Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Shrill—shrill—

The prison guard's whistle blew loudly and urgently, its sharp sound echoing from the first-floor cafeteria, as grating as nails on a chalkboard.

The prisoners quickly rushed out of their cells, and the Bald Man was among them. He kept thinking about what the "veteran" had told him. That arrogant veteran had given him five names in total—three for him to handle and two for himself—explaining that it was to give him more opportunities to probe the situation.

Hmph, the Bald Man didn’t buy it.

After the earlier incident where he’d deliberately provoked the use of a Spiritual State, he was convinced of this veteran’s ability, but as for his character? Forget it. He was a hundred percent sure that the other man had already identified which two were the other players but simply wasn’t telling him.

After secretly observing these few people, he became even more certain of this.

No matter. If the other wanted to set a trap, he would play along.

The Bald Man decided: if the other killed the wrong person or got killed himself, he would just seize the opportunity to eliminate the other one; if the other killed the right person, he would take the information and go ally with the two hunters who came in later.

Anyway, he couldn’t lose. Hmph, trying to take down two people at once? He should see if he could even manage it.

While he was secretly observing those few people, the other two players hidden among them also noticed something was wrong.

"Someone’s watching us," said the player with prisoner number 2311, whose Spiritual State was a Message Bee. He looked meek on the surface, but his Spiritual State had already flown to the ear of another prisoner, number 2244.

The two were long-standing partners, among the top in strength in their department. They hadn’t been able to participate in last year’s Department Chief selection due to unforeseen circumstances, and this time they weren’t really aiming to become Department Chief—it was more about making up for a missed opportunity in their college life.

Still, both were quite confident in their abilities and had even fantasized that if one really became Department Chief, the other would be appointed Vice Chief.

Prisoner 2244 asked, "Could this be the Chief?"

"Not sure, doesn’t look like it. But I heard the Chief has a very aggressive fighting style, likes to attack proactively—could be him."

"That’s nonsense," 2244 said, exasperated. "As the prey, taking out two hunters right at the start is already way too aggressive."

2311 fell silent.

2244 said, "Wait for me to test it out."

2311 replied, "Be careful."

"Got it," 2244 loaded his system gun at his waist, glanced toward an unoccupied area, and headed that way. "Leave the Message Bee with me for now, no need to worry too much."

The prisoners on each floor were assigned to different labor areas. Those on the second floor were all sent to the sewing workshop, crowded and bustling, with old-fashioned pedal sewing machines clicking and clacking incessantly. 2244 found an excuse to ask the supervisor for permission to go to the restroom. Seeing this, the Bald Man, who had decided to keep an eye on things, followed him.

2311’s eyes darkened. And in a place no one noticed, an ordinary-looking prisoner who had been quietly keeping his head down and blending in with the crowd also quietly put down the fabric in his hands and stood up.

The Message Bee remained attached to 2244’s ear, so 2311 could still sit calmly in his spot. He lowered his head, seemingly focused on his work, but his heart was entirely fixed on the Spiritual State at his ear used for communication.

"Agh!"

A blood bead the size of a red bean instantly welled up on his fingertip. Distracted, 2311’s finger had been pierced by the long needle used for threading. He frowned at the deep cut on his finger, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease and restlessness.

Just as he was about to lose patience with this ominous premonition, a shocked cry burst from the Message Bee’s abdomen at his ear: "It’s you—"

Before 2244 could finish, a gunshot—clean and sharp like the sweep of the God of Death’s scythe—ended everything.

A cold system voice followed:

"Hunter Chen Wenju eliminated. A new hunter will join in 5 minutes."

The chair legs scraped loudly against the floor as anger and shock instantly seized 2311’s heart. His partner’s sudden death made him lose all reason.

Ignoring the yelling of the overseer guard and the whip cracking through the air, he stood up with a dark expression and turned around. He saw the Bald Man, who had been secretly watching him and 2311 from the start and had just followed his partner into the restroom, running out as well. Rage surged in him, and he immediately raised his gun, convinced the Bald Man was the one who had killed his partner.

—If he had calmed down, he would have realized how coincidental it all was, and how the Bald Man’s running posture seemed more like fleeing than attacking. The expression on his face was less vicious and more a distorted mix of panic and sudden hope.

But it was too late.

The Bald Man had just entered and seen 2311’s body, dead but not yet dissolved by the system, lying on the damp, dirty restroom floor with wide-open eyes.

The system announcement that followed was like a hammer blow to his head, leaving the Bald Man utterly confused.

How... how could a hunter be eliminated?

And the veteran who had proposed an alliance to him still held his gun, not putting it away when he saw him enter but instead turning it slightly and smiling at him: "See?"

When this veteran hunched over, he looked no different from any other numb prisoner in this prison. But when he smiled, that ordinary facade suddenly radiated a hard-to-ignore brilliance—refined, calm, in control. No matter how stupid the Bald Man was, he could no longer fail to recognize the other’s true identity.

Investigation Department Chief, Lorca Oliver.

The restroom relied on a half-unscrewed white light bulb on the ceiling for illumination, but at some point, heavy shadows had taken over most of the ceiling, casting thick darkness indoors.

The Bald Man, who had been confident that even if he encountered Lorca, he could fight to the death, instantly lost all courage. Trembling, he took two steps back. Seeing Lorca’s finger tightening, he didn’t stop to consider whether he or the bullet was faster—he let out a scream and bolted.

As soon as he exited, he saw 2311 standing up, distraught.

Yes... yes, he remembered—these two had been close from the start. They must have also formed an alliance—they were both hunters!

And if he could just run over... he’d be saved!

The Bald Man was like a traveler pursued by a tiger, suddenly seeing a hunter with a rifle and thinking he’d found hope for survival. Without looking back, he tried to run over. In his panic, he neither noticed that Lorca hadn’t come out to chase him nor that the hunter’s gun wasn’t aimed at the tiger but at him, unarmed.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out.

Two system voices sounded one after another, echoing over the competition.

"Hunter Zhou Donglie eliminated. A new hunter will join in 5 minutes."

"Hunter Meyer eliminated. A new hunter will join in 5 minutes."

Over by the canning assembly line, Luo Wenzhou and another later arrival looked up in shock at the ceiling, completely stunned as to how the remaining three hunters from the first round had been eliminated in just a few moments.

The chat room exploded:

"Incredible!"

"Did none of these people do any research before starting? Wasn’t this move used last year too?"

"Classic tactics never get old."

"That rookie should have fought back. At least he wouldn’t have died so miserably." "Give him a break... Even I felt creeped out just watching. Don’t be too hard on the newbies."

Eve didn’t even bother joining the chat room excitement, instead thoughtfully staring at Lorca’s back. When the Bald Man suddenly fled, Lorca had already exited through another restroom door. The Wall-Imprisoned Serpent moved faster than him, dragging over a prison guard who had been choked unconscious.

Lorca didn’t mind that the guard had been dragged along the ground by the snake. He took off his prison-issue military green jacket and changed into the guard’s black uniform.

This person’s talent was more suited for the Command Department than the Investigation Department.

Eve's brows furrowed slightly. To her knowledge, the previous class of the Command Department hadn't produced any outstanding students, either in ability or family background. If Lorca had attended, he would have easily become the top student.

Although it was commonly rumored that the eldest son of the Oliver family had ended up in the Investigation Department for an easier path due to his poor physical health...

She glanced at the Wall-Imprisoned Serpent lounging lazily on the chair beside Lorca. If she had only sensed something strange before, she was certain now—there was some kind of connection between the Wall-Imprisoned Serpent and Lorca, allowing them to share senses, or at the very least, vision.

Every move Lorca made had been under Eve’s watch. She was absolutely sure he hadn’t had any chance to observe the other contestants from outside.

Recalling the days and nights she’d spent with the Wall-Imprisoned Serpent by her side, a shadow passed over Eve’s delicate features.

She couldn’t tell whether Lorca had revealed all this deliberately or unintentionally—was it a reminder, or a warning?

Now fully dressed in a guard uniform, Lorca quickly handed over his duties to the other guards. Prison labor was divided into several categories: the sewing factory, the cannery, the livestock farm, the cafeteria, and off-site mining operations. External assignments could be ruled out. Among the remaining four, Lorca didn’t head straight for any particular one but went first to the surveillance room.

Using the guard ID he had obtained through a surprise attack, he unlocked the door and entered. As he rewound the security footage, Eve immediately understood his intention.

With two hunters eliminated right at the start, the remaining ones would naturally become more cautious in hiding. But as the top student of his department, Lorca undoubtedly knew his peers inside and out. From the beginning, he had intentionally used the swift elimination of two hunters to throw the newcomers into chaos, making them instinctively panic. Then, exploiting the bond between partners, he killed one, provoking the other into a rage that led him to mistakenly kill a fellow hunter—a newcomer.

With three hunters eliminated almost simultaneously, the two latecomers, no matter how well they concealed themselves, would inevitably show signs of unease. Now, Lorca was scanning the crowded camera feeds, trying to pinpoint those two anxious hunters.

It was hard to say how much was coincidence, but Lorca’s own strategy played a major role. Eve stood with arms crossed, watching coldly, yet inwardly admitted that if he were her opponent, her journey so far might not have been so smooth.

The scrolling footage suddenly stopped. Twenty-seven screens froze at the same moment. Lorca’s eyes remained fixed on one screen as he murmured, "Found them."

He drew the standard-issue pistol from his waist and turned to leave the surveillance room.

Less than three minutes later, another series of system announcements echoed.

"Hunter Luo Wenzhou eliminated. A new hunter will join in 5 minutes."

"Hunter Lewis eliminated. A new hunter will join in 5 minutes."

"Only one contestant remains in the match. Results will be automatically calculated. The match will end in 10 seconds. No new contestants will be added during the countdown."

Perfect timing—just thirty seconds before new hunters were scheduled to arrive.

Eve leaned against the wall inside the surveillance room, her eyes locked on the young man on the screen. Though his appearance was ordinary, he stood out starkly among the crowd. Dressed in a guard’s uniform, he stood calmly amidst a sea of black-and-white prisoner uniforms and army-green coats, yet Eve felt an inexplicable irritation.

In the final three seconds of the match, the young man at the center of the screen suddenly moved. As if sensing someone watching through the feed, he lifted his head and stared directly into the corner camera.

"A-f-t-e-r t-h-e m-a-t-c-h, d-o-n’t l-e-a-v-e."

His lips curved slightly. The cold, ruthless young man from the match now wore an almost shy smile.

"W-a-i-t f-o-r m-e."

Eve could read lips, so she understood every word—but it only deepened her surprise and confusion.

Before he could convey anything more, the system completed the countdown.

"Match over."

The same disorienting spin followed, and everyone—contestants and spectators alike—was ejected from the simulation hall. With a soft thud, Eve steadied herself, feeling slightly dizzy, mentally cursing the simulation chamber’s flawed ejection mechanism with six complaints. After leaning against the wall for a moment, she pushed the door open and stepped out.

Outside, a girl with chestnut hair and a small camera hanging around her neck was passing by. Eve’s sudden emergence startled her, and the girl jumped back like a frightened rabbit.

"......" Eve thought the girl had impressive reflexes.

But once the girl got a clear look at who had startled her, her eyes widened abruptly. Her face flushed, and she stammered, "Uh... classmate, are you... are you Eve from the Mecha Department?"

Eve: "?"

She quickly searched her memory, confirmed she had never seen this person before, and replied cautiously, "Um... yes, that’s me. What is it?"

"Oh my god, you actually came to the Investigation Department to watch the Chief selection? This is really..."

Before the girl could finish, a bright, cheerful male voice called out, "Eve!"

Both turned to see Lorca approaching quickly, a dark green scarf draped over his arm. His face was still flushed from the simulation. Without hesitation, he swept Eve into a tight embrace, exclaiming joyfully, "You really came to see me."

Eve stumbled slightly, caught off guard. "Huh?"

Why so excited?

Then, managing to peek out with her blue eyes from within Lorca’s arms, she noticed the chestnut-haired girl had gone silent, her expression now subtle and hard to read.

Eve: "???"