Chapter 51
City C, Disaster Day Martyrs Memorial Cemetery.
It was late at night, and the sound of car engines could be heard near the cemetery, which should have been extremely quiet.
Afterwards, several people carrying special equipment got off the car, and several huge lighting lamps were quickly built at the four corners nearby, instantly illuminating the night as if it were day.
The surrounding residents were awakened by the noise, and before they could even curse, the staff knocked on their door.
Alarms also rang throughout the area.
——The Hunter Association’s personnel were quickly organizing the clearing of the area.
If it was before the disaster day, these residents might think it was a scam, and even if they believed it, they might not act quickly.
But the emergencies, big and small, and the terrifying monsters in the door over the past seven years have taught them that no matter when they hear any noise, they must leave the scene as soon as they hear it.
After all, nothing is more important than your own life.
"Report, the surrounding area has been blocked and all residents have been evacuated!"
The head of the Hunter Association's C City branch nodded, looked solemnly at the cemetery surrounded by a huge magical wind wall, frowned and asked, "Can you observe the situation inside?"
The subordinate shook his head and said, "No. The machines we brought here and the hunters with detection capabilities cannot see what is happening inside. Just like the world in the gate, the cemetery is isolated from the real world due to the huge difference in magic power."
The only difference is that the dungeon can at least be entered through a portal and the monsters inside can be killed before the portal collapses, but this space surrounded by a magic wall does not give people any way to intervene, so people can only wait anxiously and helplessly for the magic box to be opened.
No one will not feel nervous because of the unknown outcome, they can only do their best to be prepared.
——All hunters who can be transferred from City C are now on high alert. In addition, they have also sent out requests for support from neighboring provinces and cities, especially the central city of City A where the hunter strength is the strongest.
It was no wonder that they were overly cautious and even had to urgently summon hunters from other cities in the middle of the night. The noise in the cemetery was simply too terrifying.
In the past seven years, they have never seen such a strange phenomenon.
And just looking at the concentration of magic power, this level has far exceeded that of an A-level portal and is close to S-level!
You know, S-level portal and S-level hunter are not on the same level.
Even an S-level hunter cannot deal with the monsters in an entire S-level portal by himself. Their target has always been the most powerful BOSS-like existence in the portal.
Not to mention that S-level hunters are extremely rare. If you encounter a particularly difficult S-level portal or a special type of dungeon, you may need to join forces with hunters from other countries to conquer it.
This concerns the fate of a city or even a country, and must not be taken lightly.
Just when the branch president's call reached Ning Baiquan's office, the speed of the magic wind wall suddenly slowed down as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Not only did it weaken, but in full view of everyone, it suddenly rushed towards the center of the cemetery as if it was sucked away by something, forming a huge vortex!
Anyone who witnessed this scene was shocked, and followed by an involuntary fear -
The vortex was so big and so deep that it looked like it could suck everything in, leaving no way for people to escape.
In just a few seconds, the thick magic wall became thinner, and the magic concentration that originally made people feel uncomfortable decreased rapidly. The scene at the center of the vortex was finally seen by people outside through the purple wind wall.
The first thing that comes into people's sight is the silhouette of a huge two-headed snake.
"Oh my god... is that a snake?"
Among the hunters, someone gasped and said in disbelief.
This thing... is too big!
The snake lay on the ground, motionless. Its body was as wide as a floor high. Just looking at it from such a distance was enough to arouse one's fear of giant creatures.
The appearance of the giant python immediately intensified the solemn atmosphere in the air. The hunters clenched their weapons, tensed their muscles, and made postures ready to attack at any time. Sweat appeared on their palms, and they stared at the two-headed giant python with great nervousness, whose full appearance they had not yet seen.
However, as the scene in the cemetery became clearer and the horrific scars on the two-headed python were exposed, they discovered that the two-headed python lying on the ground was actually a fresh corpse!
What really needs attention is not the snake's corpse, but a black-haired boy standing in the middle of the cemetery, who is suspected of having hunted the demon snake alone.
His cold white skin was stained with large patches of dried blood, making him look extremely scary, but his clothes were not torn at all, and even his hair was just the right length, as if he had not suffered any harm from the two-headed demon snake. All of this was just a staged shot in the studio.
However, everyone knew that this could not be a staged photo. It was a real scene that happened right before their eyes.
The assistant at the side suddenly said in surprise: "President, that is..."
Isn’t that the fourth S-class hunter who just passed the highest level assessment at the Hunter Association headquarters in City A?
The assistant's words immediately evoked the memories of the hunters around them, causing them to overlap the photos of the new S-rank hunters that frequently appeared in the news with the face of the black-haired boy in front of them.
“It’s really him!”
"He dealt with the demon snake by himself?"
"Isn't he in City A? Why did he suddenly appear here?"
There were constant whispers of discussion.
Just then, the black-haired boy raised his eyes and looked over.
Everyone fell silent at once and shut their mouths in unison.
In silence, the black-haired boy walked out of the cemetery and came to the defense line formed by hunters. He blinked and asked:
"Why aren't you talking?"
The black-haired boy's gaze seemed to pause in the air, and he said to himself: "I didn't turn on the silent mode..."
But... he glanced at his precarious intelligence bar and felt that it was understandable even if he turned on the silent mode.
The heavy murderous aura from the black-haired boy was diluted by his words, and the almost stagnant atmosphere began to flow slightly.
The branch president standing in the front tried to clear his throat, find his voice, and asked carefully:
"Are you... a hunter from the Xingyuan Plain?"
He was still somewhat uncertain and doubtful, fearing that this was just an illusion, and that there were monsters in the sect that possessed this ability.
Even those veteran hunters who had been attacking in the sect for years had not given up the fight, their weapons were always in their hands. If anything went wrong, they would focus their fire on the weird black-haired hunter.
Caution, caution, and caution again. This is the key to the survival of these veteran hunters.
"It's me." The black-haired boy glanced around and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Are you guys... preparing to support me?"
Why do you seem so wary of him?
"...We were originally planning to do this." The branch president was a little embarrassed, but still said sincerely: "But before the surrounding magic wall disappeared, we didn't find a way to get in, so until you showed up, we didn't do anything."
"I'm so sorry, Hunter Suixingyuan. But thank you very much for killing that monster before disaster strikes."
Seeing that the black-haired boy really was the newly appeared S-rank hunter, and not a monster in disguise, the branch president made a gesture, telling the hunters on standby not to be on guard and to go directly into the cemetery to clean up the battlefield and check the situation of the demon snake.
At this moment, he noticed that the black-haired boy seemed to be holding something in his arms.
"Is this... an egg?"
The branch president said with some surprise.
The black-haired boy lowered his eyes and glanced at the egg in his hand. He immediately realized something and defended himself and the egg: "I testify that it does not belong to the snake."
The branch president immediately breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he subconsciously felt that the other party was the kind of god who would take the monster eggs back home and fry them for food.
After Su Xingyuan knocked on the egg and absorbed the magic power, a strange dark purple patterned egg appeared. He felt the magic power fluctuations like a heartbeat coming from it.
[Remaining hatching time: 23:47]
After the pet egg consumed all the magic in the cemetery, the hatching countdown appeared in front of him.
However, although it was this egg that dealt the final blow to the two-headed demon snake, Su Xingyuan's contribution in this battle was still greater than that of the egg, and he still got a lot of experience points.
[Your current level is: lv.29]
[Remaining free attribute points: 10]
Su Xingyuan added all 10 free attribute points to intelligence.
[Intelligence: 97]
He clicked on the next pop-up window.
[Congratulations to the players for preventing the incident in City C from happening! 】
[Casualties: 0]
【Property loss: negligible】
[As a reward for preventing the disaster, you received gold coins*10000! 】
[Your reputation in City C has been upgraded to [Respected]! 】
【Series of Tasks (2/3)】
[Since you completed the mission alone and killed the C City map BOSS [Demon Snake], the mission completion rate is [Perfect], you will receive an additional reward for this mission! 】
[Basic reward: gold coins*1000]
[Extra rewards: Gold*2000, EXP*1000]
Su Xingyuan's gaze fell on [Series of Tasks (2/3)].
Is there another part that needs to be completed?
Please find out the mastermind behind the two incidents.
[Quest Reward: Thousand Miles Sound Transmission (Skill)]
The appearance of this skill immediately aroused Su Xingyuan's interest.
He raised his eyes and asked, "When will Deputy Director Ning come over?"
"There is a transmission channel within the association. Deputy Director Ning just called and said that he will arrive soon..."
Before he could finish his words, a black sports car came speeding over and stopped in front of them with a drift.
Su Xingyuan blinked and said with a smile: "Deputy Director Ning looks steady, but he is a good driver."
Ning Baiquan opened the car door, got out of the car, and adjusted his glasses: "Thank you."
He had obviously learned about the situation here in the car, but when he saw the scene, he couldn't help but frowned slightly and said, "I'll go in and take a look."
The branch president immediately organized the hunters to retreat.
At present, it seems that the danger has disappeared, and investigating the cause is the responsibility of other people. These hunters can now go home and continue to rest.
Ning Baiquan stepped into the cemetery which was already in a state of disarray.
His mood was very low, and when he saw the body of the hunter who had died, his expression became even more severe.
"This incident... is definitely being manipulated by someone behind the scenes."
He looked at Su Xingyuan: "And it's coming for you."
Su Xingyuan was not surprised and accepted it very well: "This is normal. People and things that want to kill me probably have to queue up from here to overseas - of course, in most cases, they should be queuing up here."
Which red name doesn't want to kill players? In this kind of single-player game, the player as the protagonist is most prone to accidents.
Ning Baiquan: “…”
The originally heavy mood suddenly deflated.
Ning Baiquan was silent for a moment, because he really didn't know how to respond to this question. In the end, he could only ask a question: "Did you get any information about this cemetery from that D-level portal?"
"You could say that."
Su Xingyuan calmly concluded: "They obviously have the means to transform humans into monsters, and they have a lot of spies in the city, which is why they were able to identify me."
Even the main storyline of the game is not illogical. The reason why this group of people came to him must be because they are always paying attention to the news, public opinion, and even every little movement in the city.
Hearing this, Ning Baiquan suddenly stopped.
"It seems... in my memory, there is an organization that feels very similar to what you described."
Su Xingyuan's eyes immediately locked on him.
"However, this requires us to pay a visit to the president of the Hunter Association. He knows more about this organization."
*
Two hours later.
Ning Baiquan parked his car in an ordinary residential area in City A.
After parking the car, he looked at the black-haired boy's face without any emotion, pushed his glasses down, and said with some surprise: "I thought you would sigh at the president's simple life like other people who come here for the first time."
Su Xingyuan blinked, then nodded in sudden realization: "So this is the simplicity in Deputy Director Ning's dictionary—"
Before Ning Baiquan could react to what he wanted to say, he saw the black-haired boy's green eyes, which seemed to be able to see through everything and fell directly on the residential buildings: "A kind of simple house that looks poor but actually bought several buildings and renovated them completely. Deputy Director Ning is indeed very thoughtful."
Ning Baiquan: “…”
He really couldn't figure it out, and couldn't help asking: "How did you figure that out?"
No matter how careful an observer one is, from the outside one can only see that this is just an ordinary residential building, and there are even traces of residents' lives here.
The Hunter Association president's hobby is so strange. Although it can be understood that he does this to protect his own safety, to put it bluntly, he just likes to pretend.
First let the visitors outside admire his low-keyness, and then let them be dazzled by his luxury after they enter.
Ning Baiquan suffered greatly from this back then.
Faced with Ning Baiquan's incomprehensible questions, Su Xingyuan, who was holding a small map, smiled without saying a word.
However, Ning Baiquan was already a mature man. He did not dwell on this point any more and took Su Xingyuan to the third building in the center.
Ning Baiquan pressed the doorbell of the east house on the first floor. Three seconds later, he entered the password and the door opened automatically.
An old man's voice came from inside: "It turns out to be Xiao Ning. How come you have time to come and see an old man like me today..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the black-haired boy appearing right behind him.
The black-haired boy raised his hand with a smile and said hello: "HI."
The Hunter Association's president, who was wearing an old man's vest, messy hair, and slippers, said: "..."
Almost in an instant, he disappeared from the spot at such a fast speed that even Su Xingyuan's dynamic vision had a hard time keeping up with his figure.
Ning Baiquan had anticipated the president's reaction, and explained calmly, "The president's ability is to increase his physical fitness in all aspects."
[Name: Ji Tianshi]
[Level: S]
[Identity: President of the Hunter Association]
[Status: Hidden Injury]
Su Xingyuan glanced at the panel and said, "The president is S-level? It is rare to have the ability of physical enhancement reaching S-level."
“…”
Ning Baiquan had almost gotten used to Su Xingyuan's shocking remarks from time to time, and he didn't even ask him how he knew the president was S-level. He just assumed it was "because he is Su Xingyuan."
In the blink of an eye, Ji Tianshi reappeared at the same place, and this time he was neatly dressed, with hair gel on his head, a gray suit on his body, and even shiny leather shoes on his feet. He wore a different ring on each of his fingers.
He coughed lightly and said, "Are you the Suxingyuan Hunter?"
The black-haired boy tilted his head slightly and smiled.
"I think there won't be another Su Xing Yuan besides me."
Even online games require unique nicknames. In a single-player game, the probability of there being an NPC with the same name as his who is also a hunter is even lower.
However, when Ji Tianshi heard these words, they took on a different meaning.
He looked at Su Xingyuan meaningfully: "You seem to be very confident in your own strength..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly attacked. The aura of a S-level hunter for many years suddenly burst out and all pressed towards the young hunter opposite. At the same time, he raised his hand without any warning and was about to press on Su Xingyuan's shoulder!
“Bang!”
——Then at the moment of falling, the black-haired boy grabbed his wrist tightly, making it impossible to move forward.
From beginning to end, there was no expression of surprise on the black-haired boy's face. Even when he took action, there was only a terrifying calmness in the depths of his emerald green eyes.
It was as if he was not affected at all by the aura of the veteran S-rank hunter.
He even slowly exerted force to move Ji Tianshi's arm outwards little by little, and smiled with curved lips: "Have you forgotten that I am also an S-level hunter?"
He loosened his hand.
Ji Tianshi quickly pulled his hand back and took a closer look, and saw a circle of red marks on it.
Ji Tianshi: “…”
His wrist is not delicate. The appearance of such a mark can only mean that the black-haired boy used a lot of force just now. If it were an ordinary person, his wrist would have been crushed long ago.
Moreover, his ability is to strengthen his body, and his physical defense is much higher than that of ordinary S-level hunters. Therefore, the performance of the black-haired boy just now is enough to show that the strength of a new hunter who has reached S-level in just a few days even exceeds the average level of most S-level hunters.
...It's simply terrifying.
These thoughts flashed through his mind quickly, but on the surface, Ji Tianshi looked at his hands distressedly and said angrily: "Do you know what it means to respect the elderly and love the young!"
Su Xingyuan: “I don’t understand.”
Before Ji Tianshi could start lecturing him again, the black-haired boy suddenly reached out and lifted Ji Tianshi's wig.
"--oops."
He leaned forward slightly, curved his cat-like turquoise eyes, and asked in a relaxed tone:
"Why are you bald? Is it because of overtime work?"
Ji Tianshi: “…”
Ji Tianshi: "Give me back my wig! You bastard!!"
Current overtime worker Ning Baiquan: "..."
The Xingyuan Hunter is really good at talking. I always feel like I have been hurt in a subtle way.
"President." He couldn't bear it anymore and reminded, "We have something important to discuss."
Ji Tianshi then stopped his movements, snorted, and sat on the sofa: "Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Su Xingyuan also sat on another sofa very naturally, and even took the oranges from the plate, which made Ji Tianshi's forehead veins throbbing.
"There is an organization secretly planning to create a disaster in City C. They use the bodies of hunters buried in the cemetery as petri dishes to grow and hatch monsters, and then reorganize them into weapons controlled by this organization."
Su Xingyuan placed his cell phone on the table and pushed it over.
A picture appeared on the screen. It was a picture he took when he was bored waiting for the cutscene.
In the picture, countless monsters were decomposing and reorganizing into a giant demon snake, while the black-robed man behind the demon snake showed a crazy smile, watching the scene with pride.
Ji Tianshi's expression changed visibly.
"This is what happened today." He said in a deep voice, and then looked at Su Xingyuan: "Did you solve it?"
Su Xingyuan: "No, it's my egg."
Ji Tianshi: “???”
Ji Tianshi was confused for a moment, but his experience told him not to follow the black-haired boy's line of thought, so he firmly stuck to his own topic:
"I know this organization. They were at their peak five years ago. They have been trying to transform humans into monsters in various ways. They once killed countless people in a tragic way and believed that the extinction of mankind was the right choice."
"It only took them two years to develop a terrorist force that was strong enough to threaten any country in the world. At the time, it took the joint efforts of S-rank hunters from various countries to wipe out their lair."
Ji Tianshi looked very unhappy: "I didn't expect that they were not completely wiped out... This is troublesome."
Su Xingyuan: "What is the name of their organization?"
Ji Tianshi replied: "The City of Evil Ghosts is also called the City of Demon Kings. They say that what they do is to welcome the arrival of the true master of hell and turn the world into his paradise. They worship blood and destruction, and once wanted to turn all humans into monsters..."
"But if they continue to linger on, then once they know the savior will arrive, their goal will definitely become hunting the savior down."
As he was talking, he noticed that the black-haired boy had fallen into a rare and subtle silence.
He asked suspiciously, "Are you scared?"
The false savior, the true lord of hell, Su Xingyuan: "No, I just think it's a little weird."
He said calmly: "After all, how can they be sure that the savior is definitely not the Lord of Hell?"
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