17: Night Hunter

“Hey, why can people from the High Molecular Compound Zone dictate the lives of people from the Seed Zone?” These words appeared in Xu Jingzhe's mind.

System: “Ding, Seed, Seed. It’s simple, you people are just seeds for the High Molecular Compound Zone.”

Xu Jingzhe's heart sank, and a chill went down his spine. He said, “You mean…”

System: “Ding, yes.”

It felt like a large stone was pressing on his chest, and Xu Jingzhe took deep, gasping breaths.

He understood, he understood.

Poor seeds.

He gave a bitter laugh for a long time, his desolate voice echoing like a lonely wandering spirit.

The education he had received in the orphanage collapsed, and his idea of becoming a member of the Star Vanguard Exploration Team was so ridiculous.

Your dreams, in the eyes of others, are not even worth an ant.

“Can they still be saved?”

Xu Jingzhe was no Mary, just empathetic.

Without the System and Zhang Manyue, his corpse might have been gnawed by zombie dogs, leaving nothing behind.

As if… he had never existed in this world.

System: “Ding, they can’t be saved. What’s done is done.”

“Since that’s the case, then let them rest in peace.”

System: “Ding, they won’t rest in peace even if buried.”

“What do you mean?”

System: “Ding, how do you think zombies came about? These people will become zombies before long.”

“Burying them or not makes no difference.”

“Damn it! This goddamn Pollution Zone…” Xu Jingzhe stood up and cursed loudly, feeling like he was about to get sick from anger.

He cursed for a full twenty minutes before collapsing weakly to the ground.

Strength, he needed to become strong!

He would control his own destiny.

The sun rose in the east, fiery red, its light casting a hazy glow on Xu Jingzhe’s profile.

He rubbed his eyes and looked towards the horizon.

So… the Pollution Zone could see the sun.

Even knowing that these two would become zombies, Xu Jingzhe still found stone fragments and dug a pit. He dug from morning until noon, his hands blistering, the blisters bursting, and blood appearing, but he still didn't stop.

He just wanted to give them a ‘home’.

The pit was dug, they lay side by side, and he filled it with earth.

“I hope we never meet again,” Xu Jingzhe murmured.

“Let’s pay our respects too.” Just then, a voice came from behind Xu Jingzhe.

His heart jumped, and he quickly turned around to see five people.

Three men and two women.

Each had their own unique characteristics.

Xu Jingzhe could confirm that a pollution core had definitely condensed within these people’s bodies.

After the five bowed, the man in front stepped forward, a smile on his face, trying to appear as friendly as possible. He said, “What’s your name?”

“Xu… 9527.”

“9527.” The man mumbled the number, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. He extended a hand the color of stone and said, “Wang Ning.”

Xu Jingzhe grasped it, shivered, it was so cold, and quickly let go.

“How long have you been in the Pollution Zone?” Wang Ning asked.

“About twenty days.”

“Were the two who died your friends?”

Xu Jingzhe shook his head and said, “No, I just passed by. I hope they rest in peace.”

“Indeed, only newcomers still have a bit of conscience. But it’s good that they’re not from the High Molecular Compound Zone.” Wang Ning admired Xu Jingzhe.

“Wang Ning, what do you say? Should we take him in?” One of the women giggled, with a hint of charm on her face. She stepped forward and actively took Xu Jingzhe’s hand, caressing it, not minding the blood on her hand. She said, “This kid, he looks really strange. At first glance, he’s ugly, but on closer inspection, he’s ugly-handsome.”

“Oh, the skin on his face is even smoother than mine.” After saying that, she reached out with her other hand and touched it.

Xu Jingzhe’s old face flushed red, but he didn't speak.

She was too enthusiastic.

“Cold Qing, you’ll scare little brother 9527. Besides, he doesn’t even know what we do. Although I like this kid, he has to choose for himself.”

Cold Qing showed no outward change, but if one looked closely, tiny speckled light points were flickering deep in her eyes.

“Little friend, have you heard of the Dark Night Hunter?” Cold Qing asked.

“No.”

“Hehe… We specialize in hunting people from the High Molecular Compound Zone! Just like they hunt us for pollution cores, we’re just counter-hunting.”

“With each hunt, each time we walk on the edge of danger, we’ll grow stronger and stronger. One day, we’ll step out of the Pollution Zone and wreak havoc in the High Molecular Compound Zone!”

As Cold Qing spoke, she became a little agitated, and the grip on Xu Jingzhe’s hand involuntarily tightened, making him shiver in pain.

He couldn't pull his hand away.

No one was willing to be a lamb to the slaughter, especially a Contaminator whose body had condensed a pollution core; their powerful strength allowed them to choose to resist.

“Even someone like me can do it?” Xu Jingzhe was excited when he heard about hunting people from the High Molecular Compound Zone. He thought of Wang Hu and the tester Mike.

He kept the score for those two in his heart.

The young man had a lot of passion with nowhere to unleash it!

However, despite Xu Jingzhe's excitement, in his current state, unable to fight or run, could he really become a Dark Night Hunter?

Is your organization’s requirement for members a little… low?

“You are a newcomer, and we are cultivating reserve forces. In the Pollution Zone, we will protect your safety. Once you grow, you must also contribute to the Dark Night Hunter organization.”

“Okay.” Xu Jingzhe nodded in agreement. Having an organization somehow gave him a sense of home.

Cold Qing put her arm around Xu Jingzhe’s shoulder and pointed to the others: “This is our boss, Wang Ning. The second in command, Brother Beard. The third is me, you can call me Little Third Sister.”

“This is the fourth, Bo Qing. The fifth, the twin-tailed Little Loli, big-breasted and intelligent. From now on, you’ll be our Little Old Six, sixth brother.”

After the introduction, Xu Jingzhe politely greeted them, and they all responded one by one.

“Sixth brother, since you’ve become a member of the Dark Night Hunter, I need to go over the rules,” Wang Ning said, suddenly becoming serious.

Xu Jingzhe unconsciously straightened his body, afraid of misunderstanding.

“First, members of the group help each other. When performing missions outside, you must not abandon your teammates unless absolutely necessary.”

“Second, you must hunt at least five people from the High Molecular Compound Zone each year. Anyone who hunts less than five will be kicked out of the organization.”

“Third, and most importantly, you must not betray the organization. Otherwise… you understand.”

“Understood!” Xu Jingzhe’s eyes were firm.

“Let’s go, Musileke City.” Wang Ning waved his hand grandly, full of heroic spirit.

“B-Brother. I still have some things to get, can we go with me?” Xu Jingzhe asked.

“No problem.”

The six set off together, and Xu Jingzhe no longer felt anxious, fearing encountering zombies and zombie dogs.

“Boss, are we really taking in this kid?” The twin-tailed Little Loli and Wang Ning walked at the back. She was wearing a JK uniform, bouncing as she walked, and asked softly.

Xu Jingzhe, who couldn’t do anything, was a burden, and she couldn’t quite understand.

“In him, I saw a long-lost kindness. We have too much killing on our hands; if we continue like this, we will surely lose ourselves. Fresh blood injected in is like a warm sun in winter, hoping… it can slow down our descent into the abyss.”