The Hunter Within

Relying on heaven, on earth, or on others was never as reliable as relying on oneself. This was a concept her scoundrel father, Chen Xuan, had instilled in her since she was a child.

True to his words, Chen Xuan personally demonstrated the treacherous ways of society to the young Xiang Qi, casting an indelible shadow over her once-pure heart.

In short, Xiang Qi’s less-than-desirable personality was largely a gift from him. Their constant cycle of outwitting each other had, paradoxically, greatly enhanced Xiang Qi’s worldly experience.

The exact nature of this ‘growth’ was open to interpretation, a period of painful memories that a certain individual preferred not to revisit.

Consequently, Xiang Qi lost all basic trust in anyone. All that remained was a purely transactional relationship of using and being used.

Now, let’s return to the main topic and examine the system’s rules.

It merely stated that this game round would feature sixteen escapees and one hunter, emphasizing an unending, life-or-death struggle between them.

This common line of thought—’either you die or I die’—led people to instinctively assume these two groups belonged to different factions, thus logically concluding there should be seventeen players.

However, this was a subtle trap. The system’s rules never explicitly mentioned the total number of players for this round. By only providing the number of participants per faction, any interpretation was possible.

Could it then be possible that there were only sixteen players in total, with one player serving as both an escapee and the hunter, remaining within the same team as all the other players?

This might seem far-fetched now, an unrealistic fantasy perhaps? Hold that thought, as further evidence could corroborate it.

Reverting to conventional thinking, under such system rules, all players would naturally assume, after confirming the team count, that everyone present was an escapee, and the hunter was surely located elsewhere.

Such an arrangement would be attributed to the game’s balance mechanism, designed to protect the escapees from immediate attrition against a hunter possessing ‘talents’—supernatural abilities.

This seemed perfectly logical, and even Xiang Qi hadn’t given it much thought initially.

But once the possibility of an internal traitor arose, the situation became rather intriguing.

Conversely, it was entirely plausible that the system was protecting the hunter, preventing their identity from being exposed too early, which would otherwise significantly increase the game’s difficulty.

However, this alone wasn’t sufficient proof.

Yet, the excessively vast map provided another layer of evidence. In such an expansive environment, how could a hunter possibly guarantee finding and eliminating all escapees within seven days? If the escapees were determined to hide, the hunter would face an almost certain defeat.

Therefore, the only logical explanation was that the hunter was present within the team from the start. This would allow them to conveniently target team members, thereby circumventing the impossible odds.

This, too, came with its own limitations. Being part of the team would restrict many actions. If they were to accidentally expose themselves, their tenfold physical prowess and three talents—usable only once every four hours, with unknown effects—would offer no chance of a comeback.

Of course, this deduction also had significant limitations. If those three talents included an ability for the hunter to precisely locate escapees, then this theory would lose much of its footing.

This was the process of Xiang Qi’s logical reasoning, and the source of her eighty percent certainty.

Her fingers tapped idly against the desktop, the girl’s eyes narrowed, her expression as tranquil as still water.

All that remained now was to wait. Barring any surprises, there would definitely be casualties by tomorrow, at which point the situation would surely become clear.

Still, two questions lingered in her mind.

Was seven days perhaps too long? And…

Why would Liu Zhengxuan and Xiang Ke want to gather everyone together? If the hunter was truly powerful, wouldn’t this simply lead to everyone being wiped out directly?

If it were Xiang Qi, she would never undertake such a thankless task. Surviving alone would undoubtedly offer a much higher chance of success.

Two hours swiftly passed. During this time, the bespectacled Shu Xun also sought out Xiang Qi. Xiang Ke must have said something to her, as the girl noticeably began to subtly gravitate towards Xiang Qi.

The result was another round of cold sarcasm from Ji Hua.

Fortunately, Shu Xun was right there; otherwise, Xiang Qi truly didn’t know what she might have done in a fit of pique. Someone would likely have suffered terribly.

‘Well, I’m not exactly a demon, at most I’d just make someone wish they were dead.’

Time and again, she knew her face caused trouble, yet she still found Ji Hua utterly unbearable.

‘My beauty is thanks to my father’s good genes; it has nothing to do with you, you hateful busybody. If you’re so capable, tell your dad to give you such good looks. What good is it just to be jealous of others?’

‘Ugh, why am I calling myself ‘this old lady’ now…’

At this point, the exploration teams had returned to the temporary base. Everyone’s faces were grim, a palpable sense of oppression hanging in the air.

Blue Hair called Ji Hua over, subtly glancing at Xiang Ke while inquiring about the situation. He needed to know if anything special had happened in his absence, aiming to leave no potential hidden dangers.

However, Ji Hua’s words were truly infuriating. Blue Hair frowned, trying to discern clues amidst her embellished description. Though he showed no outward signs, he was growing increasingly impatient.

Xiang Ke, too, was not idle. She questioned the driver about what he had seen along the way. After she spoke a few words, the driver shook his head, and as their conversation continued, Xiang Ke’s expression gradually darkened.

Xiang Qi covertly observed them. She didn’t think there was any animosity between the two, so for now, she didn’t need to worry about the stability of their own team.

If internal problems arose, facing pressure from another team, there would be no recourse except to leave. And even that wasn’t an option right now.

As long as these two leaders possessed even a modicum of ability, they wouldn’t allow anyone to leave at this critical juncture.

Unexpectedly, Blue Hair actively approached Xiang Ke, and the two exchanged a few words.

“Ahem, everyone, listen up.”

Blue Hair successfully drew everyone’s attention, or rather, most people’s attention was already fixed on him and Xiang Ke.

The members of the three exploration teams had vaguely guessed, their expressions exceptionally solemn as they quietly awaited his next words.

Xiang Qi suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Blue Hair’s subsequent words turned that premonition into reality.