Chapter 230: Are They Teammates? (6)

No one understood what Wanrenzhan was trying to do.

His train of thought was something ordinary people simply couldn't follow.

He slowly took off his clothes piece by piece, secretly stealing glances at He Yu out of the corner of his eye. Whenever he noticed He Yu looking at him, he immediately straightened his back, puffed out his chest, stretched his arms, and struck poses like a model showing off his physique...

After a long silence, Duan Yuchen guessed,

"Showing off his body?"

Eugene: "..."

He looked at Wanrenzhan, then down at himself, before shaking his head.

"Tsk. What's there to show off? Showing off your body in front of people from Mechanical Planet?"

Most Mechanical Planet residents had perfectly modeled faces.

Naturally, their physiques were equally flawless.

Of course, Eugene claiming he had a better body than Wanrenzhan was just a joke. Wanrenzhan's powerful, well-defined muscles were the sort that no one could honestly criticize.

Siya moved closer to Qiong and whispered with a sigh,

"I've got to admit, his body's really impressive... it's just a pity..."

She tilted her chin toward He Yu.

Qiong looked over.

He Yu was indeed watching Wanrenzhan.

But after giving him two expressionless glances, he calmly looked away without the slightest emotional reaction.

Suppressing a laugh, Qiong lowered her voice.

"He wants to show off his body, but He Yu probably just thinks he's showing off."

Siya laughed as well.

The two of them wore identical expressions of people happily watching a good show.

Zhen Xing fell into thought.

Seeing He Yu look away, disappointment flashed across Wanrenzhan's eyes.

He immediately yanked his clothes on at lightning speed, completely losing the leisurely pace he'd maintained moments ago.

Once he finished changing, Zhante said impatiently,

"Done? Then hurry up and get down the mountain. Stop wasting time."

Wanrenzhan ignored him.

A gust seemed to form beneath his feet as he strode over to He Yu in just a few steps. His eyes sparkled brightly.

"Shorty, come on. I'll carry you. With those tiny arms and legs, you'll probably end up rolling all the way down the mountain."

He Yu: "..."

Some people...

Really did have an incredible talent for making everything they said unpleasant.

He Yu glanced at Wanrenzhan expressionlessly.

"Please don't call me 'Shorty.' Thank you."

Wanrenzhan towered over him and muttered from above,

"But you are short... Fine, fine. If you don't like it, I won't call you that. Come on, get on."

He bent down.

Eugene immediately objected.

"I think you're just trying to take advantage of him. Carry He Yu? What if you drop him? I can carry him too."

Wanrenzhan flicked his freshly changed clothes.

"I'm clean. I won't dirty He Yu's clothes."

Eugene opened his mouth to argue, but found himself unable to come up with a response.

Only then did Zhen Xing finally understand why Wanrenzhan had changed clothes.

He found it rather speechless.

Still...

Thinking about the path they'd climbed earlier...

The already treacherous cliffs had become even muddier after the snow melted. Even they had nearly slipped climbing up.

Going down would only be harder.

Expressionless, Zhen Xing said,

"Let him carry He Yu."

Wanrenzhan really was the cleanest person there.

And physically, no one could compare to him.

He Yu didn't object either.

He knew how difficult the descent would be.

Since someone was willing to help, there was no reason to insist on walking himself.

Thus...

Wanrenzhan finally succeeded in carrying He Yu.

Resting against his broad back, He Yu appeared even slimmer and more delicate than usual.

Meanwhile, Wanrenzhan looked positively radiant, as though he'd just taken advantage of the greatest bargain imaginable.

Everyone else rolled their eyes silently.

—No wonder he'd been seeming dumber and dumber lately.

With that tiny brain of his...

Who knew what strange things he kept using it for every day?

[Bullet Screen: "Hahaha, this is probably Wanrenzhan's greatest successful scheme ever."]

[Bullet Screen: "I'm dying. Everyone else is thinking about how to advance, how to get Verification Cards, and who to verify. He's only thinking about how to carry He Yu..."]

[Bullet Screen: "As expected of that lovable idiot."]

It had to be said—

Wanrenzhan was incredibly sturdy.

And genuinely powerful.

His back was broad, solid, and reassuring.

As He Yu rode on his back down the mountain, he found the journey unexpectedly comfortable.

Wanrenzhan's footing was remarkably steady.

Not once did he let He Yu touch the mud.

Zhen Xing and Eugene led the way.

Wanrenzhan carried He Yu.

Qiong and Siya followed behind them.

Yuan Ze and Zhante brought up the rear.

The group descended the mountain carefully.

Wanrenzhan bounced He Yu slightly on his back before frowning.

"Why are you so light?"

He was practically weightless.

Wanrenzhan almost couldn't tell he was carrying someone at all.

He Yu weighed less than Wanrenzhan's axe.

He was simply too light.

He Yu answered calmly,

"Mhm."

As a celebrity, being thin looked better on camera.

Blue Star's cameras and the Universe Federation's cameras were different.

Blue Star cameras made people look heavier.

Federation cameras reproduced reality almost perfectly, without even the slightest distortion.

Naturally...

There were no beauty filters either.

In a world built around combat...

People appeared exactly as they truly were.

Wanrenzhan continued,

"You should really find a way to raise your combat power. Sure, we can protect you, but you're so skinny you don't even look healthy. Anyone could slap you to death..."

He somehow possessed the extraordinary ability to make even words of concern sound irritating.

He Yu replied,

"We'll see."

He lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the emotions hidden within them.

His current combat power was actually his camouflage.

As long as it remained low, whoever was manipulating things behind the scenes would instinctively focus on that apparent weakness.

Combat power...

Had never been what concerned him.

As for improving it—

He already had a plan.

Thinking of this, He Yu adjusted his glasses again, allowing the lenses to hide every trace of emotion in his eyes.

Wanrenzhan kept talking.

"With combat power that low, if other people start fighting and accidentally catch you in the crossfire, you'll probably die just from getting brushed by them. This instance's especially dangerous, and you're way too eye-catching. If someone discovers you're in the enemy camp, they'll probably kill you on the spot."

"Mhm."

Wanrenzhan lowered his voice.

"How about secretly using one Verification Card first? Confirm one teammate, then let that teammate use another Verification Card to verify you."

That way...

Someone else would definitely protect He Yu.

Wanrenzhan could protect him himself.

But he worried they might belong to different camps, making it impossible for him to protect He Yu in every situation.

As long as He Yu confirmed one teammate...

With the strongest support joining forces with someone else, they'd become unstoppable.

Naturally...

Wanrenzhan hoped that teammate would be himself.

He Yu remained completely indifferent.

"We'll see."

Wanrenzhan pouted.

"With combat power that pathetic, I seriously don't understand why you aren't worried at all!"

As if remembering something, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Oh, right. I think you and I might actually be teammates. I've got a feeling. And my instincts are always accurate!"

He Yu: "..."

Expressionlessly, he answered,

"Oh."

Wanrenzhan continued trudging downhill.

"You know, why did you save me in the last instance? In that situation, I should've been beyond saving, but you still risked yourself to rescue me..."

He Yu replied,

"You weren't dead yet. You could still be saved."

Wanrenzhan grinned foolishly.

"I was about to self-destruct. There wasn't anything left to save... and yet you were willing to take that risk..."

He coughed awkwardly before lowering his voice.

"I never properly said it before..."

"...Thank you."

The final three words were barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

He Yu raised an eyebrow.

"What did you say?"

Wanrenzhan immediately became annoyed.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted,

"I SAID THANK YOU!!"

Instantly...

Everyone in front of and behind them turned to look at him.

Their expressions resembled those of people kindly looking after someone with very questionable intelligence.

Wanrenzhan: "..."

His entire face flushed bright red.

He Yu smiled faintly.

His voice remained calm.

"I would've saved anyone."

He wanted to bring everyone out alive.

Wanrenzhan snorted.

"Stop pretending. I already know."

He Yu: "??"

He decided not to bother talking to him anymore.

The others withdrew their gazes and continued descending.

Wanrenzhan also resumed humming to himself while chattering endlessly at He Yu.

He talked constantly.

Usually, Wanrenzhan would ramble for a long time...

And He Yu would answer with only one or two words.

Even so...

Wanrenzhan remained perfectly happy.

He was visibly delighted.

Ahead of them, Eugene overheard the conversation and quietly sighed to Zhen Xing,

"I have to admit, people with simple minds really do live happier lives."

What kind of situation were they in now?

Couldn't he see how terrifying this instance was?

Yet somehow...

He remained so carefree.

Zhen Xing murmured quietly,

"Sometimes... sincerity really is the ultimate trump card."

Eugene looked back.

"What did you say?"

Zhen Xing shook his head.

"Nothing."

Walking exactly where Eugene had stepped before him, he deliberately made the path easier to follow.

That way, Wanrenzhan could carry He Yu more steadily.

Behind them, He Yu suddenly said,

"You're like this... and that's a good thing. Stay alive and make it out."

Wanrenzhan instinctively asked,

"What if I die?"

He Yu answered expressionlessly,

"You've got excellent bones. If you die, I'll—"

Wanrenzhan immediately interrupted him.

"You'll make a weapon out of my bones, right?"

Rolling his eyes, the scarred face that looked so fierce carried complete certainty.

"I was the only one who survived the last season."

"I'll survive this one too."

"So don't worry."

"You won't get the chance to make a weapon out of my bones."

After a pause, he added,

"And you have to survive too."

Let's make it out together.

Only after a long silence did He Yu respond,

"Mhm."

—Everyone had to survive.

—He would do everything in his power to make that happen.

—

Descending the mountain was faster than climbing it...

But considerably more troublesome.

The melted snow covering the cliffs was unbelievably annoying.

Along the way, quite a few of them slipped.

When Siya fell, she even knocked Qiong over in front of her.

After that, everyone deliberately kept some distance between each other.

By the time they finally reached the bottom...

Every single one of them looked like refugees.

Covered in mud from head to toe.

Only He Yu remained dressed in white, as spotless as fresh snow.

Wanrenzhan truly was incredible.

Despite carrying He Yu all the way down...

Not a single speck of mud had landed on him.

Siya wiped her face.

Her hand came away covered in mud.

Unable to help herself, she looked at He Yu enviously.

"Wanrenzhan, you've really got some skills. That's impressive. Not even a single drop of mud splashed onto He Yu."

Wanrenzhan puffed up proudly.

"Of course!"

He Yu looked down at Wanrenzhan's feet and frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

Wanrenzhan's boots were high-grade equipment.

Yet now...

They were completely worn out.

There were even faint traces of blood on them.

Covered by mud, the blood wasn't immediately noticeable.

Hearing that, everyone looked down at Wanrenzhan's feet.

Wanrenzhan lowered his head as well before casually lifting one foot.

Still looking smug, he said,

"Pretty amazing, huh? I even managed to wear out high-grade equipment. I kept driving my feet straight into the mud and rocks, so I stayed steadier than the rest of you."

He looked extremely proud.

"An ordinary person couldn't possibly do that without using equipment!"