Diagnosis of Jue

The fact that Nian and Jue met as adversaries was exactly the scenario Lin Yu wanted to see.

In fact, even if there were no specific opportunity for the two to meet, Lin Yu planned to find a suitable moment to proactively arrange for them to meet.

For example, pretending to be someone being controlled by Twenty, or something like that...

Fortunately, things went smoothly, and the unlikely scenario that Nian and Jue hadn't noticed each other didn't happen.

After all... although this [Instance] is quite large, it is still ultimately just a closed environment.

Of the twenty Player, Nian is after himself, so his goal can be abstracted as "finding a clever, suspicious Player who is hiding himself."

Although Lin Yu didn't know Fern's motives... he was quite certain that the other party was a clever Player who was hiding himself.

These two ended up in the same Instance, and assuming that he was fully aware of their existence and that they were both well hidden...

It was almost inevitable that Nian would find the fern that wasn't particularly wary of him.

It's like a hunter planning a hunt in the mountains who, if he can't find deer, is more likely to run into other large animals.

Of course, Lin Yu didn't expect Jue to kill Nian.

Fern's actual Profession is "Liar," a fact that Lin Yu can confirm.

Although Wara also demonstrated considerable Combat Power —her swordsmanship and archery skills were both superb, and her actual Profession was that of a "Detective" who wasn't particularly adept at direct combat.

But no matter what, Nian is still a top-ranked "Tier 3" Player, a master ranked seventy-seventh.

Judging from this Rankings, Natsume's Combat Power is even stronger than that of his own captain Good Night!

Therefore, Lin Yu's expectations for the fern were quite simple.

That would cause some trouble for Twenty.

After all, no matter how "long" this [Instance] is, it will only last ten days.

It's already the third day, and almost half the time has passed.

If it drags on long enough, the fern's mission will be accomplished.

With this expectation...

Lin Yu continued to track the fern.

Perhaps having received a clear enough answer from the Crow, Fern's subsequent route was very clear and precise, almost as if it were guided by a GPS.

This forced Lin Yu to reassess the "fern's" abilities.

"Even the most precise answer is still in the form of 'language.' To move tirelessly through this dense forest and swamp terrain like this, either this person has an innate, abnormal control over direction and distance, or she possesses some kind of ability or [Item] similar to a 'mental Map's or 'wide-range perception'..."

Considering Fern's previous behavior, Lin Yu felt that the latter was not impossible—it was already a bit too suspicious that this guy could find him so accurately in the beginning.

"No wonder he's a 'Liar,' he really kept it well hidden."

Lin Yu sighed.

But in any case, the fern's abilities and methods are mostly a good thing for Lin Yu.

After all...

At this moment, Fern is going to cause trouble for Twenty.

Not long after, Lin Yu saw Jue stop walking.

She arrived at a spot in the dense forest where several dead trees stood.

Although they had withered, these trees did not fall.

Fern stopped in front of a tree, and without pausing or searching, took out her sword and pried open the tree roots that seemed to be buried in the ground.

Behind the tree roots, a dark opening was visible, as if it were a passage leading downwards.

"Found it."

Fern muttered to herself, then jumped down.

Standing in front of the cave entrance, Lin Yu stopped in his tracks.

"That's really strange..."

He followed the fern here on his own, but at this moment, the fern's behavior was far too strange.

A self-proclaimed Liar who "dislikes high-risk behavior" has now jumped headfirst into this unknown hole.

Putting himself in her shoes, Lin Yu realized he wouldn't do that.

Her actions were so fluid, she didn't even have time to think—even if it was an act of revenge, it was completely different from the behavior patterns exhibited by the fern she had encountered before.

Perched atop a tree not far away, Lin Yu couldn't come up with a good answer or explanation for the fern's unusual behavior.

So...

Lin Yu decided to ask for other people's opinions.

Stiller had been "put away" to reduce his visibility, and Lin Yu was now personally carrying Hannah and Old Zheng.

However, Old Zheng seemed to have been helping all along, which led to excessive exertion, and now the light had become very dim, as if it was "resting".

Lin Yu picked up Old Zheng and shook him hard.

"Wake up, Old Zheng!"

Old Zheng immediately retorted, "What do you mean 'wake up'? I wasn't asleep!"

"I simply switched to energy-saving mode; external sensors can still detect it."

Lin Yu was quite surprised. "You have one brain, and it even has an energy-saving mode?"

"Of course, I've lost a lot in my current Life Form... God has closed so many doors and windows for me, surely He should at least open a vent for me, right?"

"Therefore, I can somewhat control my remaining brain to enter a kind of hibernation-like mode—while still retaining all external perception."

Old Zheng said smugly.

Lin Yu nodded. "This is indeed useful. Does this mean you can see and hear everything you just experienced?"

"Help me analyze why that 'fern' suddenly acted so abnormally and recklessly jumped into that place."

After pondering for a moment, Old Zheng analyzed, "Based on everything we see and the known conditions, I think things might be like this."

"Nian and Jue were in cahoots from the beginning. They actually saw through your deception all along and conspired to lure you here, lay a trap, and then kill you."

"Since you're already on their turf, they don't mind doing it a little rough around the edges."

"They'll probably show up in a little while, humiliate and mock you, and then grind you to dust!"

Lin Yu sighed after hearing Old Zheng's words.

"Although I have considered this possibility, it's probably less than one in ten thousand... but are you lying to me?"

"Of course, I guessed you had this concern," Old Zheng said calmly, "That's why I said it—after actually hearing it once, you should think it's impossible, right?"

"Indeed, trying to fool me at every step of such a long plan is simply too inefficient."

As Lin Yu spoke, his gaze returned to the spot where the fern had disappeared.

"So... what's the reason?"

Old Zheng spoke again.

"After eliminating the impossible, the most 'coincidental' and 'unbelievable' thing is often the real answer."

Have you heard of Hanlong razors?

Lin Yu nodded. "I roughly understand—if it can be explained as a foolish Error, then don't explain it as malicious, right?"

"Yes, there aren't that many geniuses who can calculate flawlessly or those who can weave ingenious schemes in the world, so that 'Liar' jumped..."

"It's simply because she has something wrong with her head."