ren Gu, you're a good comrade... but, I'm sorry."

The Loquat Candy whispered...

The next moment, he suddenly sprang into action.

The emerald green "Rule" light emanating from Ren Gu surged into his body. He didn't speak, but it seemed as if he had already established a silent Rule.

But it was too late.

The next moment, blood spurted from all over Ren Gu's body. The fatal wounds that had been healed before were now overlapping again, causing his Life Force to drain away rapidly.

His eyes reflected Loquat Candy's expressionless face, and his body collapsed limply into a pool of blood like a broken rag doll.

And almost the instant Ren Gu fell...

A figure appeared at the end of the passage.

"Loquat Candy... you heartless bastard!"

Amidst the shouts and curses, Loquat Candy slowly turned her head and spoke.

"You're too late," Director... You clearly already considered me a 'dangerous person' and set me up here, but... you still don't seem to realize just how dangerous I really am."

He spoke softly, clapping his hands gently.

"You came too late—as always, too late."

"Exactly the same as the 'Sherlock' incident."