Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Bounty Hunter

After the recent month of chaos and the black mage incidents, as night fell, it became visibly clear that fewer people ventured out after dark. Explorers grew increasingly wary of each other, and the guards at major guilds and warehouses became ever more stringent. Even the special investigation teams adopted a drastically different attitude, cracking down on certain factions and genuinely reforming monopolies, but people found it difficult to revert to their former mindset in such a short time. Instead, black mage incidents only multiplied.

Eastern sector of Jingmen Safe Zone.

Peach Blossom Villa District.

Under the night sky, two dark shadows stealthily advanced.

They easily evaded the patrol teams.

These patrol teams were not low-ranked, averaging level thirty or forty, yet not a single member noticed their presence.

"Goblin, new intel just came in. There are hostile guild members stationed near the target, totaling thirty-two individuals. Among them, there is a ranger around level fifty-seven, and four others above level fifty of various professions. Two are our inside agents; they'll find an excuse to leave in fifteen minutes."

"Additionally, the previous target seems to have a low-level son. The client said if we take care of him as well, there will be an extra reward of twenty million contribution points, and eliminating that level fifty-seven ranger would add another hundred million."

The man in the black robe handed over a watch, displaying images and information.

The other, dressed in custom night attire, both their bodies half-shadowed in the corner, equipped with special infiltration gear in addition to their own skills, remained undetected by anyone.

"Alright, we'll move at eight twenty sharp. I'll lure away the level fifty-seven ranger, you seize the chance to take out the target. We have five minutes to act—after five minutes, regardless of success, we withdraw."

The one called Goblin showed no expression; his speech carried a mechanical, gear-like quality rather than normal enunciation.

"OK." Wu Qi didn't speak, simply gestured an OK to Goblin.

Both Wu Qi and Goblin hailed from the Hanzhong Safe Zone, bounty hunters who had partnered for over five years, typically taking on covert assignments and special missions.

This task was rated low difficulty within their organization—a hit on a priest above forty in level—but the reward was considerable. Despite the distance, Wu Qi immediately accepted the job.

He'd heard whispers about the situation in Jingmen Safe Zone, understanding it as guild annexation. He fiddled with his dagger, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Wu Qi had a peculiar penchant: he especially enjoyed targeting women and low-level children, viewing them as walking contribution points. As a killer, he never observed any 'don’t harm women and children' code.

This time, the targets seemed exceedingly weak, and even their highest-level protector was only a level fifty-seven female ranger. He and Goblin were both level sixty-one. While rangers counter infiltrators to a degree, Wu Qi felt no unease given the level advantage; if anything, he was eager.

In Hanzhong Safe Zone, caution was needed—risk of being surrounded—but Jingmen's overall strength was a notch lower. He was curious what 'country women' would be like.

"This boy is actually quite handsome." Wu Qi swiped to Yi Shen’s photo—new intel added, stating to eliminate him if encountered.

Wu Qi pondered, if he met Yi Shen, he’d make sure to carve a few lines on his face before he died.

He couldn’t stand anyone more handsome than himself!

"Get ready."

Time ticked by. Goblin signaled Wu Qi to prepare; a red aura slowly seeped forth, coalescing into a wolf-like beast of flesh and blood.

His profession was a rare one: Blood Hunter. This beast inherited nearly all his attributes—it could fight as two people!

Under command, the blood beast charged at two patrolling villa guards.

Crack!

Though not large, the blood beast instantly struck down two patrolmen in their thirties, mangling them before they could react. A blood beast over level sixty versus explorers in their thirties—utter annihilation across worlds!

...

"Someone’s coming!"

The moment the blood beast attacked, Jiang Jinying, a ranger by profession, felt a surge of pressure. Rangers possessed a heightened environmental awareness, and she could already smell the blood in the air.

The next second, her communicator received advance warning from guild members.

"Go upstairs to your mother, there’s a specially set array on the second floor—don’t come out." Jiang Jinying put everyone on alert and called for reinforcements from other posts. She’d suspected Anqing would be restless these days, but hadn’t expected assassins to arrive just before the meeting.

As Jiang Jinying spoke, Yi Shen too felt the invisible pressure.

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive explosion rang out in the villa’s training room, blown open by some powerful attack. Jiang Jinying drew her bow, a brilliant, fiery elemental weapon of obvious worth, and switched into a different set of gear—Yi Shen’s first time witnessing a high-level explorer’s combat mode.

Jiang Jinying flashed into the living room, firing an arrow toward the training room. A shadow flickered overhead, struck squarely and halted by the arrow.

To the naked eye, it appeared a special blood-formed dog, staring menacingly at Yi Shen and Jiang Jinying.

"What are you standing there for? This thing’s level sixty-one!" Jiang Jinying’s pupils contracted sharply—she’d detected the blood beast’s level. She’d expected Anqing to send symbolic troublemakers, not a full-on assault by someone above level sixty!

Anyone above level sixty in any guild was a significant figure. Operating such a unique creature implied a special profession. Jiang Jinying’s nerves tensed—if she made a mistake, she might fall here today.

Whoosh.

The blood beast lunged at Jiang Jinying; her arrow flashed with a layer of frost, splitting into four or five projectiles that perfectly intercepted its trajectory.

The frost, upon impact, coalesced into a massive block of ice, trapping the blood beast in an instant!