In a pitch-black space, lines of bloody text appeared before Lin Yu once again.

[Congratulations on winning the "Who Is the Outsider" game!]

[Calculating your rewards for this game session!]

[You have received the basic reward: 7 days of survival time.]

[Based on your performance this game, you've earned the "Master of Control" evaluation and received an additional reward.]

[Additional reward: You may select one "non-exclusive item" from this game as your reward!]

As Lin Yu was receiving his settlement, a pained cry suddenly came from beside him.

"Damn it—why only 7 days?"

Lin Yu turned toward the source of the noise.

This [Settlement Space] resembled the pre-game space but with slight differences.

The main difference was...

Besides himself, Chen Zhuo was also present.

After his outburst, Chen Zhuo looked at Lin Yu with teary eyes.

"Game Master bro, you promised seven years..."

Seeing Chen Zhuo's pitiful state, Lin Yu shrugged. "Well, that was just a white lie to keep you from losing hope."

"Seven days is barely enough to watch one more episode," Chen Zhuo wailed. "Can't you... extend it a bit?"

"Sorry, Chen Zhuo," Lin Yu said helplessly. "Even though I'm the 'Game Master,' I'm just a player with special privileges. I don't have that level of authority."

"Rather than a god, think of me as a god's 'spokesperson'—otherwise I wouldn't be here in the settlement space with you."

Chen Zhuo looked dumbfounded. "Ah... Game Master, then... do you get more time than me?"

"Yes! I receive double your amount!"

Lin Yu declared confidently.

This was precisely why he had partially confessed to Chen Zhuo earlier.

Seeing that Chen Zhuo still believed him to be the "Game Master," Lin Yu had wondered...

Would his [Fraudster] ability work even in the game's settlement space?

After all, it was a Unique Class!

Unfortunately...

Although Chen Zhuo seemed to believe him and the [Fraudster] ability appeared effective...

The [Manifestation] didn't succeed.

Lin Yu vaguely understood: Chen Zhuo's [belief] alone was far from enough to make "receiving double survival time" [manifest].

"This is tougher than expected."

Lin Yu mused to himself.

But having confirmed his [Fraudster] ability still worked, Lin Yu grew more motivated.

"Of course, besides 'survival time'... I can also obtain ten 'non-exclusive' items from each game!"

"Ten?!"

Chen Zhuo exclaimed in shock.

"Right. Actually, if you perform exceptionally well and earn a 'special evaluation,' you can get item rewards too," Lin Yu patted Chen Zhuo's shoulder. "Not bad, huh?"

Chen Zhuo said in amazement, "I see..."

He naturally [believed] Lin Yu's words.

Lin Yu sensed Chen Zhuo's [belief], but unfortunately, it still didn't [manifest].

The degree of [belief] still wasn't enough... though this time, Lin Yu could tell it was very close.

After some thought, Lin Yu looked at the easily fooled Chen Zhuo and spoke again.

"Just kidding earlier—it's actually only six, not ten."

With anyone else, Lin Yu wouldn't dare change his story so casually, as it would raise suspicion.

But Chen Zhuo...

The chubby boy bought it again!

"Damn, that's still awesome, Game Master bro! You're really something!"

Yet...

Still no [Manifestation]!

But Lin Yu could feel they were almost there.

So he decided to keep messing with Chen Zhuo.

This time, however, he avoided mentioning specific numbers.

"Actually, it's not unconditional. As the Game Master, I just get to double any rewards I earn!"

"So I merely doubled the 'additional reward' from this game!"

As Lin Yu spoke, Chen Zhuo had an epiphany.

"I see... being a Game Master is really amazing!"

"But I think you were chosen because you're strong too... you handled this game really well!"

Chen Zhuo gave Lin Yu a thumbs-up.

Then he realized something was off.

"Wait... according to you, bro, all surviving players should be in this [Settlement Space], right?"

"Why don't I see anyone else?"

Lin Yu spread his hands. "Oh, they're all dead—because I added special rules that made them turn on each other. The last two killed each other simultaneously, so the game ended quickly with only one survivor."

"What?!"

Chen Zhuo looked stunned, then asked, "Even the Lone Wolf died?!"

Hearing this, Lin Yu paused, realizing Chen Zhuo still believed in the Lone Wolf's existence.

Lin Yu nodded solemnly.

"Right. The Lone Wolf was killed by the Veterinarian—one slash to the throat."

Chen Zhuo was horrified.

"Damn, I never thought the Veterinarian—a woman wearing glasses and looking all gentle—could be so ruthless!"

Lin Yu froze.

Xia Yue didn't wear glasses?

Then he understood.

"You're mistaken—that was the Teacher."

"Oh," Chen Zhuo scratched his head, then sighed. "Sorry... I'm just shocked by how brutal this game is."

"Yeah, it's brutal."

Lin Yu said softly.

Chen Zhuo's survival was mostly luck—aside from himself, the chubby boy was the only human role left, dutifully completing tasks until the end.

But luck was part of strength too.

"Good luck going forward—cherish this second chance at life."

"Only seven days though, bro..."

Chen Zhuo said mournfully.

Before he could finish, the [Settlement] concluded.

Lin Yu blinked and found himself lying at the center of a stage.

He checked his phone—it was just past midnight.

Almost overlapping with the 00:01 on his screen were the floating bloody words in the upper right of his vision.

[Time until next game starts at latest: 06 days 23 hours 59 minutes]

Lin Yu exhaled.

"Though the 'time' was wrong, it's true..."

This Death Game really had another round.

Compared to Chen Zhuo, Lin Yu didn't think seven days was short.

But...

"It's still urgent."

He got up, touching his chest where the "gunshot wound" no longer existed.

It all felt like a dream.

Yet proof it wasn't a dream existed beyond the bloody countdown...

There was also the storage space within his soul, now holding the [Guaranteed-Hit Revolver] and [One-Statement Lie Detector].

And—

His still-functional [Fraudster] ability.

With these as his foundation...

"It's time to figure out who that 'psycho' who killed me really is."

Sure, the other guy had a gun—but now so did he!

As Lin Yu muttered to himself, he took a step forward.

Then he suddenly felt something odd in his right pants pocket.

Like someone had slipped a card inside.

He reached in and pulled out a pure black card.

In its center were two lines of small silver printed text.

"Welcome 'back,' dear senior."

Seeing these words, Lin Yu's hair stood on end.