I Thought You Were from the Psychology Society!

Lin Yu inserted the metal key into the lock of the door and turned it gently.

Then...

The entire metal door emitted a dull thud.

"Click--"

As if some extremely heavy mechanism had been activated, the metal gate slowly opened, revealing a deep and long wide passageway inside.

Lin Yu subconsciously raised the Torch higher and nudged Sherlock.

"Let's go inside!"

Sherlock looked at Lin Yu helplessly, just about to retort.

I said, why...?

But when he saw that Lin Yu had drawn a revolver in his other hand, which wasn't holding the Torch, Sherlock swallowed his words.

"Alright, it's only right that I scout ahead."

Sherlock said this, and then walked into the passageway behind the cave.

The two walked cautiously, one in front of the other, slowly venturing deeper into the cave amidst the blizzard.

To Lin Yu's surprise...

Although the passageways inside the cave are naturally formed, there are more traces of human intervention than one might imagine.

The ground was covered with a flat, unidentified metal plate, which shimmered with a faint blue light.

"This is just too high-tech..."

Lin Yu spoke in a low voice, then couldn't help but complain, "The NPC's attire and speech, as well as the furnishings of the wooden house, made me think that the background of this Instance was a relatively backward one in terms of technology."

"I never expected it to be so advanced."

Sherlock laughed heartily.

"Ah, May, are you familiar with 'Cyberpunk' works?"

"Sometimes, the more advanced the technology, the greater the difference in living standards between classes and regions... In that context, sometimes the upper class is living a life that is almost like the 'future,' while the lower class seems to have regressed to a feudal or even primitive society."

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, Lin Yu nodded slightly.

"I've heard about it. You mean 'Winter Mountain' has this background?"

Of course.

Sherlock continued walking, saying, "The technology that can materialize 'emotions,' using them as fuel and raw materials... any organization that masters and monopolizes it will gain Divine Power akin to 'God.'"

"So, that's why you have a natural distrust, even hostility, towards 'Researcher Will Valetti' and the organization behind him, is that right?"

Lin Yu asked casually.

Sherlock casually replied, "Of course, Doctor, that organization..."

But then, Sherlock suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, are you testing me?"

From beginning to end, Sherlock never showed any attitude towards the organization.

He only raised some questions about the NPC Will Valetti when Lin Yu was talking about it.

Lin Yu laughed, his unrestrained laughter echoing through the passageway.

"Hahaha, 'Detective,' you've seen through me."

"As expected, you recognize that organization, right? Actually, you recognized the logo, the 'symbol,' and their 'technology' a long time ago, didn't you?"

Lin Yu laughed loudly, while Sherlock clicked his tongue slightly.

"What a frighteningly perceptive you are, 'Doctor' May. No wonder you said we were kindred spirits... Now I acknowledge you."

"But when did you see through my disguise?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "When you read those books and analyzed their contents—to be honest, although I'm not a genius, I don't believe anyone can figure out what kind of technology it is from the fact that each academic book is missing more than 80% of its content."

"You can do things that I can't do at all with ease... This isn't genius, this is 'cheating' -- C, H, E, A, T."

"Later I became certain that you did indeed already know some of the Truth about this Instance."

"It could be due to your Profession skills, or... it could be that you've already seen things related to this organization."

"After all, while the Instance of the 'Death game' may not necessarily be Instance, many do share certain commonalities."

Lin Yu spoke in a low voice, and Sherlock stopped in his tracks.

Standing in the spacious passageway, he turned around, his face contorted with grief, and said, "No way, brother, how come you're so smart?"

"I admit, I have indeed seen this 'organization' before... I have dealt with them three times in different Instance."

"I hid it from you because I didn't want you to get too involved in these things—most of the people in this 'organization' are cold-blooded, profit-driven, and inhuman exploiters."

Lin Yu looked at the sincere Sherlock and shook his head before speaking.

"No, that's not the case..."

"What I'm really curious about is that you don't seem to completely trust me either, and you've been testing me all along."

"You don't seem to believe I'm really Doctor or a medical student, but you insist that my Profession is 'Doctor'."

Why is that?

Sherlock wore a fawning smile.

"I want to hear the truth, Mr. Sherlock. Stop using jokes to cover up your true thoughts."

Lin Yu spoke in a cold voice. Upon hearing this, Sherlock paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile.

"Okay, okay... I admit it, I recognized you."

"At first, I just wanted to pretend I didn't know anything—your 'Psychology Society' is really too crazy, actually sending someone of your caliber to approach me."

"I didn't intentionally break it..."

Sherlock's words left Lin Yu completely dumbfounded.

"What?!"

"Wait, wait a minute—you wait a minute," Lin Yu pulled out Lie Detector and pointed it at Sherlock. "Say it again, who did you think I was? Say it in a statement like 'I just thought you were...'"

"Ah?"

Sherlock was momentarily stunned, then did as he was told, "I just assumed you were a senior member of the 'Psychology Society'."

Then, the Lie Detector's green light turned on.

This means that Sherlock really thought that way.

Lin Yu let out a long breath.

"Call..."

How did you come to this conclusion?

Sherlock stated matter-of-factly, "Your Profession is 'Doctor,' but judging from your hands and how you directly used your abilities to treat my burns... it doesn't seem like you're Doctor in real life."

"But you've awakened to the Profession of 'Doctor,' and your observation of people is extremely meticulous. I think you might be a 'Psychologist' in reality... and almost without exception, those who are 'Psychologist' in reality are members of the 'Psychology Society.'"

"Being able to freely enter other people's Instance requires at least a 'management-level' status—aren't you one?"

As Sherlock spoke, Lin Yu remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with a sigh.

"I know it's not your fault... but you're really an idiot, Sherlock!"

"I fucking thought you were from the 'Psychology Society'!"