"Senior Brother."
Lin Qingyue's voice was calm, yet it precisely cut through Zhou Yi's raging fury.
"The Fox-woman Merchant you mentioned... does she have fox ears and a tail?"
"The kind who's particularly good at teasing people?"
In just a few words, she recounted the entire scene from the previous night: how Adela had pressed close to Lin Xiyue, using her fluffy tail as bait, and issued her "midnight viewing" invitation.
"A Fox?"
Zhou Yi's usually honest face tightened instantly, and he slammed his fist into his palm, the joints cracking with a dull pop.
"Exactly! Most of them are from the Fox Race, and their methods are utterly despicable!"
His anger flared anew.
"Damn it! These vile creatures will prey on anyone—men and women alike!"
Only then did Lin Xiyue belatedly grasp the situation, her face draining of color. She instinctively shifted closer to Su Wan.
"Ah? So when she invited me to 'admire her tail,' she actually meant...?"
"What else could she have meant?"
Su Wan hissed impatiently, her arm snaking out to yank Lin Xiyue behind her, shielding her completely.
"Did you think she was inviting you to conduct species diversity research?"
Her eyes burned with possessive protectiveness and murderous intent, her territorial instincts unmistakable.
"That's not all."
Lin Qingyue slowly tossed out another observation.
"Before we entered the city, when we first saw Adela, she was followed by seven or eight men pushing minecarts."
"Their eyes were feverish yet hollow, as if their souls had been drained away."
"At the time, we thought they were her admirers."
She shrugged, her expression knowing.
"Now, looking back, it's clear they were a 'Loyal Dog Corps'."
Xia Lian, who had been silent until now, quietly added:
"It wasn't just their eyes... I observed closely at the time. The men pushing the minecarts moved with a subtle synchronization to Adela's pace and movements."
"Like... like marionettes."
She glanced uncertainly at Lin Qingyue. "I thought it was just a coincidence back then."
"It wasn't a coincidence."
Lin Qingyue gave her an approving look.
"Your observation was spot-on. It's an unconscious imitation behavior resulting from deep mental manipulation."
At that moment, all the clues clicked into place.
The strange avoidance of women by ordinary men.
The frantic pursuit of paid entertainment venues.
Adela's two attempts to probe them.
Zhou Yi's bloody-teared warning.
A complete logical chain presented itself clearly to the group.
Zhou Yi was utterly stunned, his burly frame stiffening.
The information he had painstakingly pieced together at great personal cost... these junior sisters had actually managed to reconstruct almost the entire picture through mere observation?
He felt both relief and lingering fear. "Thank goodness you're all safe! Especially Junior Sister Xiyue, you absolutely must never go with her! Otherwise, you'll end up..."
He couldn't bring himself to say the words "becoming a loyal dog."
Su Wan's aura radiated such intense cold that it seemed to crystallize into ice, the frozen particles drifting through the air like snowflakes.
The "Paid-Establishment Safety Theory" and the "Wild Female Hunting Theory" have both been definitively proven, and we've identified their root cause.
Lin Qingyue mentally affirmed.
These itinerant Fox Merchants have turned loopholes in the rules into a full-blown business model, like a mudslide in the world of pick-up artistry—true geniuses of cross-industry entrepreneurship.
It's precisely the existence of these "professional hunters" that forces normal men to pay for peace of mind, blocking the paths of ordinary girls who genuinely want to find love.
That's why the man I saw yesterday, who had just confirmed his relationship with a normal woman, wore a face not only of resignation but also a faint glimmer of relieved joy.
Seeing Zhou Yi's near-death escape, Lin Qingyue knew this Senior Brother had narrowly avoided becoming a proud member of the "Loyal Dog Corps."
She resolved to repay the favor.
"Senior Brother Zhou Yi, your information is crucial. Thank you," Lin Qingyue said calmly.
"But have you ever wondered why their 'hunt' has such a high success rate?"
Zhou Yi instinctively replied, "Because their methods are despicable, and they're masters at exploiting men's weaknesses!"
"That's part of it," Lin Qingyue said, extending a finger with composed poise. "But more importantly, the rules of this world are aiding them."
She glanced at the frenzied audience in the Arena.
"The Echo of the Heart's Abyss amplifies desires. It magnifies not only their lust but also their need for control."
Zhou Yi's grip on his giant axe tightened violently, cold sweat beading on his forehead as terrifying memories resurfaced.
Lin Qingyue continued, "Then there's Truth. It makes these amplified desires impossible to conceal, forcing them to be expressed raw and unfiltered."
"Imagine someone infatuated with you, telling you every day, 'I can't live without you.' How would that make you feel?"
Zhou Yi's face turned ashen, his voice dry and strained:
"...You'd... you'd feel like you're in control of everything, and you'd grow more and more dependent on that feeling of being needed..."
"Exactly."
Lin Qingyue nodded, delivering her final verdict.
"So, those Fox Merchants aren't mere hunters; they're the ultimate 'rule players'."
"They exploit the rules to make their prey willingly transform into 'dogs,' even convincing the 'dogs' themselves that they're happy."
"The rules... the rules..."
Zhou Yi muttered to himself, his gaze shifting from anger to lingering fear, finally settling into pure terror.
Only then did Lin Qingyue casually unleash her final trump card:
"Moreover, we've found a perfect 'control group' to validate my theory."
"What control group?"
"The Elves."
Lin Qingyue uttered the word with nonchalant ease.
"The Elven Race of the Silent Forest. Naturally detached, they favor spiritual connections over physical intimacy. The Echo of the Heart's Abyss has a negligible effect on them."
"They are the 'immune sample' in this mad world."
Zhou Yi's shoulder, burdened by the massive axe, felt numb.
He stared in shock at the pink-haired junior before him, realizing that all his previous struggles, fears, and explorations had been reduced to a complete joke.
He had risked everything just to reach Level Two.
Meanwhile, she had been standing on Level Five from the beginning, surveying the entire game board.
This wasn't mere analysis; it was a dimensional strike.
His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, all his emotions ultimately coalescing into two words, tinged with bitter admiration:
"...Impressive!"
The value of this information was immeasurable!
[Ding! The logical loop you've constructed perfectly reveals the world's underlying rules, dispelling the fog in others' minds with your wisdom. This sense of control—of perceiving everything from a higher dimension and guiding the game toward your desired outcome—fills you with supreme delight!]
[Elation Value +1200!]
Zhou Yi took a deep breath, regarding Lin Qingyue with the awe of someone looking at a monster. Finally, he gave her a solemn warrior's salute.
"Thank you for your guidance, Junior! I'll remember this favor! I need to go discuss countermeasures with my team immediately!"
With that, he shouldered his massive axe and pushed through the crowd without a backward glance to find his team.
As soon as the Senior Brother was gone, Lin Xiyue sidled up to her sister, her eyes sparkling with admiration like twinkling stars. Still, she couldn't resist whispering:
"Sis, you're amazing! But... isn't it risky telling him our analysis like that?"
Su Wan's cool gaze lingered on Lin Qingyue's composed figure as she strode away. For once, she didn't immediately snap back at Lin Xiyue, but instead said softly:
"Does she strike you as someone who'd make a losing deal?"
She paused, then glanced at Lin Xiyue's bewildered expression, her voice regaining its usual icy tone:
"You were probably daydreaming about lunch again during the Dungeon collaboration rules lecture, weren't you?"
Her voice was low, icy, and clear.
"At the Dungeon's final settlement, individuals or teams who provide valuable intelligence will receive corresponding Contribution Points and rewards based on the information's value."
"It's called intelligence investment, got it now, you little dummy?"
Lin Xiyue's eyes widened in realization. She stuck out her tongue, giggled sheepishly, and clung to Su Wan's arm, shaking it playfully.
Just then, a thunderous gong reverberated from the center of the Arena.
Clang!
On the arena floor, the swordsman Buck and the Berserker Gru finally clashed in a violent melee.