Chapter 188: Money Game (25)

—Silencing the witnesses.

Those words flashed through his mind.

He Yu clapped his hands and burst into laughter. "Thirty seconds? Hahaha! Feeling guilty? You don't want me to keep talking?"

It was far too obvious.

Thirty seconds to obtain money.

In the Federation or on Blue Star, perhaps it might have been possible.

But this was Money Planet.

Whether rich or poor, getting them to hand over money always required considerable effort.

—Unless they had been driven into a corner or had some ulterior motive, the people of Money Planet would never part with their money.

And they only had thirty seconds.

Lose even a moment, and the time would be gone.

The only ending left would be for both of them to be eliminated together.

But could anyone claim the rule itself was unfair?

It merely required them to determine a winner.

It didn't execute them immediately.

It gave them time.

Within thirty seconds, even obtaining one more coin than the other person would secure victory.

There was nothing technically wrong with the system's rules.

But releasing this rule at this exact moment—

This particular rule—

It was blatantly intended to kill both him and Cheng Zhao, to silence them forever.

The Bullet Screen exploded.

"AHHHH, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

"I was still trying to process what He Yu was saying, and the system already released the rule? Thirty seconds?!"

"What the hell can anyone do in thirty seconds? System, screw your ancestors!"

"AHHHHH MY HE GOD! He God, don't die! Vote! Give him your votes! Just for exposing all those secrets, give him your votes!"

"And Cheng Zhao too! What do we do? I'm out of votes. I already gave mine to Siya."

"Trash system! Trash production team!"

"<Top Talent Show>, you owe us an explanation! If He Yu dies, we have every reason to believe you're doing this on purpose. You're silencing witnesses!"

"Holy crap! My eyes have been opened! This season really is different. So there are this many hidden secrets behind the show!"

...

The instant the thirty-second notice appeared, not only did the Bullet Screen explode, but official Federation channels were flooded with messages.

Some people had already been watching the livestream.

Others had only just opened it.

District Three officials had been watching from the beginning.

They had been monitoring Cheng Zhao's situation every second.

This was a life-or-death match for Cheng Zhao.

How could they not care?

They had even quietly gathered five hundred thousand votes, ready to cast them for Cheng Zhao at any time.

They hadn't used them yet because they weren't certain what the two inside were planning.

If saving Cheng Zhao required voting for He Yu instead, they were fully prepared to do that.

But after Siya advanced, neither Cheng Zhao nor He Yu could possibly survive through audience votes.

Everyone willing to vote for them—and who still had votes remaining—had already cast them.

The officials had been staring at the livestream.

From the moment He Yu exposed Cheng Zhao as District Three's undercover operative and began revealing unknown conspiracies behind <Top Talent Show>, District Three's senior officials had rushed over, gathering together to watch.

Then they saw the system announcement...

One District Three leader erupted in fury.

"Wasn't interference with the competition supposed to be forbidden?! Wasn't it supposed to be nearly impossible to interfere?! Which bastard did this?! Those pieces of trash!"

"They're trying to kill He Yu and Cheng Zhao before they can tell the audience the truth."

"What He Yu was about to reveal—the 'Error'—absolutely cannot become public. If the audience learns the truth, the Federation will descend into chaos. The government's credibility will completely collapse. There are many people who could have acted, but most likely they all share the same objective—bury the truth."

Someone sneered.

"It's more than that. Don't forget what He Yu said about the energy cultivation system. Blue Star's admission into the Universe Federation has repeatedly failed. The energy system is extraordinarily valuable, yet something unknown has continually blocked it. Eliminating Cheng Zhao conceals the 'Error.' Eliminating He Yu is probably because they're afraid he'll uncover even more."

He Yu's intelligence had surpassed everyone's imagination.

A man from Blue Star had pieced together enough clues to identify the "Error" and had almost certainly uncovered its true nature.

And that wasn't all.

He had developed an energy cultivation system.

He had discovered flaws within the combat power system.

While trapped inside the competition, he had managed to uncover truths about what was happening outside it.

The relationship between combat power and energy...

Questions the entire Universe Federation had failed to answer—

He had solved them all from inside <Top Talent Show>, analyzing everything with astonishing clarity.

And just moments ago, He Yu had said the Federation should already have begun using the energy cultivation system.

If they hadn't...

Then someone behind the scenes had prevented it.

He had guessed that correctly as well.

The Federation had attempted to open a passage to Blue Star.

Someone stopped it.

The connection was severed.

And that wasn't all.

The latest report had just arrived.

Blue Star had handed every piece of research on the energy cultivation system over to an official Federation team.

The digital files had been hacked during transmission.

The paper documents...

After traveling aboard a spaceship for many days, just as it approached Federation territory, the convoy was attacked by an unknown force.

Everyone was wiped out.

That had been an official Federation delegation.

A powerful expedition capable of traversing the universe itself.

Yet they had all been annihilated.

The force behind the scenes possessed unimaginable power.

Its influence had spread everywhere.

After receiving the report, the authorities had kept it from the public to avoid mass panic.

But every major district on the Federation's Main Planet had already received the intelligence.

Although the Federation had a King, each district largely governed itself, each major faction operating independently.

Every district had participated in the original "Error."

For the moment, no one could determine who truly stood behind everything—or what their ultimate objective was.

If He Yu was being eliminated because they feared the "Error" would be exposed...

Then anyone could be responsible.

If they feared he would continue uncovering the truth and eventually expose whoever was manipulating events...

Then the mastermind had personally acted.

Within seconds, District Three reached a decision.

"Contact the organizers. Protect He Yu and Cheng Zhao!"

...

During those final thirty seconds, Qiu Dao received countless messages.

Some demanded that He Yu, who knew too many secrets, be eliminated.

Others insisted he had to be saved.

Within only thirty seconds, completely contradictory orders poured in.

Qiu Dao's face turned deathly pale.

His already thinning scalp felt even colder.

The few remaining hairs on his head seemed ready to fall out from stress.

But this was beyond his authority.

Consultant Abier struck the control console so violently that sparks flew.

The final result appeared.

"The system released the rule normally. It complies with all regulations. Intervention is impossible now. The authorization source is legitimate. No abnormalities found. No bugs detected."

Qiu Dao: "..."

—The people inside could only rely on themselves.

—

In thirty seconds...

A great many things happened outside.

And just as many happened inside the competition.

The instant the announcement sounded, Cheng Zhao exploded with curses.

"Couldn't you even wait until dawn?! What kind of garbage rule is this?! Screw your ancestors! I hope your whole damn family dies! May all your equipment explode!"

After cursing, his face turned pale as he scanned the square.

There weren't many people left.

Most spectators had already dispersed.

Only a handful remained—either homeless people sleeping directly on the square or people chatting some distance away.

He darted toward them in several flashes.

"Give me money! Hurry! I need money! Right now! Any amount! I'll pay you back a hundredfold! A thousandfold!"

Everyone exchanged looks.

No one moved.

Some even stepped backward, avoiding him.

Driven by desperation, Cheng Zhao's face flushed crimson.

Veins bulged across his forehead.

His eyes were bloodshot.

The long whip in his hand looked savage.

As it cracked through the air, it became both a plea...

And a threat.

One nearby man had no chance to escape.

His face turned white.

His trembling voice stuttered.

"I... I don't have any money..."

Cheng Zhao grabbed him by the collar.

"Hurry up and hand it over! One coin is enough!"

He looked ready to kill the man on the spot.

Cheng Zhao truly had panicked.

Thirty seconds.

There simply wasn't enough time.

The moment he seized the man, his whip lashed out, leaving a shallow wound across his body.

Not serious.

But unmistakably threatening.

The man's face became even paler.

Twisting in pain, he raised both hands.

"I really don't have any money! I'm poor! You're the rich one! Why are you—"

Cheng Zhao had no time for excuses.

Only thirty seconds.

He kept one hand clenched around the man's collar while frantically looking toward everyone else.

His anxiety overwhelmed him.

His mind had nearly gone blank.

Only instinct remained.

Fierce.

Threatening.

Desperate.

Unfortunately...

The people of Money Planet treasured wealth above everything else.

Even robbing them required placing their lives in genuine danger before they would take out their smart terminals to transfer money.

That process alone would consume dozens of seconds.

Now...

The countdown had already dropped below twenty.

Cheng Zhao's body trembled.

He desperately hoped someone would simply hand him money.

But the cold, selfish people of Money Planet—

People who valued money above human life—

Not one of them stepped forward.

Not even with a single coin.

They watched him with complete indifference.

Even knowing one tiny coin could save a person's life...

None of them would part with it.

That was simply the nature of Money Planet's people.

Cheng Zhao continued threatening the man by the collar.

There was too little time.

He could only focus on one person, hoping to find even a single coin in his pocket.

—

Behind him...

After clapping and laughing at the announcement, He Yu never moved.

Unlike Cheng Zhao, he made no attempt to beg for money.

His cold gaze swept across the surroundings.

Then looked ahead.

As though piercing through time and space itself...

Looking directly at the people behind the curtain.

The instant he heard the announcement...

He understood.

These thirty seconds existed solely to harvest his and Cheng Zhao's lives.

Neither of them could obtain money from a Money Planet resident in only thirty seconds.

—Unless a Money Planet resident willingly gave it.

—But these were Money Planet residents.

Those thirty seconds appeared to offer them a chance.

The rules appeared flawless.

But in reality...

Every escape route had already been cut off.

No.

The trap had begun long before the announcement.

He Yu had lied to Cheng Zhao.

From the moment both of them entered the same arena...

From the moment he saw the rules of the <Money Game> instance...

He already knew this entire instance existed to kill both of them.

Money Planet residents cannot die?

Overwhelming asset superiority?

If Money Planet residents could not die...

Then neither he nor Cheng Zhao could interfere with each other's progress.

Because they couldn't kill each other.

Which meant they couldn't stop each other.

Because of that rule, many viewers believed it favored He Yu.

After all...

Since Cheng Zhao couldn't kill He Yu...

It gave him a "fair chance."

If direct combat had been allowed...

He Yu never would have beaten Cheng Zhao.

But that wasn't the point.

If Cheng Zhao could have killed He Yu...

He would have won this match.

Instead...

Since Cheng Zhao couldn't kill He Yu...

And He Yu couldn't injure Cheng Zhao...

The only remaining option was to earn money separately before comparing assets.

Then came the victory condition—

One side must completely overwhelm the other's assets.

How was that judged?

Ten times?

One hundred?

One thousand?

Probably not.

Only if one side possessed absolutely nothing...

And the other owned hundreds of billions...

Could it truly be called overwhelming superiority.

But that directly contradicted the earlier rule.

If Money Planet residents could not die...

Neither contestant could interfere with the other's ability to earn money.

Which also meant...

Neither contestant could ever completely overwhelm the other financially.

The rules of the <Money Game> instance...

Existed only to kill both He Yu and Cheng Zhao together.

"Money Planet residents cannot die."

"Asset superiority."

These rules were never meant to protect anyone.

Nor to create fairness.

They were simply a carefully prepared...

Total annihilation package.

Not one survives.

Not both survive.

Both die.

—That had always been the true purpose of this instance.

Throughout the instance...

While manipulating money and completing the tasks...

He Yu had constantly searched for a solution.

Trying to overturn the inevitable death the system had arranged for them.

He Yu never admitted defeat.

He never accepted fate.

Only at the very end had he risked everything...

Deliberately tying his assets with Cheng Zhao's...

Revealing Cheng Zhao's identity before the audience...

Exposing part of the truth he knew...

Forcing the system to either let both of them advance...

Or create a new rule.

And just as expected...

The system created a new rule.

Thirty seconds.

A second total annihilation package.

He Yu sat silently.

The countdown had already begun.

Yet his back remained perfectly straight.

His eyes were colder than ever.

Then...

A childish voice suddenly sounded.

"Do you need money? Here."

He Yu paused.

He turned around.

Little Stone stood behind him carrying a black suitcase.

Looking somewhat nervous.

His small hand was stretched forward.

Resting in his palm...

A single coin.

One dollar.

The salary He Yu had once paid him.

He Yu carefully studied him.

Compared with when they first met...

Little Stone wore cleaner, better clothes.

He had gained some weight.

His complexion looked healthier.

After twenty days...

He even seemed slightly taller.

But those weren't his greatest changes.

Compared to twenty days earlier...

His eyes contained less calculation...

And more humanity.

Following He Yu...

He never worried about food or shelter.

Every day he watched hundreds of billions...

Even trillions...

Flow through accounts.

Yet he himself had no money.

His entire fortune consisted of the single dollar...

His stingy boss had once paid him.

Now...

He was giving that one dollar back.

To his stingy boss.

He Yu.

He Yu looked at him.

Then slowly asked, his voice hoarse,

"Why are you giving it to me?"

Little Stone answered,

"Because you're a good person."

He Yu said nothing more.

He looked at Little Stone.

Then at the coin.

Finally...

He reached out.

His long fingers gently picked up the single dollar.

In that instant...

His total assets became—

8,000,000,000,001.

He Yu won.

—

Cheng Zhao slowly released the man.

The victim collapsed to the ground, still refusing to hand over his money.

Cheng Zhao turned around.

His eyes met He Yu's.

Only twelve seconds remained.

Panic.

Fear.

Terror.

Urgency.

All vanished in that instant.

For the first time...

Cheng Zhao became completely calm.

Calmer than ever before.

He looked into He Yu's beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

He also saw the emotion within them.

—No longer emotionless.

How rare.

He Yu's gaze toward him...

Was finally different.

Wanrenzhan would probably die of jealousy.

The thought inexplicably crossed his mind.

Cheng Zhao's clothes were ragged.

His whip remained in his hand.

He straightened his back.

His tall, imposing frame stood upright.

Suddenly...

His entire bearing changed.

Like a wandering hero.

Completely different from before.

Confident.

Open.

Unrestrained.

As he walked forward, his torn cloak fluttered behind him.

The whip dragged across the ground.

He never took his eyes off He Yu.

A brilliant smile spread across his face.

"He Yu... you won. Fair and square."

If He Yu had won through cheating...

Or by exploiting another bug...

Perhaps Cheng Zhao would have considered it unfair.

But...

He had won because someone willingly gave him one dollar.

He hadn't merely won the money.

He had won people's hearts.

A resident of Money Planet had willingly given him money.

Not for profit.

Not under threat.

Simply...

Because they believed He Yu was a good person.

Cheng Zhao genuinely felt...

He had no regrets losing.

Besides...

Compared with both of them dying...

Wasn't one survivor already good enough?

As long as one survived...

They had at least slightly broken the mastermind's calculations.

Broken the rules the system had prepared for them.

He was about to die.

But because He Yu lived...

It wasn't a complete defeat.

After only two steps...

He stopped.

Those two steps had already consumed two seconds.

Ten seconds remained.

He could never reach He Yu in time.

So he would use those final seconds...

To leave his last words.

His expression was calm.

His gaze gentle.

"He Yu, every one of your guesses was correct. There's no time to explain everything. You can probably figure out my mission too. I'll only tell you two things."

"First."

"Your direction is completely correct. In fact, you already know more than I ever did."

"Second."

"I'm not the only one."

"So many powerful contestants participating this season..."

"...is not a coincidence."

There wasn't enough time.

There was far too much he couldn't say.

Some things...

He couldn't reveal in front of everyone.

But Cheng Zhao knew...

Those words alone...

Were enough for He Yu to infer everything else.

He Yu was smarter.

He knew more.

Compared with himself...

He Yu remaining alive mattered far more.

Even if Cheng Zhao survived...

He wasn't certain he could complete the mission.

But He Yu...

Definitely could.

At that moment...

Cheng Zhao finally understood why Zhen Xing had so firmly chosen to stand beside He Yu.

Combat power...

Wasn't the decisive factor in this competition.

Especially against whoever lurked behind the scenes.

They needed...

A brain.

He Yu was that brain.

The moment he entered <Top Talent Show>, Cheng Zhao had already accepted the possibility of death.

His only regret...

Was dying after uncovering so few clues.

Now that he was dying...

He hoped these words would help He Yu.

Sure enough...

When he spoke his second point...

He Yu's expression shifted slightly.

Cheng Zhao finally relaxed.

He Yu understood.

Only five seconds remained.

Looking at He Yu, he smiled.

"Sorry... I won't be able to repay the IOU I wrote you."

"If we'd met outside..."

"We definitely could have become very good friends."

"I would've pursued you."

"Or become your teammate."

"We could've explored the Federation together."

He Yu's hoarse voice answered quietly,

"We still are."

Friends.

Cheng Zhao paused.

His smile grew even brighter.

Blinking, he shamelessly said,

"Then... as your friend, let me make one final request."

"I hope you'll agree."

"Find the mastermind."

"Uncover the truth."

"And finish my mission for me."

He Yu...

You have to live.

Live until the finals.

Live until you leave.

Without waiting for a reply...

He raised one fist.

Though dressed in tattered clothing...

He stood perfectly straight.

Head held high.

Eyes fixed resolutely upon the sky.

Then...

With absolute solemnity...

He performed the military salute of Federation District Three.

"Report."

"Cheng Zhao of District Three Heritage Planet."

"I failed to complete my mission."

"May District Three remain safe."

"May the Federation endure forever."

【Ding! Instance <Money Game> completed. Cheng Zhao failed.】

【Heritage Planet No. 826, Cheng Zhao... eliminated!】

His body instantly dissolved into drifting smoke.

Even while disappearing...

He remained standing perfectly straight.

Still gazing at the stars.

His expression had never looked so peaceful.

So tranquil.

At the very end...

The place he must have been thinking of...

Was his homeland.

The District Three to which he had devoted his loyalty.

—

The Bullet Screen froze briefly.

Then exploded.

"CHENG ZHAO! AHHHHH SYSTEM, GO TO HELL!"

"You damned bastard! Die!"

"At least one survived... He God... avenge Cheng Zhao! Avenge him... sob..."

"The <Top Talent Show> system is definitely broken! There's no way this was coincidence! Thirty seconds?! Damn it!"

"Appeal! Report them! I'm filing every complaint possible!"

"This is absolutely intolerable! Doesn't anyone in the Federation have authority anymore?!"

"What disgusting scum! They obviously interfered with the competition! I've already sent people to investigate! Once we have evidence, we'll report it directly to the King!"

"District Three is furious! They'll definitely demand justice for Cheng Zhao!"

...

When He Yu and Cheng Zhao entered the same instance...

Everyone already knew...

One of them had to die.

The same thing happened in other instances.

Contestants people loved had also been eliminated.

People felt sad.

But never this furious.

Because this instance...

Was different.

Different from every previous competition.

He Yu had tried to bring Cheng Zhao [N O V E L I G H T] out alive.

He exploited loopholes.

He exposed the truth.

He tried to overturn an inevitable ending.

And then...

The system gave them...

Thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

If not for Little Stone's single dollar...

He Yu would also have died.

Just like Cheng Zhao.

This was interference.

This was a vicious scheme.

Cheng Zhao hadn't died because he lost to He Yu.

He died because the system had plotted against him.

Losing to another contestant...

Was an honorable defeat.

Being openly manipulated...

Deliberately murdered by the system...

That was something the audience refused to accept.

They would never accept it.

He Yu rested one hand on the long table.

Then slowly stood.

He still wore the black tailcoat.

Perfectly formal.

His tie had been loosened.

His collar was slightly disheveled.

Yet on him...

It looked anything but sloppy.

As he rose...

His tall, slender figure unfolded.

His hair was brushed back.

The icy expression on his flawless face...

Cold.

Terrifying.

Merciless.

It sent an involuntary chill through everyone who saw it.

He stepped forward.

One step after another.

Toward the place where Cheng Zhao had disappeared.

Now...

Nothing remained.

Spotless.

As though Cheng Zhao had never existed.

But He Yu remembered.

He remembered the figure standing here...

Back perfectly straight.

He slowly reached out.

Air slipped silently through his fingers.

He touched nothing.

Lowering his eyes...

His thick eyelashes trembled faintly.

His hoarse voice whispered,

"I'm sorry."

"Farewell."

He softly murmured the name—

District Three.

Cheng Zhao.

After entering the competition...

He and Cheng Zhao had received a total annihilation package.

He had calculated.

Planned.

Schemed.

Only to receive a second total annihilation package.

A historic gamble.

A 0.01% chance.

He survived.

But Cheng Zhao died.

In the end...

He still hadn't managed to bring Cheng Zhao out alive.

He Yu slowly raised his head.

The streetlamp on his left illuminated half of his face.

The other half remained buried in darkness.

His flawless features looked sharper than blades.

His rimless glasses rested upon the bridge of his nose.

His eyes stared directly into the darkness ahead.

Like knives.

"I'll catch you soon."