Su Yan had been silent for a long time. From the moment the six crocodiles broke formation, she hadn’t uttered a word.
This was unusual for her, given her typically cheerful demeanor, but since the audience was engrossed in the situation on the river, no one noticed.
Suddenly, Su Yan’s eyebrow twitched, and she looked up, dropping a bombshell, “I’m giving you a chance to decide the plot’s direction. Do you want me to help ‘Youthful Girl’? You decide, then have the host tell me the result. And make it quick,” she added pointedly, ” ‘Youthful Girl’ is almost done for. Don’t let her die before you’ve even decided.”
That’s right, during that time, Su Yan had actually been pondering how “Ice Dream Tear” could possibly escape such a predicament if she were in her shoes.
Crocodiles blocked the way ahead, with two more pursuing from behind.
She had no items, and her stamina was fading fast. It was a true dead end, almost impossible to escape.
Fortunately, Su Yan thought of a viable method that might just lead to a way out.
***
At this point, the bullet screen had exploded because of Su Yan’s words.
“Deciding the plot direction? That sounds so interesting!”
“It feels like I’m part of the show!”
“She can save her? Don’t boast!”
“Save, save, save, save, save! I want to see how she saves her!”
“This ‘Youthful Girl’ is a major source of laughter for me! Can’t let her be eliminated like this. Save her, save her!”
“Is it necessary? Why save that idiot?”
“Why save her? She can’t do anything, just causes trouble.”
“You can save her for a moment, but not forever.”
A minute later, the black-robed person appeared before Su Yan, giving the answer: “Save.”
Then, he immediately vanished.
This show was arguably the most frequently he had appeared since he started hosting.
Normally, he only showed up to announce rules and at the beginning and end of games.
This time, he was constantly on camera.
Su Yan nodded, walked to the river’s edge, and shouted at the top of her voice, “That girl being chased by two crocodiles! Swim directly into the crocodile group! Quick, quick, quick! Listen to me!”
“Ice Dream Tear” heard her shout and immediately realized it was meant for her.
It wasn’t because she was quick-witted, but mostly because she figured someone had to save her by now.
But what did she say?
Swim into the crocodile group?
Wasn’t that suicide? “Ice Dream Tear” rolled her eyes, ignoring the instruction.
Seeing her unmoving, Su Yan yelled again, “Is your stamina almost gone? If you don’t listen to me, you’ll just be worn down to death! Might as well trust me and take a gamble!”
“Ice Dream Tear’s” expression was one of struggle.
She knew Su Yan was right.
But charging into a group of crocodiles offered no way out, right?
Hesitating for a second, she still changed direction, obeying Su Yan’s command.
“Ice Dream Tear” believed that as the protagonist, when faced with a desperate situation, a master would surely come to help her.
Even if what this master said was outlandish, she had to try.
It couldn’t get any worse, could it?
***
Su Yan breathed a sigh of relief when “Ice Dream Tear” obeyed, then spurred her on, “Swim faster! Faster! Is that all the strength you have? Then just stop and feed the crocodiles!”
Hearing this, “Ice Dream Tear” gritted her teeth and picked up speed again.
Now, she had two crocodiles in front of her and two behind.
The other four were hunting further away.
The crocodiles in front noticed “Ice Dream Tear” swimming towards them and immediately turned to rush her.
“Ice Dream Tear” saw the gaping maw in front of her and felt certain she was doomed.
She shouldn’t have trusted that person, she thought, closing her eyes in despair.
“Now!”
Su Yan shouted, “Dive!”
“Ice Dream Tear” instinctively obeyed, sinking underwater.
At the same moment, the crocodile behind her lunged over her original position, colliding violently with the crocodile in front.
It was a massive collision.
Though the scene looked somewhat comical, Su Yan had no time to admire it.
She continued to direct without pause, “Don’t stay submerged! Get up quickly and keep swimming forward! Faster, faster!”
“Ice Dream Tear’s” mind was still a bit foggy, but she vaguely realized she had escaped danger.
This gave her a little more confidence, and she continued swimming forward.
She was utterly exhausted, but the desire to live still propelled her towards the shore.
She had suffered so much; if she gave up now, wouldn’t it all be for nothing?
At this point, another crocodile was still chasing her from behind, and a second one nearby joined in, seemingly wanting a share of the spoils.
As for the four crocodiles further away, they remained still; this area was simply too far for them.
By the time they arrived, the battle would already be over.
***
Su Yan intently watched the woman and two crocodiles, her voice unwavering, “Ignore the sides, keep swimming forward. Listen for my command, and act fast!”
“Ice Dream Tear,” who had been panicking at the thought of the nearby crocodile closing in, heard Su Yan’s words, mustered her courage, and continued swimming frantically forward, though her speed was noticeably slowing.
The two crocodiles on her left and rear were closing in on “Ice Dream Tear,” with the one behind even opening its bloody maw, aiming to snap her leg.
Su Yan shouted, “Dive!”
“Ice Dream Tear” obeyed, submerging herself.
Simultaneously, the left crocodile rushed to “Ice Dream Tear’s” original position, and the rear crocodile snapped its jaws shut, biting down hard.
The next moment, a faint red tinged the river’s surface.
But that red wasn’t from “Ice Dream Tear”; it was from the poor crocodile.
It had been bitten open by another crocodile, completely stunned.
Su Yan watched the scene she had orchestrated with satisfaction and continued, “Alright! Now swim to shore; those crocodiles can’t threaten you for now. Quick, quick, quick!”
“Ice Dream Tear” herself had virtually no strength left, and twice submerging had filled her ears with water.
Although she couldn’t clearly hear what Su Yan was saying, her body instinctively propelled her towards the shore.
She was very close to the bank now.
The two crocodiles that had crashed earlier had recovered and were charging towards “Ice Dream Tear.”
Su Yan saw her semi-conscious expression and quickly entered the water.
If she were caught by a crocodile at this point, all their efforts would have been for nothing.
Reaching “Ice Dream Tear’s” side, Su Yan used all her strength to drag her towards the bank.
At this moment, she was limp and weak, her eyes closed, seemingly collapsed from exhaustion.
Seeing the crocodile not far behind closing in, Su Yan gave a forceful tug, successfully pulling “Ice Dream Tear” onto the bank.
Then she began to swim to shore herself.
The crocodile caught up, biting Su Yan’s shoe.
Su Yan pulled her foot out directly, running onto the bank with one bare foot.
“Mission complete! Follow me, don’t get lost!”
Su Yan shook the water from her short hair, gave a playful wink, then smiled.
As for her maneuver, the Nick Star audience had only one thing to say:
“Awesome!”
“What else can I say? Awesome!”
“No one wouldn’t follow this treasure girl, right? Right?”
“She saved her? That’s too strong!”
“Although, those four crocodiles can be my year’s supply of laughter.”
At this point, “Ice Dream Tear” had already passed out, but Su Yan had no intention of fussing over her.
After all, once the dungeon was over, she’d simply revive.
Su Yan didn’t believe this “Mary Sue” would be grateful; she was content with just gaining a good number of fans from this whole ordeal.
Su Yan had a feeling her popularity would soar after this show.
Including Su Yan and the now-revived “Ice Dream Tear,” only five people had cleared the challenge.
Clearly, in this final round, the crocodiles had also put their all into completing their task.
Su Yan looked at the remaining people on the river, finding it utterly uninteresting.
She sat down and yawned, “How about we chat? I know that after every show, there’s a video on my personal page where you can leave comments.”
She thought for a moment, then flashed a charming smile, “Hmm… there’s still quite a bit of time left. So, how about I tell you a ghost story?”
***
At this point, the bullet screen was still perfectly harmonious.
“A story? Sure, I love stories!”
“It is a bit boring, a story would be good.”
“I was about to leave, but if that’s the case, I’ll stay for the story.”
“What’s a ghost story? Is it a type of story?”
“Hope it’s a comedy, I like to laugh.”
“Of course, something more thrilling would be better! Preferably an adventure story.”
Su Yan pondered for a moment, and a ghost story took shape.
Her eyes became distant, and she lowered her voice, “It was an evening. I came home from work, tired, and sat down on the sofa to rest. I heard a tapping sound coming from the window, again and again. I got up and walked over, but I found the window wasn’t open…”
***
Five minutes later.
“Wuwuwu, this isn’t the bus to kindergarten!”
“There aren’t really ghosts on Nick Star, are there? Mama, I want to go home!”
“Why did I listen to her tell a story wuwuwu…”
“Is everyone pulling an all-nighter tonight?”
“Who said they wanted something thrilling earlier? Come out and die!”
After finishing a story, Su Yan playfully swayed her body with a smile, “There should still be some time left. I’m sure you’re all very interested in that last story, so I’ll tell another one.”
This was purely her spouting nonsense, relying on the fact that she couldn’t see the bullet comments.
Bullet screen:
“No! Can’t we talk about something less scary?”
“What do I do? I’m terrified, but I don’t want to leave.”
“Me too, the last story was scary, but it was so interesting!”
“Anyway, I can’t sleep, might as well listen to a few more to get my money’s worth!”
“The person above is a logical genius.”
Su Yan, using a first-person perspective and an aged voice, narrated the ghost story, “…As I left the kitchen, I heard a sound, and it felt very wrong. So, I turned around and tremblingly opened the cabinet door that was making the noise. Suddenly! A human face appeared before me! It was…”
At this point, she suddenly stood up, “Twenty minutes should be up, right?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the black-robed person appeared before everyone, “Time’s up. All three rounds of the game have concluded. Guests may leave at their discretion; rewards will be distributed shortly.”
He finished, and a large blue door appeared behind him.
Su Yan nodded and walked to the door, turning back with a smile and saying, “Then, until next time!”
A few seconds later, a single bullet comment tremblingly floated up.
“You’re not human!”