Are You the Hunter to Jump Out

Zhu Yan's eyes quickly adapted to the darkness.

The street was shrouded in a dim, eerie blue light. Zhu Yan saw "officers" tearing the skin off their faces, sprawling on the ground and gorging themselves.

The flowing "sunset glow" turned into a thick black haze, tightly wrapping around a player who had just escaped—

These scenes flashed past in Zhu Yan's peripheral vision.

Amidst a background chorus of screams and cries, he stopped a short distance in front of the flower shop.

Unlike other places, [CC Flower Shop] was still brightly lit. The Doppelganger clerk was smiling behind the glass, as if it were still daytime.

Yang Zhanbai was right opposite it!

Zhu Yan felt a wave of relief and activated his ability, [Roleplay].

His dagger casually shredded the encroaching smog as he walked briskly over and pushed open the glass door.

The fragrance of flowers wafted into his face, and the Doppelganger's polite voice reached his ears.

"Very well, sir. I will take you—"

The moment Zhu Yan walked in, the Doppelganger's voice abruptly stopped.

Its sweet smile froze on its face, and its hollow eyes stared at Zhu Yan, simulating a politely displeased expression.

Opposite it, Yang Zhanbai glared over, his body completely tense.

He gripped his knife, fine beads of cold sweat reflecting the light.

The new [Hunter] information and the sudden outbreak of chaos outside had caught him somewhat off guard; he had just entered the shop himself.

He didn't believe the flower shop had no hidden tricks. He was just about to refuse the Doppelganger's request and take another look around.

However, the "Captain" had just interrupted his plans.

What was it doing here?

Yang Zhanbai's grip on the knife handle tightened, the veins on the back of his hand bulging even more prominently.

It was now night, and the horror creatures could attack humans.

One Doppelganger was already tough enough to deal with, but the Doppelganger seemed to be restricted by some sort of rule, remaining unfailingly polite to him.

But the Captain...

Yang Zhanbai took a half-step back, assuming a defensive stance.

Zhu Yan didn't care at all about what Yang Zhanbai was thinking.

His eyes darted over and saw the gleaming golden "key" in the Doppelganger's hand—

It was the exact same one Yang Zhanbai had stuffed into the wall crevice earlier.

However, Yang Zhanbai was not holding the bundle of leaves mentioned by the "officer."

Obviously, he hadn't had time to buy anything yet.

"Where are you taking him?"

Zhu Yan twisted his neck stiffly and asked the Doppelganger straightforwardly.

Apart from the "Captain" he was impersonating, there were no other horror creatures that had "invaded" from the outside.

Compared to the chaotic hunting ground outside, this place seemed more like a private domain with its own set of rules.

Otherwise, given the Doppelganger group's habit of constantly screaming about being hungry and wanting to eat, Yang Zhanbai would have been torn apart long ago.

Caution was the best policy.

It would be more appropriate to fish for some information from the Doppelganger first, rather than giving Yang Zhanbai clues directly!

Zhu Yan stared at the Doppelganger. Its expression grew increasingly cold, revealing a cruelty and deep hunger that Zhu Yan was familiar with.

"Don't trouble yourself,"

it said coldly, completely lacking the fake enthusiasm it had shown Yang Zhanbai.

"I will take him down to where he belongs. You're not going to fight me for him, are you, Captain?"

The pitch of its last sentence suddenly spiked, twisting bizarrely.

In a flash, Zhu Yan remembered what the "officer" had said during the meeting—

"Will strictly follow the rules," "If entering, only bring players who have collected all the fragments"...

Combining this with the Doppelganger's attitude of fighting for him but not tearing Yang Zhanbai apart, Zhu Yan had a guess.

Most likely, there was a rule forbidding it from feeding, and by bringing a player down, it could get a share of something!

Zhu Yan immediately activated his ability [Complain] and forcefully walked up to the Doppelganger.

The Doppelganger might be Level 4.

Regardless, a Level 5 [Complain] was more than enough.

"You're more eager to steal credit than to eat a large meal. Where were you when he was collecting the fragments?"

While he sharply and sarcastically mocked the Doppelganger, he adjusted his angle, flashing his sharp knife in a position where Yang Zhanbai couldn't see it.

The Doppelganger's pitch-black eyes flickered, and its face unnaturally simulated fear.

Unlike those lower-level "officers," its strength was not immediately drained; it could still barely support itself to take a small step back.

A Level 4 Doppelganger.

Zhu Yan made a decisive conclusion in his heart.

"Oh, you mean..." The Doppelganger grabbed the flower stand behind it for support, and Zhu Yan saw its legs shaking like springs.

"You had a hand in him collecting all the fragments, right?"

Zhu Yan silently watched the Doppelganger's face as it forced a smile again.

Its cheek muscles bulged stiffly, and its black eyes didn't blink, as if it had regained its confidence.

"...What a pity then. If you take him down, you will be severely punished by The Boss for dereliction of duty."

The tone was as bizarre as ever, but Zhu Yan understood.

The "Captain's" duty was to stop players in front of the [Bar], and Zhu Yan was doing the exact opposite.

And "The Boss" was the superior who managed the "Captain."

The Doppelganger's mouth pulled up forcefully. It lowered its voice in warning, its stark white teeth facing Zhu Yan.

"Even if you go to the back kitchen, The Boss will find out."

Back kitchen.

Zhu Yan caught this word, his mind racing.

If Yang Zhanbai didn't buy flowers here, would they go to the back kitchen?

Then if he bought flowers here, where would they go?

The front hall?

"We're not going to the back kitchen, you brainless idiot."

Zhu Yan immediately retorted, trying to fish for more information.

"Not everyone is like you, with only food in their eyes and no appreciation for higher things."

The Doppelganger's legs and body lost their support, twisting like soft rubber.

It slid down the flower stand, its facial muscles sagging, no longer hiding its malice.

"If you want to take him to the 'front hall' to curry favor with The Boss, then be my guest," the Doppelganger said icily.

"I will provide you with the key. I look forward to the day you are chopped into mush!"

Its glass-like eyes aimed straight at Zhu Yan, and it began to laugh like a melting wax figure.

"Hehe. The Boss is not as easy to deal with as I am!"

The latter half of its voice blurred, and the Doppelganger made a gurgling sound, as if liquid was clogging its throat.

Zhu Yan didn't care about such words.

As long as this thing could provide the key and information, that was enough!

"From now on, all your food will be snatched up by higher-level Doppelgangers. You won't even get a sip of cold air, nor will you get new skins. You will never be able to upgrade."

He cursed viciously, then decisively turned to Yang Zhanbai.

"What are you looking at?"

Zhu Yan questioned stiffly, clearly indicating that he should act quickly.

"Buy something—don't you know what to buy?"

The night was long, but he still had his [Hunter] mission to do. After going to the [Bar], he would have to deal with whatever came his way, so he couldn't waste time.

Yang Zhanbai looked warily at the "Captain" in front of him.

The "Captain" was obviously a bit more formidable; the Doppelganger that had been arguing with it was about to turn into a puddle.

He couldn't even defeat the Doppelganger, let alone this "Captain"!

Every inch of his muscles was tightly coiled, and he still gripped the sharp knife in his hand.

The two horror creatures spoke with very strange accents, but he could barely understand them.

He was being treated as a trophy to be "offered" to a higher-level boss, and these two things were fighting over ownership of him.

Some of the terms they used he had only seen on forums, such as "Doppelganger."

Most of the words were directly related to the instance, such as the back kitchen, The Boss, and the phrase "something more advanced than eating."

Were they treating human players as playthings?

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Yang Zhanbai's mind.

The front hall and the back kitchen were two entirely different concepts.

It sounded like the back kitchen meant a direct kill.

The front hall was more advanced and could better please "The Boss." It probably meant killing after playing enough, or killing in an artistic way.

If he just went down like this, he would only be throwing his life away. His chances of survival were slim to none!

The "captain" stared straight at him under the bright lights, the human skin on his neck peeling back halfway to reveal the crimson, beating muscles underneath.

He was obviously hungry!

Yang Zhanbai's jaw tightened as he recalled the previous broadcast.

There was a [Hunter] here to "reap lives," who was on the same side as them.

A crazy idea sprang to mind—

If he impersonated that role, would their attitude change?

After all, the [Hunter] was also human. They shouldn't be able to tell the difference, right?

Even if this plan didn't work...

As the only player who had collected all the fragments, the possibility of him being directly killed by this impatient, terrifying creature in front of him wasn't high either!

It would just mean continuing as a player and figuring out a way to survive!

...

Opposite him.

Zhu Yan grew annoyed seeing Yang Zhanbai not moving for several seconds.

Damn it.

That bunch of broken leaves was right on the shelf behind Yang Zhanbai, behind two clusters of bright red roses.

The thing wasn't hidden well at all. It was partially visible, and he had been staring at it for quite a while.

Yang Zhanbai usually looked smart, so why was he acting stupid now?!

Zhu Yan felt exasperated.

He raised his hand to grab the leaves, but Yang Zhanbai suddenly shouted, startling him.

"Wait!!"

Yang Zhanbai stared warily at the hand reaching straight toward him. He felt the hairs on his back stand on end, his heart pounding wildly from the surging adrenaline.

Zhu Yan's fingers froze in mid-air, his expression turning quite hostile.

What did he want?

"I—"

Yang Zhanbai looked at the "captain's" face as calmly as possible, still not daring to relax in the slightest.

"What if I told you I am the [Hunter]?"