66. Hardcore Negotiation

The white fox moved with incredible speed, her jet-black leather attire blending seamlessly into the dim surroundings of the abandoned factory. Before Chen Shang and his companion could react, she appeared before the old hunter like a phantom, her dagger glinting faintly as it slashed toward his throat.

“Clang—!”

The old hunter reflexively swung his blade to block, meeting the white fox’s dagger in a fierce collision that echoed with a piercing sound.

“This woman’s strength is astonishing—almost rivaling the raging dinosaur!” The old hunter shook his numbed wrist, grumbling.

“That’s right, she’s impressive, isn’t she?” Chen Shang nodded smugly. “She’s exactly the kind of talent I need.”

“This isn’t the time to praise her!” The old hunter had no energy left for banter; the white fox had already regained her balance and was attacking again with a swift swing of her blade.

“You’re a stubborn old man, so annoying!” The white fox launched her ferocious offensive with a manic laugh. “I ought to blow you all to pieces!”

Her tone was riddled with frenzy and malice, making it easy to imagine the twisted, contorted face concealed beneath her mask.

Their clash grew ever faster, daggers colliding in the air like misty shadows, producing a relentless series of sounds.

As an immortal akin to Chu Jianlai, the white fox’s combat abilities had long surpassed the ordinary human limit of “5.” In comparison, the old hunter lacked his favored hunting weapons and was physically outmatched, forced to fight and retreat simultaneously.

“I’ll kill you! Die!” Suddenly, the white fox flicked the dagger from the old hunter’s hand, thrusting her blade toward his chest.

He instinctively leaned back, narrowly dodging the attack.

But before he could regain his footing, he noticed the white fox had halted her assault, instead grabbing the zipper ring at her collar, attempting to remove her leather jacket.

The old hunter was baffled, unable to comprehend why she’d strip mid-fight. Yet Chen Shang instantly recognized her intent.

Once she shed her explosion-resistant jacket, the white fox’s body would uncontrollably begin to detonate. This madwoman planned to take them—and the entire factory—with her!

“Fall back!” Chen Shang suddenly shouted, raising his light crossbow and firing several fiery energy bolts toward the white fox.

Upon hearing Chen Shang’s command, the old hunter immediately leaned back and fell to the ground. The energy bolts whizzed past his forehead and struck the white fox’s shoulder.

The fire bolts exploded on her, releasing brilliant flames. Unfortunately, her clothing was made of blast-resistant material; the bolts couldn’t even leave a mark.

However, the heat from the flames seeped through her protective jacket, reaching her skin.

For someone whose body was in a constant state of explosion, even a slight change in temperature could trigger unpredictable chain reactions.

“Boom—! Boom boom boom—!” Before she could unzip her jacket, muffled explosions erupted from within her, her limbs twisting and contorting as if forcibly blown apart.

“So hot! It hurts—it hurts—it hurts—!” The white fox screamed as she crashed to the ground, her hair standing on end, her body writhing and convulsing violently.

“Go! Grab her!” Chen Shang hurried forward, pressing the dark barrel of his gun to her head.

The old hunter hesitated, then drew a pistol from another boot and aimed it at her skull.

After five seconds, the explosions within the white fox’s body ceased, and her twisted limbs gradually returned to normal.

“Fire bolts?... How did you know... my weakness?” Realizing her defeat, the white fox lay motionless on the ground, her voice raspy.

“I know not only your weakness, but also that your body is constantly collapsing, and that you desperately need a gene repair serum to heal yourself,” Chen Shang said with a smile. “But rest assured, I am absolutely not affiliated with the factory. If you want, I’ll even help you destroy the factory that once tormented you. Now, all I need to know is: will you cooperate with me?”

“You brat...” The white fox was caught off guard by Chen Shang’s commanding words, the sound of gritted teeth audible beneath her mask.

“Are you telling the truth?... Is the championship prize really the gene repair serum?”

“I have never lied to you—not about this. You can trust me on this point.” Chen Shang looked at her with a gentle smile, his tone resolute. “I sincerely wish to cooperate with you. I need your help, and you need the championship prize.”

“...” Gazing into the youth’s clear eyes, the white fox’s mind raced.

Soon, her ears twitched rapidly, smoke rising from her head.

“Ah, I can’t think straight...! If you’re telling the truth, of course I accept the commission! But you’d better not lie to me, or I’ll blow you sky-high!”

Ultimately, the white fox chose to tentatively trust this young man.

Whether he spoke truth or falsehood hardly mattered to her; she simply couldn’t afford to give up any chance to cure herself.

After all, the “gene repair serum” was her deepest longing, the holy medicine that could rescue her from hellish torment.

If the client deceived her, she’d blow him up. If he was honest, she’d restrain her urge to explode him and spare him. That was the work ethic she’d always followed.

“A wise choice, Miss White Fox,” Chen Shang replied, collecting his light crossbow and stepping back like a gentleman. “I believe this will be a most pleasant collaboration.”

A system prompt appeared before Chen Shang’s eyes:

[Character unlocked: “Demolitionist” White Fox]
[Affinity: 0/20]

Though recruiting the white fox had its hurdles, she was at least willing to accept the commission.

Chen Shang had special reasons for seeking her cooperation.

In fact, the side quest to subdue the white fox contained a hidden ending: obtaining the “gene repair serum” and giving it to her, curing her explosive constitution.

Once this ending was achieved, the white fox would become a recruitable character, her affinity fixed at “20/20,” guaranteeing she would never betray the player.

Since “making a criminal character a romance game heroine” might invite parental complaints, the white fox was designed by the dev team as a supporting character with a capped affinity of 20, not a romance target.

Yet this indomitable undead ally, whose body parts could be used as bombs, could accompany the player all the way to the final boss.

Such formidable strength needed to be recruited as soon as possible.

Most importantly, Chen Shang had indeed lied to the white fox. The “gene repair serum” was not the championship prize, but a “hidden reward.”

To obtain it, a contestant had to win the finals and also complete a hidden mission during the competition.

This time, the hidden mission was to kill the lurking clone Devourer Dragon while winning the championship.

But defeating such a monster was impossible, even if ten hunters from the Cangyan Star Poaching Crew were summoned. Sending only a three-person squad was pure fantasy, unless using sacrificial suicide tactics.

In the planned game plot, the Xu Corporation’s team was meant to win this tournament.

During the finals, they deliberately sacrificed two expendable teammates to barely take down the Devourer Dragon, allowing the last person to claim victory and complete the hidden mission.

Originally, the easiest way for the player to obtain the gene stabilizer was to plead with the second male lead. But since Chen Shang was determined to topple the Xu Corporation’s team at the tournament, he had to find his own way to acquire the hidden reward.

To complete the hidden mission and win the gene repair serum, the simplest method was to find two trustworthy cannon-fodder teammates and have them sacrifice themselves at the right moment to kill the Devourer Dragon.

But if he managed to recruit the white fox, an immortal, for the competition, his plan would become much simpler, sparing him the trouble of searching for two sacrificial teammates.

“Let the female NPC risk her life to get the key quest item for me, then use that item to boost the NPC’s affinity.” That was Chen Shang’s logic.

“It’s settled, then.” Chen Shang snapped his fingers, addressing the other two in the factory. “On the day of the qualifiers, have one member from the Cangyan Star Poaching Crew join me and Miss White Fox.”

“You said there will be a Devourer Dragon at the finals—are you sure?” the old hunter asked, still confused.

The official details hadn’t been released, yet this youth spoke as if he knew everything.

“If not, you can chop off my head and treat it as the Devourer Dragon,” Chen Shang replied boldly, tapping his own head.

With such confidence, the old hunter could only nod and choose to believe him.

“Miss White Fox, I’ll contact you again via the Assassin Platform on competition day,” Chen Shang said, bowing gracefully.

“Yeah... got it! If you dare deceive me, I’ll blow you sky-high!” White Fox scratched her head, grumbling.

As they prepared to leave, a commotion erupted outside the factory door.

“Hey, those two fat lambs just went inside,” a man whispered.

“An old guy and a kid barging into Black Hand Gang territory—like meat delivered to our doorstep,” another man snickered.

“This factory’s been abandoned for ages. Once we go in, we’ll shoot them dead, then search for anything valuable!” a third man instructed quietly.

The underground district was rife with gangs and short on resources, populated by scoundrels willing to prey on the old and young without restraint.

Clearly, Chen Shang and the old hunter had been targeted upon entering the underground city.

The old hunter immediately raised his pistol toward the door, alert. The white fox yawned and laughed, “Just a few small fry—leave it to me.”

With that, she unzipped the sleeve of her leather jacket, revealing a segment of festering, pus-dripping arm.

“...” The old hunter frowned, disgusted.

With a swift motion, the white fox severed her own arm with her dagger.

She grabbed the amputated limb and hurled it forcefully toward the factory door.

The rotten arm, trailing blood, struck the iron door before landing limply on the floor.

“What are you doing?” the old hunter asked, bewildered.

Boom—!

Before he could finish, the severed arm exploded like a bomb, unleashing a thunderous blast.

The iron door was blown open, a gaping hole left behind, and the thugs who’d been plotting now lay unconscious at the threshold.

From the blood-soaked scene, they were likely close to death.

New flesh rapidly grew on the white fox’s shoulder, bones sprouting like bamboo shoots. From skeleton to veins, muscle to skin, her arm regenerated fully in under three seconds.

She quickly tucked her arm back into her jumpsuit, zipping it shut. More muffled explosions sounded from within her clothes.

“Ahahaha—what a relief! Finally got to blow something up!” She threw back her head, cackling at her handiwork.

The old hunter stood frozen, stunned.

“Come on—don’t just stand there,” Chen Shang said, patting the dazed hunter and signaling him to follow.