Chapter 151-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Several hours ago.
After Wu Shu learned the content of the competition, she set a plan. Rather than searching aimlessly for the giant eel, it was better to quietly track the teams capable of finding the giant eel and wait for an opportunity to act.
For example, the Crown Prince's team. His team had someone who could control mutant beasts; barring any accidents, they would be the fastest team to find the giant eel.
Coincidentally, she and the Royal Academy Team were assigned to the west side of Amber Lake. Although the competition officials led her team in another direction to prevent premature conflict, it wasn't hard for her to find the Royal Academy Team.
Shortly after the competition began, Wu Shu quickly noticed an anomaly in Amber Lake. The lake surface rippled with unnatural waves, indicating that someone had already engaged the giant eel.
She was skilled at observation and tracking, and immediately determined which area of water it was. However, she didn't take a boat onto the lake. Instead, she cautiously found the shore closest to where the giant eel appeared, hiding herself in the woods to observe their situation.
The giant eel would use its massive, slender body to create whirlpools, strangling prey in the center of the water. Even Ye Zheng, who was skilled at controlling water, seemed to have no way to handle it.
Wu Shu laughed once, staying on the shore and watching as a matter of course as the Royal Academy Team fell into crisis. She had promised Ye Zheng she would help her, but Ye Zheng shouldn't need her help for such a small matter.
Besides, Ye Zheng said she would contact her if she needed help, although she couldn't imagine what method Ye Zheng would use to contact her.
There were no communication devices here. Was she going to send that younger brother of hers to notify her?
Wu Shu shook her head, temporarily putting this matter to the back of her mind. Suddenly, she saw the surging waves on the lake first rise fiercely higher, as if stimulated by something, then gradually settle down. Another boat slowly sailed over, approaching the Royal Academy Team's damaged vessel.
Wu Shu's heart skipped a beat, a foreboding feeling flashing through her.
The direction that boat came from... was the Cloud-Soaring Squad?
The Cloud-Soaring Squad's Wen Xiaoxing was suspected of plotting against Ye Zheng. She had promised Ye Zheng to keep an eye on him for her, but in this situation, it would be strange if she suddenly appeared.
More importantly... Wu Shu recalled what Ye Zheng had said to her before the competition, and her expression darkened further.
"I do need you to be prepared to kill someone, but perhaps not Wen Xiaoxing."
"It's Percy."
Why would it be Percy? He had no reason to make a move on Saintess Ye Zheng, and for what reason was Ye Zheng preparing to make a move on him?
Wu Shu couldn't figure it out for the moment. She and Ye Zheng had merely cooperated once in a Demonic Domain, with sparse interactions. Moreover, the Ye Zheng she came into contact with was somewhat disconnected from the Saintess Ye Zheng praised by everyone.
Not only the ordinary citizens of the lower district but even her group of teammates from fairly well-off backgrounds, after witnessing that Divine Adjudication with their own eyes, were completely convinced in their hearts that she was the hope sent down by the gods, the empire's one and only miracle.
But the Ye Zheng she actually came into contact with was, how to put it, not a flawless Saintess, but a human—someone who worried, got nervous, and planned every step.
Even if Wu Shu had no interest in delving into how Ye Zheng obtained those praises, she dared to affirm that Ye Zheng absolutely didn't rely on the favor of the gods to get to where she was today. This kind of formidable ability was more precious than any halo of the gods.
Thinking of this, Wu Shu suddenly gave a self-mocking smile. She was no different from those blindly following, fanatical ordinary masses. The moment she agreed to cooperate with Ye Zheng, hadn't she also become a believer of Ye Zheng?
They couldn't even be considered acquaintances, yet she believed Ye Zheng's sentence, "I will let you win until the end."
Wu Shu took a somewhat impatient breath. So, from Ye Zheng's perspective, if Wen Xiaoxing with his mysterious abilities wanted to kill her, she would certainly make all preparations. For example, what if Wen Xiaoxing's ability countered hers? What if Wen Xiaoxing had helpers?
Even, what if there was an irreversible situation like her being killed by Wen Xiaoxing...
Suddenly, Wu Shu's eyelid twitched, her pupils constricting as she fixed her gaze on the boat on the distant lake. Unknowingly, the lake surface rippled again. Was the giant eel making a comeback in such a short time, or was someone using this area of water?
She knew. Ye Zheng needed her to kill Percy to rewind time!
So Ye Zheng also knew this secret. That was why she wanted her to be prepared to kill Percy. In the worst-case scenario, if Wen Xiaoxing killed her, Percy's time rewind could reverse this worst outcome.
Wu Shu took out a pair of binoculars from her backpack. The escaping giant eel couldn't have come back to kill so quickly; the anomaly on the lake was likely created by Ye Zheng—she was already engaging Wen Xiaoxing.
Through the lenses, she saw clearly the two people standing at the bow of the boat.
The slightly shorter boy suddenly fell to the ground, as if tripped by something. His body was quickly dragged to the gap in the gunwale, half of his body already swept into the turbulent lake water.
Despite this, Wu Shu didn't relax in the slightest. She shifted the binoculars. Behind the lenses, Ye Zheng's profile carried a faint smile, but Wu Shu knew she hadn't let her guard down either.
She saw Ye Zheng raise a gun and fire several shots at Wen Xiaoxing in the water. Simultaneously, water currents also pinned Wen Xiaoxing's body, piercing through his heart. Bullets and water currents caused fatal wounds at the same time.
He couldn't survive. Ye Zheng had already won. It seemed she didn't need to make an appearance.
Wu Shu hooked up a fleeting smile and was about to put down the binoculars when suddenly, she felt something was wrong and raised the binoculars again.
...Why did the person standing at the bow turn into Wen Xiaoxing?
Her body moved faster than her brain. Wu Shu immediately activated teleportation. This kind of long-distance movement would consume the majority of her strength, but she didn't have time to think too much!
Kill Percy, rewind time, save Ye Zheng!
On the slightly swaying boat, the young men were watching the lake surface with doubt and vigilance. No one expected the giant eel to attack again so soon, stirring up whirlpools again.
But this time, before they could spot the giant eel, the lake surface had already calmed down, as if the terrifying waves just now were merely a passing breeze.
Percy had no mind to think about the strange whirlpool that suddenly appeared. At this moment, Wen Xiaoxing had his arm around his shoulder, laughing and saying something, but he couldn't take any of it in.
He felt as if he had forgotten something very important...
"Percy, let's hurry up and track that big fish. Don't let it get away."
"Can you transform a big metal skewer, make an eel kebab or something..."
Wen Xiaoxing's smile suddenly froze on his face. A gust of cool wind filled with killing intent swept past his neck, and an unexpected person appeared before his eyes.
Percy's neck felt cold. He rolled his eyes downward to look and saw a dagger pressed against his neck.
He slowly raised his eyes, and Wu Shu's cold face came into view.
Their eyes met, and both saw confusion in each other's gaze.
Percy stiffened his neck, carefully metallizing the skin pressed by the dagger, and asked in disbelief, "Wu Shu, what are you doing?"
Hearing the other party's question, Wu Shu opened her eyes wide, slowly lowered the dagger, and looked around in confusion.
Strange, why was she here?
Wu Shu tried to explain. The moment she opened her mouth, words unfamiliar even to herself popped out, "Ye Zheng..."
Wu Shu immediately shut her mouth, the confusion in her eyes deepening. What Ye Zheng?
"...I know! Is Captain Wu Shu here to help because she saw we had an accident?"
Wen Xiaoxing squeezed between the two, blinking his eerie green eyes. Wu Shu stared at his eyes, inexplicably feeling a bit irritable and her hands itching, even though the other party was just a fairly friendly stranger.
How could she be here to help? Wu Shu felt she must have forgotten something important, but right now she could only explain her behavior along with this reason.
Wu Shu put on an enthusiastic and concerned expression and started chatting with Percy. Percy felt a bit awkward; after all, Wu Shu had almost killed him just now. Her ability was simply impossible to guard against. If she had been a bit quicker, he probably would have triggered the time rewind by now.
He turned to look at Wen Xiaoxing, only to find the talkative Wen Xiaoxing had fallen silent, walking slowly behind the two of them.
Wen Xiaoxing lowered his head, brows pressed down, his dark green eyes revealing ferocity and lingering fear. This Wu Shu was definitely a backup plan left by Ye Zheng!
That cunning woman. If Wu Shu had really killed the main world's Percy and triggered a rewind, Ye Zheng might very well have had a chance to return.
Fortunately, once she left this world, the [Fate Singularity] would erase all traces of her. That Wu Shu wouldn't remember the person Ye Zheng at all, let alone help her continue doing things.
Moreover, Percy's rewind had a time limit. Wen Xiaoxing looked at his wristwatch and smiled with satisfaction. Percy's rewind time limit had passed. Even if Wu Shu killed Percy now, Ye Zheng could never come back!
Wen Xiaoxing stood alone by the gunwale. He looked up to face the dazzling sun and suddenly reached out, plucking out his left eye.
Sporting a black hole of a left eye socket, he held up the left eyeball, which appeared translucent green under the sun. The green eyeball was like a round gem, refracting blinding light under the sunlight.
Suddenly, a dynamic image appeared on the green eyeball. A confused girl's face occupied the dark green pupil.
Confirming that Ye Zheng had already fallen into endless world line jumps, Wen Xiaoxing pressed the eye back into the socket as if nothing had happened.
Regarding what she had forgotten, Wu Shu had absolutely no clue. She knew the Cloud-Soaring Squad definitely wouldn't be happy to host her, so she found an excuse to disembark.
But she kept monitoring their movements. Several hours passed in succession.
No matter what happened, her goal remained clear: to win the championship.
The giant eel had disappeared somewhere after showing itself once. Now that the Royal Academy Team and the Cloud-Soaring Squad were forced to bind together, it was a great opportunity for Wu Shu.
Once the giant eel appeared, rather than cooperating fully, the two teams were more likely to fight each other. She could then use teleportation to fish in troubled waters and deal a fatal blow.
Although those two teams were certainly wary of her, no matter how small the possibility, she had to gamble.
Wu Shu moved slowly and patiently along the shore. Even though she had been lurking for nearly four hours, inadvertently, she caught a glimpse of a yellow forest in the distance, and a strange feeling flashed through her heart.
She should go to that place. Her intuition told her that the opportunity was hidden in that place.
Why that place? What opportunity? Wu Shu felt it was absurd. Sticking close to the Cloud-Soaring Squad and the Royal Academy Team was the key to winning right now.
[Go to that ginkgo forest, Wu Shu.]
This intuition grew stronger and stronger, having turned into a substantial voice.
[The Cloud-Soaring Squad and the Royal Academy Team will fight in that water area. Percy will fall into a coma. You will have a chance—to kill Percy.]
No, this wasn't some intuition; someone was talking!
Wu Shu even disregarded concealment. She stood up abruptly, only to find the voice didn't seem to come from outside, but sounded more like it was ringing from within her brain.
"Why should I kill Percy?"
Wu Shu felt the world suddenly become absurd and insane.
[Don't question why you should kill Percy. Kill him, and in countless world lines, there will definitely be a 'Wu Shu' who obtains victory.]
[For Wu Shu to be able to achieve the final victory, please proceed with the following actions according to my instructions.]
Wu Shu couldn't understand this person's meaning at all. What countless world lines? What "a Wu Shu"? Were there many Wu Shus?
"Speak clearly. I can't trust someone of unknown origin!"
Wu Shu said sternly, but she waited for a long while, and that voice didn't speak again.
That voice didn't seem to be talking to her individually, Wu Shu thought. It was more like a broadcast, broadcasting to countless people.
She looked up toward the ginkgo forest in the complete opposite direction of the Cloud-Soaring Squad's advance, falling into heavy contemplation.
That voice was very strange, strangely familiar, possessing a magic that made one unable to resist indulging in and trusting it.
"...Ye Zheng."
After Wu Shu spat out this name again, she covered her thumping heart, feeling strange and confused.
Author's Note: Besides the System and Wu Shu's help, Zhengzheng herself will also pull off a big move. It's just that I write too slowly... ugh, hurry up and get better, you darn flu!
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