The difficulty skyrocketed, and there are lookouts

The greeting card in Ying'er's hand read:

"You, who can find joy even in a stumble, will never be beaten down by life."

"May you forever be the dream weaver of the binary world, and the solar energy that powers my mood."

The greeting card in Xia Yiwei's hand read:

"A life-saving syringe in the left hand, a motorcycle throttle in the right."

"Don't hesitate at the crossroads of life; accelerate until the traffic lights blur into a progress bar for your journey!"

Lin Yu didn't linger at the scene.

After handing the cards to the two of them, he quickly began a sweep of the second floor.

He left the two women alone, staring at their respective cards.

Xia Yiwei: "Ying'er, what did Little Master write to you? Let me see!"

Mo Shangying: "Hehe, Sister Weiwei, how about I see yours first?"

Xia Yiwei: "Mine is a bit too intimate; I can't just show it to anyone."

Mo Shangying: "Master definitely loves me more, you should know that."

Xia Yiwei: "That's not necessarily true. Who can say for sure?"

Mo Shangying: "Why don't you show yours first?"

Xia Yiwei: "No, no, no, you go first."

Mo Shangying: "Don't be modest."

Xia Yiwei: "No, really."

"..."

Lin Yu was conducting a rapid sweep of the second floor, paying no attention to the extreme back-and-forth between his two apprentices.

He strongly suspected that Ying'er and Weiwei were talking so much just to deliberately waste his time.

So far, he had only found the two of them on the second floor.

Compared to his efficiency on the third floor, this was abysmal.

Lin Yu realized there was a significant gap between his pre-action plan and reality.

He was gradually coming to terms with this.

Everyone was really racking their brains to create difficulties for him; they weren't going easy on him at all.

The difficulty level was much higher than he had imagined!

He had run a lap around almost the entire common area of the second floor, yet there was surprisingly not another soul to be seen.

Not even a single suspicious hiding spot appeared!

"Thud-thud-thud... thud-thud-thud..."

Just as Lin Yu was feeling skeptical and preparing to head downstairs, a rapid series of footsteps echoed from the stairwell between the first and second floors.

Lin Yu: "???"

Someone was running!

Was this really happening?

In an instant.

Lin Yu roughly guessed the others' strategy.

Some people were satisfied with their hiding spots and waited in fixed locations for Lin Yu to come.

Others, perhaps knowing their hiding spots weren't well-concealed or difficult to find...

They could move at any time!

Nobody ever said that once you picked a hiding spot, you couldn't move!

The reason Lin Yu caught so many people on the third floor was simply that once he was up there, the people on that floor had almost no possibility of running away.

The slightest movement would be spotted by Lin Yu.

However, the people "ostensibly" hiding on the second floor could have easily retreated to the first floor while Lin Yu was searching the third!

This way, the difficulty increased further, adding quite a bit of entertainment value.

The footsteps Lin Yu heard now were likely from someone who had been acting as a lookout at the stairwell.

They were ready to notify everyone the moment Lin Yu came down.

Lin Yu didn't know who the lookout was.

But there was one thing he was absolutely certain of.

This person wasn't getting away!

Trying to outrun Lin Yu?

They were still a bit too green for that!

Lin Yu's reaction was incredibly fast; he instantly picked up speed.

In the blink of an eye, he reached the vicinity of the stairwell.

"Thud-thud-thud... thud-thud-thud..."

The rapid footsteps hadn't disappeared, meaning the other person hadn't completely reached the bottom yet.

Critical moment.

It was time to show off a little skill.

Lin Yu braced himself on the handrail and performed a Jackie Chan-style flip over the stairs, landing quickly on the second step from the bottom of the first floor.

Even so.

He still hadn't intercepted the "lookout."

Lin Yu only caught a glimpse of the person's back as they sprinted rapidly toward the main entrance.

The few people who had already been caught were gathered around Maomao.

Cracking melon seeds and eating peanuts, they leisurely watched the "parkour race" about to unfold before them.

Shen Buyao: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! How did Lin Yu get down here?"

Fang Xinran: "Did he jump? Is Senior Lin really going that hard?"

Shen Jiuyi: "That's very dangerous."

Mo Shangying: "Haha, you don't know Little Yu. His name is Lin Yu—the 'Lin' from Jackie Chan, and the 'Yu' from Jackie Chan."

Maomao: "Uh, Ying'er, I don't think those two are related, are they?"

Xia Yiwei: "Ooh, look at them go! They're running! Let's bet on who's faster!"

Ye Mengfu: "Be careful..."

The onlookers were all wondering if Lin Yu would successfully catch the person.

The moment Lin Yu charged over, he shouted:

"What are you running for? Freeze!"

Immediately following that.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the figure running ahead came to a rapid halt.

Everyone: "???"

Lin Yu: "???"

Xia Yiwei: "Is the birthday boy's word really that effective?"

Shen Buyao: "Ruirui is the fastest runner among us, right? She just gave up like that? At least struggle a little!"

Maomao: "That braking was so fast, it caught me off guard."

Mo Shangying: "We should really praise Sister Ruirui's core strength; most people couldn't stop like that!"

Even Lin Yu hadn't anticipated how quickly the situation would change.

Of all people to choose as a lookout, why did they have to pick Mao Ruirui?

If he had known it was her, why would Lin Yu have bothered with the parkour chase?

He should have just shouted the moment he heard the footsteps!

Having others wrapped around his finger might not be easy, but when it came to Mao Ruirui...

However, the main hall was currently crowded with too many captured players.

Lin Yu couldn't make it too obvious.

If others noticed something fishy, it would inevitably lead to unnecessary speculation.

"Sister Ruirui, you really have a kind heart. You must have noticed my legs were giving out..."

"If you had kept running for your life, I would have collapsed before I even got to eat any cake today."

Lin Yu spoke, deliberately showing weakness.

Mao Ruirui turned around awkwardly, looking at the "exhausted" Lin Yu with an expression of considerable embarrassment.

She had clearly intended to accelerate and run; she absolutely wasn't going to be caught easily.

She never expected that...

Upon hearing Lin Yu's voice, she would stop in her tracks instantly.

Previously, Mao Ruirui only had vague suspicions about her own reactions, with no actual proof.

But after the moment that had just passed...

Mao Ruirui could now be certain.

She...

She could not refuse Lin Yu's requests!

As for the exact reason why, Mao Ruirui couldn't find a precise answer.

Because... she cared?

This kind of thing had never happened to her before.

She had never encountered a member of the opposite sex who she cared about so particularly.

Lin Yu had imperceptibly worked his way into her life, leaving her unsure of how to respond.