"Cough, cough—ptui!"
Lin Yu sat up in the water and coughed out the water in his mouth.
His clothes and hair were completely soaked, and the air was filled with a damp smell.
He immediately wiped the water from his bangs and looked around.
It was an empty room about the size of a classroom. The walls and ceiling were pure white and gave off a soft glow.
There were square openings at both the very top and bottom of the walls. Water was slowly flowing in through the upper openings, while the lower ones drained it away.
The water was obviously draining faster than it was entering, and the water level in the room was dropping rapidly. The water that had reached his chest when he sat up had already fallen to his lower abdomen.
Other than that, there was nothing else in the room.
Lin Yu looked around and saw the other four players, just as the Game Prompt had said.
"Cough, cough..."
"Ptui!"
They had also just crawled out of the water, spitting out the water that had gotten into their mouths and noses.
Lin Yu looked them over as usual.
One was a dark-skinned, sturdy middle-aged man wearing a blue shirt and trousers, with a white safety helmet on his head.
Not far from the middle-aged man were two young people, a man and a woman, supporting each other. The young man wore a gray hoodie and jeans, while the young woman was dressed in pink sportswear.
They both looked like ordinary university students.
Lin Yu raised his brows in surprise.
Those two seem to know each other, and they're far too intimate.
They were probably a couple... or at the very least, in an ambiguous relationship.
He had seen the term "team up" mentioned on the forum.
Certain special Items could temporarily allow two or more people to participate in the same Instance.
He just hadn't expected to encounter a pair on his second Instance.
Then Lin Yu's gaze fell on the last player.
He froze for a moment.
The last person was also a fairly young woman.
She was probably only a little taller than his good friend Shen Bingmiao.
She wore a black outdoor jacket and cargo pants. Her hair was tied in a short ponytail, and the top of her head was round. She was also wearing a pair of black, round-lensed sunglasses.
Lin Yu found her outfit vaguely familiar, but he couldn't be sure for the moment.
That was, until he saw the young woman's head turn toward him. Although there were sunglasses between them, Lin Yu was still certain that their gazes had met!
At the instant their eyes met, the lower half of her face, which was not covered by a mask, parted slightly at the lips, as if she were astonished.
That instant was enough for Lin Yu to realize...
This was the bastard who had stolen his bicycle!
Lin Yu immediately became furious, though he also smiled in relief.
"What goes around comes around. I didn't expect to run into you in the Game so soon!"
Lin Yu climbed straight to his feet and waded toward the young woman.
"Let's see if I don't break both your legs!"
Seeing Lin Yu's expression, the young woman instantly looked terrified.
"Hey, hey... don't come over!"
She hurriedly got to her feet as well and began backing away.
"Just from the prompt, it's obvious that this Instance is most likely a cooperative or puzzle-solving one! There's no need for us to fight!"
The smile on Lin Yu's face grew colder. "I know. But breaking your legs wouldn't affect puzzle-solving, would it?"
The young woman quickly pulled out a Utility knife, her face paling.
"Then don't come over... If we really fight, it's still uncertain who'll come out on top!"
"You want to pretend to be a 'Soldier' again, huh? Do you think I don't know you're a 'Thief'?"
Lin Yu's face—
"I wouldn't dare! Besides, even if I were a 'Soldier,' it wouldn't help... Aren't you one too?" the young woman said miserably. "But don't think being a 'Soldier' means you can do whatever you want. This knife is very sharp!"
Lin Yu sneered at that and then pulled the [Infallible Revolver] from inside his clothes.
"Is that so? Is your knife more useful than this?"
The appearance of the revolver completely crushed the young woman's last shred of courage.
She dropped to her knees in the water with a splash, her face full of misery.
"Big brother, I was wrong! I was just joking—besides, I returned your bicycle in the end... That lock didn't even give you any trouble. I saw it from a distance—you smashed it open in no time!"
Seeing how quickly the young woman admitted defeat, Lin Yu felt somewhat helpless.
The "Ninja" earlier had been the same... It seemed that the Soldier profession was quite intimidating among the Normal Professions.
With the revolver in his hand as well, this combination of his could probably let him dominate ordinary players.
Sure enough, after seeing Lin Yu's interaction with the "Thief" girl, the other three players looked at Lin Yu with solemn respect when they learned he was a "Soldier" carrying a revolver.
In the end, seeing the girl kneeling on the ground and Lin Yu holding a gun, the middle-aged man in the white safety helmet forced himself to speak.
"Cough, cough. Young man, I think I understand. You seem to have some issue with this little girl in the real world... She played a prank by locking up your bicycle, right?"
"In my opinion, this girl is indeed mischievous, but there's no need for you to go all-out against her in a Death game... Especially since this is a cooperative Game. There's no need to put yourself in danger just to vent your anger, don't you agree?"
The middle-aged man in the white safety helmet spoke cautiously.
Lin Yu had mostly calmed down after the girl knelt before him.
But he still did not put away his gun.
Because there was something he needed to confirm.
"But why did you pull a prank on me for no reason? Were you sent by some organization to test me?"
The young woman raised both hands above her head and hurriedly shook her head.
"Swear to heaven, absolutely not!"
"Then why did you do it? Speak!"
Lin Yu demanded harshly.
The Thief girl wore a miserable expression. "I... I'm the one who went to the market to sell Items that day!"
"In my last Instance, I worked so hard to get two 'Speed Talismans.' I originally wanted to sell them for a good price... But when I got there, a Player told me my price was too high. Someone had just sold more than ten bottles of 'Agility Potions' with effects even better than mine..."
"I asked around and found out it was true. After lowering the price for an entire night, I only managed to sell one talisman... I was a little upset, so I asked around about your general appearance."
"Then I actually ran into you on the road... At the time, you were confronting a Ninja. I thought it was the perfect opportunity, and since I was annoyed, I decided to play a prank on you!"
The young woman spoke with a miserable expression.
After hearing her explanation, Lin Yu felt both angry and amused.
"Fine... You really are childish!"
He waved his hand helplessly.
Since this girl had not been sent by some major organization to test him, Lin Yu's last concern vanished as well.
Moreover, his anger had completely dissipated.
Lin Yu felt that there was really no need to hold a grudge against such a childish girl!
Before you continue