"Me? 'End' all this?"
Lin Yu frowned upon hearing this.
"But what exactly do you want me to do?"
He asked softly.
Before Vale Valetti could respond, Furbollo started shouting.
"Why are you only talking to May? And saying he's the smartest..."
"Am I not qualified enough?!"
Furbollo complained indignantly.
Vale Valetti glanced at Furbollo with a slight frown.
Hearing this, Furbollo's expression softened slightly but still couldn't hide his irritation.
"Of course I'm intelligent—but your condescending attitude is definitely suspicious!"
Furbollo looked at Lin Yu with a serious expression.
"May, I think this guy might not be trustworthy—he's also a Truth Corporation employee, and B-3 isn't a low rank... There are four clearance levels: A, B, C, D, each with three sub-levels!"
"He's practically management already. We can't trust his words!"
"This guy might just be trying to trick you into dying!"
As Furbollo spoke, Lin Yu nodded.
Though there was some emotional bias in his words, Lin Yu understood...
Furbollo's reasoning was logical and based on rational analysis.
In truth, Lin Yu didn't completely trust Vale Valetti either.
He looked at the researcher and sighed.
"Honestly, I do have doubts about you..."
Vale Valetti wasn't surprised: "I understand. After all, I appear to share origins with this monster—even coming from the 'company' that created this tragedy. Whether I side with the monster or the company... there are many possibilities that I might be 'malicious'."
"But I can only beg you to trust me!"
He said earnestly.
"Time... is truly running out!"
Vale Valetti's words left Lin Yu and Furbollo confused.
"What do you mean time is running out?"
Furbollo asked urgently.
"It has grown to a 'terrifying' degree. Your arrival here has already alerted it," Vale Valetti explained. "Soon, it will forcibly activate the 'Dream Manufacturing Device'... Now, it can already control some instruments here!"
"Once that starts, you'll all be trapped in the nightmares it creates—including the other survivors who appeared with you on Extreme Winter Mountain!"
"We have at most two or three minutes before activation begins!"
As Vale Valetti spoke, Lin Yu's expression changed.
"So this monster has basically come to life already?"
Hearing this, Vale Valetti looked at Lin Yu again.
For the first time, the researcher's face showed hesitation.
Finally, as if making up his mind, he spoke.
"Fine, I'll tell you—it hasn't truly come to life yet. It's just acting through a collective consciousness formed from 'devoured souls'... but you're right about its goal—to obtain 'true life'!"
"This thing wants to digest and integrate all souls to create its own true soul and life."
"To achieve this, it needs to devour more souls!"
"And once it truly 'comes to life,' transitioning from simulated consciousness to a real biological entity... it can completely detach from these instruments and—most likely gain 'intelligence' from the consumed souls!"
"At that point, none of us can predict what it might do!"
As Vale Valetti spoke, Furbollo and Lin Yu exchanged glances.
"This is insane!"
Furbollo muttered.
"I see," Lin Yu exhaled. "That explains everything!"
"But I still have one final question—why must it be me? And what exactly do I need to do?"
"Is it just because of 'that thing' on me?"
Lin Yu asked.
Vale Valetti nodded.
"Yes. What you need to do next... is find this monster's true form within the 'dream.'"
"Destroying it in reality isn't simple. Now, it's bound to the underground base beneath Extreme Winter Mountain. To destroy it, you'd have to destroy the entire base!"
"But in the dream, what manifests are the consciousness forms of the devoured and imprisoned souls."
Seeming to realize Lin Yu didn't want to reveal his "god's mark" in front of Furbollo, he spoke vaguely.
"And that thing on you can ensure you find it."
"However... I don't know how you'll destroy it after finding it! But I believe you can figure it out—with both of your intellect, you'll definitely find a way!"
Vale Valetti said honestly.
"Are you kidding me?" Furbollo couldn't help but curse. "I don't know what riddles you're exchanging with May or why you're so sure he can find some soul..."
"But we don't know how to destroy souls either!"
Vale Valetti explained: "In the dream, its soul has physical form... and it can only take the shape of 'frightening monster forms'—specifically, the fears of those souls in the dream, like giant snow monsters seven or eight meters tall!"
"You make it sound easy," Furbollo said irritably. "That's not something we can handle either!"
"You're not just two people—there should be nine of you remaining!"
"In the dream, if you two gather them, you can definitely figure out a solution!"
Vale Valetti urged anxiously.
Lin Yu, who had been silently pondering how to kill the snow monster, suddenly spoke up: "You mean all remaining survivors will enter the same dream together!"
"Exactly. The monster will want to gather you all to eliminate you at once... after all, it doesn't need many more souls now!"
Before Furbollo could respond, a loud noise erupted from below.
"Voom—!"
Vale Valetti looked at a spherical machine activating below and paled, shouting urgently.
"No... the device has started!"
"Remember, you must 'eliminate all fear from your hearts.' No matter how terrifying the apparitions, if fear takes hold, it's over!"
As he finished speaking, the spherical device below emitted a blinding light.
Furbollo collapsed to the ground with a thud.
But...
Vale Valetti stared in shock at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu stood calmly, unaffected.
"You... how can you resist the Dream Manufacturing Device?!"
"Because this is essentially a 'rule'—when this device activates, everyone must enter the dream it creates."
"And I happen to have the ability to interfere with rules—fortunately, the one who granted me that ability hasn't disappeared yet."
Lin Yu said gratefully.
He was truly thankful he'd studied the 'Rule Type' class advancement guide thoroughly.
In the game, various "non-player-activated item effects" and "specific monster/NPC abilities" could also be considered types of 'rules.'
They could be nullified by 'Ruffian' or modified by 'Official.'
Otherwise, in simpler 'Survival' or 'Slaughter' type dungeons, these 'Rule Type' classes would be pathetically weak!
Lin Yu had just used his 'Official' ability to modify the Dream Manufacturing Device's activation range, excluding himself.
Of course, Lin Yu was even more grateful he'd prepared a backup—having two Rule Type classes ready.
Because...
His 'Ruffian' ability had already disappeared!
Vale Valetti's shock turned to despair: "But if you don't enter the dream, your companions will all die!"
"This monster called 'Chate' will truly come to life!"
He collapsed to his knees weakly, looking at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu shook his head and spoke coldly: "I have absolute reasons not to appear in that dream—in fact, I absolutely cannot be with them in the same space!"
Otherwise, all of Lin Yu's contradictory lies would be exposed!
"As for those people's lives... sorry, Researcher Vale Valetti, they're not my companions. Their deaths mean nothing to me."
"As for the monster... all I care about is the 'truth.'"
"Killing it offers me no benefit!"
Lin Yu said indifferently.
From the beginning, his step-by-step unraveling of mysteries was solely to complete his Promotion mission.
And the second requirement only demanded he find the 'Fraudster' and uncover the 'deception.'
At no point did Lin Yu need to "expose" or "destroy" this 'deception.'
He did sympathize with the deceased, but...
Not enough to risk himself for it.
Hearing this, Vale Valetti was stunned for a long moment.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and said: "Fine, fine... in that case, let's make a deal!"
"I've noticed you've given everyone different 'identities' and don't want them knowing your true self—after all, you're favored by the God of Change, so your motives are clear."
"I can interfere with their communication in the dream, ensuring your lies won't be exposed!"
"Though I retain self-awareness, I'm also part of this 'monster'... Earlier, I could enter your dream to give hints. I can enter this dream too!"
Vale Valetti said.
Lin Yu looked at him, intrigued.
"That's tempting."
Indeed, even if he didn't appear in the dream, those people gathering still posed some risk of exposing his lies.
"But... not enough!"
"I can also give you my 'notebook'—it has indestructible properties," Vale Valetti added. "This is all I can offer!"
Hearing this, Lin Yu exhaled.
"Then... deal."