Chapter 73: The Scheming Team-Up Phase (32)

“Roar—”

The big cat was greedy, but it wanted its toy to eat too. It pushed the plate forward and lightly patted He Yu's back three times with its fluffy paw, conveying its meaning through its eyes.

Seeing this, He Yu smiled softly and used a stick to poke off a piece. He ate in small bites, his voice gentle.

“I'm full. You eat.”

Only then did the big cat excitedly pounce on the grilled fish, its tail wagging wildly with happiness.

—Wonderful.

—Its toy could make delicious food and barely ate any.

A crafty glint flashed through its eyes.

In the distance, Eugene lowered his voice.

“So he wasn't trying to poison the Frost Beast...”

His tone became depressed.

“My heart hurts!!”

If He Yu wasn't trying to poison the Frost Beast, then he was really wasting Frost Flowers!!

In front of them, only two Frost Flowers remained beside He Yu. He picked up the second-to-last one and prepared to stuff it into the fish's belly.

Gedai said, “Move!”

There were only a little over two hundred slots left. They couldn't wait any longer.

Everyone immediately pounced together. Gone was their earlier quail-like timidity. They had clearly been preparing for this attack for a long time, savage and swift.

This battle had already been planned. There wasn't a trace of hesitation.

Eugene muttered,

“We should've attacked earlier!”

They were going to make their move anyway, so why had they wasted time watching He Yu ruin Frost Flowers?

—It stabbed him right in the heart.

After muttering, he rushed forward too.

Only Zhen Xing didn't move.

Holding his Rubik's Cube, he remained where he stood, staring blankly toward He Yu and the Frost Beast.

Whoosh—!

The attack came too suddenly.

The Frost Beast was eating.

No.

They had deliberately attacked while it was eating.

Eugene, Gedai, Yuan Ze, Cheng Zhao and the others attacked the big cat, while others rushed toward He Yu.

He Yu didn't move.

He seemed not to have noticed.

The Frost Beast's pupils shrank.

Without even having time to turn around, it leaped directly onto He Yu, using its body to block every attack.

All the attacks landed on its back.

“Roar—!”

The Frost Beast threw its head back and howled.

Then, carrying wounds on its back, it turned around.

Its blue eyes gradually turned blood-red.

Baring its fangs, it roared viciously at everyone.

The big cat that had been “docile” in front of He Yu revealed its ferocious side.

Bang!

It lunged at everyone, wings erupting outward as it simultaneously spat countless ice arrows.

Those who had reached this stage were all experts.

Especially united together, their combat power was astonishing.

Some blocked the ice arrows.

Others used equipment to attack the big cat's weak points.

The battle was intense.

Bang!

Clang! Clang!!

A wound was torn into the Frost Beast by Eugene's mechanical arm. Blood poured out as it retreated two steps and stared at them coldly.

—It was truly angry.

【System Announcement: 9,900 contestants have cleared. 100 slots remain. Please work hard, contestants!】

Only one hundred places remained!

At the same time, heavy snow began falling.

It was the heaviest snowfall since they had climbed the mountain.

The big cat stared at them.

Smelling the delicious food made by its toy, its wings shook.

It opened its mouth and roared fiercely—

“ROAR!”

The temperature around them dropped sharply.

The ice and snow covering the mountain peak began moving.

Zhen Xing's pupils contracted.

Eugene shouted in horror,

“Retreat!”

Too late.

The snow and ice across the mountain peak seemed to become the Frost Beast's weapons.

The blizzard pushed everyone toward the Frost Beast.

It pounced and tore apart the nearest contestant.

Blood sprayed across the white snow.

—

Transfer Station.

Zhante exclaimed,

“Something's wrong! Look at the neighboring livestream! The Frost Beast in He Yu's arena isn't right!”

Everyone hurriedly looked.

Their pupils instantly shrank.

The neighboring livestream was also fighting a Frost Beast.

Before this, their stages had been identical.

The bosses had been identical.

After entering the Transfer Station, several of them had observed other battlefields.

Those who focused only on slaughter had all been wiped out.

Unless they had votes, they couldn't survive until the end.

Only alliances had reached Stage Six.

Stages One, Four, and Five all required cooperation to defeat the bosses.

Their own team had failed against the Blazing Bull because there were too few of them, but multiple teams united together could win.

The rules were vicious.

At the beginning, the “traitor” rules tempted them into killing each other.

Yet once too many people died and too few survivors remained, they lacked the combat power needed and died inside the stages.

Traps everywhere.

Fortunately, many arenas had still formed alliances and reached the final stage.

Nearby, Keli Hai and his group were fighting the Frost Beast.

But—

The Frost Beast they encountered was completely different from the big cat.

Looking carefully, even their eye colors differed.

The other Frost Beasts had brown eyes.

He Yu's Frost Beast...

Had blue eyes.

Compared to the Frost Beasts in other arenas, the big cat was simply too savage.

It could control the entire mountain's snow and ice.

Completely beyond understanding.

Duan Yuchen sucked in a cold breath.

“How is that possible?! How could the bosses be different?!”

Wanrenzhan had been anxiously watching the livestream.

Hearing this, he froze.

Then his pupils shrank.

As if realizing something, his hands clenched into fists.

His expression became grave.

—

The arena knew nothing about the discussions in the Transfer Station.

Eugene and the others were on the verge of collapse.

They knew the Frost Beast was powerful.

They never imagined it would be this powerful.

It could actually command snow and ice!

—How the hell were they supposed to win?!

The Frost Beast seemed to enter another state.

Its blue eyes turned crimson.

With several leaps, it tore apart multiple contestants.

Eugene, Gedai, Cheng Zhao, and Yuan Ze couldn't care about their teammates anymore.

While the Frost Beast massacred others, they fled desperately down the mountain.

After killing everyone else, the Frost Beast prepared to chase.

Then it stopped.

It smelled the rich aroma of fish stew.

It halted and looked at the blood on its claws.

The crimson in its eyes faded.

Beautiful watery blue returned.

It buried its paws in the snow and wiped them clean before turning around and walking toward He Yu.

Passing Zhen Xing, it found him holding his Rubik's Cube and staring warily.

—This thing was terrifying.

—It could control snow and ice.

And clearly, it itself wasn't snow.

How did it do that?

He Yu had also witnessed everything.

Lowering his eyes, he murmured softly,

“A boss... capable of wielding natural elements?”

He had been exploring cultivation systems all this time.

It seemed...

The Frost Beast had unknowingly achieved it.

Why?

Was it still merely an ordinary NPC created by the system?

“Wuuu...”

The big cat arrived before He Yu, looking wronged, and rubbed its face against him.

He Yu raised a hand and gently rubbed it.

“Don't be angry. No one will disturb your meal anymore.”

He extinguished the fire beneath the pot and softly said,

“The fish stew is done. Wait until it cools before eating.”

Heavy snow continued to fall.

The Frost Beast lifted one forepaw and shielded He Yu beneath its body from the wind and snow.

Hearing him, it kept protecting him while excitedly stretching its head toward the pot.

Sniff.

It immediately stuck out its tongue—

And burned itself.

“Wooo!”

He Yu laughed softly and helplessly shook his head.

“You. Why are you so impatient?”

“Wooo! Wooo!”

The big cat was very impatient.

After waiting only a few seconds, it licked the stew again.

Clearly scalding hot.

Yet it ate with happiness mixed with pain.

It simply couldn't wait.

—Too delicious!

—It had never eaten anything this delicious!

The fish cooked with Frost Flowers was completely different from grilled fish.

Another kind of heavenly taste.

“Haa—haa—”

The big cat ate steaming fish stew while huffing from the heat, whiskers trembling, yet stubbornly continued eating.

There wasn't the slightest trace of the savage beast from moments before.

The audience—

“It was terrifying just now, and now it's adorable again. I give up.”

“The Frost Beast really is vicious, but around He Yu it's genuinely cute. It protects him from the snow, and He Yu treats it well too.”

“Forget whether it's cute or not. Why is the Frost Beast in <Top Talent Show> so much stronger than the Frost Beasts in other arenas?”

“Exactly! The others only require cooperation to defeat, but this Frost Beast is suffocatingly strong. Even Eugene and the others couldn't win. How is this supposed to work?”

“Explain!!”

...

Zhen Xing said seriously,

“It's very strong.”

He Yu nodded calmly.

Very strong.

Abnormally strong.

He Yu didn't believe <Top Talent Show> would create an impossible stage.

Combined with the way it manipulated snow earlier...

He suspected this combat power exceeded the system's original settings.

His gaze deepened.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Yet he said nothing.

He remained absentminded until sparks burned his fingers.

By then, the Frost Beast had already finished one pot.

He Yu cooked another.

While waiting, he fed it grilled fish one piece after another.

After finishing the grilled fish, the stew was ready.

The big cat was blissfully happy.

He Yu even transformed the pot into an iron plate and fried fish for it.

It seemed he intended to make every fish dish possible for the Frost Beast.

The big cat wagged its tail wildly.

Still shielding He Yu from the snow.

Occasionally licking him.

Utterly satisfied.

—Wonderful.

—

After finishing all the fish, the big cat was full for the first time in its life.

It purred happily.

Then it hugged He Yu and rolled through the snow with him.

Warm and fluffy.

【System Announcement: 9,950 contestants have cleared. 50 slots remain. Please work hard, contestants!】

The bullet comments exploded.

“What is He Yu doing? Why isn't he leaving?”

“Zhen Xing isn't leaving either. Is he waiting for He Yu?”

“Damn it! Only fifty spots remain! Hurry up!”

“This arena is impossible. He Yu happened to encounter a different Frost Beast. Losing isn't shameful.”

“It's dark because of the snow. Is there really no deeper meaning behind He Yu refusing to act before nightfall?”

...

The audience argued.

Night grew darker.

He Yu stood on the big cat's paw, leaning against its nose.

He gently touched its watery blue eyes.

Very softly.

The big cat blinked obediently.

“There isn't much time left.”

His voice was hoarse.

“Will I ever see you again?”

“These familiar eyes.”

“Wooo?”

The big cat was confused.

He Yu pushed its paw away.

The big cat obediently moved aside.

He Yu raised his head into the snowstorm.

His lips quickly turned pale from the cold.

Yet he maintained that posture.

“Wooo!”

The big cat panicked.

Only then did He Yu lower his head.

His expression had already calmed.

Jumping onto its body, he spread his arms and rubbed his face against the familiar white fur that had given him warmth these past few days.

His voice was low and hoarse.

As though speaking to himself.

And to the audience.

“Since entering Stage Six, I have been thinking about the words ‘Ice and Snow Paradise.’ The previous stage was Blazing Hell. Hell means suffering. Does paradise mean happiness?”

“What is the best way to clear this stage?”

“After the first encounter with the Frost Beast, I knew I couldn't defeat it.”

“If it couldn't be defeated, then how was this stage supposed to be cleared?”

“Ice and Snow Paradise.”

“Paradise means happiness.”

“Make the Frost Beast happy.”

“Tease it. Dance for it. Cook delicious food for it.”

“And then...”

“Make it willingly offer up its life.”

“Is this the true essence of the stage?”

“Is this the perfect clear method designed by the system?”

Though phrased as questions, his tone was certain.

There were many ways to clear the stage.

They could kill the Frost Beast through cooperation.

Or use other methods.

But the most perfect method—

The one most fitting the stage's name—

Was this one.

He Yu raised the Frost Flower in his hand.

The flower the Frost Beast had personally picked for him from the sea of flowers.

The most beautiful one.

He pressed the sharp stem against the Frost Beast's chest.

Looking into those watery blue eyes—

He pushed down hard.

Confusion appeared in the Frost Beast's eyes.

Yet it did not resist.

It merely lowered its head and watched him.

As though whatever He Yu did—

It would never reject.

He Yu slowly closed his eyes.

Taking a deep breath—

He drove it down.

The flower pierced its heart.

“Wuu...”

The Frost Beast cried out in pain.

Its body trembled.

Its strength faded.

Water shimmered in its eyes as it stared at He Yu.

Eyes closed.

Expressionless.

Snowflakes landed upon his face.

His eyelashes trembled slightly.

The big cat raised one fluffy paw and shielded his head from the wind and snow.

The other paw rested behind his back.

Lightly.

Three times.

The familiar motion.

The familiar affection.

He Yu suddenly opened his eyes.

“Mm...”

The Frost Beast let out a soft sound.

Its wet blue eyes held no pain.

No anger.

No doubt.

Only overwhelming reluctance to part.

The blizzard weakened.

The clouds parted.

Moonlight shone down.

Beginning from its tail, the Frost Beast dissolved into countless stars.

Those blue eyes never left He Yu.

Filled with attachment.

Filled with longing.

The final thing to disappear—

Was the paw protecting him from the snow.

—The big cat's gentleness.

The brilliant starlight wrapped around He Yu.

Growing fainter.

And fainter.

Until nothing remained.

He instinctively reached out.

But grasped nothing.

No trace of the Frost Beast remained.

He fell into the snow.

Kneeling on one knee.

Supporting himself with the bloodstained Frost Flower.

His body trembled slightly.

“Whooo—”

Only the wind remained.

Snowflakes fell upon him.

The summit was silent.

Silent beyond belief.

No sound.

Even the bullet comments were blank.

Footsteps approached.

Zhen Xing came over.

He Yu neither defended himself nor wished to.

He simply remained motionless.

Zhen Xing crouched.

Picking up the equipment dropped by the Frost Beast, he draped it over He Yu.

His voice was soft.

“It was only an NPC created by the system, He Yu.”

“Don't be sad.”

The Frost Beast had dropped clothing.

Snow-white fur.

Thick.

Warm.

Like the Frost Beast's fur.

Like—

The big cat.

He Yu reached out.

His slender fingers carefully touched the hem and tightened around it.

His voice remained calm.

“I'm not sad.”

“Everything from approaching it...”

“Living with it...”

“Keeping it company...”

“Was all calculation.”

—Calculating until it willingly offered up its life.

Pain appeared in Zhen Xing's eyes.

He said nothing further.

Only looked at him with worry.

He Yu wiped the snow from his face.

Then lowered his hand.

And smiled.

Using the Frost Flower to support himself, he stood.

Facing the falling snow.

His lips were red from biting them.

One hand tightly gripped the fur coat.

And he revealed a brilliant smile.

Beautiful.

Demonic.

“How could I be sad?”

“It serves no purpose.”

Everyone in this competition was a piece on the board.

He was.

Zhen Xing was.

Ling Buchen was.

Even beings like the Frost Beast.

Pieces had no freedom.

No choices.

—But pieces could think.

They could scheme.

They could refuse to accept fate.

—One day, he would shatter the chessboard itself.

And engage in a battle of life and death with the one controlling it.

At that time—

Life.

Death.

Every choice.

Would rest in his own hands.