Lucky billion players, you've never seen one before / I can accumulate my own luck

Fan Xiao said, "The main danger we are facing now comes from cognitive distortion. This is something that cannot be avoided and can only be passively endured. So... the faster we clear this dungeon, the safer we will be."

"Under this premise, it is not advisable to continue collecting the Ring of Love at a slow pace."

"So I suggest that we give up the idea of ​​everyone collecting 10 rings. We just need to collect 10 together first, and then we can complete the third dungeon quest together."

"Of course, if you're aiming for a perfect clear, the highest dungeon rating, and intending to complete all the tasks... you can pretend you didn't hear my suggestion."

"..." Ai Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "I have no intention of pursuing a perfect clear. Speaking of which... you've already found a solution for the third mission? Generally speaking, aren't dungeon missions supposed to get progressively harder? Giving up the first mission to complete the third... isn't that actively increasing the difficulty?"

“The three tasks released in this instance are indeed progressively more difficult than the last, but…” Fan Xiao smiled and said, “Although the difficulty increases, the time required to complete each task does not. From the information I know, the third task will take much less time to complete than the first task.”

Upon hearing this, Ai Yuan showed a hesitant expression.

Just as the other players were deep in thought, Melissa suddenly said, "I agree to this proposal."

This statement attracted everyone's attention.

Bathed in everyone's gaze, Melissa continued to look at Fan Xiao and said, "Actively distort your own cognition and move closer to Professor Chen's theory... This solution was discovered by you, and now it has been verified to be true."

"Although I am somewhat unwilling, you should have more complete information than we do."

"I don't doubt the feasibility of your proposed solution, of course..."

After a slight pause, she continued, "Others may still be hesitant; it depends on whether you can persuade them."

"You want intelligence, right?" Fan Xiao said nonchalantly, "No need to be so subtle. Since I've made this suggestion, I will naturally share the intelligence with you."

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up their ears.

"..."

Sakura, standing to the side, had mixed feelings.

It seems that Fan Xiao has given up on the robbery.

However... he went back to his old ways and prepared to fool people.

Whether the third task can be completed by multiple people is actually unknown.

However, in Fan Xiao's mouth, this became a matter that had already been determined.

"It seems you had quite a haul last night?" Melissa asked in surprise. "You didn't just investigate the holder of the Ring of Love, did you?"

“The most time-consuming and laborious work naturally requires everyone to work together. What I went to investigate last night was other intelligence,” Fan Xiao said with a smile. “For example… what’s the situation with the city lord?”

“…You’re really brave!” Melissa asked curiously, “What’s the situation with the city lord?”

"The city lord is Professor Chen!"

Fan Xiao didn't mince words and said directly, "Professor Chen in this instance is not a single individual. His spirit should be split into three clones, each at a different age stage."

"The Professor Chen we met at the library was middle-aged, and he had two other alter egos..."

"The city lord's residence is a four-story building. The first floor is managed by the young Professor Chen, the second floor by the young Professor Chen, and the middle-aged Professor Chen belongs to the highest fourth floor."

"Professor Chen's intellectual level is the highest. You have all talked to him, and you must all feel that. Completing the third dungeon mission is very simple. We just need to send Professor Chen back to the fourth floor of that building."

"It really is dissociative identity disorder...?"

Melissa looked quite surprised.

She had suspected this before, but it was mostly in jest at the time. She never expected that Professor Chen would actually be a schizophrenic!

"What's on the third floor?" Elise, standing next to Melissa, asked. "You haven't told me about the third floor yet."

“I’ll keep the third floor a secret for now,” Fan Xiao said with a smile. “The third floor is related to the second instance mission, and there are a limited number of slots for completing the second mission. I need to make sure I can complete the mission first, so that no one can sabotage me. Therefore… I’m sorry, I can’t reveal the information about the third floor to you for the time being.”

Upon hearing this answer, many people frowned slightly.

Despite some regrets and unpleasantness, their trust in Fan Xiao actually increased significantly.

It's as if the other party's unwillingness to reveal all the information is a normal reaction.

If the other party tells them all the information in detail, they will start to doubt the other party's motives.

At this moment, Tai'an stepped forward and said in a half-threatening tone, "Aren't you afraid that we will reject your cooperation proposal by withholding such crucial information?"

“Some things can’t be easily compromised,” Fan Xiao shrugged. “Cooperation can only help us clear the level faster. Although it can improve efficiency, it’s not the only solution. If you refuse, so be it. I didn’t beg you to come. It doesn’t matter whether you participate or not. Anyway, I’ve already reached a cooperation agreement with her. Fewer people will just mean slower efficiency.”

He glanced at where Sakura was standing, using this gesture to signal to the other players that Sakura was now his teammate.

“I think if we just follow the steps, it shouldn’t take too long to complete the first task, right?” Tai’an said. “Ai Yuan only took one morning to obtain a Heart Ring.”

"Heh," Ai Yuan sneered, "Some people don't even look in the mirror and see what level their looks are at before daring to compare themselves to me?"

"..."

A hint of anger appeared on Tai'an's face.

His looks are indeed not considered very good.

Therefore, Ai Yuan's words slightly broke his defenses.

Just as he was about to say something, Fan Xiao suddenly reminded him, "Your idea has a premise—there are enough Love Holders in the school, enough for all of us players to obtain 10."

He shook his head: "Thinking like that is too naive! In fact... it's not even certain whether we can maintain our student status indefinitely."

"If we acquire other identities after a while, entering the school will be prohibited, and forcibly violating this rule will attract the attention of law enforcement."

"The number of Ring of Love holders is indeed an issue that cannot be ignored. Focusing solely on the first instance quest is too passive."

Melissa looked at Van Shaw and said, "I still stand by my previous position and agree to cooperate with you. I'd like to ask... what role does the Ring of Love play in your plan?"

"The third task is to send Professor Chen, who is middle-aged, back to the fourth floor of that central building."

Fan Xiao said, "There are obstacles in this process, such as the young Professor Chen on the first level and the young Professor Chen on the second level, their strength..."

As he said this, he glanced at Sakura.

Sakura noticed Fan Xiao's gaze and immediately chimed in, "They're very strong! No B-level player could possibly beat them! To get past their floors, you have to use the right methods. Forcing your way through is tantamount to suicide."

"Is it……"

Melissa's expression turned serious.

There's no need to lie about things that can be directly verified.

What the other party said must be true.

Fan Xiao then said, "The correct way to pass the level is to use the Ring of Love to deal with Professor Chen, the young man on the first level."

"As for the second layer... the solution should lie with Professor Chen, who is middle-aged. Miss Ying and I are going to contact him and explore the corresponding methods from him."

"The third layer... as I just said, it's a secret for now."

Melissa looked thoughtful.

After a few seconds, she asked the most crucial question: "How can you guarantee that 10 Heart Rings will allow all of us to pass through the first floor at the same time?"

“That’s right!” Ai Yuan also thought of this and quickly said, “What if everyone needs 10 rings?”

Melissa is quite clever... Fan Xiao maintained his smile and said, "Don't worry, I've already considered this."

"We're just trying this out; we don't expect it to succeed, and it won't take up much time anyway."

"If more than 10 rings are needed for the first floor, we can consider selecting someone as a representative to go through the level first and send Professor Chen to the fourth floor."

"At that time, Professor Chen's middle-aged will will most likely seize control of this instance from Professor Chen's younger self on the second level, and the distorted city will naturally return to normal."

“Once the city returns to normal, the distortions inflicted on us will disappear, and we will no longer be assimilated by this city. At that time, it will be much safer to pass through by collecting the Rings of Love, as there will be no time limit at all.”

"Choose a representative..."

Melissa looked suspicious.

She didn't quite believe that.

Is this guy really going to provide all the intelligence he's gathered, benefiting others?

She couldn't help but ask, "How exactly are the representatives chosen?"

"The traditional method is voting, where the minority obeys the majority."

Fan Xiao said, "Everyone will vote together to choose the one with the most votes. Anyone who disagrees will be going against everyone, and then everyone will gang up on them... I think under this threat, not many people will have the guts to do something reckless."

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Ai Yuan agreed. “We need to choose the person with the best character to be our representative.”

“It doesn’t matter who we choose, we don’t need to care about their character,” Fan Xiao said. “No matter who sends Professor Chen to the fourth level, this instance will become safer. It’s just that the person who is chosen will get a better instance rating.”

“That makes sense,” Tai’an said. “If that’s the case, I agree with the proposal. But you…”

He looked at Fan Xiao with a hint of suspicion and asked, "If you're not the one chosen in the end... are you really willing to share information on how to clear the second and third floors?"

"Of course!" Fan Xiao smiled sincerely: "Public opinion cannot be defied. Whoever dares to resist will have to face attacks from all the players... I don't have the guts to pull any tricks on this."

cherry:"……"

So that's what they were planning!

Are you planning to wait until others have collected all the rings before robbing them?

He didn't immediately threaten other players to become his laborers... he was quite polite.

Or rather... is this the only way to motivate other players?

Fan Xiao suddenly glanced at Ying.

cherry:"……"

Silently suppressing her impolite thoughts, Sakura said, "If everyone thinks it's okay, let's split up. One group will collect the Rings of Love, while the other will contact Professor Chen to explore a way to get through the second floor."

"Wait!" Melissa suddenly said, "Finding a method from Professor Chen shouldn't take too long. I'll go with you."

After saying that, she glanced at Élisabeth and Malfoy, indicating that they didn't need to worry.

Although the two were slightly worried, they had no choice but to obey orders.

"Are you trying to take control of the situation?" Fan Xiao laughed. "That's quite an idea."

"Leave the task of collecting the Rings of Love to me!"

Ai Yuan seized the opportunity and took the initiative to show off in front of Fan Xiao, saying, "I will try to get the boys from all the classes."

……

After leaving the school, Fan Xiao, along with Ying and Melissa, quickly headed towards the library.

On the way, Melissa asked, "Professor Chen shouldn't be in the library at this hour, right?"

“He’s quite famous and often gives lectures at the library. The staff there probably know something about him,” Fan Xiao said. “Let’s find out first, and then go directly to him.”

Chapter 605 Professor Chen's Story

After wandering around the library for a while, Fan Xiao and his two companions asked many staff members and finally found out Professor Chen's address from the librarian.

As a celebrity who frequently gives lectures here, Professor Chen's basic information is registered in the roster. After leaving the library, Fan Xiao, along with Ying and Melissa, headed to the eastern district of True Love City, quickly arriving at the wealthy residential area. The three of them used teleportation tools to bypass the complex's multiple layers of security, and after some searching, they arrived at the gate of Professor Chen's residence.

While players are required to abide by the laws of the City of True Love, these restrictions are not abnormally strict. On the contrary, there are many loopholes in the laws that can be exploited, and such exploitation will not result in arrest by law enforcement.

For example, sneaking into a residential area is not considered trespassing.

As long as you don't sneak into someone's house, it's fine.

So Fan Xiao pressed the doorbell outside Professor Chen's residence.

A moment later, the door opened, and Professor Chen himself appeared in the entryway to welcome them inside.

Upon entering the living room, Professor Chen looked at Fan Xiao and the other two with a normal expression, showing no surprise.

He seemed to have anticipated that Fan Xiao and the others would come to visit him... It seems he had been visited by players quite a few times before.

After inviting Fan Xiao and the other two to sit down, Professor Chen personally brewed them some black tea.

Soothing music gently filled the living room.

In the slightly elegant atmosphere, Professor Chen asked, "Did you come to me for advice on relationship issues, or... is there something else?"

“There were inquiries, but also other matters,” Fan Xiao replied first. “Let’s talk about the other matters first. Last night, a few of us investigated some details of the city, including the building where the city lord resides, which we also visited.”

"Did you find anything?" Professor Chen asked.

“Yes! And it’s huge!” Fan Xiao smiled and dropped a bombshell: “For example… the city lord is Professor Chen, and Professor Chen is the city lord. And you in front of us are actually one of the city lord’s three avatars, so you can sense many anomalies in this city.”

Upon hearing this, Professor Chen looked enlightened: "So that's how it is... No wonder."

"You don't seem surprised at all?" Melissa interjected, asking rhetorically, "Don't you have any doubts?"