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

She looked only seven or eight years old, with no obvious wounds on her body, but her mental state was extremely poor.

Lin Yu did not show himself immediately, but carefully observed the girl with his Sharingan.

From his unique perspective, the girl was enveloped in a very faint, almost transparent white glow, which was completely out of place with the dark energy permeating the surrounding environment.

"NPC? Or... player?" Lin Yu couldn't be sure.

However, one thing is certain: she is definitely not a monster.

Lin Yu thought for a moment, and after confirming that the other party posed no threat, he said, "Little girl, why are you here alone? It's dangerous in the forest."

The girl was startled by the sudden sound. She abruptly raised her head, revealing a pale but still delicate face with large, tear-filled eyes filled with terror.

When she saw Lin Yu dressed in hunting attire, carrying a longbow, and with sharp eyes that didn't immediately reveal malice, her tension eased slightly.

"I...I got separated from my mom and dad...There are monsters chasing us..." the girl sobbed, her voice trembling.

"A monster?" Lin Yu took a few steps closer, but remained wary. "What kind of monster?"

"It was black...big..." the girl gestured, fear returning to her face. "It grabbed Daddy and Mommy...I...I ran away..."

Lin Yu recalled the scene in the cave earlier and understood.

He continued, "Where are you going?"

The girl answered timidly, "I...I want to go to Darkwood Castle. I heard that the queen there...can protect us..."

"Darkwood Fortress? The Queen?" Lin Yu was taken aback. Wasn't the Queen the villain? Why was she being protected?

Could the plot of this world be reversed?

The Queen is actually a good person; Snow White is the mastermind behind it all?

That would be ridiculous.

"Why would the Queen protect you?" Lin Yu asked tentatively, thinking to himself.

To be honest, Lin Yu wouldn't have dared to say that if the other person wasn't a child.

"I don't know... that's what everyone says... that Her Majesty the Queen has powerful magic that can drive away monsters in the forest."

The girl answered honestly.

After listening to her explanation, Lin Yu nodded thoughtfully. In this case, the plot might not necessarily change, since no one can say for sure whether what "everyone says" is true or false.

However, Lin Yu remained cautious. The moment the girl made eye contact with him, Lin Yu activated his Sharingan.

His eyes instantly turned blood red, and three tomoe appeared in them.

In just a moment, the girl who was looking at him changed her expression from fear to confusion.

This is the Sharingan Genjutsu, which is also the most basic ability of the Sharingan.

After controlling the girl with illusion magic, Lin Yu asked all the previous questions again.

The girl answered honestly as before, without any discrepancy.

She was not lying.

After confirming the situation, Lin Yu dispelled the illusion.

The girl shivered and instantly returned to normal, but her expression was still somewhat confused. She didn't know what had just happened, and only felt a little dizzy.

"It's a long way from here to Darkwood Fortress, it's too dangerous for you to go alone," Lin Yu said.

He planned to bring the girl along, partly because he didn't want to directly cause trouble for Snow White at the moment, but could use the girl as an excuse to return to the castle and explore more information about the Queen and the world.

On the other hand, his upbringing also made him reluctant to leave a child with no ability to protect himself in this dangerous forest—even if the child was just an NPC.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded and carefully stood up from under the tree.

Lin Yu, with the girl named "Amy" in his arms, followed the path in the hunter's memory and returned towards Darkwood Fortress.

Along the way, he deliberately slowed down, partly to take care of Amy, who was physically weak, and partly to carefully observe this place known as the "Dark Wood Forest".

The forest was even more eerie than he had imagined.

The twisted tree branches resembled the arms of a monster, and the air was always filled with the smell of decaying leaves, soil, and a faint stench of blood.

Occasionally, the roars of unknown creatures could be heard from afar, sending chills down one's spine.

Amy clung tightly to the hem of Lin Yu's leather armor, her face pale, and she took each step cautiously.

Lin Yu tried to learn more about the world from Amy, but the little girl's knowledge was limited.

All she knew was that the Queen of Darkwood Castle possessed powerful magic and was the most powerful person in the land, said to be able to protect her people from monsters in the forest.

She knew absolutely nothing about Snow White, or rather, she had never heard of any other royal family member besides the Queen.

"It seems that the common people don't know much about the secrets of the royal family," Lin Yu thought to himself.

"It's interesting that the Queen's public image seems to be positive, since in the original story, the Queen's image in the hearts of her subjects seems to be quite average."

After walking and stopping for about half a day, the outline of a majestic yet eerie castle appeared on the hill at the edge of the forest.

Darkwood Fortress is entirely built of pitch-black boulders, with its towering spire pointing like sharp thorns at the gray sky.

The castle is surrounded by a deep moat, the water of which is an unnatural dark green and has a faint fishy smell.

The drawbridge had been lowered, but the soldiers guarding the city gate all had stern faces as they scanned everyone entering and leaving.

Very elite soldiers.

From their imposing presence, Lin Yu could easily tell that these gatekeepers were no ordinary soldiers.

Lin Yu led Amy toward the city gate. The guards clearly recognized him, but their gaze lingered on Amy for a moment before they waved him through without asking any questions.

Upon entering the castle, the atmosphere inside was equally oppressive.

There were very few pedestrians on the road, and the few who were there had very somber expressions on their faces.

Lin Yu first took Amy to the castle's refugee camp—a building crowded with civilians who had fled from the surrounding forest.

The place is managed by a group of stern-faced nuns; the atmosphere is somber, but at least it's safe for now.

After settling Amy in, Lin Yu left.

However, just as he stepped out of the building, a white man dressed in fine clothes and with a small mustache approached him.

"Mr. Hunter, the Queen requests your presence."

The man bowed slightly to Lin Yu, and then spoke.

Lin Yu didn't speak, he just nodded.

He wasn't surprised by the current situation. He would have been more surprised if no one had come looking for him, since he had entered the city gate openly and legitimately.

If even the queen didn't know the news, it only proves that she's truly incompetent.

Lin Yu followed the man to the castle in the center.

Soon, they arrived at their destination.

We arrived at the entrance to the most magnificent hall in the castle.

Two royal guards, whose auras were clearly stronger than those of the city gate guards, stopped them.

"Her Majesty the Queen is resting. What brings you here?"

"This is the person His Majesty wishes to see," the man said succinctly.

The guard scrutinized him for a moment, then nodded: "Wait here, I'll go and inform them."

A moment later, the guard returned and then gestured for Lin Yu to enter.

The man was not surprised and turned to leave, while Lin Yu followed the guards into the main hall.

The interior of the main hall appeared even more spacious and cold than the exterior.

The high dome is inlaid with fluorescent stones that emit a pale light, and black gargoyle sculptures of various shapes stand on both sides.

At the far end of the hall, on a throne carved from a single block of obsidian, sat a woman with a graceful figure, yet exuding an invisible sense of oppression.

She wore a gorgeous deep purple dress, the hem of which resembled a flowing night sky.

Her face was so beautiful it was almost otherworldly, her skin was pale and bloodless, and her deep eyes were like cold pools, her gaze fixed on Lin Yu.

So beautiful.

It must be said that the queen's appearance was indeed more beautiful than imagined. Even though Lin Yu had expected it and was determined, he was still momentarily stunned when he saw her face.

But it was only for a moment.

The queen held a crystal ball in her hand, and there seemed to be mist flowing inside the ball.

She watched Lin Yu quietly, and as if noticing his momentary lapse in concentration, a hint of smugness flashed across the Queen's face.

However, she still frowned slightly after seeing Lin Yu return to his original form in just a moment.

Am I beautiful?

Without almost any thought, the Queen suddenly asked a question.

Her tone was flat, as if she were stating a given fact.

Hearing this somewhat nonsensical question, Lin Yu was taken aback, but he quickly realized that the queen in the Snow White story was indeed very vain.

And she seems to have a strong obsession with whether she is the most beautiful person in the world.

"You are the most beautiful person in the world, your radiance shines brighter than the sun, and even the most beautiful flowers in the world would feel ashamed in your presence, my Majesty."

Without a second thought, Lin Yu immediately offered flattery. After all, flattery wouldn't hurt him, and since the other party liked it, he naturally had to cater to their tastes.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's answer, the Queen's lips curled up slightly.

Although it was only a little bit, Lin Yu still noticed it.

As the ancients wisely said, flattery will never fail you.

"Then why were you only momentarily attracted? Have you seen a woman more beautiful than me?"

However, to Lin Yu's surprise, the Queen changed her attitude faster than turning the pages of a book. She gently stood up from her throne and looked at Lin Yu with icy eyes.

...What kind of lunatic is this? Women's minds are truly unfathomable.

Lin Yu was speechless inside, but he certainly wouldn't show it on his face. He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have never seen anyone more beautiful than you since I was born. As for being moved... Your Majesty, if you are the sun in the sky, then I am just a withered blade of grass on the ground. What virtue or ability do I have to dare to be moved by you?"

Upon hearing Lin Yu's reply, the frost on the Queen's face seemed to melt slightly. She leaned back lazily on her throne, her fingers lightly tapping the obsidian armrest, producing a heart-stopping click-clack sound.

"A sharp-tongued hunter." She smiled knowingly. "I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue. And what do I want?"

Lin Yu maintained a respectful posture and replied, "Your Majesty, I ventured deep into the forest searching for Snow White's whereabouts, but I did not find her."

Deep in the forest... there seems to be some unusual activity; the dark creatures are moving more frequently and in a more organized manner than ever before.

I was worried that venturing in rashly would alert the enemy and prevent me from completing your important mission, so I returned to the castle first to report the situation to you.

Along the way, I rescued a little girl who had been attacked by a monster, and I've placed her in a shelter.

He gave a half-truthful account, explaining why he returned empty-handed and justifying his act of bringing Amy back, while also revealing the unusual situation in the forest to test the Queen's reaction.

The Queen's gaze swept over the unopened silver box, her eyes suddenly sharpening, and the temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees.

"Something unusual?" Her voice held a barely perceptible tension. "What did you see?"

"Some...dark creatures."

Lin Yu answered.

Hearing Lin Yu's words, the Queen remained calm, her tone full of sarcasm: "As expected, my dear 'daughter' has embraced that filth in order to escape her mother."

Her words were filled with strong personal emotions, but Lin Yu still found them somewhat strange.

Normally, even in dark fairy tales, the core plot shouldn't change much. In other words, the Queen's reason for wanting to kill Snow White is most likely still "appearance anxiety."

However, it seems that while the Queen still cares about her appearance, her reasons for wanting to kill Snow White have changed, which doesn't make much sense.

It's impossible that the system has completely altered the plot of this world, even changing the core cause and effect.

"hunter,"

Just as Lin Yu was pondering, the Queen's voice turned cold and unquestionable again: "Your caution may have some merit, but my patience is limited."

"Rest for one night. Tomorrow you must enter the forest again. Whatever you see or hear, find her and bring me her heart! That is your only worth!"

She offered no reward, nor provided any further information about the forest anomaly; she simply issued another cold order.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost." Lin Yu showed no dissatisfaction and respectfully replied.

He had achieved his goal; a day of exploration, though not much, was better than nothing.

"Go down."

The queen waved her hand, no longer looking at him, and refocused her gaze on the misty crystal ball in her hand, as if she could see the scene deep in the forest through it.

Lin Yu bowed and slowly withdrew from the oppressive hall.

After leaving the main hall and returning to the relatively bright corridor, Lin Yu finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This queen is beautiful and dangerous, and her mental state is very unstable.

Their strength is just average, probably only at the Gold level at most, so they're not too troublesome. If we really fight, I'm not helpless against them.

Moreover, Lin Yu wasn't without other trump cards.

The Azure Rose can still be used in this world. If all else fails, he can use [Woodcutter's Spring] once to upgrade it.

The woodcutter's spring water is also drawn from his own talent, so using it to upgrade talent items shouldn't be a problem.

That way, there will be no chance of anything going wrong.

From this perspective, it seems I can be a bit bolder.

Perhaps... I can completely deviate from the established rules.

Lin Yu pondered silently.

In that instant, he looked at his current task.

[Character Quest (Main Story): Following the Queen's orders, your current mission is to travel deep into the Darkwood Forest, find Snow White, and... bring her heart back to the castle to present to the Queen.]

According to the rules of this game, your behavior must generally conform to the logic of the "Hunter" identity, and serious out-of-character behavior is not allowed.

So, what is the significance of the Hunter identity in the original work?

Lin Yu began to think.

In the original story, the hunter was ordered by the queen to kill Snow White, but ultimately let her go out of pity.

Based on this plot, one's identity logic is not actually that fixed; one can be the queen's subordinate or choose to switch sides to Snow White.

"Here's the question: if I didn't choose to pity Snow White and stood firmly by the Queen's side, or even directly helped the princess and opposed the Queen, would that be considered a serious case of out-of-character (OOC)?"

Lin Yu stroked his chin, thinking.

Perhaps we could give it a try.

As he walked, he pondered, and instead of returning to the hunters' quarters inside the castle, he began to wander around the castle seemingly casually.

Because of his status as a hunter, he could travel freely in most areas, except for a few heavily guarded places where he would be stopped.

The castle's interior structure is very complex.

Lin Yu, relying on his exceptional memory and the Sharingan's ability to capture details, memorized the route.

Actually, the Heavenly Eye would be more suitable, since it can pass through walls, but unfortunately, with his current abilities, activating the Heavenly Eye is too difficult, so it's best not to mess around with it.

……

Lin Yu first went to the castle's library.

The library is not large and doesn't have many books. Most of them are about the history of Blackwood Castle and related to the Blackwood Forest.

He quickly flipped through several books that might be related to royalty or forest legends, but most of them were vague.

"That's really strict."

Lin Yu had a headache.

Finding nothing, he had no choice but to leave the library. He then lingered in the kitchen, stables, and other places where servants gathered, trying to glean some information from their casual conversations.

However, the servants were extremely tight-lipped, and even when they chatted, it was mostly about everyday trivial matters; they remained tight-lipped about royal secrets.

When "Snow White" is mentioned, they immediately fall silent, as if it were a taboo name.

……

Time slipped away in this futile search, and before long it was evening.

Lin Yu returned to the hunter's hut, ate some simple dry rations, and had already made up his mind.

Since conventional methods are insufficient to obtain intelligence, we should resort to unconventional methods.

He decided to take the risk and explore that night, his target naturally being the Queen's bedroom, where secrets were most likely to be hidden.

Soon, night fell, and the castle fell into a deathly silence, with only the occasional sound of the patrolling guards' regular, heavy footsteps.

Lin Yu changed into a dark-colored casual outfit, concealed his presence to the extreme, and left the small house silently.

He avoided the main roads and, relying on the paths he had memorized during the day and his observation of the guards' patrol patterns, navigated the intricate complex of the castle's buildings.

The tall stone walls and protruding crenellations provided him with cover.

The Sharingan provides vision far beyond that of ordinary people in the dark, allowing him to clearly capture every subtle change in light and shadow and the blind spots in the guards' sight.

Finally, he arrived at the foot of the main castle and looked up at the high-rise building where the Queen's bedroom was located.

The smooth stone wall is difficult for ordinary people to climb, but it is not a problem for Lin Yu, whose physical fitness far exceeds that of ordinary people and who has extraordinary abilities.

He took a deep breath, his fingertips gripped the tiny crack in the stone wall, and with a light touch of his toes, he climbed upwards like a nimble ape, his movements fluid and quiet, making almost no sound.

Soon, he arrived at the foot of the magnificent balcony outside the Queen's bedroom.

He held his breath, minimizing his presence, and clung to the wall like a gecko, slowly peeking out through the gap in the heavy curtains between the balcony and the room.

The palace was brightly lit and decorated in the most luxurious way, yet it exuded a coldness.

The most eye-catching feature is a huge floor-length mirror with an intricate obsidian frame placed in the center of the room.

The queen was standing in front of the mirror.

She had shed her glamorous daytime court attire and was now wearing only a silk nightgown that accentuated her graceful curves.

Her snow-white skin was exposed, making her look incredibly alluring.

However, her expression at this moment was completely different from her elegant and noble demeanor during the day; it was a twisted expression that mixed urgency, longing, and even a hint of madness.

She stretched out her pale, almost transparent fingers and gently stroked the smooth surface of the mirror. She spoke in an almost chanting tone, her voice carrying an eerie magic:

"Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me, who is the fairest of them all?"

The mirror surface rippled like water, the light within condensing, and a blurry, distorted face, seemingly composed of countless shadows, emerged, emitting a low, hoarse, and neither-male-nor-female voice:

"My Queen, within this Darkwood Castle, you are undoubtedly the most beautiful being."

The interior of Darkwood Castle is the most beautiful, but the outside is not.

As expected, it's still because of "appearance anxiety." It seems the core premise hasn't changed.

Hearing the magic mirror's words, Lin Yu outside the house pondered to himself.

But soon, something unexpected happened again. The queen, behind her sunglasses, didn't show much change in expression after hearing these words. She didn't fly into a rage as Lin Yu had expected.

"Didn't you understand what the magic mirror meant? Are you that slow? That can't be right, the queen doesn't seem like a fool."

Lin Yu frowned, thinking to himself.

The Magic Mirror's voice continued: "But... deep in the distant Darkwood Forest, in that wooden house surrounded by seven twisted ancient trees, your daughter, the most beautiful being in the world, Snow White, is there. Her beauty is like unspoiled new snow, pure and flawless, and her radiance... has already surpassed yours."

As the words fell, a ripple appeared on the surface of the magic mirror, and soon, an image appeared on the mirror.

On the mirror, a smiling, beautiful woman is sitting on a wooden chair.

The queen's expression began to change as she looked at the woman appearing in the magic mirror.

On the other hand, Lin Yu felt somewhat helpless.

The Queen blocked the front of the magic mirror, preventing him from seeing the woman's reflection.

This gave him a bit of a headache. Of course, he didn't want to see what Snow White looked like; his purpose was simply to find out what his "target" looked like.

That's right, the hunter had never seen Snow White, or rather, very few people in the entire Blackwood Castle had ever seen her.

Even when the Queen gave him the task, she only told him the area where the target was. As for how to identify the target, she only said, "When you see her, you will know at first glance whether she is Snow White or not."

I'm speechless.