Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"He succeeded! How did he do it?" After receiving several private messages and obtaining the quarter ticket, Frison's voice trembled uncontrollably, unsure if from the cold or fear.

Recalling the giant wolf over two meters tall, his heart still couldn't beat steadily, even through the glass, he could smell the bloody stench emanating from its teeth.

Yet, someone had the courage to charge forward with just a low-powered staple gun and an axe, and even succeeded in hunting it?

"Is he really human?"

Or does the major country's official student possess such superhuman abilities?

Before Frison could figure it out, Paul was already getting off the vehicle, gun in hand, facing the cold wind.

"What are you waiting for? Get down."

"Huh? What?" Frison hadn’t reacted yet.

"He’s injured."

Paul squinted at the ticket in Frison’s hand, which still bore fresh bloodstains on one corner.

Indeed, Ji Xinghai must have been injured.

Frison also noticed the bloodstain on the corner of the ticket. He recalled his contract with Paul and wasn’t sure what expression to wear – although injured, Ji Xinghai had managed to deal with that terrifying giant wolf. Could they really succeed?

However, boarding the ship was easy, but getting off proved difficult. Seeing Frison’s hesitation, Paul’s gaze turned dangerous.

Frison had no choice but to get down. He patted Paul’s arm, and both their skin and hair changed colors like chameleons. Soon, only their clothes could be seen floating eerily in the air, visible to the naked eye.

Soon, those clothes also shimmered with colorful light, then transformed into the color of their surroundings, much like their skin. Only the two observers could see arrows pointing towards the forest, as the grass beneath them was gently flattened.

A chameleon-like ability – this was why Frison, as a random student, had caught Paul’s attention.

The forest was not quiet, filled with the sounds of nocturnal insects.

Paul took out a device similar to a compass. This was a trophy from his last hunt of an official student, a prop purchased with points: it could locate someone whose name was known, usable only three times. It had been used once before; this was the second time.

'Who made Ji Xinghai so confident, using his real name as his ID? This is a chance given by fate.'

Frison watched quietly, wanting to ask but holding back. His chameleon ability had limitations; he couldn’t attack or speak during its use.

But his heart was beating faster than ever, an unsettling signal.

The monsters in this instance were not weak. For Ji Xinghai to be so powerful, he either had a weapon that countered them or a natural ability that did so.

Seeing his weapons were merely a staple gun and an axe, they concluded he must possess a natural ability that countered the monsters. Typically, after using such an ability, there would be a cooldown period, longer for more powerful abilities. This was their best opportunity.

Yet...

Rustle, rustle.

Ahead, the sound of breaking branches and rustling leaves. Both immediately stopped, staring at the direction of movement, gripping their weapons tightly, palms almost sweating.

Soon, a tall, thin silhouette appeared among the green shadows.

Paul glanced at the compass; Ji Xinghai’s position was very close, within bullet range.

Finally, the silhouette emerged, indeed Ji Xinghai. He looked ragged, limping, one hand covering the other shoulder, which was visibly empty. The bandaged wound was stained with blood, as if he had just endured a fierce battle.

Blood dripped from where his fingers covered, attracting bloodthirsty flying insects from the forest. Even a child could tell how battered and weak Ji Xinghai was at that moment.

But his steps were firm, like a true warrior.

Even Paul, who came to assassinate him, was taken aback.

This was someone he could never become, a holy knight from fairy tales, far removed from his reach. Of course, this didn’t stop him from admiring such people.

The more he admired, the more he wanted to kill. The moonlight only made the gutter filthier.

'I will grant you a dignified death, Ji Xinghai.'

Even a god of war forged in battle would be half-crippled with one arm severed.

Paul couldn’t wait any longer. At this distance and under these conditions, even he could hit the target with certainty, without needing to rely on his innate skill again.

He raised his silver-plated pistol, his murderous intent reaching its peak…

"Ahh!"

Almost as he lifted his hand, a massive shadow lunged from the quiet bushes nearby. In the sparse moonlight, teeth colder than knives sank into the vulnerable neck, and Frison heard the sound of bones shattering.

An unexpected turn!

Paul’s smugness froze on his face. Frison stumbled back several steps, falling to the ground, his form slowly revealing itself, eyes wide.

The giant wolf that pounced directly snapped Paul’s neck – in the instant he revealed his murderous intent, Death had already drawn its scythe to reap life.

The lurking giant wolf was faster and more ruthless than Paul’s pistol, which slipped from his hand, unfired, landing softly on the grass.

It was the silver giant wolf over two meters tall, dropping the dead Paul with his neck bitten off, red blood still visible between its teeth.

"Come here." Ji Xinghai called out. The massive creature shook its head reluctantly but obediently approached, its thick fur and muscles rippling like a shimmering lake. Then, under the moonlight, it transformed into a tall man over two meters, draped in wolf skin.

This man handed the silver pistol, which he had somehow taken, to Ji Xinghai and stood behind him.

Ji Xinghai was still the same, his severed arm still conveying pain, but he straightened his back and combed through his hair with bloody fingers, revealing exquisite, blood-stained features, his lips curling into a slight smile. In that instant, the image of the steady and reliable warrior became unpredictable.

In that moment, the towering werewolf became almost invisible.

Frisson stumbled backward, his eyes wide as he stared at Ji Xinghai's youthful and handsome Eastern face.

No warrior would be smiling like an insensible monster in this situation.

Was this person even human?

"Is that a werewolf?" Frisson's lips quivered, his gaze sweeping past the seemingly harmless Eastern face to fixate on the tall and muscular werewolf with his light golden hair, a figure that matched Western aesthetics perfectly.

He could not comprehend what he was seeing.

Why did it seem like this werewolf had been tamed by Ji Xinghai? And what about the severed arm?

Meanwhile, Ji Xinghai had been playing with his handgun. He looked at Frisson and suddenly pulled it back with force before pushing it forward at its peak speed, using inertia to complete the loading process.

The live-stream audience momentarily forgot their anger, cheering: "Isn't that our JiuZhou military's inertia loading technique? So cool!"

Ji Xinghai extended his hand, aiming the gun at Frisson who was still dazed on the ground. Frisson reflexively raised his hands. "Don't shoot! Please, sir, calm down, it wasn't me, I was coerced!"

"Coerced? How were you coerced?" Ji Xinghai's voice carried a hint of amusement, his demeanor appearing gentle, yet only making people feel a chill in their hearts given the circumstances.

Under the threat of the gun, Frisson swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he recounted the deal they had made.

Paul contacted him as soon as the internal channel for students opened. They were both students from the same country, one officially dispatched, the other randomly selected. They agreed to act together while in the dorms.

Their country was fortunate; the randomly selected Frisson was a wild talent with the ability to disguise. It was precisely because of this that Paul took notice of him in this scenario, making him a collaborator.

Their cooperation involved using information as bait to hunt high-level students, striking when they least expected it.

This kind of internal attrition, where "students kill monsters, and we kill the students," was common in the later stages of the Hunger Games, due to the mental instability of the students at that point. However, it was less frequent in the early stages, and students tended not to be too guarded.

So, their first hunt was successful, and they obtained many spoils. Aside from the car, which they couldn't take, everything else belonging to their unfortunate victim was divided between them, including the compass in Paul's possession.

"Am I the second?"

"The... second." Frisson's lips turned pale. Without the success of the first attempt, how could they have dared to confront Ji Xinghai, who now had a reputation among the students?

But neither of them could have imagined that Ji Xinghai was such a terrifying entity.

Frisson didn't have time to ponder how he had exposed himself; he was already terrified by the sight of the decapitated corpse in front of him.

How could there be such a significant difference in strength among officially dispatched students? Could it be true that even NPCs in the scenario could be commanded? Was this a bug?

"The second? What an honor. Did you choose me willingly, or were you induced by someone?"

He softened his tone, giving Frisson the impression that he might survive if he provided a full account.

Thus, Frisson licked his lips, his gaze wandering.

"Who?"

"Armand, his name is Armand, but he used a code name to contact us: Universe's First Lucky."

Ji Xinghai smiled. The handgun in his hand bore the demon-repelling pattern carved by Ji Xinghai himself. Seeing this silver handgun confirmed his involvement.

Even sending out such a distinctive weapon, was Universe's First Lucky certain that he wouldn't survive, or was he openly telling him: "I'm going to ambush you"?

"It was him who told us to find you!" Frisson, having found a second scapegoat, loudly disclaimed all responsibility, trembling. "If it weren't for him, we would never have dared to provoke you, who has done good deeds for the students. He induced us, like a snake. Oh God, I must have been bewitched by Satan."

To avoid death, he feigned regret, crying and cursing himself.

But Ji Xinghai wasn't swayed. He was more interested in Universe's First Lucky. "Did you have a contract with him? What kind of contract? Is it related to Universe's First Lucky's talent?"

Ji Xinghai had been curious about that person's abilities, and now he could get answers. Of course, if he didn't get any, it didn't matter. After all, students couldn't truly die, so there would be future opportunities to interact.

"Yes! We had a contract. If successful, the spoils would be ours, and the glory would belong to him. This handgun was provided by him!"

Frisson now only wanted to survive, so he seized every opportunity. Seeing that Ji Xinghai seemed unwilling to kill him immediately, he betrayed his collaborator without hesitation.

"He used to be a celebrity..."

Actually, Frisson only knew superficial details, mostly because Armand had once been a public figure. But these clues were enough for Ji Xinghai to deduce that this person's talent was to plunder others' luck. Not just from admirers, but possibly also from those he defeated or killed.

Ji Xinghai had studied similar fortune-snatching spells before, but it was rare to see it as a natural talent.

He regretted that the person wasn't present; otherwise, he could have studied him further.

"Gulp."

An inappropriate sound echoed in the scene, adding an eerie element to the tense atmosphere. Frisson swallowed nervously, feeling very hungry since he had eaten very little that evening.

"Gulp, gulp." Frisson hoped to control his hunger, but it persisted, reminding him of his need.

Ji Xinghai watched him for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, then tossed over a round loaf of bread.

"Eat."

"Eat?"