Upon hearing his question, Su Yan finally smiled.
Playfully, she raised a finger and waved it before the person in black robes, two words popping out like beans, “It’s a secret.”
The robed figure fell silent, as if contacting a superior.
After a few seconds, he nodded, “Alright then, let it be this episode’s unsolved mystery.”
He looked into the air, as though facing a camera, “You continue. Our conversation wasn’t noticed by any guests, but the Nick Star audience watched the whole thing.”
Su Yan nodded, watching the black-robed person leave.
At this point, the production team was clearly quite clever; they didn’t pressure the guest, avoiding a bad impression.
They also planted a hook, which, while it might dissatisfy some viewers, piqued their curiosity.
Su Yan couldn’t help but sigh, acknowledging that a team capable of producing the number one variety show certainly has many tricks up their sleeves.
The audience, though, was a bit disappointed.
“Ah, I thought we’d finally get to know the truth.”
“Looked forward to it for nothing.”
“So why exactly?! Is it really going to be an unsolved mystery?!”
“I don’t care, this must be Earthling magic!”
“When the recording comes out, I’m definitely going to watch it multiple times!”
“Right, right, aiming to grasp the young lady’s entire thought process.”
***
As soon as the black-robed figure left, the barrier instantly vanished.
Su Yan paused, then looked up at the opposite bank.
Everyone had clearly already made their plan; over twenty people entered the river together, heading towards the center.
“A very clever approach,” she commented smoothly.
“Among this group, many can’t cross the river on their own. Now, by entering together, even if the crocodiles are fast, some will surely slip through. This is the only way for the weak to pass.”
“While that’s true, we still have to admit that everyone entering the river at once is essentially serving a feast to the crocodiles. As for how much they’ll eat, that depends on their appetite.”
After speaking, she flashed a mischievous grin.
Su Yan’s serious demeanor never lasted long; having critiqued the strategy, she was now ready to stir up some trouble.
“Let’s see where ‘Youthful Girl’ is now? Oh~ she’s on the very edge and lagging behind. It seems she doesn’t have much courage to face the crocodiles directly. But what she hasn’t considered is…”
Su Yan propped her chin on one hand, smiling, “When we eat long, slender things, we rarely break them in the middle. We usually start eating from both ends.”
—Like a banana, for example.
She had already noticed more than one crocodile moving towards “Ice Dream Tear.”
Clearly, the smart crocodiles also knew that the edges were the easiest escape routes.
So, they planned to deal with this big problem first.
“Ice Dream Tear” was indeed using the strategy Su Yan had imagined; she thought the outermost part would be least noticed by crocodiles.
Then, perhaps, she could sneak ashore unnoticed.
“What’s going on?”
“Ice Dream Tear” whispered, “Why do I feel like there’s a crocodile constantly staring at me?”
She couldn’t help but doubt herself, “No way… maybe the crocodile is cross-eyed? I’m already so inconspicuous, could it still notice me?”
At this, she couldn’t help but cover her cheek with one hand, giggling shyly.
She thought: or is it that her charm is too great, even crocodiles notice her glow?
A flash of past novels she’d read crossed “Ice Dream Tear’s” mind, and suddenly, an idea struck her.
Perhaps she had already gained the ability to talk to small animals, but just hadn’t realized it yet?
Thinking this, even knowing it was a bit unrealistic, “Ice Dream Tear” looked at the crocodile, hesitated, then mouthed, “…Come here!”
It looked just like a provocation.
***
Because of Su Yan’s reminder, the audience members who had been paying attention to her…
“What is she saying?”
“That lip-reading… if I’m not mistaken, she’s asking the crocodile to come over?”
“Fearless of Death.”
“Is she trying to die or trying not to live?”
“Is she planning to fight the crocodile one-on-one? No, it’s 1v2.”
After speaking, “Ice Dream Tear” was surprised to find the crocodile actually getting closer to her, as if it had understood what she said.
She couldn’t help but widen her eyes, somewhat delighted, “Can I really communicate with small animals?”
The bullet screen was in an uproar.
“Case solved.”
“Is this brain damage?”
“Good heavens, I couldn’t have imagined this kind of thinking.”
If Su Yan had heard that last comment, she’d probably be wondering what nonsense was being spoken.
However, she was currently unaware of “Ice Dream Tear’s” thoughts, and could only analyze for herself.
To be honest, Su Yan was a bit puzzled right now; she could clearly see two crocodiles heading towards “Ice Dream Tear.”
One was especially obvious, almost directly facing “Ice Dream Tear.”
Someone as far away as she could see this, so “Ice Dream Tear” couldn’t possibly have missed it, right?
Yet, in this situation, she seemed to not notice it at all, continuing to move forward.
No… more accurately, she was moving towards that crocodile!
“Ice Dream Tear’s” eyes were resolute.
If someone unaware of the situation saw this scene, they might think they were watching Beauty and the Beast, though the beauty wasn’t beautiful, and the beast wasn’t a lion.
“Can’t she see that crocodile?”
Watching this scene, Su Yan couldn’t help but ask a profound question.
The audience knew the inside story, and when they heard Su Yan’s question, they burst into laughter.
“Hahahahahaha streamer’s confused.”
“Hahahahahaha looking at her bewildered face, I don’t know why, but I find it so funny!”
“Baby knows nothing!”
“You’ll never understand the thought process of a youthful girl.”
***
Frowning in thought for a moment, Su Yan made a shocking statement, “Oh! I get it! She’s having a two-way rush with the crocodile! They’re in love!”
Su Yan earnestly explained, “Do you remember, in the first round, ‘Youthful Girl’ used an item just as a crocodile was about to lunge? I clearly remember that crocodile was also green!”
A grand exhibition of baffling human behavior, the bullet screen filled with question marks.
“I concede, can this really be forced?”
“Which crocodile isn’t green?”
“Honestly, this thought process is about on par with ‘Youthful Girl,’ isn’t it?”
“Can’t say it’s unrelated, only that it’s identical.”
“Can’t out-shenanigan, can’t out-shenanigan.”
“Ice Dream Tear,” believing the crocodile understood her, pushed through her innate fear and bravely kept moving forward.
She was convinced that after a chat with the crocodile, it would be more than willing to ferry her across the river.
Just imagining it, “Ice Dream Tear” could already picture the astonished and envious glances of the other guests.
This would be her big moment, guaranteeing a surge of new fans.
But as the distance between woman and crocodile narrowed, the reptile’s face gradually became clearer.
“Ice Dream Tear” saw the crocodile’s slightly bared, sharp teeth and started to feel a creeping sense of dread.
That expression wasn’t gentle or tamed; it was more like… the look of a predator eyeing its prey.
A woman’s innate intuition kicked in, sending her scrambling backward the moment the crocodile opened its maw, trying to blend in with the other guests for safety.
After all, with more people around, maybe the crocodile would switch targets?
***
However, those guests weren’t as oblivious as “Ice Dream Tear.”
They had already spotted the crocodile’s menacing approach. What’s more, some sharp-eyed individuals noticed another crocodile swimming their way.
Several people had already distanced themselves from “Ice Dream Tear,” creating a vacuum around her.
It was only when “Ice Dream Tear” retreated that she realized she was utterly alone.
And as “Ice Dream Tear” pulled back, the crocodile began its sprint, swimming frantically towards her with an almost relentless determination.
“Oh my god! Don’t come here! Help!” she shrieked, swimming towards the others.
The other guests, seeing “Ice Dream Tear’s” intent, were naturally unwilling to be her shield and quickly moved away.
This led to a peculiar scene: two crocodiles chasing “Ice Dream Tear,” “Ice Dream Tear” chasing the other guests, and the other guests frantically fleeing.
Meanwhile, the remaining six crocodiles seemed quite idle, watching the show alongside Su Yan.
This sight made even Su Yan applaud.
She looked at the six seemingly bewildered crocodiles, then at the distant food chain, her eyebrow half-raised as she shook her head with a smile.
“Didn’t I say the highlight of this round would definitely be ‘Youthful Girl’? I ask you, who has ever seen a sight like this?”
***
Though she knew Su Yan couldn’t see them, the bullet comments enthusiastically interacted with her.
“Gods fighting, gods fighting.”
“Who the hell could have predicted this?”
“Alright, encountering two treasure girls in one game, love it, love it.”
“Wait? Isn’t that a bit like reaching for the moon to compare? Take my ‘Glasses Girl’ away.”
“Exactly, exactly, can you even compare them?”
Clearly, while “Ice Dream Tear” was certainly a source of great amusement, Nick Star’s audience valued strength more.
Su Yan, with both skill and humor, quietly won over many fans.
***
Before long, those six crocodiles finally reacted, flicking their tails and joining the fray.
With their addition, the battle, which had been barely even, instantly shifted.
Everyone was thrown into chaos, and several people had their necks snapped directly by crocodiles in a fierce pounce.
Red stained the river’s surface once more, and the previously somewhat comical scene instantly turned brutal and bloody.
Ironically, “Ice Dream Tear,” who had initially been pursued by two crocodiles, was already their target! So, for now, no other crocodiles bothered her.
However, “Ice Dream Tear” was acutely aware that her situation had become dire.
Previously, the sheer will to survive in the face of death had unleashed immense potential, allowing her to swim at the same speed as the crocodiles.
But as time wore on, she could distinctly feel her limbs growing weak, and paddling the water became much more difficult.
The gap between her and the two crocodiles behind her was steadily closing.
Moreover, she couldn’t swim to the shore because it was blocked by a line of even more crocodiles, leaving no escape route.
In this predicament, even with “Ice Dream Tear’s” confidence in her protagonist status, despair began to show on her face.
How could she possibly survive such an impossible situation?