Staring at the shrinking piano keys before him, Mad Spirit's calm facade finally crumbled.
He had single-handedly caused the death of most of the survivors, yet until now, he hadn't gleaned any useful intelligence.
Mad Spirit became increasingly agitated.
He figured the dapper robot's radiance shouldn't be able to kill him, but he also couldn't outright defy the powers of the Cyberspace's rules to forcibly kill that damned robot.
"Forget it, let's try again... Once all these 'inferior materials' are exhausted, it's not too late to consider other methods."
With this thought, he reached out, intending to command the middle-aged woman named Meng Nan to scout the path.
But just then, Mad Spirit's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Yun You.
On this little girl's body, the Apprentice Death God surprisingly did not sense much panic.
She just sat there silently, always deep in thought...
Seeing this, Mad Spirit frowned slightly.
In truth, he always felt this girl was not as simple as she seemed.
Even though Yun You appeared ordinary, always shedding tears, trembling like the others...
Mad Spirit noticed when Yun You trembled, it was always her "skin" making the "muscles" shake, never the "bones."
The trembling of the skin is deliberate, while the trembling of bone is instinctual.
The Apprentice Death God, who had killed countless, knew this all too well.
"This girl might not be as fragile as she portrays; she could be even smarter than I imagined."
"If that's the case... then use your wit to help me solve the problem."
With this thought, Mad Spirit gently moved his wrist, redirected his finger, and pointed at Yun You.
"It's your turn."
Yun You's face stiffened...
She had actually anticipated that Mad Spirit would eventually call on her, so she had been contemplating a strategy all along.
But Yun You didn't expect this moment would come so soon... She hadn't yet figured out a strategy!
But now, the arrow is on the string, and she can't refuse.
She could only slowly stand up, step by step approaching the steps, her movements sluggishly like slow motion, trying to drag on for more time.
"Don't dawdle, get on with it."
Mad Spirit, frowning, urged impatiently.
"Damn it!"
Yun You couldn't help but curse inwardly, nudging the small bird grenade inside her boot with her toe, wishing she could just blow up along with Mad Spirit now!
Since this bastard left her no escape, then even if she were to perish, she would make sure the Apprentice Death God wouldn't have it easy...
However, her thought of turning hostile only lasted a few seconds before she dismissed it.
No choice... The gap in strength is just too great. At her best now, she could manage at most a seventy-thirty split against Mad Spirit.
The Apprentice Death God would punch three times, and she'd fly seven meters away... then die violently.
The advantage is not with me...!
Though she was crazy, her mind was at least relatively clear.
"I better think of how to solve the puzzle..."
She exhaled heavily, her brain racing under immense pressure.
"Wait... There really seems to be a pattern!"
Suddenly, Yun You's eyes shot open, and she thought of something.
Seemingly trivial pieces of information, seemingly meaningless phrases, all aligned neatly before her eyes, connecting...
"The arrangement of piano keys follows a pattern from the lower octave to the higher octave."
"And the rules of the Cyberspace game mention that once you step on a piano key floor, you can't turn back to repeat stepping on the keys... in other words, you're not allowed to trigger previous notes."
"This means the music we can play... and the music the dapper robot wants to hear, must surely be a piece that plays continuously from the lower to the higher octave... without downshifting to a lower octave in between!"
"If not, then there would be no reason for this rule to exist at all."
"And these kinds of continuously upward melodies aren't common. Moreover... it specifies the piece must be completed within 3 minutes, limiting the length of the music."
"Within a 3-minute duration, the style of continuously ascending notes, combined with the robot's claim that it once led Nest City's musical trend... as a prominent composer..."
"With all these elements combined, the answer is..."
Yun You widened her eyes, arriving at the answer in her heart.
She no longer hesitated and stepped directly onto the first white piano key.
"Do~"
The clear piano sound suddenly appeared.
Before it fully faded, Yun You jumped, landing softly on the third key.
It was another white key.
"Do~"
Following that, Yun You jumped faster, fourth... fifth... sixth key...
The music gradually gained rhythm.
But from afar, Mad Spirit, observing, suddenly realized that Yun You was only stepping on white keys, none of the black ones.
"Fool! Why only step on one kind of key?!"
Mad Spirit couldn't help but curse privately, feeling a bit disappointed in Yun You.
He had thought this little girl was some kind of genius, but now it seemed he had misjudged her.
How can a good piece only use one kind of key?
But quickly, this thought disappeared.
Because he gradually realized... this piece, using only white keys, under a specific rhythm, was actually a bit pleasant to the ear...
"Dung dung dung..."
"Dung dung dung... dung dung..."
The entire composition used solely white keys, becoming grand and magnificent as the notes ascended...
Yet beneath the grandeur lay a faint sorrow, like a burning candle fighting against the darkness, but inevitably facing extinction.
And so, Yun You quietly leapt, stepping on the white keys all the way, arriving before the dapper robot.
As the piece concluded... the robot closed its eyes, seemingly still immersed in the music.
This time, the five-colored radiance did not descend, nor did the robot make a move. Instead, it remained silent... for a long moment, before letting out a long sigh.
"This piece was the last composition I created before being scrapped, in memory of a person born in the lower strata, who dared to say 'no' to injustice and authority."
"His life was candid, so I used only white keys throughout, to symbolize his pure life."
"Perhaps it was because of this piece's emergence that Huikang Company discarded me, bringing me to this state."
"And the name of this piece is..."
The robot articulated each word slowly...
"[Firelight]."
"This is true art, art from the grassroots... loved by the people."
As the words fell, the bizarre Cyberspace began to disintegrate suddenly.
The streaming lights and mosaics in the sky rapidly dissipated, the piano key steps and surrounding space faded back to the familiar alley.
Yun You had won the game, destroying this Cyberspace!
"Dong!"
At the instant the Cyberspace completely vanished, Mad Spirit moved once more from the distance.
"The head of the Mutant Creatures... is mine!"
He turned into a black meteor, charging straight at the dapper robot, his face full of uncontainable delight... and mad laughter.
"Die by my hand, then turn into my power!"
"This way, I can formally step into [Tier One] and claim the name of Apprentice Death God!"