044 The Hunter’s Game Ends

Boom!

A figure was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. Blood drenched the three pairs of black wings. Cassius did not relent; as he ran forward, he fired his gun once more. The White Demon Terror-Bird possessed a tenacious vitality, a vicious extraordinary species. The dossier had even mentioned that it had been contaminated by the power of the Ring.

Now it was more twisted, more bloodthirsty and brutal. Only by killing it completely could one guarantee nothing went awry. Shu Nan wasn’t afraid of starting over, but if he could clear the stage in one life, all the better. So before approaching the corpse of a terror-bird, he would always fire a few extra rounds, to avoid any fatal surprises.

Indeed, two of the terror-birds were only feigning death, cunningly trying to ambush Cassius. But all they received was the devastating power of the shotgun’s shells, and death, true and final.

In no time at all, five White Demon Terror-Birds lay dead at Cassius’s feet. Fortunately, these creatures were not social but solitary hunters, resembling tigers more than wolves.

This allowed Cassius to defeat them one by one.

Otherwise, had he faced more than two White Demon Terror-Birds at once, he might have been torn to shreds on the spot.

“Congratulations, you have slain a White Demon.”

“Current progress: Instinct Evolution Rune 5/10.”

At that moment, the broadcast sounded, faithfully reporting the news.

“Hunter Number Seven’s score has surpassed two thousand!”

“Repeat! Hunter Number Seven’s score has surpassed two thousand!”

Shu Nan shook his head with a smile. Was this broadcast meant for the dead? Oh, no, there was still one left.

But it was just as well. If he eliminated Number Three, the game would end. With Cassius as the sole remaining Hunter, he would naturally become the final victor. The broadcast would immediately declare the end of the game.

For now, with Number Three still hanging on, Cassius could take the opportunity to enter Zone D and obtain the Evolution Rune.

Soon after, Shu Nan encountered another extraordinary creature—a powerful ape with arms as thick as two human heads and an impressively massive frame. Shu Nan suspected that if this ape fought a tiger, those muscular arms could twist the tiger’s head clean off!

Fortunately, Cassius didn’t need to wrestle the ape.

He had a gun—a gun of immense power!

And he had spiral rounds specifically designed for these extraordinary beasts, bullets with tremendous penetrating power. Even a muscular ape built like a bear would be pierced through by a single spiral round, the bullet passing in and out with ease.

In essence, they were no different from ordinary wild animals.

What’s more, the spiral rounds had a very short cooldown—just two minutes to reload one. Cassius always led with a spiral round, followed by regular bullets.

If luck favored him and the spiral round struck the head or heart, it was nearly always a clean kill.

And, as ever, Cassius would fire a few more shots before looting the corpse.

All of this was faithfully recorded by the cameras. In the distant meeting room, everyone was watching.

“This is his own private hunting ground…” muttered one director grimly.

“That Number Three is a real coward! He just ran off and hid—what a disgrace…” another director sneered.

“Say what you will, but don’t start throwing shade at me! That’s not cowardice, it’s a strategic retreat! He’ll get second place—what about your Number Eight? Second to last? What a joke!” another director retorted.

He was clearly representing the group backing Number Three, Eagle Eye, and naturally spoke in his own man’s defense. Coward or not, Number Three was ranked a solid second.

And that was enough to make other groups envious.

But as for profits, the big winner was undoubtedly the Seven Letters Group. Number Seven had already secured first place; once time was up, it would all be settled.

Around the table, directors cast looks of envy or jealousy at Mr. A. Even though Mr. A kept a stony expression, calm and collected, his posture was unconsciously proud. This time, the Seven Letters Group had truly made a splash, and the rewards to come would be substantial.

“A, are you familiar with Number Seven?” came a slightly hoarse woman’s voice. Dressed in a wine-red suit, she swirled her glass and gazed at the screen.

“Not particularly. J knows him better—they’ve apparently known each other for over a decade.” The cold-faced man turned slowly. “Why, are you interested in him?”

The woman sitting on the purple sofa said nothing, only sipped her wine, lips pressed together.

Whoosh!

The spiral round shot through the ape’s skull, spraying a burst of white and gray.

The powerful ape, massive as a bear, collapsed with a heavy thud, making the ground tremble.

“Congratulations, you have slain a Pale-Faced Ape.”

“You have obtained an Instinct Evolution Rune!”

“Instinct Evolution Rune is a consumable item.”

“It can be used to evolve a designated ability, and the direction of evolution will always be the most compatible with your body.”

An option appeared below for ability evolution.

Only a single, lonely choice—Meditation Time.

[Name: Meditation Time]

[Type: Skill]

[Grade: Bronze Wood (Intermediate)]

[Duration: 6s (can be split into two uses)]

What reason was there to hesitate?

Add the point, now!

“Instinct Evolution Rune in use.”

“Ability selected: Meditation Time.”

“Meditation Time evolving…”

“Please wait a moment, duration: two minutes.”

As the subtitles finished, Shu Nan suddenly lost control of his character. Cassius began to gasp wildly, like a water buffalo struggling for breath. The screen quivered and blurred, flakes of static snow flitting across.

Then came Cassius’s agonized howl, a soul-tearing scream, more piercing than a wolf’s.

After two minutes, the screams subsided.

Cassius rose from the ground, his once-twisted features returned to normal, once again wearing that cold, grim visage.

“Cassius’s Meditation Time has evolved.”

“Bronze Wood (Intermediate) → Bronze Wood (Advanced).”

“Duration: 10s (can be split into five uses).”

“Side effects of Meditation Time have been eliminated.”

With the consumption of the Evolution Rune, Meditation Time was greatly enhanced! Not only was the duration increased by four seconds, but the number of uses rose from two to five. At last, Cassius was no longer in dire straits.

Every time he entered Meditation Time, Cassius became a god among men, slaughtering his foes. Once those two uses were exhausted, he was instantly diminished, his combat prowess dramatically reduced. Now, with this evolution, he had much more room to maneuver.

Even better, the side effects of Meditation Time had been eradicated—a troublesome problem solved. For Cassius’s overall strength, this was a true leap forward.

Beep! The broadcast sounded.

“Time’s up. The Hunter Game is over.”

“The winner of this Hunter Game is Number Seven.”

“You will receive the following rewards.”

[1: Luminous Lion Hunting Coat]

[2: A large sum of cash]

[3: Three types of special ammunition]

[4: Killer’s All-Skill Package (Top Tier)]

[5: Seven Letters Group Mystery Reward]

“Notice: Because Mr. A is satisfied with your performance, he has decided to give you a special gift.”

“Would you like to combine rewards 1, 3, and 5?”

“Redeem reward 6: Ring Heart Surgery.”