Cheng Tingyu's original self had done quite a thorough job of preparation. The ticket she purchased not only served as a temporary identity proof for the outer district but also came with a pre-opened private bank account, indicating a considerable confidence in her own ability to make money.
Yu Wenran and the other two transferred a total of one hundred thousand— even by the purchasing power before the time travel, this was a hefty sum of ten thousand. As Cheng Tingyu felt the fullness of his account, he finally saw hope of moving out of the capsule hotel.
After expressing his gratitude, Yu Wenran's gaze swept over the dried bloodstains in the office, and an uncontrollable sadness appeared on his face.
——Although the time spent together was not long, the death of a colleague from the same department is never something to be happy about.
Yu Wenran forcibly averted his gaze and said to Cheng Tingyu, "There's one more thing. Because of the sudden appearance of the instance, the inspection team will come to verify the clearance situation. They will individually ask all participants about the details of the instance." He paused, then reassured, "It's just a routine inquiry. As long as you're not a 'Secret Eye' type player, there shouldn't be any issues."
Cheng Tingyu: "…This is truly a rather comforting piece of news."
Yu Wenran: "It is said that 'Secret Eyes' are prone to madness and must be apprehended immediately. Also, 'Boundary' must regularly report their whereabouts to the Security Bureau or the Inspection Team."
Cheng Tingyu's expression was slightly subtle—despite being the same type of player who was highly guarded, the treatment in "Realm" seemed much better than in "Secret Eye."
Yu Wenran's reminder was soon validated in a very tangible way.
As a security maintenance department with a significant presence, the inspection team, although unable to extract the participants from the instance in time, would not miss the post-verification process.
Cheng Tingyu and Yu Wenran, along with others, were waiting to be questioned in the duty room. Thirty minutes later, a black SUV stopped at the entrance of the development zone, and several people dressed in uniforms matching the color of the vehicle got out.
The young man at the forefront had three leaves embroidered in silver thread near the shoulder on the left side of his clothing. Upon seeing this, a certain official from the development zone immediately approached with a beaming smile, bowing and greeting him, "Honorable Inspector, sir."
The person in charge welcomed the visitor inside while communicating the recent situation to them.
Although the development zone is considered a dangerous area in the outer district, within this dangerous area, there are distinctions between somewhat unsafe and very safe.
The location of the duty room is considered one of the safest areas, almost unlikely to trigger a sub-plot.
The young inspector nodded to the visitor and got straight to the point: "It shouldn't be your problem."
As soon as she finished speaking, the person in charge visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
As a legitimate organization, the official employees of the development zone naturally have a good employee protection plan. If it is ultimately found that the instance was triggered due to an error in the development zone's arrangements, they must bear the primary responsibility and provide substantial compensation.
The person in charge bent even lower at the waist: "Sorry to trouble you with this trip. The development zone will certainly be more careful in the future..."
The inspector smiled, his expression even bordering on amiable: "The outer district is a high-incidence area for anomalies. The inspection team is under a lot of pressure, and we indeed hope to avoid similar incidents as much as possible."
The person in charge felt a tremor in their heart.
As long as you join the inspection team, even if you are just an ordinary member, you will be politely addressed as "Inspector." In this organization, those higher than ordinary members are the Guards, with the highest rank being First-Class Inspector Guard. Beyond that, you truly enter the power center as an Inspector Officer.
He had heard about the newcomer's identity—Deputy Inspector Bu Wushang, who had just turned twenty-four this year. Given her current age, being officially inducted into the ranks of inspectors was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement for someone so young.
On the way to the development zone, Bu Wushang had already learned that the reason there was no catastrophic team wipe in this instance was because an outsider from the desolate zone had been drawn into the event. This person had extensive survival experience and played a crucial role in the process of clearing the instance.
Bu Wushang: "Invite her over and conduct a preliminary investigation."
Cheng Tingyu sat in an empty room without windows.
She maintained her posture of resting with her eyes closed until she heard footsteps approaching from outside the door.
The light in the empty room was not very bright. When Inspector Wei, who was in charge of the questioning, pushed open the door and glanced at the person sitting inside, the other party happened to look towards the doorway as well. In that brief moment of eye contact, the person at the door experienced a fleeting illusion, as if thick, rich blood was slowly flowing from the eyes of the person sitting in the chair awaiting interrogation.
Inspector Wei steadied himself, not rushing to start his work. Instead, he first took an ornament from a pure black box he carried with him, then carefully placed it on the table. After that, he took out paper and pen and formally began the routine questioning.
——Cheng Tingyu thought with great interest that the fact the other party directly used their hands instead of choosing a laptop showed that the level of technology in the city wasn't very advanced.
She could understand that there were no gaming platforms like st**m at the moment, but she still hoped that City F0631 would increase its investment in the entertainment industry.
The inspector needed to confirm the danger level of the person to be interrogated, especially to determine whether the individual was a player, and if so, what specific abilities they possessed.
The other party got straight to the point: "Did you know about the existence of the copy before reaching the trigger point?"
Cheng Tingyu's gaze lingered on the ornament on the table for a moment.
It was a crystal pendant hanging in the air, its lower end just touching the sand table. It looked light and beautiful, as if a mere breeze could set it gently swaying.
However, from the moment the ornament was taken out of the box and placed on the desk, the pendant remained completely still, exuding a kind of frozen beauty. It wasn't until Inspector Wei spoke that it showed the slightest, almost imperceptible change.
That kind of change is hard to describe in words. If I had to put it into words, it would probably be that his demeanor suddenly became more "lively."
Cheng Tingyu wasn't clear about the function of this item, but since it was chosen to be used at this moment, it proved that it could assist with the upcoming interrogation, allowing the inspection team members to better grasp the truth of the case.
A thought flashed through her mind—in the current situation, telling the truth should be the safest approach.
Cheng Tingyu speculated that the function of the crystal pendant was most likely to determine the reliability of the respondent's answers.
Since the inspection team chose this issue as a starting point, it proves that it is possible to know about the copy in advance.
As someone who had just left the desolate area and entered City F0631, her identity naturally carried a certain level of suspicion. However, Cheng Tingyu knew very well that the triggering of the instance had nothing to do with her. Coupled with the scenario where participants in the cold-proof house were divided into two camps, the answer became obvious—if there truly was someone among the seven participants who knew about the instance in advance, that person would be Liu Xuehong.
Similar incidents must have occurred multiple times for the inspector to raise the corresponding question immediately.
Cheng Tingyu pondered as he spoke, neither quickly nor slowly, "I just arrived in the outer district yesterday. Today, I planned to come to the development zone to inquire about job opportunities. As for encountering the dungeon, it was completely unexpected. I had no idea there was a dungeon here before."
She provided more information than the inspection team had asked for.
When Cheng Tingyu said the previous words, the items on the table remained completely still. It was only when she answered that she had no prior knowledge of the copy's existence that they began to sway ever so slightly to Cheng Tingyu's left.
——If she weren't a "Secret Eye," she most likely wouldn't have sensed the change in that crystal pendant.
The inspector was also observing the condition of the ornament. At this moment, his expression relaxed slightly, and he nodded, "Please show your ticket first. We will conduct further investigation afterward." Then, "Just to confirm, you came to the development zone today to look for a job?"
Cheng Tingyu smiled and said lightly, "Actually, it's not."
The inspector felt slightly astonished; at this very moment, the items on the table had changed once again.
From Cheng Tingyu's perspective, the crystal pendant began to sway to the right.
This time, the shaking was even more subtle than the last. Even with Cheng Tingyu's "Secret Eyes" ability, he had to concentrate to discern it correctly.
The first time was the truth, the second time was a lie; honesty and deceit were both accurately represented.
Of course, what most caught Cheng Tingyu's attention was not the pendant's testing function, but the way it activated.
The pendant's ability to judge is very mechanical, only able to distinguish between true and false. Subtle social expressions, however, are beyond its scope of judgment.
Before the inspector could ask further, Cheng Tingyu shrugged, "I plan to first assess the situation, gauge the level of danger, and then decide whether or not to look for a job here."
She added a very fitting supplement to her lie, reflecting the mindset of a working person, and then said, "It turns out that scouting ahead is necessary—triggering the instance before even reaching the duty room is completely unacceptable in terms of my workplace safety standards."
The inspector remained silent for a moment.