Chapter 957
Chapter 957 - 943: Spring Hunt
1,448 words
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8 min read
The courtyard nowadays is a far cry from before.
Under Lu Ping’an’s manipulation, a mist separated the various areas; some constructions were "public areas," while others were restricted to "insiders."
And now, in the most crowded marketplace, Fate Lion Man Damu was no longer the sole commander in charge.
"It’s not easy for us to come here once, and everyone knows about the crisis we encountered this time, that new strongman doesn’t play by the rules at all..."
"We’ve lost many of our people."
"That bastard..."
This world’s exorbitantly priced "entrance ticket" didn’t deter their eagerness to spend... Life was almost gone, so naturally there was no need to think too far ahead.
With some people’s deliberate manipulation, the leaders of the Refugee Camp encountered another side of their indebtedness in this world: indeed, their combat power and weapons had been enhanced.
More importantly, here they had received reinforcement, guidance.
"That’s Zhao Yan, our most valuable hunting target. He’s a real Rule-level strongman, and extremely dangerous."
The speaker was Li Zibing from the "Crown of the Dragon," a professional trophy hunting organization.
Because of his expertise, he naturally became the leader among the human hunters... The first time he appeared here in human form, he nearly directly challenged other ethnic groups offline.
The hunters then realized that the people from Blood Feast already had a bunch of mortal enemies here, and the unlucky ones from the Refugee Camp also found out that someone had traveled far and wide to kill Blood Feast members... The two sides naturally hit it off, agreed on a contact method, and carried out several offline collaborations.
The hunters, aware of the situation, speculated whether the owner of the Secret Realm also participated in this hunt and afforded them a certain degree of trust (there were Ancient City informants).
They each had significant debts and in the past could hardly afford the ticket... but today, people had come in the greatest numbers.
"Has it started?"
"Based on the time, it should already almost be time... Hopefully, everything will be safe for him."
"How about Mr. An Nan’s side? He wasn’t alarmed, was he?"
"No... I guess what you’re asking is whether he has changed his attitude towards us as a result. Uh, for now, it’s alright, he seems to be able to understand."
It’s probably unclear who’s fishing and who’s being fished.
The planner of this "fishing" operation wasn’t Lu Ping’an, at least not in their eyes; as far as they were concerned, "Lu Ping’an" simply didn’t exist.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
They had merely communicated and determined that Zhao Yan, a grave threat, must be eliminated, or everyone would be doomed sooner or later.
And this time it was both a probe and a deadly trap... All of those present had entered the courtyard at the same point; hence, if they were to leave, it would be from the same point as well.
If they could lure the prey to that "target point," and then everyone leaves together, it would naturally form an encirclement.
This kind of "extraplanar surveillance" was also one of the tricks they employed using the courtyard... Whether it would be effective or not, they’d know after one trial.
But the prerequisite for carrying out this plan was still to see the chance of victory.
No one is foolish; no one wanted to take on a mission that was certain death.
"Did the probe come back with any information?"
"...They’re still fighting."
"Why is it taking so long..."
Present were the big bosses from various teams; they were the organizers of this hunt but also the front-line main force.
The fugitive that made the news was their bait.
The temptation of a fugitive’s Blood Food for the people of Blood Feast was well understood by their opponents, but that alone wasn’t enough to draw out Zhao Yan personally; the key was "Mr. An Nan’s generous reward."
This gentleman was truly lavish in his spending; when he said a reward, he meant throwing money at it... In these days, who among the outsiders wasn’t short of money? Zhao Yan had moved to a cheaper inn and had become even more irritable as a result.
More importantly, it was an opportunity to "claim a reward" and get a meeting with Mr. An Nan.
Before, Zhao Yan didn’t know the situation; he didn’t know who in the local area was reliable to talk to... Now he wanted to meet Mr. An Nan first, but he couldn’t even see the man.
In this world, it’s not enough just to be able to fight... If you dare to make a move in the city, they would dare to call the police on the spot.
This was not about Mr. An Nan being pretentious; everyone knew he was the most approachable person, it was just that there were "bad people" in power.
Those from the Blood Feast were obstructing Zhao Yan from meeting Mr. An Nan... The ones who know the criminals the best are always the criminals themselves.
His "Gift" was directly destroyed; his calling card was "lost" outright, and everyone tacitly forgot about him. After a few hours in the reception room set up in the outer district, he got fed up and could only leave.
By now, since Mr. An Nan had offered a substantial reward, Zhao Yan naturally came to try his luck, which also gave the surrounding hunters an opportunity...
"...It has begun."
The battle had already erupted.
The moment that "victim" showed a trace, his chances of survival were probably gone.
But when Zhao Yan actually appeared, what awaited him was not a lone "fugitive"... A team intercepting him hindered Zhao Yan.
Since they were already outside the city, both sides naturally began to fight fiercely.
The strength of this batch of teams was not bad, with several Great Knights (Decree-level strongmen) amongst them, who could hold off the enemy for some time.
This was fishing, a probing... If it really was a super-giant whale, everyone would naturally cease their pursuit and return to their own homes.
"...No news is the best news."
This was not platitudes to comfort people, but the agreed-upon battle plan.
If Zhao Yan was too strong, then someone would come in to report, and the plan would be immediately scrapped.
And now that the time had come and there was still silence, this undoubtedly meant everything was going smoothly.
"The people from the Blood Feast said that although he is at the Rule-level, he has not advanced long ago and hasn’t even made up his foundational abilities..."
Even if the hunters didn’t share information about Zhao Yan, the Blood Feast people in An Nan’s estate passed it proactively to their old rivals in the Refugee Camp.
The reason was simple: the competitors from the Refugee Camp were a limited threat, whereas Zhao Yan came to "have dessert."
Knowing each other too well, they guarded against each other, each trying to hold the other back.
But Zhao Yan was too discreet and mysterious; even the people from the Blood Feast didn’t know exactly what tactics and strategies he would employ...
"...It’s about time."
Everyone had to wait patiently, prepared to face a formidable enemy.
Their confidence came not just from their own strength but from being armed to the teeth with various equipment in the courtyard.
Blood Coagulation weapons were abundant, everyone possessed quality near-Contamination weapons, and many had chosen to awaken their Beast bloodline; they were absolutely sure they could defeat three of their yesterday’s selves.
"He’s here!"
Finally, the agreed-upon signal arrived, relayed by the signal soldier.
One after another, figures disappeared from the courtyard; even the weakest of this first wave of Vanguard soldiers were Decree-level and battle-hardened.
Their goal was to "probe Zhao Yan’s depth" and create an opportunity for the second batch of assassins, a team comprised of leaders from various ethnic groups.
They were confident they could hold out, force Zhao Yan to reveal his ultimate moves, and maybe even resolve the issue directly...
"...They’re dead, all of them!" The messenger who was transported in was completely bewildered, as everything had happened far too quickly.
Twenty minutes later, the first trial hunt was confirmed a failure.
All six Decree-level strongmen and their twelve assistants involved in the siege were killed in battle, with the total combat lasting six minutes and seventeen seconds.
And the next day, Lu Ping’an personally went to the battlefield.
— End of Chapter 957 —