After gaining his ability, Lin Yu felt slightly more at ease.  

Yet he remained vigilant.  

Indeed, the ability to "verify identities" was incredibly powerful in games like Werewolf.  

As Chen Zhuo had pointed out, if the human faction centered their strategy around Lin Yu, victory would come relatively easily.  

But the werewolves would realize this too.  

In other words, Lin Yu had now placed himself in a highly dangerous position.  

Given the chance, the werewolves would spare no effort to eliminate him.  

Unless he stuck closely with the others, leaving no opening for the werewolves.  

But Lin Yu knew this game wouldn't allow such a scenario!  

"Beep—beep—"  

An urgent alarm sounded above everyone in the room.  

Lin Yu looked up and realized the noise seemed to come from the floor above.  

"That sounds like it's coming from the second floor," he alerted the group.  

Chen Zhuo, the otaku, panicked: "What does this alarm mean? Are the werewolves starting to kill?"  

Before Lin Yu could reassure him, Yu Longguo, the soldier, spoke firmly.  

"Don't panic. This isn't the signal for werewolf killings... Remember what the letter said—this castle has a schedule listing daily tasks. If we fail to complete them, deadly mechanisms will activate."  

After his explanation, Chen Zhuo froze momentarily before exclaiming: "Doesn't that still mean we'll die?! Where's the schedule?"  

Lin Yu pointed to the nearby wall—right beside where the bloody text had appeared earlier, near the doorway, hung an unconcealed schedule.  

Chen Zhuo rushed over, with the others following closely.  

The schedule was densely packed with text.  

"Day 1 Tasks:"  

"Repair generator - Location: Second-floor engineering room. Estimated time: 10 minutes. Countdown: 15:49..."  

"Refuel equipment - Location: Third-floor machinery room. Estimated time: 3 minutes. Countdown: 17:22..."  

"Clean library - Location: First-floor study. Estimated time: 15 minutes. Countdown: 21:06..."  

"..."

Rows of tasks were clearly listed.  

Just the tasks with countdowns under three hours already numbered over ten.  

Each task included its location and a steadily decreasing timer.  

Though no one knew what consequences awaited failed tasks or what mechanisms would trigger...  

No one wanted to gamble with their lives!  

"This many tasks?! What the hell! I didn't even work this hard in real life, and now I'm clocking in for this damn game?!" Bao Liu couldn't help but curse under his breath.  

His words echoed the group's sentiments.  

Lin Yu understood clearly.  

There were simply too many tasks, scattered across different locations!  

Sticking together would make completion impossible.  

The fastest way to clear the tasks was to split into groups.  

This was undoubtedly the game's method to prevent the human faction from clustering together!  

After tallying the tasks, Lin Yu did quick mental calculations.  

"If we split into two groups—three and four people respectively—and plan routes carefully, we might barely finish..."  

Lin Yu silently contemplated how to complete the tasks with minimal group splitting.  

But before he could finalize routes, Bao Liu spoke up first.  

"I say we split up immediately to handle these tasks. I'll take the generator repair!"  

He made as if to leave.  

The others seemed inclined to agree.  

Lin Yu frowned slightly and stopped him: "Wait, you can't just leave like that."  

Bao Liu turned back, glaring: "What's your problem, kid? Can't you see the timers ticking down—are you trying to get us all killed?!"  

"Don't think your so-called detective title makes you special!"  

Facing Bao Liu's aggression, Lin Yu remained calm: "Do you really want to go alone—aren't you afraid the werewolves will pick you off?  

"These tasks are urgent, but having all seven of us go solo would gift the werewolves perfect opportunities! Even if we split up, we must form groups!"  

After Lin Yu spoke, Chen Zhuo quickly nodded: "Exactly! Splitting up is the worst move in Werewolf!"  

Bao Liu hesitated, about to retort.  

But Yu Longguo interjected firmly: "I agree with grouping. With seven people, we'll pair up!"  

Lin Yu looked at Yu Longguo, preparing to speak.  

But...  

Yu Longguo continued: "I know your concern—if a human gets paired with a werewolf, that human would be in danger.  

"But remember, if anything happens to someone, their partner becomes the prime suspect.  

"So from this perspective, grouped partners are actually safe."  

Cutting off any objections, Yu Longguo declared: "Time's short. We'll proceed with paired groups."  

Xia Yue hesitated: "But with seven people, pairing up means one group will..."  

Seven players divided into pairs would create three teams of two, leaving one person alone.  

Yu Longguo cut her off decisively: "I'll go solo—I'm confident in my abilities. Even against an armed werewolf, I can hold my own!"  

Chen Zhuo rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "I agree. Brother Yu's skills can handle solo action!"  

Yu Longguo's plan seemed to have gained unanimous approval.  

Lin Yu didn't object either.  

Yet he found it all increasingly strange...  

Yu Longguo's reasoning sounded logical: in real-life Werewolf variants, pairing up was indeed a common strategy.  

This grouping method would accelerate the game, revealing identities faster.  

But...  

Smaller groups meant greater risk for humans.  

This essentially used "lives" to determine identities.  

Though they were in a "Death Game," this wasn't just a game!  

Rather than focusing on "winning" or "faction victory," shouldn't everyone's priority be...  

Survival?  

So why was no one objecting?  

Lin Yu's thoughts swirled chaotically, but the urgency of the countdown left no room for contemplation.  

Simultaneously, a vague sense of unease told him not to voice these doubts now.  

Just then, someone tugged his sleeve.  

Lin Yu turned to see Xia Yue standing beside him, biting her lip.  

"Detective... may I partner with you?" she asked softly.