Solution

Based on this premise, and reviewing all the information so far, it's not difficult to draw a conclusion: he is experiencing a bizarre event similar to time travel, which includes two minor incidents of consciousness erosion and murder. These two minor incidents are not the root cause of the entire bizarre event, but the bizarre event itself is the root cause that could lead to the final massacre.

And, someone wanted him to believe that he was the mastermind behind the massacre.

The endless cycle of time, the massacre, the ever-worsening mental state...

Lin had a premonition that what he was about to face was probably the true truth of the whole incident.

Like peeling back the layers of an onion, gradually extracting the core, what is ultimately revealed to Lin may be an unbelievable and bizarre mystery...

"Mmmmmm..." Someone's unconscious pouting interrupted his thoughts. Lin turned his head and glanced at Mobius, who was smiling in her sleep. He wondered what she was dreaming about that made her smile even more happily than usual.

Lin was sleeping in the same bed with Mobius at this time. Don't misunderstand, he also needed to rest, and Mobius's place was probably the safest place. At least he was here to verify that his consciousness had not been corrupted.

Speaking of consciousness erosion, Lin had a new perspective on the message left by Vill-V.

"You... so... you were aware..."

Vill-V definitely saw or discovered something, and what she saw was the main reason for her murder.

This sentence, along with the Morse code erosion, could have formed a clue to "consciousness being eroded," but now he has to re-examine this seemingly unfinished statement.

The word "originally" is very meaningful. It is only used to negate the original conjecture when one suddenly realizes and discovers some hidden truth. In other words, it is very likely that Vill-V discovered the true cause of the whole incident when she was murdered.

"Consciousness" is the most straightforward clue, related to events involving consciousness.

And the last one, the one at the top, is "you"...

In the overall context, Vill-V knew the person who killed her, so does the use of "you" imply that the person's appearance surprised her?

No, if you calculate it that way, then anyone who appears would probably surprise her.

So, what about the contamination of Morse Code?

Lin initially thought this meant the killer's mind was corrupted, which led to the murder, but it seems that this may not be the truth.

What "thing" is polluting the space?

After clearing his mind, Lin closed his eyes. He needed to rest for a few hours, otherwise he would fall back into the state where it was difficult to think rationally.

And he was waiting.

Waiting for the "first incident" to occur.

Lin ordered Prometheus to protect Vill-V tonight, and he specifically instructed Erwin and Pardo not to go out tonight.

After eliminating the first few murders, only one incident remained without any casualties, which Lin allowed to continue.

The database was stolen.

This incident is the most incomprehensible of all; why would the mastermind take these documents away?

The second time, Lin destroyed the data. He has a clear memory and cannot be wrong. So, now that it has been verified that he is not the mastermind, how can this incident be explained?

Lin then compared the differences between the first and second times.

On September 12th, the first time, four things happened in total.

Database stolen, Vill-V murdered, Erwin murdered, Pardo murdered.

On September 12th of the second time, two things happened.

Database stolen; Vill-V murdered.

The difference is that Erwin and Pardo were not killed, while Lin's actions changed from resting in his room to going to the database. Therefore, the theft of the database can be ignored. The main question is why Vill-V was killed twice.

It's worth noting that Lin also visited Vill-V a second time and warned her, but Vill-V still died.

This isn't a timeline convergence, so there must be a reason for Vill-V's death.

After much thought, Lin could only come up with one possibility.

The mastermind believed that Vill-V would expose His plan.

Vill-V herself is a genius with an extremely agile mind. She is good at thinking about problems from different angles, and her knowledge base allows her to complete those complex logical loops. So even if she is an observer, she may be able to see what is going on.

... Perhaps bystanders are more likely to see the truth clearly?

Lin Wuran realized that some of his own problems as a participant were very simple in the eyes of Mobius and Vill-V, such as Mobius's verification that he was not the mastermind.

So...

"Ah... I'm sleeping so soundly..."

Mobius slowly woke up, yawning as she got up and groggily glanced at the blanket covering her.

Hmm... did she go back to bed to sleep last night?

She only remembered smelling a particularly fragrant scent while she was sleeping, and then hugging a not-too-soft pillow...

She glanced around but didn't see any cushions; of course, she couldn't possibly have any.

What was I doing last night?

Mobius woke up with low blood pressure. After a long period of blankness, she slowly got out of bed and dressed. Then, her malfunctioning sense of smell finally returned to normal, and she could smell a fragrance.

Fragrance?

Mobius paused for a few seconds, then quickly glanced around and found that the room, which had become even more messy under her care, was inexplicably much tidier. The stockings and underwear that had been scattered around were now neatly folded and put back in the closet, all the clothes that needed washing were washed and hung up to dry, and even the damp quilt had been washed and the cover replaced with a new one.

On a nearby table that had been cleaned up and wiped repeatedly, there was a plate of breakfast.

After a full minute of stunned silence, Mobius's face suddenly flushed red.

Belatedly realizing what was happening, she stiffly walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

That was a complete failure.

She should have taken the opportunity to laugh at that perpetually insecure guy as dawn broke, to prove how right her judgment was.

But she... fell asleep.

And Lin even carried him back to his room to sleep.

He also saw how messy the room he had previously tidied up was now.

Mobius covered his flushed face and ate his breakfast in silence.

It was... such a failure.

Chapter 160 Explanation

"Ah, Lin, I was just about to come find you."

With a bright and sunny expression Vill-V greeted the gloomy helmeted man, brandishing a long knife with unbridled abandon.

Lin looked over her shoulder and saw Prometheus's emotionless face, then gently blew a breath of reassurance.

It seems he made the right choice this time.

"I also need to talk to you about something."

"Super Vill-V Soul Steel Surprise Package No. 1!"

"..."

As for the way Vill-V was named, let's just consider it her unique lame joke.

In her hand was the long sword that had killed her twice. The entire blade was a matte iron color. Compared to the previous high-tech inventions, this sword looked extremely ancient. It didn't even have a tsuba (handguard), like a half-finished product that a novice swordsmith had spent half a year trying to complete.

However, Lin already knew that this knife was actually the first weapon made of Soul Steel, and even Kevin, who used the power of the Flame-Chaser, was unable to leave a mark on it.

Moreover, it is undoubtedly a deadly weapon when it comes to killing humans.

"Hmm? Give us some reaction." Seeing that Lin and Prometheus were unmoved, Vill-V scratched the back of her head. "Oh dear, if the audience doesn't applaud, it really dampens the performer's enthusiasm for the stage."

"...What's this?"

"Super Vill-V... Ah, I know! I know! Don't go!"

Seeing Lin turn to leave, Vill-V quickly stopped him, gently stroking the blade and introducing it. "This is the prototype of the Divine Key, the first weapon to use Soul Steel."

"..."

"... Huh? Aren't you surprised?"

"Then what?"

Vill-V narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Lin as if deep in thought, but she quickly regained her composure. "And then... because it's just a prototype, it doesn't incorporate Herrscher Core or have any additional technological enhancements, but it's definitely the most durable weapon humanity has ever created, and it won't be corroded by Honkai Energy. What do you think? Isn't it a groundbreaking invention? Hmm... of course, this only relies on the properties of Soul Steel; what I want to create later is..."

Does it have a name?

"Didn't I already tell you? Super Vill-V..."

"Then let's call it God Cutter."

"Hello!"

Lin picked up the long sword on his own... It should be called the God Cutter now. Last time, he didn't have time to examine the sword closely before it fell into the icy sea. This time, when he looked at it again, the simple and unadorned sword, which was contrary to the style of Vill-V, revealed a fierce and murderous aura.

Is it because its design is simple yet full of intimidation?

"Phew... Lin, aren't you being a little too lively today?"

"Is there?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination?" Vill-V said uncertainly. "God Cutter... because Herrscher are gods, right..."

"It is a false god."

Lin corrected her, put the knife into the pocket at his waist, and didn't seem to be being polite to Vill-V at all.

Lin casually pointed to the door and said to Prometheus, "Prometheus, go to Doctor Mobius and get something for me. Tell her 'Lin wants Ritalin.'"

After watching Prometheus leave, she turned around and met Vill-V's meaningful gaze. She snapped her fingers, and the door immediately closed, turning the Spiral Workshop into an airtight chamber.

"Even Unit 1 had to be sent away, so it seems what you have to tell me is very important." Vill-V lived up to her reputation as a genius, possessing a keen eye for reading people. She crossed her gloved hands in front of her. "And, you're going to ask Doctor Mobius for 'Ritalin'... Are you serious?"

Is there a problem?

Recalling the change in Mobius's eyes last night when he heard that he wanted Ritalin, Lin realized that this might have some more peculiar meaning for Mobius.

"... It's nothing, just some casual conversation. Everyone has a few secrets, so why don't you just ask them yourself?"

Vill-V never minces words, which means her rejections are straightforward. Seeing that Vill-V doesn't say anything, Lin doesn't press the issue either, as there are more important things to do now.

Lin then began to talk about regression, consciousness erosion, and "certain things," and also asked for Vill-V's opinion.

"So that's how it is..." Lin breathed a sigh of relief after getting the answer from Vill-V. His hair was soaked with sweat, which got into his eyes and blurred his vision, so he quickly took off the helmet.

"Huh? Is it alright?" Vill-V asked in surprise at his actions.

"No problem."

"Oh dear, no wonder I got killed the first two times," Vill-V laughed heartily. "So that's why."

"Once I knew the answer, it was simple, but if it weren't for you, I might have really had my consciousness corrupted."

"They say it's erosion..."

"..." Lin stopped Vill-V in time. They had already said enough, and there was no way to be sure whether that person knew everything here.

"Don't worry about it. If He really knew everything here, He wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Should I say it's lucky it was you? If it were anyone else, they might have already started to have a mental breakdown."

Lin shook his head.

"It wasn't just luck, it was definitely me."

The unique nature of his consciousness determined that he was bound to encounter this event.

Moreover, it wasn't because he was resilient enough that he didn't break down.

Before ending all of this, there is one person Lin wants to see.

"Knock knock knock".

"Click".

The face behind the door changed drastically the moment it saw Lin, as if it had seen a raging beast. Lin vaguely felt that he hadn't seen this disguised appearance for a long time.

But in reality, it only takes about six days at most.

This person, skilled at disguise, who uses layer upon layer of lies to package himself, is a villain who accompanies him and dies alongside him.