Dreams, Death, and Hints

In the dream, the uncles who came into the mountains to "Treasure Hunt" chatted and laughed as they walked straight past Lin Yu, as if Lin Yu did not exist.

Lin Yu stood there, lost in thought.

"Was this dream simply because I was too focused on the puzzle in this Instance?"

No... I'm afraid that's not the case.

Under these circumstances, Lin Yu suddenly had a lucid dream related to this trip, and he absolutely could not simply regard the dream as just a dream.

"My perspective seems to be that of a detached bystander, and at this point, the old man still appears to be alive..."

"Is it a fragment of the past?"

Lin Yu pondered for a moment, then caught up with the crowd in the wind and snow.

He counted the number of people; there were exactly thirteen, no more, no less.

After the thirteen men entered "Winter Mountain", they quickly separated.

"You can't walk together here!"

"That's right, it wouldn't be good if we provoked that monster called 'Chate'."

"But we're also quite grateful to that monster. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been able to buy black oil at such a high price!"

"That's true, haha... I hope everyone comes back alive!"

I wish everyone success.

The thirteen men walked in different directions, their figures quickly swallowed up by the wind and snow.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yu decided to follow the Rough Uncle he had met at the beginning.

He at least wanted to see how this guy "died".

After all, Lin Yu couldn't tell exactly how the other person died from the corpse.

Following the burly man, Lin Yu quickly saw the complete process of finding illegal oil.

The man took out a broom-like tool, the same one he had seen from Player named "Dolphin," and began walking around the Map.

When he reached areas with deeper snow, he would use this tool to shovel and clear away the snow.

Sometimes he can sweep up some wood and food, but Lin Yu hasn't seen him sweep up any black oil yet.

Soon, night fell, and the uncle carrying the timber took out Torch from his Backpack.

"We need to find a place to start a fire and rest."

The man muttered to himself, then looked at the Map by the firelight and seemed to have chosen a direction.

Lin Yu looked at the uncle's things and felt something was off.

So, he doesn't intend to go to the 'outpost,' but rather plans to start his own fire?

Lin Yu pondered for a moment, then belatedly realized something.

"No, at this 'point in time' that the uncle is alive, it seems there hasn't been a 'base' in these mountains yet!"

Following the uncle, Lin Yu didn't see any wooden houses or anything like that.

Those man-made strongholds have not yet appeared.

Thinking about this, Lin Yu became even more curious.

"So, where is this uncle planning to go now?"

After following the man for only a few steps, Lin Yu froze.

The Rough Uncle walked to a giant rock that could shelter him from the wind and snow, then piled up the firewood he had gathered to make a campfire, and started warming himself by the fire while eating the food he had found during the day.

Lin Yu was quite surprised.

Because of the stone that the man was standing on at that moment...

If Lin Yu remembered correctly, this was where he met his end!

This aroused Lin Yu's great curiosity.

After the man had eaten and drunk his fill, he extinguished the Torch, hugged it, and fell asleep leaning against the burning campfire.

Then...

Night fell.

Lin Yu observed the uncle and found that he had fallen into a deep sleep.

And then...

As the night wore on, a look of terror suddenly appeared on the uncle's face!

It was like having a Nightmare!

However, the man didn't wake up immediately. Instead, as if he couldn't wake up, he opened his mouth and let out a silent scream!

A few more minutes passed...

The terrified expression lingered for a moment, then suddenly froze on the man's face.

Lin Yu was stunned.

A few more minutes passed before he realized what was happening.

So this uncle... is dead.

The loss of a human life is so simple.

Although the beings encountered in these Game are referred to by Player as "NPCs," however...

Based on the experience of countless Player, they are indeed not pre-programmed.

All "NPCs" are, in essence, living beings.

Lin Yu sighed.

"This Game is really cruel."

He squatted down and carefully examined the old man's body.

"So, did 'Chate' kill people silently in their Dreamscape?"

"It seems this monster, despite its boastful claims of being terrifying, actually specializes in 'mental attacks'... But that makes sense, considering it was practically defenseless when disguised as 'Sherlock' —it was shattered after just one shot."

Lin Yu pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion.

"So, did 'Chate' kill by doing it in 'dreams,' creating fear and inescapable dreams, or something like that...?"

Thinking about this, Lin Yu suddenly realized something very, very bad.

"Oh no, I think I'm dreaming!"

He instantly felt a chilling, nameless fear creeping into his heart.

But the moment this feeling of "fear" arose, Lin Yu immediately activated his "Corporate Slave" skill.

Even in the "dream," the "Corporate Slave's" Profession abilities can still be effective.

Lin Yu immediately felt himself Leng Jing down, his thoughts becoming clear and stable.

"This skill may look weak, but just as I expected... it's a divine skill."

Emotions themselves can influence judgment in many situations.

In the "Death game," life and death can be decided by the slightest margin of judgment!

Not to mention...

The difficulty of many Instance may stem from "emotions"!

Just like the current Instance.

Whether the "fear" on the uncle's face before his death was the cause of his death or a consequence of the cause, Lin Yu could not know.

However, he will absolutely do everything he can to avoid any feelings of fear.

The "Corporate Slave" skill has a cooldown period of once a day and lasts for one hour after activation.

Therefore, Lin Yu did not hesitate to use this skill.

After Forced Calmness down, Lin Yu exhaled and stated his conclusion.

"So, 'Chate' really can only kill in his Dreamscape?"

And amidst the snow and wind of this dream, a voice rang out.

"Your guess is correct."

The sudden sound seemed very distant, yet it rang clearly in Lin Yu's ears.

If Lin Yu weren't currently in a period of "emotional stability" brought about by his "Corporate Slave" ability, he would probably be quite shocked.

But at this moment, Lin Yu remained remarkably Leng Jing.

He looked around but didn't see anyone.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yu asked directly.

Who are you?

The voice did indeed respond.

"Who I am is not important; what's important is remembering the advice I gave you."

"You're the smartest one here... I hope you can escape—or, end all of this."

The voice spoke, and then...

Lin Yu opened his eyes from the bed.

He woke up quite naturally and looked to the side.

The clock beside the bed pointed to 3:35.