He looked a little embarrassed. Fortunately, in his current state he didn't have a face, so no one could really tell...

Bo Jingshan coughed lightly before finally looking at He Yu. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"He Yu?"

He Yu responded calmly, "You actually turned into wheels."

—That was right. Bo Jingshan had become wheels.

Moreover, they weren't ordinary wheels. He had become a pair of small iron wheels. Two of them. One had become two. In this broken world, he had somehow transformed into... a pair of iron wheels.

The two wheels were identical, as though bound together by some invisible force. They could not separate and could only move as a pair. Their sleek silver surfaces were decorated with elegant flowing patterns, making them surprisingly refined and attractive.

Whenever they flew, they moved with incredible speed. Flames burst from beneath them, bathing the silver wheels in blazing crimson light that was dazzling to behold.

The moment He Yu saw them, a term flashed through his mind—

Wind Fire Wheels.

Cool-looking Wind Fire Wheels.

He Yu examined them carefully, staring long enough to make Bo Jingshan feel awkward before finally curling the corners of his lips.

"Not bad. Very practical."

Bo Jingshan: "..."

Practical?

Was that supposed to be a compliment?

He had wanted to compliment He Yu as well, but after looking over his appearance for a long moment, he finally said,

"You're very cute."

He really was unbelievably cute. A round, snow-white tangyuan that made people desperately want to poke it just to experience its soft, springy texture.

He Yu stared at him expressionlessly.

A death glare.

Bo Jingshan quietly shut his mouth.

Very well.

Apparently He Yu didn't like people calling him cute.

Bo Jingshan hurriedly changed the subject.

"This instance is going to be difficult. If we have to stay like this the whole time, it'll be hard to get through."

He was used to fighting.

Used to possessing combat power.

But this heavy pair of Wind Fire Wheels...

...didn't seem to possess much combat ability at all.

Bo Jingshan felt rather disappointed and desperately wanted to return to human form.

Without a human body, he had no hands.

Without hands, he couldn't even use his Crescent Moon Saber.

He genuinely couldn't imagine how a pair of wheels was supposed to fight.

He Yu's black bean-like eyes remained devoid of emotion.

"Our mission is to restore these corrupted species to normal. Since it's the objective of this instance, it obviously won't be easy. Once we complete it, we'll leave the instance. Until then..."

He paused.

"...unfortunately, we're probably going to remain like this."

Bo Jingshan: "..."

He suddenly felt hopeless.

Then he looked at He Yu.

The other man was probably just as hopeless as he was, wasn't he?

Just as he was about to speak, an irritable voice came from underground—

"Are you done talking yet?! I'm still buried down here! Bo Jingshan, you heartless bastard! You actually ambushed me! Teammates aren't allowed to attack each other, and yet you attacked me!!"

Only then did Bo Jingshan realize...

...it seemed he had crashed into something just now.

He still wasn't used to humans becoming random objects, so he'd nearly forgotten about it.

Besides, he had only just transformed into Wind Fire Wheels. Splitting into two, moving at tremendous speed—he still hadn't fully mastered controlling his new body. While trying to brake suddenly, he had accidentally plummeted from the sky...

...straight onto Wanrenzhan.

The Wind Fire Wheels weren't large, but they were extremely heavy.

And they had fallen from a considerable height.

Wanrenzhan had simply suffered an undeserved disaster.

Bo Jingshan quickly controlled both wheels to lift into the air, moving himself aside and clearing the space.

The two wheels had crashed down vertically, smashing a crater into the ground.

Ordinarily that wouldn't have been enough to completely bury Wanrenzhan.

Unfortunately, one wheel had landed on his head while the other struck the other end of his body, leaving him completely powerless as he was hammered straight into the earth.

Now that the Wind Fire Wheels had moved away...

...the short sword lay at the bottom of the pit, staring upward with dead fish eyes.

Bo Jingshan said awkwardly,

"...Sorry."

Wanrenzhan had nearly been flattened.

Being suddenly crushed by heavy iron wheels was something no ordinary person could endure.

Fortunately, he was fairly sturdy, and the soil beneath him had absorbed much of the impact.

Once Bo Jingshan moved aside, he finally saw daylight again.

He struggled several times before barely managing to stand upright.

Climbing out of the crater, the short sword clanged onto the ground before wobbling back to its feet.

After spitting out two mouthfuls of dirt, he gritted his teeth.

"Bo Jingshan, you injured a teammate! You violated the rules! You should be eliminated!"

Eugene suddenly interjected,

"It was obviously an accident. If he'd actually violated the rules, the system would've erased him already. The wheels are still perfectly fine, which means it doesn't count as attacking a teammate."

Eugene wasn't defending Bo Jingshan.

He simply couldn't stand Wanrenzhan.

He had shouted himself hoarse earlier, yet Wanrenzhan had refused to give him a ride.

It was Bo Jingshan who had brought him here.

The moment Eugene spoke, everyone's attention shifted toward him.

Wanrenzhan's sword body twisted so violently he almost lost his balance.

After barely steadying himself, he immediately looked toward Eugene.

Instead of seeing the familiar silver hair and black eyes...

...he saw—

A mask lying on the ground.

Yes.

Eugene's form in this corrupted world...

...was a mask.

Not an elegant masquerade mask.

Instead, it was a terrifying human-faced mask painted with strange patterns.

Wanrenzhan: "?"

"Pfft—"

He burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Bo Jingshan became wheels, and you became a mask! I'm dying! Looks like both of you had pretty rotten luck!"

Sure, becoming a sword had earned him plenty of ridicule from He Yu.

But at least...

...a sword was a weapon.

It could fight.

What about those ridiculous wheels?

Or that flashy-looking mask?

Or that...

...soft, white little ball?

—None of them had transformed into anything better than he had!

Wanrenzhan had never felt so pleased with himself.

He laughed wildly, eager for the entire universe to witness the obvious difference between himself and Eugene's group.

Ever since entering the competition, he had constantly been at a disadvantage.

Now he'd finally turned things around.

He almost wanted to burst into song.

[Bullet Screen: "He actually does have the right to be proud this time."]

[Bullet Screen: "Unless something unexpected happens, he'll probably be the team's main combat force."]

Eugene: "..."

Bo Jingshan: "..."

Neither of them was remotely satisfied with their current appearance.

Eugene exploded.

"Damn it! Why did I become a mask?! This thing is completely useless! How am I supposed to survive? How am I supposed to fight?!"

Bo Jingshan sighed deeply.

The wheels settled onto the ground, their flames fading until the silver surface became noticeably dimmer.

Although He Yu also disliked his appearance, he calmly analyzed the situation.

"Up until now, the Top Talent Show has always encouraged direct confrontation and displays of strength. That's why I don't believe you lack abilities entirely. At the very least, you'll possess an ability that matches whatever you've become."

The little white ball wore a serious expression.

Behind the rimless glasses, his eyes remained calm as he spoke matter-of-factly.

—Normally, this kind of analysis would have seemed perfectly natural.

—But now...

...he was a little white ball.

A perfectly round white ball.

A blankly adorable white ball.

Eugene struggled upright and shuffled over beside He Yu on the tiny feet beneath his square mask.

The eyes painted on the mask narrowed.

Tilting slightly, he poked He Yu.

His voice filled with delight.

"He Yu! You're so cute! You're soft!"

He Yu: "..."

He looked at Eugene.

Death glare.

"You're hideous."

Eugene froze.

"...With such a cute appearance, don't be so fierce. You're unbelievably adorable."

He Yu flexed his tiny hand.

He wanted to punch someone.

Eugene looked at that little hand, and his eyes lit up.

"Wow! Even your hands are adorable! Oh my god, He Yu, what exactly did you become? Why are you so ridiculously cute?!"

[Bullet Screen: "Hahahaha! Eugene said exactly what I was thinking!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Same here! He Yu is so adorable my heart's melting!"]

[Bullet Screen: "Eugene, you're telling the truth, but you've definitely offended He Yu. And our God He holds grudges."]

[Bullet Screen: "God He has definitely written his name into the little notebook."]

He desperately wanted to poke He Yu again.

Suddenly, a sword flew over and slammed into him, knocking him flat.

Wanrenzhan landed squarely on top of the mask, glaring darkly.

"Eugene, why are you touching him? Listen to what He Yu's saying."

—How could Eugene poke He Yu?

—If anyone was going to poke him, it should be him.

What gave Eugene the right?

Pinned beneath the sword, Eugene became furious.

"Wanrenzhan, get off me! What are you doing?! Be careful or I'll deal with you."

Wanrenzhan wasn't the slightest bit afraid.

With an infuriating grin in his voice, he replied,

"Then deal with me. You're just a mask now. Wait until you're human again before talking tough."

Eugene: "..."

He was so angry he nearly coughed up blood.

—That damned Wanrenzhan!

Bo Jingshan looked toward He Yu.

"You mentioned matching abilities. What exactly do you mean?"

He Yu withdrew his thoughts and continued analyzing.

"Abilities that correspond to your appearance. For example, since you've become Wind Fire Wheels, your ability will most likely revolve around speed. Once you adapt to controlling your body after splitting into two, you may discover the true speed of the Wind Fire Wheels."

Bo Jingshan understood instantly.

His body trembled slightly.

He was itching to test his ability.

"So it's only speed? No combat ability?"

As though recalling something, he added,

"It's probably because of this world's corrupted-species rules. In my current form, I can't cultivate."

He Yu understood immediately and nodded.

After all...

...he had become wheels.

Without a human body, cultivation was naturally impossible.

The situation seemed even worse than they had imagined.

—Though perhaps...

...it wasn't completely hopeless.

He Yu looked at the pair of silver-white wheels.

After thinking for a moment, he slowly said,

"Think about the origin of the Wind Fire Wheels. They're actually meant to assist in combat. In this world, you may simply need to adapt to a different style of fighting."

The Wind Fire Wheels suddenly brightened.

Flames once again burst from the silver wheels as Bo Jingshan's familiar voice rang out.

"Understood. I'll adapt as quickly as possible. I won't hold everyone back."

Still pinned beneath the short sword, the mask couldn't even turn over.

Even so, Eugene anxiously called out,

"He Yu! What about me? What about me? What kind of ability will a mask have? Will I amaze everyone?"

Expressionless, He Yu answered coldly,

"I don't know. Figure it out yourself."

Eugene: "?"

That was blatant favoritism!

He wailed,

"I was wrong! He Yu, I was really wrong! Please help me think! I've been racking my brain this whole time, but I seriously can't figure out what ability this stupid mask could possibly have!"

He couldn't really walk.

He couldn't fight.

So what exactly was he supposed to do?

He Yu couldn't be bothered to respond.

Wanrenzhan asked,

"What about you? You're just... a ball. What's your ability?"

He Yu's black bean eyes turned toward him, utterly emotionless.

"As long as I have a brain, I'm worth ten... a hundred... of you."

—Whether or not he possessed any special ability in this world wasn't important.

—As long as he had his brain...

...that alone was his special ability.

Wanrenzhan choked on the reply.

He had the distinct feeling He Yu was calling him stupid.

But he had no proof.

Opening his mouth, he muttered after a long pause,

"So what if you've got a brain? You're still just a ball..."

"Tangyuan."

Bo Jingshan spoke calmly.

"What He Yu became should be tangyuan, a type of food from Blue Star."

Wanrenzhan's eyes immediately lit up.

"Is it tasty?"

He'd made up his mind.

From now on, tangyuan would be his favorite food.

Bo Jingshan thought for a moment before answering seriously,

"It's quite delicious. The outside is made from pure white glutinous rice dough, while the inside is filled with black sesame paste. White on the outside, black on the inside..."

As he spoke...

...his voice gradually grew quieter.

Wanrenzhan also fell silent.

—Why...

...did that sound strangely familiar?

Wanrenzhan suddenly looked at He Yu.

His sword body wobbled, toppling onto the ground before struggling upright again.

Swallowing hard, he said,

"The species everyone becomes after this world's corruption... they're pretty fitting. You're really not a good thing."

He Yu looked back at him.

"Thank you. Neither are you."

Wanrenzhan moved aside, finally allowing Eugene to climb back up.

After letting out a long breath, Eugene asked,

"So what now? Looking like this, we can't fight at all."

Wanrenzhan said,

"We can't just stand around forever. Shall we move?"

He Yu pressed his lips together.

"Let's go. Bo Jingshan, carry me and Ling Buchen. Wanrenzhan, take Eugene. We'll investigate exactly what kind of world this is first."

Wanrenzhan and Eugene spoke almost simultaneously—

"Why do I have to carry Eugene? He Yu, I want to carry you."

"Ling Buchen? Where is he?"

From nearby, a voice drifted over faintly.

"...Sigh, Eugene, I've been here the whole time."

Eugene: "???"

—Had he gone blind?

—Why couldn't he see anything at all?

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