I Thought He Was the Hunter

The next second, a tremendous force slammed him to the ground, and a sharp pain shot through his side.

“Hold still!” someone roared.

A black sack was pulled over Zhu Yan’s head, cutting off his vision. Then his wrists went cold, and with a crisp click, the newcomer slapped handcuffs on him.

“Hey, seriously, big guy? You’re cuffing me without even finding out what happened?”

In the darkness, Zhu Yan was seized by the collar and roughly hauled to his feet.

“What do you mean, find out what happened?” the man sneered. “Go explain that to Commander Qiu!”

Zhu Yan activated his ability, [Mind Reading].

The surroundings instantly became noisy. Two thoughts from the nearest people crowded into his mind, carrying deep fear and dread.

“Holy shit, you really can’t tell by looking at him. Could this kid actually be the [Hunter]?”

“Damn, Commander Qiu is incredible.”

“He didn’t show up today even though he signed the registration form yesterday. Commander Qiu knew immediately.”

“Hey, he looks so refined and delicate… Whatever, let’s drag him outside the office first. I’m going to stand out there and watch the show!”

“Keep it confidential, keep it confidential… We really caught a Hunter. I honestly can’t stop myself from wanting to post about it on the forums…”

Zhu Yan let out a long whistle inwardly.

Commander Qiu? What was he thinking?

Just because someone looked like Zhu Zeyu didn’t mean he was Zhu Zeyu. It could just as easily be Qiu Lingfeng after drinking a potion!

And if he brought out the head of “Zhu Zeyu” from his ring, what would Qiu Lingkai have to say then?

Escorted by two burly men, Zhu Yan stumbled along a stretch of soft carpet.

They had reached the floor where Qiu Lingkai’s office was located.

Zhu Yan separated a wisp of [Fog], which leisurely perched on the shoulder of the person beside him. From a third-person perspective, he watched his own body being pushed down a heavily guarded corridor lined with soldiers, until they finally stopped in front of Qiu Lingkai’s office.

“Commander Qiu.” The player responsible for escorting him raised a hand and knocked on the door. “He’s here.”

Zhu Yan composed himself.

Today, his role was to use [Acting] to take on the appearance of Qiu Lingfeng, who had become Zhu Zeyu.

The [Fog] coiled above Zhu Yan’s head, eagerly waiting for the show.

“Come in.”

Qiu Lingkai’s voice sounded unusually anxious.

When the door opened, the [Fog] finally got its wish and saw Qiu Lingkai’s pale face.

Qiu Lingkai stood in front of his desk, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Early that morning, not long after Qiu Lingfeng entered the instance, the people in the Archives Hall received a message asking for help from the player Yang Zhanbai.

According to Yang Zhanbai, his roommate Zhu Zeyu had vanished for no reason. He didn’t answer messages or phone calls, and no one could find him anywhere.

Normally, this would have been nothing unusual. Yang Zhanbai was already used to it.

But this time was different.

After Yang Zhanbai was transported into the instance, he discovered that Zhu Zeyu, who had also filled out the registration form, was nowhere to be found.

“I killed every single terrifying creature in the instance, and I still couldn’t find him!”

Yang Zhanbai’s voice message continued to echo in Qiu Lingkai’s mind.

“Commander Qiu, I suspect he was assassinated. The kind where the body disappears so completely you can’t even set up a memorial tablet for him. I’m serious!”

Qiu Lingkai had felt as though the sky were falling. He had immediately sent a message to Qiu Lingfeng, who was inside the instance.

How could there be such a coincidence?

Zhu Zeyu had failed to show up for the instance he was supposed to enter that day and had disappeared.

Zhu Zeyu also looked exactly like the wanted criminal on the wanted poster.

What if… what if this Zhu Zeyu really was the [Hunter]?

Qiu Lingkai stared at the young man in front of him. The man’s head was covered by a black hood, but his build was clearly different from Qiu Lingfeng’s. Qiu Lingkai’s heart gave an ominous lurch.

“Qiu Ling…”

He couldn’t help asking, his face turning pale. But halfway through, he remembered that “Qiu Lingfeng” had already been publicly declared dead.

He should have asked for “Qiu Dehai.”

Qiu Lingkai reorganized his thoughts.

He was just about to ask again when the hooded man in front of him spoke with an arrogance utterly inappropriate for a young man, his tone one Qiu Lingkai knew very well—disdainful.

“Wow. What’s with the panic?”

Qiu Lingkai froze.

“Really, Commander Qiu?” Zhu Yan said with a laugh. “I only went into an instance. Why are you acting like such a nervous wreck?”

Qiu Lingkai’s heart eased.

That was right.

Qiu Lingfeng had taken a potion with him.

He was supposed to trick Hunter No. 1 into drinking the specially prepared [Shuddering Pleasure], but there was no way his target wouldn’t suspect that Qiu Lingfeng had poisoned the potion.

To dispel Hunter No. 1’s doubts, Qiu Lingfeng might very well have drunk it himself!

Qiu Lingkai stared at Zhu Yan, still cautious. He did not order anyone to release him.

“Have them leave, Commander.”

Zhu Yan fully understood his doubts. Mimicking Qiu Lingfeng’s tone, he spoke softly.

“We’ve already obtained what we needed from the plan. Don’t waste time on this. There are still things to handle afterward. What if…”

“Where’s Qiu Dehai?” Qiu Lingkai asked coldly.

At the same time, his thoughts entered Zhu Yan’s mind.

“Qiu Lingfeng is wearing a skin suit. Even if he got Zhu Zeyu’s head, he couldn’t possibly appear directly in Zhu Zeyu’s form…”

“He looks very similar. I can’t tell the difference. But Qiu Dehai…”

Idiot.

Zhu Yan cursed inwardly.

“You want me to call General Qiu in front of them?” he retorted coldly. “Is there oil in your brain?”

Qiu Lingkai fell silent.

Under the office’s LED lights, his hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his brows drawn together. He was clearly struggling.

Still, a considerable portion of the suspicion in his mind had faded.

For one thing, how could Hunter No. 1 possibly know the secret between Qiu Lingfeng and Qiu Dehai?

It was a secret Qiu Lingfeng would take to his grave.

“Leave us.”

Two seconds later, he spoke to the two soldiers.

“Take off his hood, but leave the handcuffs on.”

The light returned to Zhu Yan’s eyes.

He took a moment to adjust, then quietly slipped off half of his bracelet, allowing a flush of pleasure to spread to the corners of his eyes. He threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

He looked exactly like Qiu Lingfeng had that day after getting drunk.

“What are you laughing at?” Qiu Lingkai barked. “You lunatic. You should have put on Qiu Dehai’s skin too!”

Put on what?

The puppet was the one with the skin-suit ability. Zhu Yan himself couldn’t wear it!

Zhu Yan ignored him completely. He moved to the sofa and let himself fall backward into its soft cushions.

“What’s the rush? Come take a look at this first, my good brother.”

He waved his hand, and a head with a twisted expression and bluish-white skin appeared on the coffee table.

The head still had “Zhu Zeyu’s” appearance. Even Zhu Yan felt a chill run through him at the sight.

“We succeeded. Come admire it.”

Qiu Lingkai walked over and bent down, carefully picking up the severed head.

He admired the agony etched across its face, then turned his back to Zhu Yan and paced toward the brightly lit window, carrying the head in his hands.

Zhu Yan smiled faintly.

Seizing the opportunity, he took out Qiu Lingfeng’s puppet.

His own body instantly dispersed into [Fog]. Half of it burrowed into the puppet’s body and caught the empty handcuffs as they slipped loose, hiding them behind its back. The other half remained outside in a state of [Invisibility].

“Zhu Zeyu didn’t go to yesterday’s dungeon,” Qiu Lingkai said. “I thought he’d gone to Tanyu Temple with you. I even thought he was Hunter No. 1, pretending all along and deceiving us…”