Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

The excuse sounded plausible, but the intention was all too clear—either join them or be forcibly taken away for "inspection." Obviously, Lin Yu's extraordinary equipment aroused their greed and desire for control.

Lin Yu stopped in his tracks, his eyes beneath the mask instantly turning icy cold.

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the five people blocking his way, finally settling on the arrogant face of the man with the short spear. His voice, coming through the mask, carried suppressed anger and an undisguised killing intent: "Get out of the way. Don't be a fool."

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point!

The man with the short spear felt a chill run down his spine under Lin Yu's icy gaze, but relying on the superior numbers and the presence of the powerful guild leader nearby, he steeled himself and barked, "What? Feeling guilty? Afraid to be inspected? I bet you're the one with the problem! Brothers, take him down! Take him back to the guild leader for punishment!"

As he spoke, he thrust his short spear forward, ready to strike!

The other four also brandished their weapons and surrounded them menacingly!

Just as tensions were rising and a conflict was about to erupt—

"stop!"

A clear shout came from the other side of the square.

The sunny young man, leading about twenty players, strode over and instantly surrounded the five men with short spears. (Of the fifty-odd people from yesterday, some of the original raiders' teammates left, and some chose to remain on the sidelines. Currently, about thirty people have confirmed joining the sunny young man's team.)

The handsome young man, his face flushed with anger, glared at the man with the short spear: "What are you trying to do, surrounding my teammates?"

The five men with short spears immediately turned extremely ugly.

They hadn't expected so many people to suddenly appear. Stared at by more than a dozen pairs of hostile eyes, the five of them instinctively took a step back, huddled together back to back, and nervously gripped their weapons.

The man with the short spear tried to remain calm, sticking out his neck as he said, "It's our mutual aid society's business, and it's none of your business to interfere. This kid's whereabouts are suspicious, and we suspect he's an inside man for the ghouls."

Taking him back for examination is for the safety of all players! Are you trying to protect him? Or... are you all in cahoots?!

"Bullshit!" A player next to the sunny young man roared, slamming his tower shield heavily on the ground. "Our Cosmic Brother fought alongside us last night, repelling the ghouls! Who do you think you are, daring to slander him?!"

The other players following behind the sunny young man echoed his sentiments, after all, they had all witnessed Lin Yu's battle the previous night.

The sunny young man raised his hand to stop his own team's anger, then looked past the man with the short spear and towards his back. At this moment, the leader of the opposing team, Blade Warrior, must have heard the commotion and had brought his teammates over.

The sunny young man looked at the Blade Warrior, his voice steady: "My friend, your subordinates act so domineeringly and unreasonably, maliciously framing you. Is this your mutual aid society's way of 'mutual aid'? Or is this at your behest?"

The Blade Warrior pushed through the crowd and walked slowly forward. His towering figure and the two giant axes on his back exuded an immense sense of oppression, each step seeming to pound on people's hearts.

He stopped a few steps away from the sunny young man, his gaze first sharply sweeping over Lin Yu before turning to the young man. His face was expressionless, and his voice was deep and powerful: "Brother Sunshine, you flatter me. My men were rash and spoke inappropriately, offending this brother. I apologize on their behalf."

His tone was flat, but his apology lacked sincerity and seemed more like a perfunctory formality.

He changed the subject, his gaze once again fixed on Lin Yu: "However, since my men have raised suspicions, there must be some truth to it. With ghouls lurking around and everyone in a state of panic, it's always good to be cautious."

We're all human players; fighting amongst ourselves will only please the ghouls. How about... we each take a step back?

Blade Warrior's gaze swept between the sunny young man and Lin Yu, carrying a sense of control over the situation: "Let my brother (referring to the man with the short spear) apologize to this friend, and let this matter pass."

And this friend... please come back to the mutual aid society with me for a day to be 'observed' by us.

Rest assured, I guarantee with my reputation that I will not harm him in the slightest and will treat him to the best of food and drink.

If he gets through tonight safely and proves his innocence, I will personally bring him back tomorrow morning with an apology. How about that?

This proposal, seemingly "fair," is actually extremely domineering! To place Lin Yu under house arrest for a day for no reason, especially in a dangerous game, is not only an insult to him personally, but also a blow to the prestige of the sunny young man.

Once the sunny young man agrees, his image of "protecting allies" will collapse, and his cohesion will inevitably be damaged.

The sunny young man frowned, his face darkening.

He understood Blade Runner's intentions and could feel the complex gazes from his teammates behind him—some angry, some worried, and some hesitant about whether to let things go.

He didn't want to fight the Blade Warriors head-on. They had a lot of men, and judging from their equipment and aura, they were probably quite strong. Their men were also clearly different from the ragtag group of raiders; they were obviously elite troops. If they really fought, even if they won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory, which would severely weaken their ability to fight the ghouls.

But if we compromise...

"Heh..." A cold sneer interrupted the sunny young man's thoughts and the heavy atmosphere in the room.

The one who laughed was Lin Yu, who was being treated like a fish on a chopping board by both sides.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze behind the mask as cold as ice, sweeping over the Blade Warrior's feigned magnanimity before landing on the smug man with the short spear who seemed to have him cornered.

"Finished?" Lin Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire square, carrying a chilling indifference: "If you're done, it's my turn."

He was truly speechless. These guys really thought he was a nobody, trying to establish their authority by using him?

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Lin Yu slowly raised his right hand and grasped the hilt of the ancient longsword at his waist—the [Demon Sword]!

"Summon the soul!"

With a low shout, a chilling and terrifying aura, as if from the deepest hell, suddenly erupted from the Demon Sword!

hum-

The sword trembled violently, emitting a deep hum. Thick, impenetrable black ghost energy, like boiling ink, surged wildly from the sword, instantly spreading and enveloping the entire plaza.

The light in the square seemed to be swallowed up, the temperature dropped sharply by more than ten degrees, and a thin layer of white frost even condensed on the ground.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the surging ghostly energy rapidly condensed and rose behind Lin Yu. In the blink of an eye, a terrifying female ghost phantom, ten meters tall with long hair dancing wildly without wind, suddenly appeared.

The female ghost (Liu Xiangxiang in her evil ghost form) had a deathly pale face, two empty holes burning with eerie green flames in her eyes, and a non-human grin on her lips, revealing sharp, menacing teeth.