After clearing the snow at the entrance, Lin Yu pushed open the heavy wooden-clad metal door and entered the small house.
The furnishings inside were distinctly different from all previous "safe houses."
A workbench-style desk and chair, a spacious single bed with bedding, a single wardrobe, wall-mounted bookshelves...
There was even a dedicated wine cabinet and a cooking range with pots, on which many metal cans were placed.
Though most furniture was covered in dust, it was clear...
Someone had genuinely lived here.
Unlike those "temporary safe houses" that weren't meant for human habitation at all!
What proper house would just have a stove as its main feature.
From observing this house, Lin Yu could draw some conclusions.
After all, the bed was neatly made, the desk and chairs arranged with meticulous precision—almost obsessive-compulsive.
Even the books on the shelves and the wine in the cabinet were arranged by height.
Moreover, though long unused, the metal handle on the wine cabinet door was relatively new, while the metal handle on the bookcase had been worn to a smooth shine.
It wasn't hard to deduce that drinking was an occasional indulgence for him, but reading was likely a nightly ritual.
And...
Upon approaching the bookshelf, one could see English titles on the spines.
The 'Death Game' was ultimately connected to reality...
At least the language was the same.
Though those English titles were rather puzzling when translated directly:
"The Principle of Happy Machinery," "The Particularly Good Angry Gear," "The Crazy Wrench," "The Stupid Tire"...
Opening the bookcase and pulling out those books revealed large sections blacked out.
Anywhere that seemed to originally contain "illustrations" had been completely obscured with black ink.
Lin Yu could only piece together from the remaining fragments and the book layouts...
These seemed to be some kind of academic works.
All these books pointed toward a "discipline" that Lin Yu couldn't yet comprehend.
This made Lin Yu ponder again.
"So, the owner of this room read these things every night?"
"And... these black bars are so neat and straight—it's highly likely the book's owner deliberately blacked them out."
"But why would he do that... Was this his way of destroying these books?"
Lin Yu exhaled.
But there were better ways to destroy a book—like burning it.
Lin Yu ran his fingers over the books' smooth page edges, thinking.
These books had clearly been frequently read, yet showed no missing pages or dog-eared corners.
This indicated...
The owner not only valued tidiness but likely cherished books deeply—a true bibliophile at heart.
An increasingly clear image formed in Lin Yu's mind: a young male scholar living alone in this snowy wilderness.
As for why male...
The wardrobe contained men's overcoats, all in muted colors—but with fitted styles, and trousers with stiff, straight cuts more suited for younger men.
Lin Yu then shelved all the books back in the case.
Next, he turned his attention to the workbench.
On the wooden surface, the table's edges bore traces of pencil dust.
Though the owner had clearly wiped it down, pencil residue lodged in the seams and grain wasn't easy to fully remove.
From the pencil marks being concentrated around the edges, Lin Yu inferred:
"Was this table used for drafting?"
If it were just for writing, pencils wouldn't be commonly used... let alone leave marks specifically around the edges.
Lin Yu lightly tapped the tabletop, checking if this conspicuously sturdy desk concealed any hidden compartments.
Just then...
"Thud!"
The door was pushed open.
In the doorway stood a handsome young man with sharp features, wearing a red knit cap.
Seeing Lin Yu inside, he looked momentarily startled before recovering.
"Oh—you're that 'Doctor' I met earlier, May!"
The newcomer was none other than the 'Detective' Furbollo.
Rubbing his hands together excitedly, he looked at Lin Yu.
"Zhin didn't expect to meet you here... Seems you're quite sharp too, May!"
Furbollo marveled: "You also noticed something odd about this place and came, right..."
Lin Yu regarded Furbollo, swiftly switching back to the persona he'd used with this 'Detective' last night—the diligent night-shift doctor.
Clearing his throat, he said: "More like coincidence in my case..."
Lin Yu then asked:
"How did you realize there was something unusual here?"
"Because today I followed your example and explored around, then noticed these safe houses are too 'regular,'" Furbollo waved his hand. "Though they seem randomly placed, there's a clear pattern—I checked three spots, and each abandoned safe house had exactly seven others nearby!"
"If viewed from above, you'd see... all safe houses form a perfect circle!"
"And by my deduction... this current location is the circle's center!"
Lin Yu looked at Furbollo in surprise.
He was impressed by Furbollo's "spatial reasoning" ability.
Lin Yu pulled out the map.
"You've got some skills, Detective."
"I only noticed the anomaly because I got this map from an NPC."
As he spoke, Lin Yu showed the map to Furbollo.
The detective glanced at it and casually waved:
"No big deal, basic stuff—though not bad for a 'Doctor' to spot patterns on a map!"
Lin Yu nodded: "But with the map, I noticed something you missed—see how all safe houses not only form a perfect circle, but that circle can be evenly divided into twelve 30-degree sectors?"
Lin Yu said earnestly. Furbollo looked and nodded in surprise.
"True! That's an interesting find!"
Lin Yu exhaled, then said: "Though I'm a 'Doctor,' I'm no worse than you as a 'Detective.'"
"In fact, aren't 'Doctors' and 'Detectives' natural partners?"
Hearing this, Furbollo laughed: "With that logic, since 'Doctors' can heal anyone, they should be 'natural partners' with everybody."
Lin Yu smiled at his response.
"I see..."
Suddenly, Lin Yu produced the [One-Statement Lie Detector], saying: "I have this item—it functions as a lie detector."
With that, he tossed the detector at Furbollo.
"Clatter!"
It hit Furbollo before falling to the floor.
Furbollo instinctively dodged, then stared at the device in bewilderment.
"Huh? What was that for?"
"Checking if you have physical form."
Lin Yu already held another item in his hand.
As Furbollo looked down, Lin Yu aimed the [Guaranteed-Hit Revolver] at "Furbollo."
"Anyone named 'Furbollo' would definitely know the classic detective-doctor duo reference..."
"But I'm glad you have physical form, impostor."
"Or should I say..."
"'Chate.'"