Chapter 58: The Scheming Team-Up Phase (17)

At long last, Duan Yuchen saw He Yu's expression change, and he was very satisfied.

He lifted a foot and walked toward He Yu. His otherwise ordinary-looking face seemed to shine with confidence and certainty. His voice carried a mocking edge.

“You cooperating with Wanrenzhan was the stupidest thing you could have done.”

He Yu pressed his lips together and subconsciously took a step back.

Duan Yuchen said, “Aren't you supposed to be so smart? Do you have any idea how dangerous your situation is right now?”

[Bullet Comment: “Master Duan! Please stop talking!”]

[Bullet Comment: “Master Duan, do YOU know how dangerous your situation is right now?!”]

[Bullet Comment: “Brother Duan, you're negotiating with a tiger.”]

Duan Yuchen knew none of that. He continued:

“He Yu, I know garbage-planet contestants gain votes incredibly slowly. Are you certain your votes can rise fast enough before Wanrenzhan makes a move on you?”

He Yu drew a deep breath and stopped retreating.

“I know. But Wanrenzhan's combat strength still isn't enough. He needs me too.”

He raised his head and looked at Duan Yuchen.

“The moment Wanrenzhan exposed his undercover identity to me, I stopped having any choices.”

Duan Yuchen stopped walking as well.

He stared directly into He Yu's eyes.

“When the Third Trial ended, if you had chosen to reveal the truth, we could have eliminated Wanrenzhan—”

He Yu interrupted him.

“Since you overheard my conversation with Qiao Yuan, then you should understand exactly why I didn't say anything. Voting takes time. During that gap, Wanrenzhan could have killed me.”

Duan Yuchen knew that was true.

So he remained silent.

He Yu continued:

“You know I'm not stupid. During the entire Third Trial, I never separated from Wanrenzhan. I had no opportunity whatsoever to ask anyone for help. Besides, before someone could guarantee my protection, the only person I could cooperate with was Wanrenzhan. He's the only one who actually needs me.”

—Flawless logic.

If He Yu wanted to fool Duan Yuchen, he couldn't act too foolish.

He Yu?

Stupid?

If the word “stupid” was ever associated with He Yu, Duan Yuchen would become suspicious immediately.

Faced with the threat of an undercover Wanrenzhan, He Yu's “solution” was perfectly reasonable. It was exactly the kind of choice a smart person would make when cornered with no alternatives.

—Very difficult to doubt.

Duan Yuchen immediately replied:

“Then after this trial ends, we can cooperate.”

He Yu instantly narrowed his eyes and carefully studied him, seemingly judging whether his words were genuine.

His voice was full of suspicion.

“Cooperate? Other than Wanrenzhan, none of you need me. How do I know you'll protect me while voting against Wanrenzhan?”

According to He Yu's narrative—

The moment Wanrenzhan discovered his undercover identity had been exposed, he would move against He Yu.

Voting required time.

As long as someone delayed for even a few seconds, that would be enough for Wanrenzhan to drag He Yu away.

After all, “good guys” couldn't attack.

But the “undercover” could.

Therefore, He Yu distrusting Duan Yuchen and refusing cooperation made perfect sense.

Duan Yuchen understood.

His expression became serious.

“No. We need you. Every round is becoming harder than the last. And our combat strength still isn't high enough. During the Fifth Trial and Sixth Trial, we'll need your support.”

He Yu's “Star-Absorbing Technique” was the perfect support ability.

It could help them clear the remaining stages.

Duan Yuchen's eyes were sincere.

He genuinely appeared to want cooperation.

He Yu squinted and continued studying him.

However, he was clearly beginning to waver.

Seeing an opening, Duan Yuchen pressed forward.

“He Yu, you know how badly Wanrenzhan wants to kill you. Originally, he was the champion of the previous season. He should have possessed an overwhelming advantage. But during the preliminary round, you screwed him over and prevented him from building enough momentum. Right now he's already fallen behind Zhante, Earlie, and even Qiong.”

“If his combat strength could crush everyone and he also obtained the undercover role, he'd have an automatic victory. But instead, he actually needs your help. Tell me, doesn't he hate you? Do you really think he'll let you advance in this competition?”

[Bullet Comment: “...That idiot doesn't seem to want to kill He Yu anymore.”]

[Bullet Comment: “That idiot became He Yu's strongest support!”]

[Bullet Comment: “Brother Duan! Stop talking! The more you say, the more blood you're going to cough up when you watch the replay later!!”]

Inside the Fourth Trial.

He Yu's expression changed dramatically.

Clearly, Duan Yuchen had struck directly at his weakest point.

His mind appeared shaken.

Finally, he drew a deep breath and extended his hand.

“Duan Yuchen, I hope you'll keep your word. My combat strength is low. I'm not a threat. If we're going to cooperate, then let's cooperate properly. Don't keep looking for chances to kill me.”

Duan Yuchen also extended his hand and shook it.

“I really do want to kill you. But advancing and eliminating the undercover agent are more important.”

Originally, the plan had been to vote He Yu out after the Fourth Trial.

However, if the undercover agent was Wanrenzhan, then just like Earlie, Wanrenzhan posed a greater threat than He Yu.

There would be plenty of future opportunities to kill He Yu.

There wouldn't be many opportunities to kill Wanrenzhan.

Furthermore, their numbers were shrinking rapidly.

The people leaving were powerful combat specialists.

The ones remaining were weaklings like He Yu and Ling Buchen.

Without He Yu, and with insufficient combat strength, the final two trials would probably be impossible.

The two clasped hands.

The alliance was formed.

Duan Yuchen nodded in satisfaction.

“Siya and Qiao Yuan advanced. Harvey and Earlie died. There are six of us left now. Besides Wanrenzhan, that leaves five people. I'll contact Qiong. You contact Zhante and Ling Buchen. The five of us vote for Wanrenzhan and eliminate him.”

It was an excellent plan.

When the time came, He Yu's Star-Absorbing Technique would support Duan Yuchen.

Duan Yuchen would protect He Yu.

Together they would eliminate the undercover Wanrenzhan.

But He Yu suddenly asked:

“Since we're already cooperating, and Wanrenzhan's identity has been exposed... couldn't we wait until after the Fifth Trial to eliminate him?”

Duan Yuchen froze.

He looked at He Yu in surprise.

He Yu smiled.

“Master Duan, the trials may be getting harder, but with me supporting everyone, our combat strength won't be lacking at all.”

“The undercover has already been exposed. We will definitely eliminate Wanrenzhan. But before that, couldn't we use him to achieve other goals?”

“The risks are high, but the rewards are higher. Entering this competition already means walking a tightrope.”

Duan Yuchen frowned.

He Yu stepped closer and lowered his voice, whispering several sentences.

Duan Yuchen's pupils contracted violently.

He stared at He Yu in disbelief.

“The risk is enormous. You're gambling with your life!”

He Yu shrugged.

“I wasn't afraid when I only had eight combat power. What are you afraid of, Master Duan?”

“The greater the risk, the greater the reward.”

“Don't forget. Every expert here is your future opponent. Every bit stronger they become today, the more dangerous tomorrow becomes for you.”

Duan Yuchen inhaled deeply.

Finally, he slowly nodded.

A brilliant smile bloomed across He Yu's face.

His eyes curved pleasantly as he adjusted his glasses, using the motion to hide the amusement in his gaze.

“Let's go. It's time to regroup.”

The bullet comments exploded.

“...”

“............”

“Sometimes I genuinely admire He Yu.”

“What the hell are all these schemes? He's already running a scheme inside a scheme, and then he stacks several more schemes on top of that!”

“Saying he has a hundred and eighty tricks up his sleeve is still underselling him!”

“My mom asked me why I was watching the livestream on my knees.”

...

—

Transfer Station.

Siya and Qiao Yuan exchanged looks.

For a moment, neither knew what to say.

Qiao Yuan, who had been furious moments ago, suddenly wasn't angry anymore.

He stared at Siya.

“You know, I suddenly feel like losing wasn't unfair. With all of He Yu's schemes, who the hell could defend against that?”

Siya nodded vigorously.

“Exactly. Right now, I really want to see who our next Avengers Alliance teammate is going to be.”

Qiao Yuan said helplessly:

“...We'll find out soon enough.”

“We got eliminated relatively early, so we didn't suffer too badly. Think about the people who get eliminated later. They'll have to walk through even more layers of He Yu's traps.”

“That's the truly miserable part.”

“Duan Yuchen, oh Duan Yuchen. He's definitely trying to scheme against He Yu too. Unfortunately...” Siya shook her head while laughing. “He's already walked into He Yu's web. No matter how much he schemes, it won't matter.”

Qiao Yuan nodded.

“This proves one thing.”

“If we ever encounter He Yu again, don't listen to a single word he says. Just kill him immediately!”

Siya nodded.

Then paused.

“But... it's really hard not to listen.”

“And he's the strongest support player.”

“If he came to me and offered cooperation... I'd probably be tempted.”

Qiao Yuan shook his head furiously.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Any cooperation He Yu offers is a trap.”

“Next time he talks to me about cooperation, I won't believe him either!”

Siya nodded.

“Agreed. I definitely won't be fooled again.”

She turned back toward the screen.

“Too bad we can only watch the livestream and replays without contestant information. We can't even see the bullet comments.”

“Otherwise, I'd love to see the audience's reactions and everyone else's hidden cards.”

As a celebrity, she cared a great deal about feedback.

Especially after her recent failure.

She really wanted to know whether viewers still supported her.

Qiao Yuan rolled his eyes.

“As if they'd let you see that.”

“This is a competition.”

“Besides, would you want other people seeing your hidden cards?”

Siya fell silent.

“...Let's keep watching.”

The two continued staring at the livestream.

—

When He Yu arrived beneath the giant tree, everyone else had already gathered.

He and Duan Yuchen had been delayed.

However, the others clearly hadn't arrived much earlier.

The moment He Yu exchanged glances with the group, Duan Yuchen appeared.

Duan Yuchen said:

“As expected, the tree was the key point!”

Qiong nodded and looked at He Yu.

“Your method was right. We really could walk here. This tree is the anchor. It's the only real thing.”

Zhante laughed.

“He Yu, oh He Yu, you're ridiculously smart. We got through this trial thanks to you again. You should pick the equipment first.”

Wanrenzhan snorted.

“That weakling with eight combat power only has a brain worth looking at.”

He Yu ignored him completely.

Turning around, he glanced behind them.

This time, the entrance was clearly visible.

The distance wasn't far.

The area between here and the entrance wasn't large either.

They really had been walking in circles the entire time.

No wonder they never encountered anyone else.

Now that they stood beneath the tree, the illusion of the Fourth Trial had completely vanished.

“What now?” Qiong asked curiously. “Why haven't we cleared the trial yet?”

He Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at the giant tree.

“Did everyone forget about the thing that created the illusion?”

“The boss of this stage hasn't been challenged yet.”

Everyone:

“!!!”

Holy shit.

They had almost forgotten.

They'd become so convinced that the illusion itself was the challenge that they completely forgot about the boss responsible for creating it.

Everyone immediately turned toward the tree.

Suddenly—

A jade-green branch whipped toward them.

Fast.

Savage.

Merciless.

The tree had remained motionless the entire time they'd stood beneath it.

They had almost ignored it.

Yet the instant their guard dropped, it attacked.

“Smack!”

Everyone was sent flying.

Only He Yu, who had remained vigilant and stood atop his broom, managed to dodge.

The others crashed into the grass.

He Yu landed gracefully.

Wanrenzhan:

“???”

He was unbelievably pissed.

—How the hell could someone look cool just by standing on a broom?!

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to care about that.

All six immediately focused on the giant tree.

Their eyes filled with caution.

The tree was enormous.

Not only could it create illusions, it was astonishingly agile.

Its vicious branches thrashed wildly.

The once tranquil green tree had transformed into a terrifying monster.

After knocking them away, its branches continued moving.

Because of distance limitations, it couldn't reach them.

But its threatening posture seemed to scream—

Come closer and die.

Duan Yuchen slowly rose to his feet.

His expression was grave.

“This thing... won't be easy to deal with.”

Wanrenzhan hoisted his axe and charged.

“Easy or not, we're killing it!”

“The bastard actually dared hit me!”

“I'm chopping it down!”

The battle axe flew forward.

Its blade slammed into the giant tree.

After three power increases, Wanrenzhan's combat strength had reached another level entirely.

The axe carried horrifying force.

It struck a branch.

Instantly, the branch snapped.

Blood-red sap gushed out.

A nearly inaudible roar echoed through the wind.

The giant tree shook violently.

Wanrenzhan immediately retreated beyond the tree's attack range.

Laughing wildly, he shouted:

“Hahaha! You can't hit me! If you've got the guts—AHHH!”

His voice cut off abruptly.

Roots exploded from the ground.

They wrapped around Wanrenzhan and tightened viciously, attempting to crush him to death.

His face turned red.

Clutching his axe, he hacked frantically.

His combat strength was immense.

Every strike left deep wounds in the roots.

But the more injured the roots became, the more furious they grew.

They tightened harder and harder around him.

Meanwhile, nobody had time to help.

Countless roots erupted from the ground and attacked everyone.

“Damn it! These roots can attack too?!” Zhante cursed while being lifted into the air.

He swung his staff repeatedly in retaliation.

“The tree fears fire! Burn it with Firestones!” Qiong shouted.

Duan Yuchen immediately unleashed flames against the roots.

Meanwhile, He Yu rode his broom.

The agile broom dodged root attacks with remarkable flexibility.

It barely managed to keep He Yu safe.

But it couldn't do much else.

As for Ling Buchen...

He was the only one largely ignored.

Unfortunately, someone with ninety-nine combat power didn't seem capable of accomplishing much.

Over there, Wanrenzhan finally hacked apart the roots trapping him.

Dodging fresh attacks, he shouted:

“End this quickly, He Yu!”

Combined together, plus all their hidden cards, they could defeat the giant tree.

But—

Why struggle desperately when the strongest support player was standing right there?

Zhante broke free as well.

Thinking exactly the same thing, he shouted:

“He Yu!”

He Yu nodded.

“Zhante will relay. Wanrenzhan attacks.”

Zhante stood in the middle.

Wanrenzhan at the front.

The arrangement was perfectly reasonable.

The giant tree continued attacking.

Energy surged through the surroundings.

Calmly, He Yu absorbed that energy.

Then he transferred it into Zhante's body.

The massive energy nearly burst Zhante apart.

“Fuck! This hurts way too much!”

While screaming, Zhante slammed an attack into Wanrenzhan.

At the same moment, Wanrenzhan stood before them and swung his axe toward the giant tree.

The heavens changed color.

The winds howled.

The shockwave flattened grass throughout the area.

The giant tree sensed danger immediately.

Instinctively, it attempted to block.

Roots piled together.

Branches intertwined.

A defensive wall formed before Wanrenzhan's attack.

But the axe descended relentlessly.

BOOOOOOM—

Like a tidal wave crashing across the world.

The giant axe smashed through layers of roots and branches.

An earth-shattering explosion followed.

Everything shattered apart.

The tree screamed and withdrew its severed roots and branches.

Even its emerald color appeared faded.

Experiencing such power again—

Wanrenzhan had to admit it felt incredible.

He raised his axe for another strike.

Behind him, He Yu descended from the broom.

In a calm voice, he said:

“Are you sure you want to chop down the tree right now?”

“That would be helping the teams behind us.”

Wanrenzhan:

“...”

Silently, he lowered the axe.

—He Yu really never forgot to screw over the people behind them.

If they killed the tree, later teams wouldn't receive the Fourth Trial equipment.

But they'd pass the Fourth Trial immediately and catch up.

Therefore...

The tree should stay alive.

Alive and ready to make life miserable for the teams behind them.

Wanrenzhan lowered his weapon.

But everyone else's emotions remained turbulent.

Especially Duan Yuchen and Qiong.

During the previous trial, they had only arrived after the battle ended.

This time, they witnessed everything firsthand.

They saw exactly how terrifying Wanrenzhan became under He Yu's support.

—That kind of power was horrifying.

Duan Yuchen's gaze darkened.

They absolutely had to find a way to eliminate He Yu.

However, only six people remained.

If he broke his agreement now, He Yu would return to Wanrenzhan's side.

Add Ling Buchen.

Add Zhante, Ling Buchen's teammate.

At that point...

The game would truly be over.

Therefore, the plan couldn't change.

Perhaps...

He could break a different promise.

When the time came to eliminate Wanrenzhan, he could simply refuse to protect He Yu.

Then, during the final trial, he could stab He Yu in the back.

Various thoughts flowed through Duan Yuchen's mind.

Meanwhile, He Yu had already approached the tree.

“Do you still want to fight?”

“If you don't want to die, let us leave.”

Hearing that, Wanrenzhan stepped beside him and casually waved his axe.

The threat was obvious.

Compared to the labyrinth monster from the previous stage, their intimidation was much more effective.

The giant tree visibly shrank its branches.

The next moment, everyone's vision blurred.

They appeared somewhere else.

A familiar announcement echoed through the air.

【Congratulations, contestants. The Fourth Trial of the Second Elimination Round, <Heart-Questioning Battle>, has been completed!】

【All contestants will receive equipment rewards.】

Six pieces of equipment appeared before them.

The group exchanged glances.

Duan Yuchen spoke first.

“He Yu picks first.”

Nobody objected.

They had cleared the stage so quickly entirely because of He Yu.

Without him, they might still be wandering through the illusion trying to understand its secrets.

Zhante nodded.

“Absolutely. He Yu should pick first.”

“Seriously, He Yu, you're ridiculously awesome.”

“Anyone who gets you as a support teammate is practically invincible.”

He praised him openly.

Yet his eyes grew darker.

Originally, Zhante had feared Ling Buchen the most.

The guy's combat strength was terrible.

But his luck was absurd.

Even while teaming up with Ling Buchen, Zhante often thought—

If an opportunity appeared...

It would be best to kill him.

Otherwise, Ling Buchen would inevitably become the final obstacle.

But now another monster had appeared.

An even more terrifying one.

He Yu.

The strongest support player with only eight combat power.

If he couldn't guarantee He Yu remained on his own team...

Then the best solution was—

Kill him.

Because if He Yu became someone else's teammate...

That would be a disaster.

Zhante thought all of this privately.

He said none of it aloud.

Because now wasn't the time.

They still needed He Yu.

More importantly, they needed to eliminate the undercover agent.

Only two voting opportunities remained.

He Yu's eight combat power made him extremely fragile.

Once the rules allowed attacks against him, and nobody protected him...

Killing him would be easy.

Everyone harbored their own thoughts.

He Yu didn't bother guessing.

He simply walked toward the equipment.

For him, this batch wasn't particularly useful.

Almost all of it consisted of combat-strength equipment.

Excellent treasures for everyone else.

Practically useless for He Yu.

Therefore, he selected the Seven-Star Life Potion.

The remaining combat equipment was distributed among the others.

Ling Buchen was left with a strange defensive item—

A prosthetic armor set.

He stored it away without complaint.

Smiling honestly, he said:

“This equipment is pretty nice.”

“Very suitable for playing the zither.”

“Too bad there's no zither here.”

Wanrenzhan looked at him with undisguised disgust.

Their team was truly bizarre.

It contained the two contestants with the lowest combat strength in the entire <Top Talent Show>.

One had eight combat power.

The other had ninety-nine.

Yet they were leading the entire competition.

They'd earned equipment from every stage.

Most of it high-grade.

And despite all that...

One still had eight combat power.

The other still had ninety-nine.

Neither improved at all.

It was utterly ridiculous.

Duan Yuchen clapped his hands.

“Alright. Equipment distribution is finished.”

“Now comes the most important moment of this stage.”

“Voting.”

Everyone immediately became serious.

Their expressions hardened.

Eyes met.

Invisible currents flowed beneath the surface.

Zhante asked curiously:

“Anyone have clues about the undercover agent?”

“Who do you think it is?”

“We only have two voting opportunities left. We absolutely can't waste them.”

He genuinely had no clues.

Instinctively, he looked toward He Yu.

—Surely this genius had figured something out.

He Yu nodded.

Then looked at Zhante.

Smiling warmly, he said:

“I vote for Zhante.”

Zhante froze.

The number “1” appeared above his head.

Before he could react—

Duan Yuchen said:

“I vote for Zhante.”

Wanrenzhan followed immediately.

“Zhante.”

The number above his head instantly became a dangerously large “3.”

Zhante exploded.

“I'M NOT THE UNDERCOVER AGENT!!”

He Yu smiled even more gently.

“I know.”

Zhante:

“...”

His brain completely shut down.

Ling Buchen and Qiong almost spoke simultaneously.

“Zhan—”

Only a single syllable left their mouths.

Then Zhante vanished.

His reaction speed was astonishingly fast.

The instant he advanced, his furious roar echoed through the space.

“FUCK!”

“YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS ACTUALLY SET ME UP!”

“JUST YOU WAIT!”

“I'M GOING TO GET MY REVENGE!!”