Zhu Yan desperately suppressed the urge to strike him.
Carry you my ass, bro.
If this were a real [Hunter], Yang Zhanbai's little life would have been harvested right here and now!
But a direct harvest would be so boring.
His sadistic pleasure in terrifying Yang Zhanbai and feeding him false information about the [Hunter] hadn't been satisfied yet.
Anyway, the situation was completely under control. Toying with him a bit more would be much more interesting.
Zhu Yan stared eerily at Yang Zhanbai's face and suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Then I'm counting on you, bro."
Yang Zhanbai's heart relaxed for a second, only to immediately tense up again.
The Boss agreed, and he agreed so readily!
He belatedly realized his back was slick with sweat, and the hilt of his knife was slipping in his clammy palm.
The "Boss" was still staring at him under the pale, ghastly light, the corners of his mouth curling up in a bizarre smile, like a reptile locking onto a flying insect.
Under immense pressure, Yang Zhanbai's thoughts raced without a second's pause.
He had already thought of a plan.
Whether the "Boss" believed he was the [Hunter] or not, he could make sure the "Boss" wouldn't dare to hurt him.
Under this premise, could he go a step further and extract some real information about the [Hunter]?
The information from the broadcast was just too limited.
Yang Zhanbai swallowed hard and spoke tentatively.
"Boss..."
"Hold on. Show your right-hand mark first, bro."
Zhu Yan interrupted him, his mouth stretching wide in genuine delight.
He still needed to feed Yang Zhanbai fake [Hunter] info so he could go back and mislead the others.
Steering the conversation to the right-hand mark was the quickest way to broach the subject.
"Let me see if you are a real [Hunter]."
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Yang Zhanbai's forehead.
Zhu Yan's undisguised expression of joy, combined with the "Boss's" ghostly face, created a terrifyingly striking effect.
Fortunately, the demand to show the [Hunter] mark was within Yang Zhanbai's expectations!
"That's not convenient," Yang Zhanbai flatly refused. "I'm holding my weapon in my right hand."
Zhu Yan didn't care at all about this guy's attitude.
As long as he took the bait, allowing Zhu Yan to naturally deliver the rest of the information, it was fine.
"Oh."
The thought of what he was about to do made Zhu Yan want to laugh.
"You don't have a mark. Right, [Hunter]?"
Yang Zhanbai's face was sharply illuminated by the overhead light, his brows furrowed into a deep knot.
"Take a guess," he said coldly. "According to the rules, you shouldn't be able to harm the [Hunter], right?"
Earlier, when he tested them using the [Hunter] identity, the reactions of both monsters pointed to this fact.
"Now that I've stated I am the [Hunter], you'd better not risk breaking the rules by attacking me."
Fuck.
Zhu Yan was momentarily shocked by his audacity, and then burst into loud laughter.
It was a smart move, but Yang Zhanbai was still too bound by the rules.
It was a good thing he was a fake Boss; if he were the real one, he would have backhanded him with a blade.
Yang Zhanbai took a vigilant step back.
He watched the "Boss" laughing uproariously behind the counter, momentarily unsure of what trick the other party had up his sleeve.
"Yo bro."
Zhu Yan raised his hand in a gesture of wiping tears, mimicking the Boss's demeanor flawlessly.
Facing Yang Zhanbai, he delivered the shocking statement he had fabricated earlier.
"The reason I know you don't have a [Hunter] mark is because the [Hunter] never had a mark to begin with."
"You didn't actually take the information from the broadcast seriously, did you, bro?"
The reason [Concealment] was useful back then was that it could hide Zhu Yan's identity information.
The current situation was much the same.
As long as he used the mouth of a mini-boss to erase those leaked key details, it would be enough to keep them confused for a while!
After all, [Carnival Paradise] was despicable enough to disguise itself as an "officer," something Yang Zhanbai had already witnessed.
In comparison, what was spreading a little misinformation to protect the [Hunter], who was "one of their own"?
Instantly, Yang Zhanbai's face turned pale.
The "Boss" was still tearing up with laughter behind the bar, his head tilted mechanically to the side, looking at him as if he were a clown.
He had been played!
Damn it, he should have known!
He was dealing with [Carnival Paradise]. A player who could become a [Hunter] was probably already viewed as kin by the terrifying creatures.
How could [Carnival Paradise] possibly be kind enough to provide so much information?!
Yang Zhanbai zoned out for a moment, mentally preparing himself for mutual destruction.
He was just about to use his ability when Zhu Yan suddenly spoke, pulling his thoughts back.
"I might as well tell you, bro." Zhu Yan spun lies effortlessly. "The [Hunter] itself is a fake concept."
"Earlier, when I told you to go sit in the next level," he pointed to the collapsed tunnel on the ground, smoothly covering up the real Boss's motives, "it was just because the Captain didn't know what was good for him, and I needed to distract him."
Zhu Yan let out a weird laugh and pulled out the Captain's skin, which had been stored in his [Silver Storage Ring], slapping it onto the bar counter with a loud smack. The shriveled skin, still smeared with wet black mud, was a shocking sight.
It was a blatant threat, and proof that the "Boss" had killed the "Captain."
Looking at Yang Zhanbai's completely bloodless face, he felt utterly exhilarated.
Let me give you what you wished for, bro.
"According to the rules—"
"Since you volunteered to be the [Hunter], from now on, you are the [Hunter]."
"That's great, right, bro?"
Yang Zhanbai wanted it, and Yang Zhanbai got it.
But Yang Zhanbai was not happy.
Looking at that human skin, his stomach churned violently.
Disgusting.
How did it come to this?
How had he managed to turn himself into the [Hunter]?
Disgusting!
Zhu Yan couldn't care less about what Yang Zhanbai thought.
Seeing the other's twisted, tense face, he was dying of satisfaction.
"Listen carefully to your task, [Hunter]."
Zhu Yan's face looked as if it would split from smiling: "Within 24 hours, bring 15 people down here for me."
Now, Yang Zhanbai had something to do.
And with something to do, he'd have no time to scrutinize the rules!
"Since you don't want a bottle of [Trembling Delight] for 300 bone-gold coins, you can get others to buy it!"
Yang Zhanbai pressed his lips tightly together, standing rooted to the spot.
Zhu Yan could see the reflection of sweat on his forehead.
"Go on up, bro," he urged. "What are you standing around for?"
For the first time, a trace of almost despairing calmness flashed in Yang Zhanbai's always alert eyes.
"I won't accept this task. You can kill me right now."
Fuck.
Zhu Yan froze for half a second before quickly reacting.
So righteous, huh.
Given Yang Zhanbai's previous behavior, Zhu Yan had assumed they were all the "save your own skin first" type.
Aha.
What kind of person he was didn't matter.
What mattered was that, having reached this point, Yang Zhanbai had to help him spread the fake news about the [Hunter].
During the day, he still had to continue operating under the guise of a player.
After all, who knew what awaited in the next level?
Zhu Yan sneered, activating his [Humiliation] ability at will.
He strode out from behind the bar and delivered a solid kick to Yang Zhanbai's knee.
"You are being a bit disobedient, [Hunter]."
The kick was heavy and abrupt. The blade Yang Zhanbai was swinging instantly flew from his grasp, hitting the ground with a loud clang.
Zhu Yan grabbed him by the collar, dragging the completely drained Yang Zhanbai toward the elevator.
"You had better just focus on completing your mission."
Zhu Yan tossed him into the golden, cage-like elevator and shouted upward.
"Pull the elevator up! This is the [Hunter], do not touch him!"
From above came the strange intonation of the Doppelganger Girl.
"Got it, boss."
With a clack, the cage door slid shut, carrying the slumped Yang Zhanbai upward.
The fear-tinged voice of the Doppelganger Girl drifted down, mingling with the faint scraping sounds of the golden cage.
"Please rest assured. I absolutely will not lay a finger on him!"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
