The Hunter’s Calculation

The bright moonlight spilled across the ground, casting a gentle silver glow. A girl, clad in a white dress, sat by the window, her chin propped in one hand. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, deep in thought.

Even before the rules were announced, the System had already separated everyone. Based on Xiang Qi’s current deductions, this seemed highly probable, a measure designed to accommodate both teams of players.

Xiang Qi was currently pondering the true intent behind these rules. In any situation, she believed, it was never wrong to engage one’s mind deeply.

Given the current circumstances, the task for Team A players was unlikely to be simple. Not only was it questionable whether they could locate anything on the map armed with just the word ‘beacon’ provided by the System, but the requirement to destroy it in the correct sequence already presented an immense challenge.

No intelligence was offered, yet they were directly tasked with finding a vague object to complete their mission. The difficulty was, to say the least, extraordinary.

Moreover, she wondered if she was merely being overly suspicious. There was a nagging feeling that the System’s subsequent phrase, ‘destroy in the correct sequence,’ harbored a significant hidden problem, likely another pitfall awaiting players.

After all, the System had never explicitly stated that ‘two correct things’ would refer to the same concept.

She could only conclude: ‘It’s truly fortunate they didn’t send me to Team A to solve puzzles.’

Xiang Qi genuinely disliked problems that demanded intense intellectual effort. She wasn’t some inexplicable, emergent推理狂, a deduction maniac; being highly suspicious and prone to wild guesses didn’t equate to enjoying complex puzzles.

For Miss Xiang, the straightforward combat of Team B’s mission was far more suitable. She was confident that once she infiltrated the opposing team, she could devise at least a hundred ways to eliminate them without anyone ever knowing.

Rather than being the hunted mouse, she preferred the tangible thrill of being the hunter. At least this way, Xiang Qi felt her life was in her own hands, instead of constantly living in dread, wary of potential attacks.

The System’s act of separating everyone provided Xiang Qi with a distinct advantage. Suddenly, no one could trust anyone else; who knew if the person next to them might be a member of the opposing team? A single misstep could cost them their life.

The exorbitant cost of trust naturally led to the formation of a chain of suspicion. As long as players harbored mutual distrust, the progress of solving the puzzle would be severely hindered, potentially revealing numerous loopholes. This, in turn, presented Team B players with an opportunity for victory.

Of course, all these speculations could be entirely wrong. Xiang Qi only had herself as a sample and was unaware of Team A’s current situation. Perhaps they had some hint for quickly locating the beacon on the map, which would align better with the game’s balance mechanics.

Then again, this game was, in a sense, quite focused on balance. The difficulty difference between Team A and Team B players wouldn’t be substantial, leading her to believe that the rules for her side might also have some hidden issues.

Perhaps this was a classic case of ‘once bitten, twice shy’—the previous game’s infuriating rule had indeed left a deep impression on our Miss Xiang.

Xiang Qi gently tapped the table with her other hand, analyzing her current predicament.

Superficially, her team of two needed to meet three requirements for victory. First, they had to ensure the beacon remained undestroyed. Second, there was a time limit—before the isolated island sank. The final condition was to eliminate all players from the other team.

All three conditions had to be met, which seemed quite stringent. However, the second condition, the time limit, should also apply to Team A. If neither side completed the mission by then, it could very well result in a total party wipe.

This meant that despite no explicit time limit being stated, one still existed.

Procrastinating would only make their situation more disadvantageous.

“Forget it, I can’t think of any more possibilities for now.” Xiang Qi’s brows relaxed as she stretched, then rubbed her eyes, feeling a touch of weariness.

“I’ll take it one step at a time. For now, I’ll check this room for any clues.”

The game had issued the mission in the middle of the night, a detail Xiang Qi hadn’t anticipated. Just moments before, she had been bickering with Xiang Ran, her recently acknowledged younger sister, entirely preoccupied with resolving her identity issues.

Being suddenly informed that another game was about to commence left her somewhat bewildered. She immediately used her limited time to rest briefly before preparing for the game.

Having used her ability just hours earlier in reality, Xiang Qi’s current state was far from optimal.

‘I can’t shake the feeling that the System is deliberately targeting me…’ Xiang Qi mused, an involuntary smile gracing her lips. ‘How could that be? I’m just a tender new player, after all…’

Well, perhaps she wasn’t quite that new.

She sighed, ceasing to ponder these thoughts that might induce a heart attack.

So, Chen Xuan, hurry up and take the blame. (Wry smile)

The dim light of night barely allowed her to see. Moonlight couldn’t illuminate everything as clearly as daylight, especially within the confines of this small wooden house, where the visible range was even more restricted.

She had initially expected no discoveries, merely following her routine due diligence. Yet, to her surprise, she stumbled upon something unexpected, a delightful bonus.

On the table lay a pearl the size of a goose egg, faintly glowing blue under the moonlight. It appeared quite unremarkable. Had it not been for the subtle, unusual sensation triggered by Xiang Qi’s innate keen sense of danger, she might have overlooked it entirely.

‘A beacon?’

Xiang Qi tilted her head, uncertain of what this object truly was. Though she had a guess, she lacked any concrete evidence to prove it.

One thing she could confirm, however, was that anything capable of triggering her sense of danger was absolutely out of the ordinary.

This sense of danger was akin to a weakened version of Xiang Qi’s ability, or perhaps her ability was merely one manifestation of this very same intuition.

If it truly was the beacon, things were about to get interesting.

‘I should put it away first…’ The girl hesitated, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. Finally, she reached out her hand, only to abruptly freeze just as her fingers were about to touch the pearl, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Her slender, jade-like fingers hovered before the pearl, then retreated even faster than they had approached.

Xiang Qi could clearly feel that as she drew closer, the faint, elusive sense of danger intensified significantly. Although it was weaker than when she first entered the game, Miss Xiang clearly didn’t want to take the risk.

To nip all dangers in the bud—that was the girl’s thought, and her immediate action.

The experience of being shot last time was still vivid in her memory; phantom pains still lingered in her shoulder.