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

Merlin looked at Lin Yu as if he were an idiot and said, "Do you think that queen, with her foul temper, will give you a kind look after she finds out your mission failed?"

If you go back empty-handed, you'll most likely be locked up in Blackwood Castle's prison.

Lin Yu stroked his chin, recalling the Queen's distorted face that night.

It seems so. If he really goes home empty-handed, the Queen will probably be the first to punish him.

Merlin is alright, after all, he has other missions, and the Queen may not necessarily kill him.

"Can you go back by yourself?"

Lin Yu asked casually.

"Obviously, and impossible. I can't explain why you weren't with me. If the Queen were to suddenly decide to use the magic mirror to check on you, then even I would be in danger."

Merlin shook his head.

"That's really a difficult situation."

Lin Yu clicked his tongue twice.

But soon he looked at Merlin with a smile: "However, I do have a good idea. Since we've already made a mistake, why not make it again?"

Merlin frowned; he had a bad feeling.

……

Blackwood Castle, inside the main hall.

Covered in blood and looking extremely disheveled, Merlin knelt on one knee before the Queen.

The queen's expression was now extremely distorted.

"This lowly and insignificant thing dared to betray me!"

On the throne, the queen's expression perfectly illustrated what it meant to grit one's teeth.

Her fingers gripped the obsidian armrest so tightly that her nails almost dug in.

Merlin's message infuriated her: the hunter had betrayed Snow White after meeting her.

Merlin lowered his head, not daring to look the Queen in the eye, his voice tinged with fear: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. That hunter was incredibly cunning. After we joined forces to eliminate those dark minions who tried to corrupt the princess, he suddenly attacked me while I was off guard, severely injuring me and kidnapping the princess into the depths of the forest... I am incompetent and have failed to fulfill Your Majesty's important mission!"

Yes, that was Lin Yu's plan. Since he couldn't return to Blackwood Castle no matter what, he might as well just betray it and give Merlin a reason to go back.

Of course, this wasn't without risk. If Merlin betrayed them, their plan would backfire, and all their schemes would be a joke.

However, Lin Yu thought it wouldn't hurt to take a gamble, since he had enough backup plans anyway.

However, it seems that Merlin has no intention of betraying them for the time being. In fact, he is quite unhappy right now, but as a player who has survived this long in the apartment game, he knows very well that if he wants to survive in the game, he cannot be willful.

On the throne, the Queen's anger seemed to have subsided somewhat. She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked at Merlin and said, "Let's leave the hunter's matter aside for now. Tell me in detail what happened to you."

Merlin dared not delay and quickly recounted everything he had seen and heard. Basically, apart from Lin Yu's matter, Merlin did not hide anything else.

This naturally included the infighting among the guard Chris and the dwarves.

"Chris... Hmph, as expected, those old fogies still haven't given up."

Upon hearing what Merlin said, the Queen revealed a mocking smile.

"You may leave now. Quickly refine what I need."

The queen slowly rose from her throne and waved to Merlin.

"Yes."

Merlin nodded respectfully, then turned and left the palace.

……

On the other side, in the forest.

Lin Yu has already broken the illusion on Snow White.

Snow White's eyes regained their clarity, and she looked around in horror. Merlin had already left, leaving only Lin Yu, the idiot, and the guard Chris in the room.

Bai Xue subconsciously took a few steps back and came to Hu Tu Dan's side.

"Foolish...foolish fools...they..."

"Your Highness, please don't be afraid."

Chris, who was standing nearby, quickly reassured him, "Although the situation was a bit complicated, you're safe now."

Snow White looked at the fool with teary eyes; clearly, she only trusted this little dwarf now.

"They won't hurt you, Snow White."

The idiot nodded.

Only after receiving confirmation from the idiot did Snow White feel relieved and look at Chris with a hint of curiosity.

And Lin Yu, the "Hunter," was sitting on a small chair next to him.

The dwarfs' furniture was all too small, so the chair Lin Yu was sitting in was completely mismatched with his backside.

A grown man sitting in a child's chair looks rather strange.

Snow White blinked her big, watery eyes at the scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"..."

Upon hearing Snow White's laughter, Lin Yu subconsciously looked over. Seeing her gaze, Lin Yu knew what she was laughing about, which left him speechless.

Girl, you've just witnessed a major battle, and you can still laugh now? Should I say you're too carefree, or are you just completely heartless?

"Ahem... Your Highness, we need your help to find out what happened in the forest, and... some things about Her Majesty the Queen."

On the other side, guard Chris broke the awkward atmosphere and spoke first.

Upon hearing the guard mention the Queen, Snow White visibly trembled, and a complex mix of emotions flashed in her eyes—fear, attachment, and deep sorrow.

She was silent.

"How about we use my method?"

Lin Yu looked at her, wondering if he should just be straightforward and use illusion magic to solve the problem.

Upon hearing his words, both the guards and the fool quickly shook their heads, indicating that they had a mission and, just in case, could not harm the princess.

"Bullshit! You're not doing this for the mission, you're just lusting after her body, you sluts!"

Lin Yu scoffed, looking at the two of them with utter disdain.

He had long noticed that the longer these two spent with Snow White, the more they seemed to genuinely want to protect her, rather than just doing it for the mission.

Perhaps it's because Snow White's appearance is just too endearing and evokes a strong desire to protect her.

Sometimes even Lin Yu would have these thoughts unconsciously, but fortunately he was able to control himself.

Sigma men never fall into a woman's trap!

On the other side, perhaps sensing Lin Yu's malice, Snow White also spoke up, saying, "Mother... why... why did she send people to kill me? I just... I just wanted to leave that place..."

Her voice trembled with a hint of tears.

Lin Yu keenly sensed her complex emotions and asked, "Your Highness, you said you wanted to leave there? Why do you want to leave the castle? What happened there?"

Snow White looked up at Lin Yu with teary eyes.

It seems that because Hutudan had said that Lin Yu and the others were safe, Bai Xue didn't have much of a negative feeling towards Lin Yu, even though she knew that Lin Yu had just used some kind of "magic" on her.

She said, "Ever since my father passed away, my mother has become...so strange. The way she looks at me is sometimes very gentle, and sometimes...so scary, as if she wants to eat me up."

She wouldn't let me leave the room, wouldn't let me see anyone, and would watch me every day, stroking my hair and cheeks, saying over and over that I was her most perfect 'treasure'... I... I'm scared..."

Her words confirmed Lin Yu's previous speculation about the Queen's morbid possessiveness.

The guard continued, "What about those dwarves, Princess? What's the matter with them?"

When the dwarfs were mentioned, Snow White's emotions calmed down a little, but she was still confused: The dwarfs... were all very kind to me. They took me in when I was lost in the forest and gave me food and shelter.

Grandpa Know-It-All knows a lot and often teaches me about the forest; Pistachio makes me laugh; and Sleepyhead is always sleepy-eyed but very gentle...

They kept me in the forest to protect me; it was dangerous outside, and there were always all sorts of terrifying creatures.

Even though she had just seen the terrifying appearance of the other six dwarfs, Snow White's mind was still filled with fond memories of the dwarfs.

This is too damn fairy tale-like.

"Have you encountered anything strange in the cabin? Like any bad memories?"

Lin Yu thought for a moment and then asked.

We can't let the princess think for herself; she doesn't seem to have any bad people in her mouth. We still need to guide her thinking.

"Bad...memories".

Upon hearing Lin Yu's question, Snow White fell into deep thought, her delicate little face furrowing involuntarily, as if the question was quite perplexing for her.

"Hmm...does having nightmares count, Mr. Hunter?"

A few minutes later, Snow White's fingers intertwined, and she asked Lin Yu very obediently.

"Nightmare?" Lin Yu's eyes lit up. "Of course it is, Your Highness. Could you describe the nightmare in detail?"

Snow White tried hard to recall: "In my dreams... there was always a terrible voice saying to me... 'Child, come back... return to the embrace of darkness... that is my home...' and saying that I should belong to the darkness..."

She shook her head: "I don't know what that means, but I still prefer daytime to night. But nighttime is nice too; the stars are beautiful and the cicadas sing sweetly."

As Snow White spoke, all the magic around her seemed to cheer.

As expected of the protagonist, if she were to become a magician, her strength would probably not be weak either.

"Back to the embrace of darkness... I should belong to darkness..." Lin Yu repeated these keywords in a low voice, his Sharingan unconsciously turning slightly.

It's almost certain that what the princess heard in her nightmares was more than just a dream.

Guard Chris and the idiot also frowned, clearly realizing the seriousness of the problem.

Chris asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, when did these nightmares begin? How frequently do they occur?"

Snow White tilted her head and thought for a moment, twisting the hem of her skirt with her fingers: "It seems... it started not long after we moved into the little cabin. At first it was rare, but later... especially recently, I dream about that voice almost every night..."

Sometimes, even during the day, when I'm alone, I seem to vaguely hear something...

As she spoke, she instinctively hugged her arms tightly, revealing a hint of fear.

"A subtle, gradual erosion of the spirit..." Lin Yu thought with a chill.

It seems that this is what those know-it-alls were after.

If auditory hallucinations occur even during the day, it indicates that the erosion is already quite severe.

The simpleton's face darkened, his fists clenched tightly: "I knew it! Those guys were up to no good! They must have used some evil ritual or curse on Snow White!"

Lin Yu shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated wooden hut after the battle: "I'm afraid it's not that simple. If it were just a simple curse or ritual, some of my abilities should be able to detect something."

However, when we were lying in wait, we didn't detect any particularly strong and persistent dark magic fluctuations inside the cabin.

Lin Yu was naturally referring to his own Heavenly Eye.

He paused, looking out the window at the dense, impenetrable shadows of the forest: "Unless... the source of this erosion is not entirely inside the cabin or the methods of those dwarves, but is related to the entire forest environment... or rather, to some larger entity."

Chris looked thoughtful. "You mean, there's something wrong with the forest itself?"

"Demons... the forest god... and the princess's nightmares. Judging from these things, it's very likely that there was something wrong with this forest to begin with."

Lin Yu spoke up.

"Is there a problem with the forest itself?"

Chris narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yes."

As Lin Yu spoke, he slowly walked out of the cabin and focused his gaze on the forest outside the cabin, which was filled with twisted trees.

"I want to see what kind of demons and monsters are causing trouble."

Leverage resources!

Lin Yu directly connected with the True Lord statue, and divine power surged into his body.

Under the astonished gazes of Chris and the bumbling fool, Lin Yu's aura rapidly rose. Of course, this was not the most important thing; what he needed now was not power.

Instead, it is the Heavenly Eye.

A golden line appeared on Lin Yu's forehead, revealing a third eye imbued with divine power.

Lin Yu closed his eyes and used the third eye on his forehead to observe the forest.

As he looked down, sure enough, about ten meters underground, there was an extremely dense black aura that almost filled the entire forest.

This black mist formed a huge shadowy beast, which seemed to be asleep, gathering beneath the forest.

Seemingly sensing the gaze, a single eye composed entirely of black energy opened underground and stared back at Lin Yu.

This is... that demon?

Lin Yu showed no fear, meeting its gaze and observing it.

The black aura stared at Lin Yu for a few seconds, and after realizing that Lin Yu showed no fear whatsoever, it slowly closed its eyes with some reluctance.

However, just as he was closing his eyes, Lin Yu suddenly noticed something strange.

That is, just a moment ago, he seemed to see his system panel flash.

"What's going on?"

Lin Yu frowned.

On the other side, Chris and the idiot exchanged bewildered glances as they saw Lin Yu deep in thought.

Chris had no idea what was happening.

The idiot looked at Lin Yu and also fell into deep thought.

"What a coincidence..."

She murmured to herself in a voice only she could hear.

After a while, Lin Yu opened his eyes, broke free from the state of borrowing strength, and closed the third eye on his forehead.

Lin Yu returned to the cabin and, before Chris and Hutu Dan could ask anything, he said directly, "I just discovered something strange. We may have overlooked a crucial issue before."

So, are the "system prompts" and "role tasks" we receive truly reliable?

Chris and the idiot were both stunned by these words.

"What do you mean?" the idiot couldn't help but ask. "A mission is a mission, how could it be faked?"

Lin Yu walked to the window and looked at the forest outside: "Like I said before, think carefully. When we entered this game world, did the system clearly state the type of game? Also, did you receive any main quests or side quests?"

There's nothing there, right? Don't you guys find that strange? In the past, no matter what game world it was, even if there were no side quests, the system would still give a notification, but this time there's nothing at all.

All they have are all sorts of restrictions. To be honest, have you ever really heard of a game world like this?

Lin Yu's question stumped Chris and the idiot.

The two thought about it carefully, and it seemed that there really wasn't one.

Furthermore, it is indeed strange to bring this up now, but... why didn't they notice?

"Cognitive impairment? What you just described, the insidious mental erosion of the forest?"

The idiot suddenly spoke up.

Chris's expression gradually changed.

As Hutudan said, once they entered the game, their attention was immediately drawn to the character backgrounds and mission objectives. They immersed themselves in the identities of "hunter," "guard," and "dwarf," and devoted all their efforts to thinking about how to complete the mission and fight against or protect the princess.

As for the game's overall genre... it doesn't seem to have a clear and unambiguous label like previous games.

Even though Lin Yu had mentioned this issue before, they didn't take it too seriously. Instead, they were still subconsciously thinking about their respective roles and tasks.

The most typical example is that he and the simpleton were always subconsciously protecting Snow White's safety.

"It seems... there wasn't any particular emphasis?" Chris said uncertainly.

"It's not just a possibility, it's definitely not true." Lin Yu said with certainty, "As soon as we came in, we were instilled with role memories and missions, and then we were put into action."

All the information is designed to guide us into 'role-playing' and 'factional conflict'.

However, based on past patterns and our respective intelligence, the basic rules and victory conditions should be clearly defined first in a normal game, especially one involving multiple players.

Even for special genres like tower defense games and merge games, this applies; there's no reason why a regular puzzle game should be considered special.

Chris scratched his head, still somewhat confused: "But...aren't the character missions the victory conditions? Completing each character's mission is all it takes to clear the game, right?"

Lin Yu turned around, his Sharingan flashing with a calm light: "I've said this before, these missions are all based on the forces behind us. Have you ever thought about what if the mission itself is a trap?"

What if the 'system' that issues the tasks, or rather, the 'system' we perceive, isn't the real game system, but rather... a disguise of some other entity?

This bold statement sent chills down the spines of Chris and the idiot.

"A disguise system? This... is this even possible?" Chris found it hard to believe.

"Why is it impossible?" Lin Yu countered. "If the power of this being is strong enough, it is not a pipe dream to interfere with or even tamper with the initial information received by us 'outsiders'."

Moreover, it is a fact that our strength has been weakened, so it is not difficult to achieve this.

Lin Yu continued, "Its purpose might be to make us kill each other, or to follow the script it has set, so as to ultimately achieve one of its goals—for example, to make the princess fall into darkness completely."

Lin Yu's words were like a key, unlocking a previously overlooked blind spot.

They carefully recalled all the details after entering the game and became increasingly suspicious.

The lack of information, the contradictions in the tasks, the ambiguity of the background... everything seemed strange.

"If that's really the case..." The idiot's face turned pale. "Then weren't we deceived from the very beginning?"

"It's just speculation at the moment, but the possibility is not small," Lin Yu said. "We need evidence, and the key to that evidence may lie with the princess and the truth about this forest."

If I'm not mistaken, our main quest should also be related to this.

He looked at Snow White: "Your Highness, you just said that you were taken in by the dwarves because you got lost in the forest."

Do you remember why you left the castle and how you got lost?

Snow White was startled by their serious conversation; she couldn't understand a word Lin Yu and the others were saying.

At the same time, this also objectively confirms some of Lin Yu's ideas.

Their conversation had actually gone a bit out of character, but nothing strange happened, which was inconsistent with the "system's" description.

This might be a trap set by the other party to make it difficult for them to discover the problem.

Snow White struggled to recall, "I...I couldn't stand my mother's suffocating love, so I wanted to leave the castle. As for why I came to the forest..."

Snow White seemed to have forgotten something, and her face was full of confusion.

"It seems...it seems...I don't just mean it, it seems like I just subconsciously came here."

Snow White shook her head.

"It seems the princess was influenced by the forest and came here without realizing it."

"That idiot spoke up."

"Maybe."

Lin Yu remained noncommittal.

"If that's the case, shouldn't we leave here first? After all, this forest is so eerie."

Chris crossed his arms and spoke.

"I also think we should leave..." The idiot nodded.

"So, the question now is, where to go?"

Lin Yu waved his hand.

Chris thought for a moment and said, "How about going back to Darkwood Castle? First of all, it's definitely safe there. Secondly, Darkwood Castle isn't entirely under the Queen's control. The King's former officials also have considerable power. I was sent by them to bring back the princess to inherit the throne."

"Going back to challenge the Queen? That's an interesting idea."

Lin Yu stroked his chin, pondering the possibility of this idea.

But at that moment, Snow White, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly raised her hand.

The three of them looked at her.

Snow White looked at Lin Yu and said, "Mr. Hunter, I don't want to go back."

"Princess, you don't need to worry about the Queen. We will protect your safety."

Before Lin Yu could speak, Chris spoke first.

"Yes, we will protect you, Snow White."

The idiot nodded in agreement.

But Snow White didn't seem to be moved by their words. She just shook her head firmly and continued to look at Lin Yu.

Clearly, even if she were naive, she knew that Lin Yu currently held the most power among them.

"Your reasons."

Lin Yu looked at Snow White and asked.