Recaps

Lin Yu learned more about Li Hua’s exceptional authority in Order before agreeing to question the suspects in the Nian case. The group chose to begin with Huang, and Li Hua arranged for the suspects to come to a conference room for questioning.

• Lin Yu reviewed Order’s hierarchy and recognized that Li Hua’s combined roles as Haicheng’s City Administrator and East China’s Regional Administrator gave him unusual influence.
• Lin Yu agreed to Li Hua’s decision and discussed with Fu Luo and Good Night whether questioning could help uncover Nian’s identity.
• Lin Yu reasoned that Nian’s choices in their dream suggested a brilliant but flawed person with aspirations, though he kept his reasoning to himself.
• Lin Yu chose Huang for the first questioning, explaining that she had a serious grudge against Radish.
• Li Hua revealed that he had arranged a conference room and planned to have the suspects come to them.

Lin Yu and Fu Luo questioned Huang and Hundred Refined Steel about their whereabouts after Radish’s murder. Huang admitted she had once tried to kill the victim but said she had abandoned her plan, while Hundred Refined Steel’s claimed movie marathon turned out to be eight hours of Meteor Garden.

• Lin Yu questioned Huang about her alibi and her past grudge against the victim.
• Huang admitted she had once held a knife to the victim’s neck but had stopped herself and no longer intended to kill him.
• Lin Yu let Huang go and asked her to bring in Hundred Refined Steel.
• Hundred Refined Steel claimed he had stayed in his room watching movies, and Fu Luo challenged his story.
• Lin Yu and Fu Luo checked Hundred Refined Steel’s viewing history and found that he had watched eight hours of Meteor Garden.

Lin Yu and Fu Luo questioned several suspects in Radish’s murder, weighing their statements and possible motives. Good Night explained that Kres could use curse techniques to carry out a delayed killing without leaving traces, strengthening suspicion of him as the questioning continued.

• Lin Yu and Fu Luo ruled out Hundred Refined Steel as a revenge killer after hearing his account and learning he had reconciled with Radish.
• King Ming gave little information about Radish, while Seagull expressed grief and accused several other Players of having possible motives.
• Fu Luo said he expected the remaining interviews to reveal an important clue, and Lin Yu agreed that each recent interview had raised suspicions.
• Lin Yu asked Good Night why he suspected Kres, and Good Night denied that his suspicion came from a personal grudge over their rankings.
• Good Night said Kres could use curse techniques for delayed killings without Items because he had learned spells in an Instance and could create skills himself.

Lin Yu and Fu Luo learned why Li Hua suspected Paper Kite: he had secretly killed nine Players, and evidence suggested he might be a serial killer who enjoyed executing his victims. The investigation into Grandpa Radish’s murder widened, leaving all eight suspects with reasons to be questioned.

• Lin Yu inferred that Li Hua had already found evidence against Paper Kite, and Li Hua explained that Paper Kite had been demoted after killing nine Players who had secretly harmed others.
• Good Night questioned why Paper Kite had only been demoted, and Li Hua said the victims had all been guilty but Paper Kite’s covert killings had violated Order’s principles.
• Li Hua revealed that six victims had been shot at close range after being incapacitated, with four shot through the left eye socket.
• Fu Luo compared Paper Kite’s behavior to the case of the missing Executioner, and Lin Yu recognized that Fu Luo knew where she was but did not correct Li Hua.
• Lin Yu concluded that Paper Kite’s abilities and history made him a suspect alongside the people who had grudges against Grandpa Radish, and noted that all eight suspects seemed suspicious.

Lin Yu questioned Kres about Grandpa Radish’s death and forced him to demonstrate his Pure Ruins ability. Kres claimed the technique could only kill by drowning, while Lin Yu left to ask Old Zheng what he knew about Pure Ruins and its effects on consciousness.

• Good Night confronted Kres as a suspect, but Lin Yu stopped their argument and began questioning him.
• Lin Yu said Kres’s ability could have killed Radish without leaving traces of an Item and demanded that Kres explain his power or identify another suspect with similar abilities.
• Kres used [Lost Heart] of Pure Ruins, making Lin Yu feel dizzy and as though he were drowning; Li Hua’s failed dice roll interrupted the technique, and Good Night pinned Kres to the table.
• Kres explained that his ability borrowed the power of Pure Ruins, an ocean, so it would have killed Radish by drowning rather than leaving an undetectable cause of death.
• Lin Yu told Good Night to release Kres, left to rinse his mouth, and asked Old Zheng about Pure Ruins and whether Kres could manipulate consciousness.

Lin Yu questioned Kres about the victim’s death and used his knowledge of Pure Ruins spells to expose a lie. He revealed that Kres had used a Curse Technique on the radish, but held off on naming him the murderer while they waited for Paper Kite.

• Old Zheng explained the Ten Realms and noted that Pure Ruins spells affected the soul, prompting Lin Yu to reconsider Kres’s account.
• Lin Yu reasoned that Li Hua and Order might be testing him, and decided he needed not only to solve the case but also to shape what they believed about him.
• Lin Yu returned to the interrogation room and challenged Kres over his explanation of [Lost Heart] and the traces of Curse Technique on the victim’s soul.
• Kres denied using a Curse Technique, and Lin Yu abruptly ordered him released and asked for Paper Kite.
• Lin Yu showed Good Night and Fu Luo his Lie Detector, explaining that Kres had lied and used a Curse Technique on the radish, though that did not prove he was the murderer.

Lin Yu questioned Paper Kite about Radish's murder and concluded that Paper Kite had lied but was not the killer. The interrogation was interrupted when Cassia Seed was found dead by suicide, with a note claiming he was the murderer.

• Paper Kite arrived for questioning, and Lin Yu asked what he had been doing when Radish was killed; Paper Kite said he had been browsing forums.
• Paper Kite denied knowing Radish well or killing him, and said he had never intended to kill him.
• Lin Yu told Paper Kite he believed him, then asked whether he had known Radish would die; Paper Kite denied it and left.
• Lin Yu told Fu Luo and the others that Paper Kite had lied, though he was not the murderer.
• Paper Kite returned with Huang and King Ming and reported that Cassia Seed had died by suicide in his room.
• Huang said Lotus had found Cassia Seed after briefly leaving to buy cigarettes, and Lin Yu read the suicide note in which Cassia Seed admitted to being the murderer.

Lin Yu and Fu Luo investigated Cassia Seed’s apparent suicide and learned it may have been triggered by hypnosis tied to Radish’s death. Lotus revealed growing factional conflict within the Player Mutual Aid Society, leaving Fu Luo to consider whether its power struggle was connected to the killings.

• Lin Yu and Fu Luo examined Cassia Seed’s body and suicide note, finding the death and confession inconsistent with their deductions about Radish’s murder.
• Hannah relayed Old Zheng’s assessment that Cassia Seed had been hypnotized and that the suicide note suggested influence from the Psychology Society.
• Lin Yu concluded Cassia Seed’s suicide was likely an effect of Radish’s death rather than part of its cause, and Fu Luo agreed to investigate further.
• Fu Luo questioned Lotus about divisions within the Player Mutual Aid Society, and Lotus said new members had been pushing to replace Radish or create a new decision-making body.

Lin Yu explained how the Player Mutual Aid Society changed and suggested that Cassia Seed had been manipulated into killing himself, while someone else killed Grandpa Radish. He promised to reveal the killer later, leaving Good Night to guess at the case from Fu Luo’s detective-novel hint.

• Lotus described how Grandpa Radish’s reforms failed to prevent the Player Mutual Aid Society from developing corrupt factions and stripping him of authority.
• Lin Yu and Fu Luo told Lotus that Cassia Seed’s death was likely caused by hypnotic suggestion and that he had not killed Grandpa Radish.
• Lin Yu urged Lotus to set aside her guilt and pursue whoever was responsible, and she went to gather everyone for the reveal.
• Good Night asked Lin Yu and Fu Luo who committed the murders, and Fu Luo hinted that Grandpa Radish’s case resembled an Agatha Christie novel.
• Good Night suspected Lin Yu because he had returned to sleep, but Lin Yu corrected him and said Fu Luo meant Murder on the Orient Express.

Lin Yu and Fu Luo revealed that five suspects had helped Radish disguise the circumstances of his death as a murder, rather than killing him. They identified Radish himself as the one who organized the collaborative fraud, leaving the group to confront the claim that his death was natural or accidental.

• Fu Luo gathered the suspects and announced that they were all killers, but Lin Yu clarified that Seagull was not involved.
• Lin Yu argued that the other five suspects shared ties to the former Player Mutual Aid Society and had acted in concert rather than independently.
• Fu Luo and Lin Yu explained that the five suspects were accomplices, not the actual killers or masterminds.
• Lin Yu named Radish as the one who had persuaded the five suspects and arranged the scheme.
• Lin Yu revealed that the suspects had committed collaborative fraud by making Radish's natural or accidental death look like a murder before the auction.

Lin Yu uncovered that Radish’s apparent murder was a staged plan to protect the Player Mutual Aid Society from corruption. The accomplices explained that Radish had arranged the deception before challenging Tier 4, and his fate remained tied to the outcome of that attempt.

• Lin Yu reasoned that Order’s investigation had gone wrong because Radish had not been murdered, and pointed to Kres’s magic as evidence that it had been used to save him.
• Huang conceded that Lin Yu had seen through the ruse, while Kres and Paper Kite acknowledged their roles in it.
• Paper Kite said Radish had persuaded her that his plan could benefit Players and asked her to explain when she joined it.
• Hundred Refined Steel explained that Radish had contacted the five accomplices three months earlier and told them he planned to challenge Tier 4.
• Radish had asked them to manage his affairs, preserve him if he returned barely alive, and disguise his possible death as murder to prevent the Player Mutual Aid Society from being exploited.

Lin Yu explained that Grandpa Radish had staged his own death as a scam, while the Psychology Society used Cassia Seed’s death to undermine the reform he hoped for. The group identified Nian as the likely leak and learned Li Hua had recovered the stolen [Super Genetically Modified Radish], before Li Hua accused Seagull of needing to defend himself.

• Lin Yu explained that Cassia Seed had been driven to suicide by a hidden Psychological Suggestion, and Huang confirmed Kres had briefly cut Cassia Seed and Lotus off from the outside world.
• Lin Yu and Fu Luo concluded that someone had leaked Grandpa Radish’s plan to the Psychology Society, whose actions could have turned the reform into a fight for power.
• Paper Kite and Lin Yu pointed to a sixth person, and the group identified Nian as the likely source of the leak and the thief of the [Super Genetically Modified Radish].
• Huang admitted that the group had found the radish missing when they went to retrieve it, but Li Hua revealed he had recovered it.
• Li Hua told Seagull to start defending himself.

Li Hua punished Seagull for plotting to use the golden radish to control the Fallen Tribe, then declared that Order would prevent the Player Mutual Aid Society from descending into chaos while awaiting headquarters’ instructions. After the others left in protest or disapproval, Li Hua asked Good Night and Paper Kite to take Sherlock away so he could speak privately with May May.

• Seagull admitted he had planned to use the golden radish to control the Fallen Tribe, and Li Hua fined him 3,000 Forum Points and sentenced him to two weeks in outer-layer confinement.
• Fu Luo explained to Lin Yu that Order used Forum Point fines and the Eternal Prison to punish Players.
• Li Hua said the case was over but that he would report it, make the process public, and urge the Player Mutual Aid Society to choose new leaders.
• Li Hua argued that Order had to protect the Society from turmoil, and Paper Kite conceded that Li Hua had made the correct judgment despite disagreeing with him.
• Kres vowed to pursue the matter as a Bounty Hunter and left, followed by Huang, King Ming, Hundred Refined Steel, and Lotus.
• Li Hua told Good Night and Paper Kite to take Sherlock away so he could speak privately with May May.

Nian briefed A'yu on the identity and unusual abilities of the newcomer he investigated, along with theories about the hidden forces behind him. A'yu took the report to her boss, while Nian remained convinced the young man still had undiscovered secrets.

• Nian told A'yu that her boss was recovering after Grandmaster beat him in a fight, likely because of the young man Nian had investigated.
• Nian explained that the young man was an acting student with S-rank potential who may have advanced tiers after only six Instances.
• Nian said the young man had a Unique Profession that let him use abilities from other professions, including soldier abilities.
• Nian theorized that the young man might belong to a hidden Player organization or have guidance from a powerful figure, helping explain his connections and knowledge.
• A'yu accepted Nian's report and paid him, and Nian agreed to take future commissions related to the young man.

Li Hua revealed that Order had uncovered Lin Yu’s hidden Profession, but chose to keep his secret and offered him a future role as an East China Region inspector. Lin Yu left the meeting believing his deliberate partial confession had shaped Order’s view of him, and resolved to find the person secretly watching him.

• Li Hua told Lin Yu that Order had investigated his identity and explained that the case had also assessed Lin Yu’s abilities and choices.
• Lin Yu disclosed that his Unique Profession could use Doctor and Soldier abilities, with restrictions, and Li Hua agreed to keep the information secret.
• Li Hua invited Lin Yu to become East China Region inspector after reaching Tier 2, citing problems within Order and the need for reliable people.
• Li Hua called the Secretary after Lin Yu left and said Lin Yu meant no harm but was not alone, and could become one of their people.
• Lin Yu reflected that he had intentionally revealed a flaw to steer Order toward a conclusion he expected, then resolved to maintain his mystery and find the person hiding near him.

On the train home, Lin Yu gained permanent access to his doctor and soldier abilities after unifying his Lin Yu and May May identities, and studied the risks of the Tier 2 Rank Advancement Trial. After returning to school to prepare for exams, he messaged Shen Bingmiao to ask her about the Game.

• Lin Yu reviewed his course materials on the train while weighing whether to reveal more of his abilities to Order.
• Lin Yu realized he could now use both his doctor and soldier abilities at any time without a disguise.
• Lin Yu read Order's guide explaining that the Tier 2 Rank Advancement Trial led to a difficult solo Personal Instance and decided not to rush into it.
• Lin Yu chose to return to school to study in the library instead of going home.
• Lin Yu messaged Shen Bingmiao, saying he had returned from Haicheng and wanted to ask her about the Game.

Lin Yu confronted Shen Bingmiao about their secrets, and she revealed that she was neither a Player nor a member of any organization. As she faded into pale-blue light, she and Lin Yu identified her as the Cyber Ghost.

• Lin Yu thanked Shen Bingmiao for the phone and challenged her claim that she had given it to him without a reason.
• Shen Bingmiao listed Lin Yu’s hidden secrets, and Lin Yu accused her of concealing her own knowledge and influence.
• Shen Bingmiao claimed to be codename Carl Jung and the acting president of the Psychology Society, then fired a water gun at Lin Yu as a prank.
• Lin Yu asked which organization Shen Bingmiao truly belonged to, and she said she belonged to none and was not a Player.
• Shen Bingmiao turned translucent and revealed that she was the Cyber Ghost.

Lin Yu learned that Shen Bingmiao was a digital life-form who was the forum itself, and that she had chosen to help him reach the Authority of the gods. They agreed to be accomplices, with Lin Yu asking her to provide tangible assistance.

• Lin Yu asked Shen Bingmiao about her half-dead, half-alive state, and she explained that she had preserved her consciousness as information and could create a physical body.
• Lin Yu deduced that Shen Bingmiao was connected to the forum and asked whether she had sent Sherlock the private message.
• Shen Bingmiao revealed that she was the forum itself, created to serve powerful beings, and explained the limits on her ability to interfere with Players.
• Shen Bingmiao told Lin Yu she had chosen him because he was her ace and wanted to help him reach the Authority of the gods.
• Lin Yu rejected the idea of being companions and called them accomplices, then asked Shen Bingmiao for tangible help.

Lin Yu reflected on the schemes surrounding him and found some reassurance in trusting Shen Bingmiao, whom he learned was the forum itself rather than a Player. He received Shen Bingmiao’s predictions and advice for his upcoming Tier 2 Instance in the Black Marsh, which was likely to involve the Blood Country’s Glory Festival.

• Lin Yu felt relieved after learning that Shen Bingmiao could be trusted as his Accomplice, though he still had some doubts about her.
• Lin Yu and Old Zheng discussed Shen Bingmiao’s connection to the forum and the limits imposed on her by the gods.
• Hannah insisted that she was loyal to Lin Yu despite having been sent by a god, and Lin Yu reassured her.
• Lin Yu asked Old Zheng for advice about his Tier 2 Instance and checked a message from Shen Bingmiao.
• Shen Bingmiao predicted that Lin Yu’s next Instance would take place in the Black Marsh within the Blood Country and likely require him to join the Glory Festival and earn a Medal of Valor.

Lin Yu returned home with pastries for Lin Zhao and considered how to earn more money and acquire better Items. He found a package from Li Hua containing a silver necklace as payment, along with a promise of 1,000 points.

• Lin Yu reflected on his need for money, useful Items, and more visible identities after returning home.
• Lin Yu gave Lin Zhao pastries from Haicheng and told her he had bought them for a little over sixty.
• Lin Zhao told Lin Yu that a delivery had arrived for him, making him uneasy about who might have sent it.
• Lin Yu released Stiller to inspect the package, and Stiller identified Li Hua as the sender.
• Lin Yu opened Li Hua’s package and found a translucent silver necklace and a note promising him 1,000 points.

Lin Yu examined the Water Prayer Necklace Li Hua gave him as payment and learned of its abilities and its connection to the Black Marsh. He concealed it with Hannah’s illusion ink, planning to test its powers in his next Instance while Old Zheng warned him about the Great Shaman who made it.

• Lin Yu read the Water Prayer Necklace’s description and learned it could summon rain, control water, and let its wearer breathe underwater.
• Old Zheng explained that the necklace had been made by the Great Shaman Sutu, and warned Lin Yu that Sutu was at the powerful Deity’s Spokesperson level.
• Lin Yu decided to wear the necklace and asked Hannah to hide it with her optically invisible illusion ink.
• Hannah filled the necklace with illusion ink and made it transparent, leaving Lin Yu satisfied with the disguise.

Lin Yu discussed Li Hua’s trust and Order’s investigation into Grandpa Radish with Old Zheng, then offered to examine items that might preserve traces of the dead man’s soul. Li Hua agreed to send them through proper channels, while Old Zheng’s defense of the Psychology Society ended in an argument over Fluoxetine.

• Lin Yu received Li Hua’s message that Order would share updates on the Player Mutual Aid Society investigation and consult him about Grandpa Radish’s death.
• Old Zheng suggested reconstructing Grandpa Radish’s memories from an object containing remnants of his soul, and Stiller pointed out that Lin Yu’s notebook might help.
• Lin Yu messaged Li Hua offering to use his newly obtained Item to investigate Grandpa Radish’s belongings.
• Li Hua offered to send samples of Grandpa Radish’s hair and skin, his wallet, and his Item after completing the required procedures, or to have Nicholas deliver them sooner.
• Lin Yu teased Old Zheng about the Psychology Society, and Old Zheng protested that Fluoxetine had killed Lin Yu too.

Lin Yu prepared for his next Instance, which would begin in the Black Marsh’s Blood Country and likely involve the deadly Glory Festival. He planned to rely on his permanent Soldier ability and figure out how to survive the participants’ first attacks, but the chapter ended before he entered the game.

• Lin Yu finished his exams and considered how the postponed Rank Advancement Trial had conveniently fit his schedule.
• Lin Yu saw the entry condition requiring him to injure himself and lose at least 200 milliliters of blood before midnight.
• Lin Yu reviewed Shen Bingmiao’s information about the Black Marsh, its warring regions, and the Blood Country’s warrior tribes.
• Lin Yu learned that the Blood Country’s Glory Festival sent hundreds of participants to hunt beasts and one another for ten days.
• Lin Yu focused his preparations on surviving the first attacks and getting the festival’s participants to listen to him.

Lin Yu prepared for his next instance by reviewing his contacts, equipment, and new combat buffs, then learned that Nian had been forced into the same instance as May May. As the game began, Lin Yu activated [Mask] and prepared to mislead the intruder.

• Lin Yu checked messages from Zhu Ming, Li Nian, Old Yao, and others, and decided he needed to improve his standing among the Marauders and Jiang'an Hall.
• Lin Yu counted his thirty [Items] and used the [Carnival Pendant] to gain Moonlight Affinity, Mastery of Rock Climbing, and Hound-type Enhancement buffs.
• Shen Bingmiao warned Lin Yu that someone had used an [Instance Chain Card] to send Nian into his instance, targeting Lin Yu's May May identity.
• Lin Yu began entering the game, resolved to leave Nian searching for May May, and activated [Mask] to change his appearance.

Lin Yu entered the Blood and Fire Festival Instance and learned its rules, along with two Rank Advancement missions requiring him to deceive at least 50 people and obtain a Medal of Valor through fraud. After gathering information about the festival’s entrances, he began a deception by claiming to be an ancient Rakshasa.

• Lin Yu arrived at the festival entrance, gave blood to the skull altar, and received token number 385.
• The burly man explained that the barrier would open at sunset and moonrise, and the festival would last ten days.
• Lin Yu reviewed the Rank Advancement missions and considered ways to deceive participants and fraudulently obtain a Medal of Valor.
• Lin Yu learned from the burly man that the festival had twelve entrances and assessed the risks of encountering other players.
• Lin Yu claimed he was not human and told the burly man he was a Rakshasa.