Chapter 239: Are They Teammates? (15)

Zhen Xing and Ling Buchen spoke first, then immediately headed back toward He Yu.

Bo Jingshan followed without the slightest hesitation.

The three disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

The remaining people fell silent.

It was still a struggle between emotion and reason.

And the closer they came to the end—

the more their own lives were at stake—

the more worry, fear, and hesitation overwhelmed them.

It was only human nature.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Qiong let out a long breath.

"Fine."

"For many people in the Federation, trusting someone is difficult."

"But I want to try trusting He Yu."

"After all..."

"...that's how it's been through so many previous instances, isn't it?"

After speaking, she immediately chased after them.

The others remained silent for a moment before following one after another.

The farther they walked...

...the firmer their footsteps became.

In the end, only Tang Ke, whose instincts had always been exceptionally sharp, and the slightly frowning Gedai remained behind.

Tang Ke looked at Gedai.

"It's not that I don't trust He Yu."

"I just..."

"...keep feeling like something isn't right."

"Something feels off."

"He Yu's reactions really have been abnormal."

Gedai rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"The main problem with He Yu..."

"...is that he often figures things out but tells us absolutely nothing."

Everyone remembered He Yu's habit well.

Unless he was at least eighty percent certain...

...he wouldn't say a word.

"So what do we do now?"

Tang Ke asked nervously.

Gedai replied,

"We go ask He Yu."

"The mission isn't over yet."

"Whether he lied to us or not..."

"...the Verification Cards will tell us everything."

After saying that, the last two also hurried after the others.

—

Although all ten of them returned together...

...they arrived one after another.

He Yu merely lifted his eyelids for a glance before calmly lowering his gaze again, as though he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

The notebook rested across his knees.

One hand casually spun a pen.

The other gently played with Blue Eyes, who was lying on his lap.

Blue Eyes was still completely red.

He was thoroughly embarrassed.

Wanrenzhan couldn't stand looking at him anymore and couldn't resist provoking him.

"You're the final mission."

"We're about to kill you together."

Blue Eyes ignored him completely.

He simply enjoyed the warmth of He Yu's fingertips with an expression of pure satisfaction.

After Zhen Xing's group returned, they all sat beside He Yu.

They formed a circle...

...almost like they were holding another discussion meeting back at the Transfer Station.

—

It was time for the final step.

He Yu said,

"Everyone else has already been eliminated."

"Only the thirteen of us remain."

Duan Yuchen nodded, his expression solemn.

"That's right."

"Everything has gone smoothly."

"We also completed many missions."

"Even if our point totals aren't the highest..."

"...we're definitely within the top fifty."

Over the past few days they had divided into multiple groups.

Some hunted contestants.

Some ambushed contestants.

Some completed missions.

They constantly adjusted their assignments and exchanged information.

The combined strength of more than a dozen top experts was terrifying.

If both factions tied...

Both would finish within the top fifty.

And both would rank near the top.

Everything was finally ready.

Wanrenzhan asked impatiently,

"So..."

"Do we kill Blue Eyes now?"

Gedai glanced at him before looking away.

"No hurry."

"We should verify everything first."

He turned toward He Yu.

"How many Verification Cards are left?"

He Yu answered,

"A lot."

The Verification Cards taken from eliminated contestants...

Combined with those earned from completing missions...

...were all gathered in He Yu's possession.

He took them out and tossed them into the middle of the circle.

"There are twenty-eight in total."

"I used twelve to determine your identities."

"There are sixteen remaining."

"You decide how to use them."

His expression remained perfectly calm.

"Since you're verifying me now..."

"...I won't interfere."

Sixteen cards.

That wasn't a small number.

But...

It wasn't nearly enough either.

Everyone was forbidden from revealing their faction.

However...

They were allowed to reveal their points.

Sixteen Verification Cards...

...were nowhere near enough for everyone to verify everyone else.

Qiong bit her lip before finally relaxing.

"Sixteen is enough."

"We choose one person."

"That person verifies the other twelve contestants."

"That uses twelve cards."

"The remaining four will be used for supervision."

In other words—

Contestant A would spend twelve Verification Cards confirming the other twelve contestants' factions and calculating the total points.

Once they confirmed both factions had equal points...

The remaining four Verification Cards would be used by other people...

...to confirm that Contestant A hadn't lied.

It was somewhat complicated.

But it guaranteed absolute certainty.

Tang Ke frowned.

"What if that person lies too?"

Yuan Ze also frowned.

"If one person uses all twelve Verification Cards..."

"...they'll know everyone's faction."

"If fighting starts afterward..."

Qiong looked toward Tang Ke.

"That's why we'll choose someone from He Yu's enemy faction."

She then turned toward Yuan Ze.

"Your concern makes sense."

"But it doesn't matter."

"He Yu already knows."

"Both factions already have people who know everyone's faction."

Siya nodded.

"Then choosing who performs the verification is the important part."

"Let's decide that first."

But deciding that...

...was another problem.

Anyone could lie.

For example—

If Siya used a Verification Card to check her relationship with He Yu...

And if they turned out to be teammates...

She could simply claim they weren't.

No matter what result she obtained...

...she could always cooperate with He Yu.

Therefore...

Even if she truly belonged to He Yu's enemy faction...

No one would necessarily believe her.

Duan Yuchen reached out, dividing the sixteen Verification Cards into two piles.

One pile contained twelve.

The other contained four.

"We can use the four cards to identify someone from He Yu's enemy faction."

"Then let that person use the remaining twelve cards."

He raised his hand.

"But if we do that..."

"...we only get one chance."

Gedai suddenly straightened as though something had occurred to him.

"Can we use the information provided by the eliminated contestants?"

"Many of them left us information before dying."

Qiong frowned.

"But that information contradicts itself."

"We don't know what's true and what's false."

Eugene's mechanical face looked unusually serious.

His silver hair stirred slightly.

"No matter which faction they're in..."

"Zhen Xing."

"Ling Buchen."

"Bo Jingshan."

"Wanrenzhan."

"None of those four should verify He Yu."

—

Those four stood by He Yu unconditionally.

Gedai spoke quietly.

"I think you're one of those people too."

"So you shouldn't either."

Tang Ke opened their mouth.

They looked toward He Yu, wanting to say something...

...but ultimately remained silent.

At that moment—

He Yu suddenly stood.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

Holding the flowerpot, He Yu adjusted his rimless glasses.

His expression remained calm.

"You continue discussing."

"The final mission hasn't been completed yet."

"So we're still perfectly safe."

"There's no rush."

He pointed toward a small hill nearby.

"I'm here."

"You seem unable to speak freely."

"You're holding yourselves back."

"I'll avoid the discussion."

"Once you've decided how to verify everything..."

"...come call me."

With that, he turned and walked toward the hill.

Wanrenzhan hurriedly called out,

"He Yu!"

"Where are you going?"

"What if something happens?"

He Yu lightly shook the flowerpot.

"Sleeping."

—

He had Blue Eyes.

Besides...

He wasn't completely incapable of protecting himself.

He Yu walked away without the slightest hesitation.

Completely composed.

His pace remained slow and steady.

His back stood as straight as a pine tree.

Night had already fallen.

He disappeared into the moonlight.

Yet even within the darkness...

...he remained dazzling.

Just like He Yu himself.

No matter where he was...

...he always shone.

【Bullet Screen: "Suddenly I feel sorry for He Yu. Why does he have to leave?"】

【Bullet Screen: "Because with He Yu here, they can't discuss things freely. It's precisely because they care about him and trust him that they've ended up in this situation."】

【Bullet Screen: "Exactly. They're gambling with their own lives. He Yu is being understanding, and everyone else is suppressing their instincts to trust him... Damn, this friendship is incredible!"】

—

After He Yu left...

Wanrenzhan visibly became dejected.

He glared fiercely at Tang Ke.

"Go on."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Zhen Xing.

Ling Buchen.

Bo Jingshan.

All looked toward Tang Ke.

In truth...

None of them were happy.

Unlike Wanrenzhan, however, they showed nothing on their faces.

Only the coldness in their eyes betrayed their feelings.

Tang Ke looked conflicted.

"I..."

"I think..."

"...there's something wrong with He Yu."

No one spoke.

Everyone stared at Tang Ke.

Wanrenzhan's expression was particularly unfriendly.

His hand tightened around the axe, clearly itching to swing it.

Tang Ke raised both hands.

Ever since the preliminary selection instance...

Their intuition had always been astonishing.

Their voice trembled slightly.

"He Yu really has been abnormal throughout this instance."

"Even if those first two contestants couldn't be trusted..."

"...Melvi was telling the truth."

As they continued speaking...

They gradually calmed down.

Their breathing became steady.

"Melvi had absolutely no reason to lie."

"He was already about to die."

"He obviously wanted to leave behind useful and truthful information."

"After all..."

"The only hope he had left..."

"...was for his own faction to win."

"So..."

"I'm certain Melvi and He Yu were not in the same faction."

Tang Ke's eyes shone brightly beneath the moonlight.

"The first time we caught up with Melvi..."

"...he and Just were fighting each other."

"But they immediately joined forces and escaped together."

"At the time, Just said..."

"'Melvi, let's forget about our factions and cooperate first.'"

"That proves..."

"Just wasn't in the same faction as Melvi."

Wanrenzhan's patience was rapidly disappearing.

"So?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Tang Ke continued,

"Melvi had many Verification Cards."

"The fact that he fought Just can only mean..."

"...they had already confirmed they were enemies."

"When I killed Just..."

"...he called me insane."

"He said I was cooperating with the enemy faction's He Yu."

"That statement was definitely true."

"He had used a Verification Card on both me..."

"...and He Yu."

Everyone's pupils contracted sharply.

Tang Ke clenched their fists.

"Just and Melvi were enemies."

"Melvi said he wasn't in the same faction as He Yu."

"Just also said he wasn't in the same faction as He Yu."

"And then..."

"Melvi claimed Zhen Xing and He Yu belonged to the same faction."

"While those contestants we met at the very beginning claimed..."

"...that Zhen Xing and He Yu were not in the same faction."

The first time they heard those statements...

They seemed contradictory.

Something didn't add up.

But once multiple unrelated people all said similar things...

The problem had to be examined from another angle.

Tang Ke took a deep breath.

Slowly closed their eyes.

Then opened them again.

"What if..."

"...this instance has another rule..."

"...that none of us know about?"

"What..."

"...is really going on with He Yu?"

—

【Bullet Screen: "AHHH! They've started suspecting He Yu!!"】

【Bullet Screen: "It's over. I said from the beginning He Yu should've revealed his faction instead of hiding it."】

【Bullet Screen: "Exactly. Now that they've discovered he lied, everyone's going to suspect him."】

Meanwhile...

After walking behind the hill...

He Yu never lay down to sleep.

Instead...

He lifted the flowerpot and looked directly into Blue Eyes' eyes.

Throughout this instance...

He Yu had been unusually quiet.

That was why Tang Ke had noticed something was wrong.

In reality...

Ling Buchen and Zhen Xing had noticed it long ago as well.

They simply never mentioned it.

—

He really had been acting differently throughout this instance.

Almost...

As though he were deliberately restraining something.

At this moment...

Holding Blue Eyes in front of him...

Moonlight reflected off his rimless glasses.

Within those beautiful, unfathomable black eyes...

A different light finally appeared.

Taking a deep breath...

He looked directly at Blue Eyes.

"Everything has gone smoothly."

"Only the final step remains."

His gaze was incredibly deep.

"Little Blue."

"You used your power to pull me into a new instance."

"If you were given enough energy..."

"...could you also accomplish other things?"

【Bullet Screen: "HOLY SHIT! Is He Yu asking Blue Eyes to switch instances again?!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Then what about everyone else? The mission is almost over. Changing instances shouldn't matter anymore!"】

【Bullet Screen: "My god... what is He Yu planning?!"】

Blue Eyes gently shook his leaf.

"Little Blue..."

"Is that my new name?"

He Yu paused.

"...That's not important."

Blue Eyes sighed softly.

—

He'd better never let He Yu name children in the future.

—

After briefly drifting off in thought...

Blue Eyes looked back at He Yu.

His eyes were filled with absolute sincerity.

"What do you want me to do?"

"As long as you're the one asking..."

"I'll do it."

"No matter what it is."

He Yu smiled.

The corners of his lips lifted.

The smile was cold.

Even the rimless glasses couldn't conceal the brilliance in his eyes.

Moonlight flowed across his delicate, pale face.

For the first time...

The sharp edge hidden within his gaze was completely revealed.

"I'm not asking you to change instances."

"And not to change the rules."

"I want you..."

"...to protect this instance."

"I don't want anyone."

"Or anything outside..."

"...to alter the instance's rules."

"Or alter the instance's data."