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

"I dare not draw any conclusions, but her aura is really strange. I am certain that she is not a vengeful spirit or anything like that. The resentment and death aura on her body are more like... a disguise." Liu Xiangxiang carefully chose her words.

"Disguise..." Lin Yu repeated the word, his mind racing.

It has to be said that Liu Xiangxiang's guess instantly cleared up many of his doubts.

Why was Hongshang able to easily enter the consciousness space of Lin'an?

Perhaps it is because she is of the same origin as that so-called devourer, or even a part of it.

After all, Lin Yu had just seen that the situation in Lin'an was far from good. Even the deepest dream consciousness space had been occupied by the "enemy" and could only be barely maintained.

As for why she guided Lin Yu to eliminate the so-called intruder, Lin Yu guessed it was likely a trap.

The purpose is probably to use Lin Yu's power to break a certain balance and complete the plunder of the last source of [Lin'an]!

"Liar...it's fake..."

The faint voice from Lin'an echoed in Lin Yu's ears once more.

Now he understood that "Lin'an" might refer to none other than Hong Shang, who was disguised as a victim and collaborator.

"What a clever substitution, using someone else to do the dirty work!" Lin Yu's eyes flashed with cold light.

"That's not right either. We can't jump to conclusions yet; it's just a possibility."

But Lin Yu quickly shook his head. He couldn't jump to conclusions so hastily. After all, he already had a prejudice against that woman in red, so he would naturally think the worst of her. However, he had no evidence to prove that his guess was correct.

"Headache."

Lin Yu sighed; now he could only continue searching for clues.

Lin Yu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Xiangxiang, thank you for reminding me," Lin Yu said to Liu Xiangxiang in his mind.

"You flatter me, my benefactor," Liu Xiangxiang replied softly. "My benefactor, this place is eerie, so please be careful. If you need anything, you can call me anytime."

"I understand," Lin Yu nodded.

Then Liu Xiangxiang's voice disappeared.

Lin Yu turned his thoughts back to reality.

"Perhaps... we can start with the 'rules of the game'." An idea popped into Lin Yu's mind.

Since this world is built upon the consciousness of 'Lin'an', then some of its rules must also be related to Lin'an before its destruction.

Lin Yu immediately thought of the Li family incident.

When a misfortune befalls the Li family, requiring the help of a capable person to resolve the issue, it is very much like a pre-set "story mission".

If the entire city of Lin'an were a giant, collapsing game scenario, then Hongshang would likely be the final boss of that game.

Now, because of an accident in Lin'an, it is no longer able to maintain the rules of this world, which should also be the reason for the destruction of this world.

Lin Yu seemed to have grasped some key point.

He recalled the excessive "normality" and "prosperity" of Lin'an when he first entered the city.

This very normality is the greatest abnormality. How could the dreams of a world consciousness on the verge of destruction be so perfect and flawless?

Lin Yu had personally witnessed the current situation in Lin'an, and the other party definitely did not have the ability to maintain the operation of a world under such circumstances.

Not to mention that this world is so perfect that even his all-seeing eye cannot detect any problems.

Something's not right.

Lin Yu muttered to himself.

The reason for this situation is quite simple: there is probably a force forcibly whitewashing the situation and suppressing the "anomalies" and "decay" that will inevitably occur during the destruction of the world.

The other party is "helping" [Lin'an] stabilize this world.

A glint of light flashed in Lin Yu's eyes.

He felt he had grasped the key.

"Alright, now that we have a direction, let's investigate in that direction."

Lin Yu sat cross-legged on the bed.

He already had a plan for how to proceed with the investigation.

Now that the Nightmare Overlord talent has proven useful, he can naturally continue to utilize this ability.

Even if we stop searching for Lin'an, we can still explore that vast dream world and perhaps find something useful.

Lin Yu immediately closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank back into the Nightmare Mental World.

This time, he no longer connected to the core area, but instead used the talent of the Lord of Nightmares to perceive the composition of this dream in Lin'an.

Examining the "material" and "structure" of this dream.

Just as he suspected, this seemingly stable and prosperous world was riddled with discordant "patches" at its core.

There is an external force that is distinctly different from the local forces, like a rough stitch, forcibly mending the cracks that naturally arise in the dream.

This force is incompatible with the force that originates from the world itself.

"As expected, someone is helping to maintain this dream..." Lin Yu nodded silently.

"Is it the Crimson Robe, or that so-called 'Devourer'? Or... are they all one entity?"

He immediately traced back along these discordant "stitches".

These "stitches" are scattered throughout the dream, but some are particularly thick and conspicuous. They are like load-bearing walls supporting the entire dream, and their source seems to point to several key locations.

One of the most obvious sutures emitted an energy fluctuation that carried a familiar feeling to Lin Yu.

"This is... the aura of the 'System'?"

Lin Yu frowned slightly. Although it was extremely weak and deliberately disguised, Lin Yu was certain that it was energy originating from the apartment game.

After all, he has experienced so many worlds.

"Using the system's power to stabilize a world that the system has abandoned? This...?"

Lin Yu never imagined that the power of the system could be utilized.

Is this a bug or a rule?

Lin Yu couldn't understand it at all.

But his consciousness quickly locked onto the approximate location of this anchor point—located in the central area of ​​Lin'an City, seemingly... the location of the government office?

Just as he was about to concentrate on further investigation, a very subtle mental fluctuation suddenly rippled out from where he was.

The fluctuation was very subtle, carrying a sense of probing and confirmation.

Lin Yu instantly became alert, his consciousness receded, and he fully activated the [Lord of Nightmares] talent, completely merging himself into the surrounding energy.

At the same time, he spared a sliver of his senses and cautiously touched that mental fluctuation.

"...A...Witcher...?"

Intermittent thoughts, as if transmitted through a faulty signal, came through.

Lin Yu was startled.

This... is a Voidwalker?

He responded immediately, using his own nightmare energy to construct a temporary communication space, blocking other energies from entering, and then used mental power to inquire, "The Void?"

"It's me," came the Voidwalker's thoughts.

Because Lin Yu used the power of nightmares to create a more complete communication space, his voice was no longer intermittent.

Where are you now? How are you?

Lin Yu immediately asked.

"I got separated from the others and was taken to a place called Lin'an City..."

Void Flying quickly explained his situation to Lin Yu. Like Lin Yu, he had also been separated from everyone else and was all alone.

Of course, more importantly...

"What?"

Lin Yu was stunned for a moment after hearing the void's answer.

"Is there a problem?"

A message came from the void over there.

"..."

Lin Yu paused for a few seconds before answering, "Your experience is almost exactly the same as mine; I was also pulled into Lin'an City..."

"Huh? Where are you?"

Void was also stunned for a moment. He had not expected this situation at all. Like Lin Yu, he had already searched for his teammates, but he could not find a single one of them.

"That's the crux of the matter. Based on your description, you and I should be in the same place. Is there a Li family in your area that's looking for extraordinary people to solve problems?"

Lin Yu asked, frowning.

"There is indeed one in the Li family, and there is a wealthy man named Li Chaoyang in the family, but... there are no problems in his family, nor has he recruited any extraordinary people."

The Voidwalker quickly answered Lin Yu.

……

The two then talked for a long time, and Lin Yu quickly learned about the current situation of the Voidwalker.

As mentioned earlier, Voidwalker, like Lin Yu, also entered a place called "Lin'an".

Like Lin Yu, he also began searching for clues as soon as he entered. However, he did not encounter the Li family incident. Instead, he used his powerful spatial perception to discover some problems in this world.

He discovered that although the world he was in was complete, it actually seemed to be just a small fragment of the world. So he tried to use his ability to transmit his thoughts out of the fragment of the world he was in. Unexpectedly, he received a response from Lin Yu shortly after he sent it out.

……

"So, it sounds a bit like a parallel universe."

After listening to Lin Yu's story, the Void Walker replied with great interest.

"Parallel world?"

Lin Yu frowned. This speculation sounded like a fantasy, but it didn't seem impossible.

"To be more precise, they are like different copies of the same world blueprint, or rather... fragments."

Voidwalker corrected, "We are all in 'Lin'an City,' but we may be in different timelines, different possible branches, or simply copied and pasted multiple times."

The red-clad figure and the so-called world consciousness of Lin'an might not have enough power to maintain a complete and unified large world, so they adopted this clever trick, dispersing and isolating intruders in different 'small instances,' making it easier to filter them out.

"Screening..." Lin Yu caught the word.

"To select capable 'variables' to achieve their goals?"

That's true; it seems that both Hongshang and Lin'an need the player's help.

"That's most likely the case. Moreover, judging from your description, my 'copy' seems to be more 'normal,' with no obvious trigger points for paranormal events."

This could be a random assignment, or... it could be something that the woman in red intentionally arranged based on our traits.

The Voidwalker analyzed, "You have the title of Witcher, which gives you a special advantage against dark creatures, so she arranged for you to use the obviously supernatural event of 'Haunted Li Mansion' as a starting point and test."

As for me, a spatial ability user, she probably felt that directly giving me the events would easily expose my weaknesses, so she had me explore a relatively 'peaceful' instance on my own, increasing the difficulty and mystery.

Lin Yu thought the Voidwalker's analysis made a lot of sense.

This explains why, despite being in the same city of Lin'an, their experiences were so different.

"We must find a way to reunite," Lin Yu said after thinking for a moment.

"I think so too. I'm trying to pinpoint the coordinates of the 'instance' you're in," the Voidwalker replied.

"But the spatial structure on your side seems to have been reinforced by a special force. According to your information, strictly speaking... it should be 'stitched' together."

Therefore, my infiltration is difficult and will take time; moreover, a forced breakthrough might alert the enemy.

"Take your time. By the way, I've also found some clues here."

Lin Yu told the Void Walker about his discovery of "system power stitching together dreams".

"System power?" The Voidwalker's thoughts revealed surprise.

"This is indeed unexpected. If it can really utilize the residual power of the system's rules, then this Crimson Robe or 'Devourer' is far more troublesome than we imagined."

It may not just be devouring the world's origin; it might even be attempting to steal or parasitize the system's permissions.

This speculation sent a chill down their spines.

"The government office... I'll focus my investigation there." Lin Yu decided, "You continue trying to locate and contact the others. Ancient One, Demon, and Green Fox might also be trapped in other instances."

"Understood. Stay in touch with the Witcher. Notify me immediately if I make any progress or if you encounter any danger you can't handle."

While providing support across "instances" is difficult, creating some chaos or providing informational support is still achievable.

After the Voidwalker finished speaking, his thoughts slowly faded away, clearly indicating that maintaining this precise communication across "instances" was quite taxing on him.

After the communication was interrupted, Lin Yu also exited the nightmare mental world.

He took a deep breath, turned his gaze to the dark night sky outside the window, and his eyes pierced through the layers of houses, landing on the majestic government building complex in the city center.

That place may very well hold the biggest secret of this fake Lin'an city.

……

The next morning, as the sun rose, Lin'an City returned to its bustling, prosperous state, as if the deathly silence and eeriness of the previous night had never existed.

Lin Yu changed into more inconspicuous clothes and used the Sharingan's genjutsu ability to silently approach the government office located in the city center.

The government office occupied a vast area, with its vermilion gates tightly closed and guarded by armed yamen runners standing solemnly in front of the gates, maintaining a high level of security.

Ordinary people dared not approach it.

But this didn't stump Lin Yu.

He circled around to the side and rear of the government office, found a gap in the patrol, activated [Spatial Leap], and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot, appearing the next moment in the shadow of a rockery inside the government office.

With his Heavenly Eye fully open and his own aura concealed, Lin Yu began to carefully perceive his surroundings.

Sure enough, once they entered the government office area, the incongruity of the "system power" became exceptionally clear.

They are like countless invisible threads, extending from every corner of the government office, especially from the direction of the back hall, closely connected with the dream foundation of the entire Lin'an city, forcibly stabilizing those constantly emerging cracks.

He evaded the patrolling soldiers and servants, and crept towards the inner chamber where he sensed the most concentrated energy.

The closer you get to the back room, the more the air seems to stagnate, and an indescribable sense of oppression descends.

The guards here are sparse, but Lin Yu can sense that some obscure array runes are engraved on the walls and ground, emitting faint energy fluctuations, which are obviously some kind of warning or defense mechanism.

He quickly enhanced the perception of his Heavenly Eye to its limit, while his Sharingan slowly rotated, capturing the subtle trajectories of energy flow and array operation.

Although these formations are ingenious, they seem to have some operational delays and loopholes due to the unstable energy source.

Seizing a fleeting moment when the energy of the array shifted, Lin Yu activated [Spatial Leap] again, precisely traversing the last invisible barrier and landing in a quiet courtyard.

In the center of the courtyard, instead of the expected official residence or study, stood an ancient-style altar made entirely of a dark blue stone.

The altar was not tall, about three feet high, and was octagonal, with a crystal the size of a pigeon egg set in each corner, emitting a soft white light.

The altar was covered with incredibly complex runes, and at that moment, a faint light was slowly flowing along the traces of the runes.

In the very center of the altar, there floated a fragment of irregular shape, about the size of a palm.

Its entire body presents a chaotic color, as if countless miniature stars are being born and dying inside, exuding an aura that is out of place with the surrounding dreamscape, yet carries a certain primordial power.

Fragments of the Heart of the Dead in the Abyss

Category: Special Items

Grade: Diamond

Description: A fragment of the core origin of the game world [Abyss of the Dead], containing some of the world's rules and residual energy.

"Fragments of the Heart of the World!" Lin Yu's heart trembled.

Lin Yu was very familiar with the Heart of the World; he had a Nightmare Heart of the World, which was the only Radiant Stone-level item he possessed.

However, this is just a fragment, so its level is not high, only diamond-level, but it is still very strong.

However, what Lin Yu was more concerned about was that the "system power" that maintained the operation of this altar and channeled the power of the world fragments to the entire dream did not originate from the altar itself, but rather... from beneath the altar!

His third eye pierced through the stone base of the altar and looked down.

What was revealed beneath the altar was not solid ground, but an excavated underground space roughly the size of a room.

There were no lights in the space, but it was filled with a familiar, cold, white light that had the characteristics of a data stream.

In the center of the white light, floated a... phantom token?

The token had an ancient design, was neither made of gold nor wood, and was dark silver in color with a slightly transparent appearance. On the front was a complex rune that was constantly changing shape, while on the back was a clear number – [VII].

The token emanates a stable and pure system energy fluctuation, which is the one that continuously outputs power, driving the altar above and "stitching" together the entire Lin'an dream.

[Permission VII]

Category: Special Items

grade:???

Effect:???

Description: Appears to represent some specific system privilege, origin and function unknown. Faint traces of a deactivated identity remain on it.

"Privilege VII?" Lin Yu's pupils shrank suddenly.

The system privilege level emanating from this thing felt much higher than his level two privileges, yet it was unlike any system item he knew of.

Moreover, that number VII thing instantly reminded him of the disbanded containment facility.

The special agents at the shelter are numbered three digits, with the higher-ups being 002, 003, and 004. So what does VII (7) mean?

Is it an entity one level above the previous internment members, or... is it an organization or individual with system privileges that exists independently of the internment?

The mastermind behind this actually possesses something like this? Where did they get it? Stolen? Robbed? Or... a product of a loophole in some of the system's rules?

Countless questions instantly flooded Lin Yu's mind.

But none of that matters now; that's not what's important.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yu reached out to take the item and the previous fragment of the Heart of the World.

But just as his hand was about to touch the token, a sudden sense of alarm arose in his heart!

His outstretched hand was flung away by two objects, and at the same time, a cold gaze locked onto him.

Without any hesitation, Lin Yu exerted force with his feet, and his figure retreated rapidly like a ghost.

The instant he left his spot, the space where he had just been stood was gripped tightly by an invisible hand, violently twisting and collapsing, forming a brief black hole-like vortex that swallowed up the surrounding air and light.

"That was a pretty quick reaction."

A cold female voice rang out in the courtyard.

Lin Yu steadied himself and looked up.

Beside the altar, a figure had appeared out of nowhere. She was still wearing that dazzling bright red wedding dress, still had those pale, bony hands, and her face was covered by a red veil, but Lin Yu could feel that the gaze behind the veil was firmly fixed on him.

Red dress!

This guy definitely has something going on.

She has been monitoring this place.

Clearly, this [World Fragment] and this [Authorization Token] are of paramount importance to her.

"It seems you haven't accepted my proposal." Hongshang's voice was unreadable, but the temperature in the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.

Instead, they chose... a more impolite way of exploring.

Lin Yu remained silent as the Azure Rose quietly appeared in his hand. He activated his Sharingan at full power, vigilantly sensing his surroundings.

He discovered that the entire courtyard had been sealed off by an invisible barrier, making the space extremely stable, and even the [spatial jump] felt significant resistance.

"I'm curious, how did you find this place?" Hongshang didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a move. Instead, she was like a cat playing with a mouse, with an inquisitive mindset.

"Did that fragile world consciousness cry out for help to you? Or is there some other method?"

Her gaze seemed to penetrate Lin Yu's body, fixed intently on him.

Clearly, she hadn't expected Lin Yu to discover the problem so quickly.