novelraw Chapter 162: We're all prey? I'm the hunter!
Chapter 162: We're all prey? I'm the hunter!
The bald guy stared at the eerie blue mask right in front of him, almost touching his face, and was already a bit dazed.
Right now, all he felt was regret, discomfort, and a strange illusion of wanting to die.
He had never been one of the Chosen.
As a mafia boss, of course he wanted to join the Chosen’s Game, and he had confidence in himself.
This time, as a local contestant from Japan, he was selected to act as a support player tool, and afterward, he'd have the chance to become a player himself.
And then he ran into “Sin” right at the start!
What kind of “excellent” matchmaking mechanism is this!
Why did it have to be Hell Mode from the get-go? It completely crushed his enthusiasm to join the game.
Got shot in the head twice—though he was fine, it felt like he just took a stroll through the gates of hell.
And staring at that blue mask now, he didn’t feel safe at all. He didn’t think the game had any intention of protecting him.This guy, ranked number one in the world, made him feel like he could get tortured at any moment.
Right now, he was like a little bunny, didn’t even dare to smoke anymore, nodding obediently, promising to behave.
“Alright, let me ask you something—are you married?” Lu Ce asked.
“Huh? Uh, not yet.” Though he didn’t know why that question came up, the bald guy still answered honestly.
“Who the h*ll cares whether you’re married or not!” Lu Ce suddenly shouted.
Bald guy: ?
Huh?
Totally dumbfounded, he saw the guy patting his own mask and muttering to himself.
“Emmm... better ask something useful.”
“Sigh, what a shame. If I had been able to trigger that system loophole just now, the reward could’ve been even higher...”
“Regretful... should I try twisting his head off? It's just that I can’t use the gun...”
The bald guy didn’t dare speak. Sitting there like he was on pins and needles, having no clue what kind of fit this boss was throwing.
“Alright, this is boring. I’ll just follow the plot like usual...”
The way he said it made it sound like he was genuinely disappointed.
“This whole hunter-and-prey game thing... so, how many players are in it?”
“Uh, as the prey, there should be a hundred players, and they’re all fairly strong. No weaklings!”
The bald guy quickly responded, not daring to put on airs, and even added some extra intel for free.
That’s the effect of Lu Ce’s opening two shots—though they didn’t hurt, they shattered all of the guy’s schemes.
“A hundred, huh. Funny. Maybe there’s a shrinking zone mechanic or something. Hope there’s no copyright issue.”
Lu Ce muttered something totally off-topic, then sat down grandly in the middle of the back row and said:
“Alright then, I’ll be the hunter.”
“Uh... no, according to the game’s initial settings, you’re prey.”
“Nope. I’m gonna be the hunter.” Lu Ce shook his head. “Game rules are just for laughs. I’m the hunter.”
“No, but... that’s how the game starts. You’re the prey, not the hunter!” the bald guy said.
“Go talk to the game devs. Tell them I’m the hunter,” Lu Ce replied.
Bald guy: ?
He turned his head stiffly, looking utterly confused at the blue mask—he had nothing to say.
Is that... something you can negotiate?
“What? Got a problem? Better speak up honestly...” Lu Ce said in a low, creepy voice.
“It’s not about problems, it’s just... that’s not even possible.”
The bald guy’s eyes were totally vacant. In that moment, he started seriously reconsidering whether he wanted to become a player at all.
Those players who met this guy in past games must’ve been seriously unlucky.
“Looks like time’s almost up. Just let me explain first,” the bald guy said, giving up on trying to follow “Sin’s” logic. He could only stick to his own script.
“The hundred selected players will be the prey. Their mission is to survive for 24 hours.”
“Whether they’re killed or their beacon is destroyed, both will be treated as death and a mission failure.”
“Anyone who survives the full 24 hours will be considered to have cleared the game.”
“Also, the fewer people remaining at the end, the bigger the reward share for each survivor. And be careful—if your beacon is lost, even if it’s not damaged, you won’t get any reward at settlement.”
Once the bald guy finished speaking, Lu Ce’s game panel gave a ding and a message popped up.
【Task: Survive 24 Hours!】
【Countdown Begins!】
Seeing that, Lu Ce didn’t need to test anything else. It looked like that really was the game.
But the only question was—Tokyo, is it really that scary?
He glanced out the window at the calm, peaceful sky. A Hell Mode game, and the mission is just to stay alive...?
For this 24 hours to be a real challenge, it would need at least two nuke-level crises, right?
As he kept thinking, the smile on the blue mask grew wider and wider. The bald guy sitting in front of him felt completely creeped out.
“All prey. We’re all prey... then who’s the hunter?”
Lu Ce asked the driver, looking genuinely curious.
“No idea. The game didn’t say.”
Just as he answered, Lu Ce’s hand was already on his neck, tightening slightly.
“I really don’t know! The game really didn’t say!”
“The only thing it mentioned was that the hunter’s power is overwhelming, and no player should even think about facing the hunter head-on.”
So it’s not a person?
Lu Ce thought to himself, then suddenly shook his head hard.
“No, that’s not right!”
The way it was worded was way too vague—it gave no real answer. And the task only said to survive. Nothing else.
Who knows if what this bald guy’s saying is even true?
A battle royale... and still no sign of who the hunter is.
But at the end, the bald guy had said it loud and clear: the fewer people left, the higher the reward.
And something about the beacon... that’s obviously the point system token, meant for stealing.
The Greed Mask was especially sharp when it came to this stuff. He knew for sure—there was something wrong with this game. No telling who the final hunter really was.
But it couldn’t possibly be as simple as the bald guy made it sound.
And from a maximizing-profits perspective, there’s no way this game is just about hiding out for 24 hours.
“No... not right...”
From under the blue mask, a muttering voice kept leaking out.
“Heh... a trap, huh? Still, pretty interesting.”
“Alright, from now on, I’m the hunter!”
As if he’d made up his mind, Lu Ce stretched and laughed out loud.
Bald guy: ??