Chapter 234: Are They Teammates? (10)

【Bullet Screen: "Tang Ke, why are you so tense?!"】

Tang Ke's entire body stiffened for an instant.

His lips pressed together, his fists clenched, and conflict filled his eyes.

Even Gedai and Yuan Ze hesitated.

Should they trust He Yu?

Reason and emotion pulled them toward two completely different answers.

Reason told them:

This was a death match.

The wager was their own lives.

They absolutely could not hand them over to someone else.

But emotionally...

That was He Yu.

The He Yu who had saved them countless times.

The He Yu who had led them dancing wildly on the edge of death again and again.

Every previous season of the <Top Talent Show> had been filled with slaughter and deception.

Even allies always kept something in reserve.

Nobody ever trusted anyone completely.

At a moment like this...

No one would willingly place their life in someone else's hands.

But this season...

They had already experienced trusting others.

They had experienced living and dying together.

They had experienced entrusting their backs to one another.

Only those who had gone through it could understand that feeling.

Your rational mind screamed over and over—

No.

Trust no one.

If he betrays you, you'll pay with your life.

Yet another voice rose from somewhere deep inside your heart—

One you couldn't suppress.

One that made your blood boil.

Eugene cursed.

"Damn it! It's not like this is the first time. I'm in."

Duan Yuchen slowly let out the breath he'd been holding, his expression relaxing.

"Without you, I'd have died long ago. He Yu... I trust you."

Qiong was about to speak as well.

He Yu simply raised a hand, stopping her.

Whether they had already made up their minds...

Or were still struggling with themselves...

Everyone looked toward He Yu.

Waiting to hear what he would say.

The corner of He Yu's mouth lifted.

"What are you all doing?"

"We're not at a dead end yet."

"There's no need to choose between trust and your lives."

"I don't want your trust."

"I don't want your lives."

"I only want us to advance."

Was this instance dangerous?

Without question.

Absolutely.

But this wasn't the truly dangerous moment yet.

They weren't standing with blades against their throats.

There was no reason to rush.

No reason to gamble with their lives.

Those willing to entrust their lives to him before reaching absolute despair...

Trusted him completely.

And they were also the people he trusted the most.

As for those still wavering...

It wasn't because they didn't trust He Yu.

It was simply because reason told them—

Never hand your life over lightly.

That was the intelligent decision.

There was nothing wrong with it.

They would still follow He Yu's plans.

They would still protect He Yu.

He Yu didn't need them to make that choice now.

His goal was to advance—

Not to obtain their absolute trust.

It had never been his objective.

—Trust merely made executing his plans easier.

Adjusting his glasses, he continued,

"Before every mission is completed, we'll eliminate the other contestants and distribute the points."

"You fight."

"I'll calculate."

"When only the final mission remains unfinished, you'll verify everything yourselves."

"Only after that will we complete the final mission."

"How does that sound?"

In other words...

During the first phase, everyone else would provide the manpower.

He Yu would provide the brain.

When they reached the very end—before the instance officially concluded—

Everyone else could personally inspect the results...

Then make their own decision.

At that point...

With the Verification Cards in hand...

They could naturally verify whether He Yu had secretly manipulated anything.

A flawless arrangement.

One that left absolutely no room for doubt.

Tang Ke's eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea!"

Looking at He Yu, their expression became complicated.

"You really are..."

"...a born captain."

—Tang Ke hadn't known He Yu nearly as long as the others.

Yet even after such a short time together...

They found themselves instinctively trusting him.

Relying on him.

Seeing him as their captain.

Tang Ke suddenly realized...

If there were another situation like this...

Their rational side might disappear entirely.

Perhaps they'd become just like Zhen Xing and the others—

Trusting He Yu unconditionally.

Duan Yuchen and the others felt equally complicated.

But more than anything...

They were happy.

They had offered their trust.

And He Yu had never once betrayed it.

Receiving that kind of positive response...

Would always make people happy.

He Yu accepted praise with remarkable composure.

Even under everyone's burning gazes...

He remained calm and collected.

Standing up, he casually brushed the dust from his clothes before summoning his broom.

His eyes swept across everyone.

Raising an eyebrow, he asked,

"Not leaving?"

Clearly...

He had no intention of discussing the strategy any further.

Everything worth discussing...

Everything worth considering...

Had already been covered.

There was no point continuing.

"Let's go!"

"We've already worked out the plan."

"Time to collect some points."

Everyone stood up.

After resting, they were now clean, refreshed, and full of energy.

He Yu said,

"Then let's get moving."

"We'll complete missions while sending the other contestants... to their rest."

At present...

"Death" simply meant entering the "intermission" and waiting for the final judgment.

As for whether the other contestants were willing...

He Yu didn't concern himself with that.

Time was running out.

They couldn't afford any further delays.

Using their various flying equipment, the group continued forward.

Flying beside He Yu, Zhen Xing quietly glanced at him.

Confusion filled his beautiful phoenix eyes.

Like Ling Buchen...

He had also noticed something unusual about He Yu.

But, like Ling Buchen...

He said nothing.

—He Yu seemed determined to make everyone trust him.

To control the entire situation.

—Why?

His proposal reassured everyone.

Naturally...

It also earned their trust.

Meanwhile, the Bullet Screen exploded.

【"AHHHH! What exactly is He Yu trying to do?!"】

【"If they verify him, he's finished!"】

【"Exactly! To everyone else, he's in the enemy camp! I seriously can't think of any way out!"】

【"Forget the solution—I want to know why he refuses to reveal he's in Camp Three! How is he planning to force a draw?!"】

【"Even if they do draw, it doesn't help He Yu! The mastermind will definitely target him and eliminate him!"】

【"Am I the only one who noticed He Yu deliberately wants control of the entire situation? He wants everyone to trust him before the very end?"】

【"But even if they trust him now, they'll discover the truth at the last moment!"】

【"He Shen! They were literally about to let you handle everything completely! Why insist on adding that final verification?! Just let them follow your plan!"】

...

—

The audience couldn't understand He Yu's intentions.

That didn't stop them from protesting on his behalf.

What Camp Three?

What kind of ridiculous setup was that?

Camp One was short exactly one person.

He Yu should have been placed into Camp One!

They demanded the results be corrected immediately.

He Yu deserved a fair environment.

The audience continued causing chaos and demanding explanations.

Meanwhile...

Qiu Dao was once again hiding inside the production headquarters, pretending to be dead.

He didn't dare show his face.

Rumor had it...

The King himself had finally gone looking for Qiu Dao.

Qiu Dao paced in frantic circles.

"How much longer?!"

"How much longer?!"

Abier answered {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} helplessly,

"...It just started."

"I already told you."

"It'll take three days."

Qiu Dao froze.

"!!!"

Grabbing his hair, he screamed,

"Three days?!"

"In three days you'll be collecting my corpse!"

While howling, he accidentally pulled out one of the only two hairs he had left.

Now only one remained.

His scream immediately became even shriller.

His entire face collapsed into despair.

Just then...

Someone cautiously entered from outside.

"Mr. Qiu..."

"The King has arrived..."

Qiu Dao's eyes nearly popped out.

"!!!"

Clutching his single remaining strand of hair, he spun around and ran.

"I'll hide for a while!"

"You deal with him!"

Before the sentence finished...

He had already vanished.

—

The mission location Ling Buchen knew really was quite far away.

By the time the group finally arrived...

Night was already beginning to fall.

Just like the snow mountain that had appeared so abruptly...

Mission locations always looked completely out of place.

Before them stood an ordinary mountain.

At its base ran a narrow waterway.

Dense mist completely enveloped it.

Only the sound of flowing water could be heard.

The mist itself was suspicious.

Nowhere else nearby was there any fog.

Viewed from above...

Only the western side of the mountain was buried beneath thick mist.

—No wonder Ling Buchen had recognized it as a mission location simply by passing by.

Landing outside the mist, they cautiously approached, following the sound of flowing water.

The moment they neared the fog...

An overwhelming aura pressed down upon them.

"There should be something extremely powerful inside."

Zhen Xing stepped to the front.

Then ordered,

"Bo Jingshan."

"Wanrenzhan."

"You two protect He Yu."

The pair nodded.

Naturally taking positions on either side of He Yu.

Ling Buchen held his zither horizontally before him and stepped beside Zhen Xing.

The two led the way.

Eugene and Duan Yuchen guarded the rear.

Zhante, Gedai, and the others spread out around them.

He Yu remained completely protected in the center.

With their current strength...

Ordinary monsters stood no chance.

Even so...

They remained extremely cautious.

Not relaxing for even a moment.

The instant they entered the mist...

Their vision disappeared completely.

All they could see was endless gray fog.

Wanrenzhan's expression changed drastically.

"He Yu!"

From beside him came He Yu's calm voice.

"I'm here."

Wanrenzhan finally breathed out in relief.

Ahead, Zhen Xing said,

"It only blocks our sight."

"We can still hear."

"Let's move toward the water."

Ling Buchen added,

"Stay alert."

Listening carefully to everyone's positions, Qiong released her threads.

"I'll tie everyone together."

"So nobody loses their direction."

Nobody objected.

Everyone remained highly vigilant.

Step by careful step...

They advanced.

Finally reaching the water's edge.

Cold, damp water soaked beneath their feet.

Zhen Xing stopped.

"We're here."

"Still nothing."

The instant he finished speaking—

The system notification appeared.

【Mission 100 Triggered: Misty Water Region】

【A powerful creature lives within the Misty Water Region. It has claimed these waters as its territory, bringing disaster upon the world. Its appearance is an omen of calamity. Therefore, eliminate the "Omen" and protect the world's safety. Mission Reward: 1000 points.】

Everyone's eyes widened.

"!!!"

Duan Yuchen drew a sharp breath.

Only after a long moment did he slowly exhale.

"So higher mission numbers really do mean greater difficulty..."

"...and more points."

Their previous mission had been extremely simple.

There had been minor inconvenience...

But virtually no danger.

Among all completed missions so far...

The highest number had only been Mission 31.

Inside the mist, Gedai's clear voice sounded.

"A thousand points."

"Exactly ten times the mission number."

"The last mission was the same."

"Completing one of these is worth more than three ordinary missions."

He clicked his tongue.

Siya said,

"So if someone completed Mission 31, they probably earned 310 points."

"And if we're supposed to average higher than everyone else..."

"...we'll have to work hard."

She said it...

But nobody seemed especially anxious.

Although having more people meant splitting the points...

It also made missions easier.

Mission 31 might not even have been completed by a single person.

Yuan Ze said,

"Don't just focus on the points."

"This is the highest-numbered mission we've encountered."

"Which means—"

Tang Ke finished,

"It'll be extremely difficult."

Suddenly Ling Buchen asked,

"Where's Eugene?"

"Why hasn't he spoken?"

Silence.

No answer came.

Everyone instantly tensed.

A chill ran down their spines.

Turning sharply...

Weapons already drawn...

They prepared for battle.

Eugene had been behind them.

If someone could make Eugene disappear without a sound...

How terrifying would that creature have to be?

Nothing could be seen.

Only the growing sense of danger.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

They could hear their own hearts pounding.

Everything fell silent.

Only the sound of flowing water remained.

Wanrenzhan immediately grabbed He Yu's wrist and pulled him close.

Through the mist he could barely make out half of He Yu's face.

Relieved to see him unharmed, he whispered,

"Eugene's gone."

"Be careful."

"I'll hold onto you."

With those thin arms and legs...

Anything dangerous could kill He Yu.

Especially a "powerful creature."

Wanrenzhan worried himself sick.

All he could do was hold on tightly.

Before He Yu could answer—

Loud laughter echoed ahead.

"Hahaha!"

"Got you!"

—It was Eugene.

Zhante exploded.

"Are you sick?!"

"Why scare people at a time like this?!"

Eugene answered helplessly,

"We've been inside this mist for quite a while."

"There's nothing here."

"I just scanned everything."

"There are only traces of weak plant life."

"There's no powerful creature."

He was becoming increasingly accustomed...

...to treating himself like a machine.

Since vision was useless here...

He had instinctively switched to acting as a scanner.

But he hadn't detected any powerful lifeform at all.

So he'd played a joke on them.

Of course...

The first time they'd called him...

He'd been completely focused on scanning and hadn't heard them.

"No powerful creature?"

Siya frowned.

"Could someone have already beaten us to it?"

Qiong immediately shook her head.

"Impossible."

"The mission only triggered after we entered."

"That proves we're the first."

"And we never received any notice that Mission 100 had been completed."

As soon as she finished speaking...

Everyone became even more nervous.

—If the monster existed...

Why wasn't it appearing?

Gedai frowned deeply.

"The powerful aura is scattered everywhere."

"It's impossible to pinpoint."

"It's almost as though..."

"...the powerful being no longer exists."

He Yu suddenly spoke.

"Try drawing it out."

Zhen Xing nodded.

"We can't see anything here."

"We shouldn't split up."

"Let's take the initiative."

Ling Buchen rotated his zither.

"I'll cover the east."

"South is mine."

Zhen Xing answered.

Zhante rolled his neck.

"I'll take the west."

Bo Jingshan silently raised Crescent Moon.

"North."

The four strongest contestants...

Each claimed one direction.

Wanrenzhan immediately interrupted,

"I'll protect He Yu."

Everyone: "..."

Eugene rolled his eyes toward the voice.

"I can protect He Yu too."

"Shut up."

Before Wanrenzhan could continue—

The four had already moved.

From the east...

Ling Buchen's zither erupted.

This time the notes were unbelievably harsh.

The piercing sound echoed through the mist.

Wave after wave of energy spread outward...

Sweeping the fog aside.

To the south...

Zhen Xing's cube enlarged dramatically.

Spinning wildly...

It sucked the surrounding mist into itself.

To the west...

Zhante's staff expanded into a gigantic pillar.

Crashing violently ahead...

It smashed through everything in its path—

Including the dense fog itself.

To the north...

Bo Jingshan drew Crescent Moon.

One smooth motion.

One clean slash.

After sheathing it...

The blade light ripped through the mist.

Carving a straight road ahead.

The combined attacks briefly dispersed nearly all the surrounding fog.

The mountain.

The waterway.

Ordinary grass.

Their own group.

Everything appeared completely normal.

There wasn't the slightest sign of any strange creature.

—Which only made things worse.

Was the powerful creature truly gone?

Or was it still hiding...

Waiting to launch a fatal strike?

Wanrenzhan's breathing became heavy.

"Could this be like the 'Heart Trial' in the <Who's the Undercover?> instance?"

"What if we're trapped inside an illusion?"

Duan Yuchen's scalp tingled.

"What if the powerful creature is..."

"...the mist?"

"...or the waterway?"

Eugene shook his head.

"No."

"No life signs."

After thinking for a long while, Qiong suggested,

"Let's follow the water."

"Maybe we'll find the danger."

"We're all top experts."

"With this many of us together..."

"We don't need to fear any monster."

"I agree."

Duan Yuchen nodded.

Zhante reminded everyone,

"Maintain formation."

"Don't separate."

"Qiong, tighten the threads."

"If anything happens..."

"Speak immediately."

The less they knew...

The more careful they had to be.

Tang Ke wondered,

"Could the creature move?"

"Maybe it sensed how strong we are and avoided us?"

Siya frowned.

"...Wouldn't that be ridiculous?"

"Then how are we supposed to finish the mission?"

Talking quietly...

The group cautiously searched along the waterway.

From one end...

To the other...

Then across to the opposite bank...

They searched everything.

Still...

Nothing.

It was as though the mission location contained absolutely nothing.

Zhen Xing frowned.

"Mission 100."

"I don't know how many missions this world contains."

"But one hundred is definitely a very high number."

Eugene quietly added,

"It might even be the highest."

Zhen Xing nodded.

"If that's true..."

"How could the creature simply disappear?"

"I'm more inclined to believe..."

"...it's so powerful..."

"...that we simply can't detect it."

Bo Jingshan pressed his lips together.

"Then it should have attacked us."

Something flashed through Ling Buchen's mind.

His zither sounded again.

At the same time he warned,

"Cover your ears."

"Zheng—!"

Normally...

Ling Buchen's music was beautiful.

At least for allies...

And the audience.

But this time...

It was unbearably shrill.

Even viewers watching the livestream felt their eardrums ache.

It sounded like metal scraping against metal.

Painfully sharp.

Wanrenzhan grimaced.

His head felt ready to split apart.

Instinctively...

He covered He Yu's ears before shouting,

"If you keep playing that thing..."

"You'll kill us before you kill any monster!"

Ling Buchen struck two more notes before stopping.

Helplessly he explained,

"If the creature were truly that powerful..."

"...it shouldn't still be hiding."

The music was unbearable.

If it still refused to attack...

There had to be another reason.

Yuan Ze lowered his hands.

"So..."

"Does that mean it isn't actually stronger than us?"

"If we've scared it away..."

"...that'll be troublesome."

Gedai shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"If it were weaker than us..."

"...with this many people..."

"...we would've found it already."

Growing irritated, Siya kicked at the ground.

"Maybe the creature died because of some accident."

"Or maybe it wandered off somewhere."

Qiong rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you just guess—"

He Yu suddenly interrupted, gently tapping his chin.

"Maybe something really did happen to it."

"There's no monster here."

"Let's leave."

Everyone blinked.

"?"

—Why was He Yu giving up so easily?

Something felt strange.

This place was obviously abnormal.

The lingering aura proved a powerful creature had definitely existed here.

They hadn't fully explored.

They hadn't even climbed the mountain.

Were they really abandoning a mission worth so many points?

That didn't sound like He Yu at all.

Wanrenzhan never argued with He Yu.

He immediately nodded.

"Then let's go."

"If He Yu says there's nothing here..."

"Let's stop wasting time."

Eugene was about to object.

But Ling Buchen simply said,

"Alright."

Zhen Xing nodded.

"Let's go."

Bo Jingshan agreed.

"Mm."

Everyone else: "..."

—We don't understand.

But we'll follow orders.

So...

The group retraced their steps.

【Bullet Screen: "They're giving up just like that?!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Nobody's cleared this mission yet! The boss is obviously still hiding! Why are they leaving?!"】

【Bullet Screen: "What's wrong with these people?! They finally found a mission location—and it's probably the highest-value mission in the whole world! There are probably only one hundred missions total! They're walking away from the biggest jackpot!"】

Unfortunately...

The contestants couldn't hear the audience's screaming.

The group continued walking away without once looking back.

By the time they left the mist...

The sun had completely set.

Night had fallen.

The moon hung high overhead.

Its cold light still illuminated the world.

Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Only then...

The water suddenly rippled.

Something tiny poked its head out from the waterway.

Listening until the footsteps grew distant...

It quickly climbed ashore.

It looked somewhat like a ginseng root...

Yet not quite.

Its little body was round and plump.

A single round green leaf sprouted from the top of its head.

It was unbelievably adorable.

It ran on two tiny root-like legs.

Its roots could burrow into the ground...

Allowing it to move silently without anyone noticing.

Unfortunately...

Its short legs made it pant from exhaustion.

Ahead...

The group was discussing their next move.

"Where should we go next?"

"Eliminate contestants first?"

"Then complete missions?"

"Eugene, Gedai, scan the surroundings."

"Stop treating me like a machine!!"

"Qiong, can you combine Eugene and Gedai into some kind of detection network..."

...

Suddenly...

The entire group stopped walking.

The tiny creature slammed on the brakes.

It hurried behind a rock.

Its roots burrowed into the soil.

Wrapping its leaf around itself...

It instantly became nothing more than an ordinary blade of grass.

Completely inconspicuous.

Silence.

The tiny creature trembled slightly.

Still no sound.

Carefully...

It unfolded the leaf wrapped around itself.

Just as it was about to peek out—

A fair, jade-like hand suddenly reached out from behind.

It grabbed the little creature.

Then lifted it into the air.

The leaf instantly froze.

The tiny creature became completely motionless.

As though it had turned to stone.

Even its roots stiffened.

Holding it up before him...

He Yu quietly sighed.

"How did you end up like this?"

The little creature's front now faced the livestream.

A tiny ginseng-like body.

Two root arms.

Two thin root legs.

And a pair of eyes every single viewer recognized instantly—

Blue eyes.