This Character is Suspected of Cheating! [Unlimited Flow]

The prison.

Zhen Xing was extremely weak.

His entire body was covered in blood, with far more breaths leaving him than entering. It looked as though he would stop breathing at any moment.

His two paws were folded together beneath his head as he lay there with a bitter smile.

From the neighboring cell, a toy poked out the head of a wolfdog.

"Hey... are you dying?"

Zhen Xing's voice was faint.

"Soon..."

The Green Camp wasn't allowed to kill toys, so when Gao Jianming had tortured him, he hadn't intended to kill him.

Unfortunately...

He was simply too weak.

Wounds that normally wouldn't have been fatal had become life-threatening because of excessive blood loss.

The toy sighed.

"Sigh... it's fate. After meeting whatever General they're talking about, I'll probably end up just like you and die too. Our Black Camp is destined to perish."

Without caring whether Zhen Xing was listening, he continued talking to himself.

"I've been a toy since I was born. But my grandfather said that long ago we were humans. We stood at the top of the food chain. We were all experts capable of using equipment..."

"Back then, neither the Green Camp nor the Red Camp could compete with us."

Just imagining those days...

Filled the toy with envy.

His eyes sparkled with longing.

"If only I could become human."

"Then I'd be able to use equipment."

"I wonder what it feels like to use equipment."

"I bet that's the strongest existence in the world."

Zhen Xing glanced at him before suddenly speaking.

"No."

"Using equipment isn't the strongest thing."

"The truly powerful things are... cultivation and energy."

The toy froze.

His face was full of confusion.

"Cultivation? Energy?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

"How could there be anything stronger than equipment?"

Zhen Xing grew weaker and weaker.

His eyes narrowed slightly, carrying unmistakable nostalgia.

"There is."

"I can't do it..."

"But someone can."

"He doesn't use combat power equipment."

"Yet he's stronger than those who do."

After a pause, he withdrew his gaze, resting his head back upon his folded front paws.

"What a pity..."

"I probably won't see it again."

His life was nearing its end.

Yet Zhen Xing felt neither rage nor resentment.

He should have.

After all...

It wasn't because he lacked strength.

He had simply been forced into a state where he possessed none.

—But those were the rules.

He had simply been unlucky.

His breathing became increasingly shallow.

There was regret.

There was sadness.

He sighed softly, looking toward the brightly lit prison entrance.

[Bullet Screen: "Gao Jianming, fuck you! Just die! DIE!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Vote! Hurry and vote for Zhen Xing!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Just a little more! Hurry!"]

[Bullet Screen: "AHHH! Where's He Yu? Why hasn't He Yu come yet?! Wuwuwu!"]

The vote count was climbing explosively.

Naturally, Zhen Xing didn't want to die.

He withdrew his gaze, preparing to close his eyes and conserve the last of his strength.

Perhaps...

He could survive until the votes were enough.

Huff...

Slowly, he turned his eyes away.

It was at that very instant—

A group of figures emerged from the brilliantly lit entrance, walking toward him against the light.

Though he couldn't yet make out their faces...

Zhen Xing instinctively sensed something.

His eyes fixed upon them.

At the same time, two Bullet Screen messages drifted past, unseen by him.

[Bullet Screen: "He Yu is here."]

[Bullet Screen: "It's enough! The votes are enough!"]

The group continued walking toward him.

Only then did Zhen Xing clearly see them.

They were all members of the Green Camp.

His gaze settled upon the center of the group.

Protected by everyone else...

Was a tiny green cloak.

Wrapped inside it was a white Tangyuan.

Where the cloak parted, he could vaguely make out two black-bean eyes...

And the rimless glasses resting atop them.

—Zhen Xing recognized him immediately.

But he no longer had the strength.

Nor could he wait for the little green cloak to approach.

All he managed...

Was a smile directed toward that little green cloak.

His large amber eyes curved gently.

He Yu stopped walking.

Zhen Xing recognized him at first glance.

Likewise...

He Yu spotted Zhen Xing immediately.

It was a tiny kitten.

Only palm-sized.

A pair of beautiful amber eyes looked quietly toward him.

Its pointed little face appeared pitiful and adorable.

The kitten grinned at him.

Then it slowly raised one tiny paw...

And gently waved.

It hadn't spoken a single word.

Yet it seemed to have said everything.

【Congratulations to Zhen Xing for advancing into the Top 1000. Remaining slots: 999/1000.】

The palm-sized kitten slowly faded away.

Zhen Xing had advanced.

Which also meant...

His life in this instance had come to an end.

He knew He Yu would save him.

But...

He couldn't hold on until He Yu reached him.

The moment the advancement announcement appeared...

The entire instance seemed to fall silent.

Every contestant's breathing halted.

Their emotions became indescribably complicated.

Gao Jianming gritted his teeth.

"Fucking lucky."

"He actually gathered enough votes."

"Isn't it just because Federation fans support him?"

"Let's see how you survive the next instance!"

Using up two million votes meant he wouldn't be able to leave the next instance through voting.

And the next one...

Was a slaughter instance.

Zhen Xing's life-saving trump card had already been spent.

Duan Yuchen muttered,

"The outside really is dangerous..."

"Even Zhen Xing got into trouble."

Eugene looked completely bewildered.

"Zhen Xing advanced?"

Suddenly raising his voice, he cried out in disbelief,

"He actually managed to collect two million votes?!"

"I refuse to accept this!!"

Gedai asked,

"...What happened?"

Siya said,

"I don't know."

"Something happened to Zhen Xing."

"We shouldn't act rashly."

—

The prison.

He Yu stared at the place where the kitten had disappeared.

His eyes darkened slightly.

Ling Buchen asked in confusion,

"Did Zhen Xing's instance life-form die?"

Bo Jingshan relayed what he had seen.

"He became a palm-sized kitten."

"When we arrived, he was already on the verge of death."

"He was covered in blood."

"He couldn't hold on."

Wanrenzhan didn't make any sarcastic remarks.

Rarely, he simply sighed.

"I thought we already had it bad."

"But Zhen Xing was even more unfortunate."

"He became a useless kitten..."

"And then got captured."

Zhen Xing had become...

A kitten.

A tiny newborn kitten that fit in the palm of one's hand.

What combat ability could such a kitten possibly possess?

Had the votes not been enough...

Zhen Xing would have died in this instance.

Not because he lacked strength.

But because of the rules themselves.

—What a fucking joke.

It wasn't the first time Wanrenzhan had felt this way.

Back when he'd muddled his way to becoming champion in the previous tournament...

He'd felt exactly the same.

He never knew what had made him win.

Nor what had made him lose.

It was as though...

Beneath the rules, anything could happen.

All they could do...

Was accept it.

Suddenly, he thought of He Yu.

What about him?

Would he accept it?

He Yu said nothing.

He merely stared deeply at the place where the kitten had disappeared.

Those black-bean eyes were unfathomable.

Completely emotionless.

No one knew what he was thinking.

"General?"

Beside him, City Lord Chashu looked puzzled.

Why had they stopped?

He Yu expressionlessly continued walking forward.

His voice carried unmistakable anger.

"I said I wanted to interrogate the toys personally."

"Why has one of them already escaped?"

City Lord Chashu froze.

"A toy escaped?"

He Yu replied,

"That cat is gone."

His tone became flat again.

Yet for some reason...

Everyone felt immense pressure.

Chashu's heart tightened.

He immediately looked toward the guards and demanded in a low voice,

"What happened?"

"How did a toy escape?"

The guard cursed Gao Jianming inwardly before answering guiltily,

"It... didn't escape."

"It probably died."

"Gao Jianming injured it."

"It couldn't survive."

He dared not admit Gao Jianming had attacked only after receiving the notification.

He could only pretend the abuse had happened earlier.

—After all...

They themselves hadn't stopped Gao Jianming from torturing the toy.

Who could have expected toys to be so fragile...

That it actually died?

"Gao Jianming?"

He Yu let out a cold laugh.

"What a self-important fool."

"This is the talent you recruited?"

Acting on his own.

And recognizing the identity of their undercover General...

City Lord Chashu wished he could crawl into a hole.

Grinding his teeth, he declared,

"If I ever see him again..."

"I'll kill him with my own hands!"

He Yu merely sneered and said nothing further.

Riding his Wind Fire Wheels, he passed the cage where Zhen Xing had been imprisoned.

Nothing remained inside.

Only a pool of bright red blood proved that Zhen Xing had once been there.

[Bullet Screen: "AHHH He God, you have to avenge Zhen Xing!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Gao Jianming absolutely cannot survive until the next instance. He took the opportunity to kill so many experts, and now he even forced Zhen Xing out. Just a little more... just a little more and Zhen Xing would've really died."]

[Bullet Screen: "It's so unfair. His combat power was clearly lower than Zhen Xing's, yet he's so much stronger in this world... This instance setting is unbelievably unfair!"]

He Yu didn't look back at the prison.

Instead, his gaze shifted to the toy in the neighboring cell.

It was a wolfdog.

Though equally weak...

It was in far better condition than Zhen Xing had been.

He Yu floated to the front of the cell.

Someone immediately opened the door.

The wolfdog was dragged outside.

Stumbling, it begged desperately,

"Please don't kill me!"

"Please don't kill me!"

"You don't have to die."

He Yu spoke quietly.

"But you'll have to answer my questions."

"My lord! What questions?"

"Ask anything!"

"I'll tell you everything!"

The wolfdog let out a relieved breath.

He looked extremely cautious and eager to please.

He Yu asked,

"Where is the Black Camp?"

"How can it be found?"

The wolfdog paused before shaking his head.

"The Black Camp no longer exists."

"Only scattered toys like us remain."

"There's no unified organization."

"No headquarters."

"My lord, I'm telling the truth."

"The Black Camp disappeared."

"That's why we've been living so miserably."

He was lying.

He Yu saw through it immediately.

Yet he didn't expose him.

Instead, he continued,

"Tell me about your toys."

"And about the Black Camp during the time it still existed."

The wolfdog hesitated.

He didn't speak.

A guard immediately grabbed him.

A blade was pressed against his neck.

"Are you talking or not?"

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

He Yu listened quietly.

Once the wolfdog finished...

He moved on to the next toy.

He questioned nearly every toy.

Again...

And again...

He asked every imaginable question.

Not once did he show impatience.

City Lord Chashu understood He Yu wanted to locate the Black Camp.

Ideally...

Its King.

He wanted to find a way to restore human form.

Not only did Chashu not stop him...

He actively cooperated.

Of course...

He believed the General's efforts were pointless.

If the Black Camp truly possessed the ability to turn toys back into humans...

How could they possibly be living such miserable lives?

Meanwhile...

As expected...

Eugene and the others who had entered Lilu City were quickly noticed by the toys.

Squeak, squeak.

A mouse poked its head out of a tiny hole.

It stared at them while squeaking.

Eugene blinked.

"...What is that?"

Old Stone exclaimed excitedly,

"It's the Black Camp!"

"He's from the Black Camp!"

Old Stone had been away for two hundred years.

Naturally, he didn't recognize this mouse.

But two centuries ago...

It had been mice that delivered him to the Red Camp.

Excitedly, he shouted,

"Little Mouse!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm from the Black Camp!"

The mouse crawled out, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You've already joined the Black Camp?"

"Why haven't I ever seen you?"

Old Stone hurriedly explained,

"I was the spy sent into the Red Camp two hundred years ago!"

"I'm the one Mouse Patriarch sent!"

"Where's Mouse Patriarch?"

"He definitely knows me!"

"You're lying!"

The mouse immediately objected.

"Mouse Patriarch died ages ago!"

"He's my ancestor eight generations back!"

"How could he know you?"

"You're lying!"

"I'm not!"

"I'm really the spy!"

"I brought—"

Eugene interrupted impatiently.

"Why bother proving yourself?"

"No one's asking you to."

"Little guy."

"We're toys too."

"We want to join you."

"So how do we join?"

"And don't tell us we can't."

"You approached us because you wanted us to join, didn't you?"

The little mouse hadn't expected him to be so direct.

The tiny gray mouse froze completely.

Only after a long pause did he reply,

"You can join..."

"But you absolutely mustn't harm the Black Camp."

Eugene answered immediately,

"Fine."

"I promise."

Yuan Ze and Cheng Zhao: "..."

Could he sound any less sincere?

Who would actually believe that?

The little mouse let out a sigh of relief before turning around.

"Then follow me."

"Be careful."

"Don't leave any traces."

"The Green Camp usually ignores us..."

"But if we accidentally run into them..."

"They'll still attack."

The three of them: "..."

Now they finally understood...

Why the Black Camp had become so weak.

Originally...

They'd assumed the Black Camp, described by the Red Camp as "scheming and crafty," would be exceptionally clever.

Who would've thought...

This was the reality?

No wonder they'd been driven into such a miserable situation.

Old Stone urged impatiently,

"Hurry!"

"He's taking us to the other toys."

"I really want to see how everyone's living now."

"Two hundred years ago, toys still had cities."

"Now they don't even have a single city of their own..."

Yuan Ze hurried after them, dragging the chain behind him.

They twisted and turned through countless passages.

They even crawled through underground tunnels.

Only after two full hours...

Did they finally follow the little mouse into a cramped, gloomy underground burrow.

It truly wasn't large.

Fortunately, they were toys.

Otherwise...

There would've been no room to stand.

The burrow was packed with toys.

They chattered noisily.

Deep inside the tunnel...

A fire burned.

A tiny hammer continuously struck metal.

Clink.

Clang.

Working with unwavering dedication.

Eugene and the others: "..."

They'd always mocked the Red Camp for lacking organization.

But compared to the Black Camp...

The Red Camp looked unbelievably organized.

The moment they appeared...

The toys surrounded them.

"New toys?"

"Want to join the Black Camp?"

"They don't look very impressive."

"Doesn't seem like they have much combat ability."

"The hammer's not bad."

"It's stronger than the hammer we've got."

"That's at least useful."

"But the mask and chain don't look very capable."

"Where did you come from?"

"Were you newly born too?"

...

The constant chatter made their heads buzz.

Eugene straightened himself.

"We're not only here to join you."

"We're also bringing a spy home."

"I've got a spy who spent two hundred years gathering intelligence behind enemy lines."

"He possesses an enormous amount of information."

"Take me to your King."

"He'll greatly strengthen the Black Camp."

The toys looked at one another.

After a long silence...

Someone asked,

"King?"

"Do we have a King?"

"I've never heard of one."

Among the toys, what appeared to be the leader—a thousand-year-old pine tree—slowly approached.

His aged voice sounded.

"The King..."

"Oh."

"That's a title from a very long time ago."

"The Black Camp wanders now."

"There is no King anymore."

Eugene frowned.

Old Stone suddenly cried out,

"Songsong?"

The thousand-year pine stared at him.

"Shishi?"

Old Stone immediately burst into tears.

"Songsong!"

"I've finally come home!"

"Why didn't you come find me?"

"I've been waiting outside the Red Camp's main city for two hundred years!"

He rolled forward and threw himself at the pine tree's roots.

The thousand-year pine began sobbing as well.

"Shishi!"

"You're finally back!"

"We sent Mouse Patriarch to find you!"

"But your disguise was too perfect!"

"We risked our lives bringing back so many stones..."

"None of them were you!"

"Wuwuwu!"

Still crying, Old Stone asked,

"Where's the King?"

"What about the Elders?"

The pine tree wailed,

"Gone..."

"They're all gone!"

"Shishi..."

"You've suffered so much!"

Old Stone cried even harder.

"Wuwuwu..."

"Songsong..."

"You've suffered too..."

The two cried.

The other toys cried with them.

The entire burrow echoed with deafening sobs.

Eugene: "???"

Unable to hold back, he questioned He Yu through the team chat.

"He Yu..."

"Can this pile of scrap metal..."

"This Black Camp that looks worse off than homeless people..."

"Really uncover the secret behind species collapse?!"

Cheng Zhao muttered,

"This camp really doesn't seem reliable."

Yuan Ze replied,

"You only noticed now?"

Just then...

A familiar voice sounded.

"Eugene?"

"Yuan Ze?"

"Cheng Zhao?"

The three instinctively turned.

What they saw...

Was a razor-sharp blade.

Its edge gleamed coldly.

On the hilt...

Was a somewhat familiar face.

Only the facial features remained.

For a moment, none of them recognized who it was.

Eugene asked hesitantly,

"Zhante?"

The blade answered helplessly,

"It's me."

"So you guys came too."

Flying over, he lowered his voice.

"I'm the strongest one in this burrow."

"I know what you want to ask."

"We've already asked."

"They don't know anything."

"We?"

Cheng Zhao immediately caught that single word.

Zhante sighed.

"Yes."

"We're hunted outside by both the Red Camp and the Green Camp."

"So we can only hide here."

"It's not just me."

"Them too."

A little calf slowly walked over.

It stuck its head out and snorted above Eugene's mask.

"Yo."

"So you became a mask, Eugene?"

"Pretty useless, huh?"

Eugene: "..."

Rolling his dead-fish eyes, he answered flatly,

"Gedai."

"You're nothing more than a cow."

"And me."

There was also a crown resting atop the cow's head.

At first they'd assumed it was just decoration.

Unexpectedly...

It was another contestant.

—Siya.

Judging by her tone alone...

She was equally devastated.

A glittering crown.

Exceptionally eye-catching.

Completely lacking combat ability.

Even less useful than a stone.

Suddenly remembering something, Eugene asked,

"Where's Duan Yuchen?"

"If you're all grouped together..."

"Duan Yuchen should be here too."

"I'm over here!"

From deep inside the burrow, the tiny hammer, Duan Yuchen, answered.

He had been completely focused on forging.

After hearing them, he looked over.

He froze.

Then he immediately flew toward them.

His eyes locked tightly onto Yuan Ze.

Yuan Ze...

Was a large hammer.

Duan Yuchen...

Was a small hammer.

The larger one was nearly five times the size of the smaller.

Whether color...

Or shape...

They were fundamentally different.

Especially standing side by side.

The contrast couldn't have been more obvious.

Duan Yuchen: "???"

He genuinely couldn't understand.

"We're both hammers."

"So why are you different from me?"

—We're both hammers.

Why are you so outstanding?

Yuan Ze: "..."

Had things really fallen so low...

That people were now competing over this?

Why did it feel...

So pitiful?

—

After questioning every toy...

He Yu hadn't gained much information.

The Black Camp still existed.

But it lived in an utterly miserable state.

Surviving between the Red and Green Camps.

Apparently, because both camps possessed an instinctive hatred toward the original humans...

Even though the Green Camp had cooperated with the Black Camp before...

It still treated them terribly.

So over all these years...

The toys had lived in hiding.

By nature they belonged to the same camp.

They helped one another survive.

Barely.

Under normal circumstances...

They never appeared openly.

The sudden appearance of so many toys in Lilu City this time was due to two reasons.

First...

The conflict between the Red and Green Camps had reached its climax.

Second...

The arrival of the contestants had shattered the toys' quiet existence.

Contestants were never willing to spend their time hiding.

They wanted to advance.

They wanted to clear the instance.

So they inevitably caused disturbances.

Because of that...

The Black Camp toys inside Lilu City had also begun moving.

As for the flags used during the Flag-Planting Ceremony...

The toys here knew nothing.

Combining Eugene's findings with his own...

He Yu discovered the information was largely the same.

Only a few additional details had emerged.

For example...

The Black Camp still operated.

But every group wandered independently.

They supported one another.

There was no leader.

Every Black Camp flag had already been cut down.

The King was dead.

The Elders were dead.

The current Black Camp...

Was nothing but loose sand.

Naturally...

He Yu also received news that Duan Yuchen, Zhante, and the others had gathered there.

That wasn't important.

Eugene lamented,

"My goodness, He Yu."

"Why did the Green Camp say the species collapse has something to do with the Black Camp?"

"I think they're just a bunch of useless people."

"Maybe I should defect back to you."

If either camp discovered them...

They'd have absolutely no ability to resist.

The fragile Eugene felt the Black Camp was hopelessly unreliable.

He Yu...

Seemed much more dependable.

He wanted to stay with He Yu instead.

He Yu replied,

"Stay in the Black Camp."

After a pause, he added,

"If possible..."

"Gather as many toys from other places as you can."

"Have them hide beneath Lilu City."

Eugene replied,

"This tunnel's tiny."

"It can't fit everyone."

He Yu answered speechlessly,

"Can't you dig?"

"You've got nothing better to do."

"Build an underground city."

Eugene: "..."

—How miserable.

He had truly fallen to the point of digging tunnels.

He Yu continued calmly,

"Also."

"Brag about how impressive I am."

"Tell them my current identity."

"Tell them I'm a toy."

"And that my heart belongs to the toys."

Eugene replied,

"...I didn't realize you were this vain."

Wanrenzhan immediately chimed in from afar,

"Exactly."

"Far too vain!"

Ling Buchen spoke quietly.

"Is that really bragging?"

"Everything you're saying is simply the truth."

"He Yu must have a purpose."

"Just do as he says."

Bo Jingshan added,

"Agreed."

"You're really becoming a spy for all three factions."

"Fortunately there are only three camps."

"Otherwise..."

"I can't imagine how chaotic this would become."

Eugene sighed.

"Fine."

"I'll do it."

He left to carry out the order.

Wanrenzhan reported,

"He Yu."

"The Red Camp has already entered."

"They'll probably attack the city tonight."

"Li Mao wants to know if everything proceeds according to plan."

He Yu answered,

"Mm."

"Proceed according to plan."

Then he looked toward Black Vine, who had just returned.

"Well?"

"Did you catch him?"

Black Vine looked ashamed.

"No."

"I don't know where he escaped to."

He Yu lowered his eyes slightly.

"Forget it."

"Just a toy."

"The Flag-Planting Ceremony is more important."

"When is it?"

"Once it's finished..."

"I'll return to the Red Camp."

"I want to see whether they're planning anything."

"After all..."

"They just lost Lilu City."

"They're bound to make a move."

City Lord Chashu quickly checked the time.

"Two hours from now."

He Yu nodded.

—

Two hours later.

Eugene's mouth had gone dry from talking.

Looking at the circle of toys surrounding him, he raised his voice.

"So?"

"Do you admire He Yu now?"

"He's incredibly powerful."

"Even as a toy..."

"He can manipulate both the Red and Green Camps however he pleases!"

"Wow!"

"That's amazing!"

"I've never seen such an incredible toy!"

"He can even become a General in both the Red and Green Camps!"

"My goodness!"

"Then doesn't that mean he can protect us?"

...

The toys became extremely excited.

Watching Eugene enthusiastically gesturing with every sentence, Cheng Zhao quietly said to Yuan Ze,

"This job suits him perfectly."

"He Yu really assigned the right person."

Gedai rolled his eyes in disgust but said nothing.

The thousand-year pine, being far more experienced, still looked hesitant.

"Really?"

"Is he truly that incredible?"

Eugene swung his mask dramatically.

"Of course."

"If He Yu wanted to change Lilu City's camp affiliation..."

"He could do it immediately."

This time...

Every toy fell silent.

After quite a while...

The little mouse asked timidly,

"...How could that possibly be?"

Eugene widened his eyes.

"Why couldn't it?"

"Just wait and see."

"Tonight..."

"Lilu City will change camps."