Losing Control of the Mind / Chance Encounter

The crimson color grew increasingly intense, and at the same time... it became increasingly taut and slender, as if it might break at any moment.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Mental Breakdown

Instead of answering Lin's question, Aponia turned to another question. Although answering a question with a question is very impolite, Aponia's soft and ethereal voice could probably make someone angry even if she pointed at their nose and cursed them.

Heroes, being noble, must sacrifice their lives for the survival of the despicable...

The more flawless the moonlight, the more unreal and illusory it seemed. Some moonlight leaked through the Nun's fingers.

"I think..." Lin began to speak, but paused before finishing the sentence, "It is the inevitable experience for the noble to die for the base. It is precisely because they are noble that they make the decision to die."

"So, is this correct?" Aponia calmly, her tone revealing little emotion.

"... No, I don't think that's correct."

"Does that mean heroes, being noble, don't need to sacrifice their lives for the despicable?"

"That's not right either."

"What exactly is that?"

Yes, what exactly is it?

Should heroes selflessly sacrifice everything for others? Lin might do the same, but would that really be the right thing to do?

"Heroes" are also living, breathing people, and their deaths will cause their comrades the same pain, just like the deaths of anyone else.

But that's no excuse to abandon other people.

Lin Yunjing breathed, her mind clear. "To give one's life for something is wrong in itself."

Someone has to die for someone else; a sacrifice has to be chosen from endless choices.

"But there's nothing we can do about it."

"Yes." Lin moved Aponia's hand away and looked up at the sky. "So we need to create a world where no one has to sacrifice themselves."

"..."

Aponia gazed into Lin's eyes, which seemed to reflect moonlight, and gently blew a breath.

Does such a world really exist?

His eyes shone brightly as he spoke, making him very handsome, but the blood-red thread was about to break.

Lin... you told me that fate can be changed... but you've even forgotten your own existence...

If such a world really exists, please tell me, what should I do?

My God, please tell me...

"Aponia... Aponia?"

Lin's call roused Aponia from her reverie. Her unfocused pupils returned to focus, and she smiled at Lin: "What's wrong, Lin?"

"... You should tell me who it is?"

Lin now desperately wants to know who left those words; he wants to break free from the current ambiguity and return to a clearer world.

"Okay, then you can get up first."

"Um."

Lin breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to get up from Aponia's thighs by using his waist strength, but then he did something that even he didn't expect.

He didn't know if it was because he had exerted too much force in the fight, but when he tried to get up, he couldn't straighten his back as smoothly as he had expected. Instead, he lost control and rolled to the side when he was halfway up.

"Whoosh..."

"... Hmm?"

Lin was plunged into darkness.

He was certain he was pressing down on something soft, because any slight movement of his face would produce a bouncy, yielding sensation, and the Nun beneath him would let out a soft, delicate moan.

Something's not right.

Lin thought it was impossible that he couldn't even get up, and now he had a strange feeling. How did he know that the two large fruits he was buried in would feel tender and bouncy? Didn't he not even have any sense of touch?

There was no time to think about it. Lin hurriedly tried to get up again, but he felt like he couldn't muster any strength. The more he tried to move his body, the more his face could only rub against Aponia's beautiful body.

What happened?

"Lin... what are you doing..." Aponia's surprised voice came.

He didn't know what had happened either. He barely managed to lift his head. The Nun's ethereal and blank face was now flushed with shy indignation, which made him even more anxious.

Some might think—though most wouldn't have the courage—that the seemingly harmless Nun could actually probe a person's thoughts and consciousness, yet this woman who believed in God possessed a sinful and tempting body, truly a case of small branches bearing great fruit.

Coupled with her vacant, half-open eyes and desireless expression, it really makes one want to do something "blasphemous" to her.

"I don't know either..."

Lin struggled to raise his hand, but it wasn't a feeling of weakness; rather, it was a feeling of being forcibly suppressed.

Aponia seemed to have all her strength drained away, unable to even push Lin away. A sweet, soft breath escaped her thin lips. "Lin, you... don't here..."

"No, I..."

This wasn't his own choice!

The bright moonlight made the Nun's already fair skin appear even more translucent, as if it were about to be broken with a touch. This clergywoman, who had always been Ruoshui and detached from worldly desires, was now coated with a delicious sweetness from the secular world.

It makes you want to take a bite.

Wrong!

Lin Mili's consciousness suddenly cleared.

Why would he think that? Right now, at this very moment, it's really strange.

But his consciousness cleared for less than a second before he sank back into the unknown.

Lin Mo straightened his disheveled clothes. He glanced at Aponia, who was also tidying her own clothes, and wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Thankfully... it wasn't too bad.

More than desire, what he had just experienced was a wonderful sensation; he even had the illusion that he had regained his sense of touch.

But was that really an illusion? Why did it feel so real?

"I'm sorry, Aponia, I..."

What should I say? Did he just lose control? Is his brain malfunctioning?

No matter how many excuses you make, they're all just that.

"It's okay... Lin..." Aponia's face was still slightly flushed, but she had already calmed down. "Don't do it next time..."

"I know."

Lin quickly agreed; he really didn't want Aponia to continue.

"How are you?"

"Yes, I'm fine... You don't need to feel so guilty..."

"No, this kind of thing..."

"Hehe." Aponia smiled slightly, soothing Lin's mood. She said in her unique tone, "Then please... come visit me more often... I think chatting with Lin is quite interesting."

This request was normal, and it was precisely because of the request that Lin felt less guilty, so he nodded in agreement.

The unique crimson in her eyes, like Blood Moon, slowly faded and returned to normal. It was very noticeable to others, but Lin couldn't see it at all.

"Let's go back first and finish this game, okay?"

"All right."

The two parted ways in this secluded place and walked toward their companions.

Lin, after walking for a long time, finally remembered that Aponia should have told him who the game organizer was.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Encounter Battle

Still no clues?

By the fifth day of the game, the island had been practically stripped bare, and they still hadn't found the next treasure location.

"No," Mobius replied irritably. "Kevin and Sue have almost finished all the challenges on the island and have given clues about the next treasure location, but they're all just random prank information."

Over the past few days, Kevin and Sue have explored the entire island on foot, from mountain peaks to deep pools, searching for challenge rooms everywhere. They've tried all sorts of bizarre and extreme punishments, and just by looking at their lifeless and numb eyes, you can tell they've thoroughly enjoyed the island's twisted humor.

What's most frustrating is that they are punished for failure, but there are no rewards for success.

Simple challenges are fine, but when you encounter some extremely terrifying challenges, after going through all the trouble to complete them, all you get are clues like "Haha, you've been tricked," "You didn't really think there would be a reward, did you?" or "How many times has this happened? Are you still not giving up?"

They often run into Elysia and the others. At first, they would fight over the challenge room, but now they all tacitly agree not to disturb each other's challenges, because they can't accept that they are actually fighting over something that can make their brains shut down for half a day...

Pardo, on the other hand, was still captured by Prometheus and had not been able to return to Elysia's side. The two of them formed the most efficient treasure point search team, conducting a thorough search of the treasure point.

However, Pardo often gets startled by Prometheus, who is usually expressionless and doesn't move much, for reasons unknown.

"Which bastard organized this game? Could it be that Herrscher? She hasn't shown up yet."

"..."

Mobius was referring to Qianqi, who is the only one who hasn't appeared since the game started, which inevitably raises suspicions, but Lin doesn't think so.

First, if it is indeed Qianqi, it would be too obvious. The mastermind would be hiding among them, and considering that He organized this game and arranged the venue, He would definitely want to enjoy it. Second, the first two treasures were both by the same person, the first one was Sakura, and the second one was Aponia, so it is reasonable to suspect that the third treasure is Qianqi.

However, there was one thing Lin couldn't understand.

Why was Qianqi the last treasure? According to the game rules, the game ends once the treasure is found, so wouldn't Qianqi have been completely uninvolved?

I can't figure it out.

Furthermore, he hasn't encountered Aponia in the past few days, and he can't even find an opportunity to ask her who the mastermind is. When he sends messages to her communicator, she simply reads them but doesn't reply.

"Phew... I'll go out and look again."

Lin started to get a headache from thinking about too many things; this game was utterly absurd.

He shook his head and left alone.

"Hmph! I've caught you!"

Trouble.

Lin hid behind a tree, instinctively looking down. An arrow pierced through the tree behind him, and the gleaming crystal arrow swayed a few times beside his face.

"Too dangerous." Lin glared at the pink-haired girl who was perched on a tree branch, drawing her bow.

"Hehe~ I know my limits~"

Elysia was telling the truth; the arrows would not penetrate Lin after hitting him, but would shatter into crystals that would block his movements.

Ke Lin frowned. Was he being hunted like prey?

He was discovered by Elysia shortly after he came out. Although Lin thought the battle between the two sides was completely meaningless, Elysia obviously didn't think so. Moreover, Pardo was still on Lin's side, so he was temporarily regarded as prey for Elysia's side.

What he didn't know was that not only was he being treated as prey, but everyone on Lin's side was being treated as "little rabbits" by Elysia and the others, who would definitely try to catch them if they encountered them.

Kevin and Sue are unbeatable, Chrono and Ying are virtually impossible to capture, and Prometheus and Pardo have unparalleled reconnaissance abilities. Therefore, Lin, who prefers to act alone, becomes the biggest and easiest prey to catch.

But Lin Ke will not sit idly by and wait for death.

This was a complex jungle, the perfect terrain for his battles. He dashed out and moved swiftly through the trees, his entire body darting like a shadow, his cold eyes watching Elysia, who remained motionless, through the gaps in the trees.

"Come to think of it, we've never actually fought before, Lin~"

"..."

Of course, they had never fought each other. Lin liked to practice hard, while Elysia believed that she was a true talent and did not need to train at all. Apart from letting her squad practice, she had never stepped into the training room.

While Lin was doing tasks, she was eating sweets; while Lin was training, she was watching tokusatsu dramas; while Lin was writing reports, she was sleeping in.

Therefore, the two have never practiced together.

However, this does not mean that neither side is unaware of the other's offensive rhythm and habits. Lin is good at organizing information, and he has already read Elysia's combat records. Elysia has been with Lin for more than ten years and has fought alongside him many times, so she naturally knows his cunning and unpredictable fighting style.

"Whoosh—"

A stone hit the pink-haired girl on the back of the head from behind. She smiled and slapped it away without turning her head. This feint was so obvious that she couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to it.