The Last Player

Inside carriage number 3.

Looking at Lin Yu's calm expression, Wang Yuyang lowered his voice again and asked.

"Are you trying to buy time and bluff while testing the 'Baron's' control over the Despair Train?"

"Certainly."

Hearing Wang Yuyang's question, Lin Yu felt a pang of emotion.

As expected, this "Designer" was very clever; he was the first among the Player to realize his intentions.

Seeing Li Nian leaning over to listen, Lin Yu also began to explain, following Wang Yuyang's words.

"While this might reveal our inability to locate the last Player immediately... that's also an advantage."

"Regardless, the 'Designer' wiped out the Airport Gang, and I brought Pankto back to his senses and made him reveal his location; these actions have demonstrated sufficient capability."

"But if we want to discuss cooperation, we need to let him know not only what we can do, but also what we cannot do."

"What are we in the eyes of the 'Baron'?"

"He hasn't touched the realm of the Deity, so he can't conceive of the possibility of 'Player.' The world would prevent him from having such an understanding," Lin Yu said softly. "Therefore, he's simply a member of some force within the 'City That Never Sleeps,' including the Truth Company."

"And he is most likely a former executive of the Truth Company. Whether he has been abandoned or exiled, he is trapped on this train just like these prisoners."

"We cannot gain his trust through his 'status'—therefore, if we want him to cooperate with us, we must convince this baron that we truly need him."

As Lin Yu spoke, Li Nian suddenly realized.

"And his greatest advantage on this train... is that he is intimately familiar with, and perhaps even to some extent in control of, the train itself!"

"That's right. From the moment I used Pankto's Permission card, I realized something," Lin Yu said Leng Jing, "The access rights of those employees exiled here may not have been revoked... and are still valid on this train."

"In other words, that baron will also maintain his sense of superiority as if he were on 'home turf,' relying on the authority he holds over us."

"If we also need his authority, then he will feel more comfortable sitting at the negotiating table."

Wang Yuyang looked at Lin Yu and couldn't help but sigh, "One thing leads to another, what a brilliant plan."

Pan Yuqiang was even more surprised. "No wonder it's S-Rank."

As if reminding her boyfriend, she added, "You didn't even know the Baron existed before... which means these calculations were revealed almost instantly."

"The plan itself wasn't particularly ingenious, but the fact that you finalized the strategy while negotiating with the Baron... that's truly astonishing."

Of course, improvisation is my forte— Lin Yu thought to himself, but he couldn't bring himself to say the line that was clearly out of character for Zhu Ming.

He could only smile gently and humbly said, "My 'Profession' doesn't offer a decisive advantage in direct combat or survival, and I'm not particularly clever myself, so I can only rely on some 'quick wit'... To put it bluntly, it's just some petty tricks."

"And from the beginning, I did have a certain intention of finding the remaining Player."

"Why?"

Li Nian asked subconsciously.

"Because this Instance is of a high level, putting aside the 'background' of Truth Company and other such entities, just looking at the Player who entered... we were a 'Tier 2' and 'Tier 1' team with Chen Zhuo, who, although not yet at Tier 1, had quite a few [Item]; the 'Designer' and his two friends were both 'Tier 2'..."

Lin Yu spoke, Wang Yuyang nodded.

"The remaining lone traveler is most likely also a master."

"For such skilled individuals, it would be ideal to temporarily team up with them in cooperative Instance... If cooperation isn't possible, it's good to make contact early to discern their abilities and be on guard, so as not to be caught off guard when facing dangerous individuals within the Instance."

Pan Yuqiang also agreed, "It is indeed a good idea."

Lin Yu nodded. "Yes, unless that guy is really unlucky or used some special [Item], his strength should be matched to the current Instance."

"So here's the question," Li Nian asked, "Where should we look for them?"

Lin Yu continued his analysis.

He boarded from carriage 5, but didn't appear in carriage 3, 9, or 12...

"Although it's theoretically difficult to get directly from carriage 5 to carriage 6, the two carriages are adjacent, so perhaps we could try going to carriage 6?"

This analysis was accepted by the rest of the group.

Wang Yuyang and Pan Yuqiang arrived at dining car number 3 very early, but they didn't see any of the Player should have been in the same section as them.

So, Li Nian waved her hand, calling back Chen Zhuo, who was responsible for finding topics to distract Pankto.

The Little fatty returned happily with Pankto.

"Are we leaving?"

"Yes, to dining car number 6."

Li Nian looked Chen Zhuo up and down and found that he seemed to be having an unexpectedly good conversation with Pankto Do.

Chen Zhuo's cheerful demeanor was not surprising, but Pankto, the amnesiac employee of the Truth Company, a middle-aged man with a bitter and resentful expression, also looked relaxed, which made Li Nian unable to help but ask him a question.

"What were you two talking about just now?"

Pankto looked at Chen Zhuo, quite moved. "He enlightened me with several profound yet simple fables and wise sayings, dispelling the confusion in my heart."

These words startled Lin Yu.

"He offered you advice? Through fables?"

As someone who knew Chen Zhuo fairly well, Lin Yu felt it was all absurd.

Is this Little fatty hiding his true abilities?

Even Li Nian, Wang Yuyang, and Pan Yuqiang, who didn't know Chen Zhuo very well, couldn't help but look at Chen Zhuo with surprised expressions, as if to say, "Could it be that I misjudged him?"

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Chen Zhuo couldn't help but chuckle.

"I called it a fable, but I just told this uncle about the experiences of a few anime characters that I felt were similar to him... and then casually quoted a few famous anime lines to him."

"For example, Fate/Zero, Death Note, Demons, Ghost in the Shell, Berserk, Hellsing, Evangelion, and so on..."

Chen Zhuo recited it as if he were listing dishes.

Li Nian couldn't help but facepalm. "I'm an anime expert, you know! It would have been better if you hadn't mentioned these titles. The more you did, the more I felt... Which of these works are suitable for giving advice? There isn't even a single one that's somewhat classic!"

Chen Zhuo scratched his head. "I don't know either. You guys told me to just talk to him about anything, so I chatted with him for a bit, and then this uncle suddenly said he was very interested in these things and felt they would be very helpful to him."

"Nobody in my class ever talks to me about these things. Now that he's said it like that, how can I possibly stop myself!"