novelraw Chapter 160: Battle Royale, You Are the Prey
Chapter 160: Battle Royale, You Are the Prey
Lu Ce: ?
For a moment, he felt a bit confused. Lu Ce searched his mind and could confirm—he didn’t know this person.
This is a foreign land, and still part of the game. How did someone suddenly jump out and tell him to get in the car?
Who even are you?
“Mistaken identity, maybe.”
After saying that, Lu Ce casually touched the cold mask on his face and thought, wait, that can’t be right. How do you even mistake someone when they’re wearing this mask?
“Heh, quit the nonsense, bro. Get in first, we’ll talk later.”
Lu Ce looked at the bald brute—his face was all rough, and you could even see some tattoos near the shoulder area. No idea what they were of.
The guy didn’t sound polite at all. It didn’t sound like he was trying to pick up passengers—more like he was giving Lu Ce an order.
If you were a little timid, you might think you just ran into some gangster.Lu Ce: ?
Listening to this weird conversation, Lu Ce sized up the driver and thought—he’d been in the game for a while, but hadn’t met such a bold contestant in a long time.
Did he recognize me? Or is he an NPC? No normal person would act like this.
Lu Ce didn’t hesitate. Once he put on the mask, there wasn’t much left to be afraid of. Just getting in a car. Not like he had any money on him anyway…
He casually pulled the door open, didn’t say another word, and got in.
“Where to?”
The driver really sounded like a driver, asking.
“The soundproofing’s decent in here. Cut the act. Just say what you gotta say.” Lu Ce said.
“You tell me where first!”
The driver started the meter right away, sounding super impatient.
Lu Ce: ......
“If you don’t say anything, I’m just gonna drive wherever.”
And without waiting for Lu Ce’s answer, he started the car on his own and began weaving through the street.
Once the car started moving, the guy started speaking again. His voice was loud, like he was reciting something.
“In the history of our nation, we admire the spirit of the samurai.”
“Battle, honor, death.”
As he spoke, he lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth.
“I don’t like the smell of smoke,” Lu Ce said.
But the guy acted like he didn’t even hear it and just kept talking:
“Back in the ancient Warring States period, our ancestors had a way of dealing with prisoners—release them. Of course, within a designated area.”
“And the samurai would use their skills to track, hunt, and kill.”
“That was the best form of training, and it also gave the prisoners a chance to survive. After all, as long as they didn’t get caught, they were fine.”
Lu Ce sat in the back seat and said nothing. He didn’t know where this cab was headed, but listening to the guy ramble, a thought occurred to him.
—Don’t tell me this is a game storyline.
Up to this point, nothing had hinted at game content. Is this an in-game NPC? Talking to me?
After all, if he could recognize me and wasn’t even scared of the mask on my face... then maybe he really is an NPC.
......
“Time passes, the world changes quickly. That way of doing things no longer exists. But we have to admit, it was a great method of selection.”
“So now, in the modern world, we have a new opportunity—to recreate this game between samurai and death-row prisoners. Or should I say, between hunter and prey.”
“And this time, the prey—foreign outsiders—have all been carefully selected. They have both brains and brawn. Should make the game more exciting.”
“We’ve given this real-life game a name—Tokyo Battle Royale!”
After he finished, the bald guy paused, then exhaled like he was relieved and said:
“Ugh, f**k! That part’s really a pain to say. I can barely memorize it, but it’s required.”
“You’re a player, right? That background story, that’s the game’s lore. You guys.....”
As he spoke, the bald guy glanced in the rearview mirror.
But the moment he looked, he almost screwed up the gas and brake, nearly flipping the car!
Right above his head—there was a gun pointed straight at him!
?!
“Wait! You.....” The bald guy was stammering.
“What’re you scared of? Aren’t you the game’s NPC?” Lu Ce also felt a little weird at his reaction. “Forget it. I told you, I hate smoke.”
A fierce glint flashed in the bald guy’s eyes, and he actually ignored Lu Ce’s words completely—he picked up the cigarette and took another drag!
“Chill out. I know you’re a player, but there’s no need to be so worked up.”
“The game guaranteed it—during pickup, you can’t hurt me. Besides, I haven’t finished talking. If you attack me now, it won’t benefit you.”
Heh.
Lu Ce sneered inside. So what? It’s not my first game. I straight-up killed the guide NPC in the tutorial last time, and the game still went on just fine.
A smile gradually crept onto Lu Ce’s face, like he’d found a fun new toy.
“Nice. If you’re not even scared of me, of course you wouldn’t fear a gun. Looks like this island nation’s still got some gutsy folks.”
Just as Lu Ce finished speaking, the gun went off!
The muzzle twisted slightly—Hell Roar instantly turned the cigarette in the bald guy’s hand to ash, and blew a hole straight through the car door beside him!
Bang!
With a loud bang, the whole car shook. The driver hit the brakes hard, his fingers burning in pain, and turned around with a shocked look.
“You m*therf**ker!... You psycho!”
“Huh?” Lu Ce was confused too, touching his mask. “You seriously don’t know?”
Am I not that famous in Japan?
But Xie Antong said “Sin” is world-famous.
He even sees himself online all the time.
Bald Guy: ?
He was completely stunned by that reply. There are actually people like this?
The busted car turned into a nearly empty alley. Lu Ce said with some curiosity:
“What, you really don’t recognize me?”
“Should I?” The bald guy looked fierce, but remembering what Lu Ce had done earlier, he was still a bit wary. “Besides, all your faces are under basic disguise.”
“Disguise?”
“Yeah. So you prey don’t stand out too much on the street. No matter how you looked before, outsiders see you all as regular Japanese folks.”
“Who are you? Some kinda famous player?”
The bald guy looked at him cautiously through the rearview mirror.
“Oh, I see.” Lu Ce nodded, pulled up the game interface—and hit cancel.
Wearing the mask was just a way to separate game and reality. Other than that, there’s nothing to hide.
In the rearview mirror, the office worker face of the Japanese man disappeared. The light shifted—and a devil’s blue Lust Mask appeared in its place.
“Hello,” Lu Ce said.