Chapter 249: Health Bar (4)

Imagine the sight of someone who, despite being slender and frail, was forever pulling one outrageous stunt after another, someone no one could ever predict, smiling at Siya with an HP bar more than ten times the length of hers above his head...

Fuck.

It was downright terrifying!

For a moment, Siya wanted to turn around and flee, but she held herself back.

—He Yu probably wouldn't attack her, right?

—Of course, if he did decide to attack, with that brain of his, she probably wouldn't be able to escape anyway.

At that thought, Siya calmed down again.

Her gaze remained fixed on the HP bar above He Yu's head. It was genuinely frightening, and she blurted out instinctively, "What did you do? How did your HP bar become like that?"

The next instant, she realized something and moved several steps closer, lowering her voice.

"It's fake?"

【Bullet Screen: "Hahaha, you can tell she's a teammate at one glance. She really understands He Yu!"】

【Bullet Screen: "It isn't like Siya has only been tricked by He Yu once. You can only say she understands his outrageous schemes extremely well."】

He Yu merely smiled without answering.

His reaction confused Siya. She frowned slightly.

"So is it real or fake?"

Such an enormous HP bar...

If it was real, it looked wrong.

If it was fake, it still looked wrong.

He Yu answered seriously, "It's real."

Siya moved closer and circled He Yu, inspecting him from front to back.

Other than its abnormal length, the HP bar looked identical to a real one from every angle.

Yet Siya still felt that something was wrong.

She remained suspicious.

"I remember there was an instance where you put a mirror above your head and tricked Eugene and the others terribly... This HP bar of yours isn't another trick, is it?"

Back then, He Yu had tricked Eugene and the others so badly that they still couldn't forget it...

Siya had heard Eugene complain about it more than once.

He Yu tilted his head and looked at Siya.

She was still examining the HP bar, her expression seventy percent conflicted and thirty percent suspicious.

She thought He Yu had probably faked it, yet she also vaguely felt—

There was no point.

What could he possibly trick anyone into doing with a fake HP bar?

Besides, it was so exaggerated that anyone could tell something was wrong...

It didn't seem like something He Yu would do.

Tsk.

Smart people really did tend to overthink.

The corners of He Yu's lips lifted. He raised a hand to adjust his glasses and spoke softly.

"Why can't my HP bar become longer? Ms. Siya, although my combat power is low, it isn't as though I have no equipment."

Siya's pupils contracted. Her voice rose.

"You forged equipment?!"

—They had already been separated for quite some time. He Yu could forge equipment himself, so it wasn't impossible that he had found time to forge another Nameless Sword for himself.

Then she remembered the power of that sword...

Siya rubbed her arms, feeling even more unsettled.

With that sword, any length of HP bar would seem normal.

She sighed sincerely.

"If this HP bar is real, then you really can crush everyone. We don't need to be so anxious. I ran into Zhen Xing and the others earlier. They were all desperately killing people, trying to open up enough advancement spots as quickly as possible so you could survive."

He Yu asked, "You didn't kill anyone?"

Siya had always been proud and awkward about such things. She snorted.

"It was only incidental. You're our captain, after all."

Amused, He Yu raised a hand and rubbed his chin.

"Then if you run into them later, remember to tell them they don't need to worry about me."

【Bullet Screen: "............"】

【Bullet Screen: "Boss, they absolutely need to worry about you! That thing is fake!!"】

Siya confirmed again, "You really forged another Nameless Sword? Why aren't you holding it?"

He Yu blinked innocently.

"Guess."

Siya: "...I knew you were planning to trick someone."

There was no need to guess.

He was definitely trying to scam someone.

This guy was snow-white on the outside and pitch-black on the inside!

She rolled her eyes. Her beautiful purple hair swayed faintly as she lowered her head to check the time.

Siya waved.

"Take care of yourself. The minute is almost up. I'm leaving first!"

With He Yu's current HP bar, if she fought him, she could disappear within minutes.

She had better leave quickly.

And because of that HP bar, Siya finally felt reassured.

Captain He Yu definitely wouldn't fall in this instance.

She no longer needed to worry. She only had to wait for them to enter the second half of the semifinals together.

—Hopefully, He Yu would find a way for more than one person to leave the competition alive in the end.

—She wanted to live.

Siya leaped away.

After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned around. Her perfect figure nearly twisted into a knot as she stared at He Yu in disbelief.

"Wait! That's not right! Your Nameless Sword doesn't have combat power!!"

Back when He Yu had forged the Nameless Sword, the sword's own attack power had been extremely, extremely low.

Its true offensive ability came from drawing upon the energy of heaven and earth.

But the combat power calculated by the system was based on data.

It measured the user's own attributes!

Therefore—

Even if He Yu forged another Nameless Sword, the system wouldn't assign him a high combat-power value.

Which also meant...

It wouldn't be reflected in his HP bar.

Even if He Yu forged a powerful Nameless Sword, his HP bar wouldn't increase.

Then what was going on with that HP bar?!

Siya raised her voice.

"There's something wrong with your HP bar?!"

This time, He Yu nodded with complete honesty.

"Yes. It's fake."

Siya: "............"

She was going to cough up blood!!

"Then you—"

He Yu said, "One second left."

Siya vanished instantly.

Only her furious roar remained in the air.

"Fuck! You fucking stay safe and stay alive!!"

He Yu watched her disappear and shook his head helplessly.

"You take care too."

Siya left in complete collapse, her mind filled with speechlessness and worry for He Yu.

There had been no time left for her to express her frustration, so she could only swallow it herself...

After all that, He Yu's HP bar really was fake!!

And he still dared to walk around everywhere with it?!

After running far away, Siya drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled, cursing aloud.

"Fuck, He Yu is so fucking infuriating! Can't he behave himself for once?!"

【Bullet Screen: "...No."】

【Bullet Screen: "If he behaved himself, he wouldn't be He Yu..."】

Siya scratched her head and barely managed to console herself.

"Forget it. He definitely has a way. I should hurry up and kill people so there are enough advancement spots."

She claimed He Yu definitely had a way, yet still decided to hurry and kill people to reserve a spot for him.

—Far too stubbornly softhearted.

After muttering to herself, Siya rapidly disappeared.

【Bullet Screen: "Thinking back, Siya used to care a lot about maintaining her idol image..."】

【Bullet Screen: "Hahaha, she paid even more attention to her image back in the Federation. Ever since entering the Top Talent Show and spending too much time with He Yu and this group, she has no image left at all, hahaha."】

【Bullet Screen: "Siya is a domineering flower. What image does she need?! But—I like Domineering Flower Siya more."】

That was true.

Compared with the Siya of the past, the current Siya was much more lovable.

Even though her beautiful equipment that made flowers bloom with every step had now become...

A domineering flower blooming with every step.

—

After Siya, He Yu encountered Qiong.

Only several minutes separated the two of them, and they had been heading in the same direction.

That meant Qiong had been behind Siya, following the same route.

When she saw He Yu, Qiong reacted with the exact same shock.

"Holy shit. Where did you make that fake HP bar?"

Unlike Siya, her voice contained no hesitation.

Clearly, she was certain He Yu's HP bar was fake.

He Yu still only smiled without answering and continued walking forward at an unhurried, lazy pace.

"Tsk, tsk."

Qiong looked He Yu up and down with great appreciation.

"Not bad. You look pretty intimidating like this. Hide properly. There are only sixty-eight people left, so the instance will be over soon. I'm going to kill people."

He Yu said, "All right. Be careful."

Qiong lifted the brim of her hat, revealing her monolid eyes and making her look particularly distinctive.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. You're the one who should be careful."

After a pause, she pulled out a piece of equipment and threw it to He Yu.

"Take it. I got it from someone I killed earlier. It can save your life."

He Yu caught it.

It was a round object resembling an eggshell.

The instant it entered his hand, its description appeared—

【Single-use equipment, Smoke Bomb. Upon use, it releases a large amount of smoke, obscuring the opponent's vision and perception for thirty seconds.】

This was something good!

He Yu didn't refuse. He stored it away and nodded.

"All right. Thanks."

Qiong waved.

The two passed each other.

As they brushed shoulders, Qiong frowned and twitched her nose.

"What a familiar fragrance... Did that woman Siya just pass by?"

An opponent was always the person who understood you best.

From the faintest trace of scent, Qiong could identify Siya.

He Yu nodded.

Qiong couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips.

"No wonder the air stinks. Tsk, tsk. That woman must have been scared by your HP bar, right?"

Only a few seconds remained.

Qiong vanished rapidly, chasing in the direction Siya had gone.

She left behind a single sentence—

"I'm going to meet that stinking woman. Take care."

Qiong disappeared from sight.

He Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and continued forward.

Running into teammates felt rather good.

He was certain they wouldn't attack him.

He was {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} also certain they wanted him to advance.

【Bullet Screen: "This really is heartwarming."】

【Bullet Screen: "Whenever teammates meet, they use their one minute to exchange information briefly, then separate with perfect understanding."】

【Bullet Screen: "Sigh, this is nice too, but I still prefer seeing them fight side by side."】

【Bullet Screen: "This is still fighting side by side. They aren't together, but even while separated they're fighting alongside one another... That's even better!"】

【Bullet Screen: "Siya and Qiong are funny too. They're practically the definition of ‘love and hate intertwined.’ They fight every time they meet."】

Probably because Siya was still nearby, the whistle continued making faint sounds.

Clearly, she remained within communication range.

However, neither of them had anything to say, so they didn't use the whistle to contact each other.

According to the signal, Siya wasn't far away.

If Qiong was lucky, she would catch up very soon...

Of course, this was the Infinite Maze.

If Qiong took a wrong turn, she might not see Siya again for the rest of the instance.

He Yu continued strolling through the tunnel, his posture lazy and his pace unhurried.

Ten minutes later, the whistle reacted.

He Yu casually picked it up.

But the moment he heard the first word, his expression changed drastically.

He turned around, stepped onto the flying broom, and shot through the tunnel at low altitude, chasing in Siya and Qiong's direction!

Siya's voice came through the whistle, brief and urgent—

"He Yu, hurry—"

Only three words.

Her voice cut off abruptly.

He Yu's face instantly darkened.

—

Something had happened to Siya!

He Yu steadied his breathing.

He moved extremely quickly, riding the flying broom back toward the direction where Siya had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

But now, every attempt to contact Siya through the whistle sank into silence.

The Bullet Screen happened to be invisible.

He had no idea what had happened to her!

But it was obvious.

Siya was definitely in trouble.

Several possibilities flashed through his mind.

Not one of them ended well.

Every guess led to the same terrible conclusion.

The more anxious he became, the calmer he grew.

He Yu passed a fork in the tunnel and closed his eyes.

In his mind, he mapped out every route he had taken.

At the same time, based on the direction Siya had come from and the direction she had left in, he estimated which passage she was likely in...

Ten seconds later, He Yu flew decisively into the tunnel on the left.

His speed was astonishing.

He crossed one passage after another.

At the final fork near Siya's location, Eugene rushed in from another direction.

The two nearly collided.

Eugene's expression was equally grave.

The moment he saw He Yu, Eugene's eyes widened. He raised a hand and pointed at the top of He Yu's head...

Th-This...

What the hell was that?!

He Yu didn't stop for even a moment.

He nodded at Eugene, passed him, and entered the middle tunnel.

His expression was graver and more serious than ever before.

On his usually calm and composed face, it looked especially unusual.

Seeing this, Eugene set aside his confusion about the HP bar and followed He Yu with a puzzled expression.

—He could already smell blood, but he didn't know what had happened.

—Judging from He Yu's reaction, it was clearly something unusual.

Who was in trouble?

Only two seconds later, the bloody scene ahead entered their view.

He Yu's pupils contracted.

His gaze fixed firmly on the sight before him.

From the livestream's direct view of his face, the audience could see his eyes suddenly sharpen.

That gaze was so cold it made people tremble.

At that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.

The air became still.

Even the sound of breathing nearly disappeared.

Siya...

Qiong lowered her eyes slightly, lips pressed together as she stared ahead.

In front of her, Siya lay in a pool of blood.

The equipment around her wrist released the illusion of a beautiful blooming flower.

Layer after layer of petals unfolded.

The demonic purple color was dazzlingly vivid.

The enormous, radiant flower shadow wrapped around the blood-covered Siya.

Pale purple mist spread outward.

Then Siya disappeared together with her equipment, transforming into specks of purple starlight that illuminated the entire tunnel.

Only the brilliant phantom of the flower remained faintly visible in the pool of blood.

Until it, too, vanished completely.

【Biological Planet Contestant No. 727, Siya, eliminated. Remaining contestants: 61/100.】

Siya had been eliminated.

Just like the person she had been, even her death was beautiful.

Her final curtain call was exquisitely graceful.

At the end of her life, a beautiful flower bloomed.

With the last trace of energy, it wrapped around her.

Then, at the moment of its greatest beauty...

Everything stopped.

The flower withered.

Its existence dissolved.

She had been beautiful all her life.

Even in death, she insisted on leaving in splendor.

—This was Siya.

District Four of the Federation.

Contestant No. 727.

The dazzling superstar, Siya.

The moment He Yu heard the announcement, he stopped.

He was only one step away from Siya.

Only one step.

He had been short by only that single step.

A potion was clenched in his hand, his fingertips pale.

He stood where he was, his black eyes fixed on the blood remaining on the ground.

At that moment, elsewhere in the Infinite Maze...

In one of the tunnels, Duan Yuchen froze.

He raised his head in disbelief.

His eyes were filled with shock, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Siya... is dead?"

Was this the Top Talent Show?

Once, Duan Yuchen, Earlie, and Siya had formed a trio.

Now...

Only he remained.

Zhante was in the middle of killing someone.

When he heard the announcement, his hand froze.

The person he had been suppressing immediately seized the opportunity to break free and flee, disappearing without a trace.

Zhante didn't pursue them.

He simply stood there blankly, his expression dazed.

In another direction, Yuan Ze frowned.

"How could Siya die? Who could kill her?"

If this had been an earlier competition instance, deaths would have been perfectly normal.

He wouldn't have been moved at all.

But now...

They were teammates.

One of their teammates had died.

A teammate who had trusted them with her back and relied on them.

—It was impossible not to be affected.

In a certain corner, Zhen Xing and Ling Buchen happened to meet.

Ling Buchen frowned.

"Siya died?"

Zhen Xing slowly nodded, his expression equally grave.

Ling Buchen drew a deep breath.

"Find He Yu."

Something was wrong!

There was something wrong with Siya's death!

The two immediately turned and raced in two different directions, relying on instinct to search for He Yu.

Siya was extremely strong.

Her strength ranked within the top twenty of the Top Talent Show.

Who would attack her?

Anyone whose strength was comparable to hers would avoid her by mutual understanding even if they met.

After all, their HP bars would decrease during battle.

Even if they defeated Siya, they wouldn't have much HP remaining.

If they then encountered another contestant, they would certainly lose.

Therefore, someone of equal strength wouldn't fight Siya.

Most of the remaining contestants couldn't defeat her.

And the very few people stronger than Siya—such as Zhen Xing, Ling Buchen, Bo Jingshan, Wanrenzhan, Eugene, Zhante, Duan Yuchen, Yuan Ze, Gedai, and Qiong—would never attack her.

With Siya's abilities, even if someone stronger attacked her, she shouldn't have been unable to preserve her own life.

Siya shouldn't have died in the "first half of the semifinals."

—There was definitely something wrong!

The two anxiously searched for He Yu.

Gedai was likewise stunned.

Confusion briefly appeared in his eyes as he murmured softly,

"Siya?"

Wanrenzhan pulled back his axe and wiped the blood from his face.

He frowned.

"What happened? How could Siya die?"

After muttering the question, he immediately turned and ran in one direction.

—He had to find He Yu!

【Bullet Screen: "???"】

【Bullet Screen: "Siya died?! Holy shit, I'm going to see what happened!"】

【Bullet Screen: "AAAAH, no!! I fucking can't accept this!"】

—

At the original location...

Siya had already disappeared.

She hadn't had time to say a single word.

She hadn't even had time to give them one final glance.

At the very end, all she had managed to do was grant herself dignity and complete the brilliant beauty of her life.

No one knew what had happened.

Siya had vanished.

Only a ground covered in bright red blood remained.

The vivid scarlet was terrifying.

That sea of red had replaced the purple-haired woman.

Eugene remained stunned for a long time.

Then his gaze shifted toward Qiong, and he frowned slightly.

"You killed Siya?"

Qiong stood motionless.

Her gaze remained fixed on the blood covering the ground, her expression dazed.

After a moment, she turned to look at them.

The first thing she said came in a hoarse voice.

"The one-minute limit is almost over..."

He Yu put away the potion. His voice was perfectly calm.

"You can leave first and return later. The instance's one-minute countdown should restart."

Qiong and Eugene both froze.

—That worked too?

He Yu truly could exploit any bug.

Even in an instance that seemed this perfect, even with the one-minute countdown, he could still find a loophole.

Leave first.

Once they exited the system's detection range, they could return.

When the time was nearly up, they could leave again...

Repeating the process over and over would give them a considerable amount of usable time.

Although they still couldn't travel together, they could at least exchange information.

Hearing this, Qiong flashed away and disappeared.

Eugene looked at He Yu, then toward the direction Qiong had gone.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and disappeared as well.

Neither of them went far.

They merely moved a certain distance away in opposite directions, confirmed that it was safe, and prepared to return.

At that distance, they could come back in the blink of an eye.

After the two left, only He Yu and Siya's blood remained.

He looked at the place where Siya had disappeared and lowered his eyes.

The red reflected across his dark pupils.

They seemed bottomless.

There was no emotion in them.

Yet they were frighteningly cold.

After a long time, he whispered—

"Siya, you still owed me money. How could you just... die?"

They had promised each other to stay safe.

Yet she had left so suddenly.

—

"He Yu, hurry—"

"He Yu, hurry—"

"He Yu, hurry—"

When Eugene returned, He Yu was listening to the voice within the whistle.

Those were Siya's final words.

Expressionless, He Yu listened to the same sentence repeatedly.

Again and again.

Over and over.

At a glance, Eugene saw He Yu standing there all alone.

Slender and frail, yet with his back perfectly straight, like a tall pine that would never break no matter how many times it was bent.

His rimless glasses rested on his nose.

His expression was cold.

"He Yu..."

Eugene's voice was hoarse.

He Yu looked up at him, showing no visible abnormality.

"The system's one-minute countdown really is a loophole. As long as you move back and forth quickly enough, you can avoid being forced into battle."

Eugene continued staring at him and stepped closer.

"What are you listening to?"

He Yu answered, "Siya's final words."

"He Yu, hurry—"

Siya's familiar voice emerged from the whistle.

Her tone was urgent.

Combined with the blood covering the ground, it suddenly carried an overwhelming sense of desolation and sorrow.

Eugene opened his mouth.

Only after a long pause did he speak.

"Was she telling you to hurry and save her? What did she encounter? Qiong?"

—He Yu, hurry and save me.

That interpretation made sense.

As for why she had asked He Yu for help...

It was because Siya only had a whistle connected to He Yu.

And He Yu had always been reliable.

Siya's final words...

Had probably been a plea for He Yu to save her.

Eugene couldn't forget what he had seen earlier.

Qiong had been standing beside Siya.

And she had put something away.

The two women had never gotten along.

It would be perfectly normal for Qiong to attack Siya.

—Eugene couldn't help suspecting Qiong.

At that moment, Qiong returned.

Eugene immediately looked at her.

His gaze was sharp, fixed firmly on her eyes as he observed her reaction.

"You attacked Siya?"

Qiong pressed her lips together, her expression dark.

"I didn't kill Siya. I didn't attack her."

Although she had grudges against Siya...

She would never kill her.

The two faced each other, their gazes equally sharp.

—The suspicion born at this moment shook the trust within the team.

The minute was nearly over.

Eugene looked deeply at Qiong, then turned and disappeared into the tunnel again.

Qiong had only just returned.

Her gaze moved toward the place where Siya had disappeared.

Only blood-red stains covered the ground.

Yet inexplicably, Qiong seemed to see a dazzling woman with purple hair standing there.

There were no wounds on her body.

There was no blood on the ground.

She smiled brilliantly at Qiong.

Qiong spoke softly.

"He Yu, don't you suspect me?"

Holding the whistle, He Yu didn't turn around.

He shook his head.

"It wasn't you."

He was extremely calm.

The more terrifying his state became, the calmer he appeared.

He was examining every detail of the scene.

Qiong wanted to smile.

But when she raised her hand, she touched a face covered in wetness.

She looked at the droplets on her palm and froze.

Was she crying?

She was actually crying for Siya?

There was still time left, but Qiong turned and ran.

She didn't use flying equipment.

She didn't use energy.

She simply ran on her own two legs, disappearing into the dark tunnel.

Only after running very, very far did Qiong stop.

She braced both hands on her knees, breathing heavily—

"Seriously, you stinking woman. Weren't you jealous of me? Weren't you going to fight me properly?"

"Now that you're dead... how are we supposed to fight?"

Qiong looked ahead.

Within the blurred tunnel stood a dazzling woman.

Her appearance couldn't be seen clearly, but the bright purple color was striking and radiant.

She raised her chin.

Her face was eternally proud.

Even her voice carried that same arrogance.

—Hey, Bean Sprout.