Chapter 247: Health Bar (2)

Put together, those words only pointed to one conclusion—

Melvi could kill He Yu with ease.

His combat power was extraordinarily high. Judging from the HP bar above his head, it had already exceeded the size of his body. Two glaring words summed it up:

Expert.

Compared to that, the tiny sliver left of He Yu's HP bar could also be described in two words:

Complete rookie.

An expert could instantly kill a rookie.

Melvi looked at him with mixed emotions.

"He Yu, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to kill you. I wasn't specifically hunting you down. Running into you here was just a coincidence."

He had heard movement and immediately concealed himself.

He had never imagined the person would be He Yu. Of course, he had considered letting him go.

In the end, he chose—

Kill.

The Bullet Screen exploded.

"Damn it, Melvi, you've gone too far! He Yu just carried you through the last instance!"

"It's over. He Yu's really in danger."

"Taiji! Hurry, use Taiji against him!"

"And Siya's whistle! Use everything you've got and scare him off!"

...

Hearing that, He Yu nodded in understanding.

"So you just happened to run into me, and decided to kill me while you were at it. No personal grudge."

Melvi asked, "Are you going to try convincing me with your cooperation speech again?"

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"Look at the last instance. You tried your best. Zhen Xing and Eugene tried their best. In the end, didn't everyone still end up competing for the top fifty?"

He Yu nodded.

"That's a very reasonable point."

【Bullet Screen: "Damn it, that's not the same thing! At least everyone survived one more instance! And people have to resist!"】

Melvi smiled with the icy indifference unique to Mechanical Planet.

"See? Even you know it. The rules can't be defied. Even if you resist for a while, you'll eventually end up walking the exact same path."

The rimless glasses rested lightly on He Yu's nose. His eyes lowered, concealing the emotions within.

"So you believe that in the end, only one person can leave the Top Talent Show alive. Which means everyone else is your enemy."

Melvi didn't answer.

His expression already said everything.

"You're wary of me?" He Yu stood where he was and looked up at Melvi. "You're afraid I'll become the final Top Talent, take that one surviving spot, so now that you have the chance, you have to kill me."

"Isn't that obvious?"

Melvi sneered.

"You've been hiding behind the banner of cooperation, making people like Zhen Xing, Wanrenzhan, and Eugene work for you. You built yourself a powerful team, trained them into loyal followers, and when the time comes, you'll sacrifice all of them so you alone can walk out alive!"

【Bullet Screen: "That's complete nonsense!"】

【Bullet Screen: "If that were really what He Yu wanted, why would he keep saving people?"】

As though he could hear the audience's doubts, Melvi laughed coldly.

"You're probably thinking you've saved people. That you've led everyone through the instances together, right?"

He Yu remained silent, calmly watching him.

The mockery in Melvi's eyes deepened.

"That might fool those idiots, but not me. You only helped everyone advance so they'd trust you. Everything you've done has been for your own goals."

After a pause, he continued,

"And besides, your combat power is pathetic. You need bodyguards. Eugene, Gedai... that bunch of fools would happily count someone else's money after being sold. What a waste of Mechanical Planet's intelligence."

Eugene and Gedai were the leaders of Mechanical Planet.

Seeing the foolishness of those ranked below him, Melvi felt both furious and contemptuous, as though he were watching an amusing farce.

He Yu remained perfectly calm.

"So you've always thought this way?"

"Am I wrong?" Melvi shot back.

He Yu shook his head.

"No. Thinking like that is perfectly normal. In fact, Eugene and the others all thought the same way in the beginning. If I were in your place, I'd think the same. Your life should remain in your own hands. Entrusting it to someone else is never reassuring."

"So you finally admit—"

He Yu abruptly changed the direction of the conversation. Sympathy appeared in his eyes.

"Melvi... you're truly pitiful."

"Have you never experienced what trust feels like?"

"Have you never fought alongside others, living and dying together?"

Melvi froze.

A moment later, he let out a cold laugh.

"Trust? Anyone foolish enough to trust others in this competition has never met a good end."

He Yu asked,

"So you've already decided that Zhen Xing and the others will all die?"

Melvi raised his chin.

"Of course. Unless you die first, maybe one of them will survive."

Then he asked,

"Can you guarantee they'll all advance?"

He Yu shook his head.

"No."

"Can you guarantee they'll all make the finals?"

He Yu shook his head again.

"No."

Convinced he was right, Melvi declared proudly,

"Then can you guarantee they'll leave the Top Talent Show alive together with you?"

He Yu still shook his head.

"No."

Melvi burst into mocking laughter.

"Haha! See? You can't guarantee anything! You're just deceiving them into becoming stepping stones for your own success!"

He Yu looked at him, his gaze calm as still water.

"Even if I die, Zhen Xing and the others will still remain. Are you certain you'll become the Top Talent?"

"Of course not."

Melvi slowly advanced toward He Yu.

"But you're the opponent I fear most. Getting a chance to catch you alone is incredibly rare. I can't let this opportunity slip away..."

It truly was a perfect opportunity.

Whenever an instance allowed cooperation, He Yu was always surrounded by top-tier experts like Zhen Xing, Ling Buchen, Bo Jingshan, and Wanrenzhan.

There had never been any chance for Melvi to approach him.

Much less kill him.

Now that they had separated, today was the one chance to eliminate He Yu—

To eliminate his greatest obstacle.

【Bullet Screen: "AAAAH! Is anyone else coming?!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Nobody!! It's just the two of them! He Yu has to rely on himself!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Melvi completely refuses to believe He Yu. There's no way He Yu can persuade him!"】

Suddenly, He Yu asked,

"Aren't you curious who the mastermind is? Don't you want me to stay alive and uncover more secrets?"

Indeed.

Among everyone, He Yu knew the most.

Step by step, it had been He Yu who had uncovered the secrets hidden behind the Top Talent Show.

That was why Yuan Ze and the others would never allow He Yu to die.

Not for his own sake—

But for the truth.

For Li Zhan.

Melvi hesitated for an instant.

Conflict flashed across his eyes before they became resolute once more.

"Don't try to shake my resolve, He Yu."

"I have to stay alive before any of those secrets matter."

"If I'm destined to die inside the competition, then those secrets have absolutely no value to me."

He was an exceptionally rational man.

His own survival always came first.

Even if it were the greatest secret in the Universe Federation, he wouldn't care if he were already doomed to die.

He Yu looked at him deeply.

"You really are an outstanding contestant."

Melvi raised his mechanical arm and closed the distance again.

"I know that if you're going to kill someone, you shouldn't waste time talking."

"But since you saved me once..."

"I've already talked to you far longer than I should have."

There was no denying it.

Without He Yu, Melvi would never have survived the previous instance.

If not for He Yu, the Second Camp's overall strength would have been slightly weaker, and he probably would have been eliminated.

That was why Melvi hadn't killed him immediately.

Of course...

He also believed He Yu posed no threat.

That tiny HP bar above He Yu's head gave any opponent an overwhelming sense of security.

He Yu sighed.

"So you're really determined to kill me?"

Melvi's gaze was unwavering and icy.

"Yes."

He Yu continued,

"Even though you're already an expert strong enough to reach the top fifty, and we'll both enter the semifinal next round... you still insist on killing me now?"

Melvi swung his mechanical arm down violently, his face twisting savagely.

"Yes!"

"If there's another life..."

"Don't be my enemy."

He Yu possessed an undeniable charisma.

It wasn't merely romantic attraction.

It was something that inspired admiration in every sense.

If they hadn't been enemies, Melvi might genuinely have wanted to become his friend—

To cooperate with him and grow stronger together.

Unfortunately...

Inside the selection system...

They were enemies.

Melvi knew that with the way Zhen Xing, Ling Buchen, and the others protected He Yu...

This was his only chance.

He showed no mercy.

The strike came straight toward He Yu's head.

And yet—

It hit nothing.

The He Yu before him vanished as though he had disappeared into thin air.

Melvi froze.

Then a soft sigh sounded behind him.

"You could have advanced."

"But since you insisted on killing me..."

"I had no choice but to strike first."

He Yu!

The instant Melvi heard the voice, he tried to retreat.

Too late.

A needle pierced directly into his vital point.

Ever since Eugene's suicide in the previous instance, He Yu had learned that Mechanical Planet citizens possessed fatal weak points just like ordinary humans.

Now, the needle pierced the Yamen acupoint.

Almost instantly, Melvi lost control of his body.

He hovered on the verge of unconsciousness.

He Yu's voice remained calm and indifferent.

"You knew you shouldn't waste time talking before killing me."

"So why did you still give me time to study you?"

The words fell.

Without the slightest hesitation, He Yu drew the broken sword with his left hand and struck the end of the long needle.

Clang!

The needle was driven completely into Melvi's vital point.

The enormous HP bar above Melvi's head—

Dropped to zero in the blink of an eye.

An expert...

Fell instantly.

The audience was utterly dumbfounded.

【Bullet Screen: "HOLY SHIT! What just happened?!"】

【Bullet Screen: "I know... He Yu... is insane. Go watch the replay!"】

People immediately opened the replay while continuing to watch the live broadcast.

Only then did they realize—

When Melvi launched his first attack and He Yu dodged aside...

He Yu had thrown out a piece of equipment—

The Projector.

It had been the instance reward from the Money Game.

So many major events had happened in that instance.

Cheng Zhao had died.

The long whip had dropped.

Those had attracted all the audience's attention.

Even He Yu himself had focused on them.

The actual instance reward had merely been a high-grade support item—

A practically useless auxiliary equipment.

No one had paid it any attention.

He Yu had simply left it gathering dust in his inventory.

Yet in that critical moment...

He had used it.

Perfectly.

Not like someone using it for the first time—

But like someone who had practiced countless times already.

As expected of a high-grade item, the Projector perfectly created another He Yu.

It completely drew Melvi's attention.

As long as Melvi didn't physically touch him, he would never realize the "He Yu" standing before him was merely a projection.

Meanwhile, during that same evasive movement, the real He Yu slipped behind Melvi at an impossibly tricky angle and vanished into the darkness.

The projection distracted him.

He Yu quietly observed Melvi's weaknesses.

That was why He Yu had spoken so little while deliberately dragging out the conversation.

Finally—

When Melvi attacked...

He exposed his opening.

He Yu transformed his Morphing Equipment into an extremely thin, elongated needle...

And drove it directly into that weakness.

No matter what weapon He Yu used, with only two combat power, he could never normally kill an expert whose HP bar dwarfed his own.

But this was a needle.

And it struck a fatal vital point.

The needle pierced in.

Melvi immediately lost consciousness, nearly all ability to resist.

Then He Yu used the sturdy broken sword to hammer the needle completely into the vital point—

Killing Melvi.

Everything flowed seamlessly.

One movement connected perfectly into the next.

It happened so quickly that not only Melvi failed to react—

Even the audience, watching from an omniscient perspective, couldn't keep up.

No wonder He Yu had said that combat ability wasn't the same thing as combat power.

This...

This was someone with two combat power...

Killing an expert with over two thousand combat power.

Sure enough—

Without using Taiji.

Without anyone coming to help him.

Without relying on his "King of the Wild" abilities...

He could still kill an expert.

He could still survive.

Melvi collapsed and completely disappeared.

At the same moment, the system announcement echoed—

【Ding! Mechanical Planet Contestant No. 677, Melvi, eliminated! Remaining contestants: 91/100.】

He Yu lowered his eyes.

He calmly put away the high-grade equipment.

The long needle reverted to its original crystal sphere.

His expression remained tranquil.

His eyes were still as an undisturbed lake.

His voice was cool and emotionless.

"I can't guarantee they'll advance."

"I can't guarantee they'll survive."

"But as long as I'm alive..."

"I will never abandon a single one of them."

"Even if they die..."

"I'll chase vengeance to the ends of heaven and the depths of the underworld."

"I'll avenge every one of them."

"Unless I die first."

The audience fell silent.

Then He Yu lowered his gaze to the Morphing Equipment in his hand.

And suddenly...

An idea came to him.