Engaging Parties

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised that Nian had mistaken him for someone else, but he quickly realized that it was something that could very well have happened.

After all, from Twenty's perspective...

"May May" is definitely in this Instance.

If he is "Rakshasa", then Twenty will have to find one of the remaining eighteen Player to pretend to be him.

To prevent Nian from not being able to find "himself" and from developing unnecessary suspicions about the number of Player, Lin Yu specially prepared a "Stiller" disguised as himself, so that Nian would have a "slot" to fill.

However, Twenty didn't take the bait; instead, she set her sights on the remaining Player...

Fern.

However, judging from the objective conditions exhibited by the ferns...

A Player habitually covers their face and constantly hides their strength, although they appear to be female, their behavior lacks the typical feminine qualities.

Furthermore, her motives are also a mystery!

Honestly, if Lin Yu were to lose his Memory and then guess who "he" was in this Instance, Lin Yu thinks there's a high probability he'd choose Fern.

This guy is highly suspicious if you think about it carefully.

And...

Through Nian's misjudgment, Lin Yu was able to deduce something from the opposite perspective.

"This 'Detective' on the list is indeed quite capable... Since he mistook Fern for me, it probably means that his current level of information gathering is roughly the same as 'Order's'..."

"After all, the fact that he so confidently mistook Fern for me could very well be because 'Fern' was Deception me by pretending to be the 'hunter.'"

"This means he should have information that I have multiple Profession abilities, and may even know some part of my true identity."

"Order" possessed this knowledge because Lin Yu had proactively revealed it to Li Hua.

And 20 is able to master these...

Lin Yu felt that the other party must have "deduced" it.

"That's fine. He's employed by Marauders 'Marauders,' which will further separate me from 'Heavenly Artisan' while also boosting the status and strength of 'Heavenly Artisan.'"

The current record of the Heavenly Artisan "Chen Zhitie" within the "Marauders" is that he was completely wiped out by "May May".

But as "May May's " record grew increasingly impressive, Lin Yu believed that one day everyone would suddenly remember that rather than saying "Heavenly Artisan" was nearly killed twice by "May May," it would be more accurate to say...

This kid actually managed to escape twice from the pursuit and scheming of "May May"!

Thinking about this, Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh.

"It's beneficial to establish connections between these identities sooner rather than later..."

As long as one person's net worth increases, the value of everything else will rise accordingly!

Now, the identity he mainly uses, "May May," is becoming increasingly prominent. Not only those who have a good relationship with "May May" are benefiting, but also Heavenly Artisan, who is originally "hostile," has actually gained some advantage from it.

Fortunately, these people are essentially Lin Yu himself, which is a classic example of keeping the benefits within the family.

But in any case, that's something that happens after this Instance is completed.

The important thing right now is...

"Can't we just kill this guy outright?"

Lin Yu looked at the unbalanced Nian in the air, his heart filled with anticipation.

Although Twenty is only "Tier 3," according to Shen Bingmiao's intelligence, he's still a figure on the Rankings...

But what if?

Even the best of us can make mistakes; what if today just happens to be an unlucky day?

As Lin Yu pondered, he saw Nian adjust her posture and land on the ground.

This altitude does not pose a threat to the Ninth.

He landed lightly on the ground.

But before he could even stand firmly, the ground cracked again.

"Bang!"

Earth and rocks exploded around him. He slightly bent his knees to steady himself, then clasped his hands together, condensing a ball of black fluid in front of him to block the flying earth and rocks that were even larger than those in the air.

But the flying dirt and rocks were just a decoy this time!

Behind the earth and rocks, a long sword pierced towards his face. Twenty, in a sorry state, opened his clasped hands and used them to block the fluid substance in front of his chest, transforming it into a black net.

"Whoosh--!"

The net rope was severed by the longsword, then strangely turned around, slashing past Twenty's cheek and leaving a bloody gash.

Damn it!

He spat, and at that moment, the black substance changed, rushing towards the longsword.

The longsword has been temporarily captured!

But at that very moment, Nian felt a chill creeping up from his right rear.

"Whoosh!"

He turned around abruptly, and a knife pierced his lower back several inches deep.

Hey, hello!

Behind her, Nian was met with Fern's cold gaze.

Only then did Nian realize...

The long sword had actually slipped from my hand and was flying through the air.

After the earth and stones, there was no one holding the sword hilt!

"That's really insidious," Nian said, clutching the blood gushing from his lower back. "This isn't like the upright style of 'Order'!"

"I wasn't originally a member of 'Order'," Fern looked at him with some confusion, then muttered something as if asking Natsume, or perhaps talking to herself, "Eh, do you think I am?"

To Nian, who already had some preconceived notions, this statement did not overturn his conclusion that "the fern is Lin Yu".

"Stop pretending, I already know, Fern is your alias."

Fern's expression changed slightly.

"Is that so... then it seems I really can't keep you around."

She wiped the long sword in her hand—it was the one she and Lin Yu had found together at the "Healing Place" earlier.

Then, she threw the long sword into the air as well.

"Buzz--!"

The longsword hummed, and a moment later, Fern threw out one knife and sword after another.

Sixteen sharp blades, each made of gold, iron, and bronze and completely different in style, were arranged behind Fern. She made a sword incantation with her fingers and slowly pushed them forward.

The longsword that had been controlled by Nian trembled violently and returned to Fern's back.

"Using a Western sword to perform Sword Control Technique, your combination of East and West is indeed difficult to defend against," Nian sighed. "I didn't expect you had been to the Gray Domain!"

"You have a good eye for talent. Someone as discerning as you, so cunning, and with puppet-like abilities... who are you? I can't quite place you right now," Fern muttered, frowning. But quickly, she spoke again, "Twenty, ah, right, right... you must be that crime consultant, 'Detective' Twenty!"

Twenty didn't deny it. "I thought you recognized me a long time ago."

You're not as famous as you think.

As Fern spoke, Twenty raised her head.

"Now that you recognize me... do you still choose to fight me?"

"It seems my reputation relies too much on 'intelligence,' to the point that when people mention me, they don't seem to know much about my combat abilities."

Fern looked at the other person's wound and spoke again.

"As it stands now, you might not be as strong as you think."