So Much to Do

They were all ingredients for the Alpha Wolf.

As a Hunter, Zhu Yan was pushed to the forefront by the Alpha Wolf; a single moment of carelessness would mean death.

At this moment, the clues left behind by the Alpha Wolf for a sense of participation were the only things Zhu Yan could grasp.

Amidst the jostling crowd, Zhu Yan subconsciously lightened his breathing.

Not far from him, a police officer stood ramrod straight, scanning this fresh flesh and blood with bottomless black pupils.

Beside it stood a boy who had spontaneously decided to help the police station maintain order.

The shadow of the boy's large hood covered half his face, and a long strand of red hair hung down strikingly.

"Everyone, try to hurry up!" the boy urged loudly.

The line moved forward a bit faster.

As he got closer, Zhu Yan keenly caught the subtle look of greed on the police officer's face.

The Alpha Wolf's clues were left for the players.

If he tried to take them as a Hunter, it would probably attract the Alpha Wolf's attention.

He just didn't know what these horror creatures relied on to recognize a Hunter.

Was it the bow and arrow mark on the palm, or did a person who had merged with Trembling Pleasure inherently differ from the players?

If only he could test it out...

Zhu Yan's gaze swept past the red-haired boy in gray clothes and paused on the police officer for two seconds.

It was still staring at the ingredients passing before its eyes, completely failing to notice Zhu Yan, who was only a few steps away!

Zhu Yan decisively stepped out of the line.

He hurried forward in a few quick strides and grabbed the sleeve of the police officer's uniform.

"...Uncle Officer." Zhu Yan didn't roleplay as a horror creature, nor did he try to hide his mark.

He merely tightened his grip on the short dagger in his pocket and put on a terrified expression, like someone who had just entered an instance for the first time.

This action was too abrupt, causing the surrounding students and the red-haired boy next to the police officer to look over.

"I have something I want to ask," Zhu Yan immediately explained.

The police officer turned its head.

Its brow ridges pressed down unnaturally. In the shadows, those pitch-black eyes reflected a dim yellow light, giving them the texture of glass marbles.

"We will explain everything together," the police officer said gruffly, suddenly clamping down on Zhu Yan's arm.

"For now, stick with the others and go into the shop first!"

Zhu Yan stared at the corners of its mouth, which were wet with saliva, and his heart stirred.

This was clearly the reaction of looking at ordinary food; it didn't look like it had recognized a Hunter!

"Wait," Zhu Yan said softly, stopping the police officer's movement, planning to probe further.

He alertly glanced at the hooded, red-haired boy behind the police officer.

Unexpectedly, the boy simply had his hands in his pockets, his gaze drifting over with interest, but he didn't make any move to act as an accomplice and pull Zhu Yan away.

Zhu Yan felt relieved.

Seeing the police officer's expression gradually growing impatient, Zhu Yan lowered his voice to the maximum extent.

"I have a special identity, I'm not just a player," he whispered, carefully observing the police officer's reaction. "I need to act alone."

The crowd flowed past them with a cacophony of noise.

Against this blurry background noise, the police officer's lower eyelids contracted mechanically. Its eyeballs dropped to the bottom of their sockets and quickly darted towards Zhu Yan's right hand.

"Hmm." After a half-second pause, it whispered stiffly and coldly, "In that case, please show the mark on your right hand."

Its voice had completely changed pitch, sounding bizarre and eerie.

Damn it.

It was clearly dropping the act now that it thought it was in front of one of its own!

Zhu Yan sneered in his heart; he had figured it out.

They relied on the icon on the palm to identify a Hunter.

This method was primitive and inept. As long as Zhu Yan didn't actively show his palm, these horror creatures would think he was a player.

For Zhu Yan, exposing his identity wasn't a big deal; he could still use Roleplay to disguise himself as another player.

Now, he had to try using his Hunter identity to extract more information.

For instance, whether the rules governing these things were strict.

For instance, the level of this thing!

Zhu Yan turned his head to glance at the crowd packed at the gate, then quickly made a low-voiced offer to the police officer.

"I offer one human leg to ask you a question."

The police officer tilted its head and furrowed its brow, the wrinkles on its skin spreading unnaturally across its entire face.

"That won't do," it said, coldly twitching the corner of its mouth to simulate a mocking expression.

"What does a Hunter amount to? We can't accept things from you."

"There's plenty of meat here..."

Oh.

Zhu Yan nodded silently in his heart, understanding the situation.

The status of a Hunter was not much higher than that of a player. Even if they nominally belonged to the Carnival Paradise, they were still entities looked down upon by horror creatures.

Moreover, the Alpha Wolf had likely set a rule that no horror creature was allowed to trade with a Hunter.

Zhu Yan focused his gaze on the police officer's face, using a declarative statement to fish for more information.

"Giving you a human leg isn't a bad deal. Anyway, no other creature will know about this."

The police officer's pitch-black pupils remained static, staring at him fixedly.

A second later, it pulled back its lips, smiling to reveal a row of neat, white teeth.

"No manners at all, kid," it said, grabbing Zhu Yan's left wrist, intending to drag him toward the gate.

"Since that's the case, let our captain teach you some manners!"

Zhu Yan could clearly feel that this police officer's strength was nowhere near as great as that of Guan En.

Even without using his abilities, as a Level 4 player, he could easily break free!

If that was the case, the level of this horror creature was probably only Level 3 or lower.

Zhu Yan allowed the other party to pull him forward, pretending he couldn't break free at all.

This horror creature just said, captain.

This was likely an important rank among these horror creatures.

If he wanted to use Roleplay to extract information, this piece of knowledge would be useful.

He needed to see the captain!

The police officer dragged Zhu Yan, taking large strides across the smooth floor tiles of the hall.

They brushed past the red-haired boy. To Zhu Yan's surprise, the boy actually turned around and followed them.

"Officer, where are you going? Do you need my help?"

Holy crap.

How could there be such a meddlesome person?

Zhu Yan couldn't help but turn his head, finding that this guy's eyes were sparkling and he was actually looking at him too.

The moment their eyes met, the other party narrowed his eyes scrutinizingly.

"No need." Fortunately, the police officer replied impatiently, "Student, just continue helping to maintain order."

"This student has a bit of a problem. I'll leave this place to you!"

The next second, however, the boy relentlessly grabbed Zhu Yan's right arm, dragging him into a stumble.

"Uncle Officer, I know him. He's my friend."

Before Zhu Yan could speak, the boy spoke up first.

He cast a subtle glance at Zhu Yan and smiled at the police officer.

"Let me ask him what's wrong, just five seconds—"

The police officer's face turned completely gloomy.

Its fingers clamped around Zhu Yan's wrist like a vice, while on the other side, the boy tugged him backward.

Neither side yielded, pulling Zhu Yan's left arm taut.

Holy shit.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zhu Yan couldn't help but demand.

"What did you see?" the boy leaned in, whispering with urgent intensity.

He cast a wary glance at the stubborn "officer" and explained rapidly.

"I saw you at the very front. You've been backing away ever since they showed up."

"Hey man, what did you see? Are these real people?"

The "officer" proved stronger. Zhu Yan was forced to step forward, dragging the boy along as their shoes scraped against the smooth floor tiles.

"I'm Yang Zhanbai. I've cleared an instance once before..."

His voice dropped so low that Zhu Yan had to strain to hear him.

He actually remembered this player who had cleared an instance; it was the guy with the online-learning app avatar who had spoken in the group chat last night.

"...My ability is already at level 3. I might be able to save your life..."

This was the boy's bargaining chip, but to Zhu Yan, it meant nothing.

Zhu Yan only needed to confirm the identity of that "Captain." Perhaps—

He looked up, scanning the boy's striking red hair, matching dyed-red eyebrows, and sharp dark eyes, committing his name, facial features, and overall demeanor to memory.

Perhaps he could make use of Yang Zhanbai's appearance.

But he absolutely could not let this guy ruin his plans!

"Leave me alone," Zhu Yan warned in a low voice, shaking off his hand. "Get lost."

For some inexplicable reason, Yang Zhanbai suddenly looked incredibly moved.

"Understood," he whispered his gratitude. "Thanks, bro. You're a real one!"