18: Chapter 18 The Hunter

He utilized the complex terrain of The Stone Forest, weaving between the stone pillars like a ghost.

Wind direction, shadows, echoes.

Everything was a weapon.

"Come out, you little bastard! Come out if you have the guts!"

Captain Black Snake leaned against a stone pillar, his twin blades held protectively in front of his chest, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

He couldn't find Lin Fan's position.

The surroundings were filled with the sound of howling wind and the noisy thumping of the fat guy hitting the ground, which severely interfered with his hearing. The youth seemed to have merged into The Stone Forest—present everywhere, yet nowhere to be found.

This fear of the unknown was more torturous than a head-on fight.

"I'm settling the bill."

Lin Fan's voice was elusive, sounding as if it came from all directions.

"E-Rank Twin Blades, market price 12,000. If you don't resist, I can give you a quick end and guarantee not to damage your gear."

"Bullshit!" Captain Black Snake roared and threw a flying knife toward the source of the voice.

Clang! The flying knife struck a rock, sending sparks flying.

No one was there.

It was an echo.

"What a pity." Lin Fan's voice appeared directly above him this time. "Since you won't cooperate, you can only be counted as consumables."

Captain Black Snake snapped his head up.

In that instant, he saw a pair of eyes.

There was no killing intent or anger in those eyes, only a cold, scrutinizing gaze, as if evaluating the value of merchandise.

Lin Fan leaped from the top of the five-meter-high stone pillar. Using his gravitational potential energy, his battle blade became a silver waterfall, slashing down toward the man's head.

"Get away from me!"

At the critical moment of life and death, Captain Black Snake exploded with his full potential. He crossed his twin blades upward, attempting to block this thunderous strike.

But he had underestimated Lin Fan's blade.

And he had further underestimated the terrifying explosive power brought by the B-Rank Talent, Vajra Skin.

Crack!

The refined steel twin blades that had accompanied him for three years let out an overwhelmed wail the moment they made contact, shattering instantly.

Lin Fan's momentum didn't slow. The blade's edge sliced across Captain Black Snake's chest, drawing a mist of blood.

"Ahhh!!!"

Captain Black Snake let out a miserable scream as he rolled backward, crashing heavily into a pile of rubble. A deep wound that exposed the bone ran across his chest, the flesh mangled and shocking to behold.

"This is what they call a professional mercenary?"

...

Meanwhile.

Jianghai City Third Hospital, VIP ward.

Wang Teng leaned against a soft pillow and glanced at the limited edition Patek Philippe mechanical watch on his wrist.

10:35 AM.

"Based on the time, it should be about over."

Wang Teng picked up a glass of red wine and took a sip, a cruel smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

He had contacted the Black Snake Squad through his family's secret channels. In a place like the outskirts, killing two people was as simple as killing two ants.

He closed his eyes, and his mind began to sketch a beautiful picture: that penniless Lin Fan having his limbs broken, kneeling on the ground like a dead dog begging for mercy, while that fat guy was chopped into mincemeat to feed the mutated beasts.

"Fight with me? You're just a street vendor—how can you fight me?"

Wang Teng hummed a little tune and happily opened the class group chat, ready to enjoy the "bad news" that was about to arrive.

...

The Stone Forest.

The battle was nearing its end.

The burly man had been beaten into questioning his life by the fat guy's Chaotic Wind Staff Technique. Finally, Lin Fan caught him off guard and stabbed him through the thigh, leaving him wailing in pain on the ground.

Only Captain Black Snake remained.

He leaned against a giant rock, his face as pale as paper. The intense pain in his chest made every breath feel like he was swallowing razor blades.

It was over.

Everything was over.

Looking at the youth approaching like a god of death with a blade in hand, Captain Black Snake finally understood the meaning of despair. This was no F-Rank Trash; this was clearly a monster in sheep's clothing! That control over the battle's rhythm and that indifference toward killing were not things a high school student should possess!

"Don't... don't kill me..."

Captain Black Snake clutched his chest, his voice hoarse. "I can give you money... I have money..."

"Money?"

Lin Fan stopped and tilted his head, seemingly considering the proposal seriously. "How much do you have?"

"Fifty... fifty thousand! It's all in my card!" A glimmer of hope ignited in Captain Black Snake's eyes.

"Fifty thousand..."

Lin Fan sighed and shook his head with some regret. "That's too little. If I kill you and turn you into a blind box, with good luck, I might get your famous technique, Snake Shadow Steps. That's worth two hundred thousand."

Turn him into a blind box?

What kind of crazy talk was this?

Captain Black Snake felt a chill rush straight to the crown of his head. This youth was a lunatic! A total lunatic!

"You forced me..."

Captain Black Snake's gaze suddenly became incredibly venomous.

Since he couldn't live, they would die together!

His hand suddenly reached into his coat and pulled out a thumb-sized glass bottle.

The bottle contained a strange red liquid. The liquid was as viscous as boiling lava; even through the glass, one could almost smell a sickeningly sweet, metallic scent.

*Gulp.*

The dark red medicinal liquid rolled down past his Adam's apple.

Captain Black Snake's skin instantly turned red like a cooked shrimp, and dark blue veins bulged wildly on his forehead and neck like twisting earthworms.

"Roar!"

An inhuman roar exploded.

His originally withered aura instantly surged, even surpassing his previous peak state. A Berserk Potion—burning life potential in exchange for three minutes of extreme explosive power.

This was a desperate gamble.

"Die! All of you, die!"

Captain Black Snake's eyes were blood-red, and his fingernails grew three inches long. Like a beast, he dropped to all fours and lunged off the ground.

Boom! Rubble flew everywhere.

His speed was more than twice as fast as before. He turned into a crimson afterimage, lunging straight for Lin Fan's face.

Lin Fan didn't meet him head-on.

He had already moved the moment the other party swallowed the potion.

His footwork was strange and varied; his body was like a boneless sheet of paper as he slid past a massive stone pillar.

Bang!

The stone pillar was crushed by Captain Black Snake's claws. Rubble struck Lin Fan's face, causing a sharp pain.

"Strength and speed have increased. But IQ... has dropped to zero."

Lin Fan calmly gave his assessment internally.

At this moment, Captain Black Snake was like an out-of-control mad bull. While his strength was great, he had no technique.

"Three minutes."

Lin Fan silently counted down.

He moved quickly through The Stone Forest, constantly changing directions using the complex terrain. Each time, he avoided those lethal claws by a mere hair's breadth.

This wasn't running away.

This was walking the dog.

With the explosive power from Vajra Skin, Lin Fan's short-distance directional changes were incredibly fast. He was like a patient matador, repeatedly baiting Captain Black Snake into crashing into the hard rocks.

One minute.

Captain Black Snake's breathing began to grow heavy, and beads of blood seeped from his red skin.

Two minutes.

His movements showed obvious stiffness—a precursor to muscle fibers tearing.

Two minutes and fifty seconds.

Captain Black Snake suddenly stopped, his body swaying violently. The effects of the potion were fading, and a massive backlash hit him like a tide. The hollow sense of weakness made it difficult for him to even stand.

"Now."

Lin Fan stopped in his tracks.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned, sprinted, and drew his blade.

The movements were as smooth as flowing water and as fast as a thunderclap.

A flash of clarity appeared in Captain Black Snake's originally blood-red pupils—it was the fear of death. He wanted to raise his hand to block, but his arms were as heavy as lead.

"In your next life, check the guide before taking a job."

Lin Fan's voice rang in his ear.

Pffft.

The Alloy Battle Blade traced a hauntingly beautiful arc.

A large head flew into the air, and blood erupted from the severed neck, staining the grayish-white rocks red.

At the same time.

A dull thud sounded not far away.

Zhang Hao, his face covered in blood, slammed his mace hard into the head of the burly man with the broken leg.

"Die... for me!"

The burly man's head exploded like a rotten watermelon.

The battle was over.

The wind howled, carrying a thick scent of blood.

"Blegh..."

Looking at the headless corpse on the ground and the red and white matter stuck to his mace, the physiological reaction after the adrenaline faded hit the fat guy instantly.

He threw away his weapon and crouched on the ground, dry-heaving violently as if he wanted to vomit up his own bile.

This was his first time killing someone.

Lin Fan sheathed his blade.

He walked to the fat guy's side and handed him a bottle of mineral water.

"Rinse your mouth."

Lin Fan's voice was flat, with no emotional fluctuation. "You'll get used to it. It's no different from slaughtering pigs. Besides, they're worth more than pigs."

The fat guy took the water, his hands still shaking.

He looked up at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan was skillfully looting Captain Black Snake's corpse. Stripping clothes, searching pockets, taking the watch. The movements were seamless, as if he had practiced them countless times.

That indifference toward life made the fat guy feel a sense of strangeness, but even more so, an inexplicable peace of mind.

In this dog-eat-dog world, if you aren't ruthless enough, you won't be able to stand firm.

"Found it."

Lin Fan pulled a black waterproof bag from Captain Black Snake's inner pocket.

Inside, besides three Anonymous Cash Cards containing twenty thousand alliance coins, there was a package of powder wrapped in waxed paper.

The powder was an eerie blue color, and the packaging was printed with a striking white skull.