Chapter 225: Are They Teammates? (1)

Duan Yuchen was stunned.

He swept his gaze across everyone in disbelief before raising his voice.

"So..."

"I'm the only honest person who entered this competition just to compete?!"

There were undercover agents making up more than half the team.

And he alone had been the fool sincerely trying to participate.

Gedai looked as though he wanted to cry.

"...Me too."

He turned to Eugene, his face full of shock.

"You were actually sent in by our planet?!"

Eugene grinned.

"Yep."

"District Two officially sent me."

"I didn't expect you to sign up too."

"I still remember how furious the officials were."

"They couldn't stop you no matter what."

Gedai: "............"

After Eugene signed up...

Gedai had followed suit.

District Two initially refused.

But Gedai was unbelievably stubborn.

If he could chase Eugene all the way into the Top Talent Show...

There was no way anyone could stop him from entering.

Eventually...

District Two had no choice but to approve it.

Gedai was beginning to question his entire life.

So was Duan Yuchen.

His face looked completely dazed as he swallowed.

"You all..."

"...have hidden identities too?"

Tang Ke looked slightly embarrassed.

"Annie and I are both from District One."

"We were also officially sent in to investigate."

"District One believed there were major problems with the previous Top Talent Show."

"And suspected there were even deeper secrets inside."

"So they sent us."

He looked toward Wanrenzhan and added,

"Wanrenzhan entering the competition for a second time was also the government's decision."

Sitting beside He Yu, Wanrenzhan didn't deny it.

He Yu nodded in understanding.

If District Three had sent people...

It was perfectly natural for District One and District Two to do the same.

Siya smiled brilliantly.

"Fine."

"I admit it."

"I'm from District Four."

"I've always been promoted by District Four."

"This year, when they needed an undercover agent..."

"They chose me."

He Yu raised an eyebrow.

His gaze lingered on Siya.

At that moment...

Qiong flashed a grin.

"I've always lived on Chaos Planet."

"I was specially trained from childhood."

"As a professional undercover agent."

She paused.

"Also..."

"I grew up on Chaos Planet."

"But actually..."

"I'm from District Four."

Siya: "!!"

She stared at Qiong in utter disbelief.

"That's impossible!"

Her longtime rival...

Actually came from the same planet?

That revelation...

Was genuinely shocking.

They had always treated each other as enemies.

Yet they belonged to the same side all along?

Eugene's memory was excellent.

After recalling something, he said,

"Qiong's family used to be a major clan."

"They later declined and ended up on Chaos Planet."

"So..."

"Your family originally came from District Four?"

Qiong nodded.

Her expression became serious.

"That's right."

"My family originally belonged to District Four."

"I'm from District Four too."

"They secretly poured countless resources into training me."

Siya frowned.

"District Four already sent me."

"Why did they need you too?"

Qiong looked at Siya with sympathy.

Pulling the brim of her hat lower, she answered,

"Because..."

"You were my decoy."

Siya shot to her feet.

Her voice instantly turned shrill.

"Impossible!"

"What qualifications do you have for me to become your decoy?!"

Qiong remained silent.

She simply looked calmly back at Siya.

Whether it was overall ability...

Analytical skill...

Or intelligence...

Qiong far surpassed Siya.

Anger covered Siya's face.

Qiong sighed.

"District Four only sent you to mislead everyone."

"I was always their real objective."

"And..."

"District Four has been cooperating with Chaos Planet."

Each sentence landed like another clap of thunder.

Siya was completely stunned.

Her body swayed.

She collapsed back onto the ground.

Her face turned deathly pale.

She opened her mouth several times...

Yet no words came out.

She simply lowered her head.

The vitality seemed to leave her entirely.

Concern appeared in Qiong's eyes.

She understood Siya's feelings.

Entering the Top Talent Show...

In a competition filled with so many monsters...

Siya had never truly stood a chance of becoming the "Top Star."

Even so...

She had still entered for District Four's sake.

Only to discover...

District Four had merely used her as a shield for Qiong.

Anyone would be devastated by something like that.

With Siya acting as cover...

Qiong could easily have continued hiding her identity.

Yet after surviving life and death beside Siya so many times...

She suddenly no longer wanted to hide it.

She directly revealed that she belonged to District Four.

Besides...

It would provide He Yu with more information.

No wonder so many people followed Qiong.

No wonder Qiao Yuan had willingly died protecting her.

Qiong...

Had always been the true undercover agent of both District Four and Chaos Planet.

Perhaps even their leader.

Siya couldn't say a single word.

Nor did she want to.

Beside her...

Duan Yuchen gently patted her shoulder.

After sighing, he looked toward Qiong.

"So your objective..."

"Was also investigating the abnormalities?"

Qiong shook her head.

Her eyes instantly sharpened.

"No."

"I came here to determine whether Li Zhan is still alive."

"And if he is..."

"I'll do everything possible to help him."

By now...

Blue Eyes' identity as Li Zhan had become increasingly obvious.

Anyone who knew Li Zhan was inside the Top Talent Show...

Combined with everything that happened in the previous instance...

Could easily conclude that Blue Eyes was Li Zhan.

He Yu adjusted his glasses and turned toward her.

"District Four has made an unusually large number of moves."

"And even cooperated with Chaos Planet."

"Why?"

Qiong pursed her lips.

She clearly didn't want to answer.

But Siya suddenly raised her head and laughed coldly.

"Because..."

"Our god has run into trouble."

Instantly...

Everyone looked toward her.

Qiong's expression changed dramatically.

"Siya!"

Siya no longer cared.

She spoke frankly.

"District Four's Que God..."

"...may already be dead."

Everyone: "!!!"

Duan Yuchen stared with his mouth hanging open.

"How is that possible?!"

Tang Ke frowned tightly.

"But District Four has shown countless signs that the god is still active..."

Siya lifted her chin.

Her expression remained cold.

"Those were all fabricated by District Four."

"They only exist to preserve District Four's status."

"And to keep others from invading us."

He Yu tapped his pen lightly against the notebook.

His voice was calm...

Yet certain.

"It's easy enough to understand."

"District Four's Que God is already dead."

"But District Four possesses enormous quantities of pharmaceutical resources."

"Their military strength, however, is weak."

"They're an irresistible target."

"So..."

"They fabricated the illusion that their god still lives."

"But what they truly need..."

"...is the protection of another god."

That was also the real reason District Four acted so distant.

Why outsiders were rarely allowed onto Biological Planet.

They weren't pretending to be mysterious.

They simply had an enormous secret to conceal.

He Yu looked toward Qiong.

"And the cooperation with Chaos Planet..."

"...is because Chaos Planet's god disappeared as well."

The Second God...

Really was gone.

Qiong pressed her lips together.

Since Siya had already revealed District Four's greatest secret...

There was nothing left for her to hide.

She nodded.

"That's right."

"Chaos Planet's god completely disappeared."

"Someone once discovered fragments of the god's weapon."

"Chaos Planet has always feared..."

"...that the Second God is dead as well."

After a pause, she continued,

"What happened during the previous Top Talent Show..."

"Gave both Chaos Planet and District Four hope."

"If Li Zhan is still alive..."

"I was sent here to help him."

If they successfully rescued Li Zhan...

He would owe District Four a favor.

Then...

He could protect District Four in the future.

He could also help search for the Second God.

Zhen Xing laughed mockingly.

"So all the major planets worked together last season."

"They suppressed the NPC rebellion."

"They covered everything up."

"And then..."

"They secretly sent agents into this season."

"Each pursuing their own agenda."

"What a joke."

"It's normal."

"They're all protecting their own status."

"Their own power."

"Their own wealth."

Duan Yuchen sounded almost emotional.

After sighing, he looked toward Yuan Ze.

"What about you?"

"You raised your hand too..."

Yuan Ze lowered it before smiling.

"The strongest contestant from the ordinary planets enters the competition."

"Why do you think that happened?"

Eugene answered first.

"Li Zhan."

Yuan Ze nodded.

"Exactly."

"Li Zhan is our god."

"How could the ordinary planets remain indifferent after he became trapped inside?"

"We didn't know exactly what happened."

"But even though last season's events were covered up..."

"We still learned some things."

Once they knew...

That their god remained trapped inside the Top Talent Show...

And that something terrible had happened...

The ordinary planets could never simply stand by.

Duan Yuchen inhaled deeply.

Finally...

He looked toward Zhante.

His expression verged on collapse.

"What about you?"

"Don't tell me District Five also sent an undercover agent?!"

Like Duan Yuchen...

Zhante also came from Weapon Planet.

Zhante grinned.

"That's right."

"You guessed correctly."

"I'm a mercenary hired by District Five."

"My codename..."

"...is T."

Zhen Xing's eyes lit up.

"So it was you!"

Duan Yuchen and the others simultaneously sucked in cold breaths.

Their faces filled with astonishment.

No wonder Zhante had never been particularly famous.

No wonder none of them recognized the name...

Despite his terrifying strength.

So...

He was the legendary mercenary known only as T.

Zhen Xing was fascinated by powerful opponents.

His phoenix eyes locked onto Zhante.

His cube rotated slowly in one hand.

"When we get the chance..."

"Let's fight."

Zhante: "..."

"No."

"I can't beat you."

He couldn't beat Zhen Xing before.

After the previous instance...

Zhante had grown tremendously stronger.

Unfortunately...

Zhen Xing's improvement had been even more outrageous.

Now he stood even less of a chance.

Still...

Zhen Xing continued staring at him eagerly.

Clearly itching for a fight.

Duan Yuchen grabbed his own hair.

His face looked utterly broken.

"My god..."

"So every one of you had your own mission?"

"I'm really the only person who entered simply to compete?!"

Wanrenzhan.

Eugene.

Yuan Ze.

Siya.

Qiong.

Zhante.

Tang Ke.

Every single one of them had been undercover agents.

Excluding the three contestants from Blue Star—

He Yu.

Ling Buchen.

Bo Jingshan.

That left only Duan Yuchen...

Gedai...

And Zhen Xing.

The three of them had entered with completely straightforward intentions.

No wonder this season was overflowing with monsters.

No wonder hidden dragons and crouching tigers seemed to appear everywhere.

It turned out...

Every genius had entered carrying some secret mission.

He Yu tapped the notebook lightly with his pen.

The sound drew everyone's attention.

His gaze remained fixed on Qiong.

Clearly...

He still found her especially interesting.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked,

"So..."

"You already know exactly what happened last season?"

"Wanrenzhan was one of the contestants."

"Even he only understands fragments."

"But you know?"

Qiong pursed her lips.

Her expression was serious.

"I didn't before."

"But after entering the competition..."

"And combining everything you've uncovered..."

"I've pieced together most of it."

He Yu smiled.

"Let me guess."

His long elegant fingers toyed with the pen.

It spun effortlessly between his slender joints.

His dark eyes curved into a smile impossible to look away from.

"Li Zhan became a god."

"Yet after ascending..."

"He was permanently trapped inside the Top Talent Show."

"He suffered countless unimaginable disasters."

"The people who attacked him..."

"Had absolutely no reverence for gods."

"They only wanted to devour him..."

"...to obtain his power."

His gaze suddenly turned icy.

The fingertips gripping the pen became slightly pale.

After calming his breathing...

He continued.

"Someone wanted him dead."

"And those people are connected to the mastermind."

"But in the end..."

"He survived."

"He continued existing inside the Top Talent Show..."

"...as an NPC."

"Earlier..."

"He was probably gathering strength."

"Last season..."

"He led the NPCs into rebellion."

"And everyone responded."

"I'd always wondered..."

"Who could possibly convince both NPCs and the Top 100 contestants to rebel together?"

"If it was Li Zhan..."

"Then everything makes sense."

Blue Eyes...

As Li Zhan.

As the newest god.

One of the Federation's Four Gods.

His popularity throughout the Federation was extraordinary.

He had been the childhood idol of countless people.

He must have possessed a human form during the previous instance.

Otherwise...

The contestants would never have believed him.

The moment Li Zhan appeared...

The Top 100 experts immediately chose to fight beside him.

Only Wanrenzhan...

Knew absolutely nothing.

The smile on He Yu's lips became ice cold.

"Unfortunately..."

"He failed."

"The Top 100 contestants all died."

"And he was gravely wounded."

"Or rather..."

"The people who attacked him believed..."

"...that he had finally died."

Qiong's arms trembled slightly.

Her voice carried suppressed fury.

"Yes."

"He must have been weakened terribly."

The giant fish.

The giant cat.

Ghost Li.

The Devil Vine.

The black tangyuan...

Every form he had taken...

Was proof of the suffering he had endured.

Earlier...

He hadn't even retained his memories.

He had simply existed as another boss.

During Kill the Prisoners...

He had originally possessed a human form.

Unfortunately...

Before they could ever meet him...

Li Zhan had already died.

Only a fragment of his consciousness remained.

Enough to transform Lan Ersi into Blue Eyes.

Gedai inhaled sharply.

"So..."

"Who did it?"

Yuan Ze laughed sarcastically.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Duan Yuchen answered coldly.

"The Five Main Districts of the Federation."

"They covered up last season together."

"Otherwise..."

"Everything couldn't possibly have disappeared without a trace."

"If even one Main District had investigated..."

"The truth would've come to light."

"But nobody investigated."

"Which means..."

"They all worked together."

Zhante lowered his head.

"The fact they jointly suppressed the information..."

"Makes one thing obvious."

"They all knew Li Zhan was inside."

They knew Li Zhan remained trapped inside the Top Talent Show.

They knew he had led both NPCs and contestants into rebellion.

Yet they still stopped him.

And then covered everything up.

There was only one explanation—

They were guilty.

Siya looked toward He Yu.

"You said the Federation committed a crime."

"They joined forces to kill Li Zhan."

"As for exactly what happened..."

"Only they—and Li Zhan himself—know."

Tang Ke slowly shook his head.

The irony overwhelmed him.

"Yes."

"The Five Main Districts joined together to kill a god."

"They crushed that god's resistance."

"They refused to let him escape."

"What a joke."

Ling Buchen had one question.

"If all the Main Districts were responsible..."

"Why did they still send all of you inside to investigate?"

Eugene swung one mechanical arm.

"Because they regretted it."

"They definitely don't dare let Li Zhan escape now."

"Of course..."

"Before this season began..."

"They believed they'd already killed him completely."

"They sent undercover agents to confirm that."

"And also to gather more information."

He Yu understood.

Another mocking smile appeared.

"So..."

"They came to gather intelligence?"

"They committed such an unforgivable act."

"Then regretted it."

"Then suspected there might still be hidden truths."

"So they sent all of you to investigate."

To determine whether Li Zhan was truly dead.

To uncover anything they had missed.

Zhante thought for a moment before adding,

"And..."

"They also wanted to create another god."

"Li Zhan died."

"Yet he still survived as an NPC."

"And even managed to lead a rebellion."

"That proves how powerful a god truly is."

"If he died inside here..."

"Perhaps..."

"Some benefit could be extracted."

"And another god could be created."

Every Main District...

Had its own schemes.

Its own ambitions.

Qiong looked toward He Yu.

"That's everything we know."

"He Yu..."

"What conclusions have you reached?"

He Yu nodded.

Then shook his head.

"I've obtained some information."

"And I have a few ideas."

"But..."

"I still need more clues."

He stopped there.

Clearly...

He had no intention of saying anything else.

Even with the livestreams disabled...

They remained under the system's surveillance.

Everyone was burning with curiosity.

Yet they understood the risks.

No one asked another question.

He Yu closed the notebook.

Lowering his eyes.

The light within them disappeared behind his lashes.

—His deductions were already fifty percent complete.

—For the remaining half...

He needed to meet Li Zhan.

He needed to speak with him personally.

Would he see him...

In the next instance?

At that moment...

A brilliant flash erupted from one of the livestreams in the viewing area.

Everyone instinctively looked over.

Bo Jingshan stood there with an icy expression.

Holding the Crescent Moon Blade high above his head.

He swung it down.

A single slash.

The violent wind swept through the battlefield.

Everyone surrounding him was cut down instantly.

They had trusted the undercover agent instead of trusting him.

They had tried to kill him.

So...

He killed them all.

One cold moonlit slash...

Nearly split apart the darkness itself.

One strike.

The battle ended.

He calmly sheathed the blade across his back.

Standing expressionlessly atop the mountain.

Waiting for the teleportation that would signal his advancement.

Everyone: "..."

Wanrenzhan muttered,

"Damn..."

"That's way too flashy."

Eugene bit one finger.

His eyes were full of envy.

"I'm doing that too someday."

He suddenly looked toward He Yu and Ling Buchen.

His expression became suspicious.

"Are all people from Blue Star..."

"...this ridiculously cool?"

What he actually wanted to say was—

Do all of them love showing off this much?

He Yu smiled faintly.

Ling Buchen answered with exactly the same smile.

"I suppose..."

"Our strength simply doesn't allow us to be low-key."

Eugene: "..."

Everyone: "............"

If they ever escaped...

They absolutely had to visit Blue Star.

Those people were unbelievably good at showing off.

The worst part...

Was that they always pulled it off.

Damn it.

Very soon...

Bo Jingshan appeared inside the Transfer Station.

At the same time...

The final two advancing contestants also arrived.

The slaughter round officially ended.

The semifinals...

Were about to begin.

The prelude to the finals.

The true peak battle.

Bo Jingshan carried his blade across his back.

He immediately located He Yu among the crowd.

Smiling slightly at him.

Before he could walk over...

The system announcement echoed.

【Teleportation into the next instance will begin shortly. Contestants, prepare yourselves. 3... 2...】

Everyone froze.

Qiong immediately laughed mockingly.

"How considerate."

"They're terrified we'll exchange too much information."

"The instant the final slot was filled..."

"They immediately started the next instance."

"How impressive."

Throughout every previous Top Talent Show...

The Transfer Station had always served as a rest period.

The deeper contestants advanced...

The longer that rest became.

Yet now...

Right before the semifinals...

There wasn't even a moment to recover.

The others vanished with equally sarcastic smiles.

—

【Welcome to the first half of the Top Talent Show Semifinals: One Hundred Down to Fifty! Half of all contestants will be eliminated this round. Only fifty advancement spots remain. Please give it your all!】

【The theme of the first semifinal is—Interstellar War...】

He Yu had no time to listen.

The moment he entered the new instance...

He found himself falling from the sky.

He had been teleported directly into midair.

Without the slightest warning...

He plummeted toward a pitch-black abyss.

He Yu reacted instantly.

The moment he began falling...

He pulled out his broom.

Stepped onto it.

Then released a long breath as he flew forward.

Whoosh—

[Bullet Screen: "My god... that scared me to death."]

[Bullet Screen: "Holy crap... that was terrifying."]

[Bullet Screen: "Thank goodness he's okay! If He Yu had died from that it'd be such a waste! Trash system! It's obviously trying to kill him! Who gets teleported into midair? Starting locations are supposed to be safe!"]

[Bullet Screen: "AHHH!! He Yu, watch out!"]

[Bullet Screen: "HOLY SHIT! HE YU RUN!!"]

The audience collectively froze in horror.

Every eye widened.

No reminder was necessary.

He Yu had already seen it.

Below him...

An enormous black shadow shot upward like lightning.

Its gigantic jaws opened toward him.

Its speed was terrifying.

Its mouth was impossibly huge.

A nauseating foul wind surged toward him.

The instant He Yu realized something was wrong...

He immediately steered the broom aside.

The broom accelerated to its absolute limit.

But...

The creature was simply too massive.

He couldn't escape its jaws.

It swallowed both He Yu...

And the broom.

Its enormous mouth closed.

Ready to swallow everything whole.

[Bullet Screen: "FUCK!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "The trash system isn't even trying to hide that it's targeting He Yu anymore?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "AHHH YOU BASTARDS!!"]

[Bullet Screen: "He Yu... my He Yu..."]

Bzzz—

The screen suddenly glitched.

Moments later...

Every livestream changed.

He Yu's stream had gone completely black.

Now...

Light suddenly returned.

Everything became clear.

The entire world changed.

Every contestant was transferred into a completely different world.

Every livestream displayed a new scene.

He Yu stood calmly on his broom.

Landing safely on solid ground.

This time...

No gigantic monster suddenly appeared.

Just like every other instance...

The starting location was temporarily safe.

At the same time...

The announcement sounded once again.

【Welcome to the first half of the Top Talent Show Semifinals: One Hundred Down to Fifty! Half of all contestants will be eliminated this round. Only fifty advancement spots remain. Please give it your all!】

【The theme of the first semifinal is—Are They Teammates?】

【This is Challenge Planet, a world filled with countless trials.】

【Each contestant will randomly receive either the number "1" or "2."】

【Your number determines your faction.】

【Each faction contains fifty contestants. The two sides are perfectly balanced.】

【Contestants earn mission points and equipment rewards by completing tasks.】

【Once all tasks have been completed, total faction points will be calculated.】

【The faction with the higher total score wins.】

【The entire losing faction will be eliminated.】

【Note: Once a contestant "dies," their points return to zero and they no longer contribute to their faction's total.】

【Contestants may not reveal their faction to anyone. Violators will be eliminated.】

【This world contains Verification Cards.】

【Each card can verify the faction of one contestant within your line of sight.】

【Matching numbers indicate teammates. Different numbers indicate enemies.】

【Faction score is calculated collectively.】

【Therefore, take your Verification Cards...】

【...and actively search for your teammates!】

【There will be no voting this round.】

【Contestants, rely on yourselves.】

【The instance Are They Teammates? now begins. Good luck to all contestants!】

The instance had changed.

Although He Yu's situation moments earlier had been extremely dangerous...

He had still clearly heard the original instance's title—

Interstellar War.

Now...

They were inside an entirely different instance.

Are They Teammates?

Had the instance not changed...

He Yu would likely have died the instant he arrived.

[Bullet Screen: "HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Did the system actually do something right for once? It found a bug and immediately replaced the instance?"]

[Bullet Screen: "That Interstellar War instance was definitely broken! Who starts an instance inside the mouth of a giant monster?! That was deliberate murder!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Thank goodness they switched instances. Damn... this new one is a nightmare too. Fifty contestants are guaranteed to be eliminated? If the teams are balanced, then all the strongest contestants must be split between both factions."]

[Bullet Screen: "Why did the instance suddenly change? @Top Talent Show Give us an explanation!"]

[Bullet Screen: "First time in Top Talent Show history."]

He Yu adjusted his glasses.

His eyes curved into crescents.

The corners of his lips lifted into a smile.

Without making a sound...

He mouthed—

"It's you."