That face was extremely familiar.

They had seen it just two days ago.

—The cafeteria uncle.

A person who seemed completely unexpected, because they had already discussed and analyzed him before.

The barrage instantly exploded—

“Holy shit, it’s actually him?!”

“We suspected the grade director, suspected the gatekeeper, and now we even suspected the school doctor—but never him!”

“Right?! He always smiled like some cheerful Buddha. Who would’ve thought he was the killer?”

“Seriously never could’ve imagined this.”

...

“It’s actually you?!” Annie widened their eyes in shock.

The cafeteria uncle’s expression was dark.

Completely different from the smiling Buddha-like face he wore during the day, his entire demeanor had changed. His aura no longer resembled his usual self in the slightest.

Even with his face pale and his eyes bloodshot, he still forced himself upright with his weapon, staring fixedly at the ten of them.

“Who sent you?” he asked hoarsely. “Why are you trying to kill me?”

Federation experts weren’t usually this eager to meddle in other people’s business.

He had come for revenge.

Unless invited, other experts would never interfere in someone else’s affairs.

The ten people before him weren’t overwhelmingly strong yet, but they were young. At a glance, they were clearly extraordinary figures.

He knew these people had not been hired by the principal to investigate the killer.

—Then who were they?

Naturally, he would never receive an answer.

Eugene and the others would never explain the truth about the Top Talent Show or NPCs to him.

He Yu quietly looked at the cafeteria uncle before him.

The Federation’s advanced technology also brought negative consequences.

For example, these instance worlds seemed like real worlds. The people within them had their own personalities, their own life experiences.

He Yu couldn’t completely treat these NPCs like fake people.

After all—

Within their own lives, within their own world, they were real.

Unable to explain things, Annie impatiently replied, “Why ask so many questions? You killed people, so we caught you. Simple.”

Hatred filled the cafeteria uncle’s eyes. “They deserved to die!”

Gedai’s mechanical voice remained cold. “I know they deserved it. But we still have to kill you.”

—Otherwise, the ones who died would be them.

Only now did the study representative fully understand what had happened. His eyes split with rage as he glared at everyone and roared—

“He only killed a bunch of human trash! Why are you defending trash?! Who defended You Mo?!”

Every word seemed soaked in blood.

Every sentence sounded like an accusation.

The way he looked at them was like he was staring at the true murderers.

Clearly, the cafeteria uncle was the killer.

Clearly, they had merely come to capture the killer.

Yet somehow, everything felt reversed.

Eugene sighed helplessly, guilt flickering faintly across his face. “We don’t really have a choice either.”

The study representative glared furiously, about to continue shouting, but the cafeteria uncle interrupted him calmly.

“I’ve already had my revenge. I don’t care why you want to kill me. But I do have a few questions.”

Eugene nodded. “Ask.”

For a killer whose actions were “understandable,” he was willing to offer a certain level of respect.

The cafeteria uncle looked toward He Yu, who had remained silent behind the others the entire time.

“You already knew it was me, didn’t you?” he asked slowly. “You don’t look surprised at all.”

Hearing this, everyone subconsciously turned to look at He Yu.

He Yu nodded.

Everyone: “???”

Barrage comments: “???”

—How did he know again?!

—How does he know everything?!

The cafeteria uncle pursed his lips. “How did you figure it out?”

He Yu stepped forward slowly, stopping among the others and meeting the man’s gaze directly.

“You disguised yourself very well,” He Yu said. “You looked like a perfectly qualified chef. Always smiling, impossible to see any hatred, genuinely loved cooking, and cooked extremely well.”

The cafeteria uncle said nothing, merely staring at him intently.

Then He Yu changed the topic.

“But... your food was too delicious.”

The cafeteria uncle froze.

Helplessly spreading his hands, He Yu said, “Maybe it’s because our life experiences are different, but I find it difficult to believe school cafeteria food could taste that good. With cooking skills that impressive, why would you stay making bulk cafeteria meals instead of opening a restaurant?”

After a pause, he continued:

“And you paid very close attention to the school’s situation.”

“So what?” the cafeteria uncle countered.

He Yu spoke slowly. “You cared so much about the school that you knew many students had transferred away. So why were you still preparing so much food every day?”

He tilted his head slightly.

“You seemed... not very invested. And honestly, you didn’t really have much experience as a school cafeteria chef.”

The cafeteria uncle fell silent.

He had never imagined he would be suspected over details like those.

The angle was bizarre.

But it made perfect sense.

Clearly, the last time He Yu spoke to him, he had already been testing him intentionally by bringing up the food.

Eugene and the others were completely stunned now, staring at He Yu with widened eyes.

Tang Ke blurted out, “Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?!”

He Yu answered righteously, “You didn’t ask.”

Everyone: “......”

The cafeteria uncle’s body swayed slightly, though he still leaned on his weapon to remain standing.

In a hoarse voice, he asked, “And just based on that, you suspected me?”

He Yu shook his head. “Not entirely.”

Raising a hand, he pushed up his glasses.

“More than anything... it was intuition.”

The cafeteria uncle had seemed perfectly normal.

Whether it was his smile, attitude, or even his professional ability, everything had been disguised flawlessly.

He didn’t care about outside news.

He didn’t do anything unnecessary.

He only killed those eight perpetrators.

—An s-rank expert disguising himself as a chef responsible for feeding the entire school truly was difficult to suspect.

But He Yu was different.

He was a hall-of-fame-level actor.

He understood performance.

So he could detect traces of acting in the cafeteria uncle.

That faint sense of disharmony around him—even if it wasn’t obvious—was enough for He Yu to notice and take seriously.

—When it came to acting, He Yu had never lost.

“Intuition...”

The cafeteria uncle repeated those words blankly.

Then he looked at He Yu gloomily and said slowly, “You really are extraordinary.”

“Thank you.”

He Yu accepted it as though it were genuine praise.

Then he continued calmly:

“If I’m not mistaken... you’re You Mo’s father, aren’t you?”

The instant those words fell, the cafeteria uncle’s expression changed violently.

Even the study representative on the ground froze.

Wanrenzhan: “......”

For a brief moment, confusion appeared in his eyes.

He even began genuinely doubting something from the bottom of his heart—

Were he and He Yu actually inside the same instance?

Otherwise why was the information gap between them so fucking huge?!

The barrage exploded again—

“How the hell did He Yu know that?!”

“Holy shit, that’s insane.”

“Did he just guess?”

“Honestly, in the last instance I thought He Yu was just lucky. But in this instance I have to admit it—He Yu is genuinely smart. He deserves to make it into the elimination rounds!”

“...His combat power is still way too low though. Things only get harder from here.”

...

“You guessed?” Qiong tilted her head.

He Yu remained calm. “No. It was a logical deduction.”

Then he explained everything one point at a time.

“Anna’s family already accepted compensation. So the attacker couldn’t have been Anna’s relatives.”

After a pause, he added:

“The person who brutally tortured and killed all eight perpetrators clearly acted out of overwhelming hatred. That kind of revenge only comes from close family.”

“And someone protected you. Meaning your identity must’ve been one that naturally had the right to seek revenge.”

The cafeteria uncle remained silent.

But it was obvious He Yu was correct.

“When we checked the principal’s smart-brain records, we discovered that the relative who came to the school for You Mo was her uncle. None of her direct relatives appeared.”

He Yu’s eyes were as cold and calm as the lenses resting on his nose bridge.

“But when I investigated You Mo’s information and the handling of the incident afterward, I discovered her mother died early. Her father wasn’t mentioned, but that in itself proves he was still alive.”

“Of course,” He Yu added lightly, “there was another tiny deduction.”

“You Mo had a small frame, a round slightly chubby face, and looked adorable. Pair that with a father who cooks extremely well...”

He shrugged faintly.

“Seems pretty reasonable, doesn’t it?”

His voice remained steady and certain.

“Putting all the information together, the conclusion that ‘you are You Mo’s father’ had around an eighty percent probability.”

The cafeteria uncle was You Mo’s unmentioned father.

He had entered this school to avenge his daughter.

One by one.

None of the eight perpetrators escaped.

The cafeteria uncle took a deep breath and stared deeply at He Yu.

Clearly, He Yu’s analytical ability had shocked him once again.

Finally, he shifted his gaze toward the other nine before stopping on Wanrenzhan.

“If you were me,” he asked, “would you seek revenge?”

Wanrenzhan froze for a moment.

Then his eyes sharpened viciously.

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “Until one side dies.”

The cafeteria uncle laughed.

Then he looked toward Eugene.

“Do you know what they did to my daughter?”

Sympathy flickered in Eugene’s eyes.

After a long silence, he answered softly, “We know...”

“Hahahaha!”

The cafeteria uncle suddenly laughed wildly, bending over with exaggerated laughter.

“You know? You know and still think they didn’t deserve to die?! You know and still want to avenge them?!”

Zhen Xing answered immediately without hesitation:

“They deserved to die. We’re not avenging them.”

If this weren’t an instance, they never would have interfered with a father seeking revenge.

The cafeteria uncle’s smile vanished instantly.

His eyes turned crazed, cold enough to pierce bone.

“When my daughter was little, her mother died. I chased combat power and left her at her uncle’s house, rarely visiting her.”

As though sinking into memories, his voice softened.

“But even so, she still grew into an optimistic, cheerful little girl. She always smiled. Always looked forward.”

“I neglected her while pursuing strength outside, but she never resented me. It was as though she simply couldn’t hate anyone.”

“Last year, I stayed with her for a while and cooked for her. At first my cooking was terrible. Every single time she happily finished everything and told me my cooking was the best she’d ever tasted.”

A smile appeared at the corner of his lips, warmth filling his eyes.

“My cooking kept improving. I finally managed to fatten her up. Every day she complained about needing to lose weight, saying Anna was so skinny and pretty.”

His smile slowly disappeared.

“But every time she faced the dishes I cooked... she still ate everything.”

His gaze gradually turned icy.

“That day, an old friend of mine got into trouble, so I had to leave for several days. You Mo packed my things herself and told me to go without worry. She said she’d guard the home properly.”

The cafeteria uncle slowly raised his head.

His dry eyes no longer had tears left to shed.

“The house was still there.”

“But You Mo was gone.”

“She was such a kind child. Even though she was afraid, she still gathered the courage to help Anna.”

His voice cracked.

“She was such an adorable girl... why did she have to suffer something like that?”

He stared at them with madness-filled eyes, pounding his own chest as his voice grew hoarse with grief.

“How could they bear to hang her up like that after violating her?! How could they make her suffer humiliation and torture?! What did she ever do wrong?! How much pain was You Mo in? How desperate was she?!”

This was a mad father.

But anyone standing in his position would have gone mad.

His precious daughter.

The jewel in his palm.

Destroyed by such a horrific disaster.

—All because of the evil inside human hearts.

Eugene looked at him quietly. “So you never came to retrieve You Mo because the moment you received the news... you had already decided on revenge?”

“Yes.”

His teeth ground together.

“I wanted revenge. I wanted them to suffer worse than death. And I wanted this school to disappear too!”

“If it weren’t for You Mo, I would slaughter everyone here!”

You Mo had been far too kind.

She would never have wanted her father indiscriminately killing innocents.

So he chose to hide inside the school instead.

Creating a serial murder case.

Investigating the original perpetrators while killing them one after another.

Making everyone in the school live in fear.

Driving the school slowly toward destruction.

—Making Dawn Training School disappear forever.

Gedai looked at the half-mad cafeteria uncle.

His mechanical voice remained calm.

“We sympathize with you. But we still have to kill you.”

Wanrenzhan rolled his axe over his shoulder. “Enough talking. Kill the killer and advance already.”

Federation experts were not kind people.

Their sympathy was scarce and insignificant.

The cafeteria uncle slowly suppressed his emotions. Raising his weapon, he stared at them expressionlessly and assumed a combat stance.

Zhen Xing’s cube rotated before him.

“You can’t defeat us anymore. Surrender. I’ll let you leave peacefully, without any pain.”

This was the tiny bit of gentleness he offered this pitiful NPC.

The cafeteria uncle sneered.

“A true warrior does not surrender before falling.”

He was already injured.

Combined with the emotional turmoil, he could barely remain standing.

Under these conditions, fighting nine Federation experts guaranteed only one ending.

Defeat.

The nine surrounded him confidently from all sides.

And right then—

He Yu’s expression suddenly changed.

Looking at the floating barrage text before him, he muttered slowly:

“Everyone... I’m afraid we’ve encountered a very terrible situation.”

He paused.

“The consequences of drawing out the killer...”

A rare seriousness entered his voice.

“...really are beyond our ability to handle.”

The moment those words fell, Eugene and the others turned toward him blankly.

What?

What did he mean by a very terrible situation?

Hadn’t they already found the killer?

And now they had the killer surrounded. The killer was injured. Victory was guaranteed.

What consequences could they possibly be unable to handle?

They couldn’t see it—

But the barrage in front of He Yu had completely exploded.

“HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!! SOMETHING HAPPENED!!”

“We’re fucked. There’s no way anyone can clear this instance!”

“What happened?!”

“There was another livestream next door! They exposed the cafeteria uncle too and heavily injured him, then their entire team got wiped out!”

“What?? Why?!”

“Fuck!! Eugene, Zhen Xing, RUN! This instance can’t be cleared!”

“This instance was made specifically to eliminate people, wasn’t it?!”

“Quick! Hurry and vote for them to leave the instance!”

“Jesus, what the hell is wrong with the production team? This instance setup is way too unreasonable!!”

“WAIT WHAT?! We told you to vote for the other contestants, why are you all voting for He Yu?!”

“You already pushed He Yu to seventy thousand votes!!”

...

Zhen Xing, Eugene, and the others had no idea what was happening.

But in that instant, all of their vote counts surged dramatically.

Even Wanrenzhan and Annie, whose vote growth had remained extremely low until now, instantly surpassed one hundred thousand votes.

Aside from He Yu, everyone had enough support votes to advance.

The nine of them looked utterly confused.

They blankly glanced between the surrounded killer and each other, completely unable to understand what was happening.

Zhen Xing and Eugene exchanged a look.

Both saw caution in the other’s eyes.

A sudden explosive rise in votes like this most likely meant...

...the audience was warning them to leave immediately.

“Who gives a shit? Attack!” Wanrenzhan roared.

The instant he finished speaking, he charged toward the cafeteria uncle.

“Wait—” Eugene had only just opened his mouth when Wanrenzhan had already reached the cafeteria uncle.

BANG!

Wanrenzhan was blasted flying again.

And this time, the one who sent him flying wasn’t the cafeteria uncle.

It was another shadow.

The figure landed after knocking Wanrenzhan away.

Bang!

The gatekeeper uncle stood beside the cafeteria uncle, expressionless.

The oppressive aura of an s-rank expert flooded outward without restraint.

Before anyone could recover—

Bang!

Another landing sound echoed.

The grade director appeared behind them, radiating the pressure of an s-rank powerhouse.

And that still wasn’t all—

Bang!

Bang bang!

The homeroom teacher and the janitor landed to their left and right, surrounding them completely.

And every single one of them was fucking s-rank!!

The expressions of the nine contestants changed completely.

They stared at them in disbelief.

—Four s-rank experts?

—No, wait. Including the cafeteria uncle, that made five.

What did five s-rank experts represent?

It represented certain death.

In a single instant, the situation completely reversed.

From them surrounding the cafeteria uncle—

To five s-rank experts surrounding them.

He Yu inhaled deeply.

The emotional shift that had flashed across his face earlier vanished, and his expression returned to normal.

Slowly, he said:

“I knew the killer had accomplices. I also knew the accomplices were probably very strong.”

He looked toward the gatekeeper uncle.

“But I never imagined... there would be four s-rank accomplices.”

“When did you all arrive?”

The gatekeeper uncle answered expressionlessly, “We were always here.”

He Yu nodded. “That’s good then. If you all came because we delayed too long, I’d probably die from frustration.”

Then he turned and explained calmly to the people unfamiliar with Blue Star culture:

“After all, in Blue Star novels, there’s often a trope where ‘villains die from talking too much.’ I don’t want to regret speaking too much.”

【Barrage: THIS IS THE TIME YOU TALK ABOUT NOVELS?!】

【Barrage: ...Not gonna lie, Blue Star novels are pretty good.】

【Barrage: I literally just read a ‘villain dies from talking too much’ scene...】

Eugene elbowed He Yu. “Brother, do you really have to stay this calm?”

—These were s-rank experts!

The reversal in this instance genuinely terrified them.

Zhen Xing weakly raised a hand. “Can I boldly ask... everyone’s combat power?”

The gatekeeper uncle answered flatly, “800.”

The grade director: “850.”

The homeroom teacher: “900.”

The janitor smiled slightly. “1100.”

Everyone: “???”

An ss-rank expert?!

Forget the others—

The janitor alone could clean up every single one of them!

—Without any resistance whatsoever.

What kind of bullshit-level instance was this?!

A death instance?!

The janitor shifted her gaze onto He Yu’s face.

She still wore the same kindly appearance as before, but now her back was straight, and an aura of calm “returning to simplicity” radiated from her body.

Her voice remained gentle.

“Teacher He, I sincerely advised you to leave back then.”

Helplessly, He Yu replied, “But I couldn’t leave.”

The janitor sighed softly. “What a pity.”

Eugene cautiously raised a mechanical arm like a primary school student volunteering to answer a question.

When everyone looked at him, he swallowed hard.

“You all... are helping the cafeteria uncle?”

The janitor nodded.

“Of course. He’s my teammate. He left home originally to help solve my problems. After what happened to You Mo, there’s no way I wouldn’t help him.”

“If he hadn’t insisted on personally carrying out the revenge, I would’ve done it myself.”

The gatekeeper uncle said coldly, “For my son and for You Mo, I couldn’t ignore this either.”

The homeroom teacher lowered her gaze. “He entrusted You Mo to me, yet I failed to protect her. I feel deeply guilty.”

The grade director sneered. “Those people deserved their fate. Don’t even think about killing him.”

Everyone: “......”

Wanrenzhan was already going insane.

A group of experts capable of flattening Dawn Training School—

Actually chose to play disguise games?!

Hiding themselves and suddenly jumping out at the critical moment just to scare the hell out of people?!

And could this fucking instance even be cleared?!

Annie gritted their teeth and muttered, “Production team... well fucking played.”

—This instance had clearly been designed to wipe them all out.

Facing monsters like these, who could possibly win?!

Suddenly, the janitor spoke again.

“You all haven’t really done anything wrong. As long as you let him go, we’ll spare you too.”

Everyone: “......”

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to let him go.

It was that they couldn’t.

The barrage they couldn’t see flew by crazily—

“This instance can’t be cleared. Running away is the only option.”

“Right, which means anyone without enough support votes is dead.”

“They all have enough votes now. Oh wait, except He Yu.”

“So... is this how He Yu fails?”

“I thought he’d lose because of combat power. Didn’t expect him to lose because of support votes. Wonder if he’ll beg the audience for votes soon.”

...

The expressions on Wanrenzhan and the others’ faces were too obvious.

The janitor’s face instantly darkened.

Her voice became eerie and sinister.

“So you still insist on killing him?”

“Then you can all die.”

The moment those words fell, the group attacked.

This time, it was Eugene and the others forced onto defense.

He Yu beat his wings desperately to dodge.

With his combat power, even a single direct hit from these people would kill him instantly.

So...

He flew directly behind Wanrenzhan.

Wanrenzhan: “???”

Wanrenzhan exploded.

“HE YU, FUCK YOUR GRANDPA!!”

Cheng Zhao was blasted backward several steps. Clenching his teeth, he shouted:

“We can’t clear this round. We have to leave!”

The instant he finished speaking, he consumed one hundred thousand support votes and exited the instance.

One hundred thousand support votes were unimaginably valuable.

But their lives were even more valuable.

Once the first person left, the second and third quickly followed.

There was no chance of victory in this instance.

If they didn’t leave now, later there would only be death waiting for them.

Gedai said calmly, “Leaving.”

Annie: “I’m out too.”

Tang Ke: “Same here.”

Qiong waved. “Bye-bye.”

Yuan Ze nodded lightly. “Farewell.”

In the blink of an eye, only Zhen Xing, Eugene, Wanrenzhan—

—and He Yu hiding behind Wanrenzhan remained.

Zhen Xing looked at him. “He Yu, are you leaving?”

He Yu helplessly pushed up his glasses.

“I can’t.”

The three of them: “???”

Wanrenzhan burst into wild laughter.

“Hahahaha! There’s actually someone with fewer votes than me?!”

The homeroom teacher slammed downward violently.

Wanrenzhan was smashed flying into a wall.

Although He Yu reacted quickly and dodged away from behind him, he was still grazed slightly.

Just that tiny graze—

And half of his decorative wings shattered off.

He Yu looked utterly helpless.

Wanrenzhan crashed against the wall, coughing blood, yet still laughed madly.

“Hehehe! He Yu, you’re fucking finished!!”

He wasn’t in a hurry to leave anymore.

He wanted to stay and personally watch He Yu die.

Zhen Xing and Eugene looked at He Yu sympathetically.

Yet strangely enough—

Neither of them hurried to leave either.

—Somewhere deep down, a voice kept telling them that this He Yu, who constantly created miracles and surprises, wasn’t someone who died so easily.

He Yu’s livestream barrage flooded wildly—

“He Yu’s actually done for this time. Eighty thousand votes. He’s still twenty thousand short.”

“I kinda feel sorry for him. He really is smart.”

“Yeah, but with his combat power, he was never making it to the end anyway. No point wasting support votes on him. Just look at earlier—against true powerhouses, he couldn’t resist at all.”

“He Yu, beg the audience! If you beg us, I might consider voting for you hahaha!”

“I wanna see He Yu crying and begging for votes!”

“In this situation, support votes are the only thing that matters.”

“Hahaha, hurry up and cry while begging us, garbage planet trash!”

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