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

The seductive words of the magic mirror entered the Queen's ears and were also clearly heard by Lin Yu outside the balcony.

However, the outburst of anger that Lin Yu had anticipated did not occur.

The Queen simply stood there quietly, gazing at Snow White's image in the mirror, her fingers unconsciously curling up and tightly gripping the silk fabric of her nightgown.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, not from anger, but more like... repression? Or perhaps longing?

That's so strange.

Lin Yu's Sharingan keenly caught this detail, and doubts began to arise in his mind.

This reaction doesn't seem as simple as "being surpassed in beauty".

"Her beauty... pure and flawless?" The Queen repeated the magic mirror's words in a low voice, hoarse and filled with a chilling obsession: "Yes, so pure... just like him... Why... why did you all leave me? Why can't you belong only to me?"

The image in the mirror seemed to have stimulated one of the queen's most sensitive nerves.

She suddenly raised her hand, as if to shatter the magic mirror, but her arm hung in mid-air and eventually fell limply to the ground.

She leaned down, almost pressing her cheek against the cold mirror, and murmured to her reflection of Snow White:

"My dear Snow White... I gave you everything, protected you, taught you... yet you ran away from me, and even went so far as to associate with the disgusting filth of the forest?"

Do you know that you're only safe when I'm by your side? Only I... truly love you...

Love turned into hate?

After hearing the Queen's words, those four words flashed through Lin Yu's mind like lightning.

He instantly understood the strangeness of the mission's background. The Queen's feelings for Snow White were not simply stepmotherly jealousy, but a more extreme and morbid possessiveness, a kind of "love" that could not be obtained and ultimately transformed into a desire for destruction.

This also explains why the queen sent him to retrieve her heart—if she couldn't have it, she would destroy it completely, so that her most beautiful part would belong to her forever.

That magic mirror also exuded an eerie aura, seemingly deliberately guiding and amplifying the queen's madness.

"So, would you say this is a kind of alternative orthopedics?"

These words suddenly popped into Lin Yu's mind.

No, that doesn't seem right. The Queen isn't Snow White's biological mother.

"Enough!" The Queen suddenly straightened up, her voice returning to its icy tone, but the madness surging in her eyes hadn't faded. "Magic Mirror, tell me, how can I make her... change her mind? Or, how can I make her... stay with me forever, in another form?"

The shadowy face in the magic mirror twisted and let out a low laugh: "Great Queen, emotions are the most complex magic in the world."

Forcibly reversing this will come at a huge cost... Perhaps, when her heart feels the ultimate pain and despair, when everything in the outside world betrays her, she will realize that you are her only refuge.

Or... when her body is corrupted by darkness and no longer 'pure,' perhaps you won't be so fixated on that so-called 'perfection.'

The queen's eyes flickered; the magic mirror's words seemed to offer her a new perspective.

She waved her hand, and the mirror returned to its calm state.

Silence fell over everything. The Queen left the magic mirror and walked toward a small room.

……

On the other side, Lin Yu quietly retreated from the balcony, left the castle, and returned to his own cottage.

The amount of information discovered tonight is quite substantial.

The queen's morbid love and destructive desires, and the eerie allure of the magic mirror, all indicate that this mission is far more complex and dangerous than it appears on the surface.

He now only knows himself as the "hunter," ordered by the Queen to kill Snow White and retrieve her heart.

Besides these, there are four other "players." Who are they? Are they friends or foes? What are their motives? We know nothing.

"This is really a headache."

Lin Yu rubbed his temples.

Chat channels and private messages are disabled in this world, so he only knows that there are five players in the game, but he doesn't know their names or identities.

We can only wait and see if any other discoveries are made.

……

The next morning, Lin Yu was summoned to the Queen's council chamber.

This time, the queen had an extra person by her side.

An elderly man wearing a dark blue robe with silver trim held a staff with a transparent crystal at the top.

His hair and beard were all white, his face was stern, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp, as if they could see through people's hearts.

Lin Yun could vaguely sense the faint magical fluctuations emanating from the other party's eyes.

It seems that this old man possesses some kind of eye-related ability.

"Hunter, this is the court mage, Sir Merlin." The queen's tone returned to its usual elegance, but Lin Yu could sense a hint of scrutiny in the depths of her gaze.

"He will assist you on this mission. The depths of the forest are treacherous and unpredictable, and with Sir Merlin's magical aid, you can be even more certain of success."

Lin Yu was puzzled.

A mage? I don't think this happened in the story.

This old man has an extraordinary aura; could he also be one of the "players"?

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Although he was puzzled, Lin Yu could not refuse on the surface. He bowed and, at the same time, secretly observed Merlin as a normal person would.

The old man nodded slightly without speaking, but his eyes swept over Lin Yu like a scanner.

Lin Yu wasn't in a hurry at all; the magical energy emanating from this mage wasn't very strong.

"Sir Merlin is skilled in divination and detection magic; he can help you find your target faster," the Queen added, tapping her fingertips lightly on the armrest of her throne.

"Remember, hunter, I only want the result; that heart... must be brought back to me fresh."

Her words carried an unquestionable tone.

"Yes."

Lin Yu answered respectfully.

……

Leaving the castle, Lin Yu and Sir Merlin mounted their horses and headed towards the Darkwood Forest.

Merlin remained silent throughout the journey, only occasionally raising his staff, the crystal ball shimmering as if he were probing something.

"My lord, how shall we find Snow White?"

Lin Yu asked tentatively.

Merlin glanced at him, his voice flat and emotionless: "Magic has already shown me the way."

My magic can guide us away from some... trouble in the forest and pinpoint the final location.

Hunter, your duty is simple: ensure that once the target is found, the mission is completed cleanly and efficiently.

Lin Yu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He could sense that the monk was very wary of him.

To be honest, Lin Yu now feels that there is at least a 60% chance that this guy is a player.

After all, if it were an ordinary NPC, it wouldn't be possible for them to be so cautious about someone as ordinary as themselves.

Therefore, each with their own thoughts, they traveled together, creating a tense atmosphere.

As you venture deeper into the forest, the environment becomes increasingly eerie.

Merlin's magic was indeed effective; they avoided several obviously dangerous areas.

They encountered several waves of dark creatures along the way, but the two of them dealt with them all.

Because there were outsiders present, Lin Yu did not use any power beyond the capabilities of a hunter, and mainly used arrows and axes to defeat his enemies.

Merlin had been secretly observing him, and after witnessing his methods, the wariness in his eyes lessened slightly.

After a day's journey, Merlin suddenly stopped at dusk. The crystal ball on his staff emitted a bright white light, pointing in one direction.

"It's very close, just ahead. I sense a... pure and powerful energy fluctuation, although it's being concealed in some way, but that's definitely the target."

Lin Yu looked in that direction and, through the layers of trees, could vaguely see the outline of a clearing in the woods, as well as several ancient trees with unusually twisted shapes that were arranged in a circle.

We approached stealthily.

Merlin whispered, casting a spell that blurred his figure.

They approached the clearing silently.

In the center of the open space, there was indeed a small wooden house, surrounded by seven huge, ancient trees with twisted branches.

Smoke is rising from the chimney of the wooden house.

Just as they were observing from their hiding place in the bushes, the door of the cabin creaked open.

A figure stepped out.

Upon seeing this person, Lin Yu finally understood the meaning of the Queen's earlier statement, "When you see her, you'll know at first glance whether she is Snow White."

The person before me, even though she was only wearing a simple linen dress and her face was covered with cigarette ash, could not hide her breathtaking beauty.

Her skin was as white as snow, her lips as red as roses, and her hair as black as ebony. Especially striking were her clear, deep blue eyes, which held an innocent and naive charm.

This pure radiance truly stood out like a lighthouse in this dark forest.

She is Snow White.

Even a Sigma man like Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh that she truly deserved the title of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Snow White carried a basin of water and carefully watered the flowerbed in front of her house, humming a cheerful tune.

Lin Yu held his breath and, taking advantage of Merlin's inattention, secretly activated a sliver of his Heavenly Eye.

He could sense that the energy fluctuations emanating from Snow White were indeed very pure.

But beneath this purity, there seems to be a faint, unstable shadow, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

What is this thing?

This power was extremely subtle, but it was clearly impossible to hide from the Heavenly Eye, and Lin Yu immediately became vigilant.

He remembered what the queen had said earlier.

"As expected, my dear 'daughter,' in order to escape her mother, actually embraced that filth."

What does "filth" refer to? Is it this force?

"Target confirmed."

Just as Lin Yu was pondering, Merlin's voice rang in his ears: "Hunter, prepare to move. I will use magic to bind her. You make your move, and be quick."

Lin Yu nodded, appearing slightly excited.

But deep down, he was pondering whether to secretly follow the Hunter x Hunter storyline or completely go out of character and choose to remain under the Queen's command.

Just then, a noise came from another direction.

A short, stocky figure carrying a pickaxe, whistling, walked from the forest toward the cabin.

He was very short, had a big beard, and wore miner's clothes; he looked like a dwarf.

"Snow White! I'm back! I dug up some beautiful ores today!" the dwarf shouted in a gruff voice.

Snow White smiled when she saw the dwarves: "You've worked hard, you silly goose! Dinner will be ready soon!"

Upon seeing this dwarf called "Fool," Lin Yu instantly sensed something was amiss.

The dwarf walked silently, and the way he gripped the seemingly casually slung pickaxe hinted at a state of wariness.

Has this guy spotted us?

No! It doesn't seem to be alerting us.

Just as he approached Snow White, Lin Yu realized that the creature's vigilance did not stem from the two of them; it had not detected them.

Why is it wary?

Merlin had clearly noticed the dwarves' arrival, and he frowned: "Damn it, don't move yet, dwarves are not easy to deal with."

Lin Yu did not refute, as he also needed time to observe.

The two chose to hide in the shadows and observe the situation in the cabin.

Soon, Lin Yu saw the seven dwarfs from the story return one after another.

The seven dwarfs surround Snow White, creating a seemingly warm atmosphere, yet there's an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Look what we've brought back, dear Snow White!" A dwarf wearing a nightcap, known as "Sleepyhead," proudly presented a small necklace made of deep purple berries and unidentified black feathers.

"The forest's gifts are worthy of your beauty."

Snow White accepted it with delight, gesturing to her chest: "How beautiful, Sleepyhead! Thank you!" She didn't notice that the berry was a deep, dark color, with a barely perceptible hint of dark red at the base of the feathers.

The necklace exudes a strong sense of shadow, completely contradicting the energy emanating from Snow White.

Just after Bai Xue put it on, the shadowy aura around her seemed to intensify slightly.

Clearly, this is the source of those shadows surrounding her.

Seeing this, the dwarfs' happy expressions became even more distorted.

Another dwarf, nicknamed "Angry," whose temper always seemed so volatile, rudely threw a bundle of firewood on the ground, muttering, "Hmph! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have to work so hard!"

"Pistachio," as always, tried to tell jokes to amuse everyone, gesturing wildly: "Today in the mine, there was a rock that looked exactly like me. I said, 'Hey! Who are you?' Guess what? Of course, it ignored me! Hahaha!"

His laughter was loud but hollow, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes when Snow White was amused.

The eldest dwarf, known as "Know-It-All," pushed up his non-existent glasses and said in a deliberately composed tone, "Snow White, my child, do you remember the forest knowledge we taught you? Never leave the forest; only the forest can protect you."

Bai Xue nodded seriously and said, "I have never left."

Hearing her answer, the know-it-all nodded in satisfaction.

The other dwarfs also happily praised Snow, repeatedly saying that only the forest was safe and only the forest could protect Snow from harm.

The first one to return, "Fool," sat silently in the corner, carefully polishing his pickaxe with a whetstone; the tip of the pickaxe gleamed coldly in the firelight.

His movements were meticulous, a stark contrast to the seemingly enthusiastic but actually scheming noise of the other dwarves.

Only when Snow White smiled and looked in his direction would his action of sharpening the pickaxe pause for a barely perceptible moment.

Snow White moved among them, serving them food, her face beaming with the happiness of being surrounded by "family."

Her pure smile clashed sharply with the twisted, viscous darkness hidden beneath the dwarves' masks of care.

……

Meanwhile, the two chose to hide in the shadows and observe the situation in the cabin.

Using one of Merlin's crystal balls, Lin Yu was also able to see what was happening inside the house.

"...These dwarves, why do they all look like dark creatures?"

Lin Yu's doubts deepened.

These guys appear enthusiastic on the surface, but their eyes, their little gestures, and their almost undisguised nature...

Furthermore, apart from the first dwarf, "Fool," the others also had strange attitudes toward Snow White.

Their "care" is more like a form of domestication and manipulation.

They... seemed to be tempting Snow White, enticing her to sink deeper into this state of "protection" and isolation, severing all possible connections between her and the outside world.

But Snow White seemed to trust them completely; her innocent naiveté made it impossible for her to see through the true nature of these "family members" beneath their gentle masks.

These guys don't look like good people.

The crystal ball in Merlin's hand shone faintly, illuminating the scene inside the room.

"These dwarves... are no good." Merlin's voice was very low: "They are corrupting the princess in some dark way."

We can't wait any longer; we must get the target out of here as soon as possible and complete His Majesty's orders.

Lin Yu nodded expressionlessly.

The situation is indeed getting increasingly strange.

Taking the initiative first is not necessarily a bad thing.

At the very least, capturing these dwarves alive would definitely yield more information about this world.

But just as the two made their decision, the situation inside the house suddenly changed.

The "Fool," who had been silently sitting in the corner sharpening his pickaxe, suddenly stood up! His movement was so large that it attracted everyone's attention.

His face was grim, his gaze fixed on the increasingly dull berry necklace around Snow White's neck.

"Take it off!" The muddle-headed man's voice was hoarse, a stark contrast to his previous honest and simple demeanor.

The laughter inside the room abruptly stopped.

The other six dwarves all turned to look at him, their eyes instantly turning cold and dangerous.

"You idiot, what do you mean?"

She was quick to anger and struck first, her face practically bursting with rage.

"That was a gift I gave to Snow White!"

The sleepyhead grumbled in dissatisfaction, completely losing all sleepiness.

Know-It-All pushed up his non-existent glasses, his tone grim: "Fool, watch your words and actions. We're protecting the princess; do you want to ruin everything?"

Snow White was startled by the sudden conflict and looked bewildered at the tense dwarves: "Fools? Everyone... what's wrong?"

The fool ignored the others' questions, strode up to Snow White, and reached for the necklace: "This thing is dangerous! It will harm you!"

"How dare you!" The closest one roared angrily and threw a punch at the fool.

The simpleton seemed to have anticipated this, his short, stocky body nimbly shifting to the side, while simultaneously slashing with his pickaxe to deflect the easily angered fist.

"Make your move!" the all-knowing man shouted sternly.

In an instant, the seemingly harmonious dwarves seemed to have been switched on. Except for the idiot, the other six had a strange red light flash in their eyes and exuded a strong dark aura.

Despite the danger, the muddle-headed man remained calm, wielding his pickaxe with impressive skill, barely managing to fend off the six men's combined attack.

As he fought, he shouted to the terrified Snow White, "Snow White! Run! Get out of here! They're not trying to protect you; they want to turn you into a monster like them!"

"Traitor! Your master will not let you get away with this!" a dwarf screamed.

The room erupted into chaos! Tables and chairs overturned, cups and plates shattered! Dark energy clashed with the power of the confused egg's desperate resistance, producing a dull thud.

"An opportunity!" Merlin's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"They're fighting amongst themselves! Now's the time!"

Without further hesitation, he raised his staff high, chanted incantations, and magical energy began to gather.

Lin Yu didn't say much about it.

He is now more concerned about the situation inside the house.

Those dwarves are definitely not normal creatures, but that "foolish guy" seems to be protecting the princess. Does this mean he's also a player?

What is his mission?

Um?

Just as Merlin's spell was about to be completed, Lin Yu suddenly froze.

He moved swiftly, but his target was not anyone in the room, but—Merlin.

He kicked Merlin hard in the chest, and at the same time, he jumped and rolled to the side.

Merlin stumbled from the kick, the light on his staff went out, and he looked at Lin Yu with a mixture of confusion and anger: "You?!"

But almost at the same time, whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several sharp arrows shot out from the darkness of another part of the forest like venomous snakes, aiming directly at the spot where Merlin and Lin Yu had just been standing.

"There's an ambush!" Merlin realized instantly, his back soaked with cold sweat, his suspicion of Lin Yu temporarily replaced by fear.

He immediately erected a magical shield and looked warily toward the source of the arrows.

Lin Yu quickly looked in the direction from which the arrow had come.

From the darkness, a man dressed in royal guard armor slowly emerged, holding a longbow and with sharp eyes.

He stood blocking the entrance to the cabin, his gaze sweeping over Merlin and Lin Yu's location before finally settling on the chaotic scene inside. He called out in a deep voice, "Your Highness! I am Chris, a bodyguard of the late King! I am here on the orders of the Minister to protect you. Come to me immediately!"

Another person has arrived?

Lin Yu looked at this guy who had appeared out of nowhere and felt speechless.

What the hell is going on? The plot has been drastically altered to this extent!

The battle inside the house was briefly halted by the sudden arrows and the appearance of Chris.

Snow White looked at the unfamiliar guards outside the door, then at the dwarves fighting amongst themselves and the foolish boy desperately protecting her, and was completely engulfed in chaos and fear.

She had no idea what had happened.

Even now, she still tries to persuade her "family" members not to fight, and that they can talk things out.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the fool used his pickaxe to force back the two dwarves beside him, shouting at Chris, "Protect the princess! These guys are the devil's minions!"

Chris's eyes narrowed, clearly understanding what the fool had said. He drew back the bowstring, aiming the arrow at the darkened dwarves.

The situation instantly descended into chaos.