Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 156-160

The clown mask was unforgettable, and since there had been previous contact before the game started, Moses recognized him at once—it was the newcomer from the Azure Dragon Squad! But the other party’s words left him confused for a moment—what did he mean by “owing him something and not paying it back”?

However, what Moses didn’t know, Jeffrey and Wells understood all too well. They didn’t even need to see the person; the moment they heard the voice, they knew who it was. Their bodies stiffened for a second. They did indeed owe something—but was he after the so-called withdrawal application, or… their lives?

The distance between the two sides was just over a dozen meters. If someone ran at full speed, it would take only a few breaths. Yet the approaching figure didn’t seem anxious at all. He strolled forward as if walking leisurely in a courtyard, a dagger in each hand, the blades glinting with a chilling cold light, radiating a suffocating sense of fear for no apparent reason.

Blake and Eugene retreated into the room, trying to find something to use as cover. Although even Kenny from the widely recognized strongest team—Team Mogrosa—couldn’t guarantee a 100% hit rate, it never hurt to be cautious. The moment they stepped in and turned on the light, they had barely taken two steps when, without warning, the overhead light suddenly went out.

Not just inside the room—the same happened in the hallway.

The darkness came too suddenly. For a moment, everyone was stunned, and then they immediately reacted—it was just like what happened on the first night! But the Snow Wolf Squad welcomed this turn of events. The flickering light would interfere with vision and judgment, severely impacting those who relied on throwing knives and similar weapons. And since the opponent was alone, they immediately felt they had a significant advantage.

However, while the idea was nice, reality was cruel. Their opponent was no ordinary person—he was someone operating as if with a cheat. Four seconds of darkness was already enough to do a lot.

Jeffrey and Wells supported each other, enduring intense pain to push open the nearest door. Both were injured. The enemy’s throwing knives were terrifying—in just two attacks, not only had they not missed, but both struck lethal points. Every step they took tugged at the muscles near their wounds, causing the embedded blades to grind against their flesh. One was near the heart—the pain was unbearable.

They could no longer be of any help in this battle and could only count on Moses and the others.

The two of them stopped just inside the doorway. Wells gripped the doorknob, about to shut the door. But just as it was about to click into the frame, he suddenly felt resistance—someone was pushing from the other side, trying to get in.

Though it was pitch black, Wells knew without a doubt—it was that clown. He had caught up!

He had experienced the strength of this opponent firsthand in the maze. Even when uninjured, his chances of overpowering the man were slim. Let alone now, when his injuries severely limited his strength. He could clearly feel the door, which was about to close, slowly being forced open again!

No matter what, he couldn’t let him in. If he did, he and Jeffrey were finished!

Wells instinctively threw his entire body against the door. The moment he made contact with the hard panel, the blade embedded in his body shifted with his muscles, unleashing a wave of searing pain. He couldn’t help but let out a low roar, “Ah—”

They weren’t far from Moses and the others, and upon hearing the commotion, someone called out, “What’s going on?!”

Gritting his teeth, Wells shouted back, “He’s outside the door!”

Darkness passed, and light returned.

Wells suddenly felt the force on the door vanish. The other party had retreated so abruptly that he didn’t have time to pull back. Due to inertia, his body slammed the door shut with a loud “bang!” The pain made it impossible to control his body. His footing slipped, and he crashed to the floor. In an instant, a wave of pain radiated from his wound, as if his internal organs were being torn apart by knives. His vision went black, and he couldn’t hold back a scream: “Ahhh—”

Jeffrey followed him down. The two were so close, and had been supporting each other—it was inevitable. He was especially unlucky. He fell on his back, where his wound was. The moment his back hit the ground, the dagger stuck in him—blade and hilt—was driven by the impact completely into his chest, piercing through.

“Ahhh—” His shriek was indescribably painful, sending chills down anyone who heard it.

Outside the door, Moses and the others were locked in combat with the clown. The reason the clown had suddenly pulled back from the door was because they had rushed him, forcing him to defend himself.

Generally speaking, to achieve mastery in one area, a person must invest time and energy. But both are finite—more focus in one area means sacrificing others.

Moses reasoned that since the clown was clearly skilled at throwing knives, he must be weaker in other areas, like close combat. But even if the clown was strong at that too, it didn’t matter. There were three of them. Their skills, reflexes, and experience were all top-tier. They had worked together for years and had excellent synergy. Three against one—they should be able to take him down.

However, when the lights came on and they charged in based on Wells’ intel, dragging the enemy into a fight—it wasn’t as easy as expected. They were performing at their best, coordinating well, yet the enemy was unexpectedly formidable. No matter the direction or angle of attack, he seemed to anticipate them in advance—dodging with side steps, leaning back, ducking, raising arms or legs to block—evading every blow.

Moses launched a strike from the rear corner, but it was blocked by a swinging dagger. With a light clash of metal, Moses felt a tremendous force travel up his arm, numbing his hand so badly that he nearly lost his grip.

Eugene’s punch from the front was blocked by the opponent’s elbow. The force he had concentrated into the punch was somehow rebounded, numbing his entire right arm.

Blake met with the same fate.

The enemy they were facing was like a monster. Though he appeared lean, his body contained unimaginable strength, combined with terrifying agility. It made them feel an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

Then came the screams of Wells and Jeffrey.

Moses signaled to the other two with a look, then glanced toward the source of the noise—the room where Wells and Jeffrey were hiding. Their years of cooperation meant they didn’t need words to understand each other. Blake and Eugene responded with a glance. As soon as darkness returned, the three of them disengaged from the fight. Blake, closest to the door, reached it first. He grabbed the handle to open it but met resistance!

He froze—then cursed furiously, “Sh*t! It’s us! Open up!”

There was no response, and the resistance remained.

Just then, Moses and Eugene also reached the door. Moses said coldly, “Push it open!”—clearly not caring what was happening inside, only concerned with their objective.

Blake didn’t hesitate anymore. He shoved hard. The resistance wasn’t as strong as expected—the door swung open. And the moment it did, two more screams rang out—from behind the door—and the sound came from… below?

As the door opened, all three quickly rushed inside. Eugene, the last in, closed the door behind him and backed up two steps to block it with his body. Given the opponent’s strength, Blake followed suit.

But to their surprise, there was no movement from outside. It was completely silent.

The two guarding the door instinctively let out a breath, while Moses frowned slightly in the dark.

The lights came back on quickly. Under the bright light, Blake clearly saw two people lying on the carpet near his feet, bodies pressed close together, their faces pale, foreheads soaked with cold sweat, expressions twisted in pain. Their breathing was weak—only by being this close could one barely detect the rise and fall of their chests.

Blake was shocked and crouched down to check on them.

Wells barely opened his eyes to look at him and said with great difficulty, “So… sorry…” Having danced on the edge of death multiple times, he was well aware of his condition. The wound was fatal, and after being dragged around like this, unless he could be taken to a hospital for emergency surgery immediately, he wouldn’t survive. But there was nearly an hour left until the game ended—he wouldn’t last that long. What awaited him was only death.

Perhaps because he was on death’s door, his attitude softened. Though he hadn’t gotten along well with Moses and the others, his tone was more peaceful now. The final “Hunting Grounds” game hadn’t even started yet, and he and Jeffrey were already dying. When the time came, only three members of the team would remain—their strength would be weakened. And thinking back from the moment they boarded the cruise ship until now, the two of them had contributed little to the team. Though it wasn’t their fault, at a time like this, saying sorry wasn’t difficult.

Beside him, Moses crouched down. Wells tried to call him, “Capta—” but hadn’t yet finished the word when his eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

Chapter 157

The sharp blade, glinting with a cold light, sliced through the throat. The split between skin and flesh was clearly visible, and bl00d gushed from the wound like water.

Throughout the entire process, Moses’s expression remained the same as before—completely unchanged. His gaze was calm, as if it wasn’t his teammate beneath the blade, but rather an enemy, or something else entirely.

Wells was already gravely injured, a spent force. Now struck by this unexpected blow, he could no longer hold on and stopped breathing. Yet his eyes remained wide open, terrifyingly so. The phrase “died with eyes open” could be no more fitting than this.

Blake watched the entire event unfold before his eyes. His pupils suddenly widened, and he jerked his head up to look at Moses, his face filled with disbelief.

“Captain, you…” He began to speak but didn’t know how to continue. However, Moses seemed to understand what he wanted to ask. His gaze shifted from Wells’s corpse to Blake, meeting his eyes calmly for a moment before speaking lightly, “He was about to die.”

Blake thought Moses had more to say, so he waited. But after a long time, the other man said nothing more. Left with no choice, Blake replied, “I know.” That much was obvious—anyone with eyes could see it. “But what does that have to do with you… doing that to him?” For people like them, killing was an ordinary thing, carrying no psychological burden. Yet at this moment, he couldn’t even bring himself to say the word “kill.” It felt stuck in his throat, locked in place, no matter how hard he tried to speak it.

The light above them, which should have flashed every four seconds in its usual cycle, now seemed captivated by the extraordinary scene before it. It no longer repeated its annoying process and instead stayed bright.

Moses withdrew his gaze to look at the dagger in his hand. The blade still bore traces of bl00d. The cold gleam and the warmth of the bl00d intertwined, a sight that made one’s heart tremble.

“The one who initially wounded them was the clown from the Azure Dragon Squad. The later accident only hastened their deaths. Now that the clown isn’t here, the situation becomes a bit complicated. We don’t know how the judges behind the surveillance monitors will determine this round—will the points be counted as serious injury or death for the Azure Dragon Squad? If it’s the former, then they gain only 20 points. If it’s the latter, it doubles to 40.”

“Although their score hasn’t changed throughout, they started at a very high point. If we count 40 points here, that brings them to 390. It’s unclear when they earned those points, but if it was early on, then they might already be holding many number tags.”

“Blake, you should be well aware of our team’s current situation. With two members down, we’re already at a disadvantage compared to other teams as soon as the next hunting game starts. But if we can get a gun, we can at least close some of that gap. So in this game, we must place in the top two!”

There was no need to say anything more—Blake already understood.

According to the game rules, whoever delivers the killing blow earns the points for their team, even if the person killed is their own teammate. Since there was no certainty about how Wells’s points would be counted, Moses, to be safe, decided to do it himself. That earlier statement—“he was about to die”—carried a hidden meaning: if he was going to die anyway, rather than letting someone else benefit, it was better to keep the points for their own team.

Cruel and pragmatic, ruthless in achieving his goals—that was Moses. He came from a faraway snowy country, bearing the snow wolf as his totem, seemingly influenced by that cunning, brutal creature.

Moses had explained himself clearly. However, such an explanation…

Blake looked at him, then lowered his head to gaze at Wells, who had died with his eyes wide open. His chest felt unbearably heavy. Though he had never particularly liked the two newcomers who joined the team later—thinking they lacked the strength to keep up and had contributed little overall—they weren’t complete deadweight. The warm-up game with that clown had ended in a humiliating defeat, even though the rules and format had been changed mid-way and involved other teams. In the end, they had lost, just as they were about to win, and in such an undignified manner.

Wells and Jeffrey had returned to their room after the first round of the game. Although they were both experienced mercenaries, they were complete rookies when it came to the Hunting Grounds. Before joining the team, they even believed the Hunting Game was a mere legend—like buried treasure in the ocean, something to listen to but not take seriously. Before arriving, Captain Moses had briefed them on some aspects of the Hunting Ground. Though the information was fairly comprehensive, it naturally didn’t include anything about newcomers. However, because the opponent was overwhelmingly strong, they mistakenly thought they were veterans like Moses and the others. That clown-masked man gave off such an eerie feeling that even they were shaken. Out of concern, they had asked Moses about the opponent after returning.

At the time, Moses had seemed displeased, though he never wore his emotions on his sleeve. As new team members, Wells and Jeffrey naturally couldn’t read him well, and even Blake had only vaguely sensed that something was off. But he hadn’t thought Moses was upset. He assumed Moses was just troubled by the rule change. After all, rules that had been in place for so long were suddenly upended—no small disruption for teams used to the old system.

When the second round began, Moses’s concerns proved valid. The flickering lights, which should have followed a pattern, were erratic. Hot-tempered Blake had been too busy swearing to notice the change.

But now, after Moses had personally ended Wells’s life, Blake still couldn’t be sure whether it was out of resentment for their earlier poor performance—or simply out of a cold, calculating desire to benefit the team. Because from some angles, what he did wasn’t entirely unforgivable.

They had been teammates for years. Blake always thought he understood those around him well. But now, standing here, it felt like fate was mocking him.

Forget it. This round was nearly over, and the most dangerous Hunting Game still lay ahead. In that stage, the threats weren’t just from other teams but from ferocious beasts and deadly environments. Every step might lead to death, with hell’s gates constantly open for adventurers like them. Whatever else was going on, it had to be set aside. If discord arose within the team, it would benefit no one—not the team, not him. He’d once heard tales from the distant East about a land where “when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.” If the team collapsed, as one of its members, he certainly wouldn’t fare any better.

“Captain, something feels off,” Eugene finally spoke. Since entering the room, he hadn’t said a word, his presence so quiet it was easy to overlook. Not just here—whether during past missions or day-to-day interactions, he’d always been like this, easy to ignore.

As soon as he spoke, before Moses could respond, a low groan came from nearby.

“Ah… W–Wells…” It was Jeffrey, waking from unconsciousness. He struggled to open his eyes. A simple action in normal times now felt like lifting a thousand-pound weight. Even after using all his strength, he barely pried them open a sliver.

The light above was painfully bright. He instinctively wanted to shut his eyes, but his mind warned him again and again not to—if he did, he might never be able to open them again. Before he lost consciousness, he had heard Wells’s scream. His condition must have been bad. And all of it had been because of him. If Wells hadn’t gone back to rescue him despite the danger, he wouldn’t have been injured. One accident after another had worsened his condition. Jeffrey knew he wouldn’t survive. Wells probably wouldn’t either. Still, he couldn’t help praying that Wells would be alright. He could feel Wells’s body pressed closely against his own. He called out weakly, and even that small movement tugged at the wound on his chest, sending a wave of darkness over his vision. If not for sheer willpower, he would have passed out again.

Jeffrey had a keen sense of smell. The stench of bl00d around him was overwhelming—so pungent it was nauseating. But he couldn’t move, not even turn his head. He couldn’t tell whether the smell was coming from his own wounds, from Wells, or both.

Hearing the sound, Blake’s body went rigid. He saw Moses, who had just risen to speak to Eugene, suddenly crouch again. The dagger he had put away was back in his hand. And Moses’s gaze… was fixed on Jeffrey beside Wells.

“Captain, that’s enou—”

Blake instinctively tried to stop him, but the words died in his throat. Moses was already moving. Just like before, the sharp blade slashed across the throat, and bl00d gushed out instantly. Faced with terror, people all react the same—Jeffrey’s eyes widened in disbelief, just like Wells, and he died with that expression frozen on his face.

“What were you going to say?” Moses looked up at Blake after ending Jeffrey’s life. Blake opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing. He merely shook his head in vain.

I wanted to say, that was enough. Wells’s twenty points were already enough. The game wasn’t over yet. They still had time to find more points elsewhere. There was no need to keep cutting down their own teammates.

Chapter 158

“What’s wrong?” Moses stood up as he spoke, looking toward Eugene, who had just brought up this point. The blade in his hand was once again stained with fresh bl00d, the glaring red liquid dripping down the knife and disappearing into the carpet.

Eugene naturally saw this scene as well. Before Moses looked over, he had already lowered his head. His expression appeared as usual, but with his eyelids lowered, it was hard to tell what was in his eyes. “I think the timing of the clown’s appearance is a bit off. We swept through the corridor on our way here. Other than the two people we just took care of, we didn’t see anyone before. He should be alone, and facing our entire team, acting rashly doesn’t make sense. Although it turned out he was indeed strong, able to retreat unscathed even one against five, that actually makes it even more suspicious. If his goal from the beginning was just to earn points, after injuring… the two of us, he should’ve just left instead of staying to fight me, then retreating suddenly in an evenly matched situation.”

“They’ve been ranked first since the points leaderboard was first released, but until now, as the game is almost over, their score hasn’t changed at all. There’s a high possibility that something is wrong with the team itself, isn’t there? So I’ve always felt that what he did was meant to draw our attention away. There might be something hidden in this area—perhaps his teammates.”

What Eugene pointed out was indeed suspicious. Moses nodded and instructed, “Find something we can use for cover, then continue the search. Let’s see what’s going on.” After speaking, he walked directly to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and opened it slightly to peek outside. Only after confirming there was no issue did he step out.

Eugene followed closely behind. As he brushed past Blake, he whispered, “Let’s go.”

“Mm.” Blake replied and gave one final glance at the two corpses on the floor, feeling a strange unease in his heart. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back, crouched down next to the corpses, and reached out to close Wells’ and Jeffrey’s eyes.

“Sorry…”

The words were almost inaudible, fading into the wind.

The group of three continued searching from the room they had been about to go to before the unexpected incident. One room, two rooms, three rooms—everything appeared normal. But when they reached the fifth room, they finally found enough evidence to prove Eugene’s guess was correct: seven corpses scattered around the room—in the bathroom, wardrobe, under the bed, on the balcony… The bl00d around their wounds had yet to coagulate, clearly indicating they hadn’t been dead for long.

The strong stench of bl00d filled the small space, almost suffocating.

“Captain, this…” Eugene looked at the room full of corpses, momentarily at a loss for words.

Moses stood by the wardrobe, looking at the lifeless corpse slumped inside, his expression dark and frightening. After a long moment, he squeezed three words out from between his teeth: “We miscalculated!”

He understood all too well what this meant—Team Azure Dragon had been farming kills! The so-called issue with their team and their stagnant score had just been a ruse to divert attention! No one would have imagined that under these circumstances, they dared to pull off a kill-farming tactic—and actually succeeded!

Seven heads were worth 140 points. Adding that to their original score, Team Azure Dragon’s total instantly jumped from 350 to 510, and with the number tokens they held, their final score could very well surpass 600!

Unless something drastic happened, Team Azure Dragon had already locked in first place for this game!

How laughable—he had still been dreaming of placing in the top two, even first. Yet now, he could only fight with the remaining two teams for second place, and there wasn’t much time left before the game ended. His team was already falling behind.

At 11:30 PM, with only half an hour left in the game, all team rankings were updated once more.

During the final sweep, Team Moon Goddess ran into Team Mogrosa in the buffet restaurant. Neither side wanted to back down, nor did they make the first move. They stood off for several minutes, each side watching the other cautiously while also keeping an eye on the data displayed on the screen, clearly wanting to know the opponent’s current standing.

It would’ve been better not to look. Once they did, they were all stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing.

——
Team: Azure Dragon
Points: 540
Rank: 1
——
Team: Mogrosa
Points: 490
Rank: 2
Team: Moon Goddess
Points: 490
Rank: 2
——
Team: Snow Wolf
Points: 480
Rank: 3
——

They had thought that Team Azure Dragon, once out of the top two, had no chance left—but their score had suddenly jumped by 190 points, taking them from fourth place back to first! What in the world had happened in that short half-hour?!

And on top of that, both their teams were now tied with identical scores, sharing second place!

Bold and Fergus exchanged a glance and took a step back simultaneously.

Fergus spoke first. “You see the situation now. There’s only half an hour left before the game ends. Judging by the latest score update, we’re 50 points behind Azure Dragon. And you should know—they must be holding a good number of number tokens. First place is basically out of the question. Second place is still possible, but the payout is lower. Right now, with both our teams tied and the rules allowing for a shared second place, why not just hold steady like this? What do you think?”

In the face of benefits, there were no eternal enemies. Especially under such special circumstances, Fergus proposing this idea didn’t surprise Bold. In fact, he was quite tempted. Because of that earlier mishap, they had very few number tokens. If it came to a real fight, they might not win. But that was also why he was hesitant—if he agreed, they would inevitably need to disclose their holdings. There was no way to hide how few tokens they had. If it were a partnership between friends, slightly weaker conditions could be overlooked, but his team had never had much camaraderie with Mogrosa. In fact, they had even set traps for each other in the hunting grounds. Under these circumstances, working together wasn’t reassuring.

But giving up still felt hard to swallow.

Bold hesitated for a long time without giving an answer. Then Fergus said, “What? Not willing?”

“It’s not that.” Bold shook his head and said frankly, “We don’t have many number tokens. Are you sure you still want to cooperate?” Rather than guessing what Fergus would do after finding out, it was better to be direct.

But Fergus narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “What a coincidence—we don’t have many either.”

Damn it! They were being played! The Mogrosa team were all mad dogs, biting anyone they saw. As the captain, Fergus couldn’t possibly be any better. This sudden proposal had been suspicious from the start. Why hadn’t he realized it?

In his mind, Bold furiously ripped Fergus into a thousand pieces, but outwardly he remained calm. “What a coincidence! We had more tokens before, but something happened midway and we lost them. What about you guys?”

Fergus, who had previously been all smiles, suddenly dropped the act and grew serious. “Where did you hide yours?” He was clearly referring to the number tokens.

“In the corner under the potted plant in the public area,” Bold replied.

“Ours were hidden in a vase in our room. We went out hunting, and when we got back, they were gone. The area on the fourth floor is huge. One group losing theirs could be a coincidence—but both of us? That means something’s up, doesn’t it?”

Bold’s eyes widened instantly in disbelief. “Are you saying… a scanner?!”

“Exactly!” Fergus nodded. “Aside from that, I can’t think of anything else that could explain it. We just don’t know who has it. Any guesses?”

When Fergus mentioned this, for some reason, the first image that popped into Bold’s mind was that clown-masked man from Team Azure Dragon. Unfortunately, he had no evidence to back up this suspicion, so he could only shake his head. “I don’t know. I just hope nothing unexpected happens. Let’s tally our remaining tokens and try to earn a few more points before the game ends. Snow Wolf is close behind.”

“No problem.”

At midnight, the clock struck twelve, signaling the end of the second game. Across the fourth floor area, every screen switched to an image of a blonde, blue-eyed hostess. Her sultry, seductive voice came through the speakers.

“If you’re hearing this message, congratulations on surviving! …All teams, please head to the entrance to submit your number tokens for scoring and final ranking!”

Those who had been wounded and hiding in fear could finally breathe a sigh of relief. They emerged from their hiding spots and headed toward the exit. With the game over, it meant temporary safety. Under the near-complete surveillance coverage, anyone who dared to make a move now wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise.

Near the end, it was inevitable to run into other teams. Compared to the beginning, not only were there far fewer teams left, but most had suffered casualties and many were injured.

At the exit, when it came time to submit number tokens, Team Azure Dragon immediately became the center of attention. While others took out a few, they brought out a whole bag, tossed it onto the table with a heavy thud. The metal clinking sounds rang softly.

That many tokens—just at a glance, there were no fewer than fifty. There was no need to wait for the officials to tally the results—everyone already knew who came in first.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the final scores were announced. Team Azure Dragon secured first place with 1040 points! Team Mogrosa and Team Moon Goddess, having formed a temporary alliance, maintained their scores and shared second place. Team Snow Wolf fell short by 20 points and ended up in third.

After the game ended, only ten out of the original thirty-two teams remained. Except for the top two teams, every single remaining team had suffered losses. This round had been more brutal than any previous one! Originally, the top eight teams by score would qualify directly for the final hunting ground—but due to unexpected changes, all teams that survived the second round would enter the hunting ground!

Chapter 159

The battle royale game came to an end, and they successfully secured first place as planned. The only unexpected outcome was that Moon Goddess Squad and Mogrosa Squad ended up tied for second place with the same number of points. The number of guns allowed into the hunting ground was thus increased from two to three. These two teams were already troublesome, and now with this development, things would be even more difficult.

The fifty million universal coins and one gun awarded for the second round were delivered as follows: the former was brought to their room fifteen minutes after the rankings were announced by a blonde beauty in a sexy uniform; the latter would be distributed together with the rest of the equipment when the hunting ground game began and they landed on the island.

With this, Xu Shaohuai and the others could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The injuries on him and Song Xiuyuan weren’t exactly severe, but not something a few bandages and a couple of days’ rest would fix either. Fortunately, after the first night, everything had proceeded roughly according to plan, giving them a chance to recover. With nearly two days of rest and Bai Ningxi’s special medicinal salve, their wounds had mostly begun to scab and heal.

Due to the heavy toll this round of the game had taken, the originally scheduled third round was directly canceled, freeing up two extra days of rest. The hunting ground event would last for half a month, and thanks to their VIP privileges and the half-hour early access reward from the first game, they would be able to land three and a half hours earlier than the other teams. By then, they planned to ask Yang Xinyao to pull a few strings to help them avoid other teams for a few days. Altogether, the time should be enough for their injuries to mostly heal.

After that, there was nothing much to worry about. The hunting ground covered a vast area. Though most of it was monitored by cameras, there were just as many blind spots. With both Jing Ling and Yang Xinyao on their side, they practically held an overwhelming advantage.

The game had ended in the middle of the night. In the two days prior, nearly all the participants had been in a state of high alert. Coupled with varying degrees of injuries sustained during the process, they were all now thoroughly exhausted. After the rankings were announced, everyone returned to their rooms and fell asleep almost instantly. They didn’t start getting up again until around noon the next day.

The fourth-floor area, having served as the battleground, was being cleaned by the cruise staff. The buffet restaurant located there was temporarily closed, so the Western restaurant on the fifth floor became the top choice for all the teams, as it was the closest.

Breakfast time had long passed; it was already lunchtime.

Jing Ling and his group took the elevator from the third floor to the fifth, walked through the long hallway, and arrived at the Western restaurant. In the spacious and luxurious room, a few teams were scattered about. Among them were the three members of the “old acquaintances” Snow Wolf Squad. Jing Ling had initially considered going over to catch up, but on second thought decided against it—there would be plenty of opportunities in the hunting ground later, no need to rush now.

They found a spot in a corner and sat down, receiving countless glances from other teams along the way. Most of the looks were simply curious or puzzled, with little hostility. This was because the teams that had survived till the end had had no direct conflicts with them. Xu Shaohuai and Song Xiuyuan had only fought on the first night, wiping out two teams, and they had deliberately spread the story that only Jing Ling had been active afterward. They focused on collecting numbered cards early on and avoided contact with others. Later on, any surviving teams they encountered were also eliminated. In other words, those who held grudges against them were already dead; the ones still alive had never met them, so there was little animosity.

Of course, the Snow Wolf Squad was an exception.

As soon as they sat down, a server came over with menus. The menu was handed to Jing Ling, but he wasn’t picky about food, so he casually passed it to Yang Xinyao beside him, then rested his chin on one hand and stared out the window at the sea in a daze.

It was a rare day of beautiful weather—bright sunshine, a cloudless blue sky. In the far-off distance where sea met sky, the two seemed to blend into one. Sea breezes stirred the waves, rolling them toward the horizon. Unknown seabirds flapped their wings, their agile forms flashing past the window.

Sensing someone approaching, Jing Ling snapped out of his daze. He looked in the direction of the approaching sound to see a team walking toward them, only a few meters away.

Although they hadn’t interacted during the game, by comparing the start and end rosters, Jing Ling could deduce who they were. It was the Moon Goddess Squad. He didn’t know why they were coming over, but that wasn’t his concern—Xu Shaohuai had dealt with them before, so it should be his job to handle it. Jing Ling kept his chin propped on one hand and shifted his gaze, continuing to stare off blankly.

“Fox, hello!”

“Hello, Bold!”

Though they were seated in a corner, the view was still wide open. Plus, the other team’s intent was obvious, so Xu Shaohuai naturally noticed them approaching. The speaker was the captain of Moon Goddess Squad, Bold. Judging by appearance, he seemed like a refined gentleman, but in reality, he was no different from everyone else here—cold-blooded and capable of killing without blinking.

“What do you want?” Xu Shaohuai got straight to the point.

The five of them sat down at the adjacent table. Bold took the seat closest to Jing Ling and asked, “I just have one question: where did you find the sensor?” As to why he asked about the location instead of the person, it was obvious he already had someone in mind. From the way he kept his eyes on Jing Ling while speaking, it was easy to tell.

Xu Shaohuai narrowed his eyes slightly at that. “Why do you want to know? You should know that the sensors have no fixed pattern. Even if I tell you, it’s useless. In the next game, they’ll definitely change the location and method of hiding them.”

Bold smiled. “I’m just curious. I’ve been here so many times, and this is the first time I’ve seen this.” He paused, then added, “You’re really lucky, finding such a great teammate in such a short time, and one clearly favored by Lady Luck.”

Though it sounded like a casual remark, Xu Shaohuai immediately became wary. “I suggest you give up on recruiting him. It’s pointless.” He knew Bold well, not just from limited contact during the hunting ground but from the mercenary world. Moon Goddess Squad was a famous mercenary team with more than just five members. Those selected to participate were carefully chosen. The same went for other teams—most of their info, including member personalities and specialties, could be acquired through special channels.

Xu Shaohuai’s own Azure Dragon Squad was also active in the mercenary world. To cover their identities, they not only completed officially assigned tasks but also took on other missions. The hunting ground was just one among many. However, unlike other squads, they genuinely only had one team.

From the info he had, Bold was known for poaching talent from other teams. The gun specialist currently in his squad had been lured from a second-rate mercenary group.

Though Xu Shaohuai was confident that Jing Ling wouldn’t be swayed, he still found Bold’s behavior irritating.

Sure enough, Bold smiled upon hearing this. “How would you know if you don’t try? Money, jewels, women—everyone has a weakness. Find it, and the deal’s already half done.”

Just as Xu Shaohuai was about to snap back, Jing Ling—who had been dazing off—turned to look at Bold. The latter met his gaze without hesitation, giving him a friendly smile. After a moment of eye contact, Jing Ling simply said, “Leave a contact.”

Xu Shaohuai: “…”

It wasn’t that he suspected Jing Ling of switching sides. After all, his family was back in the country, and they were backed by an entire nation—something no mercenary team could match. He just felt a little embarrassed since he had just told the guy not to bother trying…

Yang Xinyao and the others, who had stopped ordering and were now watching the drama unfold, all turned curious eyes toward Jing Ling. They didn’t think as deeply as Xu Shaohuai; they just instinctively believed Jing Ling wouldn’t defect.

Bold, however, was genuinely surprised. Though this was what he wanted, he didn’t seem pleased. Still, since he had brought it up, he handed over contact info—a throwaway email account, clearly not one that could be traced or exploited.

Afterward, Bold left with his team.

Yang Xinyao asked Jing Ling why he’d done it, and got this response: “Didn’t feel like wasting time arguing with him. We’re about to eat—it’d ruin my appetite.”

Xu Shaohuai felt a bit helpless hearing this. If someone truly intended to switch teams, they’d do it in private. Jing Ling had blatantly asked for contact info in front of him—basically saying, “Don’t even think about it.”

No one else came to bother them. They enjoyed a hearty meal and returned to their rooms to continue resting.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the cruise ship finally reached the sea near the island designated as the hunting ground. Xu Shaohuai and the others, along with other teams, were already on deck waiting to receive their gear before landing—only to be met with an unexpected development. Two people in white lab coats came from the island and spoke a few words to the liaison. The liaison’s expression immediately changed, and he hurried off.

About half an hour later, the organizers released an announcement: due to a sudden incident on the hunting ground that caused severe damage to the game area, the final hunting ground game was canceled. The cruise ship would return the next morning.

Chapter 160

Upon learning that the Hunting Grounds game was cancelled, Xu Shaohuai’s first reaction was suspicion. Although the explanation provided by the organizers seemed reasonable at first glance, a closer look revealed that something was off.

The Hunting Grounds were located on a remote island in international waters, and this game had been held countless times before. Its origins lay in a place of amusement for capitalists, where large numbers of slaves were sent to a perilous island to clear land and construct walls, carving out a safe zone. Then, wild beasts would be captured from other places and released within, artificially creating a site for hunting.

Due to limitations in science and technology, the initial walls might as well have been said to be built with bl00d. The unfamiliar environment, unknown creatures, and poisonous plants—all were explored at the cost of human lives.

When the people tired of hunting beasts, they began throwing slaves and death row prisoners onto the island. Starved, tormented, and covered in wounds, shackled so tightly they could barely run—behind them were devils wielding butcher knives, and ahead, a pitch-black void offering no hope. They struggled forward on pure instinct. Later, even this twisted game of slaughter became boring, and valuing their own lives, the powerful stopped venturing in personally. Thus, the prototype of the current Hunting Grounds was born.

They released both beasts and humans onto the island, providing only minimal resources for survival. The humans had to fend off beasts while guarding against each other, and the organizers merely watched from the sidelines, enjoying the bloodshed.

From the beginning, this was never a proper competition. What the organizers wanted was a bloody, thrilling game. They didn’t care about the lives of the participants. So what if the site was damaged? The game could go on anyway. No matter what happened, their safety was never in jeopardy.

So now, to suddenly cancel the game without warning—of course Xu Shaohuai was suspicious. And not just him—others had similar thoughts. But as people accustomed to high-stakes situations, though they were doubtful, they didn’t show it.

Only a few minutes after the cancellation notice was issued, armed guards on the cruise ship began clearing people from the deck, ordering everyone to return indoors. Whether they stayed in their rooms or used the entertainment facilities didn’t matter, but lingering on the deck was forbidden.

By now it was already afternoon. The sun had begun to set, tinting the sky with a light orange hue.

Xu Shaohuai originally suggested heading to the Western restaurant to get dinner and figure out the rest later. Yang Xinyao and the others had no objections. Surprisingly, it was usually easy-going Jing Ling who had another idea.

“I remember the guidebook mentioned there’s an open-air area on the fifth floor where we can barbecue. Since the last round has been cancelled, we don’t need to worry about anything anymore. Might as well relax. The previous conditions and time limits didn’t allow me to show what I can do—this is the perfect chance for you all to try my cooking.”

Hearing that, Xu Shaohuai didn’t think much of it. The final Hunting Grounds event being cancelled seemed like their mission was now impossible to complete—but that might not be the case. Since nothing like this had ever happened before, no one knew what the outcome would be.

He did harbor doubts about the explanation provided by the organizers, but he also genuinely felt relieved. In theory, they had a significant advantage and a good chance of winning. But no one could be certain that there wouldn’t be some unexpected twist in the end. Yang Xinyao could calculate, but due to Jing Ling’s presence, she was heavily limited.

In any case, there would be many more chances in the future. This time could serve as a warm-up and experience. With what they’d learned, things would go more smoothly next time. As for the fact that both he and Song Xiuyuan were injured—so long as they were alive and intact, it was worth it.

The group made their way through the corridor to the open-air area. Everything needed for barbecuing was already there—they just had to ask the staff to bring the ingredients.

Jing Ling seemed to glance around casually, but in fact, he was surveying the surveillance cameras. He finally located a partial blind spot—a corner where, from any camera angle, his face wouldn’t be visible. He walked over ahead of the others, and Xu Shaohuai, having no objections, followed directly.

Although Jing Ling said he’d let everyone try his cooking, he couldn’t possibly do everything alone. Yang Xinyao got ready to help, but Jing Ling said, “The captain can help me. I asked the staff to bring some playing cards. You and River can play first.”

Yang Xinyao didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just his usual thoughtfulness. She smiled and said, “Then I’ll leave it to you and the captain!”

Soon the playing cards arrived, along with alcohol and ingredients. Bai Ningxi and the others sat in the corner and began playing Dou Dizhu, a highly popular Chinese card game.

Jing Ling took one look and turned back to the grill, busying himself. He had just brushed some barbecue sauce on the meat skewers when he sensed someone beside him—Xu Shaohuai had sat down and was deftly helping him hand over various items.

From the camera’s angle, both had their heads slightly lowered, their faces obscured. From their movements alone, they appeared to be genuinely focused on preparing the barbecue. In reality, they were talking.

“Something wrong?” Xu Shaohuai asked quietly.

When Jing Ling had first suggested barbecuing, Xu Shaohuai hadn’t thought much of it. After the sudden disappearance of the threat looming over their heads, wanting to relax was natural. But once Jing Ling refused Yang Xinyao’s help and asked for his instead, he knew something was up—because he understood Jing Ling’s nature. Whether big or small, if it was something he could handle himself, Jing Ling never liked to trouble others.

Sure enough, Jing Ling’s reply confirmed his suspicion.

“What do you think of the sudden cancellation of the Hunting Grounds?”

Xu Shaohuai was surprised. He himself felt something was off because of his experience—he hadn’t expected Jing Ling to notice as well. Was it instinct?

“What made you think something was wrong?” he countered instead of answering.

“I overheard what the people from the island said to the receiver when we were on the deck,” Jing Ling said calmly.

His tone was light, but Xu Shaohuai was stunned. He had long known Jing Ling’s hearing was far superior to others, but at that distance? Those men must have believed no one could hear them—that’s the only reason they dared speak so freely. And yet Jing Ling had heard.

“The wind was blowing from their direction toward us,” Jing Ling explained. Meaning the wind carried the sound to his ears.

Though there weren’t many people around, Xu Shaohuai still lowered his voice further. “What did you hear?”

Jing Ling brushed another layer of oil on the meat. Perhaps he used too much, and some dripped into the charcoal flames, causing them to flare with a small sound. His voice was layered within it: “Virus leak. There was a problem in the lab. The receiver must be in the know—just from that one sentence, I could basically piece it together. He rushed off to report it to higher-ups.”

Even someone as composed as Xu Shaohuai couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock. He quickly collected himself, and since they were in a camera blind spot and keeping their heads down, no one would notice.

“Virus?! What virus?!” Even though he was controlling himself, his voice still carried surprise. Who could blame him? Not just him—anyone would have reacted the same. They’d been to the Hunting Grounds many times. Yes, it was dangerous, but they all knew where the danger came from—mostly beasts and fellow competitors. Sure, there were other risks too, but never a virus!

Wait—no, something wasn’t right!

Suddenly, Xu Shaohuai realized he’d missed something critical. There were always staff from the game’s organizers on the island—that was a given. Otherwise, who would maintain and operate the surveillance equipment? They couldn’t just ship staff in each time a game started, right? But the people who came from the island just now—they were dressed like lab personnel. Even though they wore long coats, it didn’t fully conceal their outfits! If they were just regular staff, there’d be no need to be so secretive.

Damn it!

He suddenly recalled things he’d previously overlooked in past games. While most deaths had an explanation, there were always a few that were mysterious—bodies that were never found. That was assuming someone from the team survived. If the whole team died, then no one paid attention to the bodies. They had always assumed the bodies were disposed of like on the cruise ship—tossed into the sea or fed to the beasts.

But now, thinking about it—did those bodies really end up in beasts’ bellies?

Xu Shaohuai suddenly wasn’t so sure.

He thought of many things, but in the end, he just sighed, deflated.

Jing Ling noticed the change in his mood and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Shaohuai sighed again and said, “Even if you heard it, it’s actually useless. There’s nothing we can do. The cruise ship is set to return tomorrow morning, and we can’t even get close to the island. Even if we somehow made it there and reached the lab, we still wouldn’t be able to do anything—we know absolutely nothing about the virus they mentioned. If we’re unlucky, we might not make it back.”

Jing Ling’s voice was casual as ever. “I know. I’m just curious, that’s all. Don’t you think my luck’s a little too good? I arrive, and this long-running game suddenly gets canceled because of an accident.”

“You’re the luckiest person I’ve ever met. No contest,” Xu Shaohuai said with feeling.

He still didn’t understand enough—and was easily distracted by the word “luck.” By the time he realized it, everything was already over.