Chapter 226: Are They Teammates? (2)

From the giant fish at the very beginning, to leaving behind a trace of consciousness after death in the previous instance...

He was becoming stronger and stronger.

He Yu knew that switching him to another instance had been Blue-Eyes Li Zhan's doing.

—Only he would do something like that.

As he grew stronger and gained self-awareness, he constantly watched over He Yu. Whenever He Yu encountered danger, he simply couldn't resist intervening.

He Yu didn't know how he had managed to switch the instance, nor did he know what price he had paid for it. But He Yu was certain—

He was becoming more and more powerful.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he appeared before him in a human body.

It was only then that He Yu realized he had been trapped in a misconception.

He had always assumed Blue-Eyes was an NPC. It was true that he had first appeared before He Yu in the role of an NPC, but that didn't mean he could only exist as one.

A god.

A god who had remained inside the <Top Talent Show> for over a hundred years.

He was surely more than any ordinary form of NPC.

His consciousness might already be all around him.

Since Blue-Eyes Li Zhan had been able to move He Yu from the instance rigged by the system into this one, he had to exist within both instances.

And he was watching He Yu every second.

—He simply couldn't come to his side.

Perhaps he was the wind.

The air.

The earth.

Or the clouds drifting across the sky...

He Yu couldn't tell which one was him.

Looking ahead, the corners of his lips curled upward into a radiant smile. His beautiful black almond-shaped eyes gleamed like gemstones. Then he tilted his head, blinked his left eye—the one with the beauty mark beneath it—

And made a finger heart.

The rimless glasses resting on the bridge of his nose didn't diminish his beauty in the slightest. Instead, they made him appear even more refined.

Many men looked awkward doing that gesture. More often than not, it came across as greasy.

But this was He Yu.

His skin was as fair as jade, every feature exquisitely perfect. He possessed an otherworldly beauty that made him seem like an immortal descended to earth. When he smiled and made that little gesture...

It was simply fatal.

Whether it was He Yu himself or the original owner of this body, both had debuted through talent competitions.

As for He Yu...

He had debuted as the undisputed center, miles ahead of everyone else. His professional skills were absolutely flawless.

That single blink seemed to freeze the entire world for an instant.

Somewhere in this world, a certain upright figure swayed as though drunk before collapsing stiffly into the water. Pink bubbles floated to the surface, and it was as if the entire world instantly became several degrees warmer, dyed completely pink.

Although He Yu had no idea where that person was, he somehow seemed able to sense his emotions.

A smile spread through his eyes.

The Bullet Screen had long since gone completely blank.

Only after what felt like their hearts stopping did the audience finally recover, flooding the livestream with messages—

"Damn damn damn! I fainted! I can't take this! My heart just jumped out of my chest!!"

"My heart ran away too. It went looking for He Yu."

"Oh my god... Husband—no! Wife! He's so unbelievably gorgeous!!"

"Holy shit, He Yu is absolutely lethal. He's too freaking incredible. I'm saving this clip and watching it ten thousand times every day. Wuwuwu, I'm drooling all over the floor."

"My god, Yuyu is my precious baby, wuwuwu."

...

At that moment, He Yu could see the Bullet Screen.

A trace of helplessness appeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to divert his attention away from it, several messages mixed among the flood suddenly caught his eye—

"The officials gave an explanation!"

"They said switching instances would make things fairer. The new instance is completely fair, and with both the production team and an invited technical team supervising it, nobody will be able to interfere with the <Top Talent Show> anymore. They even apologized, saying the previous incident was just an accident."

"So the production team switched the instance?"

"They didn't say it directly, but that's definitely what they were implying."

"At least they finally did something right. Even though dropping contestants into instant-death spawn points was their own fault in the first place, they tried to make up for it. Barely acceptable."

"Let's hope everything's fair from now on. Heh."

...

The warmth instantly vanished from He Yu's eyes.

The smile lingering on his lips turned into one of ridicule.

They really had the nerve to take credit for themselves.

It had clearly been Blue-Eyes who switched the instance.

He Yu still had no idea what price he had paid, yet the production team shamelessly claimed the achievement as their own.

What were they capable of?

They could only teleport He Yu into a place where he would die the instant he landed!

Could He Yu have misunderstood?

Anyone with half a brain knew he hadn't.

If the production team had really done it, would they have spoken in such vague, ambiguous terms?

Not stating it outright.

Only hinting at it.

They simply wanted to steal the credit.

—Shameless.

He Yu raised a hand and adjusted his glasses, hiding the coldness in his eyes.

Now wasn't the time to say anything.

Everything would have to wait until he met Blue-Eyes and saw his current condition...

Perhaps...

His situation wasn't very good.

After this incident, He Yu no longer had any mood to tease Blue-Eyes.

His landing point was perfectly safe.

So he remained where he was, focusing his attention on the rules.

He murmured softly,

"Two camps. Fifty people per camp. Random assignment, and supposedly balanced... That means the strongest contestants can't all end up on the same side. That's going to be troublesome..."

Camp 1 contained fifty contestants.

Camp 2 contained fifty contestants.

The first half of the semifinals divided one hundred contestants into Groups "1" and "2." After completing every mission in this world, the total score of each camp would be calculated.

The higher-scoring camp would win.

The lower-scoring camp...

All fifty contestants would be eliminated together.

This instance was obviously different from all the previous ones.

—After a contestant "dies," their score becomes zero, and they no longer participate in the competition.

The word "dies" was enclosed in quotation marks.

That meant they didn't actually die.

They merely lost their qualification to participate in this round and no longer contributed to their camp.

Even if someone "died," they could still advance as long as their camp ultimately won.

However...

Once they were killed, every point they had earned would be erased.

They would contribute absolutely nothing to their camp.

At first glance, it seemed easier than previous instances.

In reality...

It was even crueler.

Even if you earned the highest score in the entire instance...

Even if you completely crushed everyone else...

If your teammates failed to earn enough points, you would still be eliminated together with your entire camp.

It looked fair.

Yet it was profoundly unfair.

If you followed the conventional strategy and focused only on yourself...

You could only rely on luck.

The only foolproof strategy was—

Kill.

Before the final mission ended...

Kill every single member of the opposing camp.

Even worse...

No one was allowed to reveal their camp.

Unless a contestant used a Verification Card, nobody could know whether the person standing before them was actually a teammate.

The instance's title was:

Are You a Teammate?

That explained everything.

Aside from teammates personally confirmed with a Verification Card...

Everyone else could belong to the enemy camp.

Even someone treating you with exceptional kindness.

—They might already know your identity through a Verification Card.

Or...

They might simply be pretending in order to gain your trust.

Therefore...

If you wanted to advance safely...

You had to eliminate everyone except your confirmed teammates.

At the same time...

You also had to beware of those confirmed teammates.

Because they might not know your identity...

And attack you first.

In short—

Trust no one.

Kill indiscriminately.

Yet no one would truly die.

Real death would only be determined after the instance ended.

The instance <Are You a Teammate?> could just as well have been called Everyone Is Undercover...

Or Everyone Is a Killer.

He Yu strongly suspected this would become the instance with the greatest amount of deception and manipulation.

What a headache.

【Bullet Screen: "This instance is actually terrifying. The rules become more horrifying the more you think about them."】

【Bullet Screen: "Of course. It's the semifinals. How could it possibly be easy?"】

【Bullet Screen: "At least nobody actually dies before the instance ends."】

【Bullet Screen: "But the moment it ends... fifty people die all at once!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Damn. I just switched to other livestreams. Lots of contestants have already drawn their numbers. It's freaking hopeless."】

【Bullet Screen: "I saw too! Ahhh! Zhen Xing and Eugene aren't on the same camp. Wanrenzhan and Ling Buchen aren't either. Damn it!"】

Compared with an instance where you died the moment you landed...

This one was still much better.

Blue-Eyes had been able to pull him into a new instance.

He couldn't, however, determine the rules.

The rules of the <Top Talent Show> had always existed for one purpose—

To make them slaughter one another.

To erase all trust.

He Yu let out a cold laugh.

The Bullet Screen, which he could occasionally see...

Might allow him to cheat in this instance.

However...

Having his own camp win wasn't actually the outcome He Yu wanted.

He strongly suspected that the teammates he truly acknowledged would likely end up assigned to the opposing camp.

With that thought, He Yu chose to retrieve his own number.

The system flickered.

Then a number rolled out before him.

A perfectly round number.

 He Yu: "??"

Audience: "???"

—

The <Top Talent Show> had once again become the target of everyone's outrage.

It had only just promised a fair competition...

And now He Yu had drawn the number—

"3."

What the hell did that mean?

Did it represent a third camp?

Or some special identity?

The system rules hadn't mentioned anything.

Nor had they said there were hidden rules.

Which meant there was only one possibility—

A system bug.

Qiu Dao grabbed at the few hairs he had left, yanking out another one of his remaining three.

Looking at the yellow strand resting in his palm, his fury doubled.

He turned toward Abier.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Probably a system bug."

Abier seemed remarkably unconcerned.

Qiu Dao exploded.

"Fix it immediately! Camp 1 only has forty-nine people now! Put him into Camp 1!"

Abier stroked his chin thoughtfully and blinked.

"But... we just strengthened the security of the <Top Talent Show> system together with the technical team. We can't modify the instance rules anymore."

Qiu Dao: "............"

They had strengthened the defenses to prevent anyone else from interfering with the competition...

Only to discover that now even they themselves couldn't interfere.

Manipulating the competition had already been incredibly difficult before.

Now it was practically impossible.

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Dao asked hoarsely,

"So He Yu will automatically be assigned to Camp 1, right?"

Abier replied,

"If my calculations are correct...

No matter whether Camp 1 or Camp 2 wins...

He Yu, as Camp 3...

Will still be eliminated."

Qiu Dao: "..."

He suddenly wanted to shout at the heavens—

Just kill me already.

I don't want to live anymore.

His neural computer continued to bombard him with notifications.

He didn't even dare look.

That included the messages arriving from the Royal Palace.

He reached up to pull out more hair, only to remember he had just two strands left.

His hand froze.

He rubbed it awkwardly against his pants instead.

"Can we have the Mechanical Planet technicians modify it too?"

Abier thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yes."

Qiu Dao's eyes immediately lit up.

"But..."

"Because the defenses are so strong now..."

"It'll probably take quite a long time."

Qiu Dao's voice grew even hoarser.

"How long?"

"More than three days."

Qiu Dao: "............"

—Forget it.

Just kill me.

Right now he wished he were one of the contestants inside the competition.

He felt the contestants had less pressure than he did.

When he left home...

He still had a father.

By the time he returned...

At this rate, his father would probably end up calling him "Dad."

That was how much he had aged.

His neural computer continued flashing.

Communications from the Royal Palace came with a special notification.

Qiu Dao still didn't dare answer.

Instead, he roared at Abier,

"Then get moving! Forget 'more than three days!' Three days maximum! Go!"

Abier left.

Qiu Dao switched off his neural computer and collapsed into his chair.

He made up his mind.

Until this problem was solved...

He would pretend to be dead.

As for the King's anger...

Or the wrath of the major powers...

Whatever.

At this rate, once this season ended...

He wouldn't survive anyway.

In fact, if they really wanted someone to take responsibility...

He should have been executed long ago.

Or quietly assassinated by contestants' families or fans.

The only reason he was still alive...

Was because the King and the great powers had protected him.

Don't misunderstand.

It wasn't because he was important.

It was because...

They needed someone to take the blame.

The current <Top Talent Show> was a blazing-hot potato.

Whoever touched it...

Died.

Thinking that, Qiu Dao suddenly felt much better.

He pulled out a mirror and very carefully tried sticking the fallen hair back onto his head.

The Federation did possess hair-regrowth technology.

Unfortunately...

He no longer dared leave this office.

—

While Qiu Dao played dead...

Every major faction was being bombarded by furious citizens.

Chaos erupted across countless planets.

The governments of the Five Main Planets ran around like ants on a hot pan.

The audience was equally furious—

"This is disgusting! Camp 3? They're seriously trying to kill He Yu!"

"Exactly! No matter which camp wins, He Yu dies! Damn them!"

"AHHHHH I want to kill someone!"

"Damn it! Why is my He God always the one who has to suffer? Why does he always have to bear everything?! @Top Talent Show, every single one of you can go to hell!"

"We need a new King. This one is completely useless."

"Exactly. Fair competition? My ass."

"AHHHHH WHAT IS HE YU SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

"I already have a bad feeling this instance is going to kill so many contestants I like..."

"Thinking back to He God's adorable wink just now... I only want Yuyu to stay happy forever. I don't want him facing something like this..."

...

No one could remain happy forever.

Especially not in this competition.

Perhaps only surviving until the very end...

Could bring true peace.

He Yu took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, the number before him had disappeared.

However...

On his status panel, a brand-new field had appeared beneath the instance information.

Camp: 3

He Yu's expression remained perfectly calm.

Nothing unusual could be seen on his face.

He adjusted his rimless glasses.

Looking around at his surroundings with an indifferent gaze, he behaved as though nothing had happened...

As though he had simply received an ordinary number.

Not a bug.

He had landed beside a snow-covered mountain.

White snow blanketed the entire peak, making anyone who looked at it feel cold.

Steep cliffs surrounded it.

A solitary mountain rose straight into the clouds, impossibly tall and precipitous.

Where He Yu stood, it was warm springtime with beautiful scenery.

Yet right beside it towered the snowy mountain.

Snow continued falling there.

The mountain looked utterly out of place.

As though it shouldn't exist at all.

—There was a mission here.

Obviously, anywhere this unusual would contain a quest.

There were many quests in this world.

He had already encountered one.

After a moment's thought, He Yu stepped onto his broom and flew toward the mountain.

However...

Just before entering the snowy region, something invisible blocked his path.

He simply couldn't fly inside.

The broom backed away.

Accelerated.

Charged forward again.

He was blocked once more.

The impact was so strong it nearly threw He Yu off.

Frowning, He Yu pondered briefly before landing.

He cautiously stepped toward the mountain.

Instantly—

Bone-chilling cold engulfed him.

Snowflakes landed on his face.

The freezing air spread upward from his feet through his entire body.

He understood.

This mountain...

Could only be climbed on foot.

Flying was impossible.

Then He Yu remembered his own stamina...

Almost immediately, he thought of <Ice Paradise>.

That had been the first place where he and Blue-Eyes had spent time together.

The great Frost Beast had left an unforgettable impression on him.

This place looked...

Very, very similar.

【Bullet Screen: "There's definitely a quest here, but it looks freezing. Who knows what other dangers are waiting."】

【Bullet Screen: "He Yu needs points as quickly as possible. The best strategy is earning points while killing as many members of both camps as possible."】

【Bullet Screen: "Exactly. Everyone else can gamble on their camp's total score. He Yu can't. He has to kill people if he wants to win."】

【Bullet Screen: "That's way too hard... Wait, if He Yu actually wins, wouldn't he eliminate ninety-nine contestants and become the Top Talent directly?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Am I the only one who thinks this place looks exactly like Ice Paradise? Could there be Frost Beasts up there?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Ah! I thought of Blue-Eyes too. I kind of miss him. Yuyu, hurry up and go take a look!"】

He Yu merely experienced the biting cold for a moment.

Then he shivered and stepped back out.

Inside and outside...

They were like two entirely different worlds.

The moment he left, every snowflake on his body melted away.

Warmth instantly flooded through him.

The sunlight chased away the cold, making him want to stretch lazily.

After considering it, He Yu decided to meet up with other people first.

As for completing missions...

He had no intention of working alone.

He walked to a nearby rock and sat against it.

Then he released his broom...

And hung something from it.

Although his broom looked rather plain...

It was extraordinarily intelligent.

It circled excitedly around him.

He Yu reached out, gently patted it, and softly said—

"East Wind Broom...

Go."

As if injected with stimulants, the broom shot into the sky with a whoosh, disappearing from sight almost instantly.

Without carrying He Yu...

Its speed was astonishing.

Watching it fly away, He Yu sat comfortably on the rock, basking in the sunlight.

Anyone who wanted to find him...

Would simply follow the broom.

—

What did it mean for enemies to meet on a narrow road?

Probably Eugene and Gedai.

Not long after entering the instance, the two encountered each other.

Maintaining a distance of ten meters, they stared across the gap.

Neither had the slightest intention of approaching.

Eugene smiled brightly.

"What a coincidence."

Behind his back...

Mechanical arms had already emerged.

Gedai forced a smile.

"It certainly is."

His feet pressed firmly against the ground, ready to launch himself forward at any moment.

"Hey."

"Are we teammates?"

Eugene asked with a grin.

—The true essence of the instance immediately revealed itself.

The very first question upon meeting someone was:

Are we teammates?

Naturally...

There would be no answer.

But the question did reveal the other person's attitude.

Gedai curled his lips.

"Maybe."

"I haven't gotten a Verification Card yet. What about you?"

Eugene shrugged.

"I only just entered the instance. I don't have one either."

"Where are you headed?"

"Just wandering around."

"And you?"

...

Every word carried hidden probing and cautious testing.

Each carefully assessed the other's intentions.

Both remained prepared to fight at any second.

Just then...

A dazzling broom streaked across the sky.

Half of a broken sword hung beneath it.

It was the longsword He Yu had forged from the Cheap Knife.

The blade had broken afterward.

Now only half remained, dangling beneath the broom as it flew overhead.

It looked like another blazing sun crossing the sky.

Its brilliant flash nearly blinded everyone who saw it.

The two simultaneously covered their eyes.

Tears almost welled up.

—It was truly a long-unseen sight.

Gedai blinked.

"What's going on?"

Eugene slowly lowered his hand.

"It has to be He Yu."

"He's calling us."

Gedai lowered his hand as well.

"Are you going?"

"Of course."

"You?"

Gedai said nothing.

But his answer was obvious.

—He was going too.

Neither of them moved.

Squinting at the rapidly disappearing broom, Gedai sighed.

"That broom is incredibly fast."

"It'll probably be coming back soon."

Eugene nodded.

"Exactly."

"Let's just wait here."

【Bullet Screen: "Why wait?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Obviously. That broom is so ridiculously shiny, and this is the first time it's appeared in the instance. That means it's still on its outbound trip. It'll have to return later. We can just follow it on the way back."】

【Bullet Screen: "Exactly. Besides, it's blinding enough already. Only an idiot would chase after it now."】

Just as the Bullet Screen was enthusiastically discussing the matter...

Above Eugene and Gedai's heads...

Behind the broom...

Wanrenzhan flew after it on a flying device, racing directly in pursuit as he passed overhead.

【Bullet Screen: "..."】

Eugene: "..."

Gedai: "..."

Both slowly raised their heads.

Their gazes followed Wanrenzhan's path from left...

To right.

Then, in perfect unison, they uttered two words—

"Idiot."