novelraw Chapter 34: Sea of Darkness - (34)
Chapter 34: Sea of Darkness - (34)
The “Danger Avoidance” inherent ability was upgraded to “Absolute Prediction.” According to the Game System’s talent description, Kui Xin’s frequent use of intuition to make accurate predictions about future developments prompted her inherent ability to advance.
This confirmed that the fleeting thought in her mind—that the suspect in the Cultist murder case was targeting her—was not unfounded paranoia but an existing reality.
The murderer had come to Tonglin City specifically because of her.
What was his purpose? Why did he want to find her?
From where did he learn of her existence?
After returning home, Kui Xin entered the bathroom and took a shower.
Water cascaded from the showerhead onto her head, seemingly cooling down her feverish thoughts.
According to the police’s wanted notice, Kui Xin learned that the suspect in the cultist murder case was named Fang Zhi. She was absolutely certain she had never crossed paths with anyone by that name before.
If it weren’t for the system-issued mission, and if Fang Zhi hadn’t tainted Kui Xin’s life, their destinies would have resembled parallel lines, never intersecting.
Their only point of connection was “mission.” Kui Xin decided to hunt down Fang Zhi; he became her chosen prey. The moment she accepted the mission and set her target, their relationship ceased being strangers and transformed into that of hunter and prey, merging their destiny trajectories together.As she was merely an unknown stranger, why would Fang Zhi seek her out?
They had no grudges or conflicts of interest, but Kui Xin was absolutely certain that Fang Zhi’s visit meant nothing good. As a cultist of an evengelical god, there was no way he crossed the distance to Tonglin City just to befriend her, right?
Kui Xin could only analyze Fang Zhi’s intentions from her own perspective, trying to understand his motivations.
She traveled to Jinshui City because Fang Zhi was there, intending to kill him.
Now, at this critical juncture, if Fang Zhi has come to Tonglin City, is it also for murder? Does he intend to kill her?
That would indeed be intriguing.
The catalyst for Kui Xin’s murderous intent was the task issued by the Game System. What prompted Fang Zhi to come to Tonglin City with the intention of killing her?
This situation cannot be explained by coincidence; when multiple coincidences align, they become inevitable.
Assuming Fang Zhi’s goal is to kill her, what reason ignited his desire for murder?
In this world, hatred and murderous intent do not arise without cause. Kui Xin pondered deeply, but she couldn’t recall any instance where she might have offended Fang Zhi to such an extent that he would resolutely travel far, undeterred by police pursuit, just to reach her city.
Could it be that the game system also assigned a task to Fang Zhi? This seemed unlikely.
Typically, the Game System’s tasks provide only vague directions, whereas Fang Zhi’s objective was strikingly clear—he had come directly for her. The hypothesis that the system assigns him a task doesn’t hold much weight, but it’s not entirely impossible… Kui Xin decided to keep this idea at the back of her mind.
Kui Xin and Fang Zhi had no prior connections whatsoever. Even if she assumed there were intersections, they could only exist within some future timeframe.
It couldn’t possibly be that Fang Zhi foresaw their enmity in the future, prompting his desire to kill her now, right?
Wait… does that explanation somehow make sense?
Kui Xin’s heart skipped a beat.
She turned off the shower head, grabbed a towel to dry her hair, got dressed, left the bathroom, and picked up her phone to call Su Rong.
“Hello? Rongrong, I have something important today, so I won’t be able to give you your lesson this afternoon. How about making it up next week?” Kui Xin asked.
Su Rong’s cheerful voice echoed from the phone: “Sure, Sister Xinxin! Yay! I get an extra day off now. My parents are at work, and I was thinking of inviting you over for lunch today—we can order takeout.”
During the day when her parents were at work, Su Rong typically ordered takeout for lunch.
Kui Xin, a diligent and responsible teacher, was concerned that Su Rong might lack self-discipline and not properly tackle her math problems. After some thought, she said, “I’ll bring you a set of my third-year high school notes containing collected mistakes. There are several question types from what I covered yesterday; make sure to review them carefully.”
“Okay,” Su Rong replied. “I definitely will go through them thoroughly.”
“Oh right, the security situation hasn’t been great lately. A murderer has escaped and is currently on the loose. Did you see this morning’s news?” Kui Xin cautioned, “Don’t open the door for strangers.”
“I know, I’m already eighteen!” Su Rong smiled.
Su Rong was likely a player, and despite her young age, she seemed quite astute with tight discretion and virtually no noticeable flaws in her behavior. If Su Rong had received a regional quest, she would naturally be vigilant without needing Kui Xin’s reminder.
Near Su Rong’s home, there was a large supermarket offering a wide variety of kitchen utensils. Kui Xin planned to visit the store in person to select a reliable knife, and delivering Su Rong’s math notes was merely an additional errand.
Glancing at the delivery information, she noted that her online-purchased Damascus kitchen knife would arrive earliest by tomorrow morning. With today being entirely devoid of buffer time, she couldn’t afford to be without a suitable weapon, as Fang Zhi was present in Tonglin City and danger lurked nearby.
By the time Kui Xin finished her shower, it was only 9:30 PM. She retrieved her third-year high school notes from the bottom of her box, tucked them under her arm, and headed out.
Upon reaching the large mall near Su Rong’s home, Kui Xin first went to the household goods section to select a knife.
The mall appeared to be running a kitchenware promotion, and an enthusiastic saleswoman introduced various models of kitchen knives. After listening to her explanations, Kui Xin checked the material labels on the packaging, tried out the sample blades herself, and finally proceeded to pay for her choice.
The selected knife was reasonably priced, with a relatively low cost but decent craftsmanship. Its material didn’t match Damascus steel; instead, it was made of an ordinary alloy. Nonetheless, it should suffice for handling one day’s needs.
After making the payment, Kui Xin walked to the restroom and removed the knife’s outer packaging. She then slid the blade into her waistband, concealing it beneath her clothing. Feeling the firmness against her hip, Kui Xin instantly felt a surge of increased security.
Having a weapon within reach versus not having one significantly altered her sense of safety, allowing her to momentarily breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhi once again visited Su Rong’s residential neighborhood.
He found a blind spot on the surveillance cameras and stealthily climbed over the fence while no one was watching.
The Huntress will undoubtedly arrive today. Following the previous timeline, she would arrive at the girl’s home this evening.
To avoid encountering the Huntress directly, Fang Zhi arrived early at Su Rong’s residence. Firstly, he wanted to prevent another situation like last time, where they crossed paths head-on, risking immediate elimination. Secondly, it gave him plenty of time for interrogation and information gathering.
Reflecting on his mistakes, Fang Zhi realized that his biggest failure before was not obtaining the Huntress’s real name and address. This time, he was determined to extract this intelligence by force. After all, she was just a high school girl; during their first encounter, he hadn’t had the chance to employ brutal interrogation methods. He believed the girl wouldn’t withstand his questioning, even with slight pressure.
Fang Zhi had considered alternative ways to obtain the Huntress’s information without resorting to torture, but he genuinely couldn’t think of any other method. He couldn’t just stake out at the neighborhood entrance and chase her, could he? The lesson from his prior attempt made it clear that tracking was futile—the Huntress was too perceptive. His amateurish tracking skills were akin to a child’s play before her, easily detected with minimal effort.
Moreover, Fang Zhi dared not repeat the sacrifice ritual to divine the Huntress’s location from the gods. He struggled to endure two consecutive exposures to the madness-induced whispers in such a short span of days, and he feared killing too many people, which might hasten the Huntress’s pursuit of him.
His objective was to extract information, solely information.
Once he obtained it, he could kill Su Rong. When the Huntress arrived at Su Rong’s home, she would find a gruesome corpse. What expression would the Huntress have then? Fury, hatred, or collapse?
However, by that time, it would be too late. He planned to escape well before the Huntress reached Su Rong’s house, hiding somewhere safe until the Death Cycle reset count decreased. During this waiting period, he could investigate the area near the Huntress’s residence and selectively eliminate those around her. Letting her witness each person close to her perish, powerless to intervene… Alternatively, kidnapping the people close to the Huntress may be a viable option. His goal was to slowly torment her psyche, driving her to a breaking point where she’d scream in despair.
The roles of prey and hunter were about to reverse! She would no longer be the hunter, unable to toy with him like a cat chasing a mouse!
After the Death Cycle reset was completed, Fang Zhi intended to steal a gun and send the Huntress straight to the afterlife using a single magazine’s worth of bullets.
When he thought of this scenario, Fang Zhi nearly burst out laughing uncontrollably.
With a grin plastered across his face, Fang Zhi approached the building below Su Rong’s apartment and cautiously entered through the fire escape stairs.
Suddenly, his smile froze.
He spotted the Huntress descending the stairs. As she lifted her head, their paths crossed unexpectedly.
Fang Zhi cursed inwardly, “Damn it, why isn’t this woman following the normal timeline?”
———
“Are you really not staying for lunch?” Su Rong asked. “I ordered fried chicken for lunch, and eating a whole one by myself feels a bit indulgent. It’s perfect to share between two people. I also got stir-fried rice cakes and milk tea.”
“No, I really have something to attend to,” Kui Xin politely declined. “Maybe next time.”
“Alright.” Reluctantly, Su Rong took a chilled can of cola from the refrigerator and handed it to Kui Xin. “It’s hot outside; this will help cool down.”
“Thank you.” Kui Xin opened the door. “Make sure to copy the problems you missed yesterday into your error notebook. Don’t forget to review the marked mistakes I pointed out; during our next class, I’ll assess… Hmm, and remember, don’t open the door for strangers. I’m off now; goodbye.”
“I know, when ordering food delivery, I always ask them to leave it outside and only retrieve it after they’ve gone.” Su Rong waved. “Goodbye, Sister Xinxin.”
Kui Xin turned and descended the stairs. As she reached the corner between the second and first floors, she suddenly noticed a man with his face obscured by a sun hat standing still at the staircase entrance.
Having narrowly escaped death multiple times, her assessment and anticipation of danger had become nearly instinctual.
Kui Xin had read criminal investigation books that taught her how to perform profiling analysis on individuals.
In just one brief second, Kui Xin unconsciously applied the knowledge she had learned to profile the man before her.
His arm muscles were well-defined, indicating he possessed considerable strength. His walking pace was somewhat hurried and disorganized earlier, but his footsteps were not heavy; instead, they sounded light and brisk. It seemed as if some joyful event had immensely excited him, causing even his pace to appear buoyant.
Kui Xin’s temple throbbed, sensing something amiss. She cautiously probed, “Are you a resident here? How come I’ve never seen you before?”
Fang Zhi suppressed his trembling reaction and asked, “Is this Building 15?”
Just as a mouse encountering a cat would instinctively feel fear, Fang Zhi unexpectedly experienced a similar sensation when facing the Huntress.
The situation had developed beyond his expectations. The woman standing before him could apparently leap outside the predetermined timeline—her actions seemed uncontrolled by fate. According to the established sequence, she should have arrived at Su Rong’s home around dusk, but now she appears earlier than expected! How could this happen?!
“Building 15 is next door; this is Building 14.” Kui Xin scrutinized him.
“I’m here to visit my father-in-law for the first time and got lost due to unfamiliarity with the area,” Fang Zhi forced a casual laugh, striving his utmost to maintain a nonchalant demeanor. “Thank you for directing me.”
Kui Xin stood on the stairs, looking down at him. “Sorry, I misspoke earlier. Building 15 isn’t actually next door.”
“Huh?” Fang Zhi was taken aback.
“Are you sure you remembered correctly? This neighborhood doesn’t have Building 15,” Kui Xin said. “Why don’t you call your father-in-law to clarify? Once you confirm the building number, I can guide you there.”
Fang Zhi fell silent.
His heart couldn’t help but race uncontrollably. He suspected that the Huntress had already grown suspicious. He hadn’t fully familiarized himself with the layout of this neighborhood, and he didn’t know that there was no Building 15.
The Huntress knew, yet she deliberately mentioned it as being next door.
Fang Zhi realized he had made a poor response.
“No need…” Fang Zhi barely managed to keep calm. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you. I’ll try finding it myself.”
Feeling intimidated, Fang Zhi knew he couldn’t confront the Huntress head-on because he had exhausted all his Death Cycle chances. Any further deaths would be permanent.
Fang Zhi turned to leave, striving to make his steps appear less hurried and panicked. However, Kui Xin followed like a silent specter, constantly behind him. When he quickened his pace, she matched it; when he slowed down, so did she.
Throughout their walk, Kui Xin maintained a safe distance of three meters, neither approaching nor distancing herself. She was blatantly tailing him.
Fear, akin to a festering ulcer, gradually penetrated Fang Zhi’s heart.
As he left the residential area, Kui Xin trailed after him. He darted through narrow alleys, attempting sharp turns to shake her off, but she swiftly caught up, moving even faster. Fang Zhi purposely weaved through crowds, hoping to obstruct her line of sight, but upon turning back, damn it—she was still there! Always there! Unshakable, like a haunting spirit!
She was a wild wolf, a predator; once she locked onto her prey, she wouldn’t easily let it go.
His psychological defenses began to crumble. He felt like a weak and pitiful little rabbit, pinned underfoot by the wild wolf. It seemed as though she wasn’t going to devour him immediately, merely licking her sharp teeth with anticipation.
Kui Xin shadowed him for about a minute, quickly confirming his identity.
He was Fang Zhi, the suspect in the Cultist murder case.
In criminal investigation studies, there is a discipline called “pace analysis,” which involves analyzing the suspect’s walking style, foot movements, and footprints to effectively track them based on their characteristics. Kui Xin had read about this subject, and with her inherent ability “Rapid Learning” assisting her, she grasped its theoretical concepts. This was her first time applying theory to practice.
Earlier that morning, Kui Xin had viewed the surveillance footage released by the police, and Fang Zhi’s pace closely resembled that of the man ahead of her now.
Combined with his suspicious behavior and remarks, Kui Xin was nearly certain of his true identity as Fang Zhi.
Feeling cornered like a trapped dog, Fang Zhi’s steps became increasingly erratic.
Suddenly, he turned around, standing in the middle of the busy street, and shouted hoarsely, “Lunatic… You’re a lunatic!”
“I’m not the lunatic; you are. How does it feel to have killed your wife, child, and parents?” Kui Xin stood firmly in place.
“Hah.” Fang Zhi spread his arms wide and said, “You’re afraid of revealing your identity, aren’t you?”
The Huntress always went out fully armed, but in her hometown of Tonglin City, she hadn’t had the chance to disguise herself, allowing him to glimpse her true appearance.
“You’re scared too; our fears are equal,” Kui Xin stated expressionlessly.
At that moment, they were positioned at the roadside amidst heavy traffic, separated by a distance of three meters.
During their conversation, pedestrians passed by them, and both Kui Xin and Fang Zhi silently maintained their distance, facing each other from afar.
“Dare you to kill me on this street with so many people watching?” Fang Zhi growled menacingly.
“Can you afford to prolong this confrontation with me?” Kui Xin sneered, “I’m a law-abiding citizen; you’re not.”
“If you call the police, I’ll shout right here that you’re a player.” Fang Zhi’s eyes turned crimson. “Even if I die, don’t think you’ll escape unscathed—you’re no longer wearing any disguise now!”
“…No disguise now?” Kui Xin repeated it, puzzled by his statement.
The word “now” held immense significance. In contrast to “now,” there were “past” and “future.”
Her expression shifted from confusion to subtlety, finally arriving at realization.
“I understand; it’s actually like this… So it was like this,” Kui Xin murmured, grasping the situation. “This is your superhuman ability.”
“Can you predict the future?” she whispered to herself. “No, it doesn’t seem that straightforward; there’s something slightly off, missing a certain nuance… Your ability is more than just predicting the future. Then what could it be?”
Fang Zhi stepped back, utterly terrified.
It was just one sentence; he had merely used the wrong word, yet the Huntress seized upon it as crucial.
“I find this quite intriguing… How come you’re so fearless of death? Why did you come to Tonglin City, and why do you target me?” Kui Xin asked. “To be honest, you… are rather inexperienced. Your mental resilience is lacking, and it seems you don’t possess much combat skill either. Just following you for a short while has scared you witless. Why are you so confident—confident enough to seek me out despite the risk of death? If you could truly see the future, shouldn’t you have anticipated my abilities? I don’t consider myself weak. Yet you still came, undeterred by the fear of dying.”
The Huntress pondered deeply. “Hmm… You can’t really be fearless of death, can you?”
Fang Zhi could no longer maintain his composure, his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost.
When she drowned him in the fountain pool last time, the Huntress had uttered these same words:
“You can’t genuinely be fearless of death, can you?”
Her perceptiveness had reached an almost supernatural level!
Kui Xin thought briefly. “It appears we’ve reached a stalemate. You don’t want your identity exposed, and neither do I.”
“What do you propose we do?” Fang Zhi’s voice sounded hoarse.
“Let’s spare each other, alright?” Kui Xin smiled. “We won’t interfere with one another; let’s part ways from here on.”
Fang Zhi exclaimed joyfully, “Agreed!”
This was exactly what he desired. Once his Death Cycle resets, nobody will be able to harm him. He would remain hidden in the shadows, while she would still be exposed in the light. If he wanted to orchestrate something, wouldn’t it be effortless for him?
Moreover, Fang Zhi believed he had identified Kui Xin’s vulnerability—she feared her identity being exposed!
“Well then, I suppose we’ve reached an understanding,” Kui Xin said with a smile. “You can leave now.”
Fang Zhi stepped back, followed by two more steps, and upon seeing that Kui Xin had no intention of pursuing, he broke into a frantic run.
Kui Xin remained standing there, unmoving.
Once Fang Zhi turned around a corner, Kui Xin muttered under her breath, “Idiot.”
Fang Zhi was a novice with virtually no tracking skills, whereas Kui Xin was a seasoned double agent. Tonglin City served as her familiar territory, and she possessed the extraordinary ability of Shadow Shuttling. If she genuinely intended to tail someone, nobody could detect her—not even that fool Fang Zhi.