Illusory Bubbles
There wasn't enough time to fully process the information Grandpa Radish gave us, nor to lament Grandpa Radish fate.
Lin Yu went into a state of alert almost instantly.
Because Fu Luo's sleeping state was clearly abnormal—no matter how unreliable Fu Luo was, he wouldn't just fall asleep on his desk after being asked to look after him.
Moreover, judging from the fact that Fu Luo's head slammed directly onto the desk and his hands hung naturally without being supported under his arms, it seemed more like he had suddenly fallen asleep!
Moreover... Fu Luo wasn't the only one sleeping in the room.
Even his Summoned Creature, Hannah, was asleep—the tiny Octopus lay on the table, constantly blowing tiny bubbles.
Even Old Zheng's brain dimmed considerably at this moment, and the flickering frequency dropped to the lowest level—it looked as if it had switched from power-on mode to standby mode.
Without a doubt, Old Zheng was probably "asleep" as well.
He stepped forward and slapped Fu Luo, but Fu Luo remained fast asleep.
They put Old Zheng and Hannah back into their [Item Space] and then took them out again, but the two still didn't wake up!
Now it's 100% certain—someone tampered with this!
Not only in this room, but Lin Yu opened the window and looked downstairs, where he saw Kres and Paper Kite slumped over in the open car window, seemingly asleep as well.
"It looks like the coverage area is at least this building, and might even be this entire neighborhood!"
Judging from the fact that everyone in such a large area was unusually asleep, Lin Yu immediately thought of someone who had the ability and the motivation to do so, and who was targeting him.
"Twenty!"
He let out a breath and suddenly understood what was wrong with what he had sensed when Fu Luo told him about how he had gone to Chengcheng to destroy the backup plan for the return of "Twenty".
Although Fu Luo had investigated Nian and even sneaked into Nian's home, many people's temperament could only be understood after meeting them in person.
While "temperament" is a mysterious concept, it is also an important basis for judging a person's behavioral patterns.
Lin Yu had met Nian and even fought him head-on in the [Instance]. Although it was only a brief encounter, he was still able to vaguely discern a pattern and style in Nian's actions.
Manipulating puppets, invading dreams, setting traps layer by layer—all these reflect Twenty's arrogance as the mastermind, his penchant for controlling everything, but also reveal...
This guy really enjoys deliberately using "ingenious and varied" methods to showcase his "intelligence"!
Just like this altar, if it really is a contingency plan that Nian prepared to allow him to return to reality...
"His first choice for placing the altar would definitely not be at home. If he does place it at home, it means this isn't the only altar—that guy will definitely place several more in places no one would ever think of."
Lin Yu's expression was extremely solemn.
He had already foreseen that the lingering spirit of Nian, who wasn't quite dead, would definitely come back again, but he hadn't expected...
They arrived so quickly!
This time, without prior planning... I have no choice but to fight them head-on!
The only thing to be thankful for is that the opponent has already died once, lost their "Player" status, and lost all the [Item] they had accumulated over the years, making them much weaker than before.
He had already completed the "Tier 2" Tier Advancement and even obtained four [Professional Item].
Thinking about this, Lin Yu calmed down a lot.
"If I can kill you once, I can kill you a second time... Besides, I wasn't nearly as strong as I am now when I killed you last time."
He gradually calmed down.
"However, the most urgent task is to find out where that guy is..."
Lin Yu pulled out all his [Professional Item], holding a small pyramid of [Tower Scam] in one hand, covering his face with [Sweet Words and Flattering Looks], and holding [Gossip Can Melt Gold] and [Narrative Trick] between his fingers.
Then, Lin Yu activated the [Mind-Reading Mirror] on his face, trying to find any unusual traces in the room.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual inside, Lin Yu opened the door.
Then, Lin Yu's pupils contracted.
He saw Lin Zhao, who had also fallen into a deep sleep, lying on the sofa.
As well as...
A Black Cat sat quietly next to Lin Zhao.
"Twenty, it really is you."
Lin Yu looked at the Black Cat, his anger beyond words.
But he remained remarkably Leng Jing.
"What exactly do you want?"
The Black Cat stared at Lin Yu, a smile that was far too eerie for a cat's face.
"May May, Director, Moro... or rather, Lin Yu."
"You killed me in the last [Instance], so of course I'm here for Revenge."
The Black Cat spoke with a hint of amusement, uttering incredibly cruel words.
Lin Yu let out a breath and stood still.
"Revenge? -- With your current strength?"
"You can't even maintain your human form, and you still want Revenge on me?"
The Black Cat "Twenty" looked at Lin Yu, then narrowed its eyes.
"Even though I've lost some of my strength, do you think I still can't defeat you...? Even after leaving the 'Black Marsh World,' do you still possess the ability to transform into a 'Rakshasa'?"
"Based on my speculation, you probably achieved this through your 'Profession' or some kind of [Item]... I know you possess multiple 'Profession' abilities, combined with your real ID as 'Director' and your experience studying acting..."
"Lin Yu, your 'Profession' should be about gaining power through reasonable 'role-playing' or 'scripting,' right? As long as you construct an identity that meets certain conditions and continue to play it, you can acquire its abilities and, to some extent, influence reality with something that doesn't actually exist, like a 'script,' right?"
As he analyzed the situation, Lin Yu neither confirmed nor denied it.
He simply refuted Nian's initial point. "You're wrong..."
In this urgent situation, Lin Yu even had to extract the "belief" that the Black Marsh World had accumulated at the moment, and then briefly transformed.
"Bang!"
His swollen body bumped against the ceiling.
"I can still transform into a Rakshasa!"
Lin Yu then returned to human form.
A hint of surprise flashed in Twenty's eyes. "You really can transform? I underestimated you."
"Alright, if you can really continue transforming, I'm indeed no match for you in my current form, but..."
Twenty's tail swayed. "I have no intention of completing my Revenge by killing you."
"Lin Yu... I'm going to completely destroy your life, so you'll never see your only family member in this world again!"
As Nian spoke, Lin Yu immediately felt a chill.
He was definitely after his sister.
The instant Nian finished speaking, Lin Yu lunged towards where Nian was—he took out [The Shady Corner], ready to change direction in mid-air at any moment.
But...
Twenty, the Black Cat, remained seated motionless, allowing Lin Yu to pinch it directly.
"Isn't that the real body?!"
Lin Yu looked at the defenseless Nian, pondered again, and began to observe his surroundings.
At that moment, he even recalled his previous experience of having Old Zheng play for him and how he had learned on his own how to use his Mental Power to scan his surroundings.
However, the surroundings were completely empty.
Twenty laughed again.
"Hehe..."
It was being choked so hard it could barely breathe.
"Don't worry... It's just me now—I don't intend to 'kill' your sister."
Lin Yu stared at Nian, when suddenly a strange sense of alarm arose in his soul, as if some thought rooted in his heart was roaring.
"Kill him! Don't listen to what he has to say!"
This impulse drove Lin Yu to loosen his grip, draw the Bone Blade, and prepare to stab Twenty.
But...
He was a step too slow.
Twenty's voice, unable to contain its joy, rang out.
"Anyway... your sister has been dead for a long time!"
"Lin Yu —she's just an illusion you created using the power of the 'Death game'!"