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

The atmosphere in the open space in front of the wooden house was tense.

Merlin was shocked and angry when Lin Yu kicked him, but he immediately realized that Lin Yu was not attacking him, but saving him.

He quickly cast a light blue magical shield on himself and Lin Yu, his sharp eyes scanning the suddenly appearing guards and the chaotic battle inside the wooden house.

Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, the guard Chris no longer hid. He pointed his longbow diagonally at the ground, but his muscles were taut, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

His gaze swept over Merlin and Lin Yu, as well as the idiot who was fighting the six dwarfs in front of Snow White. After thinking for a moment, he said to Lin Yu and Merlin in a deep voice, "We're all in the same boat, so let's not pretend. No matter what the differences are in our missions, there's no doubt that we need Snow White."

"These six guys are acting strangely, and their goals are contrary to our mission. In short, we definitely can't let them take the princess away. So, let's work together to deal with them for now, shall we?"

Inside, upon hearing this, the muddlehead swung his pickaxe to scare away the "shy ghost" who was swinging a pestle at him, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and roared, "Come help me, damn it! I can't take this anymore!"

The "know-it-all," who was surrounded by six dark dwarves, froze for a moment after hearing the guard's words.

He gritted his teeth and quickly waved his hand.

Instantly, the dark aura emanating from the other five dark dwarves surged dramatically, their forms began to distort, scales appeared on their skin, their nails became long and sharp, their eyes blazed with red light, and their attacks became even more frenzied.

The pressure on the fool increased dramatically, but his body quickly began to change, transforming into a giant bear a few seconds later, frantically striking to block all the attacks.

"This is?"

Seeing this, Lin Yu was stunned. This fighting style was very similar to that of the female player, the King of Beasts.

It can't be that much of a coincidence.

As for what the guard had just said, Lin Yu was not surprised at all.

There should be five players present.

According to Lin Yu's guess, it should be himself, the guard, Merlin, the dwarf idiot, and the dwarf know-it-all.

The guards' meaning was simple: whether they wanted to protect Snow White or Lin Yu and Merlin wanted to kill her, they couldn't let the princess be taken away by these dark creatures.

Moreover, there was only one player among these dark creatures, so they could obviously outnumber the opponent.

Merlin broke the silence first, pointing his staff at the dark dwarves inside the room, and whispered to Lin Yu, "Hunter! Join forces to eliminate these dark creatures! The princess must not fall into the hands of demons! That's what His Majesty desires!"

He understood the guard's meaning and then relayed the message to Lin Yu.

"OK."

Lin Yu didn't care what happened, so he nodded.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's crisp "Okay," Merlin slammed his staff to the ground and began chanting an incantation. A surge of icy energy began to gather, its target aimed directly at the distorted dark dwarves inside the room.

"Imprison the Frost!"

A cold ripple spread out from him.

Seeing Lin Yu and Merlin's stance, the guard Chris no longer hesitated. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and focused his fighting spirit on the tip, aiming at "Angry" who was frantically attacking the bear-shaped idiot.

The arrow, with a sharp whistling sound, struck precisely at the back of the angry man.

Lin Yu moved even faster.

The instant Merlin's spell took effect and Chris's arrow left the bowstring, he had already moved.

His Sharingan locked onto the "know-it-all" who was giving orders.

"To shoot a man, first shoot his horse; to capture a thief, first capture his king."

Lin Yu understood this principle very well. Since this guy could command the dark dwarves and was clearly one of the players, then he should take him down first.

Know-It-All had clearly noticed Lin Yu's movements and immediately shouted, "Protect me! Kill that hunter first!"

He gave a sharp command to the dark dwarves around him, while retreating deeper into the cabin, a bone staff wreathed in black mist appearing in his hand.

The two dark dwarves closest to him—"Happy Fruit" and "Sneezer"—immediately howled and pounced on Lin Yu, who burst in through the window.

Pistachio opened its twisted mouth and spewed out a nauseating green acid, while Sneeze Sprout sneezed a huge sneeze, sending countless black droplets carrying germs flying like arrows.

Lin Yu's eyes darted around at high speed, and the three tomoe instantly appeared. Relying on the dynamic vision enhanced by his Sharingan, he easily dodged all the attacks.

Lin Yu quickly lifted the azure rose.

"Bang!"

The gunshots were particularly deafening inside the cramped wooden hut.

The bullet, formed from demonic power, blasted half of Pistachio's head apart, splattering black blood and brain matter everywhere.

The dwarf, who had been trying to tell jokes, collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound, his body rapidly shrinking and turning into a pool of black water.

"The first one."

Lin Yu didn't stop, dodging the sneezing spirit's follow-up attack. The muzzle of Azure Rose's gun was almost pressed against the sneezing spirit's forehead.

"Bang!"

Another shot.

The sneezing man's head exploded like a watermelon.

"The second one."

Clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.

The power of the Azure Rose has not diminished; it's incredibly effective against these trash monsters.

Lin Yu changed the current battle situation with his first move.

With the pressure greatly reduced, the bear-shaped idiot roared and slammed its paw with tremendous force into "Sleepyhead," smashing it into the wall.

Chris, the guard, also managed to hit the angry creature with his arrow. Although it didn't kill it instantly, it severely injured it.

Merlin's ice spell took effect, and the remaining dark dwarves' movements noticeably slowed down.

Seeing how fierce Lin Yu was, taking care of his two men in the blink of an eye, Wan Shitong's expression turned even uglier.

He brandished his bone staff, and a thick black mist surged from its tip, quickly spreading and obscuring the view. At the same time, whispers emanated from within the mist, disturbing everyone's minds.

"A trivial skill."

Unfortunately, Lin Yu has no shortage of ways to combat visual impairment. His Sharingan can still see clearly in the black mist, and the mental whispers have little effect on his mind.

He locked onto the know-it-all, who was trying to slip away through the back door using the black fog, and gave chase.

"Trying to run away?"

Lin Yu was extremely fast, and in just a few steps he caught up with Wan Shitong.

Sensing the approaching killing intent behind him, Wan Shitong suddenly turned around, pointing his bone staff at Lin Yu, the skull at the top of the staff glowing brightly red in its eye sockets.

"Death Ray!"

A condensed black ray, exuding an aura of extreme death and decay, shot towards Lin Yu.

The attack was quite fast, but Lin Yu's Sharingan had already detected the unusual energy convergence when the All-Knowing turned around, so he was prepared.

The moment the black ray appeared, Lin Yu had already swiftly anticipated and dodged it.

The ray struck a large tree behind Lin Yu, and the tree instantly began to wither.

The all-knowing man's sure-fire attack missed, and his expression changed drastically, while Lin Yu quickly raised his gun.

"goodbye."

The cold muzzle of the Azure Rose gun was pointed at the Know-It-All.

What puzzled Lin Yu was that, facing the gun, Wan Shitong showed no fear in his eyes, but instead sneered.

Lin Yu frowned, immediately deciding against killing the other party. This guy was most likely a player, and capturing him alive would obviously be more valuable.

"hey-hey."

But to Lin Yu's surprise, the know-it-all sneered, and before Lin Yu could make a move, his body stiffened for a moment, then collapsed and vanished into black smoke.

Was this... suicide?

wrong!

Even the most fearless person wouldn't end their life so rashly; this guy must have something to be afraid of.

It seems the situation is more complicated than Lin Yu had imagined.

With their leader killed, the remaining three dark dwarves seemed to have lost their leader, letting out chaotic howls and their attacks becoming completely disorganized.

It's as if they've lost the ability to think.

Soon, under the attack of the group, the remaining dark dwarves were all wiped out.

None of them looked too happy.

Rather than killing all the enemies, they actually preferred to capture one alive to obtain more information.

But these dwarves were not afraid of death and kept attacking relentlessly. Even when they were controlled, they would end their own lives and turn into black smoke.

Inside the wooden cabin, silence returned for the time being, with only heavy breathing and billowing black smoke remaining.

The idiot in his bear form slowly transformed back into a dwarf, covered in wounds and needing a pickaxe to stand.

Lin Yu looked at him, his eyes slightly narrowed, secretly wondering if this guy was really the king of beasts.

Although the dwarves were all killed, the atmosphere at the scene did not relax; it remained tense and hostile.

On the other side, the guard put away his longbow, glanced warily at Merlin and Lin Yu, and silently walked to the side of the dwarf, Foolish Egg, shielding Snow White behind him.

Merlin walked forward expressionlessly, coldly glancing at the guards and the idiot, before finally looking at Lin Yu: "Hunter, don't forget our mission."

Lin Yu understood what he was talking about.

"snow White."

Lin Yu looked directly at Snow White, who was standing behind the guards, and called out to her.

Upon hearing his shout, Snow White instinctively looked into his eyes.

"Don't!"

The guards and the idiot's pupils constricted, and they quickly spoke up.

Because they saw the three tomoe in Lin Yu's eyes suddenly begin to rotate.

But their reminder came a little too late.

Snow White has already made eye contact with Lin Yu.

With just one glance, Snow White froze on the spot, her eyes vacant, as if she had lost her soul.

The guard swiftly drew his bow and aimed at Lin Yu, while the idiot raised his pickaxe.

Merlin immediately raised his staff and erected a shield.

"Don't be so nervous. We're just making sure this unrelated person can't hear our next conversation."

Seeing this tense scene, Lin Yu shrugged and said.

Upon hearing his words, the guard and the fool exchanged bewildered glances, and then the fool looked at Snow White.

He said, "I was just being controlled by an illusion."

The guard nodded, but his gaze toward Lin Yu remained highly wary.

On the other side, Merlin frowned, looked at Lin Yu, and said impatiently, "What are you up to?"

Lin Yu toyed with the azure rose in his hand and said casually, "Isn't it obvious? We're all players, and it's not easy for us to get together, so we should have a good chat."

"What's there to talk about!"

Merlin scoffed, gripped his staff tightly, and said, "The system has already divided everyone into factions. All we have to do is complete our respective tasks."

Upon hearing his words, the guards and the idiot on the other side nodded subconsciously.

"I say, friends, haven't you forgotten something very important?"

Hearing Merlin's words, Lin Yu rubbed his temples helplessly.

Then, under the slightly puzzled gazes of the three, Lin Yu spoke up quietly, "Weren't we supposed to be in a puzzle game? How did it turn into a role-playing game? Didn't you guys find that strange?"

Lin Yu's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a storm in the hearts of the other three.

Puzzle game? Role-playing game?

Merlin's hand, which was gripping his staff, paused slightly, and his brows furrowed.

He had been so engrossed in his role and duties as a "court mage" that he had indeed overlooked this point.

The system's initial prompts do indeed indicate that the world of "Dark Fairy Tale Snow White" is indeed a puzzle game.

But since entering the game, has there been any puzzle content whatsoever?

It seems not.

Indeed, just as the hunter said, they had been acting according to their assigned roles and tasks ever since they entered.

So when did I start ignoring this point?

Merlin pondered for a moment and quickly came up with an answer. One reason was the prompt that emphasized the importance of players immersing themselves in the story and completing character quests.

Secondly, after entering the world again, the instilling of the character's background and the discovery of opposing factions almost instinctively led him to "play" and "confront" the characters.

The guards and the dwarf-turned-muddlehead also changed their expressions slightly, a hint of confusion and awakening flashing in their eyes.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked in a deep voice, a hint of wavering in his tone.

Lin Yu put away his nonchalant expression, his Sharingan slowly sweeping over the three of them, and calmly analyzed, "What I mean is, we may have fallen into a cognitive bias from the very beginning."

The core of this game may not simply be completing the 'role quests' assigned by the system.

He pointed to Snow White, who was controlled by illusions and had empty eyes: "Think about it, a puzzle game, but it sets up almost irreconcilable opposing factions for us to do missions - you and I assassinate, guards and idiots protect, and we don't know exactly what that know-it-all is, but we can guess that it is something like bewitching."

This is like a dead end; at least half of us will definitely fail to complete the task.

"This isn't a problem, is it? Isn't that how competitive games are supposed to be?"

The guard frowned and retorted.

"Did you see the message that this game is a competitive game?"

Lin Yu countered with a direct question.

"..."

The guard was stumped by the question.

"But it wasn't described as a team game."

Merlin gave a curt reply.

"That's the problem. The system didn't tell us, or rather, we didn't see the game types that we usually see..."

Lin Yu toyed with the azure rose and spoke softly.

He then added, "We play roles, but we are also 'players.' Our ultimate goal is to solve the puzzles and complete the game, not just to complete a task given by an NPC."

Lin Yu's words enlightened the group.

They were so focused on being wary of each other and completing their tasks that they forgot to consider the underlying logic and ultimate purpose of this game world.

"You mean..." the idiot said, panting, "that our mission might be flawed in itself?"

"That's not all." Lin Yu looked at the spot where the know-it-all had disappeared; that guy died too quickly.

As a player, even if the mission fails, one should not end one's life without a struggle, unless... he is certain that his death is not the end, or that there is a bigger plan.

This is not normal player behavior.

Guard Chris pondered, "Moreover, these dwarves behave strangely, unlike normal creatures, more like manipulated puppets."

Their desperate attempt to corrupt the princess must have a deeper reason behind it.

Merlin remained silent for a moment. Although he was unhappy that Lin Yu had taken the lead, he had to admit that what Lin Yu said made sense.

He tried to use his remaining prophetic and exploratory abilities to perceive the "rules" of this world, but seemed to be interfered with by something, resulting in chaos.

"Something is definitely wrong with this world. The flow of energy is very obscure, as if it is shrouded by a huge veil."

"So," Lin Yu concluded, "before we continue fighting to the death, agonizing over whether to slice the princess or pack her up and take her away, perhaps we should first cooperate and clarify a few more fundamental issues."

He held out three fingers:

"First, what is the 'truth' of this 'dark fairy tale' world? What is the root of the queen's love turning into hatred? Who is the power faction behind that know-it-all? What is the truth behind the old king's death? These background stories are by no means irrelevant."

"Secondly, Snow White, what is so special about her? Why did the Queen want her heart? Why did the old courtiers support her? Why did the dwarves try to seduce her? She is far more than just a 'beautiful princess'."

"Third, and most importantly, how do we 'solve' this puzzle? What exactly are the conditions for passing the level? Is it really just about completing our seemingly contradictory tasks?"

Lin Yu turned his gaze back to Snow White: "And the key to the answer may very well lie with her."

But now, she's terrified of us, and it's clear she doesn't know much herself.

We need to find clues from her, and from other parts of the world, in a gentler way.

Perhaps because Lin Yu's analysis made some sense, a temporary and fragile consensus was quickly reached among the four.

"I agree to a temporary truce and an exchange of intelligence," said Guard Chris first, putting away his longbow.

The simpleton nodded: "Okay."

Merlin snorted coldly, though unwilling, he knew it was the most rational choice at the moment: "Hmph, I can temporarily refrain from being your enemy."

But hunter, if you can't find any valuable clues, or if you try to cheat, I will still complete my mission.

Lin Yu smiled and said, "Very good. We have established initial trust, which is a good thing."

"Well then, first of all... we can share our respective role missions. Since I brought it up, I'll start. My role is the hunter, and my current mission is to obtain Snow White's heart."

Lin Yu put away the azure rose and spoke directly.

"The character is a court mage. Their task is to help the Queen transform Snow White into a 'flower that never fades.'"

Merlin spoke.

Hearing about his mission reminded Lin Yu of the red apple in the Snow White story that would put someone into an eternal sleep if they ate it.

It does connect the dots.

Having seen that Lin Yu and Merlin had already spoken, the two on the other side didn't hold back either. The guard spoke first: "My role is that of the old king's personal guard. My task is to obey the orders of the old king's former ministers and protect Snow White's safety."

The dwarf, the idiot, also spoke up: "I'm playing the dwarf, the idiot, and my role is to protect Snow White. The other player is playing the know-it-all; I know a little about him. His mission is to seduce Snow White into falling completely into darkness."

Hearing his words, Merlin frowned and asked, "I find it strange. Your character is clearly a dark creature, so why would you betray the dwarves' camp?"

Hearing his words, Lin Yu and the guards also looked at the idiot.

Indeed, although the Foolish Egg looks a little better than the other dwarves after they turned evil, it's not much; it's still ugly and clearly a dark creature.

The muddle-headed guy scratched his head and said helplessly, "According to my backstory, I fell hopelessly in love with Snow White. The emotion of love diluted the darkness in my body, thus giving me clarity, and I decided to protect Snow White from harm with my life."

His tone was slightly awkward because the system prompted him to play the role deeply and not to be out of character. In order to play the fool well, he had been a simp for a long time.

This was a very difficult task for him, since normally, others were the ones who fawned over her.

but……

The fool glanced at Snow White and saw her exquisitely beautiful face. He felt a little itchy inside. Such a beautiful woman, it seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to be her simp.

It turned out to be the case.

Hearing the muddle-headed man's explanation, Lin Yu and the other two nodded; the explanation was indeed reasonable.

Lin Yu then continued, "So, do you know anything else about that know-it-all, or the power behind him?"

"All I know is that they kept bringing Snow White all sorts of items corrupted by darkness as gifts and feeding her foods that were clearly of a dark nature."

As for the forces behind it, when I first arrived in this world, the know-it-all mentioned things like demons, forest gods, and seals.

But perhaps because I exposed him, he never mentioned those things again.

The fool shook his head.

Demon? Forest God?

Upon hearing these two words, the three of them paused in surprise.

Lin Yu looked at Merlin and asked, "You're a court mage, you should know more about this kind of information. Do you know what kind of demons live in the forest?"

Merlin pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, the mage has no such information in his memory."

After a long pause, he hesitated and said, "The scriptures in the Blackwood Castle Mage Tower might have it, but given our current situation, it might be difficult for us to go back."

Hearing his words, Lin Yu asked, "Why can't we go back? Can the Queen's magic mirror see us?"

Merlin shook his head: "It's not because of that. Using the magic mirror comes at a price. The queen usually doesn't use the magic mirror to observe anything other than Snow White. The main reason is you."

"I?"

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow.