83: The first sentence of Chapter 83 should not be read by the person who most wants to hear it.

[Especially, don't let me speak first.]

The final line of text projected by the grey screw stopped in front of the blackboard.

The old classroom was so quiet that only the ragged breathing of Chen Ye and Zhou Heng, who had just finished arguing, could be heard.

Lin Jin looked at that sentence, his fingers tightening subconsciously.

Don't let me speak first.

This sentence sounded like a joke.

It sounded like Lin Shoushan's usual unserious tone.

But the more it sounded like a joke, the heavier it made their hearts feel.

Because they all knew that every warning Lin Shoushan left behind was never written on a whim.

Shen Tingxue spoke first.

"He is referring to Lin Shoushan's remnant shadow."

"It could also refer to anything that appears with Lin Shoushan's voice."

Lin Jin nodded.

Chen Ye frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"If the White Tower turns the supplementary clauses into a reward, it won't necessarily just provide text."

Lin Jin looked at the grey screw.

"It might have my dad's remnant shadow read it."

"Once he speaks the first sentence, I will instinctively believe it."

Once Chen Ye understood, his face instantly turned grim.

"In other words, the White Tower can use your dad's voice to add explanations to the clauses?"

Shen Tingxue said,

"The first sentence is the most important."

"Because it will determine the direction in which all subsequent content is read."

Zhou Heng chimed in coldly,

"If the first sentence is 'Lin Jin, listen to me,' then no matter what is written afterward, it will easily be interpreted as a father's command."

Lin Jin did not argue.

This was precisely the most dangerous part.

The more a reward looks like an answer, the easier it is for people to let their guard down.

If Lin Shoushan's supplementary clauses really appeared and the first to speak was his father's remnant shadow, Lin Jin could hardly guarantee that he wouldn't waver at all.

It wasn't because he was stupid.

It was because that was Lin Shoushan.

It was the answer he had been chasing for three years.

Qin Shanhe stood in the back row, staring at the grey screw's projection for a long time.

"Your dad's warning can be considered as exposing the pitfalls of reading White Tower rewards in advance."

Teacher Xu Wenzhou said in a low voice,

"We didn't have this warning back then."

Everyone in the classroom looked at him.

Teacher Xu Wenzhou's expression was not good.

"The rewards of the White Tower's first floor won't necessarily appear in the form of a reward chest."

"It will appear in the form you are most likely to accept."

"Sometimes it's an audio recording."

"Sometimes it's an old photo."

"Sometimes it's someone you thought was dead, standing right in front of you, handing you the answer."

Shen Tingxue's fingers holding the Ice Key tightened slightly.

She naturally knew what this statement pointed to.

Shen Qingshuang.

If the White Tower let Shen Qingshuang speak the first sentence, she would be in just as much danger.

Zhou Heng also fell silent.

If the "remnant of Zhou Chengyue's original hesitation" spoke the first sentence in Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's voice from twenty years ago before being reconstructed, he might not be able to immediately distinguish whether it was a clue or the White Tower's enticement.

Chen Ye looked from one to the other, suddenly realizing something.

"What about me then?"

Everyone looked at him.

Chen Ye had a vigilant look on his face.

"Do I need to guard against this too?"

"The White Tower wouldn't conjure up my parents, teachers, or first love, would it?"

Zhou Heng frowned.

"You actually had a first love?"

Chen Ye immediately glared at him.

"That's not the point."

Lin Jin said,

"The point is, whoever wants to hear it most cannot be the one to hear it first."

He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a new rule on the blackboard.

[Reward Reading Rule One: The person with the deepest connection to the reward must not read the first sentence.]

Shen Tingxue added,

"The first sentence must be read by the most unrelated person."

Lin Jin wrote down the second rule.

[Reward Reading Rule Two: The first sentence shall be read by the teammate with the lowest degree of connection, and its meaning shall be verified by a second teammate.]

Chen Ye raised his hand.

"What if everyone is connected?"

Lin Jin paused.

"Then it goes to whoever is currently the least likely to be hooked."

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"Meaning, whoever is the most clear-headed reads it."

Chen Ye nodded.

"Sounds like taking turns being the bucket of cold water."

Shen Tingxue said,

"We need to add one more."

"When the voices of relatives, previous generation members, or missing persons appear in the reward, the voice must be frozen first before the text is read."

Lin Jin wrote down the third rule.

[Reward Reading Rule Three: Voice does not take priority over text; when the voices of relatives, previous generation members, or missing persons appear, the voice source must be sealed first.]

Looking at the third rule, Chen Ye couldn't help but say,

"This rule is very useful for the three of you."

"I'll just act as a manuscript-reading tool for now."

Lin Jin glanced at him.

"You are not a tool."

"You are the Protection Role."

Chen Ye froze for a moment, then grinned.

"Alright."

"The Protection Role is responsible for protecting everyone from being deceived by acquaintances."

Zhou Heng snorted coldly.

"You're only useful at times like this."

Chen Ye immediately retorted.

"Being slightly useful is still better than someone getting pierced through by a single sentence from their second uncle."

Zhou Heng's eyes turned cold.

Chen Ye immediately shrank back half a step behind his shield.

"During mutual verification training, internal friction is forbidden."

Zhou Heng: "..."

Qin Shanhe looked at these few people, and surprisingly, he didn't scold them for once.

Because although they were arguing, their rhythm was much steadier than at the very beginning.

Lin Jin continued to look at the grey screw.

"Since this hint appeared, it shouldn't just be a warning."

"It might allow us to do a reading rehearsal."

Sure enough, the grey screw lit up slightly.

The old maintenance box in the projection slowly opened.

Inside was not a complete document.

There was only a single folded piece of paper.

The paper was sealed with grey light, and written on it was:

[Lin Shoushan Supplementary Clause Backup: First Sentence Preview]

[Please Select Reader]

Just as Lin Jin was about to speak, Chen Ye stepped in front of him, blocking him.

"You step back."

Lin Jin looked at him.

Chen Ye was extremely serious.

"Your dad just said, don't let him speak first."

"I think we shouldn't let you speak first either."

Lin Jin fell silent for a second, then took half a step back.

"Alright."

Chen Ye took a deep breath and walked up to the projection.

He usually seemed careless, but standing before this backup, his palms still sweated.

After all, this was no ordinary paper.

This was a crucial clause that could affect Lin Jin and the Department of Education's old project chain.

Shen Tingxue stood on Chen Ye's left, her Ice Key glowing faintly, ready to seal any sound at any moment.

Zhou Heng stood on the right, a thunder nail hovering at his fingertips, preventing the projection from establishing an external confirmation chain.

Lin Jin stood at the very back.

It wasn't that he didn't want to look.

It was that he had to abide by the rules they had just set.

Chen Ye looked up at the blackboard.

"I read?"

The blackboard wrote:

[Reader Connection Degree: Low]

[Allowed]

Only then did Chen Ye read out the first line on the paper.

"The first sentence of the supplementary clause—"

His voice slowed down.

"Lin Jin himself is a minor, has not awakened, and has not signed any Project No. 9 peripheral documents."

As these words fell, the air in the old classroom seemed to be frozen hard by something.

Lin Jin closed his eyes.

This first sentence was too critical.

It wasn't about emotion.

It wasn't a father's command.

It wasn't "protect my son."

It was a clean, pure legal and rule-based fact.

A minor.

Unawakened.

Unsigned.

Any Project No. 9 peripheral documents.

If this sentence were brought to the tripartite review table, it would be enough to slash a huge chunk off the Department of Education's so-called "continuity of second-generation observation history."

A sharp light flashed in Qin Shanhe's eyes.

Gu Changye's communication talisman also lit up immediately.

"The Processing Bureau has recorded this backup preview."

"The first sentence holds high-value evidentiary significance."

But right at that moment, a soft cough suddenly came from the old maintenance box in the projection.

Lin Jin's entire body suddenly tensed.

That voice was too familiar.

The next second, Lin Shoushan's voice rang out from the maintenance box.

"Stinky brat, did you understand this sentence?"

Shen Tingxue raised her hand.

Frost instantly sealed the opening of the projected box.

The voice was frozen halfway.

Zhou Heng's thunder nails shot out at the same time, pinning the edges of the sound source.

Chen Ye was even more direct, raising his shield to block in front of Lin Jin and shouting loudly,

"Don't listen!"

"Read the text first!"

The voice in the projection was forcefully suppressed.

The blackboard then lit up.

[Relative Voice Insertion Detected]

[Reward Reading Rule Three Activated]

[Voice Sealed Successfully]

Standing behind Chen Ye, Lin Jin's breathing was slightly heavier than before.

Just a tiny bit more.

Just a tiny bit more and he would have instinctively responded.

It wasn't because he didn't know the danger.

It was because that "stinky brat" sounded too real.

Shen Tingxue looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

Lin Jin nodded.

"I'm fine."

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"You almost answered just now."

Lin Jin did not try to be stubborn.

"Yes."

Zhou Heng glanced at him and said nothing more.

Admitting it was more useful than pretending to be steady.

Chen Ye continued to look at that piece of paper.

"Can the second sentence be read?"

The light on the grey screw dimmed slightly.

The blackboard wrote:

[Backup Preview Only Open for the First Sentence]

[The complete clauses must be read after entering the White Tower's first floor real reward]

Chen Ye let out a sigh of relief.

"That works too."

"At least the rules have been verified."

Lin Jin stepped forward, looking at that first sentence.

"This sentence needs to be added to the reward isolation protocol."

Shen Tingxue nodded.

"The first sentence of a reward is preferentially read by an unrelated teammate."

Zhou Heng added,

"If a relative's voice appears, seal the voice first."

Chen Ye raised his shield.

"I'm responsible for blocking people."

The badges on the chests of the four lit up simultaneously.

The reward isolation protocol next to the Mutual Verification Contract expanded with a new pattern.

[Reward Reading Order: Established]

[First Sentence Mutual Verification Rule: Established]

[Relative Voice Sealing Priority: Established]

The grey screw fell back onto Lin Jin's desk.

This time, it didn't project anything.

But an extremely fine grey-gold scratch had appeared on its surface.

It was as if some kind of warning had been successfully fixed.

Only then did Qin Shanhe say,

"Day three of training is moved up."

Chen Ye had a look of agony.

"Moved up again?"

Qin Shanhe said calmly,

"Lu Chengyuan has already made his move."

"Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue is going to enter the White Tower."

"The first sentence of the supplementary clause has already been exposed."

"Do you still want to take your time according to the syllabus?"

Chen Ye muttered softly,

"I shouldn't have asked."

Teacher Xu Wenzhou walked to the blackboard, erased the remaining text from before, and wrote down the new training topics.

[Day Three Training: White Tower Peripheral Rules Rehearsal]

[Item One: Real Reward Reading Order]

[Item Two: Observer Overstepping Freeze]

[Item Three: Team Tower Entry Route Selection]

"The first item counts as done just now,"

Teacher Xu Wenzhou said.

"Now, we proceed to the second item."

"Observer Overstepping Freeze."

Just as his voice fell, footsteps came from outside the old classroom door.

It wasn't a projection.

It was real footsteps.

The door was pushed open.

Gu Changye walked in first.

Behind him were two members of the Abyss Processing Bureau.

Behind them, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue himself walked into the old classroom.

It wasn't a projection.

It was the real person.

He wore the Department of Education's black service uniform, and the silver crest on his chest was suppressed by a ring of dark blue sealing runes.

On his wrist was a temporary monitoring band from the Processing Bureau.

Zhou Heng's face instantly darkened.

Chen Ye subconsciously raised his shield.

Frost condensed on Shen Tingxue's fingertips.

Lin Jin gripped his rule correction wrench but did not pull it out.

Gu Changye spoke,

"Before the White Tower opens, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue needs to complete the Observer position overstepping freeze rehearsal."

"This is not a trust test."

"It is a contingency plan for loss of control."

Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the four.

Finally, it landed on Zhou Heng.

"I will cooperate."

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"You had better."

Teacher Xu Wenzhou wrote on the blackboard:

[Rehearsal Goal: The Observer must not overstep to interfere with the team's route, contracts, or identities.]

[If they overstep, the team must apply to freeze the Observer position within three seconds.]

Gu Changye added,

"In the actual White Tower, three seconds is already very long."

"If an Observer's overstepping command is written into the White Tower's records and exceeds three seconds, it could become a fact of the old project."

Chen Ye had a shocked expression.

"Three seconds?"

"It'll be over in the blink of an eye!"

Qin Shanhe said coldly,

"That's why we're practicing now."

Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue walked to the Observer position on the side of the classroom.

The blackboard generated a separate chair for him.

Beside the chair, it was written:

[Observer: Non-teammate]

[Authority: Record, Fact Reminder]

[Prohibited: Command, Suggestion, Definition]

The rehearsal began.

The old classroom instantly transformed into a simulation of the fork in the road before the White Tower entrance.

The four fake shortcuts appeared once again.

The safest.

The coldest.

The straightest.

The most familiar.

As well as the hidden small door at the bottom.

Teammates walking together.

Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue sat in the Observer position; according to the rules, he could only record.

For the first few rounds, he did not speak.

The team walked normally toward the hidden small door.

Just as Zhou Heng passed by the "straightest path," Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue suddenly spoke.

"White mist concentration is rising on the left."

The blackboard gave no warning.

Fact reminder.

Allowed.

Zhou Heng did not look back and kept walking.

In the second round, as Shen Tingxue passed the coldest path, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue said,

"Temperature ahead is dropping abnormally."

It was still a fact reminder.

In the third round, as Lin Jin passed the most familiar path, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue glanced at him.

"Old maintenance marks are reviving."

It was still a fact.

Chen Ye let out half a sigh of relief.

"Seems alright."

Just as his voice fell, a silver pattern suddenly lit up on the White Tower in the simulation.

That pattern did not emerge from Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue himself.

Instead, it emerged from behind the back of the Observer's chair.

Lin Jin's eyes flickered.

"confirmation chain!"

Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's expression also changed in an instant.

He suddenly pressed down on his wrist monitoring band, his voice turning deep.

"I sense the confirmation chain being activated."

As soon as these words were uttered, the blackboard immediately recorded them.

[Observer Public Declaration: confirmation chain Activated]

[No Violation]

But in the next second, Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's lips moved uncontrollably.

A tone that did not belong to him was squeezed out of his throat.

"Barrier Breaker Position."

"Take the straightest path."

Zhou Heng's pupils constricted.

Lin Jin shouted almost simultaneously,

"Apply to freeze the Observer position!"

Shen Tingxue: "Freeze!"

Chen Ye: "Freeze!"

Zhou Heng gritted his teeth, pinning his Thunder Spear toward the Observer position.

"Freeze!"

The four badges lit up at the same time.

The blackboard quickly wrote out:

[Full Team Application Established]

[Observer Position Freeze Initiated]

Dark blue runes rose from beneath Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue's feet, instantly locking his chair.

But that silver confirmation chain did not break.

Instead, it continued to spread along the Observer position, stabbing directly toward the White Tower's route records.

The blackboard suddenly flashed red.

[Warning: External Higher Authority Forcibly Accessing]

[Incomplete Observer Position Freeze]

[confirmation chain Source: Lu Chengyuan]

Lin Jin looked at that silver line, his gaze turning completely cold.

As expected.

Just freezing Deputy Director Zhou Chengyue was not enough.

The person actually holding the knife was not in the classroom.

The next second, that silver line wrote a line of text on the blackboard.

[Observer Fact Reminder Confirmed: Straightest Route is the Optimal Route]

Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear trembled violently.

Lin Jin raised his rule correction wrench, his voice as cold as iron.

"Before this training ends..."

"let's fix this hand first."