This Character is Suspected of Cheating! [Unlimited Flow]

At exactly midnight, Barre died silently in a corner where none of them could see him.

And the most terrifying thing was—

The thirteen of them had been together, while Barre had been alone piloting the cruise ship.

Duan Yuchen's lips trembled. “Barre died... because we wanted to find him and ask him for information?”

Qiong gritted her teeth, her hand clenching into a fist. At this moment, alongside her fear, an overwhelming fury surged within her. Suppressing her rage, she said hoarsely, “It's the mastermind! It has to be the mastermind. Barre reached his death node, and he knew some information, so the mastermind killed him!”

He Yu stared fixedly at the blood covering the floor, saying nothing.

—Was it the mastermind?

Beside him, Yuan Ze took a deep breath and tried to analyze the situation calmly. “Barre was very strong. Why would an expert that powerful die silently without making a single sound? That's very strange.”

He was a genuine Federation expert. Even if he couldn't defeat his opponent, surely he would have had time to call for help?

For him to die without even getting out a cry for help—was his opponent simply that terrifying, or had Barre been completely unprepared?

Gedai said, “What information did Barre know that actually made the mastermind take action against him?”

That was the only possibility he could think of—the mastermind!

All thirteen of them had been together. Other than the mastermind, who else could have killed Barre?

Ling Buchen pursed his lips. “Barre's death memories are very important.”

They began discussing Barre's death. His death was deeply regrettable, but this was <Top Talent Show>.

Cheng Zhao had died, and Siya had died as well. Any of them could die too. Barre's death had shocked them, but after the shock, they had no choice but to calm down and discuss it.

Only one person's reaction was distinctly different—

Zhao Pingqi.

He looked calm, an entirely different kind of calm. He raised his foot and slowly walked inside, heading toward the blood covering the floor.

<Top Talent Show> was a brutal competition of slaughter, but it was also the kind of place where bonds forged in battle were easiest to form. People who began as mortal enemies, people who couldn't stand the sight of one another, might ultimately become teammates willing to entrust their backs to each other.

For example, Siya and Qiong. Qiong and Gedai. Cheng Zhao and Yuan Ze. Zhen Xing and Eugene.

There didn't need to be any other kind of feeling involved. The bond created simply by fighting and struggling side by side was enough to carve itself into one's bones.

Love was not the only bond that could exist between people.

The same was true of Zhao Pingqi and Barre.

Truthfully, Barre wasn't an especially good teammate, but when Zhao Pingqi had first arrived at <Top Talent Show>, when his combat power was low, when he knew nothing, possessed nothing, and everyone looked down on him, Barre had been the only person willing to lend him a hand.

—Although Barre had taken a piece of high-level equipment Zhao Pingqi had only just obtained.

But Zhao Pingqi was still grateful to Barre. Without Barre, he would already have died in the preliminary selection, right at its beginning.

Unlike He Yu and the others, who had volunteered, and unlike Bo Jingshan, who had entered filled with patriotic fervor, Zhao Pingqi had entered <Top Talent Show> because he had accidentally killed someone in the boxing ring.

Someone from above had approached him and asked him to enter <Top Talent Show>.

Like many boxers, Zhao Pingqi had grown up poor. To support his paralyzed grandmother, he had entered underground boxing rings and fought illegal matches. Punch after punch, fight after fight, he had fought his way into becoming a boxing champion, covered in honors.

After his grandmother died, Zhao Pingqi fell into a prolonged state of despondency.

He had always been a gloomy person. Boxing was the only thing he could rely on to vent that gloom.

Shortly before <Top Talent Show>, Zhao Pingqi was invited by a “friend” to fight. At the time, he was at his lowest point, depressed every day and desperate for an outlet, so he accepted his “friend's” invitation.

He never could have imagined that during the match, an opponent who should have been no match for him would suddenly resort to a dirty trick, trying to ruin Zhao Pingqi.

Boxing was Zhao Pingqi's only outlet. How could he possibly allow that?

Zhao Pingqi struck him with a vicious punch and lost control.

The man died on the spot.

At that moment, Zhao Pingqi knew he was finished.

He didn't resist. He quietly waited for judgment.

For someone whose despair had reached its absolute limit, living or dying wasn't actually all that important.

Unexpectedly, something else happened soon afterward. Blue Star was forcibly required to participate in <Top Talent Show>, and the people above took notice of him and gave him an opportunity.

—Zhao Pingqi did not regret hitting that man so hard.

But he also had to bear the consequences.

After entering the competition grounds, Zhao Pingqi became even more despondent than before. He knew that he was destined to die in the competition. Compared with Federation experts, Blue Star people were so fragile that they couldn't withstand a single blow.

Even if he fought with everything he had and struggled to survive, once he left <Top Talent Show>, he would still have to face the consequences of accidentally killing someone.

Depressed and devoid of any will to fight, Zhao Pingqi naturally nearly died during the preliminary selection.

But he was lucky enough to obtain a piece of high-level equipment.

Barre happened to pass by and took a liking to that equipment, so he saved Zhao Pingqi's life.

Of course, Barre had done it entirely in exchange for the equipment. But he genuinely wasn't morally bankrupt. Faced with a “weakling from a garbage planet” whom he could have killed with the casual lift of a hand, he instead took the equipment and helped Zhao Pingqi successfully pass the preliminary selection.

After that, Zhao Pingqi stumbled his way forward.

Barre was a very utilitarian man, but he was also extremely driven.

He desperately wanted to live.

Even though he knew his strength might not even be enough to reach the finals.

Staying beside someone like that, even Zhao Pingqi, who was despondent and had no fighting spirit, survived.

Day after day.

Instance after instance.

From the “weakling” Barre had initially looked down on, to someone who could fight shoulder to shoulder with Barre, and finally to someone stronger than Barre.

And now, Barre, who wanted to live, was dead.

Zhao Pingqi, who didn't care about life or death and was even deeply weary of living, was still alive.

How ridiculous.

He wanted to laugh. His lips twitched, but no laugh came out.

Behind him, Eugene asked, “How did you know Barre was dead? Do you two have some special means of contacting each other?”

That question was crucial, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Zhao Pingqi shook his head.

Clearly, he and Barre had no special means of communication.

Or perhaps they did, but he hadn't used it just now.

“Then how did you know something had happened to Barre?” Duan Yuchen frowned, suspicion gradually appearing in his eyes.

Standing in the pool of blood, Zhao Pingqi tugged at the corner of his mouth. Instead of answering, he turned to look at He Yu and softly asked, “If you make it out alive, will you remember the people who died in here?”

He Yu raised his eyes. His rimless glasses couldn't conceal the light within them, brilliant and beautiful like a starry sky.

He said only one word.

“Yes.”

Zhao Pingqi smiled.

Some people loved the stage. Others simply preferred silence and melancholy. He would never be able to become someone as dazzling as He Yu.

—Even if he was a boxing champion.

He Yu frowned slightly.

No special means of communication, yet he had known with absolute certainty that Barre was dead...

A thought flashed through his mind. His gaze sharpened as he stared fixedly at Zhao Pingqi. “You've reached your death node? That's why you knew Barre was dead?”

If the process and outcome of this cycle were the same as the second cycle, then Barre had most likely died at this exact moment during the second cycle as well.

The He Yu of the second cycle was still He Yu. He would still have investigated the truth, so the development of events would have been almost identical to what was happening now. More had already said that if the process was the same, the result would also be the same.

Barre would still die at this time.

And the reason Zhao Pingqi knew—

Was because he was about to die as well, and had regained his memories of death.

Zhao Pingqi said nothing.

His silence was an admission.

Zhante urgently pressed him, “How did you die? Do you know?!”

Barre was already dead. Who had killed him?

All of them were here. Then how had Zhao Pingqi died during the previous cycle?

—This information was crucial.

—It could unravel many of their questions.

Bo Jingshan frowned. “He can't say it. People from the dead faction aren't allowed to say anything.”

Zhao Pingqi was alive right now, but he had already reached his death node. In the previous cycles, he had died. He belonged to the dead faction, so he was required to keep the secret.

They had all personally witnessed what happened when Hison tried to reveal the truth.

—He had been erased by the system.

He Yu stepped forward, staring fixedly at Zhao Pingqi. “You don't need to say it. I'll ask.”

Behind him, Duan Yuchen and the others breathed sighs of relief.

He couldn't reveal things directly like Hison had, but they could question him the same way they had questioned More. With He Yu's intelligence, he would certainly be able to deduce everything Zhao Pingqi knew but couldn't say.

However, Zhao Pingqi shook his head.

“No need to ask.”

Everyone froze before their brows knitted together.

Duan Yuchen asked, “You don't want to tell us?”

Eugene asked, “Or do you not know anything?”

Yuan Ze stepped forward, pressing him relentlessly. “Zhao Pingqi, why are you hiding it from us?”

Suspicion abruptly rose.

Zhao Pingqi's determination to hide something from them made him seem deeply suspicious.

He Yu's reaction was different from theirs. His brows were tightly furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze on Zhao Pingqi growing even sharper—

“Zhao Pingqi, I can figure it out. Belonging to the dead faction doesn't mean you're certain to die when we leave. I've already found some clues. You can survive.”

The people behind him froze again. Ling Buchen and Bo Jingshan in particular had their pupils contract.

They understood!

It wasn't that Zhao Pingqi refused to reveal the truth.

He had no intention of surviving!

“Zhao Pingqi!” Bo Jingshan barked sharply.

Zhao Pingqi removed his boxing gloves while shaking his head. “I'm a little tired. I don't want to keep going.”

He looked at He Yu again, his voice soft. “You said it yourself. You have to remember them.”

After a pause, his eyes carried both hope and blessing.

“You have to survive.”

He lowered his eyes to the bloodstains on the floor, then raised them again and gave He Yu a gentle smile.

“You—you killed me—”

The words were short and hurried. He had barely even opened his mouth, his voice never becoming fully clear.

Yet the instant the words fell, his figure disappeared without leaving the slightest trace in the air.

When someone was erased by the system, it was always this clean and absolute.

Only one boxing glove, which he had removed beforehand, fell into the pool of blood, splashing droplets of blood into the air.

[Blue Star Contestant No. 4210, Zhao Pingqi, eliminated! Contestants remaining in the instance: 12/50.]

-

One person after another.

Only twelve of them remained.

Silence descended.

Everyone stared at the boxing glove lying on the floor, their expressions extraordinarily complicated.

They had to admit that when that deeply despondent man smiled just now, he had been stunning.

“Crash—!”

Outside, enormous waves surged and slammed against the massive cruise ship. With the ship no longer moving forward, it rocked violently amid the waves like rootless duckweed tossed helplessly about.

Inside the cruise ship, twelve people stood where they were, utterly silent.

Because of Zhao Pingqi's death.

And because of Zhao Pingqi's final words.

—He Yu.

It was He Yu who had killed him!

Zhao Pingqi's final tone hadn't sounded as though he was accusing He Yu. His smile had been exceptionally gentle. It wasn't an accusation, nor was he exposing him. It was as though he had merely stated a fact, providing them with a useful clue.

Everyone knew that he hadn't lied.

But that was precisely the fatal part—

He. Had. Not. Lied!

How could it have been He Yu?!

He Yu lowered his eyes slightly and slowly walked toward the boxing glove. He extended a slender hand with clearly defined knuckles and picked it up.

There was only this one glove, and even that had remained only because Zhao Pingqi had deliberately removed it beforehand.

Other than that, nothing remained.

At some unknown point, instances had stopped dropping equipment for them.

Or rather, equipment drops had become extremely rare.

The black glove was stiff and heavy, stained with the blood covering the floor.

Barre's blood.

He Yu looked at the glove with his back to everyone. No one could see the emotions in his eyes. They could only hear his hoarse voice softly say—

“I'll remember them.

“And I'll remember you too.”

He slowly put the glove into his backpack.

Behind him, Tang Ke pursed their lips and asked hoarsely, “He Yu, what did Zhao Pingqi mean?”

—That was an interrogation.

Ling Buchen and Zhen Xing frowned slightly.

Wanrenzhan immediately glared at Tang Ke. “What, you suspect He Yu?”

So what if Zhao Pingqi said He Yu had killed him?

Anyone among them could be the mastermind's mole.

Anyone except He Yu!

—Even if He Yu really had killed Zhao Pingqi, there would absolutely have been a reason for it.

He Yu turned around and raised a hand to adjust his rimless glasses. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes held a razor-sharp edge, and his exquisitely perfect, aristocratic face now carried a chilling murderous air.

He raised a hand. “Eugene, Gedai, can either of you pilot the ship?”

Both of them paused.

Then Gedai frowned. “I've watched some of Barre's operations, but I'm not a helmsman, after all. It may be somewhat difficult.”

He Yu said, “Give it a try.”

Hearing this, Gedai walked toward the control console, recalling Barre's actions as he went.

Standing before the control console, he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his gaze was clear and determined.

He immediately began operating it.

However—

“Beep! Beep!”

“Warning! Warning! Unauthorized personnel are tampering with the control console!”

Gedai abruptly stepped backward, his expression instantly darkening. “No. I'm not authorized to touch the control console.”

He Yu's eyes turned contemplative.

Duan Yuchen frowned deeply. “Looks like the control console has restrictions. Gedai is only a service worker. He can't touch the control console under the helmsman's control.”

Wanrenzhan looked toward the control console's display screen. The image clearly showed that torrential rain was still pouring outside, black corrosive rain hammering against the cruise ship. Ahead lay nothing but darkness without the slightest trace of light, like an abyss capable of swallowing everything, filling anyone who looked at it with fear.

Wanrenzhan said, “What do we do? Without a helmsman, there's no one to pilot the cruise ship. We'll just stay here!”

If they remained here, they wouldn't even loop back.

—They would still be waiting for death.

Zhante clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. “Did the mastermind do this deliberately? Kill the helmsman, and they can wipe all of us out...”

As though suddenly thinking of something, Yuan Ze's eyes lit up. “The cruise ship can withstand the corrosive rain. At eight in the morning, we're supposed to leave Gama Strait, and the instant we leave Gama Strait, we'll loop. In the next cycle, we're guaranteed to die... He Yu, what if we stay here?”

Qiong suddenly understood, her voice filling with excitement. “Right! We can stay here. Once we figure out how to break the cycle, we can leave Gama Strait!”

It really was a good idea.

They still hadn't figured out how to escape, and the moment they left, the cycle would begin again. The next cycle was destined to end in death.

This instance had no time limit. If they stayed where they were, they would have plenty of time to think. Perhaps they could come up with a perfect solution?

However, He Yu shook his head.

“Impossible.”

Gedai frowned. “Why?”

He Yu pursed his lips. “Get the ship moving first. Someone has to pilot it.”

He looked at Qiong. “Find a way to bypass the control console's restrictions and let Gedai pilot the ship. The ship can't stop.”

Behind him, Eugene suddenly drawled, “Hey, did all of you forget about me?”

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

Eugene said, “Gedai can't do it, but I can!”

He puffed out his chest and dusted off the captain's badge. “See this? Who am I? I'm the captain!”

Gedai frowned. “The captain can pilot the ship?”

Eugene snorted, a faint smugness appearing in his eyes as he swaggered toward the control console. “The Captain's Manual says the captain is a professional with extensive sailing experience.”

What did it mean to be a professional with extensive sailing experience?

At the very least, he had to know how to pilot a ship!

Besides, no one was born a captain. Eugene's identity had its uses.

He placed his hands on the control console and tentatively began operating it.

The ship started moving again.

Gedai: “...Fuck.”

It wasn't that he particularly wanted to pilot the ship. He simply didn't want Eugene to surpass him. No matter what the matter was, being outdone by Eugene made him feel stifled, as though he had lost to him.

Granted, he no longer actively opposed Eugene, but their habit of secretly competing had persisted for too long and was already difficult to change.

He lowered his eyes and looked at his service worker uniform with considerable disgust.

Tang Ke looked at He Yu. “The ship is moving. Now you should give us an explanation.”

He Yu instructed Eugene, “Go faster. Move forward at the highest possible speed.”

Eugene tapped his fingers against the controls, then helplessly shook his head, his silver hair swaying. “That was already the maximum speed. Even at full speed, we wouldn't leave Gama Strait until eight in the morning. We lost some time just now, so we'll probably be late.”

He Yu's gaze darkened slightly.

Duan Yuchen's brows remained tightly furrowed, confusion written across his face. He never doubted He Yu, but he was extremely curious about what exactly He Yu had figured out.

This man's habit of refusing to speak unless he was “at least eighty percent certain” was well known to everyone, and it had always been maddening.

—He Yu killed Zhao Pingqi.

Those final words weighed on their hearts like an enormous stone, leaving them bewildered and uneasy.

This instance was terrifying beyond imagination. It was also the most mentally exhausting and helpless instance they had ever encountered. It was as though the mastermind had discovered that He Yu couldn't be eliminated through combat power, so they had chosen to engage him in a battle of wits instead.

He Yu withdrew his gaze from the control console, only for his eyes to stop on its side.

—The palm print was deeper.

That afternoon, he had discovered a palm print on the control console in the bridge. Barre had said he'd accidentally left it there. He Yu had remembered it, but afterward, he had merely assumed it was a trace Barre had left behind during a previous instance cycle.

And now, the palm print had deepened again.

Had Barre done it deliberately?

Why?

Under what circumstances would he leave behind a palm print yet be unable to cry out for help?

He Yu took a deep breath and finally withdrew his gaze completely. His eyes swept over Tang Ke, then turned toward Duan Yuchen and the others as he spoke calmly—

“I think I've figured out part of the truth. And I know why Zhao Pingqi said I killed him.”

“Zhao Pingqi's death memory was something the He Yu of the second cycle and he coordinated together.”

“The He Yu of the second cycle killed Zhao Pingqi to send information to me—or rather, to send information to himself in the next cycle.”

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